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

Editorial: Hope for the future — post-election

Regardless of who wins next Tuesday, the sun will rise next Wednesday. The Earth will keep spinning. Schools will welcome their students. Businesses will open their doors. Life will be much the same … more

10/30/24

Commentary: Why Westport needs Route 6 project

Westport citizens will have the opportunity to vote for clean water at that ballot box on Tuesday, April 9. There will be a ballot question to allow for a debt exclusion of approximately … more

By James Whitin | 3/12/24

Editorial: A crisis for the East Bay

The impact of the Interstate 195 bridge closure cannot be overstated. It suffocates areas of Providence and East Providence, both economically and functionally, for months. more

12/14/23

Editorial: Fast-track rental regulations in Westport

Not all short term rentals are bad, or disruptive of neighbors, or a nuisance. While it’s clear that the Spinnaker Way rental was truly a nuisance, the zoning board’s recent … more

8/29/23

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: Keep meetings open

The benefits of more people accessing, following and interacting with their government far exceed the negative, or potential negative, impacts. Government is best when it not only represents citizens, but involves them. more

3/24/22

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: Stop your engines!

Sharon Gold is a diminutive woman with a big message for everyone — stop idling! The focus of a story in our East Bay Life section this week, Gold is a retired educator and grandmother from … more

1/5/22

Editorial: Is this the best time of the year?

Best month of the year in New England? While July gets a lot of love, and September is a favorite for many, October should be in everyone’s top-three. Consider the opportunities in the … more

10/6/21

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

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: The government giveth and taketh away

The main notion behind the multi-trillion-dollar federal bailout was to pump aid directly and immediately to citizens who have suffered financial harm during the pandemic. That injection of cash will … more

3/26/21

Editorial: Warp Speed wearing thin

‘Operation Warp Speed’ has become a bad joke and nowhere is it less amusing than in Rhode Island. Last week, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center released a vaccination … more

2/18/21

Editorial: Good riddance to outdated toll system

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority’s move to fully automated toll collection this week is welcome and long overdue. Starting Feb. 14, the bridge authority will launch a … more

2/12/21

Editorial: East Beach — Move the flotsam

Seasonal residents of Westport’s East Beach Road get to park their trailers on a place that common sense, Mother Nature, and rising sea levels suggest is badly suited for structures of any … more

2/5/21

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: 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

Editorial: A vote to ‘Restore the soul of America’

Many people, including both presidential candidates, have described the coming election as historic. President Trump and former Vice President Biden have reached this conclusion for different … more

10/22/20

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: It's a great time to follow your government

It’s never been easier to take an interest in your local government and actually see what your elected leaders are doing. And in this era of executive orders and daily briefings that impact … more

5/28/20

Editorial: Twice charged officer leaves in style

The way it all sorted out in the matter of Town of Tiverton vs. police Sergeant William Munroe, it’s difficult to tell who is being punished — town taxpayers or the man accused of … more

5/9/20

Editorial — Virus ... Stop the secrecy

Few weapons will prove as potent in our defense against this latest virus as information — places to avoid, health precautions to take, anything to help weather the storm until it … more

3/4/20

Editorial: Taxes and the damage done

Bravo to Governor Gina Raimondo for aiming to make Rhode Island the first state in the nation to get all of its power from renewable energy. That end-of decade goal might just be achievable and could … more

1/23/20

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