Newport County

The Middletown Town Council approved a resolution Monday night to increase property taxes on non-resident owners and rental properties by 30%, sparking a heated debate over the fairness and impact of the change on housing affordability in the town. The 6-1 vote will raise the tax rate difference between resident and non-resident properties. This means […]

A new law signed into law Monday expands the legal use of electric bicycles in Rhode Island. The law will allow those e-bikes to be used on state bike paths, but only certain types of e-bikes will be allowed on those paths. The law also requires those riders under the age of 21 to wear […]

A new law went into effect on Monday which requires anyone buying property on the Rhode Island shoreline to be made aware of the public’s right to access the shoreline. The law was sponsored by state Rep. Terri Cortvriend and state Sen. Victoria Gu. “As we have seen in the news recently, sometimes when houses […]

A proposed rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would ban medical bills from credit reports has been met with applause from U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) and other advocates. “For months, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and I have been meeting with the Biden administration to advocate for removing medical debt from credit scores, […]

 Today, Governor Dan McKee and Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner announced the recipients of new mini grant awards under the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation’s Placemaking Initiative.   The RI Rebounds Placemaking Initiative is a statewide effort to support businesses in the tourism and hospitality industries. The mini grants, approved by the RI Commerce Corporation’s Board of […]

Governor Dan McKee today signed the FY25 “Team Rhode Island” budget, which provides crucial funding for K-12 education and out-of-school learning, includes the largest housing bond in state history and increased support for small businesses, local road improvements and retirees. The Governor was joined at the signing by Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, House Finance Committee […]

 Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore and the RI Department of State Elections Division are today reminding potential candidates of the upcoming filing period for candidate declaration forms. Declarations of candidacy must be filed on June 24, 25, or 26. The deadline to file is June 26 at 4 p.m. Candidates for federal offices must […]

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation today provided the following weekly update on the Pell Bridge Ramps Phase 2 project; Overnight sitewide striping within a moving operation along portions of Route 138, JT Connell Highway, Admiral Kalbfus Road and America’s Cup Avenue is scheduled, with brief intermittent lane closures to allow the paint to dry, Sunday-Thursday nights from 8 […]

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) will run a Sunday/holiday service schedule on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day. This schedule will apply to all regular fixed-route buses and trolleys operating in Rhode Island. RIPTA offices will be closed on Juneteenth, with the exception of the RIDE Paratransit Office and […]

The Rhode Island General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow mobile homes to be counted as affordable housing, helping to meet the state’s 10% affordable housing stock mandate. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Carol McEntee and Sen. Louis DiPalma, would allow municipalities to count mobile home units as affordable housing if they meet […]

On Friday, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted in favor of a bill that would ban the use of PFAS chemicals in numerous consumer products. The legislation, which was sponsored by Representative Terri Cortvriend and Senator Meghan Kallman, aims to safeguard the public’s health from exposure to PFAS, which are man-made chemicals found in numerous […]

On Wednesday night, the Newport City Council passed amendments to the city’s noise ordinance aimed at making it easier for police to enforce excessive noise from vehicles using new noise monitoring technology. The amendments, which were approved during the council’s regular meeting, are part of an ongoing effort to address quality of life issues related […]

Newport City Council held a Regular Council Meeting on Wednesday, June 12, in the council chambers at Newport City Hall. Here’s a high-level summary of what took place during the meeting. The Newport City Council meeting began with a moment of silence in memory of Dr. Charlie Shoemaker and Linda Gordon. Citizen’s Forum: TJ Provost […]

Governor Dan McKee, joined by general officers and gun safety advocates, signed into law the Safe Storage for Firearms legislation (H 7373A/S 2202A) sponsored by Senator Pamela Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence) and Representative Justine Caldwell (D-Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich).   The event included emotional testimony from advocate Patti Alley, who shared […]

The Newport School Committee approved the fiscal year 2025 budget in a 5-2 vote during their meeting on June 13. The budget approval comes amid concerns from parents and teachers over cuts to student-facing positions and services. Director of Finance Gonzalez presented the budget, noting it was the most challenging year since he started due […]

The Rhode Island Department of Health will receive $5.4 million to improve the state’s preparedness for public health and natural disasters. The funding comes from two federal grants, $5 million from the Public Health Emergency Preparedness cooperative agreement and $415,557 from the Cities Readiness Initiative. The federal grants are administered by the U.S. Centers for […]