Municipal planners, key figures in community development, have become harder to find in recent years. With burnout and low pay driving planners to private sector jobs, communities are feeling this absence as they grapple with housing, sustainability and economic needs. pbn.com/shortage-of-...

The RI Manufacturers Association and RI Hospitality Association this week urged against cuts to @ripta.com funding and services.

"I think people are starting to be aware of what we're facing," said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and RIPTA board member. "But we need more business leaders to speak up, and we need them to speak up now." pbn.com/502271-2

Amid rising sea levels and intensifying storms, more Rhode Island communities are exploring "managed retreat" — an approach that offers buyouts to property owners in particularly vulnerable areas. But Warren's "Market to Metacom" plan stands out nationwide. pbn.com/a-slow-retre...

The "last mile" distribution center has received support from state agencies but backlash from nearby communities, where residents and officials cite concerns about increased truck traffic in Providence and impacts on the Pawtucket neighborhood's only public green space. pbn.com/blackstone-d...