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

Protester Nicholas Katkevich, 36, of Bristol, who had cemented himself into the trunk of a car blocking the entrance to Raytheon Co., flashes a clenched fist as he’s surrounded by Portsmouth police officers Thursday morning, Aug. 12. He was later extricated from the vehicle and arrested. Another protester was blocking the exit in a similar fashion.

Portsmouth Police: Raytheon protest ‘delayed resources’ for accident response

PORTSMOUTH — Protesters who blocked the entrance to missile defense manufacturer Raytheon Co. Thursday morning “delayed resources” for police and rescue workers who were … more

By Jim McGaw | 8/12/21

McKee stops short of mandating masks in Rhode Island schools

PROVIDENCE — Governor Dan McKee, following up on updated recommendations made earlier this week by the Centers of Disease Control as the “Delta” variant of the coronavirus has … more

By Mike Rego | 7/29/21

Bruce Burdett at a patio table outside his Bristol home, where he often works. The editor of The Sakonnet Times and Westport Shorelines is retiring this week after 45 years with East Bay Newspapers. “There’s something in all of us that likes to tell people stories, and this was my way to be able to do it,” he said.

After 5 decades in journalism, Bruce Burdett's hanging up his notebook

When Bruce Burdett first arrived in Bristol to start his new job at East Bay Newspapers in the mid-’70s, he was just two years out of college with only minimal experience working for his school … more

By Jim McGaw | 7/22/21

The backyard view of the 2021 HGTV Dream Home, located at 470 Vanderbilt Lane.

HGTV ‘Dream Home’ in Portsmouth fetches $2.75 million

PORTSMOUTH — Jeff Yanes never even got to walk through the “Dream House” on Vanderbilt Lane that he won in April. Like many winners of HGTV Dream Home’s contest, he … more

7/16/21

xBryan Ganley (left) lost a close friend to suicide. Melissa Cotta (right) tried to help but could not stop a man from jumping off the Mt. Hope Bridge. Together, they’re asking for suicide prevention barriers on Rhode Island’s three largest bridges.

Activists launch petition drive in support of bridge barriers

Bryan Ganley and Melissa Cotta, co-founders of Bridging the Gap for Safety and Healing, have been working tirelessly for years to have suicide prevention barriers installed on Rhode Island’s … more

By Christy Nadalin | 7/15/21

Salve buys Pennfield School property in Portsmouth for $3.4M

PORTSMOUTH — Salve Regina University has purchased Pennfield School’s 19 acres of buildings and grounds for $3.4 million, the university announced Friday, July 2. The long-term … more

7/2/21

Parker Terrell, a “budtender” at Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center and a member of the union negotiating committee, leads a group of striking workers outside the facility on Saturday. His sign refers to CEO Seth Bock, whom some union workers accuse of retaliatory practices.

Union workers hold one-day strike at Greenleaf in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — Holding signs reading “Unfair Labor Practices,” “Justice for Ben” and “Respect Workers’ Rights,” about 25 to 30 union workers … more

By Jim McGaw | 6/30/21

Jack Marston tosses a “BG4N” bag during a game of cornhole at Saturday’s Be Great for Nate Night at Schultzy’s Snack Shack in Island Park. Jack, an incoming freshman, was playing the game with fellow Every Student Initiative members Hayden Younger, Jacob Kalif and Oliver Jelley. The event raised money for suicide prevention and youth empowerment in memory of Nathan Bruno, a 15-year-old Portsmouth boy who died by suicide in 2018. This year’s event fell on his 19th birthday.

‘He’s going down in history as helping a lot of people’

Members of Every Student Initiative (ESI) had two things to celebrate at the annual Be Great for Nate Night fund-raising event at Schultzy’s Snack Shack on Saturday. more

By Jim McGaw | 6/25/21

This Daddy Long Legs sculpture will be one of many you’ll be able to find at Green Animals Topiary Garden starting this weekend.

Big Bugs to invade Green Animals in Portsmouth!

PORTSMOUTH — Green Animals Topiary Garden will be buzzing this summer when David Rogers’ Big Bugs takes over from Friday, June 25, through Sunday, Oct. 3. more

6/23/21

Aerial view shows the location of the planned solar array off West Main Road, between Lehigh Terrace to the north (top) and Freeborn Street (not shown) to the south. Note the cleared area, where the rows of ground-mounted solar panels would be built, surrounded by trees and vegetation.

Zoning board OKs large solar array off West Main, Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — Saying the applicant checked all the boxes needed for a special-use permit under the town’s solar ordinance, the Zoning Board of Review Thursday, May … more

By Jim McGaw | 5/24/21

Couple and realtor signing papers for new house

The buying frenzy — and frustration — continue

Your company just announced that your division is being relocated from the Midwest headquarters to the East Coast. In fact, your new office is situated in Rhode Island — home to beautiful … more

By Josh Bickford | 5/20/21

Do you take cash?

