Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - March 27, 2026

HOT

A Perfect Weekend to Dine

The Providence Culinary Collective launches March 26-29, in locations throughout Providence. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event - which featured more than a dozen sold-out events - the 2026 festival expands with new chefs and new tiered experiences.

Tickets and additional information are available at GoPVDEats.com.  

“Providence’s food scene has always been one of its greatest strengths, and the Providence Culinary Collective is a celebration of that,” said Kristen Adamo, president and CEO of GoProvidence. “The response to last year’s inaugural festival affirmed what we’ve long known: Providence is a city with an extraordinary culinary story to tell. This year’s Providence Culinary Collective builds on that momentum with additional talent, new experiences, and even more ways for locals and visitors to savor the creativity that defines our destination.”

PHOTO: Juliette F., Unsplash

HOT

Providence is Comedy Central

Rhode Island’s premier comedy festival, returning March 26–29, 2026! After an incredible first year, it is back to the smallest state for "four nights of unforgettable comedy, community, and chaos."

See the schedule.

HOT

A Rhode Islander Returns to Open a New Boutique in Wayland Square

There's a new women's clothing store coming to Wayland Square in Providence.

"Silverline," located at 467 Angell Street - where F. Bianco used to be - is slated to open in the coming days.

According to the shop, it features "a selection of ready-to-wear and gifts for women who favor detail, craft, and effortless style."

This week, GoLocal spoke with owner Megan Pelson about her path to opening a new and remarkable store.

"I grew up in Rhode Island and was always drawn to creativity in all its forms—books, films, theater, art, fashion, and design. Naturally, when the time came, I pursued a career that allowed me to work creatively," said Pelson. "After several years working in the film and television industry across New York and Los Angeles, I found myself ready for a new chapter."

And that next step, was to come back to her home state. READ MORE

HOT

PC's New Coach

The Providence College Friars hired Bryon Hodgson.

He is one of America’s hottest young coaches. PC will be his third head coaching job in three years.

In March of 2023, Hodgson was named as the head coach of the Arkansas State Red Wolves men's basketball team. He led the program to a CBI appearance in 2024 and the 2025 NIT.

On March 24, 2025, Hodgson was named the head coach of the South Florida Bulls men's basketball team. He led them to the NCAA tournament, but they were one-and-done — losing to Louisville on Thursday.

Reportedly, he was Syracuse’s target, but he passed on that job and a few others.

Now, the upstate New York native is coming to Providence. He is 38-years-old, a year older than former Friar coach Kim English.

English was fired after three years — he was 48-52 overall and 23-37 in the Big East.

The Friars now need to pay off English's contract.  Hodgson made $1.25 million at USF - this includes a $500,000 base salary and $750,000 for promotional/media activities.

NOT

Brown and Bryant Receive Tens of Millions From “Countries of Concern” According to New Government Data

A new reporting system launched by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) requires colleges and universities to disclose the sources of revenue from foreign interests.

Brown and Bryant universities combined received nearly $400 million and more than $100 million from “countries of concern.”

The USDOE recently unveiled the new reporting requirement. “The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) released data compiled from foreign funding disclosures submitted by American colleges and universities for 2025 – documenting over 8,300 transactions worth more than $5.2 billion in reportable foreign gifts and contracts. These disclosures are required by Section 117 of the Higher Education Act (Section 117), which obligates universities receiving Federal financial assistance to disclose foreign source gifts and contracts with a value of $250,000 or more annually to the Department."

SEE HOW MUCH THE OTHER RI COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES RECEIVED BELOW

The new disclosure structure specifically breaks out  not only funds from “countries of concern” but also “counterparties of concern.”

The U.S. Department of Education (ED), in partnership with the State Department, monitors "counterparties of concern"—foreign governments, entities, or individuals—to identify risks to national security in higher education. Under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, institutions must report gifts or contracts over $250,000 from these sources.

