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Meet the R.I. high school graduate who wants to be America’s next great sports broadcaster – The Boston Globe

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Meet the R.I. high school graduate who wants to be America’s next great sports broadcaster – The Boston Globe


Now he’s taking his talents to Rhode Island College thanks to winning the Rhode Island PBS Scholarship from the Rhode Island Foundation, which provides up to $60,000 (over four years) to students who want to pursue some form of journalism in college. Yean was selected from 27 applicants this year.

I asked him to tell us more about his high school experience and his dreams of becoming a sports broadcaster.

Q: This scholarship is going to help you pursue your dream to become a sports broadcaster. When did you decide you wanted to get involved in sports journalism?

Yean: I wanted to delve into sports broadcasting during the middle of eighth grade, following a math problem in my eighth grade algebra class writing a tortoise-and-hare-like story. The teacher liked my story, which sparked my interest in joining the sports journalism industry. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I joined Thunderbolt Sports Media and quickly became involved in broadcasts with my mentor, Mo Holtzman. Those experiences, along with the guidance of my club advisor and dear friend, Mr. Ken Simone, prompted me to go further into the industry and pursue my dreams of being involved in sports.

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Q: You were the Student Council president at Cranston East and also the lead play-by-play announcer for many of the school’s athletic teams. What do you love most about calling games?

Yean: Commentating mainly high school sports, and being a (now former) high school student myself, getting to know these athletes off the field and in the classroom too is a one-of-a-kind thing you rarely see at higher levels of sports. I was able to meet so many awesome people through commentating, being able to get to know them, and build some great relationships. The people I worked with on my broadcasts as well are also fantastic people to be around. It’s the connections with other people that make what I do, at least at this level, worth it. 

Q: You’re heading to Rhode Island College in the fall. What does the Rhode Island PBS Scholarship mean for you?

Yean: Being able to go to college without much financial worry through the Rhode Island PBS Scholarship is the biggest blessing I could ever ask for. To have the last four years of hard work rewarded through a massive scholarship such as this feels amazing – there’s really no other reaction that I could have now. But I’m really glad that my mom and dad don’t have to worry so much about paying for my college education anymore. They’ve already done so much for me, and I’m grateful for them being in my life.

Q: The media has changed so much in recent years. What’s something older readers (and journalists) should know about your generation?

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Yean: Social media has transformed how we take in our info. Lots of people my age take in their sports news through video content rather than reading articles. Especially on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc, it’s quick and easy information to take in and instantly react to it. For example, Eric Rueb from the Providence Journal does a lot of video content on Instagram, and I and many people know and love him from that. It’s an interesting time for not just sports journalism, but journalism overall in terms of how journalists and news companies adapt to how people like to take in their news.

Q: Last question: How the heck did you become a Miami Heat fan?

Yean: My father’s been a Miami Heat fan since they became a team, so I followed in his footsteps, so a pretty easy come-up as a Heat fan. I’m unfortunately a speck of red in a sea of Celtic green, so I’ve had too many arguments with my friends to try and recount all of them. Their Finals’ win this year does not help my case, although I’m sure Jimmy Butler and crew will find a way to avenge this year’s embarrassment of a season. I’m a die-hard Patriots fan though, so hopefully it makes up for it in some way for my fellow New Englanders.


This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.


Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.





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Rhode Island

Toy giant Hasbro accelerates Boston move, begins hiring for new office – The Boston Globe

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Toy giant Hasbro accelerates Boston move, begins hiring for new office – The Boston Globe


The company — whose iconic brands include Monopoly, Scrabble, My Little Pony, Nerf, and Potato Head — had long been headquartered in Pawtucket, and will soon relocate operations to 400 Summer St. in Boston’s Seaport District, a 630,000 square-foot, 16-story laboratory building.

A view of 400 Summer St. in Boston.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

The new space will be home to at least 700 full-time employees, who are expected to fully transition from Rhode Island to Boston by the end of 2026.

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A hiring push for the Boston office began in September, just after the toy maker announced it would leave its Pawtucket offices at 1027 Newport Ave. Some of the Boston postings were tagged as “company priority,” signaling urgency to fill those roles.

Hasbro’s relocation underscores the powerful allure of Boston’s vast talent pool and healthy corporate ecosystem. While Hasbro’s relocation will force Rhode Island to grapple with losing tax revenue, Pawtucket has long struggled to reinvent its downtown, which has plenty of vacant buildings, homelessness, and underperforming schools. Hasbro still owns its aging offices on Newport Avenue, and it’s unclear whether the company plans to lease or sell them, and when.

