Latest news with #BrettSmiley
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LIVE: Smiley announces details of this year's PVDFest
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and PVDFest organizers are holding a news conference to announce 'early highlights' of this year's arts and culture festival. The event will be held Sept. 5 and 6, 2025, with a rain date of Sept. 7. Organizers say the festival will transform downtown Providence into a 'dynamic hub of creativity, community and celebration.' Watch the news conference live in the player above. This story will be updated. RELATED: Providence Rink adds new shade structure for summer events Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Community Focus: Providence Mayor Brett Smiley talks tax increases
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence Mayor Brett Smiley thinks he has the votes in the Rhode Island Senate to raise property taxes in the city past the current 4% cap. Smiley joined 12 News at 4 to talk more about the potential tax increase as well as the future of Providence Place and PVD Fest. Community Focus: RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Providence mayor issues new policy after turmoil over Palestinian flag
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Mayor Brett Smiley has signed an executive order creating a new flag policy that requires a more stringent approval process, following a dispute over a recent decision to fly the Palestinian flag over City Hall. According to the order, the city will display flags 'as an expression of the city's official sentiments.' Additionally, flags of governments recognized by the United States can be 'displayed by proclamation of the mayor or by resolution and passed by the Providence City Council for a period of no more than 24 hours unless outlined in the proclamation.' The order also states that 'other flags' may be displayed at official city events or ceremonies for up to 24 hours, also under the same approval process. Smiley's executive order comes just one week after city councilors raised the Palestinian flag at City Hall. The mayor said he first learned about the request from Council President Rachel Miller to raise the flag as he was returning from a weeklong trip to Israel. RELATED: Should Providence City Hall have a flag policy? Mayor Smiley thinks so Smiley said last week that while he would not have flown the flag himself, he approved the council's request because 'Providence is and will remain an inclusive and welcoming city that supports diverse opinions and voices.' Last Friday's ceremony (led by Miller and Councilor Miguel Sanchez) led to a large rally and counterprotest outside City Hall. Dozens gathered on Dorrance Street waving both Palestinian and Israeli flags. 12 News reached out to a Providence City Council spokesperson for comment but did not immediately hear back on Friday. Councilman John Goncalves told 12 News he felt the mayor's order established 'clear guidelines.' 'This thoughtful step brings transparency and consistency while honoring the distinct and diverse communities that make up our city. It's a positive move toward unity in Providence,' Goncalves said. Friday's executive order is Smiley's third ever since taking office. The only other two orders signed by the mayor were to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday for city employees. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Conflicting data clouds how many short-term rentals exist in RI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — There are discrepancies between the short-term rental data collected by the state and the data collected in several communities in Rhode Island. The city of Providence has the fourth-highest number of short-term rentals in the state — and, Target 12 found, the largest data discrepancy. According to the R.I. Department of Business Regulation's short-term rental registry, there are more than 500 active short-term rental properties in Providence. In Providence, the majority of short-term rental owners are required to get a temporary use permit to operate the business, except for those who rent out single rooms on third-party booking platforms. A city spokesperson said there were just 57 permits pulled in Providence for 2025. Mayor Brett Smiley claims the disparity between the state and city data is mainly because of that single-room rental policy. 'So many of the available rentals are not out of compliance,' Smiley said. 'It's just not required [in the city] if you rent out a spare bedroom.' RELATED: From neighbors to lawmakers, short-term rentals fuel tensions across RI The numbers get even messier. Target 12 discovered a document Smiley submitted to the House Finance Committee in support of a bill that would remove the hotel tax exemption status for short-term rentals that cites 3,000 short-term rentals in Providence, far more than the number of permits and data recorded at the state level. Smiley said his office used a third-party platform that collects short-term rental data to come up with that number. 'Property owners will sometimes rent one bedroom, two bedrooms, or the full house,' he said. 'And that could show up as three listings.' Smiley said that, unlike the state's coastal communities, the city has not received many complaints about short-term rentals. His office has the power to levy violations for short-term rental owners who operate without a permit, and has issued four violations in 2025, according to a spokesperson. The data discrepancy shines a light on how state and local leaders are trying to get a hold of the short-term rental market. 'The evolution of Airbnbs has been something difficult for governments, not just Providence, to keep up with and try to stay on top of,' Smiley said. Sarah Guernelli (sguernelli@ is the consumer investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Providence mayor says trip to Israel was ‘deeply moving'
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Mayor Brett Smiley said his second trip to Israel was 'very meaningful,' as it was his first visit to the country since converting to Judaism last summer. The mayor returned to Providence last Wednesday after spending a week in the country with a group from the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island earlier this month. 'There was a lot that I gained in terms of understanding and context for the current situation. But it was personally deeply moving for me,' Smiley told 12 News on Wednesday. The mayor also explained what it was like to have to take shelter amid alarms warning of an airstrike. 'Everywhere you go right now, every time you check into a hotel or go out to eat, you see very clear signs for where the closest shelter is,' Smiley said. 'That alone is jarring, to recognize that there's millions of people for whom that's how they live their daily lives.' The mayor said that on the last night of his trip, the group was sitting down for dinner in Tel Aviv when they were alerted that they would have to move. 'One of our guides came in and said, 'In a couple of minutes we're going to stand up. We're going to walk outside, we're going to take a left, and then you're going to take the first left into a parking garage,'' Smiley recalled. 'And right as she finished speaking, we could hear the sirens go off.' RELATED: Palestinian flag-raising at Providence City Hall divides councilors Smiley said it was 'a very real way' to experience and empathize with the situation. 'This is a condition that no one should have to live with, whether it's in Israel, Gaza, Ukraine or any other war-torn portion of the world,' Smiley said. 'So, it helped to provide a little bit of empathy for me and also a little gratitude to get to live in this country every day.' The trip brewed controversy among some groups, like the Rhode Island chapter of the Jewish Voice for Peace, who protested outside of the mayor's Hope Street home the day after he returned from his trip. NEXT: Should Providence City Hall have a flag policy? Mayor Smiley thinks so Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
