Fall Newport RI
Photo by Morgan Macia/What's UP Newp

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Good Morning. It’s Tuesday, October 1 —the 275th day of the year; 91 days remain in 2024.

🌥️ Today’s Weather: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67°.

🚢 Cruise Ship: The Crystal Serenity is scheduled to visit Newport today.

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Leading Off

Molly Kapstein Cote, a candidate for Newport School Committee, is positioning herself as a problem-solver with a fresh perspective on the city’s educational challenges. In an interview with What’sUpNewp on Monday, Cote outlined her vision for Newport’s public schools, emphasizing the need for improved communication and a data-driven approach to student success. (WUN)

Matt Grant, a candidate for Newport City Council’s Ward 2 seat, is focusing his campaign on restoring civility in local politics, addressing housing affordability, and improving environmental resilience. Grant, a software engineer for Peloton and supporter of his wife’s local business, Bellevue Boards, shared his vision for Newport during an interview with What’sUpNewp on Monday. (WUN)

What To Know

News

📈 Over twice as many Rhode Islanders live below poverty threshold than federal guidelines suggest, says new Economic Progress Institute report (RI Current)

🪧 Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks. (WUN)

🪙 RITBA’s customer service walk-in center will extend its regular hours and be open Monday through Friday, 9 am—4 pm, from September 30th to October 7th. (WUN)

Arts & Culture

🇮🇹 Newport Festa Italiana will host a Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti) screening at the Edward King House this evening. (Newport Festa)

👻 The JPT kicks off its Halloween lineup today with the opening of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Throughout October, Guests at The JPT can enjoy spooky classics and special events, including a musical, local business partnerships, and live music. (WUN)

🎃 Get ready for a fall favorite in downtown Newport. Trinity Church‘s Pumpkin Patch is returning to Queen Anne Square from October 10 to 31, 2024, bringing over 1,000 pumpkins to the heart of the city. (WUN)

Business + Nonprofit

👏 The MLK Center is gearing up for its Annual Meeting and Keeper of the Dream Awards on Nov. 18. The event will spotlight individuals and organizations supporting its mission. (WUN)

🏆 The Newport Public Education Foundation is set to honor four recipients of its annual Noreen Stonor Drexel Education Awards at its upcoming Evening for Education event. (WUN)

City & Government

👉 Newport City Council will interview candidates for open positions on the Canvassing Authority and Historic District Commission today at 5 pm. (WUN)

🛑 On Wednesday at 6 pm, the City Council will host a workshop on “Admiral Kalbfus Traffic Calming”. (WUN)

🏆 The Rhode Island Medical Society honored Sen. Dawn Euer with its Civic Leadership award at Thursday’s annual meeting at the Squantum Association in Riverside. (WUN)

Election 2024

🥞 The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce is hosting a pancake breakfast on Thursday, October 3, 2024, to discuss the 2024 race in Rhode Island. (WUN)

🇺🇸 According to a new survey from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University, Rhode Island, likely voters favor Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump by a 52% to 38% margin, with 7% still undecided. (WUN)

* Less than or equal to 4% from each category said they plan to vote for another candidate, excluded here. Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Environment & Health

🗑️ The difficulty of cutting food waste has spoiled several states’ attempts to ban it, and only one — Massachusetts — has actually succeeded, according to a study this month in the journal Science. (WUN)

Obituaries

🕊️ Donald Gilmore Magee 🕊️ Edward J. O’Donnell

People

🎤 Joining us for an Ask The Candidates segment this week are Penelope “Penny Hunt, Ian B. Martins, James Dring, Jeanne Marie Napolitano, Mark Aramli, Steph Smyth, and Kendra Wilson Muenter.

Real Estate

🏠 The Newport County real estate market continues to demonstrate consistent activity, with 17 homes changing hands last week. (WUN)

Sailing & Sports

🏈 The New England Patriots are now turning the ball over, adding to their problems. (WUN)

Things To Do

🏎️ The 2024 Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week runs Thursday through Sunday. More than 35 events are scheduled to take place. (Audrain Concours)

🎻 The Newport String Project kicks off its Newport County Concert Series with two performances by the resident Newport String Quartet on October 26 and 27. (WUN)

🎃 As the holidays approach, tickets are now on sale for two seasonal celebrations that have become traditions at the Newport Mansions – Halloween Trick or Treat and Sparkling Lights at The Breakers. (WUN)

Halloween Trick or Treat at The Breakers. Photo provided by The Preservation Society of Newport County Credit: DAVID HANSEN

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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...

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