Rise & Shine! Your Newport County guide for Jan. 3
Rise & Shine! I’m Scott Barrett, digital editor for The Daily News, and today is Jan. 3, the third day of the year — 362 days remain in 2022. On this day in 1973, a group of investors led by George Steinbrenner purchased the New York Yankees for $10 million from the broadcast network CBS. At the time of his death in 2010, the ballclub was worth $1.6 billion.
Here & Now
• Happy 2022! For many local residents, today means getting back to work and for Newport County students, it's a return to classrooms. As my father used to tell me and my brother in his thick Boston accent — "The paaaaaahhhty's ovahhhh!"
• It was quite the party Saturday at Easton's Beach, where thousands cheered on those brave enough to jump into the ocean for the annual Polar Plunge. Check out reporter Sean Flynn's story and a photo gallery here.
• The start of the new year also means finally dumping that Christmas tree. Find out how — and when — your town plans to dispose of them here.
• Speaking of getting rid of trash, the town of Portsmouth will begin selling 2022 transfer station stickers today. Learn more here.
• Also beginning today, the Preservation Society of Newport County will require proof of vaccination to enter its properties. Learn more here.
• According to the National Weather Service, Aquidneck Island is expected to receive up to two inches of snow today, with precipitation starting to fall late morning. Learn more here.
• The E-Z Pass customer service center in Jamestown will be closed to walk-in visitors this week and will reopen Jan. 10. Customers are asked to complete transactions at ezpassritba.com.
• The Middletown Town Council is expected to meet tonight, and among the items on the agenda is a public hearing on how to spend American Relief Plan Act funds. Check out the full agenda below.
• Speaking of Middletown, a stretch of Aquidneck Avenue is set to receive a significant upgrade, with work starting in the spring. Find the details of the project here.
• Katy McGinnis grew up on Aquidneck Island and fell in love with the ocean. She eventually made that her career, serving on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Henry B. Bigelow, which recently was recognized as the best ship nationwide. Reporter Bethany Brunelle-Raja has the story.
• Both juniors for the Rogers/Middletown/Rocky Hill co-operative hockey team, Johnny Lopes and Keaton O'Shea might be the most dangerous tandem in Division II. Sports reporter Steve Rogers caught up with them recently. Read his story here.
• In this monthly editor's column, Will Richmond writes about his favorite Newport Daily News stories from the past year. Read it here.
• The New England Patriots locked up a playoff berth with a rousing 50-10 triumph over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Our favorite Chicago Bears fan Chris Vorro came closest once again with his prediction of a 38-10 Pats win.
• Got any good New Year's resolutions? Mine is to no longer concern myself with the things I cannot control. This undoubtedly is going to be a great year!
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Born today
Greta Thunberg (activist), 19
Eli Manning (athlete), 41
Mel Gibson (actor), 66
Stephen Stills (musician), 77
Weather report
Low tides: 12:49 a.m., 2:08 p.m.
High tides: 7:54 a.m., 8:18 p.m.
Sunrise: 7:10 a.m. Sunset: 4:29 p.m.
Water temperature: 45.9 degrees.
Municipal meetings
Newport
Zoning Board of Review, 6:30 p.m.
Middletown
Middletown Town Council, 6 p.m.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth Free Public Library, 7 p.m.
Jamestown
Town Council, 6:30 p.m.
Local obituaries
Today is …
National Write to Congress Day
Drinking Straw Day
National Chocolate Covered Cherry 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 Jan. 3
