Opinion | EastBayRI.com - News, Opinion, Things to Do in the East Bay

Talking Politics: Gov. McKee's budget comes at a great time for candidate McKee

STORY OF THE WEEK: With the September 13 primary fast approaching, RI Gov. Dan McKee last week unveiled a spending plan that doubles as a way to appeal to a wide swath of Rhode Islanders. Big spend … more

By Ian Donnis | 1/26/22

Letter: Dachshunds and beagles more aggressive than pit bulls

To the editor: As an ER veterinarian and Barrington resident, I was alarmed to see Dr. Karl Stephens’ call to ban pit bull-type dogs . Restrictions such as this have been unlawful since … more

1/26/22

Letter: Pit bulls should be banned from residential areas

To the editor: In the 12 Jan. 22 Barrington Times Police Log, an entry for Thursday, Jan. 6 tells of a pit bull pulling to the ground and biting the dog sitter watching it--then attacking … more

1/21/22

Talking Politics: Dr. Scott was the right person at the right time

STORY OF THE WEEK: Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott was the right person in the right place at the right time when the pandemic came to Rhode Island. Although she had never faced a challenge of that … more

By Ian Donnis | 1/20/22

Letter: Town should fund new bocce and croquet courts

To the editor: Engaging in physical and social activities is an important part of the lives of Barrington residents of all ages. Historically, efforts to provide funding for youth sports … more

1/14/22

Letter: Decision on school construction needs community partnership

To the editor: The Barrington School Committee has scheduled the submission of a Rhode Island Department of Education Stage 2 School Construction Plan for Feb. 15. The recommended plan, based on … more

1/14/22

Editorial: Death of the snow day

The pandemic introduced a few silver linings. Remote learning is sort of, kind of, one of them. Across America, schools figured out how to conduct themselves when no one was in the school … more

1/13/22

Editorial: Town's fields need a wide-angle lens

It may take a decade to overhaul the playing fields in Barrington. Many of the people who draw up plans today will have moved out of town, their children grown past youth sports, before plans come to … more

1/12/22

Poli-ticks: Gosh, I miss the America I grew up with

Normally, this is the column where I have the audacity to suggest New Year resolutions for resident politicians. Instead I have a more urgent resolution for all of us: I want us Americans to go back … more

By Arlene Violet, Esq. | 1/7/22

Letter: Wearing a mask is contributing to the greater good

To the editor: It’s been a few weeks since you published a story called “Parents vs. The State.” I responded to the writer directly in my shock at this kind of attention being … more

1/5/22

Editorial: Stop your engines!

Sharon Gold is a diminutive woman with a big message for everyone — stop idling! The focus of a story in our East Bay Life section this week, Gold is a retired educator and grandmother from … more

1/5/22

Letter: Only those who support abortions should pay for them

To the editor: A modest proposal. In this most intractable debate, a letter to last week’s Sakonnet Times drew my interest. Jean Ernster of Barrington made a most intriguing proposal to … more

1/3/22

Letter: The show must go on, but not for the teachers

To the editor: Three Barrington school teachers were scheduled for a hearing this past Thursday, Dec. 16 to appeal being placed on unpaid leave with threat of employment termination starting … more

1/2/22

Editorial: Small-town governance

There was a time, not long ago, when we celebrated Barrington for setting a great example in small-town governance. Citizens with talent and good intentions volunteered for public service, spent one … more

12/15/21

Letter: School committee member was wrong about boosters

To the editor: I’ll be interested to hear how Megan Douglas and this article “ Vaccine mandate, booster shots, and lawsuits ” didn’t get it wrong. To say the … more

12/15/21

Letter: I would love to see artificial turf on Victory Field

To the editor: I have been reading the recent articles in the Barrington Times on plans to install artificial turf on fields in town, and I would like to offer a high school athlete’s … more

12/14/21

Letter: Safety starts at home: lock up your guns

To the editor: The news from Michigan recently is both heartbreaking and infuriating: a teenager took a gun from his home and used it to murder four students and to seriously wound seven others … more

12/13/21

Arlene Violet: Governor makes the naughty list more than once

I was taken aback when I received a letter from Santa! There in black and white was his Christmas list of Rhode Island leaders who have been either naughty or nice. One politician dominated the … more

By Arlene Violet, Esq. | 12/10/21

Letter: Truth versus racial bias

To the editor: Rarely is a letter published that so misinforms as Peter Bilderback’s letter regarding the Rittenhouse verdict in the December 1st Barrington Times. Jacob … more

12/6/21

Letter: A world without domestic violence is possible — if we act

To the editor: Imagine a world with no domestic violence — where no Rhode Islanders have their lives cut short by abuse, where children do not witness this violence, where our … more

12/6/21

Letter: Article shined important spotlight on music in the schools

To the editor: Thank you so much for the excellent article in last week’s East Bay papers about the status of music performance in the schools. You balanced all of the important information so … more

12/2/21

Pictured are (from left to right) Victor "Chet" and Rosie Masiello, Mary and Anthony Iacovelli, and Connie Masiello.

Letter: Connie was genuinely sincere, caring and loving

To the editor: I have known Connie for over 40 years. She was a friend of my grandmother, Mary (Marcello) Iacovelli since childhood. They grew up together here in Barrington, went to … more

11/30/21

Editorial: This is not the right turf plan for Barrington

The latest proposal for artificial turf fields in Barrington was conceived by good people, volunteering their time, off and on, for more than two years. That does not make it a good plan. We … more

11/17/21

Letter: Vaccine skepticism 'increasingly untenable'

To the editor: In 1919 the Volstead Act was passed, which was a nationwide mandate to make the manufacture and sale of alcohol illegal. It failed, and was repealed. We still, nonetheless, have … more

11/17/21

Letter: Veterans can still lead us and lift us

Today is profound. It is the first Veterans Day post-Afghanistan, the longest sustained conflict in U.S. history. The aftermath bears an eerie similarity to that of our second longest, the war in … more

11/11/21