Rise & Shine! Your Newport County guide for July 14
Rise & Shine! I’m Scott Barrett, managing editor for The Daily News, and today is July 14, the 195th day of the year — 170 days remain in 2022. On this day in 1881, gunslinger Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid, was shot and killed by Sherriff Pat Garrett at the Maxwell Ranch in New Mexico.
Here & Now
• If you don't want to sit in traffic during the height of the tourism season, but still want to get around the city, there's now an easier way. A couple of Newport natives have started a bike rental business downtown called Island Adventures.
“It’s like a regular bike, but there’s a little motor in them, which makes pedaling easier,” co-owner Nicholas Brownell said. “So you can be on a beach cruiser (bike) going up a hill, nice and easy.”
No kidding. I went down there a few weeks ago to take a photo for the story, and Brownell had me get on one of the bikes. He said, "Just start pedaling." As soon as I did, the motor kicked in, and I took off down the street. These bikes are pretty fun.
You can read more about Island Adventures from reporter Savana Dunning here.
• The state Department of Environmental Management is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding a body recovered Wednesday morning from the waters near Price Neck in Newport. Read more here.
• The Portsmouth Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to rescind its approval on a one-year pilot program that would have entailed the installation of automated license plate reading cameras near the Mount Hope Bridge. Reporter Zane Wolfang explains why here.
• Daily News food columnist Dan Lederer this week writes about the fun and food at a Newport Gulls game at Cardines Field. Check it out here.
• Editor Will Richmond has his weekly roundup of local things to do this weekend, including two events that are returning after a two-year, COVID-related hiatus. Learn more about them here.
• If you're a glass-half-empty kind of person, there's a 50% chance for rain tonight. If you see the glass as half full, there's a 50% chance it won't rain. The latter certainly would be better for the outdoor screening of "The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez," presented by newportFILM. If Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, no sweat, the event will be shifted indoors. Learn all about it here.
• A group of Portsmouth Middle School students — in line to receive a prestigious award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — will be holding a bake sale tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at Greenvale Vineyards to help fund the trip to Washington, D.C. for the ceremony. Learn more here.
• Charter Books in Newport each Thursday hosts a storytime for children at 11:30 a.m., with newly hired employee Melissa Thorkilsen. Learn more here.
• The Tiverton Concerts in the Park series kicks off this evening with Neil Vitullo & Friends at the Bulgarmarsh recreation area. For the kiddos, Big Joe the Storyteller will perform at Easton's Beach tonight. Learn more here.
• Speaking of Tiverton, the town's Little League Majors softball team won the state championship on Wednesday night, beating South Kingstown. This is a big deal. Look for full coverage, including a photo gallery coming up today on NewportRI.com.
• Daily News sports reporter Steve Rogers writes about the four Newport County high school baseball players who were named as their team's unsung hero this past season. Find out who they are here.
• Speaking of sports, Salve Regina will be building new rivalries as it makes the leap from the Commonwealth Coast Conference to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. The announcement was made Wednesday. Read more here.
• The Preservation Society of Newport County will open its Gilded Age Summer Lecture Series tonight at 6 p.m. with “The Whole Gilded Age: Newport and Beyond,” by Ulysses Grant Dietz. While the in-person seating is full, you can still tune in virtually. Learn more here.
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Born today
Conor McGregor (MMA fighter), 34
Darelle Revis (athlete), 37
Loni Love (comedian), 51
Matthew Fox (actor), 56
Jane Lynch (actress), 62
Weather report
Low tides: 2:40 a.m., 2:19 p.m.
High tides: 8:52 a.m., 9:19 p.m.
Sunrise: 5:22 a.m. Sunset: 8:20 p.m.
Water temperature: 67.6 degrees.
Municipal meetings
Newport
Waterfront Commission, 6:30 p.m.
Tiverton
Recreation Commission, 6 p.m.
Economic Development Commission, 7 p.m.
Jamestown
School Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Local obituaries
Today is …
Bastille Day
National Mac and Cheese Day
Shark Awareness Day
Got a news tip, story idea or just want to drop me a line? Don't be a stranger. Send an email to sbarrett@newportri.com.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Rise & Shine! Your Newport County guide for July 14
