I know very little about actor Wendell Pierce beyond what I’ve seen in a few episodes of a couple of shows, and can’t say whether his life overall is one to emulate or not. MoreShorey: We desperately need more de-escalation in 2023

The American Civil Liberties Union joined the court proceedings on behalf of the Statehouse homeless encampment last week. In doing so, it both professionalized the argument for its clients and lost the case. MoreOn homeless encampment, the process played out as it should have

This column isn’t about whether a new in-progress sushi restaurant on Diamond Hill Road in Woonsocket or new hotel on Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence are good ideas. MoreShorey: Take a moment (or several), and ponder what you just read

It’s hard to imagine anywhere on Broad Street in Cumberland where a roundabout would make sense to calm traffic, or that there would be space for one on a busy stretch of Route 44 in Greenville where space is also at a premium, but if the success of such traffic circles elsewhere is any indi… MoreShorey: Roundabouts are working

“Hey Dan, how’s the homeless in Cumberland doing?” MoreYorke: Are we willing to try real empathy on homelessness?

Each year since our wedding day in 2006, my wife and I have maintained a consistent pattern of attendance at holidays. We knew early on that we could remove any potential drama and questioning by simply rotating which holidays we would spend with which side of the family, and it’s worked lik… MoreShorey: A three-day Thanksgiving feast

My friend Amy is fighting cancer, again. It’s lung cancer and before you wonder if she is a smoker, no, she doesn’t smoke (not that it should matter). In fact, she’s one of those super healthy people who never even smoked one cigarette. I certainly cannot say the same. But she is now, for th… MoreSanzi: Staring down the bear, again

Our propensity to lose touch with people was there pre-pandemic, but I sometimes wonder how much worse it’s gotten since COVID upended our lives. MoreShorey: Renew that connection, it’ll do the world some good

Go back to high school when they told us we would get at least 200 points on each SAT test by simply writing our name correctly. MoreYorke: Barely beating the 35 percent floor is embarrassing

My wife and I had the pleasure of traveling to visit old friends this past weekend. The after-dinner conversation went in the typical directions for 60-somethings. Our grown-up kids, our jobs, our health and wellness, our retirement plans. MoreYorke: Where will we be five years from now?

I know that from the time that I was a 15-year-old junior and walked onto the stage at Airport High School in a little country town in Carleton, Michigan, that my life was going to be changed forever. MorePitts-Wiley: Telling your story is important

I have yet to receive a ticket for exceeding the speed limits of Rhode Island’s growing collection of camera-enforced school speed zones (I hope I didn’t jinx myself), but I know plenty of people who have gotten one or more of them. MoreShorey: Could speed zone programs use more common sense, cohesion?

She wasn’t charged with any crime or ethics violation and there was no hint of corruption. She just had long-time disagreements, often and not too softly, with the majority of the city’s legislative body. MoreYorke: Horror show in Woonsocket

For most of my professional career, I’ve been fortunate to work within different nonprofit organizations serving different needs and communities. Most of these national and local organizations have been around for many years; in most cases, unsurprisingly, they have been led by the same pers… MoreBetancur: We should not be the only face of our organizations

My parents always taught us to be gracious in victory as well as in defeat. One event that should be a source of gratitude to others and respect for a vanquished opponent is a stunning victory in a close election. Yet, Gov. Dan McKee showed an amazing lack of grace when candidate Helena Buon… MoreViolet: McKee shows another side

My wife and I were enjoying a light continental breakfast last Saturday in the quaint kitchen dining area of what has become a favorite getaway spot on Cape Cod. MoreYorke: A Cape trip and a reminder that discrimination still exists

When back in 2015 then-Gov. Gina Raimondo introduced the RhodeWorks 10-year highway and bridge improvement program, she insisted that tolls on large commercial trucks were a common-sense funding mechanism to help fund it. She argued that such vehicles were the major source of damage to the i… MoreYorke: On tolls, this mess could all have been avoided

Sen. Jack Reed has always seemed like a reliable and measured moderate. I have voted for him every time he’s been on the ballot since our move to Rhode Island in 2005. I appreciated his steadiness. He showed no signs of being an ideologue. He earned his law degree at Harvard Law School. I di… MoreSanzi: On Title IX, Trump/DeVos were right, Obama/Reed are wrong

