April 2018

With Earth Day around the corner and many local economies still recovering from the past year’s devastating hurricane season, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018’s Greenest States. In order to showcase the states doing right by Mother Earth, WalletHub compared the 50 states in terms of 23 key metrics that speak to […]

Len Lardaro, the University of Rhode Island economist who produces a monthly Current Conditions Index, is encouraged by the sustained growth of the state’s economy. Lardaro, who has been following the Rhode Island economy for years and has often been critical of its performance, now believes it is showing some real strength. Lardaro joins What’sUpNewp’s […]

Several media outlets are reporting tonight that actor and writer Harry Anderson has died, he was 65 years old. Anderson was most well known for Night Court (1984), Dave’s World (1993) and Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme (1990). Anderson was born on October 14, 195,2 in Newport. “This morning at 6:41 a.m. the Asheville Police […]

The topics on today’s edition of What’sUpNewp Radio ranged from Newport County YMCA’s Child Abuse Prevention Month, Healthy Kids Day, and Five Day of Action to the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover. Anne, Sophie, and Katie were among my guests from the Newport County YMCA, while Suma Plowden, Stopover Director, was my guest from […]

Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty announced on Friday the sale of three properties in Newport – 93 Pelham Street, 63/65 Memorial Boulevard, and 7 Annandale Road. The combined sales price for the properties was $3,250,000. The sellers of all three properties were represented by Eric Kirton, Sales Associate with Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty. Eric also facilitated the […]

The Rogers High School Robotics Teams are heading to the National Competition for the fourth year in a row. After winning at the regional level, the teams will make the trip to UMASS Dartmouth in May for the National SeaPerch Challenge. The Rogers teams compete at two levels, the high school division and the more […]

Notice water bottle filling stations popping up across Newport County? Those were likely donated and installed by The GreenLove Foundation over the last few years. Members of the Board of Directors from The Greenlove Foundation (Kathy Bowers, Mary O’Connor, and Linda Picken)  joined Ryan Belmore today on What’sUpNewp Radio Edition on AM 1540 WADK Newport to chat about […]

Early expansion at Sea Rose Montessori Co-op School will bring a new, larger classroom space in Fall 2018. Sea Rose Montessori opened in September 2017 providing a unique learning experience for students starting at age 4.5. This parent-led co-op school offers year-round and extended-day programming. Sea Rose reached maximum capacity in their current space as […]

In honor of April being National Poetry Month, I catch up with Edward J Siegal, a local poet, about poetry and the things that inspire him to create on What’sUpNewp Radio Edition on AM 1540 WADK Newport. During the podcast, you’ll also hear a few of his locally-inspired poems. Michelle Theroux Siegal, his wife, and a local […]

Nearly 700,000 children are abused in the United States every year, and nearly 2,000 die. And those are just the cases that are reported. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) is an organization that advocates for abused children, providing legal and volunteer support for all children referred to the Family Court because of the […]

While finding some reasons to be hopeful, the 2018 Kids Count Factbook says nearly 20 percent of children in Rhode Island are living in poverty, and large disparities exist when it comes to minorities – Native Americans, Hispanic and Black Children – and Asian and White Children. Kids Count also found that the average rent […]

With Tax Day fast approaching and a new tax code recently signed into law by President Trump, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its 2018 Tax Burden by State report, along with its 2018 Tax Facts infographic. In order to determine which states tax their residents most aggressively, WalletHub compared the 50 states based on the three […]

Sister Helen Prejean, whose best-selling book, “Dead Man Walking,” sparked national dialogue on the death penalty and helped to shape the Catholic Church’s newly vigorous opposition to state executions, will address the graduating class and receive an honorary degree when Salve Regina University celebrates its 68th commencement on Sunday, May 20. Also receiving an honorary degree […]

Dee Caffari’s Turn the Tide on Plastic ghosted across the finish line for Leg 7 at Itajaí, Brazil in light winds taking fourth place, collecting 8 points. It was the hardest leg of the race, and Turn the Tide on Plastic posted their best result to date, demonstrating the growth of the youngest and most […]