Here’s a new phenomenon in the local real estate market. An increasing number of buyers are offering to pay cash for properties. Does that mean they actually bring a suitcase of Benjamins to … more

By Scott Pickering | 5/20/21

Chris Iseleib and his wife, Ann Marie, moved from the Washington, D.C. area to Barrington, buying a million-dollar house that they saw only on Zoom. Located off Nayatt Road and close to the water, it is more than 100 years old and comes with a unique stone gazebo.

Urban buyers have been moving out to the 'country'

It’s been just over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, shaking up lives around the globe. One phenomenon now becoming a trend is the mass exodus from cities to more rural … more

By Joan D. Warren | 4/30/21

Examples of signs that were erected in front of 184 Bristol Ferry Road by local resident Michael DiPaola, and which were the target of a notice of violation from the Town of Portsmouth. The signs were taken down while the case was being litigated.

Judge OKs settlement in Portsmouth sign lawsuit

PORTSMOUTH — A federal judge has approved the settlement of a lawsuit filed in January by The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Rhode Island that challenged the constitutionality of … more

4/20/21

For buyers, the competition is tougher than ever

Across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the residential real estate market, and Rhode Island’s real estate market shifted with it. According to State-Wide … more

By Sam Tavares | 4/7/21

Architect’s conceptual drawing shows what Ragged Island Brewing Co.’s brewing facility and taproom would look like after renovations on an existing barn are completed.

Portsmouth farm brewery aims to fully open by September

PORTSMOUTH — The farm brewery Ragged Island Brewing Co. is building on the former Island Garden Shop property on Bristol Ferry Road should be fully open by September, owner Matt Gray told the Zoning … more

By Jim McGaw | 3/19/21

Example of a New England cottontail rabbit, a candidate species for Federal Endangered Species protection.

Rabbit on Patience Island tests positive for contagious disease

PORTSMOUTH — A New England cottontail rabbit from Patience Island recently tested positive for tularemia, a contagious bacterial disease. The R.I. Department of Environmental Management … more

3/15/21

Kat Barker skates with the puck, into the Narragansett zone in Game 2.

Eagles outscore South County in Game 3 thriller

The East Bay Co-op girls ice hockey team skated its way into the state championship finals after defeating South County 7-6 in overtime in a Game 3 showdown on Monday afternoon, March 1. The … more

By Josh Bickford | 3/2/21

Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi (yellow box) talks to a group of fellow legislators and Bristol County business leaders in a Zoom meeting held Friday morning. The speaker strongly urged all Rhode Islanders — including the business community — to speak up and lobby for their opinions to be heard.

Speaker Shekarchi: Rhode Islanders need to speak up

Rhode Island Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi has a message for Rhode Islanders: If you have something to say, say it. Mr. Shekarchi met with a group from the East Bay Chamber of Commerce … more

By Scott Pickering | 2/26/21

Buyers know that if they want the house of their dreams they have to move quickly and bid aggressively.

Why the 2021 real estate market looks a lot like 2020

Did the real estate market undergo a seismic shift in 2020? Or did it ride a rogue wave that is still cresting here in 2021? The answer to both questions might be … … more

By Scott Pickering | 2/19/21

Pilot Matt Celeste has been flying drones commercially for several years and uses them not just in the wedding and event industry, but in real estate property listings across the state.

For drone pilots and the real estate market, the sky’s the limit

The property is spectacular, even from the ground. A quick turn onto a private drive along Warrens Point Road in Little Compton leads soon to a large shingle-style home, with a charming and … more

By Ted Hayes | 2/18/21

Portsmouth woman allegedly threw snowballs at police officers

PORTSMOUTH — Police officers investigating an alleged assault got more than they bargained for when they showed up at an East Main Road home last week. more

2/16/21

Lisa Lasky was recently chosen to be the new director of finance for the Town of Portsmouth.

Bristol woman is Portsmouth’s new finance director

PORTSMOUTH — Lisa Lasky of Bristol was recently appointed as the Town of Portsmouth’s new finance director. more

By Jim McGaw | 2/14/21

A car enters East Main Road from Union Street in Portsmouth.

Lawmaker puts the brakes on automated speed enforcement

PORTSMOUTH — A bill authorizing automated speed camera-enforcement systems in not only school zones but on all state and local roads in Rhode Island seems to have hit the skids, at … more

By Jim McGaw | 2/14/21

Portsmouth High School students and Every Student Initiative members Anna Conheeny, Marcus Evans, and Shea Rearick (from left) plan on testifying when hearings are held once again on the Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act.

Portsmouth students haven’t forgotten bill bearing Nate’s name

PORTSMOUTH — Wearing “Be Great for Nate” T-shirts and filling the House and Senate viewing galleries, friends of the late Nathan Bruno came out in droves to the State House on … more

By Jim McGaw | 2/13/21