I was a news intern at the Valley Breeze, a weekly Northern Rhode Island newspaper, during summer 2025. I covered a variety of topics, including school transportation budget issues, environmental concerns of low water levels, homelessness in communities, and local community news, as well as contributed to the Local Scoop, the papers arts and entertainment section.
News Coverage
Area officials refining emergency alerts, urging people to sign up after Brown shooting
January 14, 2026
Approximately a month after a gunman opened fire at Brown University, I published this freelanced story in the Breeze about towns around the Providence area refining their emergency alert systems. For this story, I spoke to several police chiefs and emergency management town directors on how their towns are working through updating their notification processes after emergency alert systems were scrutinized following the shooting.
Neon conversion brings North Providence Cumberland Farms to four locations
June 4, 2025
Everyone gets gas to fuel their cars and the saturation of gas stations and overall commercialization in North Providence has been a well contended issue for years. Right outside of the City of Providence, North Providence is a common drive-through city, making it well susceptible to gas stations. For the story, I received comment from a Cumberland Farms representative and interviewed another local gas station owner who has owned his gas station down the street for 38 years.
Officials working to address low water levels near Hope Mill
Aug. 7, 2025
This week, I was on the Scituate town beat to cover a reporter who was on vacation. I found this issue with the Hope Dam that was impacting several residents and pitched it to my editor. After speaking with the fire chief of the Hope-Jackson Fire Department, I turned around this story in the same day, showcasing my skills in fast-paced reporting and strength in turning around stories on quick deadline that informs communities.
Pawtucket honors lives lost on 100th anniversary of Mackinac tragedy
Aug. 13, 2025
Commonly known as one of Rhode Island’s worst maritime disasters, the Mackinac steamboat was returning to Pawtucket from a trip to Newport a century ago when the steamboat’s boiler exploded killing and injuring several people. For this story, I spoke with a Pawtucket city councilor who had members of his family die in the tragedy, read old stories highlighting past anniversaries which included interviews from survivors on the boat, and went through town press releases. Mixing current day events with locally embedded history, I incorporated previously reported facts with present day information to preview a current town event.
Here are a few more examples of my news coverage at the Valley Breeze
- Cumberland school board approves transportation review
- Smithfield Police celebrates 75 years of progress
- Jungle Junction wins two categories in business contest
- King leads effort to get Cumberland’s unhoused what they need
Arts and Entertainment Coverage
This work was written for the Local Scoop, the new arts and entertainment section of the paper
Stacked with Flavor: Northern Rhode Island’s best sandwiches
On a summer Friday I was on a sandwich journey to find the best deli shops in the area and ask locals about their most popular menu items.
Read the story here.
Sip and stroll through Northern Rhode Island vineyards
To start out the summer, I spoke with vineyard owners about their summer special wines and the atmosphere they bring to the western part of the state.
Read the story here.
Sara Bedigian 