Westerly’s Virtu Art Festival, among the largest art festivals in the region, has now been scheduled for late August, after being postponed earlier because of the coronavirus. Lisa Konicki, president of the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event, said the festival will comply with all coronavirus related regulations and will be held […]
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
Middletown’s crowded field of candidates for council and school committee
Middletown’s 2020 class of political candidates is crowded, with 17 individuals qualifying to run for seven Town Council seats, and five for the two School Committee positions that are up for election this year. At a time of great indecision and divisiveness, a major worldwide health crisis and a Black Lives Movement, individuals are looking […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Newport’s crowded field for council and school committee
Newporters are assured of an active election campaign, as nearly all candidates that had filed to run for election submitted papers today with the required number of signatures that will put their names on the ballot. Only one candidate for council or school committee, Laurie Love running for the Ward 2 seat on Newport City […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Progressives aim to dislodge top state Senate leaders
Progressives are taking on some top state Senate Democrats in September’s primary election, seeking to expand their influence within the state legislature. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, President Pro Tempore Harold Metts, Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin, and Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey, all have challengers that would be considered Progressives in the Sept. 8 Democratic Primary. […]
Posted inCity & Government, Columns
Influencing the Influencers
As a member of the state Senate or state House of Representatives winning not only your election, but one of the coveted leadership positions can be quite lucrative. A review of several legislators, particularly those in leadership positions, shows that those with increased influence are rewarded mightily by those who covet that influence. We looked […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Deadline approaching for candidates to declare
In most election years, with a week to the deadline for declaring candidacies, there would be a flurry of activities, rumors flowing, and considerable speculation about who is or who is not planning on running for office. But this is not a typical year. It is one that has challenged leaders as local communities, states […]
Posted inNews
Leading cruise ship provider cancels all reservations for 2020
What had once been expected to be a robust cruise ship season in Newport, with more than 100 ships visiting the harbor, has now likely ended. Discover Newport has been notified by Destinations North America, a leading provider of a variety of services to cruise ships that it is canceling “all reservations we have with […]
Posted inColumns
Frank Prosnitz – Just My Opinion: We owe them
This story was originally published on May 23rd. We’re re-running this column today on the 76th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy – D-Day We owe them. They stormed the beaches at Normandy – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. They fought battles at sea, in the air, and on the ground. And they liberated […]
Posted inSports, Things To Do
Newport Polo gets state ok – to open on schedule
This story was originally published at 7:02 pm on June 5th, it has been updated. The ponies will be running at Glen Farm this summer, beginning today when a scaled down version of Newport Polo opens, with significant modifications that convinced the governor and various state agencies to give the popular attraction a last-minute reprieve. […]
Posted inNews
What’s Up Podcast: A conversation with Keith Stokes
Keith Stokes says it is time to “reach across the aisle and learn from one another.” It is something he has said often while advocating for better race and religious relations. He is hopeful that in the aftermath of protests, sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman, that people turn those […]
Posted inThings To Do
Less than a week before its first scheduled match and still no word from polo about its season
With just a few days before what is supposed to be its opening match of the season, against a team from Switzerland, there has been no word from Newport Polo whether that match or any other this season will be played. Governor Gina Raimondo had canceled events that attract large crowds, but Polo has fought […]
Posted inCity & Government, News, What's Up Newp Live Stream
RIDE approves Newport school project
With considerable concern about the state’s ability to fund hundreds of millions of dollars in school construction projects, the Rhode Island Department of Education’s Council on Elementary and Secondary Education today approved what it termed the “necessity” of Newport’s $106.3 million school construction proposal, along with several other projects.. The caveat is that before anything […]
Posted inCity & Government, What's Up Newp Live Stream
RIDE to vote on Newport’s $106.3 million proposal to renovate Pell and replace Rogers High School
The Rhode Island Department of Education’s Council on Elementary and Secondary Education will vote late this Wednesday afternoon whether to approve Newport’s proposal to upgrade Pell Elementary School and replace Rogers High School, a combined $106.3 million proposal. Update to this story – RIDE approves Newport school project The proposal is one of five Stage […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Ocean Community Chamber hoping governor allows art festival later this summer
