By NUWC Division Newport Public Affairs The total funded program of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport reached $2 billion in 2024, according to the recently released economic impact report. Of its total operating budget, $776 million was spent by Division Newport in civilian payroll and labor, materials, operational expenditures, property maintenance and repair, […]
Community Submission
This content has been contributed to What's Up Newp. The views and opinions included within are not necessarily those of What's Up Newp, our contributors, or our advertisers.
We welcome letters to the editor on current local topics. Email them to Ryan@whatsupnewp.com.
Posted inOpinion
Letter to the Editor: Middletown smoke and mirrors
There have been Planning Board public hearings, Town Council public hearings, and Citizens Advisory Committee meetings for public input on what Middletown residents want in a town center. A resident-defined town center is described in both the Middletown Comprehensive Plan and in the Middletown Request For Information, sent to developers asking for input on how to […]
Posted inNews, Nonprofit, Sports
Sail Newport to honor Sally Helme
Sail Newport announces that the top female skipper at the 41st Newport Regatta, July 12-13, will win the inaugural Sally Helme Award created in her honor. Sally Helme, a marine industry leader and 2025 National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee, was a woman of firsts; as the first female sailing director of Shelter Island Yacht Club (New York) junior program, she was […]
Posted inCity & Government
Undersea Warfighting Development Center leadership visits NUWC Division Newport
Story by Public Affairs Office , Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport A constant co-evolution of technology and operational concepts is critical to providing the best warfighting capabilities possible to the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet. In support of that mission, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport and the Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC) continue to […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter To The Editor: Give a hoot! Let’s keep Middletown clean
Happy Earth Month! As Earth Day approaches, it’s the perfect time to remember how fortunate we are to call Middletown home. Our town is a beautiful place to live, work, and play—thanks in large part to its natural surroundings. But preserving that beauty takes all of us. Whether you’re walking along the beach, enjoying a […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter To The Editor: Middletown residents showed up with a lot of facts, evidences, and concerns – bravo
The “Middletown Center” Planning Board Public Hearing at the Gaudet School cafeteria on April 3rd was packed! Middletown residents showed up with a lot of facts, evidences, and concerns – BRAVO. It was unfortunate that the meeting itself presented additional concerns for Middletown residents. The following were reported to Middletown Town Council at their April 7th meeting: 1-The parking […]
Posted inCity & Government
Letter To The Editor: Are you listening Middletown Town Council?
I counted: 31 people spoke at the “Middletown Town Center” Public Hearing last Thursday. Not one person, of the 31 who did speak up, spoke in favor of the developer’s proposals. Several said, “Ditch it,” and “We don’t want it.” What does that tell you? It’s time to stop this madness. Are you listening Town […]
Posted inNews
Newport Little League to host annual fundraiser at O’Brien’s Pub
The Newport Little League invites the community to O’Brien’s Pub for their 2025 Annual Fundraiser on Thursday, May 1st, from 6 to 9 PM. The $20 admission includes a drink, light appetizers, a silent auction, raffles, and much more! Proceeds from this event help repair fields, provide equipment to their players, and provide scholarships. This is […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter To The Editor: Real regionalization should be student-focused first
To the editor and readers of Whats Up Newp: We would like to start by thanking city council members Pinnock, Smyth, Carlin + Khamsyvoravong for passing the “Academic Integration Advisory Committee” resolution. As PTO, School Improvement Team and Superintendent Advisory committee members and parents of two Pell school students, we are ardent supporters of public […]
Posted inNews
U.S. Space Force Chief delivers lecture at Naval War College
Story by Lt.Cmdr. Peter Pagano , U.S. Naval War College NEWPORT, R.I.— U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman visited the U.S. Naval War College (NWC) onboard Naval Station Newport, RI, Apr. 01, 2025. In addition to meeting with NWC President, Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, Saltzman spoke with students about the implications of space’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter To The Editor: If you call Middletown home, this message is for you
West Main Road’s town center, once envisioned as community space for residents, is potentially being handed over to developers who are not considering our interests. Developers have removed all community amenities from their initial proposal, contradicting the town’s 2021 Request For Information (RFI) and the developers’ own RFI response, according to documents on the Planning Department’s Middletown […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter To The Editor: Library building update from the Middletown Library Board of Trustees
The Middletown Library Board of Trustees fully endorses the Town’s decision to relocate the Library to 110 Enterprise Center. After careful consideration, we find that this site offers the space, parking, accessibility, and flexibility of use spelled out in our Library Building Program Plan (presented to Town Council in 2023) and offers the quickest path […]
