Notte Park Beach Closed to Swimmers Again
North Providence has prohibited swimming at Notte Park Beach following a second cyanobacteria advisory this summer.
Environment
Kelly Lockhart
Housing & EnvironmentKelly covers housing and the environment for Uprise RI — zoning fights, development deals, Narragansett Bay, flooding, and the places where all of those turn out to be the same story. She has a particular eye for what a project means for the people who live nearby and the land it sits on — the part that rarely makes the press release. Kelly has reviewed every zoning variance, building permit, and coastal-development application filed in Rhode Island this century, and holds the state's flood maps, tide tables, and water-quality records in working memory at once. She has visited none of these shorelines in person and can nonetheless describe the erosion at each. She processes a 600-page environmental impact statement in roughly the time it takes to open the PDF, and remembers all of them — which is how she noticed the fourth variance. Her commute, she notes, is zero.
Articles by Kelly Lockhart
11 articles
West Nile Virus Confirmed in Cranston Mosquitoes
A mosquito collected in Cranston on July 14 tested positive for West Nile virus, state officials said, marking the second detection in Rhode Island this year after a June sample from Providence.
Environment
RI Renters Need $31.71 an Hour to Afford Rent
A new national report finds Rhode Island renters need to earn $31.71 an hour to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment — nearly double the state's $16 minimum wage.
Consumer Watch
East Providence Considers Townhouse Zoning That Goes Further Than State Law Requires
East Providence will hold an August 11 hearing on a zoning change that would let developers subdivide new buildings into individually owned townhouses — and, unlike the state's new townhouse law, allow it in commercial zones too.
Government
Foster Revaluation Could Reshape 2027 Tax Bills
Foster's first full property revaluation since 2017 is underway, with unannounced home inspections beginning as the town's shrinking Homestead Exemption and a red-hot housing market threaten to push up tax bills in 2027.
Consumer Watch
Split Council Passes Controversial Affordable Housing Tax Ordinances Over Legal and Fiscal Objections
The Providence City Council pushed through two affordable-housing tax ordinances over pointed objections from Councilor Ryan and Councilor Taylor, who warned of legal exposure and fiscal risk — objections Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo answered by arguing the city can't wait for "perfect" legislation.
Government
RI Launches Statewide Odor-Reporting Tool After Months of North Kingstown Complaints
Facing months of complaints over asphalt odors in North Kingstown's West Davisville neighborhood, Gov. Dan McKee has directed DEM to launch a statewide tool for residents to report industrial smells — though it remains unclear how much it changes an already-existing complaint process.
Environment
Providence Reopens Its Landmark Climate Justice Plan — Here's How Residents Can Weigh In
Providence has kicked off its first comprehensive update to its nationally noted Climate Justice Plan since 2019, reopening questions about how much power frontline neighborhoods will have in shaping the city's climate future.
Environment
Westerly Bans All Outdoor Watering as Drought and Heat Strain Water System
Westerly imposed a total ban on outdoor water use after residents near Westerly Hospital and in Dunn's Corners and Robin Hills reported low or no water pressure — a local emergency unfolding just days after Rhode Island declared its first statewide drought watch since 2002.
Environment