🗳️ Facts on $98.5 million bond 💰 Incumbents hold significant fundraising edge 🛍️ ThamesGiving returns
Happening Today: Aquidneck Growers Market, Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, Pumpkin Decorating, Fermentation Class, and more.
Good Morning. It’s Wednesday, October 23, and today, we’re covering the $98.5 million bond referendum, campaign finance leading up to the General Election, Newport City’s Council, our conversation with Rep. Lauren Carson, and more.
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What’s Up Today
🚢 Next up on the cruise ship schedule is the Enchanted Princess and Silver Shadow on Sunday.
☀️ Weather: Areas of dense fog before 10 am. Otherwise, it is mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Southwest wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
⚓ Marine: SSW wind 6 to 11 kt, with gusts as high as 23 kt. Areas of dense fog before 10 am. Seas 1 ft or less. Small Craft Advisory in effect from 1 pm to 7 pm on Oct. 23
🌑 Sun, Moon, & Tide: Sunrise at 7:07 am, sunset at 5:51 pm. Low tide at 5:49 am and 8:38 pm. High tide at 12:56 am & 1:28 pm. The lunar phase is a Waning Gibbous.
⛵ Happening Today: Aquidneck Growers Market, Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, Pumpkin Decorating, Fermentation Class, and more. [WUN]
What To Know
💰 Campaign Finance
There are just two weeks until the election, and if you count dollars, incumbents appear to be in a pretty strong position. But then again, it’s not necessarily the dollars that count; it’s the votes.
Here’s a look at candidates’ finances heading into the homestretch, according to the latest candidate filings with the Board of Elections. [WUN]
📜 Newport City Council meets tonight
Coming up at tonight’s Newport City Council meeting at Pell Elementary at 6:30 pm;
💰 The Newport School Building Committee will request an additional $2.9 million from the Council to complete Rogers High School. [WUN]
⛗ The City Council will consider a resolution to approve changes to Admiral Kalbfus Road, including new bike lanes and truck restrictions. [WUN]
🐘 City Council will consider a proposed gift to the city - Leela The Elephant from Art & Newport, organizers of the Great Elephant Migration. [WUN]
🗳️ City of Newport defends $98.5 million bond amid criticism
Newport city officials are responding to criticism surrounding the upcoming $98.5 million bond referendum.
What’sUpNewp reached out to City of Newport officials to get the facts on the bond and asked them to address several key points of contention. [WUN]
What’s Up Out There
News
🔥 Crews worked on Tuesday on a house fire on Beth Road in Tiverton. [WLNE] [WJAR] [WPRI]
🚨 Newport Police took three individuals into custody on various charges on Monday. [WUN]
🇺🇸 On Tuesday, Adam Kinzinger and Jim Langevin visited the University of Rhode Island for a proactive discussion with students. [URI]
Arts, Culture, & Life
⛵ The Newport Art Museum is set to unveil a new exhibition that captures a 130-day racing voyage on a 40-foot sailboat. [WUN]
😱 TODAY has named Newport one of the five best-haunted towns in the United States. [Today]
🛍️ Newport is gearing up for an expanded ThamesGiving event in 2024, offering nearly a month of holiday shopping, socializing, and community giving. [WUN]
🎤 Spectacle Live will present stand-up comedian Jim Norton on February 8 at The JPT. Tickets go on sale on Thursday. [WUN]
💜 The Women’s Resource Center has been working hard this Domestic Violence Awareness Month to ensure the community knows what domestic violence is and what services are available locally. [WUN]
🎸 Grammy-winning Jason Isbell is coming to Providence in February. [WUN]
🎃 Happening This Week/Weekend: Harvest Festival, Newport County Days, Halloween happenings, and more. [WUN]
Election
📈 Portsmouth leads Newport County in early voting turnout. [WUN]
🏠 State Representative Lauren Carson is gearing up for the upcoming legislative session, focusing on short-term rentals and aging policy as key priorities. [WUN]
✍️ Susan Taylor, Chair of the Newport Democratic City Committee, shares the NDCC’s position on ballot questions in a Letter To The Editor. [WUN]
✍️ Len Katzman, Chair of the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee, shares in a Letter to The Editor the group's opposition to a constitutional convention. [WUN]
🗳️ Change the Charter has made endorsements for Newport City Council. [WUN]
Environment & Health
✍️ Laura Haverland and Andrew Morley of Sweet & Salty Farm in Little Compton write an op-ed, ‘It Is Impossible to Farm If There Is No Farmland Left.’ [ecoRI News]
🕰️ It’s decision time for the offshore wind cable plant at Brayton Point. [WUN]
🐋 The Right whale has increased slightly in population, encouraging conservationists to call on the federal government and the shipping and fishing industries to do more to bring the giant animals back from the brink of extinction. [WUN]
🦞 Fishing regulators are delaying a plan for stricter fishing rules amid concerns about declining baby lobsters in the warming waters off New England. [WUN]
Food & Drink
🍇 Wine lovers, mark your calendars. Greenvale Vineyards is gearing up for its 25th Annual Harvest Festival on Nov. 2, promising a day packed with wine, music, food, and fun. [WUN]
Obituaries
Real Estate
🏡 Eight of the nineteen homes sold last week in Newport County for more than $1 million. [WUN]
🏘️ When looking at cities with the most expensive homes in the Providence metro area, four Newport County communities land near the top. [WUN]
Sports
⚾ Four former Newport Gulls are World Series Bound - Chris Taylor, Will Smith, and Tommy Edman for the Dodgers and Jake Cousins for the Yankees. [Newport Gulls]
🏒 Juuse Saros made 33 saves, and the Nashville Predators ended their season-opening five-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. [WUN]
👏 The Boston Celtics celebrated their 18th NBA title with a banner-raising and a ring ceremony on Tuesday night. [WUN]
🏀 Jayson Tatum continued Boston’s Banner 18 celebration by scoring 37 points and making eight of the Celtics' NBA record-tying 29 3-pointers on Tuesday as Boston ran away with a 132-109 victory over the New York Knicks on opening night. [WUN]
