Gov. Dan McKee endorsed Helena Foulkes and the rest of the Democratic ticket Thursday night, a day after Foulkes defeated him in the Democratic primary for governor. “That is why I am endorsing the full Democratic ticket: Helena Foulkes for Governor, Sabina Matos for Lieutenant Governor, Kim Ahern for Attorney General, James Diossa for General […]
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 inCity & Government
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Reed calls for declassification of documents on attack financing
Sen. Jack Reed marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a statement that paired remembrance with unfinished business, calling on President Donald Trump to declassify records related to who financed the attacks. “While Al Qaeda was driven from Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden was pursued and taken out years after the attack, […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Middletown crash that killed a toddler followed a terminated Portsmouth police pursuit
The early morning crash that killed a child under 3 on West Main Road came minutes after a Portsmouth police officer terminated an attempted traffic stop of the same vehicle, according to a release from the Portsmouth Police Department. A Portsmouth officer clocked a white sedan traveling south on West Main Road near Mill Lane […]
Posted inNews
IYRS taking applications for scholarship supporting women in the marine trades
IYRS School of Technology & Trades is accepting applications through Nov. 15 for the 2026 Glo Tech Scholarship, a professional development award for women working in the marine trades and advanced manufacturing. The scholarship is open to women 25 and older with at least four years of experience in those fields. The money can go […]
Posted inArts & Culture
“Mighty Mary” premieres Friday at the Jane Pickens, opening a week of sailing films
The Jane Pickens Theater is running a week of sailing and survival stories starting Friday, Sept. 11, anchored by the Rhode Island premiere of “Mighty Mary,” a documentary about the first all-women’s team to compete for the America’s Cup. Directed by Mary Mazzio and narrated by Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman, the film follows the […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council to take up bicycle ordinances, Cliff Walk fencing bid Sept. 16
The City Council meets Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 43 Broadway, with a docket that runs from a package of bicycle ordinances to a bid award for replacement fencing along the Cliff Walk. The bicycle item is the one most likely to draw comment. The council will consider […]
Posted inCity & Government
Ahern wins Democratic primary for attorney general as Newport backs Hoffmann
Kim Ahern won the Democratic nomination for attorney general Wednesday, The Associated Press said, in the closest statewide race on the ballot — and one that Newport County voters called the other way. Ahern took 36.21% statewide, or 42,066 votes, to 33.04% for Keith Hoffmann, or 38,384, with all 39 communities reporting, according to unofficial […]
Posted inCity & Government
Khamsyvoravong carries Newport by a wide margin but loses lieutenant governor primary to Matos
Newport City Councilor Xay Khamsyvoravong won his home city by nearly three to one Wednesday, and it was not close to enough. Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos won the Democratic nomination for a second full term statewide, taking 37.23% of the vote — 42,568 votes — with all 39 communities reporting, according to unofficial results from […]
Posted inCity & Government
Euer holds off Lima in Newport’s only contested legislative primary
Sen. Dawn Euer turned back a challenge from former Newport City Councilor Angela Lima on Wednesday, carrying both communities in Senate District 13 in the only contested legislative primary on the Newport ballot. Euer took 63.33% in Newport, or 1,489 votes, to Lima’s 36.67%, or 862, according to unofficial results from the Rhode Island Department […]
Posted inArts & Culture
“Return to Camelot” marks 73 years since the Kennedy wedding at St. Mary’s
St. Mary’s Church will mark the 73rd anniversary of the wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier and then-Sen. John F. Kennedy with “Return to Camelot: The Kennedy Wedding Remembered” at noon on Saturday, Sept. 12, the anniversary itself. The program includes vintage film from the 1953 ceremony, a live performance of the organ music and hymns played […]
Posted inNews
Naval War College Foundation to honor former Chief of Navy Reserve John Mustin
The Naval War College Foundation will present its highest honor, the Sentinel of the Sea Award, to retired Vice Adm. John Mustin at a gala Thursday, Nov. 5, at the New York Yacht Club in New York City. Mustin served 34 years in the Navy, joining the Navy Reserve in 2001 and supporting operations in […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman” screens with live piano at Tiverton library
The Tiverton Public Library will screen Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman” with live piano accompaniment on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m. at 34 Roosevelt Ave. The program is free and open to the public. Richard Hughes will introduce the film and play the score, drawing on the mood music that accompanied silent pictures in theaters. […]
Posted inNews
FabNewport opens a free year-round school for 14 students
