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Vanessa Reale hired as next Portsmouth High principal

PORTSMOUTH — Vanessa Reale, who has previous experience as a principal and headmaster, has been selected by Superintendent Thomas Kenworthy to be Portsmouth High School’s next … more

By Jim McGaw | 6/14/22

Linda Ujifusa, vice president of the Portsmouth Town Council, will be making a bid for R.I. Senate District 11, which is being vacated by retiring Sen. James Seveney.

Portsmouth’s Linda Ujifusa running for vacated Senate seat

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth Town Council Vice President Linda Ujifusa announced Tuesday she is running for the Rhode Island Senate District 11 (Portsmouth, Bristol) seat being vacated by retiring … more

6/14/22

Commentary: Senate needs to act on shoreline access

The Rhode Island General Assembly has a singular opportunity in this session to end years of chaos and confusion regarding where Rhode Islanders can exercise their constitutionally-protected rights … more

By Thomas J. Gibson, Jr. | 6/13/22

Deputy Superintendent Elizabeth Viveiros, who was principal at Melville School when the outdoor learning space was being planned and built, cuts the ribbon during a brief ceremony on Friday.

Portsmouth school celebrates opening of outdoor classroom

PORTSMOUTH — It’s almost as if Melville Elementary School knew what was coming. “We did this pre-COVID,” said Sara Churgin, manager of the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation … more

By Jim McGaw | 6/13/22

James Seveney served six terms on the Portsmouth Town Council before being elected to the Rhode Island Senate in 2016.

Jim Seveney announces retirement from R.I. Senate

PORTSMOUTH — After a lifetime of public service including 22 years in elective office, R.I. Sen. James A. Seveney (D-Dist. 11, Bristol, Portsmouth, Tiverton) is retiring from the state … more

6/13/22

Letter: Courage comes by making change, not slinging an AR-15

Special kudos to Republican senators! They have instilled courage into every student in America. You see, as astute people know, there is no courage without vulnerability. And because the GOP is so … more

6/10/22

Letter: Pass bill that bans sale of new fur products

To the editor: This is a plea to Rhode Island state senators to take quick action in passing S2646, the bill to ban the sale of new fur products throughout the state. This bill … more

6/10/22

Rhode Island must address PFAS

By Reps. Terri Cortvriend and June Speakman They are in the coating of your nonstick frying pan. The wrapper of your favorite burger. The stain-resistant upholstery of your couch, and even the … more

6/10/22

Empty shell casing found at Portsmouth Middle School

PORTSMOUTH — An empty shell casing was located in the gymnasium at Portsmouth Middle School Thursday morning, Principal João P. Arruda informed parents in an e-mail. However, … more

By Jim McGaw | 6/9/22

Gun debate looms large in General Assembly’s final days

The Senate Judiciary Committee is the key battleground for contentious legislation in Rhode Island. So what happens when the majority of support on the committee for gun … more

By Ian Donnis | 6/7/22

Davis Lee of Portsmouth congratulates a classmate at the conclusion of Portsmouth Abbey’s commencement exercises on Sunday, May 28.

Abbey grad: Classmates ‘picked me up’ after failures

PORTSMOUTH — Catherine O’Hara told her fellow graduates at Portsmouth Abbey that she had “failed a lot” over her four years of high school, but nearly every time one of … more

6/7/22

Portsmouth High’s Morgan Casey won the gold medal in the high jump at the state outdoor track and field championships held Saturday at Brown University.

Portsmouth High’s Casey wins high jump at state track meet

Morgan Casey was the only East Bay competitor, girl or boy, to win a gold medal at Saturday’s Rhode Island high school outdoor track and field championships at Brown University. Casey, … more

6/6/22

Members of the Portsmouth High School girls’ lacrosse team celebrate after beating Burrillville, 14-4, to capture the Division II state crown at Cranston Stadium on Sunday.

Portsmouth girls’ LAX team ends dominating season with state title

CRANSTON — A semifinal scare may have been the motivation the Portsmouth High School girls’ lacrosse team needed Sunday afternoon to get back to what it did all season long: … more

By Jim McGaw | 6/6/22

Members of Portsmouth High School’s Class of 2022 throw their caps into the air at the conclusion of Friday night’s commencement exercises on the baseball field.

‘Be true to yourself,’ Portsmouth High graduates told

PORTSMOUTH — After joking about why anyone would want a math teacher to share inspirational and philosophical wisdom with graduating high schoolers entering their next journey in life, … more

By Jim McGaw | 6/6/22

Portsmouth High’s Ronan Caufield chips onto the green while playing the back nine during the state team championships at Cranston Country Club earlier this week.

