The Newport Historical Society is inviting residents and property owners to show their civic pride ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday with the purchase of a limited-edition “witness flag” — a handcrafted pennant honoring the city’s outsized role in the American Revolution. The flags, locally made by Maritime Tribes of Fall River, bear the semiquincentennial […]
Ryan Belmore
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 is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, Online News Association, and Local Independent Online News Publishers. He is committed to the codes of ethics of these organizations: accuracy, independence, accountability, and transparency.
In Newport, Ryan served on the boards of the Fort Adams Trust and Potter League for Animals, and hosted a daily radio talk show for four years.
In 2021, Ryan moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to support his wife Jen's career. He launched The Alexandria Brief in 2025, applying what he learned in Newport to a new community. With the help of some talented on-the-ground contributors, he still runs What's Up Newp — and always will.
Contact: ryan@whatsupnewp.com.
Posted inNews
Multi-agency impaired driving enforcement campaign set for Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Local and state law enforcement from across Aquidneck Island and South County will join forces Saturday for a high-visibility impaired driving enforcement campaign coinciding with the 70th annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Officers from the Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Jamestown, North Kingstown and South Kingstown police departments, along with Rhode Island State Police troopers, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport’s 70th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade set for Saturday
The 70th annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 11 a.m. Saturday from Newport City Hall, 43 Broadway, with staging beginning at 9 a.m. The route will travel down Broadway into Washington Square, south onto Thames Street, onto America’s Cup Avenue and back onto Thames Street, ending on Carroll Avenue at St. Augustine’s […]
Posted inNews
Sail Newport program director Kim Hapgood marks 30 years at the helm of sailing education
Kim Hapgood, program director at Sail Newport, is celebrating 30 years with the nonprofit public sailing center — three decades that have shaped thousands of sailors and helped establish the organization as a nationally recognized leader in sailing education. Hapgood joined Sail Newport in 1996 and has since built a comprehensive slate of programs serving […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Sail Newport to host J/Boats president Jeff Johnstone for lecture on company’s 50-year history
Sail Newport will host Jeff Johnstone, president of Newport-based J/Boats, Inc., for a lecture tracing the company’s five decades of sailboat design on Thursday, April 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Fort Adams State Park. The event, part of Sail Newport’s Challenger Lecture Series presented by Hinckley Yachts, comes as J/Boats approaches its 50th anniversary. Johnstone […]
Posted inNews
Newport School Committee backs bilingual education bill as multilingual learner population surges
The Newport School Committee has approved a resolution supporting the Support and Access to Bilingual Education (SABE) Act, joining a growing list of Rhode Island communities backing the legislation now under consideration in the General Assembly. The committee voted in support of the bill at its March 10 meeting. The legislation, filed as SB2555 and […]
Posted inNews
Charlie Holder, Sr. Memorial race returns May 9 with new 10K option
The Holder family has announced the third annual Charlie Holder, Sr. Memorial 5K and 10K charity race will be held Saturday, May 9, with both races starting and finishing at the Newport County YMCA, 792 Valley Road. New this year is a 10K option, featuring a course with views of three beaches and Hanging Rock, […]
Posted inSports
Providence ousted from Big East Tournament, expected to fire coach Kim English
By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — It appears Kim English’s three-year tenure at Providence is over. With the 37-year-old coach expected to be fired soon, the Friars (15-18) were eliminated from the Big East Tournament when they lost 85-72 to No. 13 St. John’s in the quarterfinals Thursday at Madison Square Garden. “I’m […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Mansions’ ‘Sessions’ music video series features local duo Laden Valley at The Elms
The Newport Mansions’ new music video series “Sessions” continues this month with a live performance from Newport-based roots-folk duo Laden Valley, recorded at The Elms mansion. The video is available now on the Newport Mansions YouTube channel at youtube.com/@newport.mansions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkSk8NXxR9c Laden Valley — Evan St. Martin and Dave Sarazen — draw on the sonic palette […]
Posted inNews
Newport Tree Conservancy opens applications for community tree planting program
The Newport Tree Conservancy is accepting applications for its annual Community Tree Program, which provides residents with free or subsidized trees to plant at their homes. The program aims to plant around 120 trees each year to offset losses from damage, decay and disease. Trees are free for residents living within Newport’s Health Equity Zone […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council advances parking permit overhaul, delays short-term rental rules
The Newport City Council voted March 11 to advance a sweeping overhaul of the city’s long-strained residential parking permit program while sending a years-in-the-making package of short-term rental restrictions back to a workshop — two decisions that exposed the competing pressures shaping daily life in one of Rhode Island’s most visited cities. A Parking System […]
Posted inRhode Island
Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, and Tisha Venturini Hoch to lead allergy-friendly soccer clinic at St. George’s School in May
Three Olympic gold medalists will take the field at St. George’s School this spring for the 2nd Annual Food Allergy-Friendly Soccer Clinic, a fundraiser supporting efforts to expand epinephrine access across Newport County. Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Tisha Venturini Hoch — World Cup champions, Hall of Famers and three of the most celebrated names […]
Posted inCity & Government
RIPTA to detour three Newport bus routes Saturday for St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority will detour three bus routes in Newport on Saturday, March 14, to accommodate the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Routes 60, 63 and 67 will operate on modified paths between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. All three routes will bypass the parade route along Thames Street and America’s Cup Avenue, […]
Posted inCity & Government
City of Newport warns residents and businesses of permit payment scam
The City of Newport is warning residents and businesses of a sophisticated scam targeting individuals with pending or current applications before the city. The scam involves fraudulent emails containing fake invoices requesting payment for permit review or Planning Commission application fees. The emails use official city branding and direct recipients to send wire transfers to […]
Posted inNews
Portsmouth historian to lead lecture series marking 250th anniversary of American Revolution
Local historian Fred Zilian, Ph.D., will lead a series of lectures across Rhode Island this spring and summer marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, with a particular focus on the state’s role in the conflict. Zilian, founder of Pegasus Enrichment Services in Newport, will kick off the series March 21 with “Caty and […]
Posted inCity & Government
Drivers urged to use caution near Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge work zone beginning March 17
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will begin work “on a small bridge” on the westbound side of the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge on Monday, March 17, with alternating lane closures in effect from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Drivers are urged to slow down and pay attention through the work zone.
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island Senate passes Jamestown senior property tax relief bill
The Rhode Island Senate has approved legislation that would expand property tax relief for senior residents of Jamestown, sending the bill to Gov. Daniel McKee for consideration. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown), extends Jamestown’s existing sliding-scale property tax exemption program for seniors to include those with incomes between 220% […]
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MLK Community Center to open food pantry in Newport’s North End this spring
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center plans to open a satellite food pantry in Newport’s North End later this spring, bringing hunger relief services closer to residents who have faced transportation barriers accessing the organization’s downtown location. The new pantry will be located at 120 Hillside Ave. near Miantonomi Park. Once open, the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Puddingstone Music kicks off spring concert series at Rough Point on April 15
Puddingstone Music returns to Rough Point mansion for an intimate concert on Wednesday, April 15, at 7 p.m., opening its spring series with “This Love Between Us,” a program of song and chamber music inspired by composer Reena Esmail’s meditation on shared humanity. The evening features soprano Katharine Dain, Grammy Award-winning violist Caitlin Lynch and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Forum Lodge to celebrate Irish and Italian heritage with Gaelic & Garlic dinner March 18
Forum Lodge #391, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, will host its annual Gaelic and Garlic Celebration of Irish and Italian Heritage on Wednesday, March 18, at Vasco da Gama Hall, 15 Fenner Ave. Held in memory of Ralph J. Gizzi, the evening features corned beef and potatoes, pasta and sausage, Irish and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport OUT brings Spring Break Drag Brunch to Stoneacre Brasserie on March 22
Newport OUT is bringing its Spring Break Drag Brunch to Stoneacre Brasserie on Sunday, March 22, with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. and the show beginning at 11 a.m. The event will be hosted by Provincetown’s “Neon Queen,” Mackenzie, with performances by Ladda Nurv, Lucy Diamonds and Kennedy Plaza. Tickets are $58 per person and […]
Posted inInstagram
Newport’s Lady Hibernians honor two women with joint award for 2026
The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Newport couldn’t choose just one — so they chose both. Paula Silvia and Sandy Gallagher have been named co-Lady Hibernians of the Year for 2026, a joint honor the organization said reflects the pair’s decades of quiet, tireless service to the Newport community. “They’re known as the ‘background […]
Posted inBusiness
The Vanderbilt teams up with The Macallan for a weekend of whisky, classic cars, and fine dining
The Vanderbilt, Auberge Collection is partnering with The Macallan for a two-day whisky and heritage experience at the historic Newport estate March 27-28. “A Weekend with The Macallan at the Mansion” invites guests to explore the Scottish whisky brand’s celebrated expressions through bespoke tastings, an intimate paired dinner and the property’s first-ever Macallan Reserve Room […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Norman Bird Sanctuary kicks off spring with lineup of hikes, lectures, and family events
The Norman Bird Sanctuary is welcoming spring with a series of events designed to connect the community with the natural world, from geology hikes and stargazing to wildlife encounters and family open houses. The season kicks off Thursday, March 19, with a Golden Hour Geology Hike from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., exploring the ancient rock […]
Posted inNews
IYRS launches new runabout restoration course in Newport
IYRS School of Technology & Trades has announced the launch of a new Runabout Restoration Course, a 9-month hands-on program designed for experienced boatbuilders, classic runabout enthusiasts and those looking to break into the boatbuilding trade. The pilot course offers students the opportunity to work through the full restoration process of a classic mahogany Chris-Craft, […]