Opinion

The following Letter To The Editor was submitted by David Alves of Newport. Have an opinion you’d like to share in Letter To The Editor? Email it to Ryan@whatsupnewp.com. I am proud to support Governor Gina Raimondo for re-election. I had the pleasure of working for Governor Raimondo for several years after a decade of […]

To the Editor: I am excited to announce that I am a candidate for the Newport City Council in the 1st Ward. I am a single father raising three young daughters and I am running for office so that I can have a hand in shaping the future of Newport. I was born and raised […]

By: Tim McCandless, Scout Executive & CEO – Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America My three older brothers and I grew up in Scouting and became Eagle Scouts in the 70’s and early 80’s.  My sister Marjorie loved Scouting, too.  She wanted to be a Scout but was not permitted to participate.  Regrettably, she missed […]

The fact that Boston is on the “short list” for the new Amazon headquarters raises the following question for Rhode Island – how can we prepare to benefit if the company does land an hour north of us? This is not a new question. My colleagues in the House of Representatives and I have long […]

Politically, it is always easiest to do nothing, to pass the buck, to kick the can down the road.  That is why I would like to compliment the Newport City Council for crafting a solution to bring the Sailing Hall of Fame to Newport by subdividing the Armory Building into condominiums and selling the portion […]

We are being conned by a group of Rhode Island politicians. Efforts to bring the National Sailing Hall of Fame to Newport go back 2009. From the (Annapolis) Capital Gazette Feb. 8, 2017: “In 2009…Mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano told me Newport turned down the NSHOF because she and the city council recognized that their city would […]

The following was written by Jonathan Buonocore, Research Associate, Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University. It originally appeared on The Conversation. As a LION Member, What’sUpNewp has been given permission to republish this content. New plans to build two commercial offshore wind farms near the Massachusetts and Rhode Island […]

The following op-ed was written by Rep. Julie A. Casimiro is a Democrat representing District 31 in North Kingstown and Exeter​ During my recent visit to the Quonset Air National Guard Base, I became acquainted with one of America’s best kept secrets: Civil Air Patrol (CAP). If you haven’t heard of CAP before, don’t let that […]

The following op-ed was written by Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello. It seems that every generation has its own epidemic to battle. But unlike polio or cholera, the tragic epidemic of our time is one of our own making. Responsible for an estimated 115 deaths every day, the opioid epidemic is devastating not only Rhode […]

August 4th, 1919….. Who would’ve thought that, a century later, the Sunset League, now the George Donnelly Sunset League, would still be active, and thriving? Certainly, when Dr. Peter Integlia and Arthur Leland set out to start a new baseball league in Newport that fall, no one thought it would last 100 years.  After Manager […]

The Armory building is in the process of being sold to the National Sailing Hall of Fame (“NSHOF”) which has been based in Annapolis for the last 13 years. Since 2008 the NSHOF has had the benefit of a 50 year lease for $1.00 per year on waterfront property owned by the State of Maryland […]

On this weekend, when we celebrate both Passover and Easter, we are reminded of those who today – in our country and around the world – are struggling for freedom. I think the words of Elie Wiesel in the preface to his Passover Haggadah are particularly relevant today and equally applicable to both Jews and […]

The following was submitted as a letter to the editor to What’sUpNewp by Holly S. Fisher. The views and opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of What’sUpNewp, its contributors, or of its advertisers. To the Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, We hope you are aware of the openly racist and inherently offensive comments posted […]

In response to your conversation with Tim Towey in regard to the costs and expenses relating to the Armory property the enclosed may be of some interest.  During the latter part of 2012, the City published a solicitation for bids to rent the Armory building on Thames Street. At that time three proposals were received […]

The City of Newport is negotiating a proposal to sell the 18,000 sq. ft. Armory property located on Newport Harbor with frontage on lower Thames Street, and situated alongside the city-owned Ann Street Pier. It is also the location of the City Maritime Center which opened in 2012 and provides needed services for the many […]

Governor Raimondo and DCYF have proposed a “voluntary” cut of 12% in current residential treatment reimbursement rates for traumatized youth and a $4.4 million reduction in residential treatment funding for the new fiscal year. The Governor and her administration apparently have forgotten the fact that these rates were negotiated less than a year ago, in […]

I love it when my constituents provide input on issues. The PawSox stadium has brought many emails and calls from both sides of the bench. Many have argued about the economic importance of the PawSox to our state. I’ve sat through many, many hours of testimony in the House Finance Committee and asked many questions. […]

Newport, there’s hope! Under frozen mounds of snow throughout Newport are 866,500 daffodil bulbs. But don’t feel sorry for them – they’re designed by nature to withstand these cold winter temperatures. Indeed, they rely on winter’s cold to trigger the biochemical process necessary to bring the bulb to flower in spring. This fortunate chemistry helps […]

Broadband is the 21st century highway of our information economy. Broadband is wide-bandwidth data transmission and refers to high-speed Internet access. Today, we see broadband as a utility — much like electricity and water — needed for schools, libraries, government and business to effectively operate. Downloading a movie from Netflix requires a different amount of […]

The flame from Chanukah’s first candle flickers, the star atop a Christmas tree sheds its light elegantly, and the candles of Kwanzaa’s kinara speak of hardship and of hope. Light. It’s the light that seems to unite these three celebrations that have all come together in 2017 – Chanukah ended on December 20th, Christmas takes […]

This Letter To The Editor was submitted by Jon Dember, the views and opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of What’sUpNewp, its contributers or its advertisers. To submit a Letter To The Editor, email Ryan@whatsupnewp.com. There seems to be a vexing problem with the redevelopment of the historic Newport Spring site, that needs urgent […]

The following Op-Ed was written and submitted by Elizabeth A. Crowley, a Democratic State Senator representing District 16 (which includes Central Falls and a portion of Pawtucket) and Donna M. Nesselbush, a Democratic State Senator representing District 15 (which includes portions of Pawtucket and North Providence). The views and opinions expressed within are not necessarily those […]