Rhode Island
What's Up in Newport: Monday, November 4 – What's Up Newp
Good Morning! It’s Monday, November 4. 🗓️ Today is the 309th day of the year; 57 days remain in 2024. Today’s newsletter is about a 5-minute read
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What’s Up Today
☀️ Weather: Increasing clouds, with a high near 59. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph, becoming south in the afternoon.
⚓ Marine: Variable winds less than 5 kt, becoming SE 5 to 7 kt in the morning. Increasing clouds. Seas 1 ft or less.
🌒 Sun, Moon, & Tide: Sunrise at 6:21 am, sunset at 4:36 pm. Low tide at 2:04 am & 2:57 pm. High tide at 9 am & 9:27 pm. The lunar phase is a Waxing Crescent.
🚢 Next up is the Insignia on November 7 – the last cruise ship of the season.
⛵ Happening Today: Newport Restaurant Week, Newport Black History Walking Tours, and more. Our complete roundup of what’s happening for events, entertainment, and local public meetings is here [WUN].
Community Calendar
Need To Know
1️⃣ Election Day Is Nearly Here
Today is the last day of Early voting in the General Election. So far, 187,412 Rhode Island residents have already voted by mail ballot or early in person, representing a 23.7% voter turnout.
If you’d like to cast a ballot today, then be sure to do so at your local town/city hall between 8:30 am and 4 pm. For voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, polls are open from 7 am – 8 pm and mail ballots must be received by the Board of Elections or put into an authorized drop box by 8:00 p.m.
2️⃣ Election Results
On Tuesday, November 5, and the following days, you can see live 2024 General Election results for Newport, Rhode Island, and national races here.
Newport County Results
Rhode Island & National Results
3️⃣ Concert Recap and Photos: ‘Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth’ at the Casino Theatre in Newport
An inspiring performance combining elements of jazz, poetry, and classical soundscapes alongside a chorus of South African voices, made for a special evening at the Casino Theatre in Newport on Saturday, November 2. The show was the U.S. premiere of Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth, a multidisciplinary collaborative performance commemorating the 1976 youth resistance movement in South Africa.
WUN’s Ken Abrams was there to write about and photograph the event. [WUN]
What’s Up Out There
News
🚓 The Newport Police Department said that two officers were sideswiped by a tractor-trailer in North Carolina while picking up a special response van from Florida. Police said that on Oct. 29, the two officers were driving through Dunn, North Carolina, when the tractor hit the van. [WLNE]
♻️ Newport residents can dispose of “harder to recycle” items at the city’s Fall Recycling Day on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Easton’s Beach. The event is free and open to city residents, but proof of residency is required. [WUN]
🚌 RIPTA will offer all Rhode Island veterans free bus service on Veterans Day, with proof of eligibility. [WUN]
Arts, Culture & Things To Do
🎵 WUN’s Ken Abrams caught up with Grammy-winning Lucinda Williams ahead of her show at The Vets on Nov. 15. [WUN]
Business & Nonprofit
☕ Rhode Island’s Nitro Bar is soaring amid viral TikTok fame. [Brown Daily Herald]
Election
🗳️ As of 4:45 pm on Friday, November 1, the Rhode Island Voter Turnout Tracker reports that 187,412 Rhode Island residents have already voted by mail ballot or early in person, representing a 23.7% voter turnout thus far. In Newport County, 20,859 voters have already voted. [WUN]
🎥 For the last few months, Angela Goethals, who was Macaulay Culkin’s big sister in Home Alone 34 years ago, has been auditioning for a very significant role in her hometown of Westerly. WUN’s Frank Prosnitz has the story. [WUN]
🗳️ To view a sample ballot, check your voter registration, or to find your polling location, please visit Vote.RI.Gov.
