States Newsroom launches Rhode Island Current, announces staff

The following excerpt was sent out from Editor and Publisher:

States Newsroom, the nation’s leading network of state-based nonprofit news outlets, launched the Rhode Island Current to provide free, high-quality, non-partisan reporting on the important issues affecting the Ocean State. With the launch of the Rhode Island Current, States Newsroom now has outlets in 33 states with content sharing agreements with independent newsrooms in eight additional states.

Veteran journalist Janine Weisman will be leading the Current as editor-in-chief. Weisman spent 25 years in The Newport Daily News’ newsroom, including 13 as editor of the weekly Newport Mercury. An adjunct professor in the journalism program at Roger Williams University, Weisman earned a master’s degree in speech communication from the University of Maine and is a graduate of Rhode Island College.

Additional members of the Rhode Island Current’s newsroom include:

Kevin Andrade, senior reporter: Andrade was previously a reporter for The Providence Journal and The Standard-Times (New Bedford, Massachusetts). His work has appeared in O Jornal: The Portuguese Journal, The Boston Globe, and several regional NPR stations. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Andrade has a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Arizona and is a graduate of Rhode Island College.

Nancy Lavin, reporter: Lavin is an award-winning journalist who previously reported on banking and finance, energy and entrepreneurship for Providence Business News. She spent three and a half years at the Frederick (Maryland) News-Post and worked at The Westerly Sun. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Christopher Shea, reporter: Shea was previously an editor of Dartmouth (Massachusetts) Week for nearly two years after previously being a reporter. During his time there, he broke the story of the closure of the former ICE facility at the Bristol County House of Corrections. A Wisconsin native who is fluent in Spanish, Shea graduated from the University of Minnesota and interned at The Minneapolis Star Tribune.