Rise & Shine! Your Newport County guide for Dec. 2
Rise & Shine! I’m Scott Barrett, digital editor for The Daily News, and today is Dec. 2, the 336th day of the year — 29 days remain in 2021. On this day in 1970, the federal Environmental Protection Agency was founded in response to growing concerns about pollution and other environmental issues.
Here & Now
• As the state continues to push solar energy in an effort to cut down on carbon emissions, it's putting municipalities in Newport County in a tough spot. Proposed large-scale solar arrays are facing significant opposition from residents, especially in Portsmouth and Tiverton, and communities are tightening the ordinances on the books.
“There’s big movement to entice it to happen, and then it gets down to the small communities,” said Tiverton Town Administrator Chris Cotta. “It’s kind of like low-income housing. We all want it, but nobody wants to have it in their backyard. It’s the same kind of fight almost."
Reporter Sean Flynn does a deep dive into the potential of solar energy in Newport County. He has a town-by-town examination of the ordinances and provides a list of the proposed projects and arrays that already have been built.
• If you traverse East Main Road in Portsmouth, you've probably seen the signs on the vacant lot. They take aim at town officials — sometimes with vulgarity. Reporter Laura Damon spoke with the land owner, Michael DiPaola, about the signs and why he felt the need to put them up. She also got a response from the town. Read her story here.
• The body of a 48-year-old Newport woman was found Wednesday morning on Sachuest Beach. The investigation remains open, but there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, Middletown police said. Read more here.
• The Newport Housing Authority was awarded $980,000 in grant money that will provide wireless broadband internet service to about 600 residential units or almost 1,200 residents. Read more from Sean Flynn here.
• Daily News food columnist Dan Lederer writes that you should head out this month for dinner and a movie — specifically, a Christmas movie. The Jane Pickens Theater is showing the holiday classics during December, and Dan has the perfect film/restaurant pairings. Read his column here.
• In response to Newport City Council member Jamie Bova's guest view regarding Bishop's 4th Street Diner, three of her colleagues penned a rebuttal. Read it here.
• If you don't have an E-ZPass transponder fixed to your car, now would be a good time to get one. The toll invoice for vehicles without transponders went up Wednesday. Read more here.
• Santa's tour through the streets of Portsmouth is underway. Find out when he'll make his way into your neighborhood here.
• From the inbox: According to a new report, 25% of Rhode Islanders say they've had packages stolen in the past year — a rate that ranks No. 5 in the U.S. — with a median value of $80 in loss. Rhode Island tied with Alaska for the highest monetary loss. Find the state-by-state breakdown of porch piracy here.
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Born today
Aaron Rodgers (athlete), 38
Britney Spears (singer), 40
Nelly Furtado (singer), 43
Monica Seles (athlete), 48
Lucy Liu (actress), 53
Weather report
Low tides: 11:33 a.m., 11:21 p.m.
High tides: 5:32 a.m., 5:56 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:52 a.m. Sunset: 4:17 p.m.
Water temperature: 53.6 degrees.
Municipal meetings
Newport
Public Library, 4 p.m.
Middletown
Planning Board, 3 p.m.
School Committee, 3:30 p.m.
Tiverton
Library Trustees Board Personnel Subcommittee, 5 p.m.
Local obituaries
Today is …
National Mutt Day
National Fritters Day
National Special Education 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 Dec. 2
