West Place Animal Sanctuary has received a customized Land Rover Defender 130 vehicle after winning the Honoree Award in the 2025 Defender Service Awards presented by Chase, the organization announced Monday. The vehicle handover took place Sunday at Jake Kaplan’s Land Rover Warwick, where West Place supporters, volunteers and staff gathered to celebrate the honor. […]
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
Boys Town New England names Marcy Shyllon as executive director
Boys Town New England has named Marcy Shyllon as its executive director, the organization announced Monday, formalizing her leadership after a successful stint as interim director. Shyllon, who has been with Boys Town since 2006, most recently served as senior director of program operations, overseeing the Family Home Program and Foster Family Services Program across […]
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Coalition rallies to save Newport Hospital birthing center, plans State House lobby day
A growing coalition of Newport-area organizations is calling on Brown University Health to publicly commit to preserving the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital — and is mobilizing residents to make their voices heard at the Rhode Island State House next month. The Coalition for Newport Hospital Birthing Center, which includes more than […]
Posted inNews
Newport mansion sells for $8.1 million, ranking among state’s top sales of 2026
A stone-and-shingle estate in one of Newport’s most coveted private enclaves has sold for $8,100,000, making it the second-highest sale in the city and the third-highest statewide so far in 2026, according to data from the Multiple Listing Service. The property, located at 10 Ocean Lawn Lane, was listed by Joseph Costa, a sales associate […]
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Newport educator Jo Eva Gaines honored with Rhode Island Foundation’s 2026 Black History Month Award
The Rhode Island Foundation honored Newport educator Jo Eva Gaines with its 2026 Black History Month Award, recognizing her decades of service as a pioneering figure in public education. The award was presented at the foundation’s annual Black History Month celebration. “Jo Eva Gaines is a pioneering figure in the world of public education. At […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The JPT launches ‘Films of Future Past’ sci-fi series this spring
The Jane Pickens Theater is stepping into the future by looking back at it. The historic Newport cinema will launch Films of Future Past, a curated science fiction series spotlighting prescient cult classics that once depicted speculative worlds but now feel unsettlingly familiar. The seven-film series kicks off Thursday, April 2, with a 4K restoration […]
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Rally planned for Middletown as part of national ‘No Kings’ movement
A political rally organized by the Newport Dems Direct Action Committee is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, at Pottsy Field near Two Mile Corner, 600 West Main Rd., with activities running from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The event is part of the national “No Kings” movement, a series of demonstrations that organizers describe as a […]
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IYRS launches new runabout restoration course in partnership with Antique & Classic Boat Society
IYRS School of Technology & Trades has announced a new Runabout Restoration Course, a 9-month hands-on program developed in partnership with the Antique & Classic Boat Society (ACBS). The pilot course gives students the opportunity to complete a full restoration of a classic 17-foot 1940 Chris-Craft Deluxe, from structural rebuild to final water testing. Classes […]
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Rhode Island’s family caregivers provide $2.8 billion in unpaid labor each year, AARP report finds
Rhode Island’s family caregivers provide an estimated $2.8 billion worth of labor each year, the vast majority of it unpaid, according to a new report from AARP. The report, “Valuing the Invaluable 2026,” finds that 155,000 Rhode Islanders care for older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other loved ones, contributing 111 million hours of care annually. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jane Pickens Theater to screen silent film classics with live musical accompaniment this spring
Two landmark films of the silent era will return to the big screen this spring at the Jane Pickens Theater, accompanied by live musical performances from noted silent-film musician and historian Jeff Rapsis. The special screenings — part of a series designed to recreate the early moviegoing experience — will take place April 1 and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charter Books to host Columbia Journalism School professor Nicholas Lemann for book talk in Newport
Charter Books and the Loeb Visitors Center will host an evening with author and Columbia Journalism School professor Nicholas Lemann on Tuesday, April 14, from 6 to 7 p.m. at 50 Spring St. in Newport. Lemann will discuss his latest book, “Returning: A Search for Home across Three Centuries,” which was published March 24. The […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council reshapes parking rules
Newport’s City Council passed a comprehensive residential parking permit ordinance at its March 25 regular meeting and voted to delay 12 scheduled Audrain Automobile Museum car events pending a required police meeting. Residents also raised concerns about tenant housing conditions, nonprofit governance and water infrastructure funding. A parking program reborn—and already under scrutiny The council […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Providence Culinary Collective returns March 26-29 with expanded lineup