Portsmouth competes in state team golf championship

PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth High School golf team qualified for the state team championships at Cranston Country Club earlier this week and had its first chance to play an 18-hole competitive … more

6/3/22

Members of the Portsmouth High School girls’ lacrosse team celebrate after storming back to beat Cranston West in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Portsmouth girls storm back to win D-2 lacrosse semifinals

PORTSMOUTH — Down six goals with under 20 minutes to play? No problem for the Portsmouth High School girls’ lacrosse team, which came back to beat Cranston West in a wild semifinal … more

6/3/22

Kerry McAuliffe, the curator for the Portsmouth Historical Society, inside the museum’s first-floor display room, which is now easier to browse.

New, improved Portsmouth Historical Society re-opens

PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Historical Society has a new look, and its Board of Trustees hopes that will translate to more visitors and memberships. more

By Jim McGaw | 6/3/22

These eight Portsmouth High School seniors are going on to service academies this month (from left): Colby Fahrney (USNA), Amory Kirwin (USNA but deferred for one year due to injury), James Andersen (USNA), John Maedke (USAFA), Garen Seibert (USAFA), Jack Pacheco (USMA), Maria Chytka (USMA), and Ethan Courville (USMA). This photo was taken after an informational session the seniors presented to younger PHS students.

These Portsmouth High graduates are at your service

PORTSMOUTH — Eight members of the Portsmouth High School Class of 2022 won’t have much time to celebrate their summer vacation after being awarded diplomas tonight, June 3. … more

By Jim McGaw | 6/3/22

Not another moment of silence

I’m sick to death of observing another moment of silence when children have been murdered, particularly in a school setting. Since 2018 there have been 119 school shootings. The most recent … more

By Arlene Violet, Esq. | 6/3/22

Editorial: Pass new gun laws now

Rhode Island has enacted a handful of smart gun laws in the past decade, but it is not enough. At least five common-sense gun regulation bills sit stagnant in the Rhode Island General Assembly, where … more

6/2/22

Advocates celebrated back in 2018, when then-Gov. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order making Rhode Island the first state to act on new gun policies since a gunman shot and killed 17 people at a Florida high school earlier that month. The event was attended by hundreds of people, including many students. Rep. Jason Knight (holding microphone) addressed the crowd in the Statehouse lobby at the time.

The long fight for new gun laws

There are many ways to absorb and process news of a lone gunman slaughtering 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Images of the smiling, mostly 10-year-olds and their teachers evoke sorrow, … more

By Scott Pickering | 6/2/22

“Nothing can ever replace the hole left behind by a fallen service member, and no medals nor ribbons can comfort the ones left behind,” said guest speaker SFC William “Bill” McCollum, U.S. Army (Ret.), during Monday morning’s Memorial Day observance outside Portsmouth Town Hall.

Portsmouth honors veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice

PORTSMOUTH — The veterans who laid down their lives for our freedoms “were ordinary people who responded in extraordinary ways in extreme times,” the guest speaker at Monday … more

By Jim McGaw | 5/30/22

Cathy Winston looks on as teammate David Schwartz returns a serve during a game of pickleball on the Bristol Town Common. The Town of Portsmouth’s grant request for matching funds to build a pickleball facility at Elmhurst Park was recently denied.

State to Portsmouth: No pickleball for you!

PORTSMOUTH — Sorry, pickleball enthusiasts. The sport won’t be coming to Portsmouth just yet. The town recently learned that its 2022 Department of Environmental Management (DEM) … more

By Jim McGaw | 5/29/22

The Portsmouth Free Public Library recently donated this little library, which can be found at the entrance to the Island Park Playground on Ormerod Avenue. It was built by Paul Shoenbucher and installed by the Department of Public Works.

More ‘little libraries’ popping up around Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — Is there a little free library near you? Portsmouth has a small but growing number of these tiny free lending libraries — basically free-standing cupboards that are … more

By Jim McGaw | 5/27/22

Volunteer Nate Minese leads visitors on a tour around Butts Hill Fort during Saturday’s event.

Portsmouth: Volunteers make pitch to put Butts Hill Fort on the map

PORTSMOUTH — Speaking under a tent in the center of Butts Hill Fort on Saturday, Craig Clark recalled his days as a Portsmouth High School student, “about 40 years and 600 … more

By Jim McGaw | 5/26/22