The Aquidneck Island Land Trust will host a free public lecture on island-wide climate resilience on Tuesday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the DiStefano Lecture Hall at Salve Regina University, 56 Lawrence Ave. in Newport. The talk, titled “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Collaborating to Build a Resilient Aquidneck Island,” will be given by […]
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MLK Community Center announces lineup for ‘Live from the Loading Dock — Parkside’ summer concert series
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center has announced the lineup for its annual “Live from the Loading Dock — Parkside” summer concert series, which begins Wednesday, June 17. The free, family-friendly concerts will be held on the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Pocket Park across from […]
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People’s Credit Union donates $5,000 to Good Dad Gang charity golf tournament
People’s Credit Union has donated $5,000 as the lead sponsor of the Good Dad Gang’s annual charity golf tournament, the credit union announced. The Good Dad Gang x Sean Foley Invitational will be held July 28 at Fall River Country Club in Massachusetts. PGA golf instructor Sean Foley will serve as the special guest and […]
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MLK Community Center opens North End Food Pantry to expand food access in Newport
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center has opened the North End Food Pantry, a satellite location bringing its food pantry and Produce to the People programs to Newport’s North End neighborhood, the center announced. The new pantry, located in a modular building at 120 Hillside Ave. next to Miantonomi Park, brings the center’s […]
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MLK Community Center to host free Juneteenth 3-on-3 basketball tournament and barbecue June 19
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center will host its second annual Juneteenth 3-on-3 basketball tournament and backyard barbecue on Friday, June 19, from noon to 3 p.m., the center announced. The free event is open to teams of four players in grades 5 through 12, with 128 youth players expected. Organizers said the […]
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$6.5 million Jamestown waterfront home sale marks highest in town this year
A waterfront home at 10 Coulter St. in Jamestown known as “Bridge View” has sold for $6.5 million, marking the town’s highest sale of 2026 to date, according to data from the Rhode Island Statewide Multiple Listing Service cited by the two brokerages involved. Bob Bailey of Lila Delman Compass represented the sellers, and Alexandra […]
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Congressman Amo, school superintendent to join welcome for Saturday’s Elliot’s Ride for Everyone
U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo and Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Jermain will join Mayor Charlie Holder and safe cycling advocate Renee Kaminitz to welcome participants to Elliot’s Ride for Everyone on Saturday, June 6, organizers announced. The welcome will begin at 8:45 a.m. in front of Rogers High School on Wickham Road, where light refreshments, […]
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Gov. McKee signs proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month in Rhode Island
Gov. Dan McKee signed a proclamation Tuesday recognizing June as Pride Month in Rhode Island. “By proclaiming June as Pride Month, Rhode Island has the chance to honor the contributions and recognize the resilience of the LGBTQ+ individuals throughout the Ocean State,” McKee said in a statement. “Rhode Island is a state built on love, […]
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Edward King House Senior Center to honor 2026 ‘Champions for Seniors’ at June 17 luncheon
The Edward King House Senior Center has announced the recipients of its 2026 Champions for Seniors Awards, which honor people and organizations for their work with older adults in Newport County. The honorees will be recognized at the center’s annual Mayor’s Luncheon on Wednesday, June 17, at noon at the Wyndham Newport Hotel, 240 Aquidneck […]
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Tiverton and Jamestown receive $950,000 for no-interest septic system loans to homeowners
The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank has closed on two loans totaling $950,000 to the towns of Tiverton and Jamestown that will allow both communities to offer no-interest loans to homeowners for repairing or replacing failing septic systems and cesspools. Tiverton will receive $450,000 and Jamestown $500,000 through the bank’s Community Septic System Loan Program, the […]
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Mayor Holder proclaims July 11-12 ‘Newport Kite Festival Days’ to mark 40th anniversary
Newport Mayor Charles M. Holder has proclaimed July 11 and 12 “Newport Kite Festival Days” in recognition of the Newport Kite Festival’s 40th anniversary, organizers announced. The festival, founded in 1986, is held annually at Brenton Point State Park and is free to the public. According to the proclamation, the event draws an estimated 20,000 […]
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Rhode Island Foundation invites Newport County residents to free community dinner June 2
The Rhode Island Foundation is inviting Newport County residents to share their thoughts about the issues that matter most to them at a free community dinner on Tuesday, June 2. The event will be held at Innovate Newport, 513 Broadway, from 5 to 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public, but seating […]
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Meteor as heavy as an elephant causes widespread speculation across New England
By HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press When the double boom rang out in New England over the weekend, shaking homes and sending pets fleeing, questions started flooding social media. “Did anyone else hear that boom?” “Anyone feel that?” NASA let people know over the weekend that the cause of the commotion was a meteor, but on Monday they […]
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Roger Williams University names Brian G. Williams interim president
Roger Williams University has named Brian G. Williams as its interim president, with the longtime administrator stepping into the role Monday to lead the institution through the coming academic year. Williams succeeds President Ioannis N. Miaoulis, who is retiring after seven years at the university. As interim president, Williams will work to advance strategic priorities […]
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RIDOH recommends reopening swimming area at Easton’s Beach
This story was originally published at 5:01 p.m. on May 29. It has been updated with news of the reopening. The Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending that the swimming area at Easton’s Beach reopen after bacteria counts returned to safe levels, the agency said Monday. The recommendation reverses a closure issued late last […]
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Thompson Middle School wins top award at RI Civics Day
Students from Newport’s Thompson Middle School won the top middle school project award at Rhode Island Civics Day, held last week at the State House. The students earned the honor for a community-based civics project titled “Revitalizing Space for Family Friendly Activity Center,” according to Generation Citizen New England, which hosted the event. Generation Citizen, […]
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Senate approves Euer bill to protect contraceptive coverage in Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Senate on Friday approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Dawn Euer that would require insurers to keep covering contraception in the state even if the coverage requirements in the Affordable Care Act are overturned. Euer, D-Newport, said the need for the bill has grown over the years she has introduced it. “When I […]
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Senate approves DiPalma bill to study statewide teacher healthcare plan
The Rhode Island Senate on Friday approved legislation introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis P. DiPalma that would create a commission to study establishing a statewide healthcare plan for public school teachers. DiPalma, D-Middletown, Little Compton, Newport and Tiverton, said the state’s teacher recruitment and retention problems are harming students, families and communities, and […]
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Middletown-based UTIC expands undersea workforce training through sonar course partnership
More than 100 employees from member companies of the Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium recently completed a sonar training course offered through a partnership with the University of Rhode Island and RTX, the consortium announced. The partnership, aimed at strengthening the defense technology workforce, let UTIC members take the Principles of Sonar, Underwater Sound, and Undersea […]
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McKee issues statewide drought advisory, urges voluntary water conservation
Gov. Daniel J. McKee issued a statewide drought advisory Thursday on the recommendation of the state’s Drought Steering Committee. The committee found that three scientific indices — precipitation, groundwater and stream flow levels — met the drought advisory criteria across most of Rhode Island. Its recommendation was informed by precipitation deficits dating to November 2025, […]
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RI to distribute nearly 7,000 food benefit cards to eligible seniors starting June 1
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management will distribute nearly 7,000 benefit cards to eligible seniors this summer to buy fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables and local honey, the agency announced. Through DEM’s Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, cards preloaded with $50 will be available beginning June 1 at more than 50 senior centers […]
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Ceglie announces re-election bid for Newport City Council Ward 2 seat
Lynn Underwood Ceglie has announced she is running for re-election to the Newport City Council in 2026, seeking another term representing the city’s Second Ward. Ceglie, who has served on the council for 12 years, said her decision to run again is rooted in a commitment to providing experienced, common-sense leadership and continuing to address […]
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Newport Juneteenth celebration to mark fourth year at Fort Adams with RI 250 theme
The fourth annual Newport Juneteenth celebration will be held Saturday, June 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fort Adams State Park, organizers announced. The event, presented by Rhode Island Slave History Medallions, will mark Juneteenth with a Rhode Island 250th anniversary theme this year and will be expanded to celebrate the history of […]
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Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain talks budget, restructuring, and her final weeks in monthly chat
Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain joined What’sUpNewp owner and publisher Ryan Belmore and editor Frank Prosnitz on Wednesday afternoon for her penultimate monthly conversation before her June 30 retirement — a wide-ranging discussion dominated by the district’s deepening budget crisis, possible facility restructuring, and personnel changes at the top of Rogers High School. […]