Rhode Island

Rhode Island couple takes DIY to a new level, cleans up 3K pounds of trash

Published

2 years ago

June 17, 2023

Rhode Island couple takes DIY to a new level, cleans up 3K pounds of trash

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WJAR) — There’s an immeasurable amount of trash that litters parts of the shoreline of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island.

A local couple, frustrated by the fight over who has the power to clean up one section of Portsmouth, decided to do it themselves.

Parts of Gull Cove in Portsmouth are overseen by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, another part by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. But an online search shows no records as to who owns the property adjacent to it.

When trash piles up from Narragansett Bay tidal flow and careless humans, there’s a lot of finger-pointing.

Retired now, Randy Matsch decided to volunteer for a Middletown cleanup. Since then, he sees trash everywhere.

So, with his wife Kathy, it’s “do it yourself.”

“We have a granddaughter. We’re looking at her future, and her kids’ future,” Randy said.

It took Randy and Kathy four months on their own to clear the furthest quart-mile stretch of Gull Cove and clear up more than 3,000 pounds of trash.

DEM agreed to pick it all up last week if they put it where DEM has legal jurisdiction by its now small “strike force,” now in its second year.

The Matsch’s reached out to Save the Bay for help, that only has a mostly educational flat bottom boat with limited availability.

“In our case, we may have been able to pitch in with this one,” said July Lewis of the non-profit. “If we had more notice to move the trash.”

Clean Ocean Access is now working on a long-term strategy after being contacted by Randy in areas not overseen by government agencies.

He now has nearly 1,600 followers on his Instagram page where he shares their clean-up adventures that are often hazardous and in out-of-the-way places.

He said what he’d really like to see is more enforcement and consequences for those doing the trashing, and a coordinated ongoing effort with funding and staff at the state level to tackle the ongoing problem.

“To come together to come up with some kind of way that we can help them get rid of this stuff because it’s worse if we just leave it sitting there,” Randy said.

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Rhode Island

GoNetspeed bringing high-speed fiber internet to Newport – What's Up Newp

Published

5 hours ago

May 25, 2025

Press Room

GoNetspeed bringing high-speed fiber internet to Newport – What's Up Newp

GoNetspeed is bringing its high-speed fiber internet network to Newport, marking the company’s expansion into its 10th state. As the Northeast’s largest independent fiber optic network builder, GoNetspeed plans to invest $13 million in Newport, providing multigigabit internet access to over 8,200 homes and businesses.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee emphasized the importance of this development: “Fast, reliable internet is essential for Rhode Islanders. This investment goes beyond just connectivity – it’s about boosting our economy, supporting local businesses, and making sure everyone can be part of today’s digital world.”

The project is a collaboration between GoNetspeed and the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. The state’s Capital Projects Fund is putting in $9 million, with GoNetspeed matching $3.9 million.

Construction is set to start in fall 2025, with the first customers getting connected by spring 2026. The project should be fully completed by the end of 2026.

Richard Clark, GoNetspeed’s President and CEO, says, “We’re excited to welcome Newport as the first Rhode Island community to get access to our high-speed fiber-optic network.”

Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner adds, “Through ConnectRI, we’re providing targeted broadband solutions that really make a difference for residents and businesses.”

If you’re interested in the service, you can visit gonetspeed.com to pre-order and get updates on construction progress.

Ryan Belmore is the Owner and Publisher of What’sUpNewp. He has been involved with What’sUpNewp since shortly after its launch in 2012 and acquired What’sUpNewp in 2013.

Under his leadership, What’sUpNewp was named Best Local News Blog in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly readers in 2018, 2019, and 2020, and has been awarded several grants and awards from national organizations. What’sUpNewp has become a leader in the local independent online news business.

Ryan has served on the boards of several local organizations, including the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County, Fort Adams Trust, Lucy’s Hearth, and Potter League for Animals. Ryan is a member of (and follows the ethical and professional standards of) the Society of Professional Journalists, Online News Association, and Local Independent Online News Publishers. Contact Ryan at ryan@whatsupnewp.com.

More by Ryan Belmore

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Rhode Island

Who’s playing in the 2025 RIIL boys volleyball playoffs? Here’s the schedules and scores

Published

22 hours ago

May 24, 2025

Press Room

Who’s playing in the 2025 RIIL boys volleyball playoffs? Here’s the schedules and scores

The Rhode Island high school boys volleyball playoffs have arrived.

The playoffs begin with qualifying rounds on Tuesday, May 27 and run through June 7. The schedule is still tentative with graduation dates potentially moving around matches, but the championship tripleheader at Rhode Island College will conclude the season.

The Division I championship is slated for 2 p.m. with D-II and D-III matches to follow. North Kingstown finished with the top seed in D-I, Lincoln snagged the No. 1 spot in D-II and Mt. Hope leads the D-III table.

Schedule is subject to change.

For the full brackets, read on below:

TUESDAY, MAY 27

Division I preliminary round

No. 10 Cranston West at No. 7 Chariho, 5:30 p.m.

Division II preliminary round

No. 9 Central at No. 8 South Kingstown, 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28

Division I preliminary round

No. 9 Coventry at No. 8 East Greenwich, 5:30 p.m.