Bryant ranks second in the United States for receiving funds from “counterparties of concern."

READ MORE
 

NOT

New Report: AI Will Devastate Jobs in Legal, Architectural and Admin Services Over the Next 5 Years

A sobering report from Goldman Sachs paints a bleak picture for the future of many white-collar jobs in the next five years.

According to Goldman's report, "Apart from tech workers, others in the knowledge and creative sectors, such as management consultants, call center workers, and graphic designers, have also seen some displacement of their labor by AI, but these are relatively small parts of the overall job market. As yet, no significant AI-led changes in the employment mix across the whole US economy have shown up in labor data."

Globally, around 300 million jobs are exposed to AI automation. In the US, AI can potentially automate tasks that account for 25% of all work hours, according to Joseph Briggs, who co-leads the global economics team in Goldman Sachs Research.

For nearly every white-collar sector, the numbers are sobering.

Administrators — office managers and similar positions — are expected to take the biggest hit.

READ MORE
 

PHOTO: Cash Macanaya, Unsplash

NOT

Rhode Island Does Not Have the Worst Highways and Bridges, But It's Close, Says New Report

According to a new study, Rhode Island’s highways, bridges, and roads are not the worst in the country, but it is not far off either, and not improving compared to other states.

Rhode Island Red Flags

System performance problems in each measured category seem to be concentrated in a handful of states:

Almost 40% of the urban arterial primary mileage in poor condition is in just four states: California, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and New York.

Although a majority of states saw the percentage of structurally deficient bridges decline, nine states report more than 10% of their bridges as structurally deficient: West Virginia, Iowa, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Maine, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan, and North Dakota.

Rhode Island’s Ranking By Categories - Good News and Really Expensive News

According to the Annual Highway Report by Reason Foundation, Rhode Island suffered a one-spot decline from last year’s ranking of 42nd — now, Rhode Island is ranked 43rd.

Peter Alviti, the architect of Rhode Island's transportation maintenance and improvement strategy and the Director of Transportation, resigned last month after a decade. He was a political appointee frist by Governor Gina Raimondo and then retained by Governor McMcee.

The Reason Foundation’s study breaks down 13 categories, and Rhode Island ranks as high as 4th for rural road-related fatalities.

Most concerning from a fiscal standpoint is Rhode Island’s ranking for structurally deficient bridges — Rhode Island ranks 47th, and the cost to taxpayers will be in the billions.

In safety and condition categories, Rhode Island’s highways rank 6th in Rural Interstate Pavement Condition, 10th in Urban Interstate Pavement Condition, 49th in Rural Arterial Pavement Condition, 48th in Urban Arterial Pavement Condition, 47th in Structurally Deficient Bridges, 4th in Rural Fatality Rate, and 20th in Urban Fatality Rate. Rhode Island ranks 37th out of the 50 states in traffic congestion, and its drivers spend about 32 hours a year stuck in traffic congestion.

In spending and cost-effectiveness, Rhode Island ranks 31st in Capital and Bridge Disbursements, which are the costs of building new roads and bridges and widening existing ones. Rhode Island ranks 29th in Maintenance Disbursements, such as the costs of repaving roads and filling in potholes. Rhode Island’s Administrative Disbursements, including office spending that does not make its way to roads, rank 18th nationwide.

Compared to the previous report, the categories in which the state improved the most were Rural Fatality Rate (31st to 4th) and Maintenance Disbursements (35th to 29th). Rhode Island worsened the most in Urban Fatality Rate (2nd to 20th).

NOT

URI Lets Another One Get Away

Over the past decade, the University of Rhode Island men’s and women’s basketball programs have had two of the best basketball coaches in America.

Who says they were among the best?

Their records. Dan Hurley was at URI for six seasons, and in his third season, he had turned the Rams around, going 23-10.  Then, in years five and six, there were two trips to the NCAA tournament and the field of 32.

The Rams were back. And the team was loaded with talent. READ MORE