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

Editorial: Bristol has no choice but to reject Fourth petitions

When the Bristol Town Council considers two citizen-driven petitions regarding the town’s storied Fourth of July celebration, it has only once choice to make. It must reject both petitions. … more

4/3/25

Letter: A call to action this Saturday

This Saturday, April 5, there will be a nationwide peaceful protest and rally against the Trump regime and Elon Musk. The 50501 Movement, HandsOff, and The Women’s March are collaborating … more

4/2/25

Letter: Instead of moving the concert series, maybe change it?

I am sorry to hear of the abuse directed at the volunteers of the Fourth of July Committee after the announcement that the concerts were being moved from Independence Park. The members of the … more

4/2/25

Questions about the homeless pallets are spot-on

Amazon has a small house for sale, 20’ by 40’, which is larger than the pallets now housing the homeless, with three bedrooms (or choice, like a living room or den if one bedroom is … more

By Arlene Violet, Esq. | 4/2/25

Letter: Get involved in Saturday’s peaceful protest and rally

To the editor: This Saturday, April 5, there will be a nationwide peaceful protest and rally against the Trump regime and Elon Musk. The 50501 Movement, HandsOff, and The Women’s March are … more

4/2/25

Still waiting for the state's professional cannabis regs

1. STORY OF THE WEEK: Almost three years have passed since Gov. Dan McKee signed adult-use cannabis legalization into law , and the state has yet to open the application process for handing out … more

By Ian Donnis | 3/31/25

Letter: Firearms ban will put your life in danger

To the editor: Rhode Island’s legislature is set to pass a law that puts you and your family in danger. The bill — the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2025” … more

3/26/25

Letter: Hoping Bristol rejects ill-conceived hotel plan

The long running saga of the attempt to construct a hotel within sensitive wetlands areas on Gooding Avenue continued last week with a front page article in the Phoenix highlighting the developers … more

3/25/25

Letter: Our Mt. Hope students are deserving of recognition

I am writing to express how important it is for our community to hear more about the outstanding achievements of the students at Mt. Hope High School. While challenges and concerns often make the … more

3/25/25

Editorial: Be it resolved, a barrier to public access

A resolution being pushed before city and town councils throughout Rhode Island is asking for their support in making access to public records more challenging. Most of the thousands of bills … more

3/25/25

Join our April 5 protest of federal government actions

To the editor: I am writing this letter on behalf of a recently organized group, Islanders for Democracy. We are area citizens who are alarmed at the actions being taken at the federal level. … more

3/24/25

Will voters assign bridge blame at the polls?

1. STORY OF THE WEEK: As we roll into the weekend, perhaps you’re savoring the emergence of spring, the arrival of March Madness in Providence, an expected return to form of the Red Sox or any … more

3/24/25

Letter: Moving beyond the mass exodus tax flight myth

The greatest obstacle to policymakers enacting a modest personal income surtax on Rhode Island’s highest earners, those in the Top 1%, is the fear that any such measure will trigger a mass … more

3/19/25

Expect R.I.'s 'tax the rich' debate to be heating up soon

1. STORY OF THE WEEK: “Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!” -- the timeless aphorism from the late U.S. Sen. Russell B. Long of Louisiana -- speaks … more

By Ian Donnis | 3/17/25

Letter: East Bay Young Republicans will help balance region and state

To the editor: Last week, in President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, he laid out his vision, made a 13-year-old cancer survivor an honorary Secret Service agent, and announced … more

3/13/25

Letter: Bristol's 4th of July insurrection

How unfortunate for the Town of Bristol to let our historic 4th of July celebration be held hostage and the volunteers to be disparaged by a select group calling themselves the … more

3/13/25

Letter: Most all of us are descendants of immigrants

It’s a wonderful month — “Irish Heritage Month,” and like many of you I am a descendent of Irish immigrants. My grandparents left Ireland in the … more

3/13/25

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

By Ian Donnis | 3/10/25

Letter: Most all of us are descendants of immigrants

To the editor: It’s a wonderful month — “Irish Heritage Month,” and like many of you I am a descendent of Irish immigrants. My grandparents left Ireland in … more

3/9/25

Letter: Trump’s wrongs are too many to be listed

To the editor: Mr. Trump is right about a few things. First, the long-standing dispute between Israel and the Palestinians can be resolved by asserting that Palestinians don’t matter. … more

3/7/25

Letter: Lawmaker’s efforts are commendable, worthy of support

To the editor: I am writing in response to the Feb. 24 Barrington Times article reporting on Representative Jennifer Boylan’s efforts to introduce two bills in the legislature to address … more

3/6/25

Editorial: Who is in charge here?

As the citizens group Save Bristol’s 4th continues to fight against what they see as an unjust change of venue for the July 4th concert series, they are using the tool of the citizen’s … more

3/6/25

Republican leader’s goals misguided

To the editor: The new leader of the local state Republican party seems to be pursuing totally misguided political goals. The only thing to possibly learn from eccentric megalomaniacal … more

3/5/25

Letter: Building on wetlands is short-sighted and destructive

To the editor: I am writing, once again, to express my concerns about the proposal to build an 80-room Comfort Inn & Suites on wetlands off Gooding Avenue. I shook my head in disbelief when … more

3/5/25

Why has the council been silent on concert controversy?

To the editor: The fallout from the controversial decision by the Bristol 4th of July committee to move the summer concerts from Independence Park to Roger Williams University reached a new … more

3/5/25