United States Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, alongside Reps. Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo, announced on Aug. 26 that Rhode Island’s fire departments would receive over $2 million in federal grants. The Union Fire District of South Kingstown received a $648,270 grant and its funds are going to be used to enhance its Recruitment…
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s 2025 budget cuts 0.89% of state funding for the state’s public libraries, shaving thousands of dollars in programming and staffing funds throughout the state. Under Rhode Island state law, the government is required to give public libraries 25% of their expenditures from two fiscal years prior. Gov. McKee’s budget cuts…
South Kingstown has received a $1 million grant from the state of Rhode Island to build a third Emergency Medical Services station to better respond to an increase in call volume. The new station will be built off of Ministerial Road, on land bought by the town from the South Kingstown Land Trust. Totaling 3,000…
The Rhode Island Senate Committee proposed phasing out the tipped wage and increasing the state minimum wage on March 24, sparking deliberation on tipping culture and restaurant funding. Sponsored by legislators such as Reps. Karen Alzate and Joseph McNamara, the bill would gradually increase overall wage for employees “receiving gratuities,” or those reliant on tips…
On March 18, the Narragansett Town Council discussed another ordinance affecting rental homes, proposing a minimum rental period of seven days. Over the past few years, Narragansett had been proposing and approving different types of housing ordinances. For example, another recent ordinance set a limit of three unrelated people who can rent a single-family house…
Actions have been taken to end the Rhode Island housing crisis through a suite of housing bills passed by Speaker of the Assembly Joseph Shekarchi on March 7. The 15-bill package of legislation aims to make the housing approval process more effective, zoning more flexible and to make the best use of existing buildings, according…
Potentially harmful blue-green algae and an invasive aquatic plant have been found in South Kingston’s Indian Lake, a spring and summer recreation destination. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is a single-celled photosynthetic organism that is capable of producing toxins in certain conditions. Sometimes blue-green algae “blooms” or experiences accelerated growth. These blooms can have…
Construction is underway in Washington County, as neighborhood zoning is looking to redesign in South Kingstown and the Tower Hill Road bridge welcomes the installation of a new traffic pattern in North Kingstown. A series of interactive public meetings known as “charrettes” will occur from March 21 to 28 as a part of the Old…
A fin whale died on Friday by medical intervention after being found stranded in a South Kingstown pond the day before. Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management decided to medically intervene after discovering the whale in Potter Pond. The whale passed away around 9:20 p.m. surrounded by members…
Planning is underway for the restoration of Narragansett Town Beach after a series of three storms caused substantial damage to the dunes, protective sand fencing and several concrete structures along the beach. While storm damage is a yearly expectation, a string of three major high-tide storms in the span of a one-month period between Dec….