Teachers told to skip open houses; City Council looks to rescind sewer fee hike
A look at all that's happening, new, and to do, plus all of the latest headlines.
It’s Thursday, September 19 —the 263rd day of the year; 103 days remain in 2024. Today’s Daily Digest dives in on yesterday’s Newport City Council Workshop, a union directive for Newport teachers to skip upcoming open houses, more from our conversation with the Newport City Manager, and much more.
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Leading Off
🎾 On this day in 1902, Jimmy Van Alen, tennis star and founder of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, was born in Newport. (WUN)
🏫 Newport teachers told to skip open houses
According to an email obtained by What'sUpNewp, the Teachers Association of Newport (TAN) is urging its members to engage in a “dynamic work to contract” action.
One of the most significant directives in the email is for TAN members to boycott upcoming school open houses. Hole states, “NO TAN MEMBERS shall attend any Open House. Open House has always been voluntary since it is not in our contract.”
🚰 Newport City Council will likely rescind sewer fee hike
Newport City Council is poised to rescind a controversial sewer fee increase that has outraged residents, particularly those with low water consumption.
During the nearly two-hour meeting, many residents shared that they saw their sewer charges more than double under the new rate structure implemented in July.
What To Know
News
🚓 A Newport woman was arrested by the Newport Police Department twice on Wednesday for multiple violations. (WUN)
🚨 The Newport Police Department is seeking public assistance in a series of break-ins over the past few weeks. (WLNE)
🚌 The union representing school bus drivers in Warwick and Jamestown is expected to vote on a new contract next weekend. (WPRI)
🌊 The National Weather Service has issued a high rip current risk alert for Newport County and surrounding coastal areas, effective from Thursday morning through Thursday evening. (WUN)
Arts & Culture
🎬 The JPT will present a special series celebrating Merchant Ivory's legacy and the 40th anniversary of the cult classic film Paris, Texas. (WUN)
🦪 “Opening the Oyster: African American Foodways in Rhode Island, 1726-Present” will be held at the Tiverton Public Library on Tuesday, October 1. (WUN)
Business + Nonprofit
🙏 People’s Credit Union recently partnered with Farm Fresh RI and other nonprofit organizations across the state for a ‘Day of Purpose’. (WUN)
👏 The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau honored community and industry leaders, and hospitality heroes at its Annual Meeting on Tuesday. (WUN)
⚡ Rhode Island Energy has been sharing this offer for business owners in Newport and Middletown on X;
Attention Middletown & Newport Businesses! If you sign up for a no cost energy assessment between September 16 and September 20, we’ll pay for up to 90% of energy efficiency solutions. Contact us now at 1-877-784-3709 to schedule your assessment or visit http://spr.ly/6011oHIz3
City & Government
🎤 Newport City Manager Colin Kennedy addressed residents’ concerns about utility bills and infrastructure needs during What’sUpNewp’s Wednesday monthly “Ask the City Manager” session. (WUN)
🎖️ The U.S. National Park Service has named North Kingstown a World War II Heritage City, recognizing the town’s contributions to the war effort. (WUN)
⬇️ After hiking interest rates eleven times following the coronavirus outbreak, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced Wednesday that it will lower the benchmark borrowing rate by half of a percentage point. (WUN)
Election 2024
🇺🇸 Americans overwhelmingly reject efforts to overturn elections for political gain and to ban books from public libraries, but they are split on partisan and ideological lines over voter suppression and presidents being above law, new national polling from Salve Regina University’s Nationhood Lab found. (WUN)
📖 On Wednesday, Rhode Island’s Secretary of State and the RI Department of State Elections Division announced that the 2024 Voter Information Handbook is now available online and will be delivered to residences in early October. (WUN)
Environment & Health
🌬️ Opponents of offshore wind around the U.S. are pelting projects with lawsuits seeking to cancel them or tie them up for years in costly litigation. (WUN)
🌎 A bipartisan resolution to protect and restore the nation’s estuaries (like Narragansett Bay), which are threatened by climate change, rising sea levels and pollution has passed the Senate. (WUN)
🐦 Ocean Hour Farm (formerly SVF Foundation) is opening its gates on Monday, September 23, for a Bird Walk with Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Director of Avian Research. Sign up today by contacting cclarkson@asri.org (*these public walks are capped at 15 participants.) (Instagram)
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Food & Drink
🍷 The Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival starts today with a sold-out Connoisseurs’ Dinner at The Elms. (Newport Mansions)
📺 If you missed Newport on the Cooking Channel’s Carnival Eats on Sunday night, you have another show this evening at 8:30 pm.
