Daily Digest: Wednesday, October 2
Portsmouth Boys Soccer wins • 30,000 Daffodil Bulbs Being Given Away • Admiral Kalbfus Workshop • Lifespan Acquisition • Transmission Line Project
Good Morning. It’s Wednesday, October 2, and today we’re covering Portsmouth’s shutout of East Providence in Boys Soccer last night, tonight’s workshop regarding Admiral Kalbfus Traffic Calming, an upcoming daffodil bulb giveaway, a house fire in Jamestown, and the latest developments in Lifespan’s acquisition of two hospitals.
We'll also explore the arts and culture scene, with news on Newport Classical’s holiday programs and a Cabaret Night hosted by the Alliance Française de Newport.
Plus, don't miss our roundup of all that’s happening for events, things to do, live music, and entertainment today and this week/weekend.
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Need To Know
🚸 The Newport City Council is set to host a workshop this evening to review proposed traffic calming design recommendations for Admiral Kalbfus Road. Experts from the city administration and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation are expected to discuss potential road design and traffic flow changes.
RIDOT has proposed several changes, including:
Upgrading traffic signal equipment at the intersection of Admiral Kalbfus and Hillside Avenue
Installing “no turn on red” signs at the same intersection
Adding speed and red light cameras
Installing a traffic signal at Admiral Kalbfus and Sagamore Street
Implementing weight restrictions on vehicles
The proposed design also includes restriping the roadway to provide 10-foot vehicle travel lanes and buffered 5-foot bike lanes along the corridor.
The meeting will occur at 6 pm in the Cafetorium at Pell Elementary School.
What To Know
📰 News
• Newport in Bloom is keeping its annual tradition alive, giving away 30,000 free Dutch Master daffodil bulbs to residents and businesses on Oct. 20. This marks the 15th year for this popular event. [WUN]
• Fire crews responded to a house fire on Orient Avenue in Jamestown Tuesday afternoon. [WJAR] [WPRI] [WLNE]
🎻 Arts & Culture
• Newport Classical will celebrate the holiday season with two weekends of festive programs in December. [WUN]
• The Alliance Française de Newport will host a Cabaret Night on Friday, October 18. The evening will feature musical entertainment by Gained in Translation. [WUN]
• The R.I. State Council on the Arts and Rhode Island Humanities have joined forces to celebrate Arts and Humanities Month throughout October. The Councils will host a series of programs around the theme "Culture: A Beacon of Resilience." [WUN]
👔 Business + Nonprofit
• Lifespan has finalized its acquisition of Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River, Massachusetts, and Morton Hospital in Taunton, Massachusetts. [WUN]
• The Potter League for Animals is set to receive fourteen dogs from the Aiken County Animal Shelter in South Carolina, which remains without power following Hurricane Helene. [WUN] [WPRI]
🏢 City & Government
• The Energy Facility Siting Board will hold a public hearing on Oct. 23 to discuss Narragansett Electric Company’s plan to rebuild a 7.9-mile section of two main transmission lines that run through Portsmouth and Tiverton. [WUN]
🗳️ Election 2024
• Penelope “Penny” Hunt, a Newport School Committee candidate, will join us at 11 am today as part of our “Ask The Candidate” series. [WUN]
• Ian B. Martins, a Newport City Council At-Large candidate, will join What’sUpNewp at 6 pm today as part of our “Ask The Candidate” series. [WUN]
What The Candidates Are Saying: "I am personally in favor of term limits generally and in particular in Newport. I think it makes sense. I am pretty relatively familiar with the charter review commission and the recommendations that were made by that. Disappointed to see that the recommendations by the commission were not honoured by the council."
~ Matt Grant, candidate for Newport City Council Second Ward, expressed during a What’sUpNewp interview his support for term limits and disappointment with the council's handling of charter review recommendations.
