Registration Is Open for 14th Annual Citizens Pell Bridge Run (Credit: Citizens Pell Bridge Run)

Good morning, Newport! 👋 Today is Tuesday, Aug. 12, the 224th day of 2025. There are 141 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

Registration is now open for the 2025 Citizens Pell Bridge Run, the only event each year that allows pedestrians to cross the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.

The 4-mile run and walk is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 19, with the course beginning in Jamestown and finishing in downtown Newport. Early registration numbers are already exceeding previous years, according to organizers.

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Foundation organizes the event, which is produced by Gray Matter Marketing. Since launching in 2012, the Citizens Pell Bridge Run has raised more than $1 million for local and regional nonprofits.

Citizens Bank serves as the title sponsor for the 14th consecutive year, allowing the vast majority of registration fees to support charitable partners. Those organizations will be announced later this summer.

Last year’s race drew more than 2,700 participants. Ben Quatromoni of Newport won the men’s division in 22 minutes, 27 seconds, while Shara Delene Bousquet of Westerly took first place among women in 24:24.

The race offers runners and walkers sweeping sunrise views of Narragansett Bay as they cross the iconic bridge. Participants will be shuttled from the Newport Visitors Center to the Jamestown starting line beginning at 5:30 a.m.

The run begins at 7:15 a.m. with waves organized by pace. The event concludes with a finish-line celebration in Newport.

The family-friendly event welcomes participants of all ages, though strollers are not permitted. All participants must maintain a 20-minute-per-mile pace.

Registration and additional information is available at www.PellBridgeRun.com. Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to info@graymattermarketing.com.

What else you should know

⚠️ The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management issued a statewide air quality alert Monday, warning that ground-level ozone levels are expected to reach unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups today.

👉 The Portsmouth Town Council will tackle several community initiatives when it meets tonight at 7 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at Portsmouth Town Hall.

🚧 A paving project on Spring Street is scheduled to begin today. The work will affect Spring Street, Dearborn Street, Perry Street, Dean Avenue, and the intersections of Dearborn Street and Thames Street, as well as Dean Avenue and Thames Street. The project is expected to be completed within two weeks.

🗓️ Newport County residents and visitors can choose from colonial walking tours, live music venues, farmers markets and outdoor activities throughout the week, with highlights including the Hellenic Fest, coaching weekend events and the annual George Washington Letter Reading. Things to do this week and weekend.

📰 The Latest from What’sUpNewp

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

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  10. Rhode Island Foundation awards $375,000 to 62 Newport County nonprofits

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Air Quality Alert
  • Today: Sunny, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 6 to 11 mph.
  • Tonight: Patchy fog after 1 am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph.
  • Tomorrow: Patchy fog before 9 am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 80. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: WSW wind 5 to 10 kt becoming SSW in the morning. Sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: SW wind 6 to 8 kt. Patchy fog after 1 am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tomorrow: SSW wind 7 to 11 kt. Patchy fog before 9 am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 66 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:51 am. Sunset at 7:48 pm. 13 hours & 57 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 10:39 am & 11 pm. Low tide at 3:53 am & 4:17 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waning Gibbous.

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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...