Behind the Story

12 News Politics Editor Ted Nesi and Rhode Island Current Senior Reporter Nancy Lavin joined co-host Dan McGowan for this week’s edition of Behind the Story to discuss the 2026 midterm election results and implications in Rhode Island.

Target 12 investigator Alexandra Leslie joins Tim White and the Boston Globe's Dan McGowan to breakdown what Quest 7 on the ballot for Providence voters means, and the impact it could have on the pension plan. They also discuss turmoil at the highest ranks of the Providence Public Schools, and the push to turn off Flock cameras in the city.

Democrat Helena Foulkes, Republican Aaron Guckian and independent Ken Block took the stage at Rhode Island College for a live debate hosted by 12 News. Debate moderators Tim White and Ted Nesi joined Kim Kalunian on this episode of Behind the Story to breakdown the highlights and preparation that went into the debate. Watch new episodes of Behind the Story on Thursday's at 10 a.m. on the 12+ app, WPRI.com or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, joined this week’s episode of “Behind the Story” to discuss the organization’s public records work and legal fund. In his conversation with Eli Sherman and Tim White, Silverman detailed NEFAC’s first legal-fund victory, a Sept. 8 Maine Superior Court decision ordering the release of records sought by local news outlets related to an October 2024 domestic violence homicide.

Hogan, who recently started covering the capital city, attended a board meeting last week that erupted into chaos. Multiple members called for the school board president to step down, while residents aired their frustrations about the dysfunction.“This is not how school board meetings normally go, including in Providence,” Hogan said.The internal strife comes as Providence is in its first school year since regaining control of the school district, which had been under state control for nearly seven years. Hogan said the board now oversees a host of important decisions involving budgets, personnel and policy.But it didn’t appear to Hogan that those issues were a high priority at that meeting.“For a community looking for answers about what the future will look like, what the school board will do, the majority of this meeting did not serve to answer those questions,” Hogan said.Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including (not all mentioned on air):Dan’s pickFlock camera review, Morley Field reopening among Greenman’s first priorities as Pawtucket mayor next year by LuzJennifer Martinez, The Valley BreezeEli’s pickTwo RI towns got their BearCats amid order surge fueled in part by ICE by Marc Reynolds, The Providence Journal“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of The Boston Globe.