Good Morning! Today's newsletter is 1,104 words — a 6-minute read.
🏛️ With the 2023 legislative underway, hundreds, maybe thousands of bills will be introduced with the intention of solving some of the state’s most pressing issues.
What’sUpNewp reached out to legislators from the Newport County area and on the South Shore, asking for their vision for this upcoming legislative session. There are clearly similarities in the two areas, with waterfront and tourism critical concerns.
We have heard from most of the legislators and have promises of responses from a couple of others. We began publishing responses earlier this week, with some very thoughtful observations from state Rep. Terri-Denise Cortvriend. Today, we’ll share responses from state Rep. Lauren Carson, D-Dist. 75 (Newport) and Rep. Alex Finkelman, D-Dist. 74 (Jamestown/Middletown).
Read The Full Story - Legislators Carson, Finkleman share plans for 2023 legislative session
🎤 Singer-songwriter Dar Williams is coming to The JPT in March.
🗓️ The joint meeting scheduled this evening of the Middletown Town Council, School Committee, and School Building Committee has been canceled. The meeting was to discuss the school building program in the town and related matters. A makeup date for the session has not been determined at this point.
🚨 Three people were injured in a head-on crash in Portsmouth involving a RIPTA bus and pickup truck Tuesday afternoon. WPRI with the story.
🕺 Folk Vintage Co., the store selling the “best of 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, & Y2K pieces”, is moving from 221 Spring Street to 446 Thames Street (formerly Karma Kitchen & Catering).
🌉 President Biden will announce funding to rebuild some of the nation’s most economically significant bridges, during a visit to Covington, Kentucky. Among the highlights on the Fact Sheet published by The White House is the Newport Pell Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which was INFRA program funded.
“The Newport Pell Bridge Rehabilitation Project in Rhode Island will rehabilitate the 4-lane suspension bridge that carries Route 138 over the Narragansett Bay, connecting Jamestown and Newport along a critical urban freight corridor and a major tourism destination”.
🚔 The two men arrested during an altercation with officers on Thames Street last summer are no longer facing charges. WPRI with the story.
📷 andrewj_brooks captures a golden sunset on the coast
What’s Up Today
☀️ Weather
Today: Areas of fog before 9 am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 49. West wind around 6 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Tonight: Rain, mainly before midnight. Areas of fog. Low around 45. Northeast wind 6 to 13 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow: A chance of showers before 11 am, then a slight chance of showers after 3 pm. Areas of fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 45. Northeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%.
🛥️ Marine Forecast
Today: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Areas of fog before 9 am. Seas 1 ft or less.
Tonight: NE wind 5 to 8 kt increasing to 8 to 11 kt in the evening. Rain, mainly before midnight. Areas of fog. Seas 1 ft or less.
Tomorrow: NE wind around 9 kt. A chance of showers before 11 am, then a slight chance of showers after 3 pm. Areas of fog. Seas 1 ft or less.
Coastal Water Temperature: 44°F.
🌊 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise: 7:11 am | Sunset: 4:28 pm | 9 hours and 16 minutes of sun.
High tide at 5:58 am & 6:15 pm | Low tide at 12:10 am & 11:16 pm.
Moon: Waxing Gibbous. 12.1 days, 92% lighting.
🎭 Things To Do
10 am: Story and Stroll at Norman Bird Sanctuary
4:15 pm: Senior Ballroom Dance Classes at Common Fence Point Community Center
For more events and things to do, visit our events calendar.
🎶 Entertainment
Buskers: Open Mic with Mike Warner at 9 pm
Fastnet Pub: Trivia at 9 pm
Fifth Element: Live music from 7 pm to 10 pm
Irish American Club: Mel from 8 pm to 10 pm
JPT Film & Event Center: The Fabelmans at 4 pm & 7:30 pm
Perro Salado: The Z-Boys from 9 pm to 12 am
Sardella’s: Live Jazz music at 7 pm
🏛️ City & Government
Little Compton: Agricultural Conservancy Trust at 7 pm
Newport: Newport County Regional Special Education Program at 9 am, Beach Commission at 5 pm, City Council at 6 pm
Portsmouth: Housing Authority at 3 pm, Harbor Commission at 7 pm, Melville Park Committee at 7 pm
Tiverton: Zoning Board of Review at 7 pm, Zoning Board of Review at 7:30 pm
See the full list of public meetings in Rhode Island here.
On What’sUpNewp
🆕 The Latest
A roundup of all the latest What’sUpNewp headlines since our last newsletter.
What’sUpNewp reached out to legislators from the Newport County area and on the South Shore, asking for their vision for this upcoming legislative session.
❤️ Recent Local Obituaries
📈 Tuesday’s Most-Read
The following were the most-read What’sUpNewp stories on January 3.