To the editor and readers of Whats Up Newp: We would like to start by thanking city council members Pinnock, Smyth, Carlin + Khamsyvoravong for passing the “Academic Integration Advisory Committee” resolution. As PTO, School Improvement Team and Superintendent Advisory committee members and parents of two Pell school students, we are ardent supporters of public […]
Rhode Island
Posted inNews
National Sailing Hall of Fame announces star-studded 2025 Class
The Sailing Museum & National Sailing Hall of Fame is set to welcome 11 new members in its Class of 2025. The 15th Induction Ceremony and Celebration is scheduled for September 25 at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, Rhode Island. A day earlier, The Sailing Museum will host a welcome event […]
Posted inNews
Joe Pratt to retire from Boy & Girls Club of Newport County
Today, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County (BGCNC) announces that Joseph Pratt, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, has decided to retire effective May 15, 2025. Pratt joined the Club in 2014, turning around the organization from having only five full-time staff, declining membership, and a $250,000 deficit to employing twenty-five full-time staff, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Just My Opinion: Rhode Island’s Nathaniel Greene among those buried in Savannah’s historic cemeteries
While planning a trip to Savannah, Georgia to visit my daughter, Ryan Belmore, WUN publisher, and I mused about possible Rhode Island/Savannah connections. None readily came to mind. But they are there. In the historic cemeteries. artists and soldiers, young children and others buried and remembered. Their stories are told on markers near burial vaults, […]
Posted inNews
U.S. Space Force Chief delivers lecture at Naval War College
Story by Lt.Cmdr. Peter Pagano , U.S. Naval War College NEWPORT, R.I.— U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman visited the U.S. Naval War College (NWC) onboard Naval Station Newport, RI, Apr. 01, 2025. In addition to meeting with NWC President, Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, Saltzman spoke with students about the implications of space’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Volunteers needed for Newport’s June Secret Garden Tour
Imagine yourself sitting in a very stunning, colorful garden with a variety of trees and flowers, the sun shining down, a cool breeze grazing your face, and the sound of birds happily chirping away. Sounds delightful, right? The Newport Secret Garden Tour is looking for volunteers for the upcoming June Tours, which will take place […]
Posted inSports
Rogers Girls Lacrosse beats Tiverton 8-4
Rogers High School’s girls lacrosse team outplayed Tiverton, winning 8-4 in a game at Braga Park on Monday night. The Vikings’ offense, with key players Julia Page and Fallon Bagley leading the charge, proved too strong for Tiverton, especially in the second half. The March 31, 2025 match saw Rogers pull ahead after what was […]
Posted inBusiness
Helly Hansen to open flagship store in Newport
Helly Hansen, the well-known sailing brand, is opening a new flagship store in Newport this week. The store, spanning 6,400 square feet at 124 Thames St., is set to open on April 4, 2025. It will offer a wide selection of technical sailing gear, shoes, marine lifestyle products, and outdoor equipment. Paul Gillen, VP of […]
Posted inNews
Luke Combs added to 2025 Newport Folk Festival lineup
The Newport Folk Festival continued rolling out its lineup for its 2025 event on Monday, March 31, with a big announcement that Country music artist Luke Combs would be performing on Saturday, July 26. Luke Combs has risen to prominence as a dominant figure in contemporary country music. Combs’s debut album, “This One’s for You,” […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rep. Edwards bill would make DEM responsible for coastal resources management
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management would become responsible for coastal resources management under legislation introduced by Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Tiverton). The bill (2025-H 5453) would replace the Coastal Resources Management Council with the Division of Coastal Resources Management within the DEM. The new agency would be responsible for all the […]
Posted inCity & Government
Senators Reed and Whitehouse, Rep. Amo to address constituents on April 21 in Portsmouth
The League of Women Voters Newport County is hosting a town hall meeting with most of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation on April 21, 2025, at Portsmouth Middle School. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, along with Representative Gabe Amo, will take part in the event starting at 5:30 p.m. This meeting gives local residents a […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Real Estate
Tyler Bernadyn: How rising insurance premiums are impacting real estate in Rhode Island
It’s no secret that life by the water comes with a price—but lately, that price has been rising in ways that are changing the game for coastal real estate. In Newport County and across Aquidneck Island, homeowners and prospective buyers are facing an increasingly costly reality: insurance premiums have quietly jumped by 25% to 40% […]
