Newport Public Schools
Newport Public Schools

Good morning, Newport! 👋  Today is Thursday, Sept. 18, the 261st day of 2025. There are 106 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

Newport Public Schools is forming a work group to study moving fifth-grade students from Thompson Middle School to Pell Elementary School, a change that could take effect in September 2026.

Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain announced the initiative in her weekly newsletter, emphasizing the district’s commitment to involving the community in the educational decision.

The work group will spend the next several months conducting a thorough analysis of the proposed grade reconfiguration. Members will gather stakeholder input, examine logistics and weigh potential benefits and challenges. The group’s findings will be compiled into a formal report due to the School Committee in December 2025.

District officials are recruiting volunteers who represent key constituencies within the school community, including building administrators, School Committee members, parents, teachers and central administration staff. The work group is expected to meet four to six times between October and November 2025.

Community members interested in participating can complete a questionnaire available through the district’s website. In her message to families, Jermain stressed the importance of community involvement, stating, “We want everyone to be involved in this decision.”

📰 The Latest from What’sUpNewp

‘Love Story’ revisits JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. It’s stirred some backlash

The new FX and Hulu series premiering Thursday, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” attempts to fill in the gaps and chronicle their life together. It details a meet cute at a party and culminates in the deaths of the couple and Bessette’s sister Lauren Bessette on July 16, 1999, when a small plane piloted by Kennedy crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Rhode Island.

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

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

  1. Obituary: William P. “Bill” Egan II
  2. Record-breaking sale closes in Little Compton’s Adamsville village
  3. Portsmouth senator pushes for gas hookup moratorium to close LNG facility
  4. Hollywood icon Robert Redford dies at 89; had deep Newport ties
  5. Obituary: Robert Kieronski
  6. Notes: Registration now open for inaugural Newport Winter 10K
  7. RIPTA implements fall service changes on 45 routes starting Sept. 27
  8. Newport County gets $1.05M in federal community grants
  9. Movies and TV shows casting in Rhode Island
  10. Your guide to Newport County’s fall concerts

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Today: Patchy drizzle before 2pm. Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 74. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable.
  • Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: N wind around 6 kt becoming variable and less than 5 kt in the afternoon. Patchy fog before 11am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: SW wind around 6 kt becoming variable and less than 5 kt after midnight. Mostly clear. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 65 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 6:29 am. Sunset at 6:49 pm. 12 hours & 20 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 5:48 am & 6:21 pm. Low tide at 12:31 am & 11 am.
  • The lunar phase is a Waning Crescent.

Things To Do

Live Music & Entertainment

Newport County Public Meetings

Cruise Ship Schedule

  • Thursday, September 18: Caribbean Princess
  • Saturday, September 20: Splendor
  • Sunday, September 21: Aurora & Enchanted Princess

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 is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, Online News Association, and Local Independent Online News Publishers. He is committed to the codes of ethics of these organizations: accuracy, independence, accountability, and transparency.

In Newport, Ryan served on the boards of the Fort Adams Trust and Potter League for Animals, and hosted a daily radio talk show for four years.

In 2021, Ryan moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to support his wife Jen's career. He launched The Alexandria Brief in 2025, applying what he learned in Newport to a new community. With the help of some talented on-the-ground contributors, he still runs What's Up Newp — and always will.

Contact: ryan@whatsupnewp.com.