🌎 Environment & Health
• Rhode Island’s uninsured rate remains one of the lowest in the nation, according to the latest Rhode Island Health Information Survey. The survey found that only 2.2% of Rhode Islanders were uninsured, a decrease from 2.9% in 2022. [WUN]
🍽️ Food & Drink
• There's a new beer being brewed in Rhode Island that is low-carb and low-calorie and has a mission that can help runners in the Newport Marathon set for Oct. 13. [Projo]
• Reminder: The Aquidneck Growers Market continues its Wednesday Summer Market on Memorial Boulevard every Wednesday from 2 pm to 6 pm through October 30. The Saturday Summer Market at Embrace Home Loans continues every Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm through October 26. [Aquidneck Community Table]
🕊️ Obituaries
• Charles Clarke • Ann Vickers • Kelly Walsh
• David Boutros, the owner of the Rhode Island-based restaurant chain Baja’s, passed away this weekend. [WLNE]
✍️ Opinion
• Ann Souder of Newport writes in to endorse Rep. Lauren Carson for re-election. [WUN]
• Thomas J. Gibson, Jr. of Newport weighs in with his support of Rep. Lauren Carson and Question #6, the Resiliency Bond Issue [WUN]
👉 People
• Tony Cokes, a media artist at Brown University, is among the twenty-two 2024 MacArthur ‘genius grant’ fellows. [WUN]
• Providence Monthly has a feature on Meredith Ewenson, a Newport-based outdoor content creator. [Providence Online]
🏘️ Real Estate
• Five Newport County homes sold for more than $1 million last week. [WUN]
⛵ Sailing & Sports
• After 23 to 30 hours of racing and sailing courses varying in length from 157 to 203 miles, the fleet has now finished, and the results are in for the first race of the 2024 ORC World Championship held at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court. [WUN]
• The Portsmouth High School boys soccer team notched a 2-0 win against East Providence in Tuesday's home game. WUN’s Justin Walker was there and has a photo gallery that captured some of the game's exciting moments. [WUN]
🍂 Things To Do
• It will be Army versus Navy in the 7th Annual Cardines Classic at Cardines Field on Friday night. The first pitch will be at 5:30 pm. [NWC Foundation]
• The Norman Bird Sanctuary has much to celebrate in 2024, including the 75th anniversary of the organization’s founding and the 50th anniversary of its beloved Harvest Fair this weekend. [WUN]
• On tap this week/weekend: Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week, 50th Anniversary Harvest Fair, Cardines Classic, and more. [WUN]
What’s Up Today
⛅ Weather
• Partly sunny, with a high near 65°. East wind 7 to 9 mph.
⚓ Marine
• NE wind 6 to 8 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Partly sunny. Seas 1 ft or less. Low tide at 1:26 am and 1:49 pm. High tide at 8:16 am and 8:31 pm.
🌘 Sun & Moon
• The sun rose at 6:43:53 am, and sunset at 6:24:56 pm. The lunar phase will be a Waning Crescent; the moon age is 28.8 days, and lighting is 1%.
🚢 Cruise Ship
• Explora 1 is scheduled to make a stop in Newport today.
✅ Things To Do
10 am: Family Storytime at Newport Public Library
1:30 pm: Wednesday Book Group at Newport Public Library
2 pm: Aquidneck Growers Market on Memorial Boulevard
3 pm: Teen & Tween: Gaming Lounge at Newport Public Library
5 pm: Pilates at Newport Art Museum
6 pm: Author Visit: Cynthia Reeves at Newport Public Library
6:30 pm: Fermentation Class at Forty 1 North
🎶 Live Music & Entertainment
Buskers: Open Mic with Mike Warner at 9 pm
Fastnet Pub: Trivia at 9 pm
Fifth Element: Ruby Mac at 7 pm
JPT Film & Event Center: The Critic at 4:30 pm, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at 7:30 pm
Newport Vineyards: Trivia Wednesdays at 6 pm
Sardella’s: Live music at 7 pm
The Quencher: Karaoke at 9 pm
🗓️ Local Government
Jamestown: Planning Commission at 6:30 pm
Little Compton: Agricultural Conservancy Trust at 7 pm
Middletown: Citizens Advisory Committee at 5 pm, Town Council at 6 pm
Newport: Beach Commission at 1:45 pm, City Council at 6 pm
Portsmouth: Melville Park Committee at 6 pm, Harbor Commission at 7 pm
Tiverton: Zoning Board of Review at 7 pm, Zoning Board of Review at 7:30 pm
