On October 24, 1975, an entire country experienced an abrupt wake-up call that would change the course of gender equality for women around the world and eventually help pave the way for progress here in Rhode Island. The awakening happened in Iceland when women, many in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, decided to take a […]
Columns
A look at What’sUpNewp’s latest columns.
Posted inNews
Women-led organizations prepare Rhode Island for a historic 2026
For New England fans of World Cup soccer, your countdown for the “Summer of Soccer” has begun – and for Rhode Island businesses large and small, now is the time to start planning your participation. An estimated 2.2 million people will attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and events in the Boston area next […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Rules of the road into battle
An irony about humanity is that while we tend to slaughter one another in barbaric wars, we are directed, as supposedly civilized creatures, to follow certain rules on the killing fields. In meetings from the Hague to Geneva dating from early in the last century, guidelines have developed not on whether we should kill, but […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about COVID-19 and the flu vaccine now
I had a COVID-19 vaccine last week. I’m traveling in 10 days and wanted to make sure I don’t get sick when I’m traveling. Better safe than sorry – better jabbed than stuck in a hotel room for five extra days, unable to go out. Or hospitalized. The COVID-19 vaccine was easy to get and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Woman-led organizations prepare Rhode Island for historic 2026
When Discover Newport extends an invitation, I rearrange my schedule to attend. Newport’s equivalent of a local tourism board (which was recently awarded several “Best of’ Awards)’s monthly, off-peak Marketing Meeting is a gathering I never miss. When the topic is both steeped in Rhode Island’s history and outlining and educating us on our state’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Six: The Musical’ reigns supreme at PPAC
“Six: The Musical” starts out strong and never lets up. The show – more a high-energy pop concert than a typical Broadway musical – focuses on the six wives of England’s notorious 16th century ruler, Henry VIII. It’s the latest Broadway offering at the Providence Performing Arts Center. “Six” opens with the curtains parting and […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: Three things that are smart, not crazy, about health care
Three logical, smart, and hopeful things happened in health care in the past few weeks. I’m glad to be able to tell you about them. The first good thing is that the Rhode Island Department of Health joined Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York to form the Northeast Public Health […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: A supermarket special: Thoughts to chew on
Teaching moments pop up often, but sometimes they vanish too quickly for us to learn the intended lesson. So it was recently at the supermarket entrance, where a 10-year-old girl stood beside a sign hand-lettered in red crayon, asking for donations so she could pay for dance lessons. With her mother sitting expressionless behind […]
Posted inColumns, Environment & Health
Helen Hames: Access to quality care, a shared responsibility
Today, more than 24,00 Rhode Islanders over the age of 65 are living with some form of dementia. That’s one in eight older adults. The BOLD Act, signed into law in 2018, positioned Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as a public health issue, not just a private family struggle. It provided states like Rhode Island with […]
Posted inColumns
Michele Gallagher: Hispanic Heritage Month spotlights Newport’s growing Latino community
¡Celebremos la diversidad y riqueza de la cultura hispana! It’s time to celebrate the diversity and richness of Hispanic culture, right here on Aquidneck Island! Did you know that nearly 12% of the City of Newport’s year-round population identifies as Hispanic or Latino? For the state of Rhode Island, this number is closer to 18%, […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about public health and gun violence
Crazy might not be the right word. Heartbreaking or heartrending would be better. But even heartrending isn’t strong enough. In these United States, our rate of gun death is 4.42 deaths per 100,000 population, the sixth highest in the world – but many times the rate in other developed nations. Of developed nations, only Greece, Austria, […]
Posted inColumns
Just My Opinion: Thank you, Christian McBride
“I don’t want to let him or jazz history down,” said Christian McBride just days before he would assume the role of artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival nearly a decade ago. It’s safe to say that he neither let down the legendary George Wein nor jazz history. Of McBride, Wein had said, “he’s […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion
Gerry Goldstein: A nation where words truly matter
I hate that Charlie Kirk was mercilessly shot down. But I also hate some poisonous ideas he embraced and sought to sow among our nation’s youth. So there, in the words right above, may be “hate speech.” And if Pam Bondi thinks so, it could be enough to get me collared. At least, that’s how […]
Posted inColumns
Coming Home: At 89, Alice Bowman finds purpose in life’s fifth season
In this country, more than one million older adults live in over 30,000 assisted living communities and those numbers continue to grow as our population ages. The options can feel overwhelming. And just like no two people are exactly alike, no two senior living communities are either. Throughout my career helping older adults and families, […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about COVID-19 in the fall of 2025
We are in the middle of a COVID uptick. These upticks now happen a few times a year. It will likely be a few more years before COVID-19 infections settle into a more stable pattern, like influenza, so it is worth commenting when an uptick happens, so people know what to expect and how to plan. […]
Posted inBusiness
Michele Gallagher: Newport Chowder Company – From family recipe to coast-to-coast delicacy
In September, we New Englanders watch the leaves start to fall and the temperatures begin to drop. Sweaters and coats come out of storage, and boats start leaving the marinas for their winter havens. And just like that, we’re ready for chowder—Newport style! This weekend, while enjoying the Newport International Boat Show, I’ll be joining […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Truth, unvarnished as it gets
Our dictatorial president, determined to erase any hint of American history that offends his relentless jingoism, could learn a lot from the day 70 years ago when they buried an affable 14-year-old boy in Chicago. A horrific series of events began when, visiting relatives in Mississippi, he walked into a grocery store to buy bubble […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about RFK, Jr. and nutrition
In a recent Wall Street Journal Opinion piece, published just before he fired the CDC Director, our HHS Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr, argued that physicians should be taught about nutrition. He cited some very nice statistics about how little nutritional education physicians get. Poor diet kills 500,000 people a year, RFK Jr wrote. So, he […]