Back in 1943, in the middle of World War II, British intelligence agents engineered a diversion to convince German intelligence organizations that an Allied landing was planned for Greece and Sardinia, when the actual landing would happen in Sicily. The diversion, code-named Operation Mincemeat, was successful. More than half a century later, it was the […]
People & Profiles
Posted inArts & Culture
Tony Estrella takes the stage alone in “The Smuggler,” directed by the man who wrote it
Tony Estrella has spent “most of my summer” working on the script of “The Smuggler,” the one-man show that will open The Gamm Theatre’s new season. “I try to start (the rehearsal process) with as much in my brain as possible.” Written and directed by Ronán Noone, “The Smuggler” features bartender Tim Finnegan, newly arrived […]
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A Language of Its Own: Celebrating Rhode Island’s deaf community
About 11 million people in the United States (or 3.6% of the population) consider themselves Deaf or have serious difficulty hearing, according to data from the National Deaf Center. A similar percentage of Americans consider American Sign Language (ASL) as their native language. ASL is taught in about 1,000 public schools nationally as an elective […]
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Naval War College Foundation to honor former Chief of Navy Reserve John Mustin
The Naval War College Foundation will present its highest honor, the Sentinel of the Sea Award, to retired Vice Adm. John Mustin at a gala Thursday, Nov. 5, at the New York Yacht Club in New York City. Mustin served 34 years in the Navy, joining the Navy Reserve in 2001 and supporting operations in […]
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Preservation Society names Nick Kepley communications manager
Nick Kepley has joined the Preservation Society of Newport County as communications manager, leading marketing communications across the organization and serving as its primary media contact. Kepley, a Providence resident, comes from Jacob’s Pillow, the dance festival in western Massachusetts, where he was director of marketing and communications. There he built a public relations strategy […]
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People’s Credit Union names Justin Lombardo head of Middletown branch
People’s Credit Union has promoted Justin Lombardo to head of its Middletown branch, where he will oversee daily operations and branch leadership. He reports to Deb Maxwell, head of area branches. Lombardo joined the credit union in March as head of member branch operations at the Portsmouth branch. He previously spent nearly two decades in […]
Posted inArts & Culture
From Houston to Matunuck: Jordan Okeke is having the summer of his life at Theatre by the Sea
Jordan Okeke has been a very lucky actor. He started working professionally while he was still in college. “I worked every summer,” said Okeke recently. “My university allowed you to work while you were still in school.” Okeke, who studied musical theater at Sam Houston State University, has spent his summer at Theatre by the […]
Posted inHistory
This Day in RI History: July 13, 1948 – US Congressman and Bryant University President Ron Machtley is born
On July 13, 1948, former US Congressman and later Bryant University President Ron Machtley was born in Johnston, PA. Machtley attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy from 1970-1975. After his service he received his Juris Doctoris from Suffolk UNiversoty Law School in Boston. Machtley ran for the U.S. House of Representatives […]
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For actor Alex LeBlanc, a summer of ‘Grease’ and ‘Titanic’ at Theatre by the Sea
Alex LeBlanc is excited to spend a chunk of his summer at Theatre by the Sea. The 24-year-old East Greenwich actor is appearing both in “Grease” and “Titanic.” “This is my first time (at Theatre by the Sea) as an adult,” said LeBlanc in our recent interview. “I did ‘Mary Poppins’ here in 2014. I […]
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Bike Newport names Tuni Schartner director of partnerships and philanthropy
Bike Newport has named Tuni Schartner as its new director of partnerships and philanthropy. Schartner brings more than three decades of experience in community building, strategic partnerships, fundraising and organizational growth across Rhode Island’s nonprofit, entrepreneurial, economic development and civic sectors. In her new role, she will lead the organization’s efforts to strengthen philanthropic support, […]
Posted inColumns
The wisdom we carry: Celebrating the voices of older adults by listening to their lived experiences
“I want to live in a world where we aren’t focused on what aging takes away from us, but rather what it gives to us,” Helen Hames, founder of Age Ambassador and a regular contributor to What’s Up Newp, told a standing-room-only, multi-generational audience last week. “As I began listening more deeply to the older […]
Posted inPeople & Profiles
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. […]
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This Day in RI History: May 25, 1725 -Colonial Governor Samuel Ward born in Newport
Samuel Ward was an American farmer, politician, Supreme Court Justice, Governor of Rhode Island and a delegate to the Continental Congress. Born in Newport, he was the son of Rhode Island Governor Richard Ward. Ward got his start in politics as a delegate from Westerly and was elected Governor in 1758. He was defeated by […]
Posted inBusiness
More than Storage: How Middletown Self Storage is keeping it in the family, and giving back to the community that built them
