☕ Empire Tea & Coffee is expanding 🏈 Rogers falls to Ponaganset ❤️ Sakonnet Bridge turns red
Plus: A conversation with Christie’s Americas’ Chairman Emeritus Stephen Lash; Admiral Kalbfus bike lanes; Newport's RICAS scores; haunted happenings; and more.
Good Morning. It’s Saturday, October 19, and we’re covering Empire Tea & Coffee’s expansion plans, Rogers High School Football’s loss to Ponaganset, why Sakonnet River Bridge is turning red, our conversation with Christie’s Americas’ Chairman Emeritus Stephen Lash, and much much more.
What’s Up This Weekend
🚢 Cruise Ship: The 593-foot Insignia is scheduled to visit Newport today.
⛅ Weather: Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 65. Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 67.
⚓ Marine: Saturday: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming SSW 5 to 9 kt in the afternoon. Sunny. Seas 1 ft or less. Sunday: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming SW 5 to 8 kt in the morning. Sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
🌘 Sun, Moon, & Tide: The sun will rise at 7:02 am, and sunset will be at 5:57 pm. The first low tide was at 2:37 am, and the next low tide will be at 3:45 pm. The first high tide will be at 9:41 am and the next at 10:07 pm. The lunar phase is a Waning Gibbous.
🏄♂️ To Do: Scroll down to The Weekender portion of this newsletter for a full rundown.
Empire Tea & Coffee Expanding
☕ Empire Tea and Coffee, a Newport staple for two decades, plans to open a third location in Newport: a new cafe on JT Connell Highway.
CJ Barone, Managing Partner of Empire Tea & Coffee, cites increasing demand as the primary driver for expansion. “The demand for our products has been steadily increasing and we needed a larger space for another coffee roaster,” Barone told What’sUpNewp during an interview on Friday. “Since the pandemic, both ready-to-drink and coffee bean sales, retail sales have been increasing steadily.” [WUN]
Rogers falls to Ponaganset
🏈 Rogers High School's varsity football team suffered a significant defeat Friday night, losing 49-7 to Ponaganset High School during the latter's homecoming. The loss, which drops Rogers' overall record to 3-2, comes as the team grapples with injuries to key players. What'sUpNewp's Justin Walker was at the game in North Scituate and has a game recap and photo gallery. [WUN]
What’s Up in Newp
🚢 Christie’s Americas’ Chairman Emeritus, Stephen Lash, is bringing his love of ocean liners and the era of art deco to Redwood Library next week. WUN’s Veronica Bruno spoke to Lash about the event, art, Newport, ocean liner’s, and more. [WUN]
🟥 Last night, and from Sunday through Wednesday, the Sakonnet River Bridge will be lit up red for Dyslexia Awareness Month. This is the fourth year the bridge will turn red, a tradition made possible by the efforts of twelve-year-old Middletown native Cam McCollough. WUN’s Ruthie Wood has the story. [WUN]
🧛 Spooky season has officially arrived, and this weekend, WUN’s Ken Abrams is previewing some fun Halloween-related events around Newport and beyond. [WUN]
🗳️ Rhode Island residents are turning out in significant numbers for early voting in the 2024 General Election, with more than 26,000 ballots already cast. [WUN]
📈 HousingWorksRI released its 2024 Housing Fact Book on Friday morning;
The Fact Book reports that there is not a single municipality in Rhode Island where a household earning the median homeowner income of $107,452 can affordably buy a home. [WUN]
The Fact Book also shows home prices in ten towns—Bristol, Central Falls, Hopkinton, Middletown, Narragansett, Newport, Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Providence, and Woonsocket—rose 50 percent or more since 2018. [WUN]
📊 RIDE released the latest RICAS results on Friday, revealing a mixed performance for Newport Public Schools. After reviewing the results, Superintendent Collen Burns Jermain provided WUN a statement with her initial thoughts. [WUN]
📜 Newport City Council will host their next regular council meeting on Wednesday, October 23 at Pell Elementary School. Here’s a look at what’s on the agenda;
🐘 City Council will receive a communication from City Manager Colin Kennedy regarding a proposed gift to the city - a giant elephant statue named Leela from Art & Newport, organizers of the Great Elephant Migration. [WUN]
💰 The Newport School Building Committee will request an additional $2.9 million from the Council to complete the new Rogers High School project and reinstate some previously deferred items. [WUN]
⛗ The City Council will consider a resolution to approve changes to Admiral Kalbfus Road, including new bike lanes and truck restrictions. [WUN]
🛍️ A new resolution to support local retail businesses during the holiday shopping season will be introduced. [WUN]
⚡ Rhode Islanders looking to save energy and money can learn about programs offered by the state Office of Energy Resources during a virtual forum hosted by the Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus on Sunday, Oct. 27. [WUN]
🏅 Sardella’s Italian Restaurant will be honored at the 41st Annual Taste of Newport on October 27th for their support of Child & Family by being inducted as the first member of the Taste of Newport Hall of Fame. [WUN]
🚨 Newport Police Department took three individuals into custody on various charges Oct. 17 - 18. [WUN]
💲 A 7-bedroom home on Division Street in Newport sold for $4.1 million. [WUN]
✍️ On the opinion side of things, here are our latest Letters To The Editor;
Gus Cordeiro of Newport endorses Xay for Newport City Council. [WUN]
Dan Benson of Newport endorses Xay for Newport City Council. [WUN]
🕊️ Local Obituaries: Anthony Chester
🏈 John Volker had two first-quarter touchdown runs and Princeton posted a wire-to-wire 29-17 victory over Brown in Ivy League play on Friday night. [WUN]
🏈 Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye deflected questions about his knee Friday and said he’s ready to make his second career start when New England faces the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. [WUN]
👉 CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch has stepped down with company shares down 19% this year and the national drugstore chain struggling. [WUN]
The Weekender
What’sUpNewp’s rundown of all that’s happening this weekend.
🦞 What’s Up This Weekend: Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival, Pell Bridge Run, Heart & Sole Walk For Animals, Mosaic, and more. [WUN]
🏠 On the market for a new home? WUN’s Tyler Bernadyn looks at the 30 Newport County homes hosting open houses this weekend. [WUN]
🩰 Newport Contemporary Ballet presents “Mosaic” all weekend. [WUN]
🏃 The Citizens Pell Bridge Run returns on Sunday. Motorists should expect delays due to brief road closures. [WUN]
🆓 Newport in Bloom is giving away 30,000 free daffodil bulbs on Sunday. [WUN]
🎨 Celebrate Fall with the Jamestown Arts Center during Sunday's annual Autumn Arts Open House. [WUN]
🎻 The Puddingstone Music Series returns on Sunday with the Sheffield Chamber Players at Provence sur Mer. [WUN]
🎶 The Lone Bellow returns to Newport for a performance on Sunday. WUN’s Ken Abrams caught up with Zach Williams of The Lone Bellow before the show. [WUN]
🚰 Water main flushing is planned across the island, beginning Sunday. [WUN]