Good Morning! It’s Friday, November 15. 🗓️ Today is the 320th day of the year; 46 days remain in 2024.
Today, we’re covering the end of Singing for Shelter, a jewelry collaboration involving Snoop Dog, Yacht Rock, an open call to serve in Newport’s legal roles, and more.
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What’s Up Today
☀️ Weather
Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph.
⚓ Marine
N wind 7 to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Mostly sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
🌔 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 6:34 am, sunset at 4:25 pm. Low tide at 12:51 pm. High tide at 6:43 am & 7:08 pm. The lunar phase is a Waxing Gibbous.
🎭 Things To Do
🎶 Live Music & Entertainment
🗓️ Newport County Public Meetings
No public meetings are scheduled.
Community Calendar
What’s News Today
News
🏘️ Portsmouth breaks ground on affordable 55+ housing and senior center
On Wednesday, local housing organizations, community partners, and several state officials celebrated the groundbreaking of a new, age-restricted housing development in Portsmouth. Read the story on WPRI —>
🏘️ Newport City Council-elect calls for letters of interest for key legal roles
Residents can apply for City Solicitor, Municipal Court Judge, and Probate Judge positions by November 19. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
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⛽ How Rhode Island’s decreasing gasoline sales compare nationwide
Rhode Island gas consumption falls by 150,200 gallons in 5 years, as nationwide demand drops 5.7%. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
⚡ Rhode Island becomes first state to launch Community EV Charging Expansion
$10M available for public, non-profit, and private entities to install publicly accessible EV chargers. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
Two individuals were arrested on various charges. Read the story on What’sUpNewp —>
👏 NUWC Division Newport Team Honored for Torpedo Milestone
Successful firing of Mark 48 Mod 4 from U.S. submarine after 20-year gap. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
💰 Quonset Port secures $11.25 million for infrastructure upgrades
Port of Davisville project aims to boost cargo transport, security, and future expansion. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
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Business & Nonprofit
🎶 Singing for Shelter ends its run – annual fundraising concert will not return this season
But homeless shelters still need your support – We speak with founder Mark Gorman about the legacy of the concert which raised nearly $200,000 for local shelters. Read the story on What’sUpNewp —>
✨ Jewelry designer Carolyn Rafaelian partners with Snoop Dogg for new brand
Lovechild aims to blend craftsmanship, positive energy in Rhode Island-made pieces. Read the story on What’sUpNewp —>
📰 Satire publication The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars at auction with help from Sandy Hook families
The sale price was not immediately disclosed. Read the story on What’sUpNewp —>
Food & Drink
☕ ‘It wasn’t just about coffee’: R.I. cafe owner is growing her brand while boosting other women in business
Entrepreneur Andreea Marin owns three Kaffeology coffeeshops in Rhode Island — in Newport, Portsmouth and Cranston. Read the story on The Boston Globe—>
Life & Culture
🗓️ Out with the Astors, in with the Calders: revisiting Newport, Rhode Island’s 1974 public sculpture extravaganza
Fifty years later, Monumenta’s organisers and attendees reflect on what was arguably the most ambitious school project ever. Read the story on The Art Newspaper —>
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💃 Salve Regina University to present ‘True North’ dance concert
DJD artists join students and faculty for contemporary and jazz performances November 21-23. Read the story on What’sUpNewp —>
🎾 International Tennis Hall of Fame unveils ‘Be Legendary’ youth program
The initiative will teach the rich history of tennis, provide memorable experiences with Hall of Famers and current tennis stars, and showcase what it means to Be Legendary. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
🎬 ‘Yacht Rock’ docks in Newport: HBO documentary gets special screening
HBO film exploring soft rock’s cultural impact to screen at newportFILM event with trivia and prizes. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
Obituaries
🕊️ Donnell Shea
Opinion
✍️ Letter to The Editor – Dennis Turano: Thank you to Middletown voters for selecting me to represent you
By Dennis Turano, Middletown. Read on What’sUpNewp—>
✍️ We Can’t Wait for Promise of Unproven Nuclear Technology to Save Planet from Roasting
We need a diverse blend of responsibly sited non-fossil-fuel energy, from on and offshore wind to various solar and nuclear technologies. This mix may someday include small modular reactors, but we can’t afford to wait years, perhaps even a decade or more, for this technology. Read more on ecoRI News—>
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People
🕰️ An Auctioneer as Rare as Any Antique
For some, an even bigger draw than the silver, furniture and artwork at Michael Corcoran’s auctions (in Newport) is the 96-year-old auctioneer himself. Read the story on NY Times —>
👉 Gina Raimondo is considering another run for governor of Rhode Island
Former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo — a Democrat who is facing the end of her tenure as U.S. Commerce secretary due to Donald Trump’s victory last week. Read the story on The Public’s Radio—>
Sports
🏒 Dadonov scores 2 goals, including a penalty shot, as the Stars beat the Bruins 7-2
Evgenii Dadonov scored two goals, including the first successful penalty shot in the NHL this season, and the Dallas Stars beat the Boston Bruins 7-2 on Thursday night. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
🏀 Bryant defeats Buffalo 87-64
Rafael Pinzon’s 15 points helped Bryant defeat Buffalo 87-64 on Thursday night. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
🏈 Matthew Stafford will be trying to erase bitter memories when Rams visit Patriots
Matthew Stafford remembers what didn’t go right during his last visit to New England, in 2014 when he was still with the Detroit Lions. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
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What’s Up This Week + Weekend
🗓️ What’s Up in Newport: Nov. 11 – 18
Newport Classical, Holiday Festival, Steve Hofstetter, Jesse Cook, and more. Read the story on What’sUpNewp —>
🎶 What’s Up Interview: Grammy-winning singer Lucinda Williams, playing The Vets tonight
Iconic performer to present ‘Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets,’ a show based on her recently published book. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
🎭 Theatre Review: ‘Mamma Mia!’ continues to delight audiences with standout performances and energetic dance numbers
Popular jukebox musical runs through Sunday at Performing Arts Center. Read the story on What’sUpNewp—>
In college sports, they used to call it a “death penalty,” but you can call it anything you want. A sports death penalty, an administrative guillotine, a full-season wipeout.
