​Ken Block, the independent candidate for governor of Rhode Island, believes voters are ready for something different — and recent polling suggests he may be right.
In an interview with the Rhode Island Wave, Block said his campaign has gained unexpected momentum without heavy spending. "We haven't spent $200,000 on a gubernatorial campaign this year yet," he said. "We just ran a poll, and in a head-to-head with Helena Foulkes, I win by six points."
Block, who was named Man of the Year by GoLocal Providence earlier this year before entering the race, said his rise reflects a broader frustration with politics as usual. "This is my political moment without a question," he said, pointing to the state's high-profile infrastructure failures and national dissatisfaction with partisan gridlock. "Between the bridge breaking, politics in this state, [and] the national unhappiness with what the two political parties are doing — mostly attacking each other, not really dealing with the issues people care about — I'm focused on dealing with the problems that Rhode Island has, that in a great many ways are operational in nature."
Rather than campaigning on ideology, Block frames himself as a manager focused on results. "We have things — we spend plenty of money, but we're not getting the results that we want," he said. "We need a detail-oriented governor, someone who's not ideological but is going to tackle each of the problems on the merit."
Auditing State Spending
Central to Block's pitch is a promise to scrutinize how Rhode Island spends its $15.2 billion budget, including roughly $5 billion allocated to Medicaid. He said that despite consulting numerous current and former government officials, no one could tell him with certainty how much of that money is being spent.
Block pointed to the Auditor General's annual report as evidence of a persistent, unaddressed problem. "Every year, the Auditor General says that we found $100 million to a quarter billion dollars of spending just in the Department of Human Services, Health and Human Services," he said. "It's the same issue year after year after year. It never gets fixed."
If elected, Block said he would sign an executive order on his first day in office requiring every department head to review the Auditor General's findings within a week and account for any unresolved issues. "I'm going to insist that in most cases, we fix what's broken in that report within a few months of taking office," he said. "How can you justify wasting a quarter billion dollars year over year over year?"
A Weekly Press Conference
Block also pledged to increase transparency by holding a weekly press conference — a practice he said has been largely absent from the governor's office in recent years. "I'm going to tell everybody what we found the week before, the problems that we've uncovered," he said. "If things are a little sticky between me and the General Assembly, I will air it out and talk about it and use the bully pulpit."
Long-Term Challenges
Asked about the state's more entrenched problems, Block acknowledged that some issues — like breaking cycles of poverty tied to underperforming urban school systems — will take years to resolve. "This isn't a problem you can fix in a year," he said. "It's going to take years to get it fixed and see the fruits of the labor, but we have to start, and we aren't even there. I'm going to get it started."
Block was careful to frame Rhode Island's struggles as solvable, noting that many other states have already addressed similar challenges. "We don't have an unknown solution to our problems," he said. "All we are lacking is the political courage necessary in the governor's office to run right at those problems and not stop until we get them fixed."
Election Details
Block will face Democrat Helena Foulkes and Republican Aaron Guckian in the general election. Rhode Island voters must be registered by early October to participate, roughly 30 days before Election Day. Voters can find more information about Block's campaign, including volunteer opportunities and yard signs, at blockforgovernor.com.
"If you're not happy with the way things are going, you've got to vote differently," Block said. "If you don't vote at all, you're part of the problem."

​South County will once again fill with the sounds of classical guitar and mandolin as the University of Rhode Island's Guitar & Mandolin Festival returns October 18-25 for its 11th year, bringing internationally acclaimed musicians, workshops, and competitions to venues across the region.
What began as a single-day event has grown into a week-long celebration featuring three distinct programs: a full guitar festival, an expanding mandolin festival, and a youth-focused Rising Stars program.
"It's just been getting progressively longer and filled with more activities," said Raffi Donoian, a classical guitarist and URI alum who now teaches in the festival's Rising Stars program.
The festival kicks off with a day-long outdoor concert at the General Stanton Inn, headlined by Duke Robillard alongside classical guitar soloists, the Atlantic Mandolin Quartet, and blues-rock group Friendly Fowl. From there, performances continue nightly at venues throughout URI and the surrounding area.
Headliners include Boston-based classical guitar titan Eliot Fisk and internationally renowned Jorge Caballero, along with jazz guitar legends Eleonora Strino and Antoine Boyer, who will perform alongside his wife and duo partner, harmonica player Yeore Kim. Mandolin fans can look forward to performances from Vincent Beer-Demander, Fabio Gallucci, and Ian Coury.
