In what has become an all too familiar winter announcement this year, the cities of Providence and Newport have ordered street parking  bans.

Mayor Jorge Elorza announced this afternoon that the capital city’s parking ban will go into effect at midnight Monday (March 2) and remain in effect until further notice. The mayor also said in a statement that parents should remain on alert for a possible school tomorrow. The city’s snow hotline telephone number is 680-8080.

In Newport, the parking ban begins at 9 p.m. this evening and will end at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Cars parked on streets a half hour after the ban goes into effect are subject to towing. Newport residents can use the following parking lots free: Gateway Center, Mary Street lot and Easton’s Beach, according to Lt. William Fitzgerald of the city police department.

Scott MacKay retired in December, 2020.With a B.A. in political science and history from the University of Vermont and a wealth of knowledge of local politics, it was a given that Scott MacKay would become...