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Metacom Avenue's hodge podge of styles, large parking lots and overall aesthetic are being targeted by a sweeping town revitalization effort.

Warren envisions improved Metacom Avenue

Warren's sprawling and in many places dated and drab Metacom Avenue could be transformed to a trendy business and residential area, with condos, small shops and green spaces, under a sweeping series of proposed regulations released this week by the town's planning department. more

By Ted Hayes | 1/26/21

Candace Breen was one of a handful of residents who recently received a letter from another resident telling them to remove Biden and Black Lives Matter signs from their yards.

Letter to Barrington residents: Remove Biden and BLM signs

Candace Breen was having a wonderful day. The Barrington resident was watching President Biden’s inauguration on television last Wednesday when she heard the mail truck pull in front of her … more

By Josh Bickford | 1/26/21

Police provided this photograph of some of the marijuana plants allegedly seized in the raid of a Market Street apartment Friday evening.

Warren police raid yields marijuana, guns and cash

A Warren man faces several felony charges after a police raid at his home Friday, Jan. 22 uncovered dozens of marijuana plants and more than a pound of prepared marijuana, eight weapons and several … more

By Ted Hayes | 1/25/21

Examples of signs that were erected in front of a Bristol Ferry home by local resident Michael DiPaola, and which were the target of a notice of violation from the Town of Portsmouth. The ACLU has now filed a lawsuit against the town, challenging the zoning ordinance.

Portsmouth: Notice of violation doesn't target signs’ content

PORTSMOUTH — The Town of Portsmouth did not use its local sign ordinance to ban the posting of “political” signs by a local man on residential property, the town stated in a … more

1/24/21

Members of the RI National Guard set up the asymptomatic rapid testing site in the Barrington Shopping Center.

Barrington testing site extended two more weeks

Barrington officials announced recently that the pop-up asymptomatic Covid-19 testing site in town will remain open for an additional two weeks. The testing site, which is located in the former … more

1/22/21

Barrington Police: Lawn signs stolen, window broken, and more

Barrington police responded to a variety of different incidents last week: • On Friday, Jan. 15, a Barrington resident stopped into the station to file a report for missing lawn signs. … more

1/22/21

Three homes destroyed in devastating fire on Prudence Island

PRUDENCE ISLAND — Three homes were completely destroyed by a late-night fire on Prudence Island Thursday. One woman managed to escape safely from the home at which the fire apparently … more

By Jim McGaw | 1/22/21

ACLU sues Town of Portsmouth over violation notice on signs

PORTSMOUTH — No doubt you’ve seen the signs while driving up and down Bristol Ferry Road, although perhaps the wording was difficult to make out from a moving vehicle. more

By Jim McGaw | 1/22/21

Members of the Barrington High School girls indoor track team run through a practice session on the outdoor track on Monday morning, Jan. 18. Pictured are (from left to right) Kyle Keough, Lindsay Turgeon, Jane Bryant, Virginia Sanderson, Maeve Murphy and Tosca Barako taking a warm-up lap before the start of the work-out.

Barrington teams excited to start winter sports season

Barrington High School’s winter sports teams will begin playing regular season games this weekend, after the state gave the green light to interscholastic league competition earlier this … more

By Josh Bickford | 1/22/21

Bristol Warren school chief steps aside temporarily to be with family

Bristol Warren's school superintendent is stepping away from the job for five weeks to be with his family and provide support to his mother, who is facing health problems. Superintendent Dr. … more

By Ted Hayes | 1/22/21

Barrington revaluation underway, assessments on the way

Notices for the recent town-wide revaluation could be mailed to residents as soon as February. Barrington’s new tax assessor, Ken Mallette, told members of the town council earlier this … more

1/22/21

The new bike route would include a network of downtown streets, all with street markings and signage to improve safety and allow versatility for cyclists.

Bristol bike path engineers decide to go with the flow

The plan to extend the East Bay Bike Path through downtown Bristol to the base of the Mt. Hope Bridge has undergone a significant revision. After spending much of 2020 studying possible bike routes … more

By Scott Pickering | 1/22/21

Paddle board teammates Peter Maloney and Eileen Malloy, both of Bristol, return the ball back over the net during a pickle ball match on the Town Common on Tuesday.

