Rhode Island
Newport City Council fights to save hospital birthing center from closure – What’s Up Newp
The Newport City Council will convene a special meeting Tuesday evening to consider a resolution advocating for the continued operation of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital, as the facility faces potential closure due to budget constraints.
The meeting, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, in the Council Chamber at City Hall, comes as Newport Hospital’s parent company, Brown Health, grapples with “substantial budget shortfalls” that are forcing consideration of cuts to programs and services across the system.
In his weekly newsletter to supporters Sunday, Councilor Xay Khamsyvoravong outlined the stakes facing the community, warning that closure of the birthing center would create “The Last Generation of Newporters” if expectant mothers are forced to travel off-island for delivery services.
“Newport Hospital is considering cuts to services and is specifically considering closing the Birthing Center, where the next generation of Newporters are delivered,” Khamsyvoravong wrote in the email titled “The Last Generation of Newporters?”
The timing is critical, as Newport Hospital welcomes a new president on Monday who will immediately begin working on the hospital’s fall budget—with the birthing center’s fate “put squarely on his agenda.”
Economic and Safety Concerns
The proposed resolution outlines several concerns about closing the birthing center, including impacts on emergency services and the local economy. According to the document, expectant mothers typically make 2-4 impromptu trips to a delivery unit before giving birth, and without local services, they would likely overwhelm Newport Hospital’s already strained emergency room before being diverted elsewhere.
The resolution also warns that closure would increase demand on the city’s Fire and Rescue Department, whose ambulances would be “increasingly called upon to transport expectant mothers to off-island hospitals, potentially during time-sensitive and medically urgent situations.”
From an economic perspective, the resolution argues that poor access to healthcare would be “yet another reason young families with flexibility won’t move here,” further exacerbating Newport’s challenges with attracting and retaining families.
Personal Stakes
Khamsyvoravong brought a personal perspective to the issue, sharing memories of accompanying his mother, pediatrician Dr. Linda Rexford, on weekend hospital visits throughout her nearly five-decade career. He noted the irony that he wasn’t born at Newport Hospital himself, but spent countless hours there as a child.
“I have forty-one years of being told the people we rely on most are valued the least,” Khamsyvoravong wrote, referencing the compensation challenges facing primary care providers in Rhode Island.
Call to Action
The councilor is urging community members to make their voices heard before Tuesday’s meeting. He specifically called on residents to contact Sarah Frost, Executive Vice President and Chief of Hospital Operations at Brown University Health, as well as members of the Hospital Foundation’s boards and major donors.
“We need you to tell your story,” Khamsyvoravong wrote. “Newport Hospital and their parent, Brown Health, needs to hear it from you.”
The resolution, if passed, would be sent to Brown Health leadership, the President of Newport Hospital, the Governor of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Health, Newport County state legislators, the Rhode Island Congressional delegation, and the town councils of Jamestown, Middletown, and Portsmouth.
The special meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at Newport City Hall, 43 Broadway. The resolution is sponsored by Councilors Xay Khamsyvoravong, Stephanie Smyth, Jeanne-Marie Napolitano, Ellen Pinnock, and David R. Carlin III.
Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer, Brayan Bello pitched one-run ball into the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 4-1, series-sweeping victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. Read More
As more healthcare professionals earn doctoral degrees, patients struggle to navigate a system that prioritizes profit over personal care
Read More
Nine Homes Under $600K: Aquidneck Island’s Housing Market Reality
Read More
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Dreamflight has released its rendition of Rhode Island for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024.
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (KPVD) features the Bruce Sundlun Terminal, a modern two-level facility with North and South concourses housing around 20 gates. It’s served by major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and Breeze, offering frequent connections to major hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Washington, along with seasonal routes to Florida and select Caribbean destinations.
Dreamflight’s version of TF Green Airport delivers an accurate and up-to-date recreation of the real location, featuring a fully modelled terminal interior, detailed ground work, and the current 2025 layout. Handcrafted textures, tuned night lighting, and realistic clutter help bring the environment to life, while static aircraft placements match real-world operations. The package also includes a GSX profile for enhanced ground service compatibility.
You can buy it from Contrail for 16.99 (excluding taxes).
Features
- Accurate, data-driven airport recreation – Modeled using real-world references to deliver the most precise TF Green experience available
- High-quality textures and detailed custom modeling
- Fully modeled terminal interior
- Custom ground poly – Realistic pavement detail, accurate taxiway markings, and updated surface materials
- Up-to-date 2025 airport layout
- Professionally tuned night lighting
- ATC tower interior
- Authentic ground clutter and service equipment
- Patriots 767 parked as in real life, static business jets
- Handcrafted PBR materials
- Detailed parking lots and landside areas
- GSX Profile by pvrlpe
WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport is undergoing a multimillion-dollar project to improve the airport’s terminal.