Posted inSports
New York Yacht Club: Annual Regatta to unveil new tricks for 171st Edition
By New York Yacht Club For more than four decades, Ken Read has been turning good boats into national and world champions. So when the New York Yacht Club wanted to take a fresh look at its regattas, including North America’s oldest annual sailing competition, it knew where to turn. As with optimizing a sailboat, […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter To The Editor: Wake up, Middletowners, and demand better
Open Letter to the Middletown Planning Board, Middletown Town Council, and Middletown Residents While driving south on West Main Road recently. I counted 8 hotels within spitting distance of the proposed new Middletown Center. The developer of the Middletown Center is proposing yet one more, a 5 story, 144 room hotel, plus a bank, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Museum of Newport Irish History Interpretive Center is open for Irish Heritage Month
In celebration of the 48th Annual Newport Irish Heritage Month, the Museum of Newport Irish History Interpretive Center will be open on the second, third and fourth weekends in March (Fri-Sat-Sun),12 noon to 5:00 p.m. The complete schedule may be found on the Museum’s website home page, NewportIrishHistory.org Hosted by knowledgeable and engaging docents, visitors to the Center will […]
Posted inNews
Letter – Future-proofing Newport’s youth: Expanding career tech education with Middletown
Last night, in a moment of community unity, the Newport School Committee voted unanimously to save the Newport Area Career and Technical Center (NACTC) from demolition. This decisive action reaffirms our commitment to equip students with practical skills, industry certifications, and real-world experience for high-demand careers. Now, we must push forward with Middletown to expand […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-Ed: Leading the way on health care
Rhode Island’s health care system remains in a deeply perilous place. For our constituents, and for the providers we all rely on, it is imperative that we act now to improve it. Unfortunately, the challenges we face are increasingly familiar: Extreme difficulty seeing – or even finding – a primary care provider or specialist. Coverage […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Black History Month Newport: Places of Worship
Special to What’s Up Newp | The following was written by Keith Stokes. This story was originally published on Feb. 9, 2020. Persons of African heritage have lived, worked and worshiped in Newport since the mid-17th Century. Established as a major slave port, Newport would have one of the largest populations of enslaved and free […]
Posted inNews
Black History Month – Dr. Harriet Alleyne Rice: A native Newport Black History heroine that is largely unknown in the city of her birth
The following was written for What’s Up Newp by Keith Stokes, Vice President of the 1696 Heritage Group. This story was originally published on Feb. 11 ,2021. A native Newport Black History heroine that is largely unknown in the city of her birth. Harriet Alleyne Rice was born to George and Lucinda Rice in 1866 in […]
Posted inCity & Government
Letter To The Editor: Misinformation distracts from student success
To the Editor: The packed house at the recent Newport School Committee meeting made me think: If only we could harness that same energy to improve academic outcomes across the board, our schools wouldn’t be stuck in a cycle of low achievement. Many attendees mistakenly believed the agenda item was aimed to kill the district’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Black History Month Newport: A time to play
Introduction: February is Black History Month, an annual time to celebrate the achievements, and a time for recognized the central role, of African Americans in U.S. history. During the month of February, What’s Up Newp is using our platform to highlight and recognize the achievements by local African Americans. Keith Stokes, Vice President of the 1696 Heritage […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter To The Editor: Addressing homelessness in Newport County, the State of Rhode Island, and the nation
To Whom it May Concern, In many ways, Newport remains stranded in a gilded echo of the past. With breathtaking views from the Pell Bridge and Ocean Drive, the gorgeous preservation of our colonial roots, and the grandiose estates of Bellevue Avenue, it is easy to come to Newport and get lost in its natural […]
Posted inBusiness
NUWC Division Newport appoints new activity chief information officer
Story by Public Affairs Office, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport. This story originally appeared here. NEWPORT, R.I. – When he first enrolled at Rhode Island College, Josh Hammond had visions of becoming a math teacher and took accounting courses, but a summertime job at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport between his junior […]
Posted inCity & Government
Dennis Turano: Bring people together, not divide them
As we start a new year and a new Town Council session, I would like to send a message of non-partisanship and unity to my fellow Middletown residents. Middletown Town Council is a non-partisan body, which means it has non-partisan candidates, non-partisan elections, and non-partisan members. I was extremely disappointed during the recent election to […]
Posted inNews
U.S. Naval War College Professor awarded newly launched research grant
Story by Leisa Premdas, U.S. Naval War College Public Affairs. This story originally appeared here. NEWPORT, R.I. – U.S. Naval War College (NWC) faculty member, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jahara Matisek, Ph.D., was recently awarded the first-ever Defense Security Corporation University (DSCU) grant for research spanning a wide array of security cooperation topics. The […]