State officials have raised questions about the use of state grants awarded to the Newport County Chamber of Commerce and paid to a lobbying firm.
The Providence Journal reports in Political Scene: State grant lands at firm employing Keith Stokes that RI Commerce Corporation President Darin Early wrote in a letter this month that the chamber used part of the funding to compensate the Mayforth Group, which employs former Commerce Corp. executive director Keith Stokes.
Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan... More by Ryan Belmore
