A Newport County man in his 70s has been diagnosed with Powassan virus, a rare tick-borne illness, the Rhode Island Department of Health announced Thursday. The man began experiencing symptoms in late July. It is the state’s second confirmed Powassan case in 2026 and the tenth since Rhode Island first reported the disease in 2016. […]
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Posted inCity & Government
Same arguments, new insults: McKee and Foulkes clash in first TV debate
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current August 13, 2026 Familiar arguments over opioids, infrastructure and who cares more about everyday Rhode Islanders dominated the first televised Democratic gubernatorial debate of the 2026 election cycle.Yet Gov. Dan McKee and his challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, still managed to infuse their usual talking points with fresh insults during […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council calls Saturday special meeting on city manager’s employment
The Newport City Council will hold a special meeting Saturday, Aug. 15, at 10 a.m. at City Hall to meet in executive session regarding City Manager Colin K. Kennedy’s employment. According to the docket released Wednesday afternoon, the council will meet in the city solicitor’s office “to discuss issues involving the City Manager’s employment with […]
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Aquidneck Resilience seeks public input on islandwide climate plan at four listening sessions
Aquidneck Resilience is inviting island residents to help shape an islandwide Climate Resilience Plan through a series of community listening sessions beginning Aug. 25. The plan is intended as a guidebook for reducing the island’s climate risks — flooding, extreme heat and cold, and severe storms that cross town lines. Aquidneck Resilience has engaged more […]
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IYRS to host international STEM clinic connecting women to marine tech careers
IYRS School of Technology & Trades will host one of two international Ocean Racing STEM Clinics on Aug. 24-25, a program aimed at drawing women into technical careers in the sailing and marine industries. The clinic is a partnership between The Magenta Project, a global initiative working to expand opportunities for women in sailing and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Dave Matthews Band coming to Providence in November, months after Newport Folk surprise
Dave Matthews Band will play the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Nov. 9 as part of a fall tour announced Tuesday, bringing the frontman back to Rhode Island less than four months after his unannounced solo appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. Matthews made his Newport Folk debut on July 26, joining Nathaniel Rateliff & Friends […]
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Rhode Island seeking paid poll workers for September primary, November general election
The Rhode Island Board of Elections is recruiting paid poll workers for the Sept. 9 primary and the Nov. 3 general election, with local boards of canvassers hiring across the state. Poll workers set up polling places, greet voters, verify registrations and issue ballots. They also help voters navigate the process by demonstrating voting equipment […]
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Newport International Boat Show expands education lineup with on-water training, new fishing village
The 55th Newport International Boat Show will offer one of its most extensive educational lineups yet when it returns to the waterfront Sept. 17-20, with programming ranging from free walk-up seminars to on-water instruction with certified captains. The Cruisers Classroom, presented by the Annapolis School of Seamanship, returns with complimentary interactive sessions running all four […]
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Bike Newport’s 10-Spot Ride returns Aug. 29 with a new finale stop
Bike Newport’s 10-Spot Ride returns Saturday, Aug. 29, for its seventh year, with riders pedaling between secret locations across the city over 5.5 hours. The event pairs ten properties with 15 chefs and restaurants and 20 live musical performances, all reached by bicycle. Participants pick their own order and route and decide how long to […]
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Today In Newport History: August 11, 1866 – First roller skating rink opens to the public in U.S.
Roller skates in the United States around 1905 James Plimpton, inventor of the modern quad roller skate, and the New York Roller Skating Association (NYRSA) leased The Atlantic House Hotel in Newport and converted the dining room into a skating area on August 11th, 1866. This was the first roller skating rink open to the public in the […]
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Raytheon, Portsmouth-based Composite Energy Technologies demonstrate new undersea drone
Raytheon and Composite Energy Technologies have successfully demonstrated the undersea launch capabilities of HADALUS, a new long-endurance unmanned undersea vehicle, the companies announced Monday. The vehicle completed a series of at-sea missions on a Navy undersea test range during a recent exercise, launching while submerged. According to Raytheon, it marks the first time the Navy […]
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79th George Washington Letter Reading set for Sunday at Old Colony House
The 79th annual reading of George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport takes place Sunday, Aug. 16, at 1 p.m. at the Old Colony House, the second consecutive year the event has been held there rather than at Touro Synagogue. Keith Stokes will read the letter. Stokes is vice chair of TSF Newport, […]
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Hundreds turn out for Newport Skatepark bash held in memory of Davey Rogers
Hundreds of skateboarders and fans filled Newport Skate Park on Saturday for the Friends of Newport Skatepark’s second annual Summer Bash, held in memory of Davey Rogers, a professional skateboarder for Beer City Skateboards who lived in Newport and died last year. The day’s message centered on mental health and the importance of taking care […]
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Newport firefighters knock down rooftop fire at Brenton Hotel
Newport firefighters responded to a rooftop fire at the Brenton Hotel on Friday night after a chiminea-style fire pit malfunctioned, closing part of America’s Cup Avenue and prompting the evacuation of the hotel. The hotel announced the reopening in a video posted online Saturday afternoon, thanking A1 Roofing & Construction for getting the space back […]
Posted inArts & Culture
newportFILM screens Newport Folk Festival documentary at Miantonomi Park on Aug. 13
Days after both the Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival sold out again this summer, newportFILM will screen a documentary about the folk festival’s most consequential years. “Newport & the Great Folk Dream” plays Thursday, Aug. 13, at Miantonomi Memorial Park, 120 Hillside Ave. The venue opens at 5 p.m., with live music from […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport lands $70,000 in latest round of Learn365RI grants
The City of Newport will receive $70,000 in the fifth round of Learn365RI grants, part of $1.629 million awarded statewide to expand afterschool, summer and out-of-school learning programs, Gov. Dan McKee and Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green announced Friday. Newport’s award is among the largest in the round, matched by Pawtucket, Cranston, Warwick, Woonsocket and Central […]
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Boating advisory issued for Narragansett Bay on August 8 for Save The Bay Swim
Boaters on Narragansett Bay should plan ahead for August 8, when a portion of the East Passage will be temporarily closed to vessel traffic for the Save The Bay Swim. The closure runs from 8 to 11 a.m. and covers the area between Gould Island and Conanicut (Jamestown), extending to the Pell Newport Bridge. Vessel […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council to weigh $11M federal grant for $23M Cliff Walk restoration
The City Council meets Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 43 Broadway, with a docket headlined by a federal grant agreement for the Cliff Walk restoration, a recommended site for the city’s public health vending machine, and a push for state action on Memorial Boulevard. Cliff Walk restoration Councilors […]
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Middletown’s Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium marks 10 years, unveils new brand
The Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium is marking its 10th anniversary with a refreshed brand identity, capping a decade in which the Middletown-based organization grew from a regional initiative into an internationally recognized consortium. UTIC brings together government, industry, academia and nonprofit partners to move undersea technologies from concept to capability more quickly. The consortium says […]
Posted inNonprofit
Edward King House director Carmela Geer stepping down after 13 years
Carmela Geer, who has led the Edward King House Senior Center since 2013, will step down as executive director on Sept. 11 to become health services coordinator for the Town of Middletown. Under Geer’s leadership, the center expanded its programs and services, earned national accreditation through the National Institute of Senior Centers, and strengthened its […]
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Appeals court says fishermen’s claim in lobster defamation suit raises First Amendment questions
SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — A federal appeals court signaled that it might not allow a lawsuit brought by fishing industry businesses and trade groups against a California aquarium to proceed because of the case’s potential impact on free speech. The New England-based plaintiffs sued the Monterey Bay Aquarium for defamation after the aquarium’s Seafood Watch conservation program […]
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Newport police identify second suspect in July 19 double shooting
Newport Police have identified a second suspect in the July 19 double shooting near Park Holm and have obtained an arrest warrant for him, the department announced Wednesday. Nasydi Brown, 18, was located at the same Chestnut Avenue residence in Newport News, Va., where members of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force […]
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MLK Community Center, Four Hearts Foundation host back-to-school clothing drive and giveaway
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center and the Four Hearts Foundation are teaming up for a back-to-school kids’ clothing drive and giveaway, collecting gently worn clothing for children of all ages in Newport County. The Four Hearts Foundation will host the donation portion Sunday, Aug. 9, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the […]
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Biking to Newport Folk and Jazz festivals hits record numbers across all six days in 2026
Cycling to the sold-out Newport Folk and Jazz festivals reached new highs across all six days of this year’s events, with Newport Jazz Festival seeing its most dramatic surge yet — up 34% over 2025 and 70% over 2024, according to Bike Newport. Combined totals for the two weekends: 5,144 bikes over Folk Fest (Friday […]
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Newport Hospital’s Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center ranked No. 1 in Rhode Island by U.S. News & World Report
The Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center at Newport Hospital has been named the top rehabilitation center in Rhode Island and the Providence metro area in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Hospitals rankings, released today. The ranking places the Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center among the top 27 percent of rehabilitation centers in the nation. Rankings are based […]