Nonprofit organizations serving Newport County residents have until March 26 to apply for more than $270,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation. The Newport County Fund offers grants of up to $10,000 to develop new programs, strengthen or expand established programs and support municipal planning or leadership. Applicants should focus on significant problems or […]
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Newport’s St. Patrick’s Day parade marks 70th anniversary Saturday
Newport’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebrates its 70th anniversary Saturday, March 14, with thousands expected to line the streets of downtown for the annual tradition. The parade steps off promptly at 11 a.m. in front of City Hall, rain, snow or shine, winding through Washington Square, down America’s Cup Avenue and Thames Street before finishing […]
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RIPTA launches on-demand transit service in Newport, Middletown
Residents of Newport and Middletown now have a new way to get around without a car. The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority launched its Flex On Demand microtransit service Monday in five communities across the state, including a new zone covering Newport and Middletown. The service allows riders to book on-demand, curb-to-curb trips for $2 […]
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This Day in RI History: March 9 – Jeffrey Osborne is born
Born in Providence, Jeffrey Osborne is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and musician who hails from a legendary RI musical family. Osborne began his career in 1970 as lead vocalist for L.T.D., a popular R&B band founded in the early 1970’s. He later began a solo career, where he was nominated for several Grammy Awards. Osborne […]
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Sweet Berry Farm’s new owners seek planning board approval for major development
Less than a year after Sweet Berry Farm quietly changed hands following 45 years under the same family, the property’s new owners are seeking approval for a major land development project that would transform the 51-acre Mitchell’s Lane farm with a new 13,862-square-foot complex — including a relocated farmstand, café and a barn designed to […]
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In search of affordability: How Rhode Island ranks for cost of living
If there’s one issue that every single American is dealing with these days, it’s that costs are going up. Food, shelter, energy — the bills just keep getting bigger, and the affordability of daily life is being strained. But here’s some surprising math you might not be aware of: Affordability can be extremely different depending […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Wicked’ at PPAC is spellbinding, start to finish
When I interviewed Jessie Davidson last month, I asked her if the two “Wicked” movies helped or hindered the stage version of the show, in which she’s playing Elphaba. “The movie brought ‘Wicked’ to so many.” She said she meets young people at the stage door after performances who say seeing “Wicked” live was their […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council to hold special meeting on residential parking permit changes
The Newport City Council will hold a special meeting Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at City Hall to take up on second reading a proposal that would significantly overhaul the city’s residential parking permit program. The special session follows a first reading scheduled for the regularly scheduled City Council meeting Wednesday, March 11. If […]
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URI Watershed Watch seeks volunteers to monitor Rhode Island’s ponds, streams, and coasts
The University of Rhode Island’s Watershed Watch program is seeking volunteer water quality monitors to help collect data on lakes, ponds, streams, and coastal waters across southern New England this spring. A URI Cooperative Extension program, Watershed Watch has tracked water quality data for four decades, with volunteers helping researchers understand how snowy winters, stormwater […]
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Choreographing consent: Meet Rhode Island’s intimacy director
Valerie Remillard is an Intimacy Director. What’s that, you ask. Read on… Just prior to the pandemic, she directed a production of “Almost, Maine” at the Community Players in Pawtucket. The show is actually nine short plays stapled together, exploring love and loss in a mythical Maine town called Almost. “There is intimacy in every […]
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For survivors, Rhode Island clergy abuse report brings vindication and renewed demands
By LEAH WILLINGHAM and KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The sound of the school nurse’s office door opening. Light reflecting off a stained-glass window. Tearful outbursts and fear of getting on the school bus. For many survivors of clergy abuse, memories like these linger for decades. A report released this week by […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council to meet March 11
The Newport City Council will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 11 at City Hall, 43 Broadway. The meeting will open with a proclamation celebrating Irish Heritage Month. Among the items on the consent calendar, the council will consider approval of an Easter Extravaganza event at Newport Skatepark on April 4 and a […]
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Newport Contemporary Ballet brings two productions to Barrington this month
Newport Contemporary Ballet is heading to the Keats Theatre this month with two productions: a world premiere contemporary ballet program and a returning family favorite. The company presents Polygon March 13-15 and Are The Crayons Quitting? March 14-15. Polygon features world premiere works by three choreographers — DaYoung Jung, rehearsal director of Oklahoma City Ballet; […]
