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 […]
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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 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
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; […]
Posted inThings To Do
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 […]
Posted inBusiness
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 […]
Posted inInstagram
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, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Sprawling investigation finds decades of sexual abuse among Catholic priests in Rhode Island
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Catholic priests in Rhode Island preyed on hundreds of children for decades, and were protected by bishops more concerned with the church’s reputation than the victims, according to a new report on clergy sexual abuse that echoes findings elsewhere. The report, released Wednesday by Attorney General Peter […]
Posted inNews
Tiverton holds off Coventry 47-45 in girls basketball semifinal thriller
Jah’niece Branch scored a key late basket and Beatrice Pimentel converted six clutch free throws in the fourth quarter as the Tiverton Tigers held off Coventry 47-45 in a girls basketball semifinal Tuesday night at Tiverton High School. Branch, who finished with a game-high 15 points, delivered the decisive blow late in the fourth quarter […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Newport Burger Bender breaks record with 60 restaurants, 7,000 burgers sold
The 9th Annual Newport Burger Bender broke a record for the second consecutive year, with 60 restaurants participating and more than 7,000 burgers sold across Newport and Bristol counties during the 10-day event held Feb. 13-22. This year’s contest featured the most participating restaurants in the event’s history, including 10 first-time entrants. Organizers say the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jane Pickens Theater celebrates Irish culture all month long with concerts, film and dance
The Jane Pickens Theater is marking the St. Patrick’s Day season with a month of Irish music, film and dance, including live concerts, a family-friendly animated film and a cult-classic horror screening. The festivities kick off Friday, March 13, with a concert by Turas, a traditional Irish band whose name means “journey” in Irish. The […]
Posted inNews
Rhode Island conserves 70 acres at Gull Cove in Portsmouth using oil spill settlement funds
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has conserved 70 acres of coastal land at Gull Cove in Portsmouth, using $880,000 in funding from the Bouchard B-120 oil spill settlement. The property includes significant salt marsh habitat and coastal uplands along the northwestern shoreline of Gull Cove, an intertidal estuary adjacent to the Sakonnet River. […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Multiple law enforcement agencies to target impaired drivers during Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Local and state law enforcement agencies across Aquidneck Island and South County will join forces March 14 for a high-visibility impaired driving enforcement campaign coinciding with the 70th Annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade steps off at 11 a.m. from Newport City Hall, running through Washington Square, down Thames Street and ending at […]
Posted inCity & Government
Lieutenant governor’s race expands as Khamsyvoravong kicks off campaign
by Alexander Castro, Rhode Island CurrentMarch 2, 2026 Newport City Councilor and former mayor Xaykham “Xay” Khamsyvoravong joined a group of seasoned health care workers for breakfast at the IHOP near the East Providence–Seekonk, Massachusetts, line Monday morning. Over plates of scrambled eggs and tiny bowls of fruit cocktail, the group was to discuss the […]
Posted inCity & Government
Xay Khamsyvoravong enters Rhode Island lieutenant governor’s race
Former Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong entered the race for Rhode Island lieutenant governor Monday, becoming the latest Democrat to join a crowded primary field ahead of the state’s Sept. 8 primary. Khamsyvoravong, the son of a Laotian refugee and a Providence pediatrician, framed his campaign around economic anxiety and what he called government’s failure to […]
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Blizzard recovery Day 6: Newport lifts parking ban, announces return to normalcy Monday; schools confirmed to reopen
Newport is “just about approaching normalcy,” the city announced Sunday evening, lifting the parking ban, confirming City Hall reopens Monday with regular hours, and announcing trash collection will return to a normal schedule. The parking ban — in effect since Sunday, February 22 — has been lifted, though the city said temporary restrictions may still […]
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Blizzard recovery Day 5: RIDOT deploys industrial snow blower to Newport; crews target Historic Hill, Hillside, Broadway Saturday
Newport’s 24/7 Rapid Snow Removal operation is getting reinforcements Saturday: the Rhode Island Department of Transportation is deploying an industrial snow blower to help clear streets ahead of Monday’s reopening of schools and City Hall. The city said the high-powered snow blower and accompanying dump trucks are expected to immediately expand the city’s ability to […]