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

Union steps in, asks for unvaccinated teachers to keep their jobs

The Rhode Island teachers' union will be asking the Barrington School Committee to halt its plan to fire teachers who choose to not get the Covid-19 vaccine. The school committee will be meeting … more

10/28/21

Amos House resident Sandra A. pets a horse and the horse played back during a therapy session earlier this month.

In Tiverton, horses are for healing

The warm October sun hung high overhead as Lisa S. stepped out onto the pasture, a handful of horses roaming just ahead. It had been a year since she’d last spent time at Silva Spirit Farm in … more

By Kristen Ray | 10/28/21

Letter: We are limiting our children, and their potential

The time has come to call out blatantly racist actions taken by some influential people regarding our Bristol Warren Regional School District, and this directly relates to shaping the future of our … more

10/28/21

Letter: Police incomes seem pretty good to me

Regarding the letter from Mike Proto about police officers’ pay (“ Incentives are great, but police pay is still too low ,” Oct 14), he has the audacity of saying this when most … more

10/28/21

Police seized a BB gun, and a large amount of narcotics following a motor vehicle stop in Warren on Friday, Oct. 22.

Warren PD seize ounces of drugs, over 1,500 pills during traffic stop

Warren Police discovered a large volume of narcotics during a traffic stop on Oct. 22. more

10/28/21

Jacob “Rowdy” Burns, a 15-year-old Warren native, sits inside of his late model race car in the pits at Seekonk Speedway after completing practice runs before the Haunted 100 race, where he placed 8th of 30 racers.

15-year-old miles ahead of his age on the track

Jacob “Rowdy” Burns, originally from Warren and now living in East Greenwich, has been racing competitively since he was five. more

By Ethan Hartley | 10/28/21

The future site of Brick Pizza Co., one of numerous new eateries or food businesses coming to downtown Bristol.

Bristol's Unity Park attracting an array of food businesses

With successful food business incubator Hope & Main right up the road, it’s only natural that some of its “graduates” are finding their way to Unity Park, the revitalized former … more

By Christy Nadalin | 10/28/21

Letter: In spite of chaos, students and teachers are making real progress

It’s easy to miss the good news about the Bristol Warren schools these days. The constant turmoil from our school committee leadership is in the headlines again, giving our district another … more

10/28/21

Editorial: The discord begins right at the top in this district

Here we are. Again. It’s a good thing Bristol Warren Regional School Committee meetings are not entertaining enough for the majority of Bristol Warren students, because the kids should not … more

10/28/21

David Lauria, Mt. Hope Choral Director, and Emily Marino, a Mt. Hope senior and Bristol resident, speak about her selection to the All-National Choir at the Mt. Hope auditorium on Thursday.

Mt. Hope student selected for All-National Choir

Emily Marino, a Mt. Hope High School senior, was selected for the All-National Choir — the first Mt. Hope student to ever be selected for such an honor. more

By Ethan Hartley | 10/27/21

School Committee Chairperson Marjorie McBride shouts for order in the room after questioning of the proposed vendor for professional development in the district descended into chaos Monday night. She would vote to deny the $7,000 expenditure shortly after.

Tensions boil over hiring $7,000 consultant for teacher training

The Bristol Warren Regional School Committee voted 5-4 to reject the expenditure of $7,000 in grant funding for a project-based learning initiative. more

By Ethan Hartley | 10/27/21

Nate Schneider (left) and Olin Guck guide their boat through the water during a training session last week in the Warren River. The BHS sailing team qualified for a top regional meet, but is unable to attend because of a district rule banning overnight trips.

School rule sinks Barrington sailing team’s plans

In late September, the Barrington High School sailing team qualified to compete in the Atlantic Coast Championships, an elite regatta featuring some of the best teams in the country. But the … more

By Josh Bickford | 10/27/21

Editorial: Take the shot or say goodbye to your students

There’s only one reason the Barrington School Department can demand Covid-19 vaccinations of all employees — because so many of its employees are already vaccinated. If the district … more

10/27/21

Richard Grundy, President and COO of AVTECH, holds up a Room Alert device, the flagship product of AVTECH which can be found on every continent and in 187 countries around the world.

