“Behind the Lines: Unsung Women of the American Revolution” was a full-weekend lecture series held in mid-March in Portsmouth, hosted by the Brigade of the American Revolution and sponsored by the Debra Najecki Endowment at Portsmouth Friends Church. The conference brought together dozens of authors and historians to highlight the crucial, often overlooked roles women […]
Columns
A look at What’sUpNewp’s latest columns.
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Among blossoms of spring, giving dandelions their due
Many consider it a pesky weed, but there are life lessons to be learned from the lowly dandelion, soon to pop up on suburban lawns. There it will be mowed down, pulled up, and otherwise dispatched as unwelcome. But despite its reputation as a bothersome guest, the dandelion has attributes many of us should envy, […]
Posted inNews
This Day in RI History: March 22, 1966, Martha McSally is born in Warwick
Former Arizona Senator Martha McSally was born on March 22, 1966 in Warwick, RI. She attended Bay View Academy and later received a B.S. in Biology from the United States Air Force Academy as well as a Master’s Degree from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. As an Air Force pilot, McSally flew […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about hospitals and money
It’s budget time again at the Statehouse. I’m hearing that Rhode Island’s hospitals are asking the legislature for money. Again. This happens every year, and usually the hospitals tell us about a crisis that provides a very good reason for those hospitals to get another $100 million of our tax dollars. This year the crisis […]
Posted inArts & Culture
This Day in RI History: March 16, 1976 Blu Cantrell born in Providence
R&B/Soul singer-songwriter and Providence native Blu Cantrell was born Tiffany Cobb on March 16, 1976. Her mother, Susi Franco, a former “Mrs. Rhode Island,” was an actress and jazz artist. From Wikipedia: Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)”, which peaked at number two […]
Posted inColumns
Michele Gallagher: Rhode Island women of the Revolution – loyalists, diplomats, and patriots
March arrived like a lion in Newport this year—a fitting reminder that the voices of many women in Rhode Island’s history still roar today. This two-part “Voices” series highlights several remarkable, yet lesser-known, women of the American Revolution. Alas, Not Every Lass was a Patriot Mary Gould Almy, miniature portrait by Edward Greene Malbone, c. […]
Posted inPeople & Profiles
This Day in RI History: March 13, 1799 -Oliver Shaw born in Newport
Oliver Shaw was one of the first important American classical composers. Due to a childhood accident and later a case of yellow fever, he was totally blind when he composed many of his most notable works. His works included many references to local places including “Taunton,” “Bristol” and “Trip to Pawtucket.” Shaw also composed numerous […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: A need for saintly intervention
On March 17th we can mark not just the day honoring St. Patrick, who in legend drove the snakes out of Ireland, but also the 250th anniversary of the day George Washington drove the British out of Boston. While St. Patrick’s achievement is largely mythic, General Washington’s is real. It’s considered the first major victory […]
Posted inColumns
Helen Hames: Coming full circle – Rep. Carson and the power of words in aging
Are you a senior citizen? Does the term apply to you? Where did it come from anyway? Does that label match how you see yourself and the life you’re living today? Or do the old rules around aging deserve a second look? The phrase senior citizen became popular around the time of the creation of […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about blood
As you may have read, the Rhode Island Blood Center has put out a call for blood donations – and it is extremely important that you donate if you can. Lives literally depend on these donations, for which there is no effective substitute. AI can’t donate. You can. Please consider it. That said, understanding how much […]
Posted inColumns
Michele Gallagher: Frederick Douglass’ legacy in Rhode Island
Though Frederick Douglass has been extensively chronicled — by himself and by modern-day historians such as David W. Blight — his Rhode Island oratory during the second half of the 19th century deserves renewed attention. Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in Talbot County, Maryland in 1818, Douglass as a young boy endured family separation, brutal […]
Posted inColumns
The power of your story: Kim Fuller and the beautiful, messy relevance of being seen and heard
Telling personal stories has a measurable positive effect. They help us feel seen and remind us that we are seen. As we grow older, and older still, it can begin to feel as though our stories are fading. In reality, they’re right where they’ve always been. Sometimes, it’s something simple. A snowy day can bring […]
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How Midwives support women through the reproductive years
At South County Health’s Center for Women’s Health, Certified Nurse Midwives are among the providers caring for patients with clinical expertise and compassion, empowering women to make informed choices about their health. When people hear the word midwife, they often think of childbirth. While midwives are experts in pregnancy, labor, and postpartum care, their role […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Best of A.I. must spring from ourselves
In 1995, inventor and entrepreneur Robert Metcalfe wrote a magazine column in which he predicted the Internet “will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 will collapse.” If that didn’t happen, he vowed, “I’ll eat my words.” When instead of collapsing the Internet surged, Metcalfe kept his promise. At a conference in 1997, he put […]
Posted inColumns
Just My Opinion: Assuring an adequate blood supply following the Blizzard of 2026
The blizzard we are now experiencing can have a devastating impact on a lot more than just safe driving and power outages. It becomes incredibly disruptive to maintaining an adequate blood supply that translates to saving lives. Today, all Rhode Island Blood Center blood drives and donor centers are closed, and it’s a fair guess […]
Posted inOpinion
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about paying for medical school
Before I describe the incredible cost of medical school, I want to mention how I paid for my medical education. I didn’t. You did, and I am very grateful for that. Like about 1800 other American medical students in 1979, I was lucky enough to get a National Health Corps Scholarship, which paid my tuition, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Michele Gallagher: America’s love affair with coffee dates back to Colonial times
A friend recently gifted me Robert Mastin’s newly published book, Liberty Call: When Newport Was Home to the Atlantic Fleet. As an enthusiastic student of local history — and someone raised in a military family — I read every word. Much has been written about Newport’s Colonial and Gilded Age eras. Far less has been […]
Posted inColumns
Just My Opinion: What is the United States of America?
What is the United States of America? We are white, black, brown, red, yellow … we are a rainbow. We are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, evangelicals, atheist, agnostic. We embrace all who worship and those that do not. We are Latino, American Indian, Asian, German, French, English, Italian, Irish, African, Portuguese, Iranian, Israeli, multi-racial. We […]
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When your period is disrupting your life, it’s time to talk about it
For many women, heavy or irregular menstrual cycles are often brushed off as “normal”—something to endure quietly while juggling work, family, and daily life. But changes in menstrual bleeding can be a sign that it’s time for a closer look—and effective treatment options are available. Heavy Bleeding Is Common — But Not Normal At the […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s in the Dash: Real voices from older Rhode Islanders
Names have been changed to protect privacy. The voices and experiences shared here are real, sometimes uplifting and sometimes raw. In 1996, thirty years ago, Linda Ellis wrote a poem called The Dash. It’s a poem often read at funerals, a reminder It’s not the years on your gravestone that matters most. What matters is […]