Frank Prosnitz

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

One local councilman, Newport’s David Carlin III, apparently continues to ignore state campaign finance filing requirements, while another, Xaykham “Xay” Khamsyvoravong is raising significant funds as he’s rumored to be considering a run at a significant statewide office. Meanwhile, legislators in powerful positions are padding campaign accounts as elections now are only months away. These […]

With the Rhode Island General Assembly session scheduled to begin on Jan. 6, WBLQ and WhatsUpNewp have reached out to legislators in the Newport and Westerly areas to learn what they see as the most pressing issues facing Rhode Island in 2026, and legislation they are planning to introduce. Today, we focus on State Rep. […]

With the Rhode Island General Assembly session scheduled to begin on Jan. 6, WhatsUpNewp has reached out to the area’s legislators to learn what they see as the most pressing issues facing Rhode Island in 2026, and legislation they are planning to introduce. Today, we focus on State Rep. Alex Finkelman, D-Dist. 74, He is […]

With the Rhode Island General Assembly session scheduled to begin on Jan. 6, WhatsUpNewp has reached out to the area’s legislators to learn what they see as the most pressing issues facing Rhode Island in 2026, and legislation they are planning to introduce. Today, we focus on State Sen. Lou DiPalma, D-Dist. 12, who holds […]

Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain provided updates on multiple district initiatives during her monthly conversation with What’sUpNewp Thursday, including ongoing safety measures following a recent incident at Rogers High School and progress toward potential regionalization with Middletown. Burns Jermain confirmed that an independent investigation into an assault at Rogers High School remains ongoing, […]

Rhode Island is in a recession … and likely has been since last December, according to University of Rhode Island economist Leonard Lardaro.  “The time for equivocation has come to an end,” Lardaro wrote, commenting on his monthly Current Conditions Index. “RHODE ISLAND IS IN A RECESSION.” His view may not be shared regionally and […]

Only Newport among Newport County communities achieves the state’s goal of 10 percent housing classified as affordable, despite the state legislature’s creative revision to how it counts affordable housing units. That revision was meant to add housing units to those counted as “low and moderate income,” but still only eight of Rhode Island’s 39 cities […]

Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain reports an overwhelmingly positive start to the school year, with students and staff adapting well to the new Rogers High School building that opened following a ribbon-cutting ceremony about a month ago. “Wow, this is great. It’s wonderful. They’re still, I think, can’t believe that this is their […]

Helena Buonanno Foulkes, who came within a whisper of defeating Gov, Dan McKee in the last gubernatorial primary election, today announced she’ll challenge the governor again in the 2026 primary election for governor. Her announcement was no surprise. Foulkes made official what virtually all political observers believed was inevitable and has been made even clearer […]

Sluggish. That’s the word that best describes the state of the economy in New England and Rhode Island, on the heels of what has been widely described as a troubling national jobs report. The national economy added just 22,000 jobs in August, well below the 76,000 that had been projected, according to the Bureau of […]

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston reports depict a stagnant regional economy that is lagging behind the U.S. economy in some areas, but is cautiously optimistic about the future. Tariffs, economic uncertainty, AI, and rising housing prices have all had a significant impact on the region and Rhode Island’s economy, according to the Boston Fed reports. […]

An effort to recall Westerly Town Council president Chris Duhamel, a Democrat, has failed after organizers were unable to collect the required number of signatures to force a recall election, according to Westerly Town Manager Shawn Lacey. The deadline to submit the petition was 4:30 p.m. today. Lacey said the organizers needed to collect 2,600 […]

Over the past year, the state has revised its methodology for counting Low and Moderate Income Housing units. The latest report, released on June 9, indicates a significant increase in the number of housing units when the new methodology is applied. Otherwise, applying the old method, the actual number of units decreased slightly, by 97 […]

Tax issues can sometimes become overwhelming for businesses and individuals, which is why the state Division of Taxation is holding tax compliance days for businesses in Newport and Narragansett over the next few days. Neena Savage, Rhode Island’s tax administrator, said these are individual sessions meant to help taxpayers become compliant. The tax compliance events, […]

Nearly 2,000 children in Rhode Island’s public schools were identified as homeless in the 2023-24 school year, a sharp increase of 35 percent from two years earlier, according to the latest Kids’ Count Factbook, which will be released later this morning (May 5). This figure mirrors rising childhood homelessness nationally, with the School Home Connection […]

Police Chief Patrick Jones, who has been serving as Tiverton’s acting town administrator for the last three months, will be offered the permanent job, according to Town Council President John G. Edwards, V. Jones, who had applied and withdrew his candidacy, had reapplied. “He waited to the end and threw his name back in,” Edwards said. Edwards said the council, at a special meeting tonight(Tuesday), authorized […]

For most politicians, the fourth quarter of 2024 was a relatively quiet fundraising period, except for those perceived as possible gubernatorial candidates. Locally, from the legislature to town and city councils campaign accounts remained stable, with little fundraising and few expenses in a period that included the 2024 election. January 31 was the deadline for […]

With threats that federal immigration officials may seek information or even come to school grounds, education officials across the country, including Rhode Island, are developing plans to help protect students and their families. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) undertook raids shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as president and rescinded guidelines that prevented immigration […]