Posted inOpinion
Helen Hames: Listening inside a nursing home- we can’t fix what we don’t face
In Rhode Island, 29% of people age 65 and older live alone (American Community Survey; U.S Census Bureau 2021). Many are facing complex and urgent health or life events with no clear guidance or support. Each lives with the risk that life as they knew it could change in an instant–with the possibility of calling […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion
Gerry Goldstein: In the wild, beauty’s more than skin deep
As a wildlife specimen, the gila monster is as off-putting as they come. This lizard’s head seems too big for its body, its legs are short, it’s slow and sluggish, and its venom is fatally toxic. It’s hardly a poster child for National Wildlife Week, coming up April 5-9. But wait – millions of human […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Gamm Theatre will celebrate 40 years with a star-Studded ‘Grand Night’ gala
The Gamm Theatre will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a Gala on May 8. “The theme will be like a movie opening,” said Tony Estrella, the Gamm’s Artistic Director. “We’re having it at the Graduate (in downtown Providence). A great place for it.” The gala is called A Grand Night, and the Gamm “will roll […]
Posted inNews
What’sUpNewp’s top stories of the week in Newport
It’s been a busy week of news in and around Newport. Catch up on all of the most-read What’sUpNewp stories of the week below.
Posted inReal Estate
On the Market: A look at 25 homes hosting Open Houses this weekend in Newport County (March 29 – 30)
The current real estate market in Newport County, and Rhode Island in general, is in a bit of a bind. With limited inventory and steady demand, home prices are staying high—and they’re likely to continue rising unless more homes are added to the market. Coastal communities like Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth are especially impacted, with […]
Posted inReal Estate
‘Stone House’ on Ocean Drive hits the market for $22 million
A home on Ocean Drive has hit the market for $22 million. Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty today announced that the ‘Stone House’ is a unique waterfront offering with a south-facing beach and dock located on the secluded Price’s Neck Cove has hit the market. Built in 1898 by renowned Gilded Age portrait photographer Ernest Walter […]
Posted inNews
Snacktime, Margo Price, Dehd, and Flipturn added to 2025 Newport Folk Festival lineup
This week, the Newport Folk Festival continued rolling out its lineup for its 2025 event, announcing Snacktime, Margo Price, Dehd, and Flipturn. Set for July 25-27, the festival has already sold out but continues to reveal its performer list, with more names expected in the weeks ahead. So far, Friday’s schedule includes Snacktime, Hannah Cohen, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport Community Electricity sets summer prices
Newport Community Electricity customers can expect lower bills this summer, according to a press release from the City of Newport. The Newport Community Electricity program has set its new electricity supply rates, effective with the May 2025 meter read. Prices will decrease significantly, dropping from 16.287 cents/kWh this past winter to 10.014 cents/kWh for the City’s default […]
Posted inCity & Government
Conversation with Gov. Mckee: reflections on federal government cuts and their impact on Rhode Island; healthcare; and the budget
Governor Dan McKee lashes out on the uncertainties of policies and programs of the current administration in Washington, including his reflections on Elon Musk. The governor was appearing on WBLQ’s Morning Show with Frank Prosnitz. He was critical of federal program cuts, costing Rhode Island more than $30 million and 60 jobs, suggesting that there […]
Posted inCity & Government
A look at who has been detained or deported in a US crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters
Supporters of Palestinian causes with ties to American universities have been detained in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants. President Donald Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being “pro-Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against […]
Posted inCity & Government
Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus to host virtual conversation on climate change with Land Trust resilience team
Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) and Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown) will host a virtual Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus conversation Sunday with Aquidneck Island Land Trust’s new Resilience Team. The forum will take place on Zoom Sunday, March 30, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It is open to the public but […]
Posted inNews
How gas prices have changed in Rhode Island in the last week
Gasoline prices have increased by just a few cents compared to this time last month, but the cost to fill up the tank has declined by nearly 40 cents per gallon since last year. The national average fuel price is about $3.16, with Mississippi seeing the cheapest state-level prices at $2.68 and California with the […]