Given a typical Memorial Day weekend, Lisa Konicki, staff, and volunteers at the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce would be consumed with the annual Virtu Art Festival, held in the 14-acre Wilcox Park in downtown Westerly. It infuses more than $6 million into the local economy and provides a showcase for some of the area’s […]
Posted inBusiness, Things To Do
International Boat Show proposes modifications, hopeful governor approves September event
The Newport International Boat Show has become among the latest events looking for special dispensation from Governor Gina Raimondo, hoping she will approve holding the event, which typically attracts upwards of 30,000 visitors over four days in September. Meanwhile, another Aquidneck Island staple, Newport Polo is still awaiting word from the governor, with its first […]
Posted inBusiness
Historic Bell installed at Hammetts Wharf, adding to the city’s historic attractions
The Hammetts Bell, manufactured more than 150 years ago by one of the storied bell manufacturers of the last two centuries, will become another historic point of interest along Newport’s waterfront, at the site of Newport’s newest hotel, Hammetts Wharf. “This is very exciting,” said Colin Kane, founding partner at Perigrine Group, LLC and co-owner of […]
Posted inSports
Newport Polo remains hopeful it will not have to cancel its season
With less than three weeks to its scheduled first match on June 6, versus Switzerland, Newport Polo remains on hold and hopeful that Governor Gina Raimondo will approve its plan to re-open. Polo is suggesting modifications that they believe would comply with adequate social distancing, while changing the game to reduce physical contact among players. […]
Posted inNews
Westerly Schools look to an uncertain future
Twice in recent years, Westerly’s residents have rejected bond issues that would have upgraded school facilities. Now, with the coronavirus draining financial resources from the community, the prospects of another bond issue are slim. Meanwhile, the school superintendent and school committee are struggling to find $1.6 million cut from its budget proposal by the Town […]
Posted inBusiness
East Providence Jeweler recognizes Miriam Hospital critical care nurses, while supporting children in need
MRT Jewelers, 927 Warren Ave., East Providence this week will show its appreciation for critical care and Intensive Care nurses at the Miriam Hospital by presenting each with a silver bracelet engraved with a very special message from Psalm 91: “No harm shall overcome you.” “My hope is that these bracelets will serve as a […]
Posted inBusiness
Not all Westerly businesses will survive COVID-19
There was a time, not too many years ago, when Westerly’s High Street, its main street, was littered with empty store fronts and vacant second floor offices, by broken streetlights, and an image of a timeworn town. But in recent years, before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything, the community had come alive. There are few […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Grow Smart to host a series of online weekly panel discussion, June through September
Grow Smart RI, an organization that promotes sustainable and equitable economic growth, will explore critical development issues with a series of online panel discussions, held weekly from June to September. Grow Smart is adapting its Power of Place Summit to go virtual, beginning with a June 3 panel discussion, culminating in a half-day virtual plenary […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Music Festival hires third executive director in 10 years, plus first artistic director
The Newport Music Festival recently hired its third executive director since the passing in 2010 of Mark Malkovich III, who over his 36 years as general director built the festival into perhaps the most renowned chamber music festival in the world. Suzanna Laramee, who combines several years of experience in the financial industry with an […]
Posted inNews, Sports
Newport Polo hopes governor accepts its proposal that would change the experience for spectators and players
Polo is hoping that a proposal it gave to Governor Raimondo a few days ago will allow the popular event to hold its summer series – but if it does, it will look a lot different than in past years. According to Agnes Keating, wife of Dan Keating, president of the polo association, Newport Polo […]
Posted inNews
Wickford Art Festival and Charlestown Seafood Festival fall victim to COVID-19
Two more of Rhode Island’s iconic summer events – the Charlestown Seafood Festival and Wickford Art Festival — canceled yesterday (Thursday), the latest victims of COVID-19. Heather Paliotta, executive director of the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce, announced that the 36th annual Seafood Festival, scheduled for August 7-9, was being canceled in the aftermath of Governor […]
Posted inNews
MLK Center helps thousands during the pandemic, expecting need to rise through the fall
For Heather Strout, executive director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center in Newport, it’s the stories from people lining up for the center’s food pantry that are heartbreaking, people “who have never had to come to a food pantry before.” Over these last six weeks as they have seen their jobs disappear to […]