Pickleball on the Common — a ‘winter lifesaver’

Peter Maloney and his teammate Eileen Malloy celebrated after he whacked the softball-sized plastic yellow ball over the net, sending it whistling by his opponents, Cathy Winston and David Schwartz, … more

By Richard W. Dionne, Jr. | 1/21/21

Two Barrington schools offering Covid-19 testing

All students and staff at Barrington High School and Barrington Middle School are now being offered testing for Covid-19 through a special program that will run through the end of the school year. The program was made … more

1/21/21

William Schaff of Water Street was one of two artists selected in the first round.

Warren kicks off second public art project

Art will replace drab infrastructure this Spring, when seven commissioned artists spread out to paint electric utility boxes around Warren. This is the second round of public art projects that … more

1/21/21

Julie Brigidi, longtime shelter volunteer and board member of the Friends of the Bristol Animal Shelter, spends some time with Ollie, a cat who was temporarily surrendered by his owner, who is struggling to find cat-friendly housing. According to Ms. Brigidi, serving as a temporary shelter for pet owners who are experiencing hardship is one of the many ideal ways the Friends would like to see the shelter utilized. “This could be a godsend for families experiencing displacement or hardship for any of a number of reasons,” said Ms. Brigidi, who added that Ollie’s owner is very much looking forward to reclaiming him as soon as she is able.

Advocates developing a new vision for Bristol’s animal shelter

Things are pretty quiet at Bristol’s new, state-of-the-art animal shelter these days, and yes, COVID shoulders some of that blame — but not all of it. The reality is that even before the … more

By Christy Nadalin | 1/21/21

With all sailors safe following the capsize of Patriot, work begins to start righting the AC75.

Bristol-built Patriot sustains significant damage in capsize

It was a rough end to the weekend on the other side of the world when Patriot, one of the Bristol-built AC75 foiling monohull American Magic yachts built to challenge for the America’s Cup, … more

1/20/21

Police question man accused of trying to break into Barrington home

A Barrington resident reported a possible attempted break-in last week. The Anoka Avenue resident said the incident occurred on Jan. 7 at about 6:56 p.m., although it was not reported until Monday, … more

1/20/21

The lower Kickemuit Reservoir dam on Child Street is becoming less and less effective at keeping saltwater from traveling north into the reservoir.

Nearby residents oppose Warren dams' removal

Residents near the Kickemuit Reservoir are hiring legal representation and engineers to fight the Bristol County Water Authority's plan to remove the upper Kickemuit dam on Schoolhouse Road, and the … more

1/20/21

Should lacrosse be classified as a high risk sport or moderate? More than 1,000 people say it’s time for officials to change it to moderate risk.

Petition says lacrosse is moderate risk, not high

More than 1,000 people have already signed a petition calling for the state to reclassify the risk level for lacrosse, moving it from high risk to moderate. That move, officials say, would allow … more

By Josh Bickford | 1/20/21

Lifelong Barrington resident Clara DeSpirito celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this month. Her family organized a special car parade past her home.

Lifelong Barrington resident celebrates 100th birthday

Clara DeSpirito calls it a blessing. Earlier this month, the lifelong Barrington resident celebrated her 100th birthday. Her family and friends made the day extra special, as they held a car … more

1/19/21

Water authority proposes another rate increase

Bristol County Water Authority customers should expect rate increases each year for the next 10 years, starting with a proposed 5 percent increase this year. BCWA Executive Director Pam Marchand … more

By Josh Bickford | 1/19/21

Amiyah Johnson, a student at Portsmouth Middle School, recited a nonviolence pledge during the tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday.

Choose to love and forgive, says MLK Jr. event speaker

NEWPORT COUNTY — On Jan. 6, hundreds of insurgents — many displaying telltale symbols typically worn by white supremacists, white nationalists and other extremist groups — … more

By Jim McGaw | 1/18/21

Leigh Medeiros with the ribcage of a deer, found on a South County beach.

For this local amateur naturalist, the world is full of treasure

The impulse to collect treasures found in nature has been described as a number of things, including a desire to preserve the past or impose order on the future. Classification of things found in … more

By Christy Nadalin | 1/18/21

DPW workers plant a tree a few years back. Members of the town council have been offering updates about how many trees the town plants each month, compared to how many they cut down.

Council reminder: Barrington cut down eight trees last month

Carl Kustell picked up where Kate Weymouth left off. During Monday night’s town council meeting, Mr. Kustell offered an update of the public works department’s tree removal tally. … more

1/18/21