FabNewport launched Endless Summer this week, a free year-round learning program for students ages 10 to 14 that is registered with the state as a private school. The first cohort has 14 students, many of whom came to FabNewport through its after-school and summer programs. The program runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays […]
Posted inBusiness
The Boat House closing Oct. 3 for a winter of renovations
The Boat House will close after dinner service on Saturday, Oct. 3, for interior and exterior renovations, and plans to reopen in late spring 2027. The biggest changes are outside. The north patio will get expanded water-view seating and a new bar overlooking Mount Hope Bay, and the south patio will gain seating and an […]
Posted inCity & Government
Japan-America Friendship Festival returns to Touro Park on Oct. 17
The second Japan-America Friendship Festival takes over Touro Park on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with taiko drumming, martial arts demonstrations, Japanese food and a family cosplay costume contest. Admission is free and the event runs rain or shine. The day is built around the Newport-Shimoda sister city relationship, and is […]
Posted inNews
Preservation Society names Nick Kepley communications manager
Nick Kepley has joined the Preservation Society of Newport County as communications manager, leading marketing communications across the organization and serving as its primary media contact. Kepley, a Providence resident, comes from Jacob’s Pillow, the dance festival in western Massachusetts, where he was director of marketing and communications. There he built a public relations strategy […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Art Museum names Emily Manocchio director of advancement
Emily Manocchio starts Monday, Sept. 14, as director of advancement at the Newport Art Museum, where she will lead fundraising and philanthropic strategy alongside Executive Director Harry Philbrick and the board of trustees. Manocchio comes from Newport Hospital, part of the Brown University Health system, where she was interim philanthropy director and coordinated a $2.6 […]
Posted inSports
Sail for Pride marks 25 years with a race around Conanicut Island on Sept. 26
The 25th Sail for Pride, the race organized in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks and held every year since, returns Saturday, Sept. 26, with a course around Conanicut Island. Proceeds from entry fees and an after-race social at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard will be divided among Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships to […]
Posted inCity & Government
Carson to present Point flooding survey results at neighborhood meeting Sept. 15
Rep. Lauren Carson will present the results of a survey on flooding in the Point at the Point Association’s fall meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. in the church hall at St. John the Evangelist Church, 61 Poplar St. The online survey, conducted this summer, asked Point residents about their experiences and priorities related […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island Energy signs on for 150 megawatts from a northern Maine wind farm
Rhode Island Energy has conditionally selected 150 megawatts of power from a proposed wind project in Aroostook County, Maine, the utility announced Tuesday, joining a regional procurement that would produce the largest onshore wind farm in New England. The award comes under Rhode Island’s Affordable Clean Energy Security Act and follows a solicitation run by […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular returns Oct. 1 with a pun-themed trail
The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular returns to Roger Williams Park Zoo from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1, with this year’s trail built around wordplay — pop culture references, puns and, by the zoo’s own admission, dad jokes carved into more than 5,000 pumpkins. All tickets are timed and must be bought online in advance. Friday through Sunday […]
Posted inCity & Government
27 acres conserved in Tiverton, linking Pocasset Ridge to Weetamoo Woods
The Nature Conservancy and the state Department of Environmental Management have conserved 27 acres of forest in Tiverton, closing a gap between the Pocasset Ridge Conservation Area, Pardon Gray Preserve and Weetamoo Woods. The conservancy bought the land for $400,000 with support from the Thomas and Dorothy Ginty Memorial Endowment Fund, the Bafflin Foundation and […]
Posted inNews
Newport robotics team opens its workshop Saturday with 10 spots left
Aquidneck Island Robotics will open its workshop to prospective students and their families on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 80 Fleet Access Road, in NUWC Building 80. The team, known as Team 78 AIR STRIKE, is the only community-based FIRST Robotics Competition team in Rhode Island, meaning students from any […]
Posted inSports
Adley Rutschman’s three-run HR off Pesky Pole carries Red Sox past Angels, 5-2
BOSTON (AP) — Adley Rutschman hit a three-run homer off the Pesky Pole in right field, Brayan Bello pitched five scoreless innings in his first start since early June and the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Monday for their fifth straight victory. Jarren Duran hit his 20th homer, a solo […]
Posted inObituaries
Obituary: Tarris Caswell
Tarris John Caswell, 33, of Atlanta, GA, passed away on Friday, August 21, 2026, in Atlanta, GA. He was born on July 28, 1993, in Newport, RI, to John Caswell and Leslie “Muffy” McCalla. Tarris spent his early childhood in Newport before moving with his family to Virginia Beach, VA. After graduating from Green Run High […]