Bartholomewtown
Bartholomewtown is an independent news and interview podcast exploring Rhode Island through conversations with the people driving politics, culture, business, and public life. Hosted by journalist Bill Bartholomew, the show delivers insightful interviews, original reporting, and clear-eyed analysis from New England's smallest state—with stories that often resonate far beyond it.
Episodes
Gina Picard on bullying, school governance, and what Chariho needs next
Bill Bartholomew speaks with Gina Picard, superintendent of the Chariho Regional School District and a North Providence School Committee member, about the fallout from recent online harassment surrounding state Rep. Megan Cotter and what it reveals about school culture, leadership, and public discourse. The conversation also gets into school comm...
Inside Communications: Closing Messages, Debate Strategy, and the Rhode Island Election Home Stretch
Inside Communications presented by Half Street Group: Closing Messages, Debate Strategy, and the Rhode Island Election Home Stretch
Bill Bartholomew speaks with Mike Raia of Half Street Group about the final stretch of Rhode Island’s election cycle, with a focus on how candidates are shaping closing messages as early voting gets underway. The conversation breaks down the governor’s race, the lieutenant go...
Bill Bartholomew talks with Jason Dodier, co-founder of Fountainhead Rhode Island, about building stronger connections between Rhode Island’s people, industries, and global opportunities.
They explore how the state can compete in the emerging AI and data-infrastructure economy—not by chasing massive data-center campuses, but by investing in local talent, practical AI adoption, resilient infrastructure...
Bill Bartholomew moderates a debate for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island featuring incumbent, Democrat nominee Sabina Matos and Republican nominee John Loughlin
Bill Bartholomew moderates a debate for Governor of Rhode Island.
WPRO x BTOWN debate series.
Featuring Democrat nominee Helena Buonanno Foulkes, Republican nominee Aaron Guckian, independent Ken Block.
Bill Bartholomew speaks with Cortney Nicolato, president and CEO of United Way of Rhode Island, about the ALICE study and why the old federal poverty measure misses a huge share of working families. They discuss how nonprofits are filling gaps in state services, why funding is under strain, and what policy and system changes could better support Rhode Islanders.
https://unitedwayri.org/alice/
In this episode
- Nicola...
Aaron Guckian on staying in the Rhode Island governor’s race ahead of the first debate
Bill Bartholomew interviews Republican gubernatorial nominee Aaron Guckian just hours before the first of three major statewide debates. The conversation centers on whether Guckian will stay in the race, how he differentiates himself from independent candidate Ken Block and Helena Foulkes, and what his governing pitch looks l...
read Singer's piece here:
Rhode Island’s nonprofit fiscal cliff and the future of local public media
Bill Bartholomew talks with Singer, Chief Strategy and Audience Officer at Ocean State Media, about a growing crisis hitting Rhode Island nonprofits, public media, and the people who rely on b...
How the Morales campaign turned branding, video, and community trust into a winning Providence message
This episode looks at the communications strategy behind David Morales’ Providence campaign and why it connected so strongly with voters. Bill Bartholomew is joined by Ross Lippman, Lindsey Bond, and Louis Morales to break down the brand identity, short-form video strategy, and the people-first messaging that ...
Megan Cotter on rural politics, voter conversations, and calling out toxic school committee behavior
Bill Bartholomew speaks with Rhode Island State Representative Megan Cotter, District 39, about her reelection campaign, what she is hearing while knocking on doors, and why she resists rigid political labels. The conversation turns to a disturbing Facebook exchange involving Cotter, her opponent Jasmine Roy, and Char...
Bill Bartholomew talks with independent Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate Ken Block about a newly released poll, the three-way race against Helena Foulkes and Aaron Guckian, and what the numbers suggest about the final stretch. The conversation also digs into fundraising, outside spending, and whether debates and forums can give voters a real contrast between the candidates.
Follow Bill on Instagra...
Lost and Found with Pamela Fernandez on WaterFire Accelerate
Bill Bartholomew speaks with artist Pamela Fernandez about WaterFire Accelerate, the professional development program for artists 30 and under, and the culminating group exhibition Lost and Found at the WaterFire Arts Center. The conversation moves from Providence’s creative ecosystem to Fernandez’s Dominican and Providence roots, and how both s...
Trauma-Informed Policing in Rhode Island and Beyond
Bill Bartholomew speaks with Liz Gledhill, director of the Center for Trauma Informed Policing at Family Service of Rhode Island, about a Rhode Island-built model that trains law enforcement to respond to families and children in crisis with more empathy, better situational awareness, and less additional harm. The conversation focuses on how the Go Team model evolve...
Rhode Island Transit, Smart Growth, and the Real Cost of Underfunding RIPTA
Bill Bartholomew talks with Scott Wolf, executive director of Grow Smart Rhode Island, about why transit is much more than a social service and how better funding could support housing, economic development, tourism, and affordability across the state. They also dig into the governor’s race, the gap between rhetoric and real transit inv...
Eric Moyal, founder of Project Insulin, joins Bill Bartholomew to explain how his nonprofit is working to create and sell generic insulin directly to patients at cost. The conversation covers the insulin affordability crisis, why Rhode Island can be a powerful place for early-stage startup growth, and what it takes to build a long-term biotech project in a tough fundraising environment.
00:00 - Introduction t...
https://global-trade-summit.bryant.edu/
Bryant’s Global Trade Summit at a volatile moment for international business
Bill Bartholomew speaks with Jason Kelly, director of the Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant University, about the 40th anniversary of the Global Trade Summit and why it matters during a period of tariff uncertainty, policy shifts, and supply chain pressure. The conversation focuse...
EVENT LINK! https://newportfilm.com/films/unbowed/
This episode introduces the documentary Unbowed, a Rhode Island-centered film about Omar Bah, his journey from the Gambia to resettlement in Providence, and the founding of the Refugee Dream Center. It also explores how the film team captured both the personal and policy realities of refugee life during a politically charged era.Bill Bartholomew is joined by co...
Adam Greenman on winning the Pawtucket mayoral primary and what residents want next
Adam Greenman, the presumptive next mayor of Pawtucket, talks about his upset primary win over longtime Mayor Don Grebien and why he got into the race in the first place. The conversation centers on what voters were saying on the ground, from affordability and city services to the loss of Memorial Hospital and the need for stronger lo...
Bill Bartholomew reads from Lula da Silva’s 2002 Letter to the Brazilian People, then connects its message—an ambitious agenda paired with an open invitation to allies—to Providence’s current political moment.
He argues that David Morales can stay committed to affordability and rent stabilization while building productive relationships with skeptics and institutional partners. The epis...
Rhode Island Primary Results: An Affordability Referendum, Not Just an Anti-Incumbent Wave
Bill Bartholomew breaks down Rhode Island’s primary results and argues the night was driven by one central issue: affordability. He connects the outcomes in the governor’s race, Providence mayor’s race, and local council contests to a broader rejection of leaders who seemed disconnected from the lived reality ...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.