City & Government

For a kid, summer should be a time for fun, for sports and camps, for swimming and family barbeques, for family vacations and carefree afternoons. But for many children in Rhode Island and across this nation, summertime, and with it the end of school lunch programs, is instead a time of hunger. Consider a third […]

On Wednesday, May 23, 2018,  from 9:00-10:00 AM there will be an assembly in the Patrick F. Carroll Auditorium at the William S. Rogers High School for all students in the 10th and 12th grades. An alcohol awareness program called Taylor’s Message and the presenter, Kathi Meyer, tells the story of her daughter who died as […]

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) has provided the following construction report and travel advisory for the Sakonnet River Bridge. As announced in March, RITBA has started concrete repairs to bridge parapets, while ongoing demolition of the old Sakonnet River Bridge is underway with RIDOT.As part of this project, starting Monday, May 21st through Friday, May […]

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) recently announced the 2018 grant recipients for its Outdoor Recreation Grant program funded from the voter approved Green Economy and Clean Water Bond.  Of the 40 statewide applications that were submitted to RIDEM, a total of 19 grants were awarded to 15 communities. The City of Newport […]

With SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week in full swing and the Trump administration proposing harsher penalties for drug offenders, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the States with the Biggest Drug Problems in 2018 to highlight the areas that stand to be most affected. This study compares the 50 states and the District in terms […]

The Providence to Newport Ferry will resume on May 25, according to Seastreak’s customer service department. A customer service representative said the company just received approval this week from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. He said he expects the company to post its schedule within a few days. Last year, the company did not […]

A Public Forum presented by the One Newport NPS Strategic Plan Subcommittee And Alliance for Livable Newport (ALN) highlighting the student experience within Rogers High School and Thompson Middle School was held at Claiborne Pell Elementary School on May 1st. At “Students of Newport Public Schools Speak Out”, Thompson and Rogers School students talked about their […]

The Newport Police Department announced on Friday morning that they have arrested a 21-year-old Middletown man who was wanted in connection to a shooting at Festival Field in April. On April 24, 2018 at 7:55 pm, Newport Police responded to the Festival Field apartment complex at 90 Girard Avenue for a report of an individual who […]

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced today that three state beaches in South County will be open weekends from 9 am to 6 pm starting on Saturday, May 12. Scarborough North, Roger Wheeler, and Misquamicut state beaches will be open Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, from May 12 until Memorial Day to accommodate early beach-goers […]

Two bills introduced by Senator Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) would help lighten the regulatory burden on entrepreneurs and make the American Dream more achievable. One of the bills would exempt natural hair braiders from having to be licensed as hairdressers or cosmeticians. The other would address Rhode Island’s complex, confusing and costly web […]

Lingering trash and litter are visible public health and social problems caused by the behavior of people around the world.  Thankfully, this behavior has shifted since the 1960’s when it was not a social taboo to litter to now where it not only crosses the social norm line, but it is also considered an unethical […]

Dozens of individuals and political committees, among them some sitting office holders, owe millions of dollars to the state Board of Elections for failing to file on time campaign finance reports, or not filing the reports at all, with little consequences. Gov. Gina Raimondo is once again championing legislation that would change that, while also […]

Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport), House Finance Committee Chairman Marvin L. Abney (D-Dist. 73, Newport, Middletown) and Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) will join Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-Dist. 1, R.I.) Saturday on a tour of retail businesses in Newport. The tour, arranged by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, will begin Saturday, May […]

Stephanie Calise, a Bristol resident, announced on Tuesday that she will run as a Republican in the upcoming Senate District 11 (Bristol, Tiverton, Portsmouth) race. Calise will run against Senator James Seveney, a Democrat in November. Stephanie Calise will officially announce her candidacy for State Senate on Friday, May 4th at 12:30 pm at the […]

The biggest news in the gubernatorial race has not just been the financials, but how many people are running for the seat, the decision by former Democratic Secretary of State to switch from running for governor as an independent to running in the Democratic primary, and what the candidates have had to say. Frank Prosnitz and […]

(This story was updated following our radio interview with Senator Euer) Senator Dawn Euer announced today that she is running for re-election to the state senate in District 13, representing Newport and Jamestown. Her re-election announcement comes only one year after her campaign kick-off for last year’s special election to fill the unexpired term of […]

(This story has been updated from an earlier version, reflecting campaign contributions posted on the state Board of Elections website on  May 1) Raising some $1.3 million during the first quarter of 2018, Gov. Gina Raimondo’s campaign war chest now exceeds $4.3 million. During the quarter, according to her campaign finance report filed late this […]

The Portsmouth Prevention Coalition and the Newport County Prevention Coalition will host “A Community Conversation on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment” with Governor Gina Raimondo, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, and others in the Town Council Chambers at Portsmouth Town Hall on Saturday, May 5th from 11:30 am to 1 pm. “This will be a conversation with […]

With just a couple of days before the latest campaign finance filings, covering the first quarter of 2018, little has changed, with Gov. Gina Raimondo well-financed, while candidates jockey for position in what’s a crowded gubernatorial field. Meanwhile, a look at a number of leading legislators and local leaders can raise considerable speculation, from the […]

On Monday, April 30, 2018, National Grid Gas will continue completing the final restoration of the concrete roadway on Bellevue Ave from prior repairs. Work will be on Bellevue Ave at the intersection of Dixon St/Parker Ave, in both the northbound and southbound lanes, completing five concrete panels at this location. The work includes the […]

Blink your eyes and what you saw before is bound to change – at least when it comes to politics in Rhode Island. Candidates in what is a crowded gubernatorial field continue to jockey for position. Former Secretary of State Matt Brown, who was initially considering a run for governor as an independent, has indicated […]

Following a story that we published this morning explaining what those yarn-wrapped parking meters meant, What’sUpNewp learned that that yarnbombs were removed from all seventeen of the meters in Washington Square throughout the day on Thursday. The yarn display, called yarnbombs, and the notes tied to them are meant to raise awareness for Lyme Disease. Which […]

Former Secretary of State Matt Brown has announced today he’s running for Governor of RI as a…Democrat. Former Governor Lincoln Chaffee announced today he’s 90% sure he’s running against Sheldon Whitehouse for Senate. Meanwhile…Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian is reportedly on the move, Republicans are calling for Speaker Mattiello’s resignation, and locally folks are starting to […]

As part of a continued focus on supporting healthy communities and promoting outdoor recreation, the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today awarded $3 million in matching grants to 15 local municipalities to develop or renovate recreational facilities in their communities. The grants will fund 19 projects across the state, including new basketball, pickleball, and multi-sport courts; […]