Daily Digest: Wednesday, October 16

Good Morning. It’s Wednesday, October 16, and we’re covering Question 6, Middletown Volleyball, a house fire in Portsmouth, recent real estate transactions, all that’s happening this week/weekend, and more.

A significant ballot question, Question 6, asks Newport voters to approve a $98.5 million bond for infrastructure and municipal facility improvements.

In a recent memo to the City Council, City Manager Colin Kennedy shared a memorandum related to Fiscal Notes on the Bond Measure regarding Question 6 on the November ballot.

A portion of that memorandum (below) outlines two possible outcomes if the bond fails. We’ll discuss that memorandum, what it will fund, and that voters should know about Question 6 with the City Manager during a one-on-one conversation this morning at 10 am. [WUN]

🚒 Crews battled a massive house fire on Sea Spray Drive in Portsmouth on Tuesday night. [WPRI] [WJAR] [WLNE]

👉 RITBA will be launching a new system for its E-ZPass and bill-by-plate tolling transactions, and during the transition, customer service will be unavailable from Friday, Oct. 25 to Monday, Oct. 28. [WUN]

🚨 Newport Police reported on Tuesday that they took seven individuals into custody on various charges over the weekend. [WUN]

🔥 Rebecca Bertrand, director of the Newport Historical Society, and Victoria Johnson of the Middle Passage Project will discuss the campaign to establish a center for Black history at Arts Around The Fire tonight. [WUN]

🖼️ The Sailing Museum & National Sailing Hall of Fame will host the 41st Schaefer International Marine Art Exhibition from October 11 to November 11, 2024. [WUN]

🆕 Fifth Element is changing hands again; Chomp Kitchen and Drinks is moving in. [WUN]

🏎️ Donald Osborne, CEO of the Audrain Group in Newport, is stepping down from his position effective November 1, 2024. [WUN]

🏆 The Newport Public Education Foundation will host an Evening for Education on Thursday. [WUN]

🆓 Newport in Bloom is giving away 30,000 free Dutch Master daffodil bulbs to Aquidneck Island residents and businesses on Oct. 20. [WUN]

🚰 Water main flushing is planned across Aquidneck Island Oct. 20 - Nov. 7.  [WUN]

1️⃣ Newport City Manager Colin Kennedy will spend thirty minutes with WUN this morning at 10 am. We’ll spend a lot of time on Newport’s bond question. [WUN]

2️⃣ Representative Lauren Carson (D. Dist. 75, Newport) will join What’sUpNewp for a one-on-one conversation at 10 am on Tuesday, October 22.

3️⃣ Trudy Coxe, CEO & Executive Director of The Preservation Society of Newport County, will join WUN for a conversation on Thursday, October 24 at 10:30 am.

🗳️ Early voting begins today and continues until 4 p.m. on November 4. [WUN]

🗳️ Representative Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) is urging Newport voters to support Question 6 in Newport and the four statewide bond questions. [WUN]

🧑‍⚕️ Dr. Michael Fine’s latest column is here - What’s crazy about medical debt? [WUN]

🦞 The 33rd Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival will take over Bowen’s Wharf on Saturday and Sunday. [Bowen’s Wharf]

🕊️ William Willis | 🕊️ John Sunderland | Joan L. (Cox) Karoli

✍️ Gail Thacher of Newport weighs in with an endorsement of Lynn Underwood Ceglie for Newport City Council Second Ward. [WUN]

✍️ Amy Yozura of Newport with an endorsement for Penny Billington Hunt for Newport School Committee. [WUN]

✍️ Penny Fitch of Newport endorses Mark Aramli for Newport City Council. [WUN]

✍️ Keith Hamilton of Portsmouth encourages voters to vote yes on Question #1.[WUN]

🏠 Eighteen homes sold across Newport County last week. WUN’s Tyler Bernadyn has the roundup of what sold. [WUN]

🏘️ Middletown and Little Compton are among “7 Charming Small Towns in Rhode Island You’ll Want to Call Home”. [Redfin]

🏐 In a home match on Tuesday, October 15, Middletown High School’s volleyball team clinched a 3-1 win against St. Mary Academy – Bay View. [WUN]

⚽ The new National Women’s Soccer League team in Boston set to start play in 2026 has a name: BOS Nation FC. [WUN]

⚓ On tap this week/weekend: Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival, Pell Bridge Run, Heart & Sole Walk For Animals, and more. [WUN]

🚢 Next up on the cruise ship schedule: Wednesday, Oct. 16: Insignia.