TRANSCRIPT: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Dave Fallon: There was a lot of effort, resources behind the call for reform. Many grassroots activists were pushing for it. So why didn’t it happen this time? Topher Hamblett: The CRMC reform bill did not pass this year, I think in the end, because […]
South County Bureau
Posted inLocal, South County Bureau
Westerly councilor flips off audience, makes ‘obscene’ gesture at public meeting
Members of the public are calling on the Westerly Town Council to take action against a councilor who repeatedly gave the audience the middle finger at a council meeting Monday night and made what several witnesses interpreted as an “obscene gesture.” Video of Monday night’s council meeting shows Councilor Robert Lombardo sticking up his middle […]
Posted inLocal, Shoreline Access, South County Bureau
A push to further restrict driving on a local barrier beach has shoreline advocates crying ‘ruse’
The Charlestown Town Council voted Tuesday night to reject a proposed ordinance change that would have extended the period each summer season when people are prohibited from driving vehicles on the beach in the town. The 3-2 vote followed about two-and-half hours of public comment replete with historical references, impassioned calls for conservation as well […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, South County Bureau
Photographer Kathie Florsheim’s elegy to the vanishing shore
Editor’s note: This story is part of “Washout: Our vanishing beaches,” a series about the reshaping of Rhode Island’s shoreline. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Photographer Kathie Florsheim has held several residencies and fellowships, and her work is permanently held at the Fogg Museum at Harvard, the RISD Art museum and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, South County Bureau
Dude, where’s my beach?
Editor’s note: This story is part of “Washout: Our vanishing beaches,” a series about the reshaping of Rhode Island’s shoreline. Taylor Ellis loves the Rhode Island shoreline so much that about a year-and-half-ago he decided to see as much of it as possible. By foot. The long-time South Kingstown resident walked most of the state’s […]
Posted inHousing, Local, South County Bureau
Narragansett approves short-term rental restrictions, affordable housing bond
The town of Narragansett has adopted a new ordinance that has significant implications for property owners and summer vacation renters in the beach town. Under the new rules, property owners will be prohibited from renting out a unit for less than seven nights at a time. The rules were approved in a 3-1 vote, with […]
Posted inArticle, Housing, Local, South County Bureau
Narragansett Town Council holds off on affordable housing vote after heated exchanges at Monday night’s meeting
The Narragansett Town Council held off on taking action Monday night on a resolution seeking the General Assembly’s authorization to ask voters whether to approve the issuance of $3 million in bonds for affordable housing development in the town. The council failed to take a vote after three councilors, Ewa Dzwierzynski, Jill Lawler, and Steven […]
Posted inLocal, Shoreline Access, South County Bureau
Westerly beach parking bans are being called forms of ‘bigotry’
You could almost call this a tale of two towns, within the confines of one municipality. In downtown Westerly and nearby areas, drivers riding in two-way traffic pass between rows of vehicles parked on both sides of the street. Pedestrians stroll along sidewalks, and trucks make delivery stops in the middle of the road. But […]
Posted inArticle, Housing, Local, South County Bureau
Report finds URI is contributing to Narragansett’s housing crisis
A new report commissioned by the town of Narragansett says University of Rhode Island students living off-campus have significantly altered the town’s housing market, leading to a “symbiotic relationship” between the university and private landlords at the expense of other renters. According to the study by the Burlington, Vermont-based group Crane Associates, URI has benefited […]
Posted inArticle, Local, Shoreline Access, South County Bureau
ACLU represents beach access advocate sued by Weekapaug Fire District
The Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union is defending a Westerly resident and beach access advocate being sued by the Weekapaug Fire District for advocating that the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council designate a public right-of-way to the Quonochontaug Barrier Beach. The ACLU is working with former Rhode Island Assistant Attorney […]