Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Residents advised to monitor weather and seek shelter in event of hazardous weather.
The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued a Special Weather Statement for the possibility of severe thunderstorms this afternoon. Thunderstorms have already been forming in Southern New Hampshire and additional storms are expected to develop across Massachusetts, Northern Connecticut and Northern Rhode Island during the afternoon hours. Some of these storms will produce damaging wind gusts, hail, lightning and heavy rainfall. The main threats will be gusting winds and heavy downpourts, according to the NWS. Residents should closely monitor weather conditions during the afternoon hours and take shelter immediately should dangerous weather develop.
Enjoy photos from the welcome home party that took place at Rosecliff in Newport.
Enjoy photos of the hundreds of family, friends community members and lawmakers that gathered at Rosecliff Sunday to welcome home Newport resident Heather Abbott. After Heather was seriously injured in the Boston Marathon bombing, doctors were forced to remove her left leg from the knee down. Her smile and positive attitude has inspired not only the Newport community, but all Americans, as the country recovers from that tragic day. The event was sponsored and organized by Newport Patch and the Newport Buzz. Thank you to Jen Carter for donating her photography services. Other sponsors include the Preservation Society of Newport, Russell Morin Fine Catering, Maher Garden Center, musicians Sean Rivers and John Erikson, among the many small …
Donating money to organizations that help victims is quick and easy.
Americans across the country are reacting with shock to the devastation caused by a 2-mile wide Tornado in Oklahoma. Dozens have died, and President Obama has declared the path of the tornado a major disaster area. If you would like to help, you can do so from your computer or mobile device right now. Patch will be posting stories of locals who are working to help victims from afar. If you know of someone local was affected by the tornado or who is working to help the victims, please contact your local editor.
The Portsmouth Volunteer Fire Department made its final donation, marking the dissolution of the organization after 77 years.
For 77 years, Portsmouth's Volunteer Fire Department has supplied the town with state-of-the-art medical rescue equipment, but with a final donation last week that burden will now be on the taxpayers. On Friday, the Portsmouth Volunteer Fire Department unveiled its final donation - a 2012 International/Horton Model 623 Medium Duty Ambulance at the cost of $205,000. "This is top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art equipment and this is something that we may not be able to provide going forward," said Portsmouth Fire Department Chief Michael M. Cranston during a ceremony on Friday. As this ambulance - and cardiac monitoring device - will be the last donated equipment to the town, taxpayers will need to figure in another line item in Portsmouth's…
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Portsmouth Fire Department
2300 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
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Former high school teacher Pat Conaway sees real hope in the young people who help him clean the area's trails, waterways and roadways.
Pat Conaway admits he is "kind of a nut" about the environment, so when he retired from teaching in 2008, it didn't take long for him to find a number of productive ways to spend his time. "I wanted to get people fired up about the environment, to try to encourage citizens to get involved locally," said Conaway, founder of Big Hearts, Little Feet. A nearly constant presence on area roadways, trails and waterways, Conaway can be found leading groups of volunteers, including many students, to pick up trash, improve trails and remove invasive species. From beer cans to soda and coffee cups, trash tossed by the roadside washes into local rivers and, if left alone, eventually finds its way to the ocean, where scientists have found plastic …
More than 800 graduates received their degrees Saturday, a day after 164 graduated from the law school.
With an array of speakers urging them to live their lives according to the values treasured by the university’s namesake himself, 1,080 graduates in the Roger Williams University Class of 2013 culminated their college careers on Saturday at the university’s annual Commencement exercises. More than 6,000 people turned out under the big tent in Bristol to watch the graduates cross the stage along the bayside campus. In addition to awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to the candidates, RWU President Donald J. Farish conferred honorary doctorates to author and historian John M. Barry, who detailed the influence of the university’s namesake in last year’s award-winning Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul, and LarryRachleff…
Follow Portsmouth residents as they visit the town's namesake city, Portsmouth, England.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Eva-Marie Mancuso, the state’s new Board of Education chair, uses courtroom demeanor to try to convince angry teachers and nervous parents that change is necessary.
Eva-Marie Mancuso enjoys a lively debate but is clear about one thing: When it comes to educating Rhode Island’s children, the status quo is not an option. At a recent Q&A session in East Greenwich, the state’s new Board of Education chair, sparred with state Sen. James Sheehan (D-NK, Narr.) over teacher evaluations, cajoled teachers to work with the state, and tried to reassure at least one parent that using passage of a test as a graduation requirement is the right move. The forum, organized by the EG Democratic Town Committee, was held at EG’s Town Hall, the former Kent County Courthouse. The setting suited Mancuso, a personal injury lawyer. Although the new Board of Education for the first time combines all levels of public education …
Luke Walker of Middletown is currently in Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
A motorcycle accident Sunday afternoon left Middletown resident Luke Walker, 54, with life threatening injuries. Walker is currently at Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition. Around Sunday around 1:30 p.m., the Middletown Police Department and Middletown Fire Department responded to the accident in front of the Newport Creamery. Police said the motorcycle was traveling south on West Main Road and a car, operated by Patricia J. Nassirou, 67, of Newport, made a left turn from the northbound lane of West Main Road to enter the parking lot of 208 West Main Road. The front of the motorcycle came into contact with the passenger side of the car, said police. The department’s accident reconstruction team responded to the scene and …
Newsweek, GoLocalProv.com, and RI-CAN recently offered their rankings of Rhode Island high schools — how do you look at this information?
Over the past couple of weeks, several sources — both local and national — have issued their rankings of high schools in Rhode Island. And while it may be an accomplishment to be named the state's top high school by one group, parents and students may be left scratching their heads when they read other results. Take Portsmouth High School, for example. GoLocalProv.com named Portsmouth High School as No. 12 out of 49 in Rhode Island — and Newsweek also listed the school as one of the top 2,000 high schools in the country. In the end, the question remains for parents of current — and future — high school students: Do these rankings mean anything? What do you think? Are the rankings for your high school fair? What do you think they say …
Michael P. O'Brien
1:41 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
To clarify: The Volunteers are still accepting donations. Every cent of all donated money will be disbursed to purchase medical and rescue items for the Portsmouth Fire Department. The amount of funds on hand and the likely amount of money collected from future donations is not enough keep pace with the demand for ambulance purchases. Eventually, the Volunteer’s will close up shop when all money … more ›