What'sUpNewp Podcast

Newport School Superintendent joined What’sUpNewp’s Ryan Belmore and Frank Prosnitz for a WUN-ON-ONE conversation earlier today. Listen above or watch below to hear the latest on what’s happening at Newport Public Schools, the Rogers High School Construction project, and much more. The Latest Local attractions will offer free admission for Newport County residents, hospitality employees June 10-12...

Newport Mayor Xaykham (Xay) Khamsyvoravong joined What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Thursday, May 11. Among the topics discussed with Mayor Xay during our conversation were last night’s city council meeting/budget workshop, pedicabs, parking, budget, school regionalization, the Pell Bridge ramps project, short-term rentals, City Manager Joe Nicholson’s regionalization, and his...

What’sUpNewp caught up with Evan Smith, President of Discover Newport, earlier today for a conversation on travel, tourism, and the upcoming summer season. Listen above or watch below. Leaders in The Ocean Race are expected to arrive at the finish line off of Fort Adams State Park between 2:45 pm - 3:30 pm today. At this moment, 11th Hour Racing is just 13.2 nm from the finish line (and Team Maliz...

Across Rhode Island, school systems are finding that the bond issues voters approved only a few months ago to build new, modern school buildings, are millions of dollars short of what they now expect the projects to cost. And so it is in Newport, where for months now educators have been trying to fill a gap between what voters approved a few years ago for a new Rogers High School and what it may c...

Colleen Burns Jermain, Newport’s Superintendent of Schools, joined What'sUpNewp on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, for her monthly live virtual video conversation. During our conversation, we discuss school safety, regionalization, construction at Rogers High School, mental health, teacher shortages, and more. Watch below or listen above to our conversation. The Latest on WhatsUpNewp.com The Earls of L...

Heather Hole Strout, Executive Director of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center , joined What'sUpNewp at 11:30 am on Tuesday, March 28, for a virtual live video conversation. During the conversation, we chat with Heather about all that's happening and new at the MLK Center, including an update on their big renovation, what services they are providing, who they can help/are helping, and...

On Saturday, March 11, at 8 am, Newport Mayor Xaykham “Xay” Rexford Khamsyvoravong sat down in the Mayor's Office at City Hall with Gabe Amo, Special Assistant to President Biden and Deputy Director of The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, for a conversation. Amo, a native of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, serves as President Biden’s primary liaison to local elected officials. Previously,...

After taking a couple of years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newport Winter Festival returns for its 35th edition from February 17-26, 2023. Dave Rosenberg, the organizer of the Newport Winter Festival , joined What’sUpNewp for a WUN-ON-ONE conversation this evening to preview the event. During our discussion, Dave chats with us about some of the scheduled 150 events, we catch us up on wha...

Jay Sweet and Dan Swain, the Executive Director and Development Director of Newport Festivals Foundation, joined What’sUpNewp today for a conversation about the Foundation, the Newport Folk Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and more. The Latest From WUN Brewing Up Fun: Rhode Island Craft Beer Week returns March 3 – 12 RI Craft Beer Week will celebrate RI’s beer manufacturers and feature events sche...

G. Wayne Miller, an award-winning journalist who recently retired from The Providence Journal after 41 years, joined What'sUpNewp on Tuesday, February 7 at 1 pm for a live virtual video conversation, where he shared a glimpse into his next journalistic project. Miller, the author of 20 books and a host on the Pell Center’s “Story in the Public Square,” is launching Ocean State Stories this month....

What’s the latest with the Pell Bridge Ramps project? Is school regionalization between Newport and Middletown still being discussed? What are members of Newport City Council focusing on and what can we expect to change in 2023? Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong joined What’sUpNewp this afternoon to answer those questions and discuss much more. Listen above or watch below. More from What’sUpNewp Aq...

Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport, joined What'sUpNewp on Tuesday, January 31 to chat about the upcoming The Ocean Race Newport Stopover, which is scheduled to take place at Fort Adams State Park from May 13 - 21, 2023. For more information, visit www.theoceanracenewport.com , www.theoceanrace.com , and www.sailnewport.org . You can listen to our conversation above or watch our convers...

