The Weekapaug Fire District has filed a motion in Rhode Island Superior Court, asking a judge to find the town of Westerly in contempt of a decades-old agreement that covers use of a road known as the Sand Trail that runs down the middle of the Quonochontaug Barrier Beach.
Alex Nunes
Alex oversees the three local bureaus at The Public’s Radio, and staffs the desk for our South County Bureau. Alex was previously the co-host and co executive producer of The Public's Radio podcast, Mosaic. The show explored the history of immigration in Southern New England through the stories of individual immigrants and their descendants and received an Edward R. Murrow Award for best podcast in the New England region. Alex previously worked as an editor at The Westerly Sun and The New London Day.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Town of Westerly will request ownership of Watch Hill Lighthouse property
The move comes three weeks after U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced the property was slated to be transferred to a private non-profit in Watch Hill.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Westerly Town Council could seek ownership of Watch Hill Lighthouse property
A special meeting Monday on a new proposed resolution comes amid rising tensions on the Westerly Town Council over contentious shoreline access issues in the coastal town.
Posted inArticle
Viral TikTok video shows clash between beachgoer and property owner over Rhode Island’s shore
Beachgoer Cheyne Cousens was trying to get to a beach area at the end of a state-designated right-of-way to the Easton Bay shoreline, when he ended up getting into a confrontation with a property owner. Cousens’ video of the incident went viral, with over seven million views at last count, and he’s since been charged with trespassing. He met up with our South County Bureau Reporter Alex Nunes at the site of the confrontation to explain what happened.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
‘Let’s go outside’: Westerly Town Council president threatens other councilor after closed door meeting, witnesses say
The outburst followed an executive session meeting that included discussions about a divisive lawsuit by the Watch Hill Fire District that seeks to invalidate a town-designated right-of-way.
Posted inArticle, Education, South County Bureau
R.I. Supreme Court rules in favor of candidate denied Chariho School Committee seat
The decision settles a case that drew attention to the increasing politicization of school policy in recent years.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Will Watch Hill Lighthouse transfer threaten popular fishing area?
The proposed transfer, announced this week by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, would hand over ownership of an historic lighthouse to a private non-profit in Watch Hill. Some town councilors and activists worry what that could mean for future public access to the area.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Private property owners file lawsuit against Rhode Island’s new shoreline access law
A group of coastal landowners is asking a federal District Court judge to block enforcement of a new state law intended to clarify where beachgoers can be along the state’s shoreline.
Posted inEpisode, Housing, South County Bureau
In Charlestown, limited progress and lots of discord on affordable housing
Like in other South County towns, home prices have skyrocketed in Charlestown in recent years, as young people and families are being priced out of a shoreline community that’s becoming increasingly attractive to out-of-state buyers. But Charlestown is also near the bottom of the heap with its neighbors in creating affordable housing. The town is divided over who’s to blame for that. In part four of our series “Falling Short: In search of affordable housing,” we hear how some say it’s part of an intentional effort in recent years to limit growth.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
In ‘historic step for Rhode Island,’ Gov. McKee signs shoreline access legislation into law
The new law outlines where members of the public are allowed to be along the state’s shore.
