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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

Tiverton man charged with child molestation after missing Pennsylvania girl found

TIVERTON — A Tiverton man faces a charge of first degree child molestation sexual assault after a missing Pennsylvania girl was found at a Tiverton home on Wednesday, July 7. Tiverton Police … more

By Bruce Burdett | 7/15/21

Letter: Don’t let oyster farm diminish beautiful Seapowet Creek

To the editor: This letter is addressing CRMC file no. 2020-04-037 Bowen oyster Farm project to be located in the Sakonnet River within the Seapowet Creek area. Just a few years ago the DEM along … more

7/14/21

Letter: Forgo those signs and get to know your neighbors

To the editor: A quick question for those displaying the “In This House We Believe” signs: Who do you think you’re talking to? In this (conservative republican) house we … more

6/28/21

Letter: Dec. 6 would be a better day to celebrate the end of slavery

Celebrating the abolition of slavery in the United States is a wonderful observance and a vivid reminder of America’s second greatest evil. The first was the wholesale killing of Native … more

6/24/21

Jeremy Howard poses with Harper Oates, the inspiration for The Play Brigade, alongside the ‘Fearless Girl’ statue in New York City. The statue originally faced the “Bull of Wall Street statue and children often climbed up to pose for pictures with the girl. When Harper first visited she was unable to because of the raised plinth. Her mother was instrumental in advocating for the statue to be repositioned at ground level when it was later moved across the street from the NYSE. This picture was taken at the conclusion of the Fearless Girl relay that Ms. Oates organized.

Little Compton man tackles The Long Trail — at double time

LITTLE COMPTON — On or about June 20, the plan was for Little Compton ultramarathon runner Jeremy Howard to get himself to the village of North Troy, Vt., on the Canadian border. There, at … more

Bruce Burdett | 6/24/21

Henry Helger (left) and his son Ray in the front seat of Henry’s 1938 Ford convertible. Sousa Image Works photo.

Letter: The little things, like good old cars, make a difference

To the editor: Sunday, June 13, was a beautiful bluebird day for a car show and over 50 antique cars came to support a food drive organized by the Little Compton Republican Town … more

6/20/21

Letter: Too many of the elderly suffered lonely deaths

Thank you to all the heroic CNAs, nurses and support staff at all long-term care facilities for working through this wretched COVID pandemic. Many of us would have been lost without … more

6/17/21

Letter: A good time to remember lessons from Dad

As Father’s Day approaches it is a good time to remember lessons learned from your Dad. Here is one of my favorites. A lesson in adaptability. In the mid-1950s growing up, my Dad worked … more

6/17/21

Max Julian tends a net from the bow of one of the work boats as the Maria Mendonsa circles in the background on a murky morning.

Family, friends mourn student/fisherman

LITTLE COMPTON — At 22 years old, Little Compton resident Maximus Julian was about to graduate … more

Bruce Burdett | 6/11/21

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

Houses at Westport Harbor ... Residences here are served by a couple of small water companies that are facing varying challenges, including failing wells and leaking water pipes.

Salt water overtakes Westport Harbor wells

WESTPORT — With salt water overwhelming their existing water supply, some Westport Harbor homeowners have embarked on a search for someplace new to drill wells. Their plight, and the … more

By Bruce Burdett | 4/23/21

Douglas Casey of Douglas Casey Carpentry, Little Compton, marks a board for sawing last month at the Arch Contemporary Ceramics building located at 18 East Road, Tiverton Four Corners. The building permit was granted before the Planning Board was allowed to weigh in on the design, as is supposed to happen.

Four Corners flap: Potter’s permit issued without design review; planners now plead for changes

TIVERTON — A step skipped in the town permitting process has created a mess for both a Tiverton Four Corners building project and town efforts to protect more

By Bruce Burdett | 4/23/21

Letter: Don’t blame waterfowl for Nanaquacket water quality woes

To the editor: Ever since a sign appeared on the shore of the Nanaquaket Pond inlet prohibiting the feeding of waterfowl, I have contemplated writing a letter in defense of the people who derive … more

4/21/21

Letter: Why I decided to get a firearm

To the editor: Several years ago, it occurred to me that I wanted to take greater responsibility for my safety and that of my family. I am a daughter, sister, mother, and a registered nurse. As … more

4/18/21

Letter: Discussion on virus is overlooking the public interest

To the editor: John Adams was one of the foremost of the American patriots wanting to break from England. However, to his great credit, when the British soldiers in the “Boston … more

4/8/21

Letter: Keep selling guns, just don’t sell the bullets

As well illustrated by Senior Chief Salesi’s letter of last week (“The 11th Commandment?”), neither the Church or the Constitution conveys a “God given right” to bear … more

4/8/21

Westport man arrested for threatening another with a loaded gun

A 23-year-old Westport man was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly brandishing a pistol and threatening another man inside of a Bristol residence. Bristol Police were alerted to the … more

4/7/21

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

Letter: 400 years later, Pokanokets stand for recognition

To the editor: Thursday, April 1 is the 400th anniversary of the signing of a treaty between the Pokanoket Massasoit Ousamequin and Plymouth Colony Governor John Carver. Their initial … more

3/31/21

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

Letter: The 2nd amendment – a different perspective

I am also a gun owner, veteran and a naval war college graduate, but I disagree with Bill Bullard’s singular argument that the sole purpose for the 2 nd Amendment was to ensure the nation had a … more

3/26/21

Letter: National defense and gun rights — not the match they once were

As a gun owner, veteran, and a former Naval War College instructor, I agree the Founding Fathers saw the value in an armed citizenry. However, we need to take into account vast changes in the world … more

3/18/21