City & Government

Portsmouth Town Council voted 7 -0 last night to approve a motion to “discuss the possibilities of working together to provide the best educational opportunities for all of our students”. The item on their agenda was officially titled – “Discuss The Possibility Of Working Together For A Unified School District To Provide The Best Educational […]

With school out of session and summer finally here, the City of Newport has announced that they will once again be providing free meals for children all summer long. Each year, the US Department of Agriculture partners with local organizations like Newport Public Schools to provide free meals to children when school is out for […]

via General Assembly Press Office The Senate has approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Dawn Euer to require real estate disclosures of home energy costs. The legislation is aimed at giving buyers an accurate estimate of the true costs of operating a home they are considering purchasing, and to help them consider the costs and savings […]

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) announced just after 4 pm today that they have recommended re-opening King Park Beach in Newport, Third Beach and Peabody’s Beach in Middletown, and Grinnell’s Beach in Tiverton since bacteria counts there have returned to acceptable levels. Sandy Point Beach in Portsmouth and Spring Lake Beach in Burrellville […]

With the weather turning warmer and recreational activities on Rhode Island’s lakes, ponds, and rivers increasing, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) are reminding everyone to be on the lookout for harmful algae blooms on these bodies of water. Harmful algae blooms caused by blue-green […]

The General Assembly has passed legislation introduced by Rep. Camille F.J. Vella-Wilkinson (D-Dist. 21, Warwick) and Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) that would extend veterans’ benefits to gay or transgender members of the armed forces who failed to receive honorable discharges. The bill (2019-H 5443A, 2019-S 0837) would provide a petition process to have a […]

Miss the recent Middletown Town Council meeting in which they discussed unification/regionalization with Newport? Catch all four (plus) hours of the meeting below. The discussion about unification begins at approximately 1:30:00 Town Council Meeting, June 17, 2019 from Town of Middletown on Vimeo.

This story was originally published at 7:19 am on June 19th. In an effort to combat the opioid epidemic, the City of Newport officially announced today that it will soon be launching a Safe Stations program.  Beginning later this month, anyone battling addiction will be able to visit to access treatment and recovery services from […]

Update: After more than 2 hours of discussion, the Middletown Town Council voted 5 to 2 tonight against continuing the discussion with Newport to determine the feasibility of merging Middletown and Newport schools. VonVillas and Flynn were the councilors voted to continue the conversation. Original Story The Middletown Town Council is expected to decide tonight […]

Here’s what’s on tap for road construction and traffic this upcoming week. Of note, RITBA: Deck Project on Newport Pell Bridge has resumed Rhode Island Department of Transportation The following road and lane closure notices are effective for the week of June 15-21, 2019. All schedules are weather-dependent and subject to change. Overnight  Jamestown/Newport/North Kingstown: Rte. 138 […]

Sen. Louis P. DiPalma’s (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Little Compton, Newport, Tiverton) legislation (2019-S 0702A) that precludes the disability of a parent from serving as a basis for denial or restriction in matters involving a child’s welfare, foster care, family law, guardianship and adoption was passed by the Senate tonight. “Individuals with disabilities continue to face […]

This story has been updated to include a statement from the City of Newport. Newport Police Department took to Facebook on Wednesday to inform visitors who use the hiking trails at Miantonomi Memorial Park of an incident regarding the placement of string and wire type materials across several hiking trails has been discovered. These items […]

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) would like to inform the motoring public that on Wednesday, June 12th, between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. there will be a power outage on parts of the Newport Pell Bridge.  Due to scheduled maintenance and electrical upgrades taking place on Sycamore Street in Newport, […]

Newport City Council held a workshop on Monday night about the “Spring Project -Traffic Studies”, the meeting lasted approximately 1 hour and 38 minutes. The Historic Newport Spring Project, or “Spring Project” as described by the City, sits at the site of Coffey’s Gas Station and would be transformed into a park to “celebrate and […]

The Newport Police Department announced today in a press release that road construction will be taking place on Bellevue Ave at Prospect Hill Street on Tuesday, June 11th, Wednesday, June 12th, and Thursday, June 13th, 2019. Work will consist of the final concrete restoration from previous work done by National Grid Gas. The sub-contractor Hartford […]

Governor Gina M. Raimondo signed a proclamation officially declaring today as Gun Violence Awareness Day in Rhode Island. She was joined by Erica Keuter, a survivor of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting and Diana Garlington, who lost her daughter to gun violence in 2011.”Gun violence has taken thousands of innocent lives, destroyed families and devastated communities […]

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) today announced temporary closures of a small portion of two streets in Newport for improvements to the Newport Secondary rail line that runs between America’s Cup Avenue and the Point neighborhood. Between Friday, June 14 and the end of July, RIDOT will temporarily close Elm Street or Poplar Street […]

The Senate today approved legislation introduced by Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) that would enact the Plastic Waste Reduction Act. The legislation (2019-S 0410Aaa) is “designed to reduce the use of plastic bags by retail establishments by offering recyclable bag options and providing penalties for violations”. “We all know how […]

Chief Thomas F. Lee has announced his retirement from the Portsmouth Police Department. The Police Department posted the following on its Facebook Page on Thursday;

This story was originally published on May 29th, it has been updated. For the original story, scroll down. Rep. Lauren H. Carson has postponed a constituent meeting that was scheduled Monday, June 17, due to a Middletown Town Council meeting at the same time on that will include a vote on whether to enter into a […]