Real repercussions.
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There should be no benefit of the doubt given when a teenager uses a belt to heinously whip a kid with special needs while his fellow bullies stand by and watch.
There should be no comeback when a group of football players lock a Jewish freshman in the bathroom and spray Lysol through a grate in the door, possibly to mimic a gas chamber.
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A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.
The former happened in Newport, R.I., the latter in Smithfield, R.I. But these incidents could have occurred in Everytown, USA.
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Schools should be imposing consequences that are swift, consistent, and unmistakably serious — something we’re glaringly bad at in America. And if the schools won’t do it, state leaders should.
The Rhode Island Department of Education and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League should work with state lawmakers to adopt a true zero-tolerance policy that results in a team’s season automatically being canceled if student athletes are caught behaving like the football players in Rogers High School in Newport, or the ones at Smithfield High School.
The policy should be designed to scare the daylights out of students. And every single one of them should have to acknowledge, even sign, the policy before they’re allowed to play. If you act like a jerk – or worse, a criminal – you and your whole team will be penalized, and everyone at the school will know it’s your fault.
At the college level, the NCAA imposed a sports death penalty on the football team at Southern Methodist University in 1987 for repeatedly paying players under the table over several years. The team’s entire season was canceled, and the president of the university was so angry that he also canceled the 1988 season, too.
In Rhode Island, the players’ actions in both cases were far more heinous. The incidents were separate and different, but the penalties deserve to be the same. Because cruelty shouldn’t be graded on a curve.
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In Newport, where the student with special needs was whipped, no one is accused of hazing. It was assault. Police say they believe the student was assaulted on at least two separate occasions, and a nauseating video depicting one of these incidents spread like wildfire on social media. Four teenagers are now facing charges in connection with the incident on the video.
To her credit, Superintendent Colleen Jermain acted swiftly, and canceled the remainder of the football team’s season – including a junior varsity game that was set for Thanksgiving. The Newport School Committee is holding a special meeting Wednesday night to discuss the incident and the actions taken.
Leaders in Smithfield were far less courageous – and less transparent.
Though their actions were not considered assault, several players on Smithfield High School’s football team were initially barred from participating in the rest of the season after an investigation into reported hazing and antisemitic behavior, but they were reinstated after just one week.
Now some of their parents have filed a complaint with the state Education Department, denying the students did anything antisemitic and claiming their privacy rights were violated.
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The message: We swear, our kids don’t hate Jews. They just like picking on freshmen!
This is precisely why the state needs to intervene. Punishment needs to be doled out fairly and consistently across all districts, and it certainly shouldn’t be left in the hands of principals and coaches.
There’s just too much of a possibility of the old, “but we might be able to beat Bishop Hendricken this year” mentality, where good players who do bad things get a pass so that the team can notch a win.
A statewide standard removes the temptation to look the other way.
Hazing doesn’t just involve football players. There has been an alarming number of hazing incidents in Rhode Island in the last couple of years.
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According to the Education Department, 13 students were suspended from school in the 2023-24 school year for incidents classified as hazing, and that number grew to 19 last school year.
The point: These aren’t once-in-a-blue-moon incidents. They’re trends, and trends demand policy, not PR statements.
Even with the harshest possible punishment policy, there will always be teenagers who make irrational, bad decisions. As WPRO radio’s Matt Allen suggested this week, the idea of punishing an entire team over the actions of a few morons might not sit well with everyone. Where’s the individual responsibility, he wondered.
But the current patchwork approach results in secrecy and inconsistency, without the deterrence. This is a moment in our state that demands a reaction.
And nothing changes locker room behavior faster than the threat of no locker room at all.
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Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Dylan Williamson’s 25 points helped Towson defeat Rhode Island 62-55 on Monday.
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Williamson shot 10 for 21, including 5 for 9 from beyond the arc for the Tigers (4-2). Jack Doumbia scored 16 points and added three steals. Tyler Tejada had 16 points and shot 5 of 9 from the field and 6 for 6 from the line.
The Rams (4-2) were led in scoring by Myles Corey, who finished with 14 points. Jonah Hinton added 13 points for Rhode Island. Keeyan Itejere finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Towson entered halftime up 25-21. Doumbia paced the team in scoring in the first half with 10 points. Williamson scored 16 points in the second half.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Oh to be a youngster again. Christmastime was simply the best − trying to make your wish list for Santa was simultaneously stressful but also the best time of your life.
Over the years, much has changed − we went from newspaper ads to thick Sears catalogs to TV commercials and now constant YouTube or TikTok ads for new toys.
And many of the beloved toy stores of old are long gone, whether it’s Child World, Toys ‘R’ Us or KB Toys.
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Enjoy this trip down Memory Lane, as we resurrect some favorites from The Providence Journal’s acrives.