The project includes multiple new restaurants and stores along with a new decorative flooring that will replace the old carpet throughout the terminal.
The new restaurants inside the terminal include Narragansett Kitchen and Bar in the North Concourse, replacing the location of the old TGI Fridays.
“It’s a great facility, we opened this in May of this year, it’s over a $2 million investment,” said Nikolas Persson, executive vice president of business development. “We want to make sure that when our passengers are arriving here, they have the best impression of our state, and when they’re leaving that the last impression is a lasting one.”
In the South Concourse, the new restaurant is Federal Hill, an Italian restaurant.
Federal Hill is a new restaurant in the South Concourse at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick. (WJAR)
The old Providence Provisions will be replaced with a new Block Island-inspired seafood restaurant.
A Burger King will also replace Rhode Island Burger Co. near the TSA security line.
“We want to make sure that our of our customers have something that their familiar with,” said Persson.
The project to install the new retail and restaurant attractions cost $21 million, while the flooring cost $20.5 million.
According to the airport, the projects are funded by federal funds and airport revenue, not taxpayer money.
It’s not clear what will happen to the sailboat at the information center at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick. (WJAR)
The airport said it’s unclear what will happen to the sailboat by the information desk at baggage claim. But the airport ensures the live piano music will remain.
In the near future, the airport will undergo a $64 million project to improve its walls, ceilings, seating and lighting. Each project at the airport is done in phases.
Rhode Island
Ammonia leak from Rhode Island food processing facility sends 13 to hospital, 2 in critical condition
More than a dozen people were hospitalized, including two in critical condition, after falling ill from an ammonia leak at a food processing facility in Rhode Island on Thursday night, officials said.
Hazmat teams were working to ventilate the Infinity Fresh Kitchen facility, which is run in partnership with Taylor Farms in North Kingston, after an anhydrous ammonia leak around 6 p.m., according to the state’s Department of Environmental Management.
Thirteen people were hospitalized and two are in critical condition, the department said.
“We had people coming out of the building complaining that they were smelling of ammonia with irritation to their eyes and throats. There was no liquid ammonia leak, it was all vapor,” North Kingstown Fire Chief John Linacre told WJAR.
The Department of Environmental Management explained that a technician at the facility turned the ammonia system off, so a full evacuation wasn’t required.
The agency is still probing the cause of the leak. Linacre told the outlet that they suspected it originated from a valve on the roof that came loose, which created an opening for the air intake to suck the ammonia into the facility.
Taylor Farms was previously fined a whopping $650,000 for an ammonia leak that stemmed from its refrigeration system and sent 15 employees to the hospital in 2020.
Last week, 36 people were hospitalized, including four in critical condition, after ammonia leaked out of a tanker truck that was rolling through a small city in Oklahoma. Roughly 600 people in the surrounding area had to shelter in place for hours until officials gave the all-clear.
In 2022, one HVAC contractor died and another was sickened at a food plant in Massachusetts when an ammonia pipe they were working near started to leak.
Exposure to ammonia can cause severe irritation, burns, and difficulty breathing. In high concentrations, it can lead to life-threatening conditions.
Delta Junction resident pinned beneath vehicle in crash dies, troopers say
Arizona football shuts out Baylor in 2nd half for 4th straight victory
No. 10 Texas looks to rebound against Arkansas after tough loss to Georgia
All lanes reopen on 5 Freeway in Oceanside after officer-involved shooting forces closure
Colorado ski resort ranks among the best in country
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Video: In Charlotte, Border Patrol Arrests Send Families Into Hiding
GOP Senate hopeful reveals how Dems are making America ‘weaker’ in viral video ahead of Thanksgiving
Brazil’s Bolsonaro arrested days before start of 27-year prison sentence
Marjorie Taylor Greene could have led the anti-Trump resistance but the mob boss got his way
Sen. John Fetterman accuses Trump of ‘dangerous rhetoric’
-
Business6 days agoFire survivors can use this new portal to rebuild faster and save money
-
World4 days agoFrance and Germany support simplification push for digital rules
-
News5 days agoCourt documents shed light on Indiana shooting that sparked stand-your-ground debate
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoHere is how Rethink Coalition envisions future improvements to I-65/I-70 South split
-
World1 week ago2% of Russian global oil supply affected following Ukrainian attack
-
World5 days agoCalls for answers grow over Canada’s interrogation of Israel critic
-
Austin, TX1 week agoWoman dies after vehicle veers off road, hits her at East Austin bus stop
-
Business4 days ago
Amazon’s Zoox offers free robotaxi rides in San Francisco
