The summer season may be months behind us, but advocates for beach access aren’t letting up on their calls for lawmakers to do more to strengthen and protect shoreline rights. They made their case again Thursday night at a special public hearing in Richmond.
South County Bureau
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‘These schools were intended to destroy our people’: Exhibit at URI explores legacy of Indian boarding schools
November is Native American Heritage Month, and from now until January 7 an exhibit at the University of Rhode Island in South Kingstown is highlighting the legacy of America’s Indian boarding schools.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Narragansett Indian Tribe seeks to halt construction at Jamestown library over burial ground concerns
The head of the Narragansett’s Historic Preservation Office says the tribe is considering legal action to prevent a public library in Jamestown from moving ahead with an expansion the tribe believes would affect an historic Narragansett burial ground.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Site of ‘Great Swamp Massacre’ returned to Narragansett Indian Tribe
The site where English colonists massacred hundreds of Narragansett Indians more than 345 years ago has officially been returned to the tribe in a land transfer that’s being described as monumental.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
‘There was nobody like him’: Boston Marathon honors Narragansett runner Ellison Brown
The 125th Boston Marathon takes place this Monday. Rescheduled from its usual time of year in April, the race will be held on Indigenous People’s Day, a decision that has drawn some criticism. The Boston Athletic Association, which puts on the race, says it does, however, plan to honor indigenous runners, including Ellison Brown—known also by the nicknames “Tarzan” and “Deerfoot.”
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
‘It doesn’t seem fair’: In shoreline fire districts, taxes buy residents ‘beach club’ perks and exclusivity
In South County, several shoreline fire districts bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and other revenue annually but spend much of it on expenses more in line with a private beach club, not a fire department. That has drawn the ire of beachgoers who are being blocked from the shore.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Former assistant R.I. attorney general: ‘White collar vigilantism’ has denied beachgoers public right of way in Westerly
A special fire district says it owns a contested path to the ocean and that it can block the public from using the trail. Now a retired Rhode Island assistant attorney general has joined shoreline rights activists to try to open the path up to the public.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Block Island approves new mask mandate for indoor places
A new mask mandate goes into effect Friday on Block Island. The emergency ordinance follows a vote Thursday night by the New Shoreham Town Council.
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House commission to invite public comment in South County on shoreline access
A State House commission set up to study access to Rhode Island’s shoreline will take one of its meetings to South County later this year to get public comment from communities where disputes over beach access have been most contentious.
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‘It could have been a lot worse’: South County begins to bounce back from Tropical Storm Henri
Southern Rhode Island was getting closer to business as usual on Monday following the damage left by Tropical Storm Henri. Road crews cleaned debris, National Grid worked to restore power to thousands of customers, and business owners began reopening.
