Newport Hospital
Newport Hospital

Good morning, Newport!

🗓️ Today is Monday, July 28, the 209th day of 2025. There are 156 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

Community members will rally Tuesday evening to oppose the potential closure of the only labor and delivery unit on Aquidneck Island.

The Community Rally to Save the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 29 on the lawn outside the Friends’ Meetinghouse on Marcus Wheatland Boulevard.

The event comes after Brown University Health announced it is considering shutting down the birthing center. Nearly 500 babies were born at the facility last year, with more than 300 births recorded there so far in 2025.

The Newport City Council unanimously approved a resolution July 15 urging Brown Health to keep the center open and calling on state leaders to intervene. The resolution warns that closure would force expectant mothers to “travel significantly farther to access delivery services, which could pose serious risks in emergencies and present undue hardship on families with limited transportation options.”

The resolution also notes that closure would strain the city’s Fire and Rescue Department, whose personnel and ambulances would be “increasingly called upon to transport expectant mothers to off-island hospitals” during medical emergencies, potentially diverting resources from other critical incidents.

Organizers are asking attendees to bring signs and wear purple to show support for maternal health. Local families, health advocates, doulas, elected officials and community members are expected to participate.

For more information, contact Stephanie Smyth at steph.smyth18@gmail.com or 401-318-1132. Smyth serves as an at-large member of the Newport City Council.

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

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

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📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Heat Advisory in effect from July 28, 11 AM until July 30, 8 PM
  • Today: Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
  • Tonight: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
  • Tomorrow: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 84. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:36 am. Sunset at 8:05 pm. 14 hours & 29 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 11:14 am & 11:30 pm. Low tide at 4:27 am & 4:34 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waxing Crescent.
  • The coastal water temperature is 67 degrees.

Things To Do

Live Music & Entertainment

  • Landing: Justin Pomfret at 12:30 pm, Mark Flynn at 4 pm, Motion Ave. at 8 pm
  • Newport Craft: Bingo at 6 pm
  • Newport Harbor Island Resort: Music Bingo at 6:30 pm
  • Newport Pickleball Club: The Newport Groove Merchants at 6:30 pm
  • One Pelham East: Bruce Jacques at 9 pm
  • Perro Salado: John Monllos at 5:30 pm
  • Stoneacre Garden: Mah Jongg Monday at 6 pm
  • The Fastnet Pub: The Ubiquitones at 10 pm

Newport County Public Meetings

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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...