Here’s this week’s Sour Grapes, enjoy! If you’re heading for Rhode Island Comic Con this weekend, look for Tim Jones. He’ll be set up in a booth all weekend. Join us next Tuesday for the next edition of Sour Grapes! About Tim Jones / Sour Grapes Tim Jones is the creator, artist and writer of […]
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
Cathleen Carr named new executive director of newportFILM
newportFILM today announced the appointment of Cathleen Carr as its new executive director. According to a press release from newportFILM, Carr comes to them with nearly 20 years of arts, culture, and non-profit experience. “Since 2013, Carr has served as director of programs as well as director of innovation and engagement for New York City’s […]
Posted inJobs
Ocean State Job Lot hosting hiring events at all store locations
Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL), a discount retail chain with 146 store locations across the Northeast, will be hosting an in-person chainwide hiring event at each of its stores on October 26th and 27th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Candidates who attend the event can learn more about career opportunities, part-time and full-time benefits, 30% associate […]
Posted inThings To Do
Potter League to host 32nd Annual Heart & Sole Walk for Animals at Fort Adams
Potter League for Animals is hosting their 32nd annual Heart and Sole Walk for Animals on Sunday, October 24th at 10 am at Fort Adams State Park. Animal lovers and their four-legged friends will gather at Fort Adams for Rhode Island’s largest dog walk to raise funds and awareness to benefit the Potter League for Animals and the thousands […]
Posted inJobs
Now Hiring: 77 job opportunities available in and around Newport right now
Looking for a new gig, job, or career? Here’s a roundup of some of the companies that are hiring right now in the Newport area. All jobs were posted or provided to us within the last seven days and are located within five miles of downtown Newport. Are you a business owner and manager who […]
Posted inSports
National Sailing Hall Of Fame inducts Class of 2021
The National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF) announced today the induction of eleven sailors during its 11th ceremony, held on Saturday, October 16th, 2021, in Newport, Rhode Island. The Class of 2021 includes: Alexander “Red” Bryan and Cortlandt “Bud” Heyniger – founders of Alcort, Inc. and designers and producers of the iconic Sunfish.William “Carl” Buchan – championship sailor, Olympic gold medal winner […]
Posted inNews, Sports
Newport woman is first-ever female to win Citizens Pell Bridge Run
Newporter Ann Marie Tuxbury not only broke the women’s course record in the Citizens Pell Bridge Run on Sunday, October 17th but is the first female in the event’s history to finish first overall. Tuxbury crossed the finish line first of more than 2,800 runners and walkers on Sunday. Her finish time of 21:02 bested […]
Posted inThings To Do
What’s Up This Week: Heart & Sole Walk for Animals, Full Moon Bike ride, The Exorcist, & more
Discover all that’s happening, new, and to do in and around Newport this week. This story may be updated as we learn about additional events or listings. Have an event you’d like to see added to this list or a future list? Add it to our event calendar. Note: An event or performance may change at […]
Posted inThings To Do
Newport Garden Club to host a talk by ‘The Seedhuntress’
The Newport Garden Club invites the public to hear a talk by Sefra Alexandra, known as The Seedhuntress, at Honyman Hall at Trinity Church, 1 Queen Anne Square in Newport, at 2 pm on November 10th. The lecture is free and members of the public are invited to bring seeds to participate in a seed swap after […]
Posted inThings To Do
Changing seasons, changing exhibits at Little Compton Historical Society
As fall and winter weather approaches, the Little Compton Historical Society is updating its hours and offerings. The Women’s History exhibit, occupying the special exhibition space since July 2020, will make way for a new exhibit on historic houses coming in July 2022. The last opportunity to view the Women’s History Special Exhibit in person […]
Posted inNews
‘Rock The Mansion’ raises more than $150,000 for Newport Mental Health
Newport residents and business owners came out in droves for Newport Mental Health’s 7th Annual Rock-the-Mansion gala recently, helping the agency gross over $150,000, much of which will be used for emergency shelter, bilingual translation services and outfitting clinician offices for the ever-growing people in need of mental health services in Newport County. “The response […]
Posted inNews
City of Newport: A portion of the Cliff Walk will be closed on Monday for maintenance
Visitors to the City’s Cliff Walk on Monday may encounter a detour from Memorial Boulevard to Webster Street as crews fill gaps and repair cracks in the asphalt surface thanks to a generous gift by an anonymous donor. The City of Newport announced the closure by press release on Friday. The work, which “will require […]
Posted inNews
Newport String Quartet to perform Dvorak, Montgomery, and Tate at St Columba’s
On October 31st at 2 pm, the Newport String Project will present an afternoon of chamber music performed by the Newport String Quartet at the Great Hall on the grounds of St Columba’s in Middletown. The program will explore the music of America from three very different perspectives. Antonin Dvorak’s beloved String Quartet in F Major, op 96 […]