Andrea Snyder and Bertie Thomson, two spokespeople for Hasbro, could not be reached for comment. The company has not responded to state or city officials either.

“The State and City Commerce departments, in partnership with Governor [Dan] McKee’s office and Mayor [Don] Grebien’s office, have reached out to Hasbro numerous times – all calls, emails, and letters have gone unanswered,” said Grebien spokesperson Jennifer Almeida, in a statement to the Globe. “While we recognize that Hasbro is a private company and made the decision to leave, the lack of communication is frustrating.”

“We hope that Hasbro will work with us to ensure their employees are taken care of and that the property remains viable for future development,” Almeida said.

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Hasbro has been located in Rhode Island since its founding in 1923 by the Hassenfeld family. One of the few publicly traded companies based in Rhode Island, it employs roughly 5,500 people worldwide.


Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.





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Silver Alert canceled for missing man in Barrington

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Silver Alert canceled for missing man in Barrington


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BARRINGTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Police have canceled a Silver Alert for a 78-year-old man reported missing out of Barrington Thursday.

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Jeffrey Rockwell had been last seen in person on Wednesday, but police said his vehicle was spotted Thursday morning taking the Broadway exit off I-195 West.

Police located Rockwell Thursday around 8:30 p.m.

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Prime Healthcare withdraws bid for bankrupt Rhode Island hospitals owned by Prospect Medical – The Boston Globe

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Prime Healthcare withdraws bid for bankrupt Rhode Island hospitals owned by Prospect Medical – The Boston Globe


PROVIDENCE — Prime Healthcare Foundation has withdrawn its bid to acquire two Rhode Island hospitals owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, leaving the Centurion Foundation, a Georgia-based nonprofit that has struggled to secure financing, as the hospitals’ sole suitor.

Prime, which first publicly signaled interest in Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in early November, had been in talks with state officials and executives with California-based Prospect Medical Holdings. In late October, Prospect filed a motion in bankruptcy court to shut down the hospitals, a scenario state officials and health leaders said would destabilize Rhode Island’s entire health system.

Prime’s exit leaves The Centurion Foundation, which has struggled for months to finance a deal, as the sole remaining prospective buyer once again. Centurion has been unable to attract investors and is expected back in US Bankruptcy Court on Friday to update Chief Judge Stacey Jernigan on the status of their financing. Jernigan said in late November she was frustrated by Centurion’s continued inability to secure the necessary capital for a deal she approved in February.

“No one wants these closed,” said Jernigan during a court hearing on Nov. 24. “But, as I expressed last time, I’m beyond frustrated with Centurion.”

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha confirmed to the Globe Thursday morning that Prime advised him on Wednesday that they view the “collective hurdles presented by the proposed transaction as too big a challenge for them to take on at this time.”

“They wanted to see how the Centurion transaction played out,” said Neronha. “I told them that I understood, and I do.”

The collapse of Prime’s bid comes at a critical moment for Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence, two safety-net hospitals that care for many of the state’s most vulnerable, including the uninsured and many who are covered by public insurance. If Prospect is given approval by the court to shutter these hospitals, Rhode Island’s emergency departments would be overwhelmed, and other systems spread thin.

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Part of the reason Prime pulled out was because it would have had to assume existing labor contracts, according to Neronha.

Brad Dufault, a spokesman for United Nurses and Allied Professionals, which is the union represents many of the workers at the hospitals, told the Globe that with time quickly running out, the union is “pleased that the state can now keep the focus 100 percent on closing the Centurion deal.”

“Prime Health has an abysmal record here in Rhode Island and across the country – a record of greed, fraud and deceit,“ said Dufault. ”Rhode Islanders who need quality health care services dodged a major bullet by keeping them away from these important community hospitals.”

Prime owns and operates Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, where UNAP also represents workers.

Prime and Prospect have been in discussions over the last few weeks on how to address the nearly $90 million in post-bankruptcy petition expenses that either the buyer or the seller would be required to pay. Centurion has agreed to cover those expenses if they close their deal. It’s unclear if Prime was willing.

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Neronha said in a statement that Prime has been in discussions with his office and the Rhode Island Department of Health about “certain necessary commitments regarding capital improvements, assumption of existing labor contracts, preservation of existing lines of medical services, who would cover anticipated losses while they managed but did not yet own the hospitals, a management fee they would be paid (none versus how much), and more.”

Noel True, a spokesperson for Prime, could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.

Centurion’s executives recently warned the state that seeking an alternative buyer, like Prime, would spook investors and undermine their deal to acquire the hospitals, which was first approved by regulators in 2024. Centurion’s President Ben Mingle could not be immediately reached for comment.

This story has been updated with a comment from Brad Dufault.


Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.

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