If you’ve driven down Valley Road or past Aquidneck Avenue lately, you’ve passed by one of Aquidneck Island’s quietly essential local businesses. Middletown Self Storage has two facilities, nearly 1,700 units, and nearly two decades of community roots. Last week, I had the privilege of sitting down with Hannah Snow, Chief Operating Officer, and Mackenzie […]
Posted inArts & Culture
For “The Lion King’s” Rafiki, a role in five languages and counting
Zama Magudulela had to think for a minute before declaring, “I’m the only one.” Magudulela is on tour as Rafiki, the mandrill shaman in “The Lion King,” the Disneymusical opening this week at the Providence Performing Arts Center. “Out of all theRafikis in the world,” she said in a recent interview, “I’m the first one […]
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Portsmouth resident J.J. Silvia III appointed as new BankNewport corporator
Portsmouth resident John JB “J.J.” Silvia III has been appointed as a new BankNewport corporator, OceanPoint Financial Partners announced. The appointment was made at OceanPoint Financial Partners’ annual meeting on April 20. Corporators serve as community ambassadors for the mutual community bank, helping represent the communities BankNewport serves. “BankNewport’s strength has always come from its […]
Posted inCity & Government
RI Secretary of State Gregg Amore calls mid-cycle gerrymandering “a race to the bottom”
“This is a race to the bottom … not good for American Democracy.” — Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, commenting on the mid-cycle gerrymandering that’s gripping the nation. Amore in a wide ranging interview discusses the impact of gerrymandering, the federal government’s attempt to seize voter information, and, in what will be an […]
Posted inColumns
Raised in the Light: Celebrating Single Mothers and Grandmothers this Mother’s Day
Maya Angelou once wrote, “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane it its perfect power.” Talk about a powerful woman raising a powerful daughter! But it was actually Maya’s paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson, that mostly raised Maya and her brother Bailey in Stamps, Arkansas after their parents’ divorce. In fact, it […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Carol Montgomery built ‘Funny Women of a Certain Age’ to give older female comics a stage — and the laughs haven’t stopped since
Carol Montgomery was sitting in a podcast with three older female comics. “I honestly don’t remember” their names, she said recently. “I’m 68 years old. I can barely remember my own name.” She does remember it was very funny. “It was done in the basement of someone’s house. She had food. We were eating and […]
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‘Kimberly Akimbo’ star Ann Morrison on playing a teenager at 70: ‘I’m just an actor who’s having fun’
When I spoke with Ann Morrison, who’s starring in “Kimberly Akimbo” that’s coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center on May 5, she was celebrating her 70th birthday. “I feel like a 16-year-old,” she said, “but my 70-year-old body is lagging. I remember when my dad was 88, he sat down in his chair and […]
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Cynthia Nixon to discuss ‘The Gilded Age’ and her career at An Evening with Cynthia Nixon at The Breakers on April 26
Cynthia Nixon, the Emmy, Tony and Grammy award-winning actor known for her roles in HBO’s “The Gilded Age” and “Sex and the City,” will appear in conversation at The Breakers on Sunday, April 26, in an event hosted by the Preservation Society of Newport County. The evening will feature Nixon discussing her portrayal of Ada […]
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Boys Town New England names Marcy Shyllon as executive director
Boys Town New England has named Marcy Shyllon as its executive director, the organization announced Monday, formalizing her leadership after a successful stint as interim director. Shyllon, who has been with Boys Town since 2006, most recently served as senior director of program operations, overseeing the Family Home Program and Foster Family Services Program across […]
Posted inHistory, People & Profiles
This Day in RI History: March 29, 1927, TV personality John McLaughlin is born in Providence
John McLaughlin was a Providence-born American television personality and political commentator most noted for his public affairs television show The McLaughlin Group. McLaughlin was born March 29, 1927 in Providence where he later attended La Salle Academy. He was ordained a priest after graduating Boston College and later received a PhD. from Columbia University. McLauglin […]
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Michele Gallagher: A spotlight on modern-day women who are unearthing Revolutionary history
“Behind the Lines: Unsung Women of the American Revolution” was a full-weekend lecture series held in mid-March in Portsmouth, hosted by the Brigade of the American Revolution and sponsored by the Debra Najecki Endowment at Portsmouth Friends Church. The conference brought together dozens of authors and historians to highlight the crucial, often overlooked roles women […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Arts Around the Fire to welcome new Newport Classical executive director March 18
The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Newport County will welcome Oliver Inteeworn, the newly appointed executive director of Newport Classical, as its featured guest at the next Arts Around the Fire networking event on Wednesday, March 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sardella’s Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd. West. Inteeworn comes to Newport Classical from […]