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

Zoning board made the right (cell) call

Main Road resident Betty Slade hit the nail on the head when she got up at Wednesday's zoning board of appeals hearing to talk about the proposed cell phone tower at Masquesatch and Drift roads, … more

8/19/21

Let's go electric in Little Compton

To the editor: I am writing to urge you to add a discussion of the transition of the town's fleet of vehicles from gas to hybrid and eventually electric vehicles to the town's agenda. I'm … more

5/19/22

Letter: Guidance on COVID has been the same

To the editor: Zachary Cooper’s Aug. 25 letter about “a year of vaccine vitriol” starts out by quoting an NPR Aug. 12 tweet stating “unvaccinated people now have the same … more

9/1/22

Letter: The paper continues its history of anti-union views

There are certain recurring things in life that you can always set your clock by, such as long lines at the mall on Black Friday, hot and humid weather in July, and of course a regular bashing of … more

11/27/19

Arlene Violet: Can political leaders stop the madness?

With the onset of the new legislative session, taxpayers are gritting their teeth to see what fiscal ignominies will be piled onto their backs. One thing is for certain. The governor is out of … more

By Arlene Violet | 1/15/20

Letter: Why I support annual revaluation

To the editor: Over the past eight months, our town has sought to resolve an assessment policy change that was implemented for properties purchased during 2018. The specific concerns around the … more

2/26/20

Letter: We thank you for your generosity

To the editor: Dear Community: 2020 presented many challenges for Tap-In. The remodeling of our facility forced us to relocate for months, the pandemic caused restrictive operational measures … more

1/21/21

Letter: What happened to people respecting one another?

In case anyone missed it, there were two recent despicable opinions over the past week, with similar themes of wishing harm or even death on others. One came from an elected official — a … more

8/12/21

Letter: Sea rise threatens Robin Rug

To the editor: The State of Rhode Island has been encouraging the shore towns to get serious in planning for sea level rise, especially in the East Bay, and the proposed development of Robin Rug runs … more

1/20/22

Thank you for addressing shoreline access issues

To the editor: Your excellent articles on shoreline access, including the last one on April 21 by Glen Sherman, finally deal with the elephant which has been lurking in our collective … more

5/19/22

Bows and boos for the early days of 2023 in Rhode Island

R hode Island notables surely serve up a potpourri of decisions for which they should take a bow or offer an apology. 2023 has had some sterling examples of both genius judgments and mistakes. … more

By Arlene Violet | 4/4/23

Letter: Citizens should be allowed to ‘peaceably assemble’

With regard to the police ‘dispersing’ groups of any size, the First Amendment reads, in part: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the right of the people peaceably to assemble … more

5/28/20

Letter: Threatening our VFW Post is an insult to veterans

I would like to answer a letter placed in the Bristol Phoenix on July 9 by Lisa Peterson ( Who are these ‘Citizens’? Bristol voters deserve answers ). We rent the VFW building to a … more

7/16/20

Letter: Good citizens thwarted scammers who prey on the elderly

I would like to take a moment to first alert the elderly to the financial scams for which they may be targeted. Recently, my grandmother was contacted by people impersonating a police department … more

9/23/20

Letter: Don’t allow Robin Rug developer to skirt Bristol’s Master Plan

To the editor: Developer Brady Sullivan is asking the Planning Board and Town Council to eliminate substantial benefits to Bristol taxpayers by changing the Zoning Map and Master Plan attached to … more

1/20/22

Editorial: Why luxury housing is good for the middle class

The highest-and-best use of the town-owned, former Carmelite Monastery property on Watson Avenue would be luxury townhouses for ages 55-plus. That may be considered an elitist stance in a community … more

4/22/22

Dear Republicans, I'll try to use better rhetoric

To the editor: Mea “Gulpa!” Authors of three published letters have criticized three of my recent letters to the editor. I thank all readers. One writer called me out regarding … more

5/19/22

Letter: Fold up your politics for the day

To the editor: On Saturday the Collaborative, headed by Uriah Donnelly and supported by a committed Board of Trustees and corps of loyal volunteers, organized its 6th annual Folks Fest … more

8/24/22

Letter: COVID was deadly, and vaccines helped

To the editor: Last week's Phoenix contained a letter to the editor from an individual lampooning and criticizing those who advocated for and received the COVID-19 vaccination. This individual … more

9/1/22

Letter: Grateful for Bristol Citizens Police Academy experience

I highly recommend every citizen to seriously think about applying to attend this ten-week citizens police academy program. more

4/25/24

Letter: Many questions about Barrington’s vaccine rollout

To the editor: The inexcusably chaotic initial rollout of a limited supply of doses of Covid vaccine to the citizens of Barrington has been unnecessarily frustrating and anxiety provoking, and … more

2/1/21

End nuclear weapons, or they may end us

To the editor: Last June, the Little Compton Town Council voted to endorse part of the policy platform of the Back from the Brink campaign, a national grassroots effort advocating for the … more

5/19/22

Can R.I. cut its way to a better business climate?

S TORY OF THE WEEK: Can Rhode Island tax-cut its way to a more appealing business climate? That question has been subject to debate for years and it won’t stop now. For supporters, … more

By Ian Donnis | 4/4/23

Letter: A safer bike path should be everyone’s goal

To the editor: Last week, I took advantage of the Citizen’s Forum to speak briefly at the Bristol Town Council meeting. Here is basically what I said: I live along the East Bay Bike Path, … more

8/10/23

Letter: We can bring good things to life

Are we putting jobs, food, commercial and recreational resources at risk? more

4/25/24