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Audrain Motorsport to expand Veteran Car Tour into full weekend event in May
Audrain Motorsport is expanding its Veteran Car Tour into a full weekend event this spring, bringing rare brass-era automobiles to the streets of Newport and Bristol in what organizers are calling one of the most significant gatherings of early American automobiles in the country. The event is scheduled for May 16-18, with opening activities beginning […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Newport man arrested on illegal weapons charges after threatening social media posts
Rhode Island State Police arrested a Newport man Thursday on multiple illegal weapons charges after he allegedly made threats of violence on social media, authorities said. Alexander Bestoso, 27, of 3 Morgan St., was taken into custody after state police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms executed a search warrant at his home […]
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People love to hate changing clocks twice a year, but can’t agree how to fix it
By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press Clocks will skip ahead an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday for daylight saving time in most of the U.S., creating a 23-hour day that throws off sleep schedules, plunges early-morning dog walks into darkness and inspires millions of complaints. Even though polls show most people dislike the system that has […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rep. Lauren Carson breaks down her 2026 constituent survey live with What’sUpNewp
State Rep. Lauren Carson (D – District 75, Newport) joined What’sUpNewp Thursday at noon for a live conversation to walk through the results of her 2026 constituent survey — and the discussion covered just about everything Newport residents are talking about right now: housing costs, the Newport Hospital Birthing Center, healthcare access, climate resilience, short-term […]
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Castle Hill Inn reopens to overnight guests one month after fire
Castle Hill Inn reopened to registered overnight guests Thursday, exactly one month after a fire tore through the third-floor attic of the historic Mansion on the evening of Feb. 5. Guests can now book stays in the Inn’s Beach Houses and Beach Cottages, with the Chalet serving as the hub of operations. The Chalet will […]
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Rhode Island Blood Center declares blood emergency after historic winter storm
The Rhode Island Blood Center has declared a blood emergency following last week’s historic winter storm, which wiped out more than 1,500 donations through widespread drive cancellations, donor center closures and hazardous travel conditions across the state. The storm left the region with less than a two-day blood supply — far short of the seven-day […]
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What to know about the investigation into Catholic priests in Rhode Island and sexual abuse charges
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A new investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, shows that an estimated 75 priests abused more than 300 children since 1950, with the state’s top law enforcement chief warning Wednesday that the scope of the abuse is likely much bigger. The report was released by Rhode Island Attorney […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rep. Carson to discuss constituent survey results in live conversation with What’sUpNewp
State Rep. Lauren Carson will join What’sUpNewp for a live one-on-one conversation Thursday, March 5, at noon to discuss the results of her 2026 constituent survey and what she is working on at the State House. Carson, a Democrat representing Newport in House District 75, released the survey in January, inviting residents to share their […]
Posted inCity & Government
Cotter, DiPalma push to add conservation funding to state green bond
For the second time in as many election cycles, a pair of Rhode Island lawmakers are pushing to expand the state’s “green bond” to include land and open space conservation funding. Sen. Louis P. DiPalma, D-Middletown, and Rep. Megan L. Cotter, D-Exeter, introduced legislation this week that would add $17.5 million to the $50 million […]
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Newport schools superintendent discusses budget gap, retirement, and merger talks
Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain joined What’sUpNewp on Wednesday for her monthly one-on-one conversation, the first in several months after weather and scheduling conflicts forced postponements. Owner and publisher Ryan Belmore and editor Frank Prosnitz led the discussion, which covered the blizzard’s impact on the school calendar, a projected budget shortfall, the ongoing […]
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Newport School Superintendent to sit down with What’sUpNewp for live interview on March 4
Colleen Burns Jermain, Superintendent of Newport Public Schools, will join What’sUpNewp for her monthly one-on-one conversation on Wednesday, March 4, at 1:30 p.m. Watch the conversation live below, or anytime afterward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nTv-sxpA44
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Rhode Island Foundation awards $5.2 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits
The Rhode Island Foundation awarded more than $5.2 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits in 2025, helping push the organization to the best year of grant-making in its 109-year history. Among the recipients are the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County, Newport Community School, the East Bay Community Action Program, Conexion Latina Newport, […]