The Providence Culinary Collective will return for its second year March 26-29, featuring an expanded lineup of chefs, wine experiences and culinary events at locations throughout the city. Building on last year’s inaugural festival, which featured more than a dozen sold-out events, the 2026 edition adds new programming including an elevated wine tasting experience, award-winning […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rep. Carson: Newport birthing center must not pay for Brown Health’s Massachusetts losses
State Rep. Lauren H. Carson is calling on Brown University Health to publicly commit to keeping the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital open — and warning that continued state financial support for the health system could hinge on that commitment. Carson, a Newport Democrat, made the demand this week in response to […]
Posted inNonprofit
Potter League for Animals to host Bark & Boogie gala April 11 in Newport
The Potter League for Animals will host The Bark & Boogie, a spring fundraising gala, on Saturday, April 11, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa. Presented by the Lola Ruth Giving Fund, the cocktail-style event will feature craft cocktails, food, live music from World Premier […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island Senate passes DiPalma’s student health and safety bills
The Rhode Island Senate on Wednesday passed two bills sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis P. DiPalma that aim to strengthen student health and safety across the state’s schools. The legislation now heads to the House for consideration. The first bill (2026-S 2873) would require inspections and evaluations of indoor air quality in every […]
Posted inArts & Culture
newportFILM and Salve Regina release study on teen social media habits, launch media literacy initiative at Thompson Middle School
newportFILM and Salve Regina University have released the results of a pilot study on teen social media use and media literacy, conducted with 55 eighth-grade students at Thompson Middle School last fall — and are now seeking to expand the program that grew out of it. The study, conducted in fall 2025 by 20 Salve students as part […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport senator’s bill to ban algorithmic and surge pricing heads to committee Tuesday
A bill from a Newport-area state senator that would ban businesses from using algorithms and real-time data to manipulate what customers pay is headed to the Rhode Island Senate Commerce Committee for a hearing Tuesday afternoon. The legislation (2026-S 2428), introduced by Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown), would make it a deceptive trade […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport and Portsmouth among 15 municipalities to share $5.7 million in state outdoor recreation grants
Two Newport County communities are among 15 municipalities statewide sharing more than $5.7 million in matching outdoor recreation grants announced this week by Gov. Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Newport will receive $500,000 — the maximum large development grant available — to develop the John Chafee Boulevard Recreation Area in […]
Posted inCity & Government
Portsmouth and Bristol lawmakers introduce bill to reopen closed beds at Rhode Island Veterans Home
Two East Bay lawmakers are pushing to tackle the staffing crisis that has kept dozens of beds closed at the Rhode Island Veterans Home, introducing legislation that would require state agencies to analyze the problem and develop a plan to fix it. Sen. Linda Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) and Rep. Susan Donovan (D-Dist. 69, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Classical Music Festival announces 30 concerts across 11 venues for its 57th season
Newport Classical’s 57th summer music festival will bring 30 concerts to 11 venues across Newport from July 2-19, 2026, the organization announced Tuesday. Tickets go on sale to the general public on April 8 at 10 a.m. at newportclassical.org/music-festival. The festival opens July 2 at The Breakers with Delirium Musicum, a self-conducted chamber orchestra described […]
Posted inBusiness
Giusto and Mother Pizzeria are leaving Track 15; Yagi Noodles and Grumpy Pies are moving in
Track 15, the food hall at 1 Union Station in downtown Providence, is welcoming two new concepts this spring after Giusto PVD and Mother Pizzeria PVD announced they will not be renewing their leases in order to focus on their Newport operations. Mother Pizzeria’s last day at Track 15 is Sunday, March 29. Newport’s Mother […]
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Newport Kite Festival returns to Brenton Point this July for its 40th year
One of Rhode Island’s most enduring free public events returns to the edge of the Atlantic this summer, and organizers say this year’s Newport Kite Festival will be unlike any before it. The festival is scheduled for July 11–12, 2026, at Brenton Point State Park, running noon to 4 p.m. each day. Admission is free. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jamestown Arts Center opens solo exhibition by François Poisson this spring
A decade’s worth of art rooted in political unease, national identity and the act of bearing witness comes to Conanicut Island this spring when Jamestown Arts Center opens In the Zeitgeist, a solo exhibition by Worcester-born, Maine-based artist François Poisson. The show runs April 10 through June 13 and features work Poisson created over the […]
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AARP Rhode Island brings free document shredding event to Newport in April
Residents looking to safely dispose of sensitive documents will have a free, convenient option this spring when AARP Rhode Island brings its “Fraud Fighting Fridays” shredding event to Newport next month. The drive-thru drop-off is scheduled for Friday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at Edward King House. The event is free and open […]