Two recent events have given me cause to pause and reflect on history and the world we live in. Those two events on the surface may not seem to have anything to do with each other, however, I came to see how they were very much related. MorePitts-Wiley: Kings, queens, history and truth

The New York Football Giants are 2-0. MoreYorke: Contentious primary sets up dramatic November election

I don’t know how you parents with children in more than one sport at a time do it. This fall my three kids are all playing soccer, with practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, followed by three games at different times on Saturday. MoreShorey: I love my life at the soccer field

All due respect to the holidays, this is the most wonderful time of the year. MoreYorke: Despite politics, it's the most wonderful time of the year

Next week’s primary in Rhode Island will all but decide many races in our area and the state, bringing to a conclusion many months of intense campaigning. Some candidates have walked hundreds of miles through sweltering heat, shedding pounds along the way. MoreShorey: No matter what happens next week, we all choose what’s next

Carefully crafted messages, glossy images, signs with the colors and slogans the experts say will resonate best with average Joe, they’re all part of a successful campaign for office, but they shouldn’t ultimately determine who ends up making the decisions that impact your life the most. MoreShorey: Local elections matter more than you think

As any independent-minded scientist will tell you, science is rarely settled. Many even say it’s never settled because it is “an ever-evolving body of human knowledge.” There was a time when some claimed the science of lobotomies was settled. Or that nicotine and opioids weren’t addictive? A… MoreSanzi: Waiting for an apology and a promise

Editor’s note: The Breeze is inviting gubernatorial candidates this summer to have their supporters write columns on their behalf. This is the next in that series. MoreLima: Muñoz running on authentic relationships, not transactional ones

Most Rhode Islanders living outside the Oak Hill neighborhood have never seen the site of the proposed new soccer stadium in Pawtucket. MoreYorke: On stadium project, look past the titillating headlines

On an off day last week, during rush hour crawling through the Route 295 North Cranston caverns, I came upon a high-end black SUV with a single sticker neatly tucked into the bottom left of the back window. MoreYorke: Our highways are a stomach-turning testament to free speech

On Monday I was shopping at Marshalls and noticed a woman with a medium-sized dog on a leash. For a quick second I wondered to myself why the dog was in the store and then, just as I was about to turn my attention to the back-to-school section of lunch boxes and backpacks, I noticed a sizabl… MoreSanzi: Doggone it with these pets in stores

I was in St. Louis for an annual family reunion this last Fourth of July weekend. It was a grand time in every way possible. Four generations of my beautiful family gathered to laugh, hug, kiss new babies, dance, compete and feast. We always end this event with a picnic of about 150 people. … MorePitts-Wiley: Saddened, but not surprised

Don Fox is playing show and tell. MoreYorke: For Burrillville's Fox, time to start walking it back

In my full-time job, a big part of my work focuses on coalition building and advocacy for different issues impacting Rhode Islanders. For many like myself, July brings the work of a full legislative year to an end. However, the end of the session doesn’t always bring joy. Instead, it brings … MoreBetancur: Advocacy is both joyful and exhausting

At this time of year, public enthusiasm and the long-revered tradition of celebrating the nation’s founding combine to fill the local skies with fireworks. MoreOne More Thing: The work behind the fireworks

For decades during my broadcast career I have avoided what I refer to as “shelf topics,” conversations that generate the same boring and predictable calls. MoreYorke: Two topics no longer avoidable

Last month I wrote an article that was in part a reaction to the series of horrific mass shootings in New York, Oklahoma and Texas. I also wrote about a conversation I had with a young man who said, “It’s crazy out there, be safe and arm yourself.” MorePitts-Wiley: Hold onto joy

There is a proposed bill in the R.I. Statehouse that would require, as of July 1, at least two police officers in each public school. MoreYorke: We should be investing in counselors

About a month ago, news swirled that RIPTA would be suspending its express bus service to the beach. I felt a pain in my belly immediately, and a wave of nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks. MoreBetancur: More than a ride on a bus