Correction, July 24, 2026: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that candidate Cynthia Coyne had no financial report on file with the Board of Elections at the end of the first quarter, and misspelled her last name as “Cloyne” in one instance. Her full name as it appears on the ballot is Cynthia […]
Frank Prosnitz
Frank Prosnitz brings to WhatsUpNewp several years in journalism, including 10 as editor of the Providence (RI) Business News and 14 years as a reporter and bureau manager at the Providence (RI) Journal. Prosnitz began his journalism career as a sportswriter at the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, moving to The News Tribune (Woodbridge, NJ), before joining the Providence Journal. Prosnitz hosts the Morning Show on WLBQ radio (Westerly), 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, and It’s Your Business, also on WBLQ, Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Prosnitz has twice won Best in Business Awards from the national Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW), twice was named Media Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration, won an investigative reporter’s award from the New England Press Association, and newswriting award from the Rhode Island Press Association.
Posted inCity & Government
On the Ballot: Primary looms for Attorney General
This will be a buy primary election season for Rhode Island, with Democratic primaries for three of the five general officer positions – governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. There is also a Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, and Republican primary for U.S. House of Representatives in the second district. The statewide primary is Sept. […]
Posted inCity & Government
Small business employment growing faster in New England than nationwide
It is no surprise that small businesses are extremely important when it comes to job growth, and a recently released Federal Reserve Bank of Boston report not only confirms that but says that small business job growth in New England is outpacing the rest of the country. In New England, the report says small businesses […]
Posted inCity & Government
On the Ballot: The race for Governor
What started as a very crowded field for the governor’s race has narrowed considerably, but a spirited primary election looms for both parties, with a well-known independent entering the fray in the general election. Meanwhile, there have also been some updates (as of noon, July 14) to the total number of signatures collected by candidates […]
Posted inCity & Government
On the Ballot: The race for U.S. House of Representatives
A January 6 (2021) participant in the “march” on the U.S. Capitol, who moved to Rhode Island too late to qualify to vote in the September 9 primary election in which he’s a candidate, is among those running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Rhode Island. Vincent Gilbert Mellor, a Republican who participated in […]
Posted inCity & Government
On the Ballot: The race for U.S. Senate
Candidates for political offices, from U.S. Senate to School Committee, filed their nomination papers yesterday (Friday), significantly reducing the number of people running for top offices, but also setting up primary elections for some top offices, including U.S. Senate and Governor. Nomination papers collect the required number of signatures for each position. Earlier candidates had […]
Posted inColumns
Just My Opinion: Independence Day
What is America? We are white, black, brown, red, yellow … we are the rainbow. We are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, evangelicals, atheist, agnostic. We embrace all who worship and those that do not. We are Latino American Indian, Asian, German, French, English, Italian, Irish, African, Portuguese, Iranian, Israeli, multi-racial and multi-cultural. We come […]
Posted inNews
Heat wave, fireworks, alcohol = potentially dangerous weekend
Temperatures soaring above 100 in much of Rhode Island, and many people preparing for a Fourth of July replete with fireworks, beer and wine, backyard cookouts, and crowded beaches – has emergency room docs preparing for what should be a busy weekend. Dr. Craig Mittleman at Yale New Haven’s Westerly and Lawrence & Memorial Hospitals, […]
Posted inNews
Jermain reflects on 12 years, charts what’s next for Newport schools in final monthly chat
Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain joined What’sUpNewp owner and publisher Ryan Belmore and editor Frank Prosnitz on Wednesday afternoon for her final monthly conversation — capping a series that has run for several years, now ended by her June 30 retirement after more than 12 years leading the district. The conversation was equal […]
Posted inCity & Government
Candidates began to declare for office today
Beginning today (Monday) through Wednesday afternoon, candidates in Rhode Island will officially declare for local, statewide and federal offices. Declarations come on the heels of a Democratic state convention that failed to offer endorsements in the governor’s, lieutenant governor’s, and attorney general races. Republicans meet later in the week. The declarations are the first step […]
Posted inNews
Kids Count – a look at Newport County Communities
The child population of Newport County is decreasing more than double the rate of the state of Rhode Island, while elementary and high school students are generally outperforming the rest of the state on standard testing for reading and math. These findings were included in Kids Count’s recently released community profiles. Kids Count, which advocates […]
Posted inNews
RI Voting Rights Act would prevent voter discrimination
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a jarring ruling recently, literally gutted the voting rights act, which had protected minority voters in many southern districts. Several organizations have been championing a Rhode Island version that would establish procedures to prevent discrimination in the voting process. In April, the bill was held for further study, although some […]
