Alexander Castro
@ohnocastro.bsky.social
Reporter for Rhode Island Current, covering technology, health and education. Previously: Arts writer, curator and adjunct prof. /// acastro@rhodeislandcurrent.com
UPDATED piece on today's SNAP hearing: "The number of viewers watching the court’s livestream on YouTube climbed steadily upward over the half-hour, from about 261 to 570, coinciding with an increasing sternness from McConnell."
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R.I. federal judge orders Trump to fully fund SNAP; USDA wastes no time filing appeal • Rhode Island Current
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use available contingency funds and other allocated emergency subsidies to restore the full $9 billion in November food stamp benefits by Friday, a Rhode...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:12 AM
UPDATED piece on today's SNAP hearing: "The number of viewers watching the court’s livestream on YouTube climbed steadily upward over the half-hour, from about 261 to 570, coinciding with an increasing sternness from McConnell."
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/11/06/r...
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/11/06/r...
UPDATED: McKee OKs $6M in funding to replace federal food benefits — far short of what RI needs
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McKee OKs $6M in funding to replace federal food benefits — far short of what RI needs • Rhode Island Current
With November 1 food stamp benefits unfunded, Gov. Dan McKee moves $6 million from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and adds food bank support.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:52 PM
UPDATED: McKee OKs $6M in funding to replace federal food benefits — far short of what RI needs
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/28/m...
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Reposted by Alexander Castro
“I hope that the series makes everyone think … ‘Would I have been a patriot? Would I be willing to fight for my beliefs?'" Bloody bloody "American Revolution": Dark story comes to light in latest Ken Burns project. From @ohnocastro.bsky.social via @rhodeislandcurrent.com
Bloody bloody ‘American Revolution’: Dark story comes to light in latest Ken Burns project • New Hampshire Bulletin
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns acknowledges the sinister, the cruel, and the dark in America’s revolutionary story in his latest project ‘The American Revolution,’ premiering Nov. 16 on PBS. During…
newhampshirebulletin.com
October 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
“I hope that the series makes everyone think … ‘Would I have been a patriot? Would I be willing to fight for my beliefs?'" Bloody bloody "American Revolution": Dark story comes to light in latest Ken Burns project. From @ohnocastro.bsky.social via @rhodeislandcurrent.com
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns highlights the nation’s complicated history during Rhode Island State House visit Thursday ahead of next month’s PBS series premiere. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/16/b...
Bloody bloody ‘American Revolution’: Dark story comes to light in latest Ken Burns project • Rhode Island Current
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns acknowledges the sinister, the cruel, and the dark in America’s revolutionary story in his latest project ‘The American Revolution,’ premiering Nov. 16 on PBS. During a...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
October 17, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns highlights the nation’s complicated history during Rhode Island State House visit Thursday ahead of next month’s PBS series premiere. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/16/b...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
New @ric-cyberinst.bsky.social cyber range at @rhodeislandcollege.bsky.social offers students a safe space for close encounters with bad actors. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social
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New RIC cyber range prepares students for real world danger lurking in cyberspace • Rhode Island Current
State leaders celebrated at a “powering up” ceremony at Rhode Island College Wednesday for a new state-of-the-art cyber range, where students gain hands-on learning experience to prevent and respond t...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:10 AM
New @ric-cyberinst.bsky.social cyber range at @rhodeislandcollege.bsky.social offers students a safe space for close encounters with bad actors. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/15/n...
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/15/n...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Tuesday is the deadline to make the move to Microsoft’s latest OS or put temporary fix in place. Here’s how local and state government IT officials are preparing. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social
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The end is near for Windows 10. Here’s how local and state government IT officials are preparing. • Rhode Island Current
Microsoft will no longer provide support and security updates for Windows 10 as of Tuesday, Oct. 14, requiring machines all over the globe to be upgraded to Windows 11. Most local and state government...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Tuesday is the deadline to make the move to Microsoft’s latest OS or put temporary fix in place. Here’s how local and state government IT officials are preparing. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alexander Castro
Brown University economist Peter Howitt shares Nobel Prize for work focused on how new technologies brought in by disruptive outsiders to shake up the status quo succeed in ultimately becoming the status quo. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social
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Brown professor emeritus shares Nobel Prize for groundbreaking economic theories • Rhode Island Current
Brown University Professor Emeritus Peter Howitt and his colleague, the French economist Philippe Aghion, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for their research on how new technologies c...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
October 13, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Brown University economist Peter Howitt shares Nobel Prize for work focused on how new technologies brought in by disruptive outsiders to shake up the status quo succeed in ultimately becoming the status quo. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/13/b...
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/13/b...
