Newport Hospital President among casualties in Lifespan restructuring | 22 homes change hands | Portsmouth Volleyball & Soccer pick up wins

It’s Tuesday, September 24 —the 268th day of the year; 98 days remain in 2024.

⛅ Today’s Weather: A chance of sprinkles after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65°.

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Newport City Council Happenings

⚓ Newport City Council will consider a citywide moratorium on new short-term rentals at its Wednesday meeting, aiming to curb the loss of housing units to vacation rentals.

“We are now looking at a moratorium on all new short-term rentals across the entire city,” Xaykham (Xay) Khamsyvoravong, Mayor and City Council Chair, said during a conversation with What’sUpNewp on Monday to preview Wednesday’s agenda. “We heard from the zoning officer for the city that we’re losing 20-ish units of housing per year to conversions to short-term rentals. This is an effort to stop that.”

During our conversation, Mayor Xay also provided background and thoughts on the sewer fees, Easton’s Beach carousel, noise regarding Cars and Coffee, King Park infrastructure, and more.

🏥 Crista Durand, president of Newport Hospital for the past decade, is among the casualties of a Lifespan restructuring that will save the hospital group $6 million by reducing its executive positions by 20 percent. (WUN)

⚠️ Due to an elevator malfunction at Newport City Hall, Newport City Council’s meeting on Wednesday has been moved to the cafeteria at Pell Elementary School. (WUN)

🚨 Newport Police Department arrested four individuals over the weekend on charges ranging from domestic violence to drug possession. (WUN)

🎻 The Puddingstone music series continues in October by welcoming Sheffield Chamber Players to Provence sur Mer. (WUN)

⛵Local sailors will race around Conanicut Island on Saturday in the Sail for Hope. The race around Jamestown is an annual fundraiser. (WUN)

🙏 Newport Hospital will show its appreciation for the first responders who work for the safety of the hospital and the community during its new First Responders Appreciation Day on Friday. (WUN)

🛣️ Middletown is getting busy this fall, and there are plans to pave several local streets. The $2 million project is part of the town's plan to chip away at its "Red Roads" list of worst local streets. (WUN)

🚧 Drivers in Tiverton will experience a weekend road closure as the Rhode Island Department of Transportation replaces a culvert under Main Road. (WUN)

🏠 The special legislative commission studying the short-term rental industry's economic and social effects will meet with regional tourism directors on Thursday to discuss its pros and cons. (WUN)

🌱 The Tiverton Public Library is hosting a free event that will teach people about the importance of seed saving and how to do it. (WUN)

🌬️ The Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board voted Monday unanimously to resume consideration of SouthCoast Wind Energy LLC’s application to run transmission lines from its wind farm 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard up the Sakonnet River, over Portsmouth, and out Mount Hope Bay to reach land in Somerset. (RI Current)

🐾 The Potter League for Animals will host Pints for Paws, a fun-filled, dog-friendly event on Saturday at Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. (WUN)

🕊️ Roland Addison 🕊️ Ronald S. Ribera Sr. 🕊️ GB Baer

✍️ Dennis Turano, Middletown Town Councilor / Candidate for Middletown Town Council, weighs in - Letter To The Editor: Taxation without representation for Middletown nonresidents, renters. (WUN)

👉 One-on-one exclusive interviews happening on What’sUpNewp this week;

🏠 As we enter the last week of September—a wild thing to consider—the Newport County real estate market continues to demonstrate consistent activity, with 22 homes changing hands last week, September 16 - 20, 2024. (WUN)

🏐 Portsmouth's Varsity Girls Volleyball team clinched a 3-1 win over La Salle in an exciting match on Monday night. WUN’s Justin Walker was there. (WUN Photo Gallery)

⚽ The Portsmouth Girls’ Soccer team put on a show Monday, dominating Pilgrim High School with a 5-0 home win. WUN’s Justin Walker was there. (WUN Photo Gallery)

⚾ Tanner Houck pitched five shutout innings, Wilyer Abreu reached base three times and the Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. (WUN)

🍺 On tap this week/weekend: Newport Oktoberfest, Pints for Paws, Jamestown Half Marathon, and more. (WUN)

🚢 Meraviglia’s visit has been canceled. There are no cruise ships scheduled for today.