Food & Drink
🍽️ Newport Restaurant Week continues in Newport and Bristol Counties through November 10 [WUN]
Obituaries
🕊️ Nathan Kivlehan
🕊️ Ann Louise Garvey-Morgan
Sports
🎾 Tiverton High School’s girls tennis team has secured the Division III Rhode Island State Championship. They clinched the title with a win over Exeter West Greenwich at Slater Park in Pawtucket. WUN’s Justin Walker was there and has a photo gallery of the game. [WUN]
⚽ On top of a second-straight hat trick from JJ Williams, Rhode Island FC won its first-ever playoff match on Sunday, defeating Indy Eleven 3-2 at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. [WUN]
🏒 Jeremy Swayman had 23 saves and his first shutout of the season, and the Boston Bruins beat the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Sunday night. [WUN]
🏈 Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:32 left in overtime and the Tennessee Titans beat the New England Patriots 20-17 Sunday, giving coach Brian Callahan his first victory at home this season. [WUN]
🏈 Devin Farrell threw for 265 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, with 171 yards and two scores going to Marquis Buchanan, and Rhode Island beat Monmouth 37-28 on Saturday for its seventh straight victory. [WUN]
🏈 Middletown High School’s varsity football team dominated Coventry High School 32-6 in a Division II game on Nov. 1. The win, which coincided with Middletown’s senior night, brings their season record to 4-4, while Coventry drops to 2-6. [WUN]
Scandals shake up Capitol Hill ahead of midterm elections
Congressional reporter Zachary Schermele dives into the latest scandals on Capitol Hill and how they’re shaking up politics ahead of midterms.
Rhode Island’s Democrat and Republican primary elections will officially be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9 this year, instead of the usual Tuesday election day.
Lawmakers passed the bill at the urging of state and local officials, who were concerned that an election day falling the day after Labor Day would not give them enough time to set up polls for the arrival of voters.
Gov. Dan McKee signed the bill on April 20, officially moving the primary day for 2026.
Which races will be on the ballot? The Republican and Democrat nominees for a swath of local offices – most notably governor but also lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Why was RI’s primary day moved?
At a hearing on the bill earlier this year, Randy Rossi, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns explained the “significant logistical and financial challenges” municipalities otherwise would have faced having an election the day after Labor Day.
“Beyond cost, municipalities face serious logistical challenges accessing and setting up more than 430 polling locations on a major federal holiday, a process that often requires many hours and access to facilities that are typically closed and unstaffed on Labor Day,” he said.
“Compounding these challenges, many municipalities conduct early voting in city or town halls that must also serve as primary day polling locations,” Rossi noted.
Without changes to current law, he said, “municipalities would be required to conduct early voting and primary day polling simultaneously, often in the same limited space and with the same poll workers, requiring additional staffing and facilities.”
By the time this legislative hearing took place in January, other states facing similar issues, including Massachusetts, had already adjusted their primary dates, “and Rhode Island itself has demonstrated that alternative scheduling can be successful, as occurred during the statewide Wednesday primary in 2018,” Rossi said.
EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) — If you’re looking to satisfy you’re sweet tooth, look no further than Division Street.
Nothing Bundt Cakes opened its first Rhode Island bakery in East Greenwich earlier this month. The new bakery is situated within East Greenwich Square, which is also home to the Ocean State’s first Crumbl.
The bakery is known for its handcrafted specialty Bundt cakes, as well as smaller “Bundtlets,” and bite-sized “Bundtinis,” that come in a variety of flavors.
“There’s a strong sense of local pride, creativity, and community here that aligns perfectly with our values,” said Jake Williams, who owns the East Greenwich bakery. “We were drawn to the area’s vibrant small business culture and the opportunity to contribute something special.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes is also expected to open another bakery at Chapel View in Cranston later this year.
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Rhode Island
Gather Round at These Unique, Seemingly Unrelated Rhody Businesses – Rhode Island Monthly
Ice cream class attendees look next door at the glassblowing studio. Courtesy of Gather
It all started with a glassblowing studio. Benny Giguere had just moved from Vermont to Providence when he and high school friend, Matt Stone, decided to turn their passions into a brick-and-mortar endeavor. Giguere had been a glassblower for twelve years and felt Rhode Island was the perfect place to bring his talents.
That was around 2010. Now, in addition to a Providence glassblowing studio, Gather has two other businesses under its belt: an adjoining ice cream shop and a farm in Johnston. The goal for all three? To bring people together.
“One of the reasons we named it Gather was because the goal is to bring in more of the public and offer experiences,” Giguere says. “Gathering is the first thing you need to do in order to make something. We couldn’t do any of this without gathering.”
Fire and Ice
Benny Giguere uses his breath to expand glass during a live demonstration. Photo courtesy of Gather
Located at the tail end of Atwells Avenue, Gather Glass and Gather Cafe & Ice Cream Bar offer an experience called Fire and Ice, where participants make their own glass (the fire) and then craft a batch of ice cream (the ice). I set out to try the experience that blends the two businesses, starting with glassblowing.
