Jay Leno Charity Event (via MLK Center)

Good Morning, Newport! Today is Friday, June 13, the 164th day of 2025. There are 201 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (MLK Center) is offering locals a chance to see Jay Leno’s sold-out shows in exchange for food donations.

Thanks to Wally’s Wieners and Newport Craft Brewery & Distillery, the center is raffling off two pairs of tickets to Leno’s performances, which are scheduled to take place at Newport Craft Brewery & Distillery July 9 – 12.

Want to enter? Drop off nonperishable food items at the center’s loading dock, located at 20 Dr. Marcus Wheatland Blvd., from June 13 to July 3.

“We’re not setting a minimum for food donations, but we hope you’ll give what you can,” the center says in its newsletter.

You can donate Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each day you bring food counts as one raffle entry, so feel free to go back multiple times to boost your chances.

Please remember to inform the staff that you’re there for the raffle when you drop off your donation.

The tickets are for general admission and can’t be switched to another date. You must be 18 years or older to enter.

More details from the MLK Center

Tickets to all four Jay Leno’s shows are sold out, but thanks to our generous friends, Wally’s Wieners and Newport Craft Brewery & Distillery, you could still go! They’ve provided a pair of tickets to two shows for us to raffle off. 

Simply donate nonperishable food for a chance to win a pair of tickets to one of Jay’s shows. There is no minimum amount of food required for entry, but we hope you’ll be generous (PRO TIP: donate on multiple days for multiple entries!)

Drop off your donations Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at our Loading Dock on 20 Dr. Marcus Wheatland Blvd. Newport RI 02840. You must inform us that you are interested in the raffle to be entered. 

Tickets are general admission and cannot be exchanged for another date. Must be 18 years or older to enter. One raffle entry per donation of nonperishable food per day from June 13 to July 3. Raffle winners will be notified via phone or email.

Jay Leno Charity Event (via MLK Center)

Here’s what else you need to know

🎓 Rogers High School celebrated the graduation of 127 seniors during a ceremony held at Toppa Field in Newport on Thursday (June 12). The Class of 2025 marked this milestone under clear skies as family, friends, and school officials gathered to honor their achievements. What’sUpNewp’s Justin Walker was there and has the story and photo gallery.

🆓 Newport Public Schools is offering the community the opportunity to take home some free items from the former Rogers High School.

🗓️ On tap this weekend: 5th Annual Father’s Day Clambake, RUBIX KUBE, and more. Here’s a complete roundup of what’s happening this weekend for events, live music, and more.

📈 Yesterday’s most-read

The following were yesterday’s most-read What’sUpNewp articles.

  1. Obituary: Kelly Nevitt
  2. The James Beard Awards are next week. Here are the finalists from Rhode Island
  3. Governor McKee to sign legislation renaming Sakonnet River Bridge
  4. RISHM cancels its 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration due to illness
  5. Obituary: Kathleen Legein
  6. Free items available from ‘old’ Rogers High School
  7. Portsmouth Police provide update on fatal structural collapse
  8. Obituary: Charles “Chuck” Overton Berlinghof
  9. ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ is a fun bit of escapism
  10. Fort Adams Trust announces free Fourth of July celebration

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 71 degrees. North wind 5 to 9 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
  • Tonight: A chance of showers, mainly after 3 am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59 degrees. East wind around eight mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming SSE 5 to 8 kt in the afternoon. Partly sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: SSE wind around 7 kt becoming ESE after midnight. A chance of showers, mainly after 3 am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 59 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:10 am. Sunset at 8:20 pm. 15 hours & 9 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 9:56 am & 10:09 p.m. Low tide at 3:38 am & 3:14 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waning Gibbous.

Things To Do

Live Music & Entertainment

Newport County Public Meetings

Cruise Ship Schedule

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...