TIME TO
Four Days Left To Enjoy RI Restaurant Week
BORN FREE
THURSDAY, November 11, 2010
Vol. 38, No. 45 What’s Inside
School Committee Discusses Surplus Equipment
Bellevue Aglow
ART SHOW OPENINGS SEE this week’s CALENDAR
By Meg O’Neil
Table of Contents CALENDAR 16 CLASSIFIEDS 22 COMMUNITY BRIEFS 4 CROSSWORD 21 EDITORIAL 6 NATURE 3 MAINSHEET 11 REALTY TRANSACTIONS 7 RECENT DEATHS 22 RESTAURANTS 12 TIDE CHART 8 www.Newport-Now.com Twitter.com/newportnow Facebook.com/newportnow
(Photo by Tom Shevlin) The subtle difference in color emitted from the streetlights on Bellevue Avenue is lost in this photo, but a quick drive, or stroll, is illuminating. (See story on page 2.)
School Committee members spent more than an hour on Tuesday exploring how surplus property from Rogers High School wound up for sale on the Internet without the direct knowledge of the school administration, pledging to pursue an outside investigation into the matter, and the veracity of new allegations included in an anonymous letter received by committee members and the media just hours before the meeting convened. Last week, Newport This Week reported that members of the city’s School Committee were notified of a posting on Craigslist which appeared to showcase a commercial cutting machine from the school offered for sale. Its asking price was $1,200.
See SURPLUS on page 7
McLaughlin Prevails in Second Ward By Tom Shevlin
Owner Abby Rowe, and members Kalee Thomas, Laurel Jennings, and Anna Hattendorf do an arm exercise in front of their kids at Touro Park for a Wednesday morning Stroller Strides workout. (Photo by Meg O’Neil)
Roll In and Work Out: Stroller Strides Newport Comes to Town By Meg O’Neil Continuing our series on the entrepreneurial spirit in Newport, this week’s story focuses on a new mom who started up her own local business to help other new moms get back in shape. In just its third week of operation, Stroller Strides Newport is on a roll. Abby Rowe, a local stay-athome mom who was looking for a way to lose some weight after the birth of her daughter Adelaide, has started a local chapter of Stroller Strides, a nationwide organization of moms who seek a fun and friendly way to exercise and meet other new moms in their towns.
Rowe had heard of the classes offered by Stroller Strides before. “When I had my daughter a year and half ago, I was looking for a class to take. There’s a group in Providence but to drive there for a class wasn’t an option.” So instead of making the trek up I-95 three times a week, Rowe decided to start her own franchise here in Newport. “I received a ton of education; I got trained through Stroller Strides and specifically on pre and post-natal fitness. There are bunch of resources with so many exercises. We can
See “STROLLER” on page 2
Second Ward Councilor Justin S. McLaughlin held on to a slim lead over challenger Michael T. Farley in a machine recount conducted by state election officials on Wednesday, giving the two-term incumbent a narrow victory in what was one of the city’s most spirited and closely watched races. According to the Board of Elections, both candidates picked up one additional vote, with McLaughlin receiving 1,214 votes to Farley’s 1,205 – a difference of nine, or the same margin which McLaughlin held heading into the recount. McLaughlin added one absentee vote to his count, while Farley picked up a vote at one of the precincts. Farley said afterwards that he will not pursue any further recount. “The process was fair, transparent, I’m very comfortable with the results,” he said. “If there was a question about a ballot, it was examined by three members of the Board of Elections.” There were no objections by either party. Earlier in the day, Farley had indicated a desire to pursue a manual recount, on top of the machine process – a decision he later reconsidered after election officials indicated that a court action would be needed before they could proceed with a manual count. “The only way I would have pressed that manual recount would have been if the number was cut from nine down to four or five,” he said. Filing the request beforehand was simply a way to preserve his standing in the process. In the end, the two candidates shook hands and an offer was extended to share lunch and their ideas. “It’s nice to have some finality, and get back to my real job,” Farley concluded. The victory returns McLaughlin for a third term to the council as its Second Ward representative, where he’ll serve alongside fellow councilors-elect Charles Y. Duncan, Kathryn E. Leonard, Jeanne-Marie Napolitano, Naomi L. Neville, Stephen C. Waluk, and Henry F. Winthrop. It also renews speculation over who will serve as the council’s next chairperson and by extension, mayor. McLaughlin said on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be releasing his support for any interested party until such a time as he can speak with each of this fellow council members. Both current Mayor, Jeanne-Marie Napolitano and former mayor Stephen C. Waluk have indicated their desire to assume the position.
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