Was the first female lighthouse keeper in American from Newport? Was Newport the site of the first international polo match? Was the first murder trial of a clergyman in the United States held here? Brian Stinson’s Newport Firsts, a hundred claims to fame was just published this week. Brian joined me recently on The Open […]

The final days of Leg 7 for Turn the Tide on Plastic and MAPFRE are proving long, slow and painful. But the reality is, nothing can be done. A high-pressure ridge over the south Atlantic means the wind is very light and shifty making for extremely slow progress. Dee Caffari’s Turn the Tide on Plastic […]

The Newport Historical Society’s essay contest, Big Ideas for a Changing World: Write Your Way to Hamilton, had a record number of entries this year. Just over 100 high school sophomores wrestled with the question: What is happening in your community, or could happen, that has the capacity to change Rhode Island or the world? The responses […]

Is there a better way to start your day than enjoying a fresh brewed espresso, sitting on the end of a historic wharf looking out into Newport Harbor?  For twenty years Alyssa Gladchun has owned and operated Newport’s most scenic coffee shop, The Coffee Grinder, located at the end of Bannister’s Wharf, adjacent to the […]

Among a wide variety of topics, John Hirschboeck, Daffodillion Project Director, joined Tim Towey and me today on  What’sUpNewp Radio Edition on AM 1540 WADK Newport to give us an update on the 2018 Newport Daffodil Days Festival and their quest to have a million daffodils bloom in Newport. Listen Here Tune into What’sUpNewp Radio Edition with Ryan Belmore […]

Sail Newport and MetLife announced today that The MetLife Veterans Regatta will take place on May 14-15 in Newport during the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover. The event marks the second collaboration between Sail Newport and MetLife to bring a recreational sailing experience to veterans and active duty service members who are wounded, ill and injured. […]

Simeon Tienpont’s team AkzoNobel has completed the podium for Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race with a third place finish into Itajaí, Brazil. It’s the third consecutive leg with a podium finish for team AkzoNobel and the result leaves the team in fourth place on the overall leaderboard, just three points behind Team Brunel […]

The Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover (May 8 – 20) will feature an array of exhibits, interactive displays and games with micro-organisms designed to fascinate school children to grandparents alike. The exhibition inside the Race Village will open on May 12 and continue through May 20. The One Ocean Exploration Zone is an educational destination offering hands-on opportunities […]

It’s hard to believe it, but April 15th will mark 5 years since the Boston Marathon bombing. Heather Abbott, a Newport resident who lost a portion of her leg during the Boston Marathon bombing, joined Frank Prosnitz and I today on What’sUpNewp Radio Edition on AM 1540 WADK Newport to chat about The Heather Abbott Foundation, her […]

Salve Regina University President Jane Gerety, a Religious Sister of Mercy, has announced her plans to retire in June 2019. Sister Jane informed faculty, staff and students of her decision during a university-wide meeting this afternoon. “This has been the best job in the world,” said Sister Jane in a prepared statment, who will have […]

Team AkzoNobel have nearly closed to within 100 miles of Itajaí, Brazil, and the Leg 7 finish line on Wednesday, on course for a third place podium finish behind winners Team Brunel and second-placed Dongfeng Race Team. Simeon Tienpont’s AkzoNobel crew were more than 430 miles ahead of closest rivals Turn the Tide on Plastic, practically […]

Tomorrow (April 4th) will mark the 50th Anniversary of that terrible day when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated outside his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. While people all across the nation plan to gather tomorrow to remember the leader and what he accomplished, locally NAACP Newport RI will host a Commemoration Ceremony of their own […]

It was easily the most difficult stage of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18, and the sailors will almost certainly rank it as one of the hardest in the history of the race.  But Bouwe Bekking used his veteran nous to fight through all the challenges and lead Team Brunel to an incredibly narrow win over […]

Newport County women and nonprofits that provide programs supporting the self-sufficiency and independence of local girls and women have until April 6 to apply for scholarships and grants through the Miss Swinburne Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. In 2017, the Miss Swinburne Fund awarded $42,200 in scholarships to 24 students and $22,000 in grants to local nonprofits, including Boys & […]