Notable Quote
"I think we're a city of 105,000 people. Now. You're probably saying what? No census says we're only 24,000. 25,000. That's true. That's our full time residents and families who vote and go to school here. But there's another 55,000 equivalent residents. That's what the 4 million visitors do. Visitors per year do in terms of the tax on our infrastructure. And none of them pay any property tax."
- Colin Kennedy, City Manager of Newport, explaining during a conversation with What’sUpNewp his perspective on the actual population impact on Newport's infrastructure, considering both full-time residents and the equivalent impact of visitors.
Obituaries
🕊️ Walter Lopez Davila 🕊️ Betty Mello
Sailing & Sports
⚾ Trevor Story homered in the sixth inning then scored the winning run on Jarren Duran’s single in the eighth as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Wednesday night. (WUN)
⚾ Aaron Rodgers is getting his official introduction to what has lately been a mostly lopsided matchup when he plays in the home opener against the New England Patriots (1-1) on Thursday night. (WUN)
Things To Do
⛵ newportFILM presents 76 Days Adrift at The JPT this evening. (WUN)
🏖️ Join Newport Mental Health for “Rock The Beach” fundraiser and support a vital cause at Newport Beach House tonight (WUN)
🗓️ On tap this week/weekend: Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, Festival Latino, Cardines Classic, and more. Get the full rundown of events, live music, and entertainment. (WUN)
Extra! Extra!
‘Scandalous Conduct’: Telling the queer history behind the Newport Navy sex scandal of 1919 (The Public’s Radio)
Newport is facing a housing shortage. These solutions could be the answer (Newport Daily News)
"The Great Elephant Migration" Brings Conservation Message To Cities Across US (DOGO News)
What’s Up Today
🚢 The 594-foot MS Nautica will make a stop in Newport Harbor today. According to her website, she can host 670 guests.
Weather
Rip Current Statement in effect from 8 am to 8 pm on September 19
Today: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 70. Northeast wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. The chance of precipitation is 50%—new precipitation amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low of around 62. Northeast wind around 16 mph. The chance of precipitation is 50%—new precipitation amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch possible.
Marine Forecast
Today: NNE wind 11 to 16 kt, with gusts as high as 25 kt. There is a chance of showers. Seas 1 ft or less.
Tonight: NNE wind around 14 kt, with gusts as high as 21 kt. There is a chance of showers. Seas 1 ft or less.
Coastal Water Temperature: 64°F.
Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise: 6:30 am | Sunset: 6:47 pm | 12 hours and 16 minutes of sun.
High tide at 9:12 am & 9:36 pm | Low tide at 2:25 am & 3:08 pm.
Moon: Waning Gibbous. 15.7 days, 99% lighting.
Things To Do
12 pm: Museum Reads: “Latin American Art Since 1900” at Newport Art Museum
4 pm: Drop-In Pirate Map at Newport Public Library
5 pm: Sightlines: Stories of Conservation Farming with Dr. Amy Johnson at Norman Bird Sanctuary
5 pm: Salon Series at The Living Room at Brenton Hotel
5:30 pm: Newport Mental Health’s Rock The Beach at Newport Beach House
6 pm: The Art of the Book: Miniature Book Binding at Newport Public Library
7 pm: newportFILM presents “76 Days Adrift” at The JPT
7 pm: Wharf Southern Kitchen 4-course Fall Dinner at Wharf Southern Kitchen
8:30 pm: Newport appears on the Cooking Channle’s Carnival Eats
Live Music, & Entertainment
JPT Film & Event Center: Didi at 4 pm, 76 Days Adrift at 7 pm
Landing: Dezi Garcia at 4 pm, Timmy Smith at 7 pm
Narragansett Cafe: Mark Flynn at 5 pm
Newport Blues Cafe: Timeless at 8 pm
Newport Craft: Thursday Trivia at 7 pm
Ragged Island Brewing: Trivia in the Barn at 6 pm
Local Government
Jamestown: Technical Review Committee at 9 am
Portsmouth: Conservation Commission at 6 pm, Zoning Board of Review at 7 pm
Tiverton: Police Pension Board at 10 am, Dog Park Committee at 6:30 pmWhat’s Up This Week & Weekend
🚨 The Newport Police Department is seeking public assistance in a series of break-ins over the past few weeks. (WLNE)
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