Talia Reiss, Author at The Local Insider News

Foster’s Cohen hired as first director of RI Abortion Fund

FOSTER – Five years ago, Molly Cohen heard from a friend experiencing a pregnancy scare. They were seeking an abortion, but without health insurance, they struggled to afford one. The financial burden put them at risk: though medication abortion is very…

August 14, 2026

Man uses Trash4Cash to clean up Woonsocket homeless encampments, hopes to spark national movement

WOONSOCKET – On a sunny day in mid-June, 21-year-old Xavier Green sped through Woonsocket on an electric scooter, cheerfully greeting homeless people in the city. “Yo, you wanna make $5?” he asked. He invited people to join him near Safe Haven,…

August 7, 2026

Group targets mountain of food waste going into Johnston landfill

JOHNSTON – Many postcards show stunning vistas: trains gliding beside lakes and mountains, docks projecting into calm seas. Less common are postcards of ugly landfills and gas masks, a scratch-and-sniff surface giving way to the odor of trash. These unsightly cards…

July 31, 2026

Johnston’s DiGiglio-Mancini shares about wild, exhausting experience on ‘100 Cooks’

As Alexia DiGiglio-Mancini, a lifelong Johnston resident, waited on set for superstar Terry Crews to roll the numbers, her mind was racing. Eighty-four of the show’s 100 cooks had been eliminated, and the remaining 16 posed steep competition. “You’re sitting…

July 28, 2026

Exercising his right to petition: Woonsocket man makes play for new skatepark

WOONSOCKET – Tucked behind Hamlet Middle School sits a concrete lot with a few scattered ramps, their wood rotting and metal supports bent or missing. The Woonsocket Skate Park is a far cry from the modern skateparks in other parts…

July 16, 2026

Race for their son’s life: Family seeks people willing to help Jack

SMITHFIELD – On the evening of April 23, David Palms and Traci Kuiphoff were setting up to celebrate their son Jack’s fifth birthday. As Kuiphoff wrapped gifts and Palms wrote a birthday card at their kitchen table in East Greenwich,…

July 10, 2026

Families in their own little world at Central Falls summer soccer tournament

CENTRAL FALLS – In June, the Mundialito kicked off its summer soccer tournament at the Project Goal Mini Pitch. The tournaments, which also function as public community block parties, will continue nearly every Saturday this summer. During the games, spectators…

July 6, 2026

Pawtucket Latino Summerfest will celebrate Latin American culture this weekend

Note: A Spanish-language version of this article by this writer can be found here. PAWTUCKET — This Saturday, June 20, people will gather at Festival Pier to celebrate the Latino Summerfest. The festival will include traditional dancing, live music, DJ…

June 19, 2026

Pawtucket Latino Summerfest celebrará la cultura latinoamericana este fin de semana

PAWTUCKET — Este sábado, muchas personas se reunirán en el Festival Pier en Pawtucket para celebrar el Latino Summerfest. El festival incluirá bailes tradicionales, músicos en vivo, actuaciones de DJ, actividades para niños, exposiciones culturales y alimentos de toda América…

June 19, 2026

Woonsocket Library adds Healthy Habits program for youth

WOONSOCKET – This summer, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank will facilitate programs across the state encouraging healthier nutritional habits. The Healthy Habits program has been running for years, but this will be the first summer the Woonsocket Harris Public…

June 18, 2026