Good Evening,
A water main broke in the area of Gould Street & Warner Street around 11 am this morning, which is currently affecting a large area of customers and businesses in the city. A precautionary boil water advisory has been issued for customers throughout the City of Newport and the Easton’s Point section of Middletown. The full story is here.
The Latest WUN Headlines
“Adding the proposed increases in the minimum wage to the continued state-mandated capacity restrictions currently in place will only compound the barriers to getting the economy going again, adding significant costs to reestablishing and growing Rhode Island’s small businesses.”
Newport Water Division has increased disinfection, is repairing the water main break, and will be taking water samples. Customers will receive notice when this requirement is lifted.
Since last Wednesday, Newport County had 220 new positive cases - 83 were in Newport, 54 in Middletown, 44 in Tiverton, 30 in Portsmouth, 6 in Jamestown, and 3 in Little Compton.
RIDOH reports today 430 new positive cases, 12 new fatalities, and 238 hospitalizations. 127,857 total doses of the vaccine have been administered.
DEM seeking proposals to farm parcels of state-owned land in Tiverton, South Kingstown, and Coventry
Use of the parcels will be restricted to the raising and harvesting of agricultural products, and the lands may not be used for any other purpose.
The Town of Portsmouth has teamed up with Raytheon Missiles and Defense to use its Providence Building, located off West Main Road, to serve as the COVID-19 Vaccine Point of Dispensing (POD) Clinic for the town.
Recent Local Obituaries
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What Else Is Up Out There
Antonia Ayres-Brown, Newport Bureau Reporter for The Public’s Radio, dove into development in Newport’s North End during a three-part series published on The Public’s Radio this week. If you missed the series, follow the links below.
“Newport is famous for its historic downtown, Gilded Age mansions, and waterfront restaurants, which attract millions of visitors every year. But the city is also home to the North End, a residential and commercial area that many tourists never see. The future of the North End, though, could look quite different.”
Part 2: The cost of redevelopment: Newport residents worry about displacement in the city’s North End
“Newport is known for having some of the most extravagant homes in the country, but the city is also one of the few communities in Rhode Island hitting statewide goals for affordable housing. Many of those homes are concentrated in the North End, an area where lower housing costs offer alternatives to Newport residents who can’t afford to live in other pricey neighborhoods. Some locals worry that could change with a new plan for redevelopment in the North End”.
“The City of Newport has adopted an ambitious new vision for the future of the North End, a residential and commercial area that faces significant economic disparities. But as Newport now looks to implement this vision, some residents say more work remains to be done to build trust in the plan and its promise of equitable redevelopment”.
COVID-19 in Rhode Island
Data as of Feb. 10. More data here - COVID-19 in Rhode Island: The latest data
That’s All For Now
Early in-person voting began today for the March 2 Statewide Special Election. Find out how to vote, where to vote, and what you’re voting for at vote.sos.ri.gov.
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That’s going to do it for now, thanks for reading.
~ Ryan
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