Frustrated by the gap between available jobs in Rhode Island and the lack of trained workers to fill them, some state legislators are pushing for action on this stubborn chasm in the workforce. more

Chef Joseph Leonardi, executive chef at the Somerset Club in Boston, conducts a two-hour demonstration to Johnson & Wales University culinary students on Jan. 16. Leonardi returned to his alma mater for the event as the 168th distinguished visiting chef and was honored at a luncheon. Joining him during the demo was Celia Cordeira, rear, a junior in the culinary-arts program, who received a $2,000 scholarship in his name. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee’s inclusion in his state budget for next year of $500,000 to design a new downtown Providence advanced-nursing school was done without fanfare. The provision wasn’t even included in his published budget highlights or his state-of-the-state address. more

Providence College students should be used to the earth movers and construction crews by now. more

Game designers work on the art and programming code for their game during the 2013 Global Game Jam at New England Institute of Technology. The 48-hour, game-design event was held Jan. 25-27 at 317 jam sites in 60 countries and included tens of thousands of participants. NEIT had 54 contestants, including from left, Matthew Karn, NEIT graduate, Chase Hermanson, NEIT graduate, Rhode Island School of Design senior Chris Culbertson and Allisandra Briggs, RISD senior. more

Roughly 130 Fulbright Scholar Program participants from across 60 countries will call the city of Providence home for the weekend in a move to create interaction and dialogue with local residents. more

The U.S. Department of Education said Rhode Island was one of three states to make “remarkable progress” in implementing its $75 million federal Race to the Top grant, according to the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. more

PROVIDENCE – The charitable arm of the Rhode Island Bar Association is seeking applications for two $20,000 scholarships for first-year Rhode Island law school students. more

PROVIDENCE – Seven Rhode Island College students and professors were honored during the 2013 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in early February in Hyannis, Mass. more

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Brandaris Maritime, a local provider of marine-related educational-enrichment programs, has partnered with St. Mary’s Home for Children on the “SeaPerch” program, which equips students to build an underwater Remote Operated Vehicle. more