Eric Halvarson, who has been a contributing writer since August, was hired last month to cover Providence full time. He said the hire marks an important milestone for the largely volunteer-driven organization as it looks to expand its coverage.

“One of the motivations behind starting the outlet was to cover all of the city and move beyond downtown and the East Side, and to cover areas that might not get as much in-depth attention,” Halvarson said during a taping of the show.

Halvarson, who grew up in Cranston and now lives in Providence, recently published a deep dive on murals in the city amid controversy surrounding a large painting of Iryna Zarutska on a downtown building.

The Ukrainian refugee, who was stabbed to death in Charlotte, North Carolina, has become a polarizing figure, with a group that includes billionaire Elon Musk financially backing efforts to put up murals of her across the country.

Halvarson spoke with artists, curators and Providence residents to explore what goes into placing murals in public spaces and what factors are considered when they are likely to spark debate.

“I wanted to find a way to put this in context and bring it into a broader conversation about Providence, beyond the conservative or progressive takes,” he said.

Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

• New schools’ price: $12M a year for 26 years by John Howell, The Warwick Beacon
• Is that a $100 bill? Someone is leaving cash all around Rhode Island. by Carlos Muñoz, The Boston Globe

• New Bedford officials anticipate $10 million or more in deficit challenges by Colin Hogan, The New Bedford Light
• Barrington budget and tax levy: A new process and a big increase by Josh Bickford, EastBayRI

Alex Kuffner, who covers energy and the environment, first shed light on the issue last month with an in-depth report on the state’s largest sludge disposal facility in Woonsocket, which residents are fighting to shut down.

More than 90% of the state’s sludge — a mix of human waste, organic materials and chemicals filtered out of wastewater — is disposed of at the facility in northern Rhode Island.

“If that closes, you’re going to have dozens of cities and towns that will have not have a place to take their sludge,” he said. “They’re going to be faced with essentially finding places that can landfill it, and cities and towns now that have been forced to do this they are taking their sludge by rail to Massachusetts and then it goes all the way to Ohio or Pennsylvania.”

Now, a similar issue is emerging in North Kingstown, where residents are calling on the Quonset Development Corp. to rescind approval of a proposed sludge facility. Meanwhile, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi has supported legislation to create a commission to study biosolids, and Gov. Dan McKee is urging greater transparency around the proposed project.

Kuffner said there’s no link between the two projects in different parts of the state, but many people are watching closely to what happens in both communities to get a better sense of where sludge will go in the future.

“For people in the industry who are trying to find a place for their sludge, they’re thinking, ‘If this thing can get up and running, it’d be great because then it takes the pressure off Woonsocket and Woonsocket can then close,’” he said.

But Kuffner acknowledged the science behind the Quonset project is still relatively new and has faced challenges in other parts of the country. He said the project has several hurdles to clear before it might become a reality, and there are several factors that could prevent it from getting off the ground.

“There are a lot of stakeholders that make it very complicated,” he said.

Later in the show, Kim and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

• Homeowner dug up what looked like a toy. Was it part of a 1978 homicide? by Mark Reynolds, The Providence Journal
• As residents dodge potholes, approved repair budget will fix less than 6 miles of road by Colin Hogan and Brooke Kushwaha, The New Bedford Light

• Parents voice frustration, anger over Attleboro school rules on restraint and seclusion by Rhianwen Watkins, The Sun Chronicle
• Barrington Police: Suspects lurking in bushes were playing ‘senior assassin’ by EastBayRI

Ethan Shorey, who served as the newspaper’s editor, has said in the past that he always wanted to spend his entire career at one news organization. But he acknowledged it has become tougher in recent years and felt now was the time for a change. He left the paper on March 6.

“I was able to make it work for a really long time,” Shorey said, adding the long hours required at a local newspaper were affecting his ability to spend time with his family. “I was ending up having to do almost a full-time extra job 15 to 20 weeks a year.”

Shorey said he’s currently exploring options to continue reporting in Rhode Island. He said people should expect to see his byline again within the next four months.

“Digital really is the future,” he said. “I’m more optimistic, even in Rhode Island, you see this news collaborative, with a lot of the digital sites and it’s sharing some resources, and I think they’re going to do more of that in the future. There’s a lot of them now.”

The long-time journalist also discussed how the industry has changed, especially with the influence of social media. A 2025 Pew Research Center poll found Americans continue to trust local news more than any other type of information.

But the poll also found Americans ages 18 to 29 are equally likely to trust information from social media as from national news outlets. And trust in social media has grown across all age groups since 2016, according to the poll.

Shorey said it’s changed dramatically over his career, and media literacy is always something he tried to highlight to students and younger journalists.

“I don’t want to disparage 18 to 29 year olds, but there is less news literacy than there’s ever been, in my opinion,” Shorey said.

Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

• Providence residents ran a $1M budget. Then the system fell apart by Ben Berke, Ocean State Media
• Monopoly Man? by Eli Sherman, 12 News (for Rhode Island Monthly)

• Ads for preppy store in liberal Newport co-opted by White nationalists by Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal
• State pays union dues for thousands of employees after paycheck mistake by Brian Crandall, NBC 10

Watch “Behind the Story” Thursdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the WPRI 12+ TV app.

• How to download the free WPRI 12+ smart TV app

It airs on TV (Sundays at 8 a.m. on FOX Providence and 11 a.m. on The CW Providence), and will be available on demand through the WPRI 12+ app and right here on WPRI.com.

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe.