News

Historic preservation pays dividends for Rhode Island’s economy, its environment and its quality of life, according to a statewide study commissioned by The Preservation Society of Newport County and Preserve Rhode Island.  The report by nationally-recognized economist Donovan Rypkema of PlaceEconomics is the first to analyze Rhode Island’s preservation sector on four main themes: Heritage […]

Julie Marron, writer and director of Four Games In Fall, joined me on the first half of What’sUpNewp Radio Edition on WADK 1540AM today at 1 pm! Four Games in Fall, a social documentary with a twist, will appear on the big screen at Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center on March 21st. {March 20th update:  Due to the forecasted snowstorm, […]

The Volvo Ocean Race returns to Newport this May, here’s the latest race update from Volvo Ocean Race headquarters. The seven teams were level with the southern tip of New Zealand on Tuesday, having knocked off more than 1,000 miles since leaving Auckland on Sunday. Throughout the fleet, reports were of a marked change in air and […]

Vlad Tenenbaum joined me in the studio to chat about an event he is hosting on Thursday, March 22 at the Firehouse Theater to celebrate Marcel Marceau’s 95th birthday. Obviously, Marcel is no longer living, but Vlad was a former student of his and watched him perform for over 20 years. At the event on […]

A community cleanup to prepare Fort Adams State Park for the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race is planned as a collaborative effort between two local non-profit environmental groups, Clean Ocean Access (“COA”) and Aquidneck Land Trust (“ALT”). The event, to be held Sunday, April 8, 2018, from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, is sponsored by The […]

An intense start saw the seven-boat fleet – back up to full complement with the return of Vestas 11th Hour Racing – sail straight into a 30-knot easterly just hours after the leg start on Sunday. Monday has brought little let-up with winds hovering around 25 knots producing similar boat speeds as the teams charge deeper into the […]

Newport resident Tommy Sheehan announced the formation of a new neighborhood association, the Hi-Lo Neighborhood Association. For years, the residents of Donovan Manor were fortunate to have social worker Millie Feeney help organize events and activities through the Newport Housing Authority. However, Ms. Feeney recently retired and so the residents stepped up to form the […]

It was a spectacular start to Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Sundayafternoon, as the fleet left Auckland in perfect conditions. The sun was out, the wind was near 20 knots, and as they have for 10 stopovers, the Auckland fans took to the water by the thousands to farewell the fleet. It wasn’t […]

On March 5, 2018, members of the Greenlove Foundation were present at the Aquidneck Elementary School assembly for the 11th dedication ceremony of a water bottle filling station in memory of environmental science student, Kendra L Bowers, who was known as the “green police” to her family and friends. A group of creative and energetic […]

Seven Volvo Ocean Race teams will embark on one of the most classic legs in offshore racing on Sunday afternoon from Auckland, New Zealand. Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race is an iconic Southern Ocean challenge; a 7,600 nautical mile race through “Furious Fifties”, the inhospitable, remote waters south of 50-degrees latitude that circle Antarctica, around […]

The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) Board of Directors has announced the appointment of John F. Shea as Executive Director. John Shea brings expertise in a wide array of policy areas, non-profit management and addressing concerns at a regional-scale. An executive search committee, chaired by board Director Sara Churgin, conducted a national search following the […]

Aquidneck Land Trust (“ALT”) announced on Wednesday that they are now accepting applications for grants from the Merritt Neighborhood Fund, which supports the preservation of small parks, community gardens, and other natural spaces on Aquidneck Island. Established in 1999 to honor the late Peter M. Merritt, the organization’s president emeritus, the Fund supports projects that […]

Child & Family seeks volunteers for its “Friendly Visitors” program, an outreach to senior residents in need who live in Newport County.  The goal of the program is to provide homebound seniors opportunities for socialization and companionship. Volunteers and elders enrolled in the program will be pre-screened for compatibility, such as having similar vocations or […]

A blizzard occurred today at several locations across southeastern  New England, according to the National Weather Service. A preliminary summary of Blizzard Conditions from the National Weather Service this afternoon announced blizzard criteria were met in Newport starting at 8:50 am. The definition of a blizzard is that falling and/or blowing snow reduced visibility to below […]

Newport and most of Rhode Island will see 12″+ of total snow accumulation on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. For the latest cancellations, delays, and parking bans, visit Weather-Related Cancellations, Closures, Delays and Parking Bans. The latest National Weather Service forecast for the Newport area is as follows (last update 6:53 pm); Tonight Snow […]

Ray Gomes, Vice Chairperson of the Newport School Committee, and Dave Hanos, Chairperson of the Newport School Committee, joined me today on What’sUpNewp Radio Edition on AM 1540 WADK to discuss the confusion behind the scheduling of Parent-Teacher Conferences and more. During the program, it was, in fact, confirmed that the Teachers’ Association of Newport […]

Dongfeng Race Team showed great concentration and resilience in winning the New Zealand Herald In Port Race in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday. Conditions were extremely light, shifty and patchy on the Waitematā Harbour, making for plenty of lead changes over the course of the one hour race. Team AkzoNobel finished in second place, while early […]

With Saturday as the official EFC North Grand Opening launch, EFC Newport’s new staff is working tirelessly to prepare for a successful and celebratory event. Pastor Paul Hoffman broke away from the busyness to join WUN’s Ryan Belmore on What’s Up Newp Radio Edition on WADK 1540AM today to chat about EFC North and more.

The total funded program of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport reached $1.17 billion in 2017, according to a new report issued by NUWC Division Newport Public Affairs. Of its total operating budget, $909.8 million was spent by NUWC Newport in payroll, construction, facility support, and local contracts. The command is the largest federal […]

“There are no unwanted children, just unfound families.” – Unknown Angela McCalla, a Foster Care recruiter for Child & Family, joined me today on the radio to speak about foster care in Rhode Island, RI Foster Parent Recruitment Weekend, and how you can provide hope and love in a child’s life. Pete Weiss also stopped by […]

John Marion, Executive Director of Common Cause in Rhode Island, joined me on The Open Forum on AM 1540 WADK to discuss important voting and ethics issues before the General Assembly, and issues of transparency at the local level. Specifically, he talks about bills that would allow for early voting, require independent redistricting, and reforming the […]

The Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 has added 96.2 million euros to the Spanish Gross Domestic Product (GDP), an increase of 7.6% over the 2014-15 edition. The race also generated the equivalent of 1,700 full time jobs in Spain, according to an economic impact study delivered by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) measuring the impact of the Volvo Ocean […]

The Volvo Ocean Race celebrated 45 years of women in the race with a landmark event in Auckland on International Women’s Day. The event, organised by the Magenta Project, and supported by Volvo Ocean Race supplier GAC Pindar, saw iconic females from across the decades take to the stage to reflect on their experiences in […]

Kelly Nevins, Executive Director of The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, will join Frank and me today on What’sUpNewp Radio Edition on WADK 1540AM to discuss disparities, solutions, Women’s History Month,  and the efforts underway to ensure economic security for low-income women and their families across the country. The mission of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island is to invest in women […]

Aquidneck Land Trust (“ALT”) recently announced the launch of Farmlink Aquidneck, an online resource for Rhode Island farmers. Created to address concerns specific to local farmers, Farmlink Aquidneck provides information on topics such as farm support organizations, workshops, succession and business planning, and professional references. “ALT has always been committed to preserving farmland and supporting […]