“My body, my choice,” says the health care worker, protesting outside the State House in Providence against mandatory vaccinations for health care workers. “My body, my choice,” says Republican Congressmen (whether House or Senate), Republican governors, GOP state legislators. “My body, my choice” … NO NO NO, say these same Republican lawmakers, when it comes […]
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 inNews
VIDEO: Keith Stokes discusses new Black Heritage and history curriculum
Recently, Gov. McKee signed into law a bill that requires Rhode Island’s public schools to teach Black Heritage and history curriculum that was developed over seven years by the Black Heritage Society, Rhode Island College, and the Rhode Island Historical Society. Keith Stokes Keith Stokes, vice president of the Black Heritage Society, and a key […]
Posted inNews
Exeter Town Council considers turning Schartner farm into massive high-tech agricultural project
On a crisp October morning, leaves turning the color of the rainbow and pumpkin patches filled with pumpkins awaiting children to turn them into Jack-O-Lanterns, thousands of parents, children, and grandparents would flock to Schartner Farm in Exeter. They’d likely find the home-cut French Fry stand, and inside freshly baked pies, homemade jams and newly […]
Posted inColumns
Frank Prosnitz: My Jazz Festival’s Top Picks
It’s always a dilemma, choosing which acts to follow at the Newport Jazz Festival. You’d think it would be easier this year, with just two stages. It’s not. I’ve been going to the Jazz Festival for more than 20 years – consecutively – and the array of talent has been extraordinary. The best in jazz […]
Posted inNews
Jazz Festival returns, July 30-August 1
Voices … so many voices. That’s what’s striking about this year’s Newport Jazz Festival, July 30-August 1 at Fort Adams in Newport. Voices in the form of an impressive array of female vocalists, and voices in the many artists who are strong advocates for social causes, among them Black Lives Matter. And, as always, the […]
Posted inCity & Government
State may consider restrictions on travelers from high COVID states
Rhode Island Gov Dan McKee today said the state may consider imposing some restrictions on travelers coming to Rhode Island from states with high COVID rates. The governor was appearing on WBLQ’s morning show, hosted by Frank Prosnitz. The governor said it was possible the state would consider “imposing a quarantine on travel,” as COVID […]
Posted inCity & Government
Secretary of State joins What’s Up Newp for a live virtual video conversation on Wednesday
Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, who announced her candidacy for governor earlier this year, will join WhatsUpNewp for a videocast at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Gorbea is expected to be part of a crowded field seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Besides Gorbea, current Gov. Dan McKee has said he would run for reelection. McKee […]
Posted inArts & Culture
State Arts Council awards $73,000 to 11 area organizations in latest round of grants
Area organizations received more than $73,000 in grants as part of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) latest round of grants to arts and culture organizations, arts education programs, teaching artists in healthcare and education, individual artists, culture workers, and other related community projects. Some 156 grants were awarded statewide, totaling $878,942. […]
Posted inNews
Spring Project Board expects architectural investigators to present findings end of July
By the end of July, “archeological investigators” from Salve Regina University are expected to present findings from their exploration of the site of the spring that sparked Newport’s development and is now being turned into a local park. Surrounded by some of the city’s oldest buildings, the spring, long forgotten, will be the centerpiece of […]
Posted inNews
Westerly fire department hosts annual Smokey the Bear parade
Smokey the Bear is taking some time out from his hard work on the West Coast for a brief visit to Rhode Island on Thursday, where he’ll spread the word about fire safety as he has for nearly a half-century at the annual Karl E. Kenyon Smokey the Bear Parade. The parade is sponsored by […]
Posted inOpinion
Just My Opinion: Rhode Island’s MLB All-Stars
When the best in major league baseball takes the field for the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star game on Tuesday at Coors Field in Denver, none of the players will have Rhode Island roots. But it wasn’t always that way. Since the first official MLB All-Star game was played in Chicago in 1933, five players […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport making progress on North End Development, transportation plans
The former 25-acre jai alai property, now owned by Carpionato Corp., sits vacant on a rise overlooking the Pell Bridge. It was the center of redevelopment talk once Twin River decided to move its Newport casino to Tiverton, selling the property to Carpionato. The corporation had produced an aggressive mixed-use plan for the former casino […]
Posted inNews
Gorbea critical of U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Voting Restrictions
Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea said yesterday that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this week that she said makes it more difficult for minority voters, is “deeply disappointing.” “Your constitutional right to vote should never be affected by your zip code or the color of your skin,” she said. “The United States […]
Posted inNews
Teachers respond to efforts to limit teaching racism and equity in schools
As conservative groups in Rhode Island and nationwide fight against the teaching of “critical race theory” in schools in what has been considered an effort to eliminate conversations about race and equity, one Rhode Island teachers’ organization has lashed out at those individuals and organizations for pushing “inaccurate lessons” and fueling divisions within the community. […]
Posted inNews
Robert Berry, rock musician and former member of Keith Emerson’s “3” joins What’s Up Newp for a live virtual conversation on Monday
While best known for his time as the vocalist/bassist in the Emerson, Lake & Palmer offshoot 3, Robert Berry has had a multi-decade career, marked by a Grammy nomination, and association with the likes of Keith Emerson, a longtime friend and colleague, Sammy Hager, Steve Howe, Greg Kihn and more. Berry joined Emerson and Palmer […]
Posted inCity & Government
RI Legislature close to approving cap on insulin costs
The Rhode Island General Assembly is close to passing legislation that will cap out of pocket costs for insulin, a costly drug that is the lifeline for thousands of insulin dependent diabetics in Rhode Island. Rhode Island will join several other states that have capped out of pocket insulin costs, for a drug that has […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jazz saxophonist Greg Abate will join What’s Up Newp for a live virtual conversation
For the last four weeks, Greg Abate’s Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron has been number one on Jazzweek, and was an editor’s pick in a recent issue of Jazz Times. Greg is consistently rated among the top alto saxophonists in polls in Jazz Times and Downbeat. A native Rhode Islander, who often plays […]
Posted inCity & Government
State Archives kicks off Summer 2021 programming
Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea and the Rhode Island State Archives are excited to welcome the public into the new Archives location at 33 Broad Street in Providence on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning today. To celebrate this reopening, Secretary Gorbea and the Archives have scheduled a series of in-person events […]
Posted inOpinion
Just My Opinion: Possibilities
When my daughter told me she was participating in a fundraising project for the Leukemia and Lymphoma (LLS) I couldn’t have been prouder. LLS has been providing funding and support that has turned what had been a virtual death sentence for so many children, into hope. She was nominated as a candidate for the Leukemia […]
Posted inNews
Providence Journal increasing subscriber rates by 33 percent
The Providence Journal is raising its monthly subscription rates by nearly 33 percent, according to a letter it has sent to its “loyal subscribers,” asking them for their support, while touting the paper’s dedication to producing “in-depth stories and compelling journalism.” The undated letter did not explain the monthly increase from $43.77 to $58 a […]
Posted inNews
RI Senate votes to improve Caregivers Insurance without increasing rates
While the Rhode Island state Senate this week approved doubling the amount of time caregivers can receive Temporary Caregivers Insurance (TCI), it failed to approve measures that would have increased payments to low wage earners or extend coverage to care for additional family members. The House of Representatives will take up a similar measure, said […]
Posted inNews
Nellie M. Gorbea announces candidacy for Governor
Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, 54, of North Kingstown, officially announced her candidacy for governor in 2022, challenging current Governor Dan McKee, who assumed the governorship only a few months ago when Gov. Gina Raimondo joined the Biden Administration. Gorbea, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico and became the first Hispanic elected to […]
Posted inCity & Government
Family homelessness rising in Rhode Island
Family homelessness in Rhode Island is rising, and is expected to worsen, leaving many feeling hopeless and advocates for the homeless feeling frustrated. Skyrocketing multi-family home prices, the anticipated end to the eviction moratorium, a lack of affordable housing, and accelerating rental costs are leaving advocates for the homeless, like Caitlin Frumerie, executive director of […]
Posted inBusiness
Catherine Taylor named AARP Rhode Island State Director
Catherine Taylor, who had served as executive director of Age-Friendly, RI has been appointed AARP Rhode Island State Director, succeeding Kathleen Connell, who became the state’s first State Director when she assumed the position in 1999, the state organization announced today. Taylor officially joins AARP on May 17, a week before Connell officially retires. Catherine […]
Posted inNews
Blood Center tries to avert summer blood shortages
As the nation emerges from the pandemic, and the restrictions it brought with it, blood collectors nationwide, and in Rhode Island, are concerned that “cabin fever” will lead to “a really bad case of spring fever” followed by an even more difficult summer for blood collection, according to a Rhode Island Blood Center spokeswoman. To […]