Philip Eil, who's the author of "Prescription for Pain," recently wrote an opinion piece for Rhode Island Current, highlighting how quickly opioids and opioid-related deaths have become a central focus in the race for Rhode Island governor.

"I was uneasy to watch this really serious, literally life and death issue, get turned into campaign mudslinging where it's about scoring points," Eil said during a taping of the show on Wednesday. "The public gaze drifts away from the real stakes of this issue, which, as I noted in my piece, is ongoing."

Incumbent Gov. Dan McKee last month slammed Democratic rival Helena Foulkes when she announced she would challenge him again in next year's primary election.

The governor's campaign launched an attack ad, accusing Foulkes of helping to fuel the opioid crisis while she was as an executive at CVS Pharmacy.

Foulkes and CVS have fired back at McKee, and Foulkes has defended her record at the retail giant, saying she worked to reduce opioid prescriptions and stem to flow of drugs going to pill mills.

Eil offered some suggestions for how candidates could talk about the issue of opioids, along with the effect controlled substances are having on Rhode Island where more than 2,000 people have died from overdoses since 2020, according the R.I. Department of Health.

"There are real things gubernatorial candidates can do to affect this issue," he said. "Public health advocates would dream of the kind of airtime that these two people, Dan McKee and Helena Foulkes, are going to have in the coming months. I just wanted to encourage them to think about the people who have lost their lives."

Later in the show, Kim and Eli talked about the “Stories We Wish We Wrote.” They included:

‘Barrington Pisser’ tells police that the videos he posted were a hoax by EastBayRI

Patients are being 'dumped' and left at RI hospitals for months, even years. Why? by Jonny Williams and Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal

Glass from the past: why are there marbles in the Blackstone? by Sofia Barr, The Valley Breeze

New Bedford man builds a thriving eBay bike shop business: Check out House of Cogs by Kathryn Gallerani, The New Bedford Standard-Times

Watch “Behind the Story” Thursdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the WPRI 12+ TV app.

How to download the free WPRI 12+ smart TV app

It airs on TV (Sundays at 8 a.m. on FOX Providence and 11 a.m. on The CW Providence), and will be available on demand through the WPRI 12+ app and right here on WPRI.com.

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe.

12 News politics editor Ted Nesi joined Eli Sherman and Dan McGowan on “Behind the Story” this week to discuss the future of politics and pensions in Providence.

Nesi said he's been getting a lot of feedback over the past week in response to comments about the Providence pension system made by state Rep. David Morales, who recently announced he's running for Providence.

Appearing on "Newsmakers" last week, Morales said he'd tackle the city's woefully underfunded pension plan in part by renegotiating pension benefits paid to out-of-state retirees.

Cutting pension benefits has long spurred contentious debate in Providence, and previous efforts have often resulted in lengthy legal battles. Nesi said Morales' comments quickly evoked a lot of calls and emails from retirees who were upset by Morales' proposed idea.

"Retirees see this very simply: They worked, they were promised a benefit -- it's the city's job to figure out how to pay them the benefit," Nesi said.

More broadly, Nesi discussed Morales' political career and his approach to taking on incumbent Brett Smiley, who's seen as more moderate candidate and has said he intends to run for reelection. The two Democrats would face off in a primary election next September.

"There's genuine disagreement between different flavors of Democrats right now," Nesi said.

Later in the show, Dan and Eli talked about the “Stories We Wish We Wrote.” They include:

• Lax Enforcement, Lack of Awareness Result in Poor Recycling Ticket Returns in Providence by Colleen Cronin, ecoRI News. (Bonus: Cronin joined "Behind the Story" in July to talk about Providence recycling. You can watch the full episode here.)
• How AI is changing police work by John Howell, Warwick Beacon. (Another bonus: Howell joined "Behind the Story" in June. Full episode here.)

• McKee and Foulkes have our attention on R.I.’s opioid crisis. Here’s how they can earn our respect by Philip Eil, Rhode Island Current
• Westerly unveils new schools strategic plan by Ryan Blessing, The Westerly Sun

Watch “Behind the Story” Thursdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the WPRI 12+ TV app.

• How to download the free WPRI 12+ smart TV app

It airs on TV (Sundays at 8 a.m. on FOX Providence and 11 a.m. on The CW Providence), and will be available on demand through the WPRI 12+ app and right here on WPRI.com.

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe.

Eric Rueb of The Providence Journal joined Eli Sherman and Dan McGowan on “Behind the Story” to discuss his experience covering sports in Rhode Island.

For years, Rueb has been reporting on youth and professional sports, and he expressed excitement over this year’s high school football season, which is officially underway.

“I’m going to watch Central Falls and East Greenwich on Thursday, and those are the games I love to see,” Rueb said. “Someone’s going to do something I’ve never seen before and that’s the reason why high school football should exist, and why people should love it.”

Rueb also talked about some of the issue surrounding sports, such as the importance of developing programs, whether private schools have competitive advantages over traditional public schools and the dangers of parents getting angry at referees during games.

“Being a jerk is never part of the game,” Rueb said. “It’s the kids that I feel bad for because [parents] don’t realize how they’re affecting their kids’ lives going forward.”

Rueb also offered a preview of his new new sports show “Blitz Breakdown,” which just launched this week on the 12+ TV app.

Later in the show, Dan and Eli talked about the “Stories We Wish We Wrote.”

• Pawtucket school officials delete plagiarized welcome message by Ethan Shorey, The Valley Breeze

• City Council to sue and filibuster Mayor Mitchell by Colin Hogan, The New Bedford Light
• TF Green Airport CEO gets new contract, raise. Here’s how much he will be making by Patrick Anderson, The Providence Journal

A special shoutout to 12 News politics editor Ted Nesi, who’s started a new series of digital-explainer reels covering complicated issues for Rhode Island PBS. Watch his first one here, examining the new “Taylor Swift” tax that will affect second-home owners beginning next July.

Watch “Behind the Story” Thursdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the WPRI 12+ TV app.

• How to download the free WPRI 12+ smart TV app

It airs on TV (Sundays at 8 a.m. on FOX Providence and 11 a.m. on The CW Providence), and will be available on demand through the WPRI 12+ app and right here on WPRI.com.

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe.