The Jane Pickens Theater is marking the St. Patrick’s Day season with a month of Irish music, film and dance, including live concerts, a family-friendly animated film and a cult-classic horror screening. The festivities kick off Friday, March 13, with a concert by Turas, a traditional Irish band whose name means “journey” in Irish. The […]
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
Rhode Island conserves 70 acres at Gull Cove in Portsmouth using oil spill settlement funds
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has conserved 70 acres of coastal land at Gull Cove in Portsmouth, using $880,000 in funding from the Bouchard B-120 oil spill settlement. The property includes significant salt marsh habitat and coastal uplands along the northwestern shoreline of Gull Cove, an intertidal estuary adjacent to the Sakonnet River. […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Multiple law enforcement agencies to target impaired drivers during Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Local and state law enforcement agencies across Aquidneck Island and South County will join forces March 14 for a high-visibility impaired driving enforcement campaign coinciding with the 70th Annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade steps off at 11 a.m. from Newport City Hall, running through Washington Square, down Thames Street and ending at […]
Posted inCity & Government
Xay Khamsyvoravong enters Rhode Island lieutenant governor’s race
Former Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong entered the race for Rhode Island lieutenant governor Monday, becoming the latest Democrat to join a crowded primary field ahead of the state’s Sept. 8 primary. Khamsyvoravong, the son of a Laotian refugee and a Providence pediatrician, framed his campaign around economic anxiety and what he called government’s failure to […]
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Blizzard recovery Day 6: Newport lifts parking ban, announces return to normalcy Monday; schools confirmed to reopen
Newport is “just about approaching normalcy,” the city announced Sunday evening, lifting the parking ban, confirming City Hall reopens Monday with regular hours, and announcing trash collection will return to a normal schedule. The parking ban — in effect since Sunday, February 22 — has been lifted, though the city said temporary restrictions may still […]
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Blizzard recovery Day 5: RIDOT deploys industrial snow blower to Newport; crews target Historic Hill, Hillside, Broadway Saturday
Newport’s 24/7 Rapid Snow Removal operation is getting reinforcements Saturday: the Rhode Island Department of Transportation is deploying an industrial snow blower to help clear streets ahead of Monday’s reopening of schools and City Hall. The city said the high-powered snow blower and accompanying dump trucks are expected to immediately expand the city’s ability to […]
Posted inNews
Newport Schools need your help: Grab a shovel this weekend to get kids back to school Monday
After a full week of closures, Newport Public Schools is asking families, students, and neighbors to grab a shovel this weekend and help clear the way for schools to reopen Monday. Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain issued an appeal Friday asking the community to help shovel sidewalks leading to bus stops and schools. The more sidewalks […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Hot Tuna, Yasmin Williams & William Tyler among latest Newport Folk Festival additions
Hot Tuna, the legendary blues duo born out of Jefferson Airplane, will make its first-ever appearance at the Newport Folk Festival this summer, organizers announced this week. Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady, both Rock and Roll Hall of Famers who have been playing together for more than half a century, are set for […]
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Blizzard recovery Day 4: Over 85% of Newport roads reopened; ‘Rapid Snow Removal’ crews target Broadway, Kay Street Friday; City Hall reopens Monday
More than 85 percent of Newport’s roadways have been reopened, the city announced Friday, with that number expected to climb above 90 percent by early Friday morning. Rapid Snow Removal crews are now targeting Broadway, Friendship, Powell, Kay Street, and Rhode Island Avenue as the 24/7 operation continues. City Hall will reopen Monday, along with […]
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Rose Island Lighthouse trust names new executive director as organization enters 40th year
The Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust has named Amanda Kay Ritchie as its new executive director, the Newport-based nonprofit announced Friday. The board’s selection was unanimous, capping an eight-week regional search led by the organization’s People and Culture Committee. Ritchie brings more than 12 years of senior nonprofit leadership experience in fundraising, communications, […]
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Sail Newport lecture to explore maritime escapes on the Underground Railroad
While most scholarship on the Underground Railroad has focused on overland escape routes, a forthcoming lecture at Sail Newport will shed light on a lesser-known path to freedom: the sea. Historian, author and professor Dr. Timothy D. Walker will present “Sailing to Freedom” on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. at Sail Newport, 72 Fort […]
Posted inSports
Salve Regina men’s basketball earns first NEWMAC postseason win, advances to semifinals
Salve Regina University men’s basketball rallied from a three-point halftime deficit Thursday night to defeat Clark University 67-61 in the quarterfinals of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Championships, earning the program’s first-ever NEWMAC postseason victory. The third-seeded Seahawks (19-7, 11-5 NEWMAC) shot 57.1% from the field in the second half and converted […]
Posted inSports
Mitchell’s 23 lead St. Bonaventure over Rhode Island 94-76
OLEAN, N.Y. (AP) — Frank Mitchell had 23 points in St. Bonaventure’s 94-76 victory against Rhode Island on Thursday. Mitchell added 10 rebounds for the Bonnies (15-13, 4-11 Atlantic 10 Conference). Cayden Charles added 21 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Darryl Simmons II had 17 points and shot 7 for 12 from the floor. […]
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Newport Mental Health names Dr. Joshua C. Brown as new medical director
Newport Mental Health has appointed Joshua C. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., as its new medical director, the organization announced Thursday. Brown, a dual-trained psychiatrist and neurologist, will lead a team of psychiatrists and clinical nurse specialists and play a key role in guiding the future development of behavioral health programs across the organization. “Dr. Brown brings […]
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Blizzard recovery Day 3: Middletown clears all local roads; state heavy equipment deployed in Newport; schools closed through Friday
Recovery from the Blizzard of 2026 enters its third full day Thursday with Newport Public Schools and City Hall closed for the remainder of the week, Ocean Drive still closed to traffic, and side street clearing continuing across the city. The National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement early Thursday warning of freezing fog […]
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Ghana national soccer team to train at Bryant University during FIFA World Cup 2026
The Ghana Football Association has selected Bryant University as its official training site and base camp for the FIFA World Cup 2026, state and university officials announced Thursday. Ghana’s Black Stars will use Bryant’s 43,000-square-foot field house and state-of-the-art training, recovery and wellness center during the tournament, which runs June 11 to July 19 across […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Puddingstone Music brings Grammy-winning cellist to Jamestown Arts Center in March
Puddingstone Music will present a special off-island musical salon in collaboration with the Jamestown Arts Center on Saturday, March 14, at 4 p.m., featuring Grammy-winning Canadian cellist Arlen Hlusko in an afternoon of music and dance. The program, titled “Common Threads: Folk, Bach, and Beyond,” explores how music can sustain connection, courage and hope through […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport String Project to present free concert at Ochre Court
The Newport String Project will present a free community concert at Ochre Court at Salve Regina University on Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m., featuring its resident ensemble alongside internationally acclaimed guest musicians. The centerpiece of the program will be Frank Bridge’s String Sextet in E flat Major, a sweeping work first performed in 1912 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jane Pickens Theater to screen ‘Solo Mio’ with filmmaker Q&A on Feb. 26
The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center (The JPT) will host a special screening of Solo Mio, a new romantic comedy starring Kevin James, on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m., featuring a live introduction and post-film Q&A with the film’s directors. The 97-minute film follows a groom left stranded and heartbroken in Rome after […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jane Pickens Theater to host Princess June record release, SNACKTIME 4/20 show this spring
The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center has announced two spring concerts: a record release party for Newport-based folk trio Princess June on March 5 and a 4/20 celebration headlined by Philadelphia seven-piece SNACKTIME on April 18. Princess June Princess June — singer-songwriters Myah Strauser, Griffin Keeffe and Telli Quinn — will perform their debut […]
Posted inNews
Newport Restoration Foundation names Hilary Fagan as new executive director
The Newport Restoration Foundation has appointed Hilary Fagan as its next executive director, the organization announced Wednesday. Fagan, a Newport native with a background in Rhode Island economic development and financial services, will assume the role March 9. The foundation’s board of directors selected Fagan following a national search, citing her energy, her experience across […]
Posted inCity & Government
Blizzard recovery Day 2: Newport Public Schools closed for the rest of the week; Ocean Drive remains closed; parking ban lifted on Broadway
The second full day of recovery from the Blizzard of 2026 brings more school closings, continued street clearing, and snow possibly mixed with rain that could help melt what remains of the historic storm’s up to 34 inches of snow across Newport County. Newport Public Schools will be closed for the rest of the week, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Roger Williams University leads effort to restore Rhode Island’s quahog populations in Narragansett Bay
Roger Williams University is spearheading a research initiative aimed at reversing decades of decline in Rhode Island’s quahog fisheries, partnering with state agencies, industry groups and students to bolster wild clam populations in Narragansett Bay. The university’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development, known as CEED, is leading the effort through a grant funded by […]
Posted inPeople & Profiles
On This Day In History – February 25, 1842: Ida Lewis born in Newport
Lighthouse keeper and hero Ida Lewis was born on this day in Newport in 1842. Lewis made countless rescues during her time, she made her first rescue at the age of 12 and her last recorded rescue at the age of 63. She is credited for saving at least 18 lives. In 1869 she became […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Classical brings Schubert, Baroque music to Recital Hall in March
Newport Classical will present two concerts this month as part of its 2025-2026 Chamber Series, featuring internationally acclaimed baritone Benjamin Appl and Baroque ensemble Ars Poetica at the Newport Classical Recital Hall. Appl, accompanied by pianist James Baillieu, will perform Franz Schubert’s Die Winterreise on Friday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. The song cycle — […]