Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, August 29, 2023.

⚓ On this day in 1778, the First Rhode Island Infantry regiment defeated three assaults by British Troops at the Battle of Rhode Island. The First Rhode Island Infantry regiment was the first all-black unit in the United States.

⚓ At 10:30 am today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will join students and representatives of Community MusicWorks and the Newport String Project in Providence to celebrate $300,000 in federal funds to support and expand free music education and mentoring services for students from urban communities in Rhode Island. Read More

⚓ At noon today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed will join CODAC Behavioral Healthcare at CODAC Newport to help amplify the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) One Pill Can Kill Fentanyl Awareness Campaign and help spread life-saving information. Read More

⚓ Rhode Island Voter Turnout: As of 4:30 pm on Monday, 6,052 Rhode Islanders have already voted in the September 5 Special Primaries, according to the Secretary of State’s Voter Turnout Tracker.

That’s approximately a 1.6% voter turnout thus far. 3,056 have voted by mail ballot and 2,996 by early in-person voting – including 1,298 in Newport County – 308 total votes in Newport, 293 in Portsmouth, 244 in Middletown, 212 in Jamestown, 167 in Tiverton, and 74 in Little Compton.

View a sample ballot, find your polling place, and read more about the upcoming elections here.

What’s Up Today

Weather

Rip Current Statement in effect from August 29, 06:00 AM EDT until August 29, 06:00 PM EDT
Hazardous Weather Outlook
Today: Showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Patchy dense fog before noon, then patchy dense fog after 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming east 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tonight: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 68. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Forecast: 7-Day Weather | 3-day Surf

Marine Forecast

Today: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming E around 6 kt in the morning. Showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Patchy dense fog before noon, then Patchy dense fog after 1pm. Seas 1 ft or less.
Tonight: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 2am. Seas 1 ft or less.

Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise: 6:08 am | Sunset: 7:24 pm | 13 hours and 15 minutes of sun.
High tide at 6:47 am & 7:15 pm | Low tide at 12:33 am & 12:21 pm.
Moon: Waxing Gibbous. 12.3 days, 93% lighting.

Things To Do

What’s Up in Newport this week: Aug. 28 – Sept. 4
For more events and things to do, visit our events calendar.

Live Music & Entertainment

JPT Film & Event Center: Barbie at 4:30 pm & 7:30 pm
Landing: Jimmy & Matt from 1 pm to 4 pm, Adam Hanna from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, John Erikson from 8 pm to 11 pm
Narragansett Cafe: Trivia from 7 pm to 9 pm
One Pelham East: Stu Sinclair at 9 pm
The Fifth Element: Live music from 7 pm to 10 pm

Local Government

Middletown: Planning Board at 6 pm, Town Council at 6 pm
Newport: Tree Commission at 6 pm
Portsmouth: Dog Park Operating Committee at 5:30 pm
Tiverton: School Committee at 7 pm
See the agendas and a complete list of public meetings across Rhode Island here.