NEW: A big ol' story I've been working on about the end of support for Windows 10. 💻🤖💐🪦
The end is near for Windows 10. Here’s how local and state government IT officials are preparing. • Rhode Island Current
Microsoft will no longer provide support and security updates for Windows 10 as of Tuesday, Oct. 14, requiring machines all over the globe to be upgraded to Windows 11. Most local and state government...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
October 13, 2025 at 2:25 PM
NEW: A big ol' story I've been working on about the end of support for Windows 10. 💻🤖💐🪦
A dive into this year's 2025 RICAS: Some lessons from Mississippi, and of course some friendly rivalry with the Commonwealth
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Rhode Island students test scores inch up, but still chasing Massachusetts • Rhode Island Current
Rhode Island students’ standardized test scores moved up this year, outpacing pre-pandemic proficiency in math. English Language Arts proficiency, however, remains harder to budge upward.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
October 2, 2025 at 7:20 PM
A dive into this year's 2025 RICAS: Some lessons from Mississippi, and of course some friendly rivalry with the Commonwealth
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/02/r...
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/02/r...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
From myself and @ohnocastro.bsky.social:
Renovations at T.F. Green will require the removal of an abstract public sculpture and two boats on display, only one of them seaworthy. The people who made them are at different stages of acceptance.
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/29/l...
Renovations at T.F. Green will require the removal of an abstract public sculpture and two boats on display, only one of them seaworthy. The people who made them are at different stages of acceptance.
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/29/l...
Longtime T.F. Green decor soon to be unmoored • Rhode Island Current
Renovations at Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport will require the removal of an abstract public sculpture and two boats on display, only one of them seaworthy. The people who made them ar...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 29, 2025 at 2:44 PM
From myself and @ohnocastro.bsky.social:
Renovations at T.F. Green will require the removal of an abstract public sculpture and two boats on display, only one of them seaworthy. The people who made them are at different stages of acceptance.
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/29/l...
Renovations at T.F. Green will require the removal of an abstract public sculpture and two boats on display, only one of them seaworthy. The people who made them are at different stages of acceptance.
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/29/l...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Congratulations, @ohnocastro.bsky.social, first place winner of an A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism! rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/rhode...
Rhode Island Current reporter wins top A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism • Rhode Island Current
Rhode Island Current reporter Alexander Castro won a first place A-Mark Prize at the 2025 New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA) fall publishers conference for his reporting on the RIBridge...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 27, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Congratulations, @ohnocastro.bsky.social, first place winner of an A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism! rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/rhode...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Here are the five life science companies selected as inaugural tenants of the new Ocean State Health Labs, set to officially open early next year on in Providence ... By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/24/f...
Fab Five: First Ocean State Labs life sciences tenants announced • Rhode Island Current
Five life science companies selected as inaugural tenants of the new Ocean State Health Labs, set to officially open early next year on Richmond Street in Providence, were announced by Rhode Island Go...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Here are the five life science companies selected as inaugural tenants of the new Ocean State Health Labs, set to officially open early next year on in Providence ... By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/24/f...
Performing arts groups celebrate as R.I. federal judge strikes down NEA grant restrictions
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Performing arts groups celebrate as R.I. federal judge strikes down NEA grant restrictions • Rhode Island Current
Four performing arts groups has won their legal faceoff with the National Endowment for the Arts after a federal judge in Providence on Friday found the agency flouted free speech rights.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 23, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Performing arts groups celebrate as R.I. federal judge strikes down NEA grant restrictions
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R.I. Reps urge House to drop ‘Trump Grants’ rebrand of new Pell Grant
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R.I. Reps urge House to drop ‘Trump Grants’ rebrand of new Pell Grant • Rhode Island Current
Democratic U.S. Reps. Gabe Amo and Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island want House Committee on Appropriations to reject a provision that would rename the new Workforce Pell Grants the “Trump Grants.”
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 23, 2025 at 11:48 PM
R.I. Reps urge House to drop ‘Trump Grants’ rebrand of new Pell Grant
rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/r-i-r...
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More Rhode Island children lived in poverty in 2024, new data shows
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More Rhode Island children lived in poverty in 2024, new data shows • Rhode Island Current
Rhode Island had a higher percentage of children living in poverty in 2024 than any other New England state, according to an analysis of new census data. The data, along with changing federal funding ...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 18, 2025 at 4:18 PM
More Rhode Island children lived in poverty in 2024, new data shows
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/18/m...
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/18/m...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Roller coaster may continue for NIH-funded program at URI that supports students in biomedicine or engineering fields. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/16/o...
