Rise & Shine! Your Newport County guide for May 25
Rise & Shine! I’m Scott Barrett, managing editor for The Daily News, and today is May 25, the 145th day of the year — 220 days remain in 2022. On this day in 1979, elementary school student Etan Patz went missing while walking to his bus stop in New York City. His face ended up on a milk carton, igniting a national campaign designed to locate abducted children.
Here & Now
• More details emerged Tuesday about the four-alarm fire at the Wayfinder Hotel in Newport, though the incident remains under investigation. As officials attempt to determine what caused the blaze, the ownership team is examining its next steps for the 197-room hotel ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend.
In their corner is Evan Smith, CEO of the area's tourism bureau Discover Newport, who said the city’s hospitality and lodging community is prepared to support the Wayfinder, which reopened in July 2020 after a $16 million renovation project.
“I feel for the owners,” Smith said. “They worked so hard in renovating that place and rebranding that place. You feel for all the hard work that was just wiped away in a fire.”
You can read the full story from reporter Savana Dunning here.
• The Newport City Council will have a joint meeting with the School Committee on May 31 to discuss a potential school merger with Middletown. To catch you up to speed on the topic, reporter Savana Dunning spoke with officials on both sides and answers five key questions. Read her story here.
• Speaking of the City Council, it is expected to meet tonight, and among the items on the agenda is a second reading of the city's Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget. You can find the full agenda below.
• Highlighted by the sale of seven more properties valued at $1 million or more, check out the latest home sales and property transactions in Newport County here.
• Find the latest high school sports standouts in Newport County with the Stars of the Day.
• Volunteers are being sought this morning to help set up the Boots on the Ground memorial at Fort Adams State Park. No registration is needed, just show up at 9 a.m. if you're available.
• If you're an iced coffee drinking like me (and I certainly was the morning after the fire), Dunkin' is giving you reason to indulge today. For every iced coffee sold at Rhode Island locations, $1 will be donated to Hasbro Children's Hospital.
• A Go Fund Me account has been started for the senior class at Rogers High School to purchase the banners that will be displayed along the Broadway corridor. Learn how you can donate to the cause here.
• From the inbox: According to a recent study, 89% of real estate agents in Rhode Island are female — the highest in the U.S. The national average is 56%. Also, Providence ranks No. 7 on a list of cities with the highest rate of female real estate agents. Check out the full findings of the study here.
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Born today
Aly Raisman (athlete), 28
Octativa Spencer (actress), 50
Mike Myers (actor), 59
Frank Oz (puppeteer), 78
Ian McKellen (actor), 83
Weather report
Low tides: 10:55 a.m., 11:51 p.m.
High tides: 4:40 a.m., 5:13 p.m.
Sunrise: 5:15 a.m. Sunset: 8:08 p.m.
Water temperature: 57.5 degrees.
Municipal meetings
Newport
Public Library, 4 p.m.
City Council, 6:30 p.m.
Middletown
Technical Review Committee, 9 a.m.
Town Council/School Committee — budget workshop, 6 p.m.
Tiverton
Town Farm Renovation Committee, 6 p.m.
Local obituaries
Today is ….
National Wine Day
National Brown-Bag It Day
National Sing Out Day
Trivia answer
Q: The new Rogers High School that is expected to open in September 2024 ultimately will cost more than $100 million. How much, in 1950s dollars, did the current Rogers cost to build?
A: The answer was B — $3.5 million. This was my first foray into multiple choice, and it drew quite a few responses, but only Jonathan Harley and Edna Beal got it right.
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 May 25