A string quartet drawing faculty from URI, the New England Conservatory, and Brown University will also take the stage, alongside the festival's own artistic and mandolin directors, Adam Levin and Jacob Reuven. The week will also showcase this year's competition winners, Sotiris Athanasiou and Suzuna Takahashi.
Serving as composer-in-residence is João Luis, a Brazilian composer, guitarist, and teacher based at Yale University. Luis will lecture and lead workshops on composition, Brazilian music, and guitar technique in addition to premiering new work at the festival.
Beyond the concert stage, the festival offers a full slate of workshops and lectures covering everything from Bach to Barcelona-style guitar, along with sessions on luthiery, hand health, and self-recording. A luthier expo will also draw instrument makers from around the world, giving attendees a rare chance to test drive dozens of guitars in one place.
"When it comes to playing an instrument and getting an instrument, people ask which one they should buy, and it's sort of personal," Donoian said. "You ultimately have to play an instrument. You can listen online and review specs, but you just have to play a lot of instruments. It's really, really valuable in that sense."
For younger musicians, the festival's Rising Stars program offers ensemble experience for students ages 6 to 16, complete with specialized lectures, workshops, and rehearsals. Donoian, who helps lead the program, said participants will perform Sunday afternoon, with some students also joining the festival's now-signature "mega orchestra," a massed ensemble of guitarists and, this year for the first time, mandolinists as well.
"You learn your stuff, and then you work with us, and we talk about maybe how to fix some mistakes and how to make everybody sort of play both as an ensemble," Donoian said.
New this year is an in-person guitar competition, which selected 12 international semifinalists from video submissions to compete in person for a grand prize exceeding $10,000, including a concert slot at next year's festival.
For Donoian, the festival's value extends well beyond performance. He credits his own turning point as a musician to attending a similar festival in Boston years ago, where he met Levin for the first time.
"When you see that there are other people doing what you do and you're able to connect with them, and you're not just watching videos or listening to music, you're actually talking to people and hanging out with them, it's so important," he said. "You're able to make connections and build friendships and become a part of a community."
Among this year's performers, Donoian said he's especially looking forward to hearing Antoine Boyer. "He's an amazing player, like a really unique style. That's one of the big ones on my list for sure."
Festival organizers emphasize that attendees don't need to commit to the full week to participate. À la carte tickets are available for individual concerts and workshops, making it possible to drop in for a single evening or spend the whole week immersed in the festival.
Full schedule and ticket information is available at urigmfest.org.

​For 31 years, Karla Little has been bringing the region's most talented furniture makers and artisans together under one roof. This November 7th and 8th, her Fine Furnishings Show returns to the WaterFire Arts Center at 475 Valley Street in Providence, promising two days packed with handcrafted treasures, live demonstrations, and the rare chance to meet the makers behind the work.
Little's career in show management began long before the Fine Furnishings Show existed. She was running the Newport International Boat Show when she first noticed a gap in the craft show circuit.
"There were a lot of shows that had very few furniture makers, but yet I knew there were a lot of furniture makers in New England," Little said. "So I created the Fine Furnishing Show to focus on the furniture makers and then surround them with artists who were making things for the home."
Three decades later, the show has found its rhythm at the WaterFire Arts Center, a venue Little describes as a "dream building."
"It's on the ground level, lots of windows, spotless bathrooms, hundreds of free parking spaces all around the building," she said. "So it's very easy for both the artists and craftsmen and also the people that attend the event."
Meet the Makers
This year's show runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with exhibitors arriving from across New England, New York and beyond. Most are solo craftsmen designing and building each piece themselves, though some, like Vermont's Pompanoosuc Mills are larger operations with upholsterers and will have a 400-square-foot display of beds, dining sets, and office furniture and more.
One highlight this year is Sterling Miller-Designs, a Brockton, Massachusetts, brother-sister team debuting their own furniture line at the show for the first time.
For Little, meeting the maker in person is part of the appeal, especially given the rise of furniture fraud targeting online shoppers.
"This is your opportunity to come and meet your furniture maker, see their samples, and actually make sure that they're a real person," she said. Many exhibitors also take custom orders on the spot. "You're looking for, say, a dining room table, and he or she happens to have a six-foot table in white oak, and you say, 'Is it possible to make a table that can seat 10 in cherry?' He could then give you a quote and perhaps make a custom piece just for you."