On-, off-, on-again URI program for diverse STEM scholars braces for October uncertainty • Rhode Island Current
After a March termination and June appeal denial, the National Institutes of Health reinstated the University of Rhode Island's ESTEEMED grant supporting diversity students in STEM fields on July 1. U...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Roller coaster may continue for NIH-funded program at URI that supports students in biomedicine or engineering fields. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/16/o...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Court filings show Deloitte claimed it has no obligation to those whose personal info was hacked in the RIBridges data breach. But now a settlement appears to be in the works. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/12/s...
Settlement in the works to resolve RIBridges class action lawsuit • Rhode Island Current
A class action lawsuit filed last spring against the architect and vendor of RIBridges by people whose personal information was exposed in a massive data breach appears headed for a resolution.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Court filings show Deloitte claimed it has no obligation to those whose personal info was hacked in the RIBridges data breach. But now a settlement appears to be in the works. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/09/12/s...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
No time like the present to change lobbyist gift rules, open government advocates tell Rhode Island Ethics Commission at public hearing Tuesday. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com?p=24604
No time like the present to change lobbyist gift rules, open government advocates tell ethics panel • Rhode Island Current
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission heard public feedback Tuesday on the possibility of changing state ethics rules to limit lobbyists’ influence on the lawmaking process.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:54 PM
No time like the present to change lobbyist gift rules, open government advocates tell Rhode Island Ethics Commission at public hearing Tuesday. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com?p=24604
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission opens screening portal for social equity retail license applicants. By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/29/c...
Cannabis regulators open screening portal for social equity retail license applicants • Rhode Island Current
Rhode Island cannabis regulators have opened the certification process for social equity applicants seeking one of six retail licenses reserved for communities disproportionately impacted by past mari...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
August 29, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission opens screening portal for social equity retail license applicants. By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/29/c...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Rhode Island elevates risk level to high after West Nile Virus-infected mosquitoes found in Johnston, East Providence and Cranston. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/west-...
West Nile Virus-infected mosquitoes found in Johnston, East Providence and Cranston • Rhode Island Current
Multiple mosquito samples infected with West Nile Virus from Johnston, East Providence, and Cranston led state health and environmental officials to raise Rhode Island’s risk level from “Medium” to “H...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
August 29, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Rhode Island elevates risk level to high after West Nile Virus-infected mosquitoes found in Johnston, East Providence and Cranston. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/west-...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Brown University Health posts $3.8M Q3 operating loss as it continues to lose money on Fall River and Taunton hospitals. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/28/b...
Brown University Health went on a Mass. buying spree. Its R.I. hospitals could be paying the price. • Rhode Island Current
Brown University Heath's 2024 purchase of two Massachusetts hospitals is draining its bottom line, with a $3.8 million operating loss reported for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. Yet its Rhode ...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
August 28, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Brown University Health posts $3.8M Q3 operating loss as it continues to lose money on Fall River and Taunton hospitals. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/28/b...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
U.S. labor secretary gives thanks to Cranston firefighters but takes no questions from press. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/28/u...
U.S. labor secretary gives thanks to Cranston firefighters but takes no questions from press • Rhode Island Current
U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s first visit to Rhode Island was kept largely out of public view, as she met privately with Cranston firefighters while reporters were barred from the Pontiac...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
August 28, 2025 at 11:38 PM
U.S. labor secretary gives thanks to Cranston firefighters but takes no questions from press. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/28/u...
Five hours after DCYF declared its Providence headquarters bat-free Friday, there was another bat sighting on the second floor of the five-story building.
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Have the bats left the building? Pest control visits DCYF headquarters over weekend to find out. • Rhode Island Current
A new bat sighting Friday night at the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families' Providence headquarters came just hours after the agency announced plans to reopen the building Monday.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
August 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Five hours after DCYF declared its Providence headquarters bat-free Friday, there was another bat sighting on the second floor of the five-story building.
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/23/h...
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/23/h...
Reposted by Alexander Castro
Unpaid suspension starts Monday for state prosecutor recorded on body camera footage telling Newport police officers they were going to regret arresting, Rhode Island Office of Attorney General confirms. By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/22/a...
Assistant AG placed on unpaid leave following arrest in Newport • Rhode Island Current
A Rhode Island state prosecutor recorded on body camera footage telling Newport police officers they were going to regret arresting her will be placed on unpaid leave, the Attorney General's office co...
rhodeislandcurrent.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Unpaid suspension starts Monday for state prosecutor recorded on body camera footage telling Newport police officers they were going to regret arresting, Rhode Island Office of Attorney General confirms. By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/22/a...
The Butler Hospital strike is over. What’s next for the hospital’s finances?
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The Butler Hospital strike is over. What’s next for the hospital’s finances? • Rhode Island Current
After a historic three-month strike, Butler Hospital workers ratified a new contract with Care New England.
rhodeislandcurrent.com
August 20, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The Butler Hospital strike is over. What’s next for the hospital’s finances?
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/08/19/t...
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