Newport’s City Council gave the green light Wednesday for a commission to consider revising the city’s official charter. The move clears a potential path for voters to finally decide the city’s mayor.
Newport Bureau
Posted inArticle, Health, Newport Bureau
Two community health organizations work to address gaps in care for LGBTQ+ community on Aquidneck Island
Newport Mental Health and The Women’s Resource Center, Newport’s domestic violence prevention agency, have been certified as the first — and only — “LGBTQ safe zone” providers on Aquidneck Island. Advocates say it’s an important step to helping transgender and nonbinary people access quality care without having to travel elsewhere.
Posted inArticle, Newport Bureau, Politics
Newport begins to tackle short-term rentals, as many properties operate under the radar
The City of Newport is trying to address the issue of short-term rentals and the impact they have on the city’s neighborhoods and housing affordability. But local officials say illicit rentals pose a significant challenge.
Posted inArticle, Newport Bureau, Politics
Longtime chair of Newport Planning Board resigns, warning of diminishing quality of life
Kim Salerno, an architectural designer and decade-long member of the Planning Board, officially stepped down last week. During her tenure, she helped lead several large initiatives in the city, including the ongoing effort to redevelop Newport’s North End.
Salerno sat down with reporter Antonia Ayres-Brown to discuss her time on the Planning Board and her farewell letter, which warns of exorbitant housing costs, rising seas, and disappearing access to the waterfront.
Posted inArticle, Education, Newport Bureau
As school field trips return, Newport fourth graders set sail
With the COVID-19 pandemic stretching into a third school year, some districts are finally resuming field trips this fall. In Newport, that means the return of a program that brings the classroom offshore. Reporter Antonia Ayres-Brown tagged along with a fourth grade class to see what school is like on the water.
Posted inArticle, Arts And Culture, Newport Bureau
‘I want people to know that you can find yourself in my drawings’: Young artist unveils new mural at Newport Art Museum
The Newport Art Museum has unveiled a new mural on one of the museum’s main buildings, in collaboration with the organization Newport Public Art. The mural was painted by the local artist and designer Shaday Viruet, who graduated from Rhode Island College in 2020.
Viruet spoke with reporter Antonia Ayres-Brown about her inspiration for the mural — and what it was like being selected from more than 50 proposals.
Posted inArticle, Health, Newport Bureau
In Rhode Island, a hospital chaplain helps patients seek meaning in the midst of the pandemic
For the past year and a half, nurses, doctors, and other health care workers have been on the frontlines of fighting COVID-19 in Rhode Island hospitals. Out of the limelight, but alongside them, are hospital chaplains — staff members, usually members of the clergy, responsible for the spiritual care of patients, families, and coworkers. Early […]
Posted inArticle, Newport Bureau, Politics
Newport City Council approves North End zoning changes, amid continued equity concerns
Newport officials are moving forward with plans to redevelop the city’s North End, an area that has been physically and economically cut off from the rest of the city for decades.
Posted inArticle, Environment, Newport Bureau
Rhode Island Governor signs emergency declaration ahead of tropical storm’s expected landfall
Thirty years after Hurricane Bob, R.I. coastal communities prepare for another impending storm.
Posted inArticle, Business, Newport Bureau, Politics
Middletown considers prohibiting marijuana dispensaries and compassion centers
Middletown officials are weighing a preemptive ban on both recreational and medical marijuana establishments before the Rhode Island General Assembly potentially legalizes recreational cannabis this fall.
