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United State Coast Gaurd electrician's mate Carla Lee Samson.
Veterans' stories: Adventure, duty and saving lives in the Coast Guard
Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of stories on local veterans written by Westport Middle High School students who spent the first half of 2025 interviewing more than 20 local … more
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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
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United States Army veteran George Stelljes followed family tradition in joining up 50 years ago.
Westport veterans' stories — first part in a series
Editor's note: This is the first of more than 20 veterans' stories included in a book soon to be released by Westport Middle School students and teachers. Students and teachers spent months … more
Keeping close watch on the on-again, off-again tariffs
STORY OF THE WEEK: Tariffs “will always tend to crush the spirit of enterprise and cripple the productive energies of a country.” If that sounds like a gripe from Canadian Prime Minister … more
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I pledge allegiance to Trump
Nobody would argue that government is not corpulent and needs a diet, which the President is doing. While scholars are focused on whether much of President Donald Trump’s purge of programs and … more
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A Great Horned Owl surveys its territory from a native cherry tree perch in the East Bay. Great Horned Owls are widespread across the U.S. but bird count surveys have shown a significant decreasing trend in the eastern region. Photo courtesy of Butch Lombardi.
The symbiotic relationships between owls and woodpeckers
Head outside on a clear winter night in the East Bay and you might just be greeted by the deep, soft hoots of Great Horned Owls advertising their territories and calling to their mates. Listen more … more
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Dr. Patrick T. Conley, chairman of the U.S. Constitution Council, delivers an address to dignitaries at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on Dec. 15, 1991, to mark the Bicentennial of the Bill of Rights. U.S. Chief Justice Warren Burger delivered a similar address on that day in Richmond, Virginia.
In praise and recognition of America’s Bill of Rights
December 15 is the anniversary of our Bill of Rights. On that date in 1791, Virginia’s ratification of Articles I through X of our Constitution incorporated them permanently into our … more
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Message of Hope: Westport forms Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Committee
Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport Board of Health (BOH). The goal is to share information with our community about local issues and projects, public health alerts, … more
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ILO Group report shined a bright spotlight on the governor
STORY OF THE WEEK: About three years after Attorney General Peter Neronha ’s probe into the ILO Group became public, the story hit a dramatic apex. On Tuesday, Neronha released his findings via … more
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Westport Health Notes: You can't see them, but microplastics are here
Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport Board of Health (BOH). The goal is to share information with our community about local issues and projects, public health alerts, … more
Trump teeters in the twilight zone
C BS has been interviewing potential voters in the so-called swing states about for whom they are going to vote for President. Virtually all Trump supporters said they were voting for him … more
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Will the real Washington Bridge story ever get told?
STORY OF THE WEEK: The marquee race in Rhode Island’s primary election on Tuesday was state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung’s challenge to Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins. The GOP race took an … more
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When the truth doesn’t matter, the wackadoodles win
Perhaps I am a bit nostalgic about the “good ’ole days” when people said what they meant and meant what they said. There was no other ambition but to say and do the right thing. … more
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Westport Health Notes: Changes at the transfer station
Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport Board of Health (BOH).   This month we are updating residents on the new look starting to take shape at the Transfer Station … more
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Westport Health Notes: The buzz on bugs — protect yourself!
Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport Board of Health (BOH). The goal is to share information with our community about local issues and projects, public health alerts, … more
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An inspiring story of a resilient actor known to all as ‘The Fonz’
You might be surprised to know that Henry Winkler, better known as “The Fonz” on TV sitcom “Happy … more
Republicans and Democrats – How dare they?
If you watched the June 27 presidential debate you had to ask yourself one question: How dare the Republican and Democratic Parties leave you with a choice of two grievously flawed candidates for the … more
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Presidential debate left Democrats reeling
STORY OF THE WEEK: The Kennedy - Nixon debate in 1960 marked the dawning of a new age, when the optics of televised images carried more weight than the substance of what candidates conveyed verbally. … more
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A large patch of Native Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa) replaced an area of turf grass lawn in the authors’ Barrington yard. The plant is an important nectar and pollen source for many native bees, especially bumblebees and long-tongued bees. It is a host plant for several native moths and a nectar source for butterflies. The prickly pads escape herbivore browsing but the fruits provide a nutrient rich meal for wild turkeys, deer, coyotes, and foxes. This native plant is rare and endangered in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Is it time to rethink the traditional lawn?
Spring is in the air, and so too are the noxious fumes and aural assault of overpowered lawn equipment. Bird song and children’s voices fill the air only to be abruptly halted by the roar of … more
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Westport Health Notes: Tackling PSFAs here
Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport Board of Health (BOH).   This month we are talking about PFAS, known as “forever”’ chemicals, their health … more
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Investigative team starts digging for Washington Bridge answers
STORY OF THE WEEK: “We’re leaving no stone unturned as far as accountability,” Gov. Dan McKee said last Friday, as he unveiled Max Wistow and Jonathan Savage as the lawyers who will … more
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Ken Block has done a service to this country
Many readers will remember Ken Block as a two-time candidate for Rhode Island Governor and technology entrepreneur who helped the State of Texas save more than a billion dollars in food stamp fraud … more
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Commentary: Why Westport needs Route 6 project
Westport citizens will have the opportunity to vote for clean water at that ballot box on Tuesday, April 9. There will be a ballot question to allow for a debt exclusion of approximately … more
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Latest fertility ruling – yes, yes, no, no!
Three couples sued the Center for Reproductive Medicine, a fertility clinic in Alabama, for inadvertently destroying their embryos. An interloper got into   the storage facility, opened up a … more
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The busted bridge continues to invite both follies and frustration
STORY OF THE WEEK: Last week, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and RIDOT Director Peter Alviti offered a glimmer of hope for frustrated drivers. A plan developed with the Federal Highway Administration … more
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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.

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