News

Now in its 7th year, Project ReGive has donated more than 9,000 presents to local families in need. The program is currently collecting new (not used) unwanted or duplicate holiday gifts to be donated to local charities. This year’s recipients are the Women’s Resource Center, Lucy’s Hearth, and the Newport Community School.  Matt Hadfield, Middletown […]

The City of Newport announced via a press release today that they are mailing fiscal year 2021 (July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021) Motor Vehicle Tax bills on December 28, 2020.  Taxpayers will be able to pay their annual taxes in four payments prior to June 30, 2021.  The payment due dates are January […]

Press Release provided by HopeHealth A recent gift from the Champlin Foundation will make it possible for HopeHealth to modernize the two elevators at the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center as part of a major expansion and renovation that began last July. The $270,000 grant will cover the cost of completely rebuilding the pair of elevators […]

BankNewport today announced that it has awarded $130,000 in grants to community organizations throughout Rhode Island.  Twenty-five organizations that provide services related to food insecurity, mental health, distance learning, minority-owned small business, and underserved populations received the funding. “We are humbled to have the opportunity to provide these proactive grants to 25 incredible organizations,” said […]

John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, will join What’s Up Newp at 1 pm on Tuesday, December 29 to offer his look back on 2020 and look ahead to 2021. Common Cause Rhode Island is a nonpartisan organization that promotes representative democracy by ensuring open, ethical, accountable, effective government processes at local, […]

Given that our nation’s short-timer president insists his successor is illegitimate, it was no surprise that Russia’s Vladimir Putin sent Joe Biden a congratulatory telegram while Trump has yet to admit defeat. But Putin’s message did involve something unexpected: In our cyberspace age of instant communication, a telegram? Yes, that’s the case. And if you thought, […]

While Gov. Gina Raimondo was touting how well Rhode Islanders had done during the two-week “pause,” the AARP was painting a more ominous picture, reporting an alarming post-Thanksgiving spike in COVID – 19 cases and deaths at the state’s long-term care facilities. Additionally, the AARP was urging the governor to rollback an executive order that […]

National Grid in a press release today said that it is preparing for a powerful storm that will arrive in New England this evening and continue through tomorrow, Christmas Day. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds and could lead to a multi-day power restoration event. At the storm’s peak, winds […]

The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) today announced that it is preparing for a significant storm expected to impact the state with high wind and rain starting late Christmas Eve until about noon on Christmas Day. According to RIEMA, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boston has advised a High Wind Warning for Rhode […]

By Bari Freeman, Executive Director of Bike Newport 2020 started like any other year, and then: BOOM! Covid-19 hit. The Bike Newport team didn’t see it coming, no one did, but the staff is responsive by nature — they shifted into gear and held the road because that’s how Bike Newport rolls. Bikes are a […]

As first responders combat an all-time peak number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Rhode Island, Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI) shares the news that an inspired donor has stepped forward with a gift of $5000 to provide holiday meals to 200 health workers on the front lines. This week, the donor, FSRI’s Board Chair John […]

Andrea Cantora, University of Baltimore When Congress decided in 1994 to ban federal student aid for people behind bars, it was part of a wider political agenda to “get tough on crime” – even though crime rates had begun to fall in the 1990s. The number of people behind bars grew, but, without access to […]

 Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL) and the Rhode Island Foundation have teamed up to distribute $100,000 in OSJL gift cards to social service agencies throughout the state this holiday season. “COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our nation, with the greatest impact being on our already vulnerable populations,” said Marc Perlman, co-founder and CEO, Ocean State […]