What's Up in Newport: Thursday, Nov. 21
Happening Today: True North dance concert, newportFILM presents Yacht Rock, The Hare with Amber Eyes, Cinderella, trivia, line dancing, live music by Bees Deluxe, Timeless, and much more.
Good Morning! It’s Thursday, November 21.
⛅ Today’s Weather: Rain, mainly after 7 am. High near 54. Northeast wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches are possible.
🎥 Happening Today: True North dance concert, newportFILM presents Yacht Rock, The Hare with Amber Eyes, Cinderella, trivia, line dancing, live music by Bees Deluxe, Timeless, and much more. [What’sUpNewp]
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Make the most of your Thursday, rain or shine!
Leading Off
👉 Newport City Manager Colin Kennedy will join What’sUpNewp for his next monthly live conversation this morning at 10 am. You can watch it live or anytime afterward on our website and social media channels.
What questions do you have for the City Manager?
🖼️ In partnership with the RI Coalition to End Homelessness and Newport Housing Hotline, the Overlap Gallery in Newport opened its “No Place Like Home” exhibit, centering around the theme of homelessness, on Saturday. 54 artworks were selected in an array of media and styles, with each artist interpreting what “home” means to them. What’sUpNewp’s Veronica Bruno has the story. [What’sUpNewp]
What To Know
News
💰 From healthcare to historic preservation and recreation, Newport area non-profits were winners in the latest round of Champlin Foundation grants, aimed at helping organizations pursue “ambitious visions,” according to Champlin’s Executive Director Nina Stack. [What’sUpNewp]
🗳️ The Middletown Town Council is set to keep its current leadership, with Paul M. Rodrigues continuing as president and Thomas P. Welch III as vice president. [What’sUpNewp]
🏫 The Newport School Committee has new leadership following recent elections and an organizational meeting. James Dring will serve as the new chair, and Rebecca Bolan will serve as vice chair. [What’sUpNewp]
🚓 Newport Police Department reported just one arrest for Nov. 19 - 20. [What’sUpNewp]
👉 Newport part-time resident Jay Leno is “black and blue” after falling down a 60-foot hill in Pennsylvania on his way out for dinner. [CNN]
Arts & Culture
📺 Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio are hosting a community screening of “Our Town: Jamestown Part II” on December 3 at the Jamestown Arts Center. The documentary, set to air on December 11 at 8 p.m., is the second part of a series about the island community. [What’sUpNewp]
Business + Nonprofit
🏥 Newport Hospital has surpassed its $5 million fundraising goal for a new Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit, allowing construction to begin ahead of schedule. [What’sUpNewp]
🏆 People’s Credit Union has received the “Doing Well by Doing Good” Award for its unwavering commitment to community service. MasterCard bestowed the award on the credit union as part of the 5th annual Mastercard Community Institutions Segment Awards. [What’sUpNewp]
City & Government
🗓️ At 2 pm today, Governor Dan McKee will deliver remarks at the launch of a new pre-apprenticeship readiness training program for recent high school graduates and young adults at the Community College of Rhode Island.
👏 Portsmouth Middle School is among three Rhode Island schools are being recognized for their top attendance rates during the week of November 11, as part of the #AttendanceMattersRI campaign. [What’sUpNewp]
👉 Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain expressed gratitude to Newport City Council for recent funding approvals and provided updates on the new high school construction during her monthly live interview with What’sUpNewp on Wednesday. [What’sUpNewp]
Environment & Health
🌊 Another Newport (and energy concept) to watch: Newport, Oregon, a rainy coastal town of nearly 10,500 people located a couple of hours south of Portland, is experimenting with powering thousands of homes using waves. [The Washington Post]
Food & Drink
🏅 OpenTable announced its Top 100 restaurants this week. Gracie’s in Providence was the sole Ocean State restaurant to land on the list. [OpenTable]
🍽️ Dine For A Cause: Join Giusto on December 4 to preview the much-anticipated Track 15 food hall (opening in Providence) and support the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. [Track 15 at Giusto]
🦃 Newport-area residents and visitors have a cornucopia of Thanksgiving dining options this year, with local restaurants serving traditional turkey dinners and creative culinary twists. [What’sUpNewp]
Notable Quote
"Cosmetology and automotive are still not in the new building (new Rogers High School). Dr. Robert Power did run on the campaign platform of restoring both those programs into the new building. So we're trying to think of ways we can do that. I can foresee in the tea leaves that there will be some fundraising campaigns going on for both of those and we'd like to be very aggressive now that we know we have enough to complete the building and the work never stops. And we want to try as best as possible to get the cosmetology and the auto program into the new building."
Newport School Superintendent Jermain discussing with What’sUpNewp on Wednesday the potential plans to restore the cosmetology and automotive programs in the new school building.
Obituaries
🕊️ Alan Aleicho
Sailing & Sports
🏀 Sebastian Thomas scored 23 points as Rhode Island beat Lafayette 86-72 on Wednesday night. [What’sUpNewp]
Things To Do
🎄 On tap this week/weekend: True North, Yacht Rock, Holidays at the Newport Mansions, Sparkling Lights at The Breakers, and much more. [What’sUpNewp]
🌲 For the first time in over twenty years, Holidays at the Newport Mansions will feature Chateau-sur-Mer, decorated for the season and open for tours along with The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms. The magic begins on Friday. [What’sUpNewp]
Do you have news, a news tip, or a story idea to share? Hit reply and let me know!
What specific responsibilities will the new asst City Manager have? How will you judge his performance?
Ryan - I personally question the value of this role - pricey and wondering why better admin support would not have been sufficient.
What is the job description for the City's communication manager? He has not responded to a simple email request for getting a copy of his survey results. He is either not there or his door is locked. When I stopped by his office there were two city employees talking to him, each of which seemed put off that I wanted to talk to him. The last of the two then left the office and shut the locked door saying nothing. Could he be the wrong person for a communications job? Paul Fleming