Division II quarterfinal round

No. 5 West Warwick at No. 4 Westerly, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 29 or FRIDAY, MAY 30

Division I quarterfinal round

No. 5 La Salle at No. 4 East Providence, 6 p.m. on Thursday

No. 6 Hendricken at No. 3 Classical, TBD

No. 10 Cranston West/No. 7 Chariho winner vs. No. 2 Cranston East, TBD

No. 9 Coventry/No. 8 East Greenwich winner vs. No. 1 North Kingstown, TBD

Division II quarterfinal round

No. 9 Central at No. 8 South Kingstown winner vs. No. 1 Lincoln, TBD

No. 7 Juanita Sanchez at No. 2 Pawtucket, TBD

No. 6 Johnston at No. 3 Central Falls, TBD

Division III quarterfinal round

No. 8 St. Raphael vs. No. 1 Mt. Hope, TBD

No. 5 North Providence at No. 4 Achivement First, TBD

No. 7 Davies at No. 2 Portsmouth, 5 p.m. on Thursday

No. 6 Burrillville at No. 3 Hope, TBD

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4

Division I semifinal round

At Rhode Island College

No. 5 La Salle/No. 4 East Providence vs. No. 9 Coventry/No. 8 East Greenwich /No. 1 North Kingstown, 5:30 p.m.

No. 6 Hendricken/No. 3 Classical vs. No. 10 Cranston West/No. 7 Chariho/No. 2 Cranston East, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 or THURSDAY, JUNE 5

Division II semifinal round

No. 9 Central at No. 8 South Kingstown/No. 1 Lincoln vs. No. 5 West Warwick/No. 4 Westerly, TBD

No. 7 Juanita Sanchez/No. 2 Pawtucket vs. No. 6 Johnston/No. 3 Central Falls, TBD

Division III semifinal round

No. 8 St. Raphael/No. 1 Mt. Hope vs. No. 5 North Providence/No. 4 Achivement First, TBD

No. 7 Davies/No. 2 Portsmouth vs. No. 6 Burrillville/No. 3 Hope, TBD

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

At Rhode Island College

Division I championship, 2 p.m.

Division II championship, 4 p.m.

Division III championship, 6 p.m.

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Rhode Island

Assessors find ‘nonconformities’ with national standards at RI Crime Lab. What to know.

Published

2 days ago

May 24, 2025

Press Room

Assessors find ‘nonconformities’ with national standards at RI Crime Lab. What to know.

Rhode Island State Crime Lab assessors found 15 nonconformities with national standards during a March review.
Some nonconformities involved firearms analysis, an area under scrutiny after a 2021 error.
The lab has until May 30 to address these issues and is currently working with assessors to achieve re-accreditation.

The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory isn’t through the entire re-accreditation process yet, but assessors have found that the lab can competently follow policies, processes and procedures and meet “all applicable accreditation requirements.”

At the same time, a team of assessors also found that the lab was not conforming to 15 national standards – or 8.7% – out of 172 applicable standards during their March review of the lab, according to the assessors’ report.

Some of those “nonconformities” involved the part of the lab that examines and analyzes firearms, which drew heavy scrutiny last year after employees linked spent bullet shells from the scene of a 2021 Pawtucket homicide to the wrong gun.

The lab has until May 30 to complete its “action guidelines.”

The lab’s longtime director, Dennis Hilliard, told the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory Commission during a May 22 meeting that the nonconformities were being “addressed.”

“All the nonconformities are being addressed and are under review by the audit team leader,” Hilliard said.

After discussion about the report, the commission voted to go into executive session “discuss and potentially vote on matters pertaining to the job performance and/or character of a person or persons,” according to the meeting agenda. When the commission returned to open session, members did not disclose what was discussed.

What were the ‘nonconformities’ found?

Assessors from the ANSI National Accreditation Board found that the wording of some procedures within the lab were insufficient to “ensure the consistent application of testing as well as consistency in the reporting of results between examiners,” specifically with firearms and “fire debris.”

They found that the lab had not sufficiently recorded its original observations regarding firearms to enable the same analysis to be repeated again.

In another part of the lab that examines “fire debris,” the assessors found that a manual does not include guidelines for interpreting the examiners’ analysis and its method does not provide any option for reporting results that aren’t conclusive, according to their report.

The lab operates under 172 applicable standards, according to Hilliard and was not conformed with almost 9% of those standards.

What comes next?

The report is not final and the assessors have not yet approved the lab for re-accreditation.

Those who rely on the lab, referenced in the report as “customers,” have not been told about the preservation of certain items created during the testing of fire debris, the report says.

“Some of the things they brought up we’ve been doing for years, but now they’re an issue,” Hilliard told the commission.

“So in this case,” Hilliard said, “I think, due to our situation, they were being just diligent in providing a full assessment and that they were looking at pretty much everything that could go wrong.”

He likened the way that lab personnel “interpret” standards to baseball officiating.

“One umpire might call a strike,” he said, “the other umpire might not call a strike.”

RI Crime Lab has been under scrutiny

After the discovery of problems with firearms analysis last year, the lab suspended that type of toolmark work by in-house staff, relying on mutual aid from other New England states.

Later, it turned to private contractors for work that involves identifying connections between bullets and the guns that fire them.

At the present time, the lab is operating with 10 in-house staff and two private contractors, who are handling all firearms analysis, according to Hilliard.

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