Posted inPeople & Profiles
Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain talks budget, restructuring, and her final weeks in monthly chat
Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain joined What’sUpNewp owner and publisher Ryan Belmore and editor Frank Prosnitz on Wednesday afternoon for her penultimate monthly conversation before her June 30 retirement — a wide-ranging discussion dominated by the district’s deepening budget crisis, possible facility restructuring, and personnel changes at the top of Rogers High School. […]
Posted inOpinion
Just My Opinion: What’s a School Committee seat worth — Nine
Nine. It takes nine months for human gestation. There are nine defensive players on the baseball field. In the Baha’i Faith nine is considered the number of perfection and symbolizes the culmination of religious revelation. September is the ninth month, the only month in the English language whose letter count equals the number of the […]
Posted inCity & Government
RI Secretary of State Gregg Amore calls mid-cycle gerrymandering “a race to the bottom”
“This is a race to the bottom … not good for American Democracy.” — Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, commenting on the mid-cycle gerrymandering that’s gripping the nation. Amore in a wide ranging interview discusses the impact of gerrymandering, the federal government’s attempt to seize voter information, and, in what will be an […]
Posted inInstagram
Secretary of State Amore hopeful state Archives Building is on the November ballot
A bond issue that will likely be on the November ballot is a $45 million state archive building – a history center that would house many of the state’s important documents. Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, a former civics teacher, has been a strong advocate for an archive building since coming into office more […]
Posted inNews
Newport Hospital’s safety rating slips in latest survey
Newport Hospital, which for the last three years received top ratings for safety from a national organization that measures patient safety, slipped in the spring 2026 rankings from the top A rating to a B. In the latest rankings, released today by the Washington, D.C. Leapfrog Group, three hospitals in Rhode Island – The Miriam, […]
Posted inNews
Kids Count: Newport among leaders in child poverty in Rhode Island
The disparities between the haves and have nots among Rhode Island’s youth impacts everything from education to safety to mental health and economic opportunity. It’s all contained in the annual Kids Count Factbook being released this morning at the annual Kids Count event. Among the major changes is that Newport has been added to a […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport Public Schools facing $2M shortfall, with restructuring and possible layoffs ahead
Newport Public Schools are facing a roughly $2 million budget shortfall heading into the 2026-2027 school year, Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain said in her weekly update to families Wednesday evening — a gap she said the district is trying to close without cutting staff, but that will likely require restructuring. The figure marks a shift […]
Posted inInstagram
Newport Public Schools draw about 12 applicants for interim superintendent
About a dozen people have applied to serve as Newport’s interim superintendent of schools, Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain said Wednesday, with the school committee on track to name her one-year successor next month. Jermain, who announced in October that she will step down June 30 after more than 12 years leading the district, said the […]
Posted inNews
Newport School Committee to review superintendent applications
Newport’s School Committee will begin reviewing applications for an interim school superintendent on Wednesday to replace Colleen Burns Jermain, who announced in October that she will be leaving at the end of the school year. Rebecca Bolan, the School Committee’s vice chair, said the committee advertised for an interim superintendent on Schoolspring, a primary online […]
Posted inNews
Federal filings: Newport Performing Arts Center lost money three of the last five years
In three of the last federal tax filings, the Newport Performing Arts Center (NPAC) reported net income losses while it continues to try and raise millions of dollars to renovate and reopen the former majestic opera house on Newport’s Washington Square. What’sUpNewp (WUN) reviewed all 990 forms filed by the Arts Center since 2002. The […]
Posted inNews
Chariho board approves bond, denies superintendent extension
The Chariho School Committee last night (Tuesday) approved language that likely will lead to a $116 million district-wide bond referendum in November to build one unified school to replace three aging elementary schools, all with considerable problems. Meanwhile, the board also voted to deny School Superintendent Gina Picard an extension on her contract, which expires […]
Posted inCity & Government
Crucial vote slated on proposed Chariho school bond
Recent resignations from the Chariho Regional School board may be jeopardizing a potential vote this fall for a bond issue that would lead to the replacement of three aging elementary schools. A critical vote is scheduled for Tuesday (April 14) at which the school committee is being asked to approve language for the bond referendum, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Vague on specifics, NPAC executive confident of raising millions to reopen opulent former opera house
In multiple exchanges of emails, we posed several questions to Melissa Caldwell Quinn, managing director of the Newport Performing Arts Center. This is another in our ongoing series on the opera house restoration project that is now approaching 25 years. WUN: Is this still a viable project? If not, what happens now? If it is, […]