The glassblowing space is split into two parts, a retail side and a studio side. We step into the studio and Giguere shows me the color options for my soon-to-be wine glass. Brightly colored glass pieces rep Rhode Island-friendly names like RIDOT, bright orange with white glass, and Blizzard of ’78, blue with white glass. I choose one called Grinch (a bright green).
Giguere takes me through the motions of the glassblowing process. Once prepped, I put on my safety goggles to do it for real. Giguere stays by me the whole time, mirroring what I need to do next while jumping in when I need assistance. With his laid-back but assertive cadence, he is obviously the man in charge.
“Once you choose a career like glassblowing, you either work for somebody else’s dream or you forge your own path,” he says.
Giguere helps a student shape their glass. Photo courtesy of Gather
Since opening, Gather Glass has partnered with multiple local businesses. WaterFire was one of the first to work with Gather and that relationship still stands today, with Gather Glass glassblowing at almost every WaterFire lighting. Other local partners include Bellini and the Industrious Spirit Company. The shop also works with the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and donates to Crossroads Rhode Island.
“While the goal is to bring people in our doors, we also go out of our doors to help better things in the community,” Giguere says.
My glass needs to stay overnight to properly harden and cool, but not before Giguere helps me with the finishing touches.
In its first year, Gather Glass welcomed around 350 people to its studio. In 2025, that number climbed to more than 9,000.
Ice Cream Madness
After finishing my wine glass, I switch gears and walk next door to the ice cream making class. The ice cream shop shares a glass wall with the studio so customers can watch the classes while enjoying their ice cream. A fully stocked bar with local brews and spirits from local distilleries offers visitors a stronger alternative to milkshakes.
I make my way over to the ice cream making station, complete with a scale, a stovetop and other ice cream making tools. Leading our class is Andrea LaFazia, a chef who helped open Troop.
Liquid nitrogen floats out of an ice cream churn as attendees look on in awe. Photo courtesy of Gather
The ice cream shop was born in large part due to the Johnston farm, which had an apiary and lots of lavender growing. They used the ingredients in a honey lavender ice cream, which they sold on the farm and at events. After positive feedback, they used the farm’s basil in a lemon basil ice cream, and an idea was born.
“The thing that makes Gather special is everything we do is an experience that we can share,” LaFazia says. “So, we decided that it wasn’t enough to just make our own ice cream — we had to teach people how to make ice cream.”
Gather began renovating the space next to the glassblowing studio two years ago and opened the ice cream shop last July. The shop is open for ice cream making classes and premade ice cream purchases.
After hearing the shop’s backstory, it’s time to decide our flavor base. Options include vanilla, chocolate and coffee made from New Harvest coffee beans.
I decide on my flavor: chocolate-strawberry. After mixing some cracked eggs, milk and other ingredients on the stovetop, the base goes inside a freezer to harden while we decide on our mix-ins. Some, like marshmallows and peanut brittle, are made in-house. I go for the cookie dough globs and waffle cone bits.
Andrea LaFazia adds the showstopping liquid nitrogen to her ice cream creations. Photo courtesy of Gather
LaFazia starts churning the ice cream using liquid nitrogen.
“When we dump the liquid nitrogen into the cream, the air pockets shut down,” she says. “This makes it so you don’t have that crunch and thinness you get with other ice cream.”
The liquid nitrogen’s foggy contents waft out of the churner as I add my mix-ins, watching them fold into the ice cream’s base. LaFazia gives me two scoops of my creation to sample and puts the rest into the freezer to harden. It’s some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tried, and the view of glassblowing next door provides entertainment while I scarf it down.
“Sometimes people get confused about how a glass studio, an ice cream shop and a farm are all tied together,” LaFazia says. “But we’re really just trying to create an environment where people can get together, have a great time and not be scared.”
Go for the Goats
A fifteen-minute drive from Atwells Avenue brings me to my final stop, Gather Farm in Johnston. The farm uses a community supported agriculture model, where consumers purchase shares of the farm’s harvest. Once a week during the season, the farm brings produce to the ice cream shop for CSA members to pick up.
All the produce is grown using organic and regenerative practices. CSA members have access to weekly yoga sessions in the summer and fall and pick-your-own opportunities during peak season. Spring sees produce like lettuce, carrots and rosemary harvested while summer is for cucumbers, sweet corn and blueberries.