AVTECH’s Room Alert wins international award

AVTECH was recently awarded the International Trade Council's 2021 Go Global Award for Property Technology, beating out over 6,400 other entrants from around the world. more

By Ethan Hartley | 10/27/21

Barrington School Committee members Patrick McCrann, Gina Bae, Megan Douglas and Erika Sevetson (from left to right) are shown during the Oct. 7 meeting.

School official says teacher vaccine mandate vote was unclear

Barrington School Committee member Patrick McCrann switched seats at last week’s meeting and spoke out during the public comment period. Mr. McCrann spoke about a lack of clarity and … more

10/26/21

Russ Shipp salutes the memory of his brother, Corp. Thomas A. Shipp, after placing a rose to a wreath outside the Portsmouth Historical Society during the annual Beirut Memorial Service on Saturday. Corp. Shipp was among the nine Rhode Islanders killed in the Beirut terrorist bombing attack on Oct. 23, 1983.

‘Rhode Island Nine’ are memorialized in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — Lt. Col. Scott Stephan, USMC, said he was just 5 years old in October 1983 when 241 U.S. service men and women were killed in a terrorist attack while on a peacekeeping … more

By Jim McGaw | 10/23/21

This statue in Independence Park on Thames Street was vandalized on Oct. 12, exactly 29 years since the date it was commissioned by the Heritage and Discovery Commission. Now mostly cleaned up, remnants of red paint can still be seen. The plaque on the statue reads, "In recognition of Bristol’s cultural diversity and commemoration of the Columbus Quincentennial”.

Bristol Police: DUI, assaults, and red paint on Columbus statue

Someone threw red paint on a downtown statue on Columbus Day, and police officers responded to a handful of complaints about loud music throughout the week of Oct. 11 to 17. Monday, Oct. … more

10/22/21

Column: Remembering three coaches and a team that welcomed everyone

It’s easy to mock the “way things used to be” guy. He’s always got a story about the old days, about things that no longer exist, about people you’ve never heard of. He … more

By Scott Pickering | 10/22/21

Barrington resident Rachelle Zani pleads with members of the school committee about problems with the school transportation system in town during the meeting last Thursday night.

Barrington parents on busing issue: ‘This is ridiculous’

For more than a month, Barrington resident Liz Clare has asked officials to allow one of her sons to ride a bus to the middle school each day. She said his commute to school is long and dangerous, … more

By Josh Bickford | 10/21/21

Emu killed by 'large' predator in Westport

A Westport woman lost a beloved emu this week to what she suspects was either a coyote or, less likely, a bear attack. Digger, a 100-pound emu about 20 years old, was dragged from its pen on … more

By Ted Hayes | 10/21/21

Letter: An act of kindness by six RWU students

An act of kindness and generosity by six sophomore Roger Williams University students proves there is hope for our younger generation. Last Sunday, Arthur Medeiros and I were having breakfast at … more

10/21/21

The Samaritans Team gathers for a photo on top of the bridge at the Pell Bridge Run, held Sunday, Oct. 17. The group includes barrier advocates Sen. Louis DiPalma and Rep. Joseph Solomon, as well as Melissa Cotta and Bryan Ganley of Bridging the Gap for Safety and Healing.

A temporary proposal to permanently save lives

Melissa Cotta and Bryan Ganley, co-founders of Bridging the Gap for Safety and Healing , the group working toward getting suicide prevention barriers on the state’s four tallest bridges, are … more

By Christy Nadalin | 10/21/21

Barrington Police Officer Brendan Combes reunites Barrington resident Brandon Medeiros with his bicycle, which had been stolen last Wednesday.

Resident tracks down stolen bike, police make an arrest

Barrington police worked closely with the victim of a larceny to help him track down and apprehend a bike thief. Police received a phone on Wednesday, Oct. 13 from a resident who said her … more

10/20/21

Editorial: Next on the agenda — Confusion

The actions of the Bristol Warren School Committee deserve scrutiny regarding the school resource officer situation developing at Kickemuit Middle School. more

10/20/21

Photos and candles were displayed at the vigil with messages from friends and family, who called for law enforcement to arrest the individual responsible for Raymond’s eventual death.

Family of Market St. assault victim pleads for ‘justice’

The family of a man who was put into a coma and later died from his injuries from an incident that occurred on Market Street in August is calling for authorities to arrest the juvenile perpetrator. more

By Ethan Hartley | 10/20/21