The Rhode Island state prosecutor whose arrest after declining to leave a Newport restaurant went viral on the internet is getting an unpaid six-month suspension. “On August 14, Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan mistreated the Newport Police Department and embarrassed herself, the Office, and frankly me,” Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement […]
Newport Bureau
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local, Newport Bureau
Rhode Island prosecutor who told police to turn off body cameras to be placed on unpaid leave
A Rhode Island state prosecutor arrested on a trespassing charge outside a Newport restaurant on Aug. 14 is being placed on unpaid leave, the Attorney General’s Office said Friday. Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan was arrested after declining with a friend to leave the outside of the Clarke Cook House restaurant. Police-worn body camera […]
Posted inHealth, Local, Newport Bureau
Birthing center at Newport Hospital to remain open
Brown University Health plans to keep open the birthing center at Newport Hospital — at least for now. The Noreen Stoner Drexel Birthing Center was facing possible elimination due to budgetary challenges for Brown University Health and other healthcare providers in Rhode Island. “We understand the concern surrounding the future of the Noreen Stonor Drexel […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, Newport Bureau
State board allows Jamestown residents with dry wells to connect to municipal water
The Rhode Island Water Resources Board voted unanimously on Wednesday to allow four Jamestown households to connect to the town’s water. The residents, who live just north of the Newport-Pell bridge along Seaview Avenue, say they ran out of usable water in their own wells more than two years ago. Some of the residents say […]
Posted inLocal, Newport Bureau, Transportation
Rhode Island authorizes Newport Pell Bridge risk assessment
The Rhode Island agency that oversees the Newport Pell Bridge on Monday released its response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommended risk assessment following last year’s deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore. The four-lane suspension bridge linking Aquidneck Island and Jamestown is one of 68 bridges nationwide that the NTSB in March recommended for a […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Local, Newport Bureau
A new chapter at America’s oldest synagogue
In the Jewish community of Newport, Passover this year is bittersweet because of a major change at Touro Synagogue. A unanimous ruling by the Rhode Island Supreme Court cleared the way for the eviction of the Newport congregation that has worshipped at Touro for generations, bringing closure to a long legal dispute at North America’s […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, Newport Bureau
Newport’s only public beach is eroding. Should the city save it?
Newport has one public beach, and it’s washing away fast. The severe storms this past winter have exacerbated erosion at Easton’s Beach, which was already eroding at alarming rates. Now, Newport officials want voters to decide whether to fund a multi-million dollar sand replenishment project to help shore up the beach. Some people are questioning […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, Newport Bureau
Newport official says continued beach erosion could threaten the city’s water supply, way of life
Last winter’s storms took a heavy toll on the city’s beaches, including Easton’s Beach, which is located at the start of Newport’s famed Cliff Walk. The city’s public services director, Bill Riccio, is the person in charge of leading Newport’s response. As part of our ongoing series on shoreline erosion in the region, Riccio spoke […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, Newport Bureau
Residents in a Portsmouth neighborhood take storm and flooding preparedness into their own hands
“Hi. Yeah. Yeah, we’re going down to the plantings.” Nicole Gotovich calls out to Common Fence Point resident Mil Kinsella, who’s passing in her SUV. Gotovich is taking me on a tour of the community’s sea level rise and storm surge mitigation projects. As we walk along Common Fence Boulevard on Mount Hope Bay, Gotovich […]
Posted inHousing, Local, Newport Bureau
Study finds Newport’s zoning is likely an obstacle to affordable housing development
More than 50 people packed an open-house meeting at Newport City Hall Thursday night to learn the results of a new study assessing available housing stock. Patricia Reynolds, Newport’s director of planning and economic development, welcomed those gathered and explained the background on the housing issues and intention of the meeting. She noted that the […]