The farm also offers various classes and works closely with the African Alliance of Rhode Island, which runs the six-acre Bami Farm in Johnston.
Gather Farm goats Salty and Fawn seemingly pose for a photo in the goat greenhouse. Photo courtesy of Gather
Aidan Simmons, the farm’s goat caretaker, waves at me as I park. She’s a twelfth-generation dairy farmer and second-generation goat farmer. In 2024, after learning her family could not continue operating Simmons Farm in Middletown, Simmons found a new home at Gather. Since then, she’s worked to perfect the farm’s goat hikes and goat cuddling sessions.
She leads me through the greenhouse, which doubles as the property’s event space. Here, Simmons and Gather farmer Elisabeth Stone tell me about their efforts to make the goat hikes more accessible for all.
“It’s important we make the hikes doable for all people,” says Simmons. “The hiking trail is mostly flat, so even if you aren’t completely mobile you can participate.”
We finally reach the stars of the afternoon: the goats. Twenty-three goats waddle by as I step into their space, with Simmons greeting each one by name.
A few goats congregate toward the front corner of the goat greenhouse, and I walk over. Behind the blocked off area, three pairs of bright eyes stare up at me, each pair belonging to a floppy-eared baby goat. Their names are Jude, Willow and Ivy. Each is small enough to pick up and carry around. Simmons hands me Willow as we settle in for goat cuddles.
The cuddles are a new offering at the farm. During each session, guests can sit and snuggle with the goats for thirty-five minutes.
While I’m holding Willow, Simmons tells me more about the farm. Weekends are for the farm’s goat hikes, one-hour strolls through the property where attendees learn about goat history and fun facts from Simmons. The hike gives the goats time to forage around the property, which helps with the enrichment they require. Simmons also has plans to start offering goat yoga.
Simmons’ world revolves around the goat’s happiness. During our cold snap in January, Simmons brought the babies inside to the guest room of her home, which is on the Gather Farm property only a few feet from the goat greenhouse.
Aidan Simmons leads hikers and her goats through the hiking trails on the Gather Farm property. Photo courtesy of Gather
“Some of them have never met their mom, but I’m their mom,” she says. “I kind of had to stop everything I had going on in my life to take care of them, but it’s worth it.”
I put down Willow, who’s been gnawing at my hair for the past few minutes. I stand up next to Simmons and ask what her dream is for the farm.
“The dream is to have a fully functioning farm,” she says. “I really want to prove that you don’t have to be the worst person in the world to be a dairy farmer.”
I give each of the baby goats one last squeeze before I head back to grab my things. I tell Simmons she has a pretty great thing going and she laughs, nodding.
“While I gave them goats, they gave me and my goats a home and hope when I didn’t know what was coming next,” she says. “This place really is like a family. All of the people I get to work with, they’re everything to me. I just feel like the luckiest person every day.”
I say my final goodbyes and walk to my car. My drive home is filled with thoughts of Gather and the people who make it all happen. From the heat of the glassblowing studio to the chill of the ice cream class and the warmth of the goat cuddles, Gather makes people feel like they belong. And in these chaotic times, couldn’t we all use a little sense of togetherness?
Gather Glass, 521 Atwells Ave., Providence, gatherglass.com; Gather Cafe & Ice Cream Bar, 519 Atwells Ave., Providence, gathercafe.com; Gather Farm, 380 Greenville Ave., Johnston, gatherfarm.com.
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Learning Experiences
Interested in more hands-on experiences that blend education and fun? Check out these three spots below.
Thames Glass
Located in the City by the Sea, Thames Glass offers various make-your-own classes. Guests can make ornaments, paperweights and vases, among other items, with the help of a professional glassblower. 688 Thames St., Newport, 846-0576, thamesglass.com
The 1661 Animal Farm
Part of the 1661 Block Island Resort, this farm houses goats and pigs and more exotic animals like kangaroos and camels. Visitors can purchase vegetables to feed the animals at a farm store on the property. 1 Spring St.,
New Shoreham, 466-2421, blockislandresorts.com
CHOP
The Culinary Hub of Providence offers sit-down dining and engaging culinary classes. Through educational workshops, visitors can learn skills from CHOP’s culinary professionals and expert guest chefs. CHOP’s open kitchen also allows diners to peek into their meals’ creation process while the Chef Demo Bar offers quick kitchen demos and tastings. 211 Washington St., Providence, 429-2450, culinaryhubpvd.com
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