As she prepares for the first day of school, Superintendent Dr. Colleen Burns Jermain is wearing many hats, including a construction hat. Newport Bureau Reporter Cheryl Hatch sat down with Jermain to talk about her role as an educator and administrator who is also overseeing a multi-year construction project of the new Rogers High School.
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Posted inArtscape, Episode, Local, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford says goodbye to a downtown eccentric
Ira Cohen, a bookseller and art model who kept a literary spirit alive in a tough New England seaport, died this January at 70 years old after a brief illness. Cohen was the focus of what turned out to be the last show UMass Dartmouth exhibited at its gallery in downtown New Bedford before the university abruptly closes its campus there at the end of the month. For this week’s Artscape, South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke interviewed more than a dozen people who knew Cohen. The result is a collection of stories, memories and impressions that form another lasting portrait of Cohen.
Posted inArticle, Local, Newport Bureau
Newport celebrates the victorious return of hometown 11th Hour Racing team
A crowd of fans gathered in downtown Newport last Friday to celebrate the return of the victorious 11th Hour Racing team. The sailing team and its skipper Charlie Enright won the epic around-the-world Ocean Race in June 2023. They’re the first American team to bring home the trophy in the 50 years of the race’s history.
Posted inArticle, Local, Newport Bureau
Newport election administrator resigns after offensive texts revealed
Just three months into the job, the Newport elections administrator has resigned, after recent revelations that he’d made inappropriate and offensive comments during his previous role at the District Court.
Posted inEpisode, Local, Newport Bureau
Priced out of Newport, Jeffrey Marcus calls his SUV his home
Newport is one of the few communities in Rhode Island that exceeds the state’s mandate for affordable housing. Yet, local officials say Newport has a housing crisis and risks losing its diverse community, as tourists, part-time residents and investors drive up rents and home prices. It’s becoming more common for local residents to fall on hard times and more difficult for them to get back on track to find stable housing. In part five of our series “Falling Short: In search of affordable housing,” we hear the story of a man who’s struggled to make the city by the sea his home and is currently living in his car.
Posted inArticle, Criminal Justice, Local, South Coast Bureau
Ex-Fall River cop sentenced to prison in police brutality case
Michael Pessoa will serve at least a year and a half in state prison after a jury convicted him of using excessive force and covering it up in false reports.
Posted inArticle, Local, Newport Bureau
Newport celebrates Juneteenth and living history with two days of events
Events will be held around Rhode Island this weekend in honor of the federal Juneteenth holiday. Several are being hosted in Newport, organized by the Rhode Island Slave History Medallions project.
Posted inEpisode, Housing, Local, Newport Bureau
URI grad fought for affordable housing in Middletown. Now he’s priced out, too
Rhode Island’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act says every city and town in the state needs to have at least 10 percent of its housing stock be affordable. But decades after the law went into effect, only six municipalities have met the goal. In the third installment of our series, “Falling Short: In search of affordable housing,” we find that Middletown is one community that still has far to go.
Posted inArticle, Criminal Justice, Local, South Coast Bureau
Former Fall River cop convicted of covering up excessive force with false reports
On Wednesday, a Bristol County jury found Michael Pessoa, a former patrolman who spent 19 years on the Fall River Police Department, guilty of assault and battery and three other criminal charges.
Posted inArticle, Criminal Justice, Local, South Coast Bureau
Excessive force trial begins for Fall River cop with long rap sheet
Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of Michael Pessoa, a police officer accused of beating a man and arresting him on false charges four years ago. Prosecutors said Pessoa has a history of “utilizing his authority as a police officer to engage in violent behavior towards individuals engaging in lawful behavior and lying about it to cover up his illegal actions.”
