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

Letter: An open letter to the RI Congressional delegation, on Israel

The verdict is in on what Israeli apartheid is doing to the Palestinians – ethnic cleansing since the 1948 Nakba and permanent occupation in Gaza and the West Bank since … more

6/19/25

Letter: Vote these 5 to senior center’s board on Monday

To the editor: As a retired member of the Senior Center Executive Board, I’d like to urge fellow members to vote for new board members: Jim Seveney, Rita St. Laurent, John McDaid, Mark … more

6/18/25

Letter: Senior center members — cast your vote on June 23

To the editor: I’m writing to my fellow members of the Portsmouth Multi-Purpose Senior Center to remind everyone that the annual elections for our Board of Directors is coming … more

6/18/25

Letter: Support a new team for Portsmouth Senior Center

To the editor: We are excited about the progress of the construction next to the senior center and what that will mean for the Portsmouth community once completed. As new members of the … more

6/18/25

Letter: Support those being illegally targeted for deportation

To the editor: The League of Women Voters (LWV) Newport County stands in solidarity with those who are heartbroken and outraged by the forceful removal of citizens of Newport County by trickery … more

6/16/25

The state budget is back to its pre-Covid ways

1. STORY OF THE WEEK: In some ways, the $14.3 billion budget approved by Rhode Island’s House Finance Committee this week is a return to the pre-COVID norm. But in other ways, it’s a … more

By Ian Donnis | 6/16/25

Letter: In support of an assault weapons ban

To the editor: I never know day to day if another community will be devastated by gun violence once again. Even more worrisome is if I turn the news on and hear one of those communities is right … more

6/11/25

Letter: ‘No Kings’ in the USA — Join us June 14

To the editor: I had intended to write a much different letter this week with information on No Kings Day. I will get to that, but first I feel the need to express my horror and heartbreak at … more

6/11/25

Letter: Extolling the virtues of a state-based, single-payer healthcare system

To the editor: Attorney General Peter Neronha recently announced several important actions related to healthcare that seek to address the problems facing our state and all RI citizens. These are … more

6/11/25

Letter: Skip the parade and attend a No Kings Day rally

To the editor: On June 14th the nation will be subjected to the spectacle of a military parade the likes of which we generally do not have in our country, and to make matters worse, the chief … more

6/9/25

After House passage, assault weapons bill hangs over Smith Hill

1. STORY OF THE WEEK: When does the calculus of doing nothing outweigh the value of doing something at the Statehouse? That question will hang over Smith Hill until the resolution of the proposed … more

By Ian Donnis | 6/9/25

Letter: No vote of confidence on the RITBA safety assessment of the Mt. Hope Bridge

To the editor: The recent article in the Bristol Phoenix entitled "Mt Hope Bridge is Safe, RITBA assures public" provided zero assurance to concerned East Bay citizens that the bridge is in fact … more

6/4/25

AG Neronha gets aggressive on R.I. health care crisis

1. STORY OF THE WEEK: When Attorney General Peter Neronha makes a presentation, he really goes to town. A case in point was the news conference in his office Wednesday, about confronting Rhode … more

By Ian Donnis | 6/2/25

Rhode Island is awash with conflicts

Politicians in the state no longer hide their conflicts of interest. It is probably because the voters have become anesthetized to abuses. Here are just a few recent examples. Speaker of the … more

By Arlene Violet, Esq. | 6/2/25

Letter: Support bill to keep Rhode Island litter free

To the editor: I am writing to encourage East Bay readers to contact their representatives to voice support for House bill H 6207 pending in the Rhode Island legislature that would create a … more

5/29/25

Letter: The collapse of our democracy is no laughing matter

To the editor: In a recent letter to the editor, Zachary Cooper apparently thought he was being clever and funny when he made snarky remarks about elderly Rhode Islanders’ concerns for … more

5/29/25

Letter: Read all about it...in your local paper

To the editor: Hereabouts in our little towns we are fortunate to have local newspapers featuring unbiased local story reporting, and importantly, editing by responsible journalists. In an … more

5/28/25

This so-called Colony House in Newport is the oldest (1739-1741) of Rhode Island’s five surviving historic state house and court house buildings. It was the site of the May, 1790 convention that ratified the federal Constitution by a margin of 34 to 32, the narrowest of any state. Ironically, due to space limitations, the convention delegates also met and debated at the nearby Baptist Meeting House of Rev. Gardner Thurston, while vigorously defending Rhode Island’s famed separation of church and state. This anomaly was repeated in November, 1842 when the new state constitution was debated by the Law-and-Order Party, first in the East Greenwich State House and Court House, but then moved to the town’s Methodist Church for debate and a final vote of approval. These occurrences indicate that our Founders believed in freedom for religion; not freedom from religion. This fact was attested to by founder John Adams when he correctly observed that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

In recognition of Rhode Island Statehood Day

Many American states conduct special observances on the date that they entered the Union under our Constitution. Rhode Island does not. Is that reluctance because of embarrassment over the fact that … more

By Patrick T. Conley | 5/28/25

Letter: We all benefit from knowing the truth

To the editor: Hereabouts in our little towns we are fortunate to have local newspapers featuring unbiased local story reporting, and importantly, editing by responsible journalists. In an age … more

5/28/25

Letter: Chappell’s resignation a great loss for town

To the editor: I have known Cort Chappell practically all my life. I would vouch for the ability and integrity of him and his office. There is an old expression that the … more

5/27/25

Letter: Poor choice of photograph for front-page story

To the editor: On page one of the Portsmouth Times, May 22, 2025, I was dismayed to see the photo that was selected to go with the article about Cort Chappell’s resignation. … more

5/27/25

Letter: Some more ways for worried locals to take action

Thank you for keeping us informed about so many opportunities in our local community. more

5/22/25

Rhode Island case against energy producers knowingly distorts facts

For those that are following, a two-hour hearing on April 15 in Providence County Superior Court marked the latest chapter in Rhode Island’s long-running … more

5/20/25

Support bill prohibiting sale of products from fur farms

To the editor: Kudos to Sen. Linda Ujifusa for cosponsoring the Trade in Farmed Animal Fur Products Act (S.25), which would prohibit the sale of new products made with fur sourced from fur farms … more

5/19/25

Whitehouse wants the Democrats to come back fighting

1. STORY OF THE WEEK: Three primary factors seemingly fueled Donald Trump’s win for the White House last year -- Democrats’ slow response to voters’ concerns about inflation and … more

By Ian Donnis | 5/19/25