Posted inReal Estate
‘Normandie’ estate on Ocean Drive sells for $12.5 million
Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty today announced the sale of “Normandie” located at 232 Ocean Avenue in Newport. The property sold for $12,500,000. The seller was represented by Paul A. Leys, Broker and co-owner of Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty, and the buyer was represented by Suzi Nance of Capital Realty. Located on Newport’s famed […]
Posted inCOVID-19, News
AARP Analysis: COVID-19 deaths and cases in Rhode Island nursing homes increased from August to September
Story provided by AARP Rhode Island COVID-19 continued to take a deadly toll on nursing home residents and staff in Rhode in the four weeks ending September 19, according to the latest data from AARP’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard. Resident deaths from COVID-19 increased from a rate of .02 deaths per 100 residents in mid-August to […]
Posted inNews
$250,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation will tackle Narcan shortage
The Rhode Island Foundation on Thursday announced that it has awarded a $250,000 grant to purchase thousands of Narcan opioid overdose prevention kits for community-based recovery and harm reduction organizations across the state. A record 384 Rhode Islanders died of a drug overdose last year, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH). “Narcan […]
Posted inThings To Do
What’s Up This Weekend: Seafood Festival, Food Truck Festival, Pell Bridge Run, & more
Discover all that’s happening, new, and to do in and around Newport this weekend. This story may be updated as we learn about additional events or listings. Have an event you’d like to see added to this list or a future list? Add it to our event calendar. Note: An event or performance may change at […]
Posted inNews
New England Aquarium aerial surveys show 15 North Atlantic right whales south of Nantucket
As North Atlantic right whales travel south from Canadian waters, the New England Aquarium aerial survey team recently captured stunning photos of more than a dozen whales in southern New England. A group of male right whales surfacing together between feeding dives. CREDIT: New England Aquarium, taken under NMFS Permit #19674 Right whales have been […]
Posted inNews
Seamen’s Church Institute offering a free meal to anyone who needs it on Thanksgiving
Seamen’s Church Institute will host its annual, free Thanksgiving Day meal again this year. For the safety of our community, this freshly prepared turkey dinner with all the fixings will be distributed as a takeaway meal on November 25, 2021, from 11 am to 12 pm. Guests are required to wear a face-covering when picking up […]
Posted inNews
Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra to present its season concert opener at McVinney Auditorium
The Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra, a community-based orchestra, will present its season concert opener on Sunday, October 31, 2021, at 3 PM in the McVinney Auditorium, 43 Dave Gavitt Way, Providence RI 02903. The program’s centerpiece is one of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s most famous works, the stunning Symphony No. 6 “The Pathetique” NaBSco full orchestra on […]
Posted inSports
Ana Ivanović, Flavia Pennetta, Cara Black, Carlos Moyá named to ballot for 2022 Induction into International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s 2022 ballot for Hall of Fame induction features six accomplished players hailing from five nations. Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor in tennis, representing a sum of the honoree’s achievements and impact as being at the highest level in the sport. The Class […]
Posted inCity & Government
Gubernatorial race shaping up to be an Ivy League competition
The Ivy League will be on full display in Rhode Island’s Democratic gubernatorial primary election – Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale. This week’s announcement by Helena Foulkes, a former CVS top executive and former CEO of the parent company of Saks’ 5th Avenue, assured this to be among the most elite group of candidates to […]
Posted inThings To Do
Touro Synagogue closes for the season on October 18
The Touro Synagogue National Historic Site will close for the 2021 Season on Monday, October 18, and will reopen in mid-April 2022. During the final week of tours, October 11 through October 18, the site will be open Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.On a tour, Touro Synagogue says on […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Things To Do
Living history event will explore life at Butts Hill Fort during the Revolution
Hear the boom! Smell the smoke! Head to Butts Hill Fort in Portsmouth on Sunday, October 17th, and join Revolutionary War soldiers in the field. The re-enactors of the 54th Regiment of Foot will be hosting a living history event in the Fort. Bring the family to see an encampment of the 54th Regiment, a […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Water main flushing to take place across Aquidneck Island
As part of the Newport Water Division’s ongoing maintenance of the island’s water distribution system, the City of Newport on Tuesday announced that water main flushing is set to run from Sunday, October 17 through Nov. 4th in Newport and parts of Middletown and Portsmouth. The flushing will begin at 8:00 p.m. and continue until 4:00 […]