John Lewis

Good morning, Newport! Today is Tuesday, July 15, the 196th day of 2025. There are 169 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

Aquidneck Islanders will gather in Newport’s historic Washington Square Thursday evening (July 17) to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing as part of a nationwide “Good Trouble Lives On” day of action. The candlelit vigil, scheduled for 7:15 p.m. at Eisenhower Park, is one of more than 1,500 local events nationwide that are calling for renewed voting rights protections, racial justice, and dignity for all.

The event is hosted by the Newport Democratic City Committee, Indivisible Island, and Islanders for Democracy, with support from the League of Women Voters of Newport County, Common Cause RI, and local historical preservation groups, including the Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Project and Rhode Island Slave Medallion Project. Hakim Coggins, Executive Director of Newport Bridge, will serve as emcee for the evening’s program.

A distinguished lineup of speakers will address the crowd, including Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, Common Cause RI Executive Director John Marion, Newport City Councilor Ellen Pinnock, and State Senator Tiara Mack. Congressman Gabe Amo has also been invited to participate. The program will feature presentations from Charles Robert of the Rhode Island Slave History Medallion Project and Victoria Johnson from the Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Project, highlighting the historical connections between Lewis’s civil rights work and Rhode Island’s own complex history with slavery and justice.

The evening will begin at 7:15 p.m. with a community gathering featuring soft music, luminaries, and glow bracelets, followed by formal remarks at 7:30 p.m. The event will conclude at 8:15 p.m. with a moment of silence and a collective pledge to carry forward Lewis’s legacy of non-violent action. Attendees can also register to vote and view storyboards tracing Lewis’s journey from Selma to Congress, with space to pledge their own commitment to “good trouble.”

Here’s what else you should know

🎶 The High Kings, a multi-instrumentalist vocal quartet formed in Dublin in 2008, brought their distinctive blend of traditional Irish music to Newport’s Jane Pickens Film & Event Center (The JPT) for two memorable performances this past weekend. WUN’s Jack Casey was there and shares this story and photo gallery.

👉 The stage at the old opera house on Washington Square remains silent, some 23 years after the Newport Performing Arts Center (NPAC) purchased the historic building. When and if it reopens remains a mystery. WUN’s Frank Prosnitz has the latest.

🏘️ Last week, 15 properties changed hands across Newport County. Just another sign that the local real estate market continues to move, even amid broader economic shifts. WUN’s Tyler Bernadyn with a look at what sold.

🗓️ On tap this week/weekend: Newport Classical, Newport Dance Festival, Save the Bay Swim, Newport Beer Run, Lobster Muddy Festival, and more. Full Roundup

🚼 The Newport City Council will convene a special meeting this evening to consider a resolution advocating for the continued operation of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital, as the facility faces potential closure due to budget constraints.

📰 The Latest from What’sUpNewp

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

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

  1. Heat Advisory issued for Newport County as dangerous temperatures expected
  2. Newport City Council fights to save hospital birthing center from closure
  3. Obituary: Claire Marie Rayner
  4. What Sold: A look at 15 recent sales in Newport County (July 7 – 11)
  5. Obituary: James Robinson
  6. Obituary: Mary Panarello
  7. Flames tear through assisted-living facility in Massachusetts, killing 9 and trapping residents
  8. New Newport Hospital President takes helm as City Council prepares to fight for birthing center
  9. Opera House stage remains silent
  10. Nine Homes Under $600K: Aquidneck Island’s housing market reality

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Heat Advisory in effect from July 15, 11 AM until July 17, 7 PM
  • Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 am. Patchy fog before 10 am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.
  • Tonight: Patchy fog after 11 pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: SSW wind 5 to 9 kt. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 am. Patchy fog before 10 am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: SW wind 5 to 7 kt. Patchy fog after 11 pm. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 70 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:25 am. Sunset at 8:17 pm. 14 hours & 52 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 11:54 am. Low tide at 4:58 am & 5:16 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...