Focus

CONFLICTED: Dr. Michael Souza, owner of East Bay Innovation Medicine, says new R.I. Department of Health guidelines for medical spas and intravenous therapy businesses are too restrictive, but they may help curb the rise of uncertified businesses performing these services. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

New guidance for med spas and IV therapies seen as restrictive,...

Focus 09/27/2024

Dr. Michael Souza had mixed feelings when he saw that state health officials recently had enacted new guidance for a growing number of Rhode...

THE REVEAL: John R. Fernandez, CEO and president of Lifespan Corp., uncovers the new branding for the health system – Brown University Health – in June.  COURTESY LIFESPAN CORP./BILL MURPHY

Pact between Lifespan, Brown may change R.I. health care landscape

Focus 09/27/2024

(Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series exploring issues surrounding the training of physicians in Rhode Island and its effect on...

CHALLENGES AHEAD: Woonsocket Superintendent Patrick McGee, like most of his counterparts in other Rhode Island communities, is trying to lead his school district through steep declines in enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

R.I. school districts wrestle with enrollment drops

Focus 09/13/2024

Tough decisions are being made in public school districts throughout Rhode Island, and more appear on the horizon for others amid shrinking enrollment counts...

HANGING ON: After successfully running her boutique business in Wayland Square in Providence for 46 years, F. Bianco of Rhode Island Inc. owner Florence Voccola said she’s been “hanging on by a thread” since the closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge in December. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Grants, not loans, coming to aid businesses hurt by Washington Bridge...

Focus 09/13/2024

In areas hardest hit by the Washington Bridge closure, many business owners have implored officials that it’s going to take more than a loan...

GIVE ’EM CREDIT: Joseph Raycraft, U.S. Small Business Administration’s export finance manager for the New England region, foresees the agency’s pilot “working capital” program enabling many businesses to expand.  COURTESY U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

SBA’s new pilot program a potential line of credit

Focus 09/13/2024

Today, the average annual percentage rate on a new small-business credit card is 17.82%, but that hasn’t stopped roughly 25% of businesses from using...

TOUCH OF CLASS: Natalie Delmar, a math tutor at Rhode Island Tutorial and Educational Services Inc., writes a problem on a whiteboard in a classroom at the organization’s office in Pawtucket. The nonprofit has seen an increase in parents seeking tutoring for their children to prepare for college admissions testing.  PBN PHOTO/ PAUL J. SPETRINI

Tutors are busier as SATs undergo change

Focus 09/13/2024

Susan Santucci says she was surprised when she received a barrage of phone calls earlier this summer from parents of children preparing to apply...

RIPPLE EFFECT? An R.I. Supreme Court ruling in favor of a subsidiary of Johnston insurer FM Global over COVID-19-related claims could set a precedent in other cases.  COURTESY FM GLOBAL

Ruling in favor of R.I. insurer on COVID-19 claim may set...

Focus 08/30/2024

A recent R.I. Supreme Court ruling has dashed the hopes of many businesses seeking millions of dollars in COVID-19-related claims from insurers, but it...

BETTER RATES: Robert Leary, founder and owner of City by-the-sea Insurance LLC in Newport, says the farther away you get from Providence, the better the auto insurance rates. PBN PHOTO/ DAVID HANSEN

Adding teen to car policy can get expensive in R.I.

Focus 08/30/2024

Insurance agent Robert Leary, founder and owner of Newport-based City by-the-sea Insurance LLC, helps consumers find suitable policies tailored to their personal circumstances. He...

ALL IN FOR AI: Christopher Parisi, president of the Providence marketing firm Trailblaze Inc., is the vice chairperson of the state’s new Artificial Intelligence Task Force and a proponent of the state taking early steps to prepare for AI.  PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

R.I. task force preps for good, bad of AI spread

Focus 08/16/2024

Businessman Christopher Parisi has watched the evolution of artificial intelligence, from being dismissed as science fiction to being incorporated into everyday life. However, Parisi says...