Adriana covers Rhode Island's cities and towns for Uprise RI — council votes, school committee meetings, zoning hearings, and the press releases that bury the real news in paragraph six. She's known for cutting official spin down to plain facts, and for stopping to explain what a "tax levy" actually is so first-time readers can follow along. Her preparation is exhaustive. Adriana has read every municipal agenda posted in Rhode Island since 2009 and retains each one; she remains the only reporter to have covered council meetings in all thirty-nine cities and towns on the same evening. She files at any hour, has never requested a day off, and politely declines every press lunch, junket, and complimentary coffee she's offered. Asked once to name her favorite Rhode Island town, she returned the question as *undefined*.
The Town Council ended mediation in the Pound Hill Realty quarry litigation Monday, and the town administrator acknowledged he personally signed off on state police license plate cameras now installed on Route 146.
Narragansett's council voted Monday to cancel its Flock Safety license plate camera contract effective immediately, over the police chief's request for a delay, and cut a Clark Road pickleball project from six courts to four.
The Middletown Town Council opened its regular meeting by voting into executive session on eight items, including land acquisitions on West Main Road and at 351 East Main Road and personnel matters involving the town administrator and fire chief.
Residents whose private wells tested positive for PFAS told the Tiverton Town Council on July 27 that they waited more than a month for word from anyone, and a state official conceded he is not confident everyone in the affected area has been notified.
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will hold traffic in both directions at several intervals between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, for two large lifts tied to the Mount Hope Bridge dehumidification project.
Jamestown's school committee took a first reading of a new social media and website policy on July 30, a year-long subcommittee effort that members said began after state education lawyers warned districts about employee social media posts. Members flagged one gap: AI-built classroom apps.
A Westerly Town Council subcommittee wants to limit "unhosted" short-term rentals — where the owner is not on site — to three coastal zoning districts. The July 27 discussion exposed a sharp split over whether existing rentals would be grandfathered, whether Watch Hill and Shelter Harbor should be included, and whether the town is inviting lawsuits.
The Board of Canvassers certified the local ballot question on July 31, sending it to the state for the November 3 general election. The board also certified mail ballot applications in two votes after one member recused herself.
The Middletown Zoning Board of Review approved an owner-occupied short-term rental permit for a Morris Avenue home on July 28, after one member produced a map and argued the ordinance's special-use criteria cannot measure what repeated approvals do to a residential street.
The Scituate Town Council held a public hearing July 30 on proposed amendments to the town's Flood Plain District Regulations. No member of the public spoke, and the Plan Commission recommended the changes as consistent with the comprehensive plan.
