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

Editorial: Goodbye, Bristol County water supply

The Providence Water Supply Board wants to raise water rates 20 percent. The Bristol County Water Authority wants to end a century-old contract for water. Are they related? Yes. Does anyone care? Not … more

9/17/20

Editorial: No more snow days :(

Cursed 2020 has taken so much already (freedoms, joy, travel, livelihoods, not to mention precious lives) … did it need to take away the beloved snow day, too? When Rhode Island acted … more

12/17/20

Editorial: Too many candidates chose not to debate

A frustrating new trend emerged this election season, as a disturbing number of candidates declined, refused or were unavailable to take part in public campaign forums with their opponents. … more

11/3/22

Editorial: A valuable lesson in perseverance

The fact that the Mt. Hope High School Class of 2023 graduated amidst the looming threat of a thunderstorm could not have been more appropriate. more

6/16/23

Editorial: Warren on the right path in battling addiction

Community policing and a no-shame, recovery-focused approach makes Warren a statewide leader in battling the addiction and overdose epidemic facing all municipalities. more

8/26/21

Editorial: The things we learned from Big Bird

Caroll Spinney, the whole body puppeteer who brought Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life, died Sunday at age 85 in Connecticut. Big Bird, like most six-year-olds, would … more

12/13/19

Editorial: Death of the snow day

The pandemic introduced a few silver linings. Remote learning is sort of, kind of, one of them. Across America, schools figured out how to conduct themselves when no one was in the school … more

1/13/22

Editorial: Don't forget the joy of the snow day

School administrators should remember that it’s okay for kids to have good, old-fashioned fun. more

2/15/24

Editorial: Burr’s Hill process was properly thorough

Warren residents should treat this new facility like the gift that it is. more

8/17/22

Editorial: 'Public Comment' rules should be open, flexible and customer-friendly

In the years leading up to the pandemic, most Americans were hyper-focused on national-level politics, with Trump, the Democrats or the Republicans seemingly responsible for everything good or bad in … more

1/26/24

Editorial: Can we dial down the animosity in America?

If written a week ago, this editorial would describe the shame and embarrassment of watching one of the sad days in American history unfold on live television. It would excoriate all those … more

1/14/21

Editorial: State needs clarity and regs for e-bikes on bike paths

There are myriad dangers on every bike path. Tour de France wanna-bees weave through the crowds, believing the path should be theirs alone. Children wobble helmet-less on their tricycles with light … more

8/25/22

Editorial: A conversation long overdue, and worth having

Rhode Island's affordable housing law has long been in need of adjustments and a fresh look. We're anxiously awaiting the results of just such an examination by state legislators. more

1/18/23

Editorial: Best practices in government

A year ago, no one could have imagined that the Barrington School Committee would quickly become the model for openness in government. For much of the past five years, that board was mired in … more

6/7/23

Editorial: Young artists deserve their time to shine too

Covid has interrupted so many of life’s normal routines, but most jarring are those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that can never be recovered. Weddings can be postponed until better days. … more

2/18/21

Ediorial: Temple vs. schools was a loser from the start

The Bristol Warren Regional School Committee’s handling of the 2021-22 school calendar is of the more embarrassing episodes you’ll see from a local government body. It’s difficult … more

7/17/21

Editorial: Pass new gun laws now

Rhode Island has enacted a handful of smart gun laws in the past decade, but it is not enough. At least five common-sense gun regulation bills sit stagnant in the Rhode Island General Assembly, where … more

6/2/22

Editorial: Injustice, unrest and action

The murder of George Floyd lit a match to a nation loaded with combustible material. Quarantined and isolated for months, with tens of millions jobless, with economic stability shattered, with half … more

6/4/20

Editorial: Next on the agenda — Confusion

The actions of the Bristol Warren School Committee deserve scrutiny regarding the school resource officer situation developing at Kickemuit Middle School. more

10/20/21

Editorial: School district shortcut the search process — again

Regardless of who is in charge, who is departing and who is arriving, the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee follows the same process whenever it hires a new superintendent — which is no … more

12/2/21

Editorial: In the public interest, it’s time to update the public records law

Setting aside journalists and citizen watchdogs, most people don’t care about public records laws — until they do care. When they find themselves in a land dispute with a neighbor, preparing a legal defense for their son’s disputed arrest, or questioning why a school district is building a new school instead of renovating an old one, they will care a lot about public records laws. more

3/1/23

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.

Editorial: Sight unseen, his pen was most powerful

This has always been a special space in the local newspaper. Whether thoughtfully crafted after hours of research or thrown together on hectic deadline, the editorial is a revered tradition that … more

7/22/21

Editorial: ‘Tax the rich!’

When state governments need money, they often focus on familiar targets: personal sins (drinking, smoking and gambling), fossil fuels and the rich. In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing … more

4/15/21

Editorial: We must adapt to survive climate change

What we can learn from the plight of a small, marsh-dwelling bird? more

9/16/21

Editorial: Shopping locally matters more than ever

It’s always a good idea to shop locally, and it might mean more this year than ever before. The pandemic has disrupted everything — every person, every organization, every business. … more

11/25/20