Beyond Furniture
The show extends well past tables and chairs. Weaver Anne Huntington, jewelry maker Jan Franco, and stained-glass artist Cynthia Stanton, who is debuting new lampshades this year, are among the accessory makers on hand. Fine art will also be available in original pieces, framed prints, and smaller gift items like illustrator Carol Way Wood's paperweights.
Students from Boston's North Bennet Street School, the oldest furniture-making program in the country, will showcase their work as well. Flying Shuttle Studio, a Pawtucket weaving program for developmentally challenged adults, will sell placemats and tote bags while collecting fabric donations onsite to support their program.
Returning this year, painters Amy Sloan and Jamie Steinfeld will create live murals to inspire attendees' own home projects, and interior designer Jan Franco will build five room vignettes around the show's "Pieces of Time" theme. A kids' craft table, food truck, cash bar, and live music from local high school musicians round out the weekend.
Admission is $10 for adults, with children under 12 free. Vouchers for half-price VIP admission are available through postcards, the show's Facebook and Instagram pages, and its monthly newsletter.
What to know:
The 31st Annual Fine Furnishings Show will return November 7 and 8, 2026, to the WaterFire Arts Center, Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-4pm
The show continues to spotlight American-made, handcrafted furniture, home decor, fine art, and work from North Bennet Street School students, alongside a select group of craftsmen offering jewelry, fiber arts, and clothing. Organizers note that purchases of handmade items at the show are exempt from sales tax, and many exhibitors welcome custom and commissioned orders beyond what's on display.
More information and tickets are available at finefurnishingshows.com.

​Christopher Ireland, a Republican business owner and 20-year Rhode Island resident, is running for the state's House of Representatives seat in District 7, hoping to unseat the influence of outgoing Representative David Morales, who vacated the position to run for Providence mayor.
This marks Ireland's second bid for the seat, having previously run against Morales in 2022. This time, he faces Amy Santiago, who Ireland describes as Morales' "hand-picked successor," running under the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) platform.
"It's not about a particular party or different sectors," Ireland said. "It's about the real people of Rhode Island."
Ireland positions himself as a political moderate, promising to deliver practical results rather than ideological battles. "I'm a middle guy. If it's right or wrong, I'm going to tell you. I'm not far left, I'm not far right," he said. He frames the race as a choice between pragmatism and socialism, pointing to Santiago's DSA ties as the defining issue of the campaign.
Housing and Economic Priorities
If elected, Ireland says his top priority will be addressing the housing crisis — but with a focus he believes current policymakers are missing: starter homes and apartments.
"The biggest problem with housing is 'affordable housing' isn't affordable," he said. "Four hundred thousand dollars is not affordable." Instead, Ireland wants to see more development of smaller units — apartments around 500 to 600 square feet and starter homes under $200,000 — to meet the needs of first-time buyers and renters.
He also pointed to stagnant wages as compounding the problem. "Income in Rhode Island is flat for the majority of people," he said, while the cost of groceries, utilities, and everyday expenses continues to climb. His solution centers on supporting local businesses and cutting regulatory hurdles that he says make it difficult for Rhode Island entrepreneurs to grow.
"Let's make it easier for business to open up and expand for Rhode Islanders, period," Ireland said, while also stressing he isn't anti-regulation. "We need regulation. The government should regulate, but the government and private business — Rhode Islanders — have to work together."
A Personal Take on Social Programs
Ireland also spoke candidly about his own family's experience with Rhode Island's social safety net, drawing on personal history growing up in Brockton and a difficult stretch when his business closed around 2008-2009.
"My wife lost her job and we couldn't qualify for anything because they said on paper we made too much money," he recalled. "We're spending all of our money on health care — $1,400 a month — wiped out savings, wiped out retirement, just to make sure our daughter had health insurance. But on paper, we made too much money. How can I make too much money if I'm not working?"
That experience informs his pitch to reform — not eliminate — assistance programs. Ireland argues that current income thresholds are too rigid, penalizing people for small income gains and discouraging advancement. "If somebody is a couple dollars over, they may get benefits cut," he said. "What's the incentive for them to work harder?" He wants to see programs revamped with phased timelines that help recipients transition off assistance as their income grows, rather than cutting support abruptly.
Getting Involved
Voters can learn more about Ireland's campaign at Ireland4RI.com, which also links to his Facebook page, where he says he welcomes open comment and debate.
"When people are having a conversation, stuff gets done," Ireland said.
Ireland will face Santiago in the general election on November 3, 2026, after advancing from the Republican primary on September 9, 2026. Rhode Islanders are reminded that voter registration must be completed within 30 days of the election in order to cast a ballot in November.