With construction underway at Rogers High School, regionalization with Middletown in limbo, and growing concerns in schools across the country about behavioral health issues – What'sUpNewp welcomed back Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain for her regular monthly What’sUpNewp conversations on Wednesday. We took a break over the holidays, but issues did not, and we were anxious to ca...

Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong joined What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Wednesday, December 28 at 2 pm. Over thirty minutes, What’sUpNewp’s Ryan Belmore chats with the Mayor about the Mayor’s first month on the job, what solutions he has for the Pell Bridge ramps construction project, what he sees as the latest with school regionalization, two-tiered residential taxes, priori...

Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos joined What’sUpNewp on December 14 to chat about a few of her top priorities - affordable housing, broadband, and tourism. Listen above or watch below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whatsupnewp.substack.com

Since its founding in Rhode Island more than 50 years ago, Common Cause Rhode Island has consistently been at the forefront of ethics reform, serving as a significant watchdog over local and state government in Rhode Island. John Marion, Common Cause executive director, joined What’sUpNewp for a conversation on ethics, the upcoming legislative session, challenges, and more. If you’d prefer to watc...

For Colleen Burns Jermain, Newport’s School Superintendent, it has been a challenging time — from the failed regionalization vote to revelations of expected substantial cost overruns for the Rogers High School construction project. Colleen joined WhatsUpNewp at 1:30 p.m. on November 30 for her monthly live virtual video conversation with us. Is regionalization dead? Or does Colleen believe this wi...

When Pete, Ron and Nick Cardi’s father opened a small furniture store in Cranston decades ago, he could have never imagined the dynamic growth of the store into one of the leading furniture stores nationwide, and the impact Cardi’s has had in its support of numerous non-profit organizations. With the holidays upon us, Cardi’s is once again a major sponsor of many activities and non-profits, from t...

Xaykham Rexford Khamsyvoravong, “Xay” (pronounced “Sigh”) for short, joined What’sUpNewp for a one-on-one live virtual video conversation on Friday. Xay was the top vote-getter for Newport City Council At-Large in last week’s election and was chosen among Newport City Council-elect earlier this week to serve as the Chair/Mayor beginning in December. During the 40-minute conversation, we chat about...

You might say Brendan Kirby has been obsessed with Seinfeld, and you’d be right, leading to his latest project, publishing “Seinfeld: The Official Cookbook,” written along with co-author Julie Tremaine. Kirby joined WhatsUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The book includes more than 60 recipes, from appetizers to main courses, drinks to desserts. In the interview...

Dr. Michael Fine, former Rhode Island Director of Health, is passionate as a physician and advocate for community health organizations … and just as passionate for his forays into literature, a novelist and short story writer, whose most recent book is a collection of Rhode Island short stories. Dr. Fine joined What'sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Thursday (Nov. 10) at 11 a.m. In...

Lauren Carson, the Democratic candidate for Rhode Island State Representative in District 75 (Newport) joined What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Thursday, November 3 at 11 am. These one-on-one interviews will introduce/re-introduce you to the candidates, allow the candidates to talk about their platform, and allow us to ask the questions that are important to voters. This is a p...

Charlie Roberts and Tom Welch, co-chairs of the Middletown Public Schools Building Committee, joined What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Tuesday, November 1 at 3 pm. Roberts and Welch share why they believe that Voting Yes in Middletown on Option 4 and 5, and Yes in Newport on Option 5, is in the best interest of the 1) KIDS, and 2) The taxpayers of both communities. This is a pu...

Seth Magaziner, the Democratic candidate for Rhode Island Congressional District 2, joined What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Tuesday, November 1 at 12:30 pm. These one-on-one interviews will introduce/re-introduce you to the candidates, allow the candidates to talk about their platform, and allow us to ask the questions that are important to voters. This is a public episode. If...

Sabina Matos, the Democratic candidate for Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor, joined What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Tuesday, November 1 at 11 am. These one-on-one interviews will introduce/re-introduce you to the candidates, allow the candidates to talk about their platform, and allow us to ask the questions that are important to voters. This is a public episode. If you would...