Steve Ahlquist wrote an excellent summary of the continued fight over the school’s Title IX policy. If you don’t already follow Steve’s work, you should!
You can skip to the scene of the gruesome crime here.
In the News
A boil water advisory was issued for Richmond and Hopkinton
Dunns Corners Market wins the first Johnny V’s Meatball Challenge
West Nile virus detected in Westerly
Kristin Chenoweth spoke to students at the United
The Haversham sold for $4.6 million
A superior court judge upheld the rejection of a housing development at the Winnapaug golf course
RI, CT, and Revolution Wind are suing the Trump administration for halting work on the offshore wind farm
Two pedestrians were hit by a vehicle in Stonington
The Westerly Museum of American Impressionism opens in October
Fall fest is this weekend!
Town Council (August 18 and September 8)
The public humiliation of April Dinwoodie
As if this woman hasn’t been through enough just trying to volunteer on a local committee, Councilor LaPietra also doxed her during last month’s meeting (he did apologize after Councilor Niemeyer intervened).
Because President Duhamel was absent this meeting, her reappointment vote was tied along party lines.
Actual government stuff
The CRMC public hearing for the Spring Avenue right of way is September 15th.
Community Choice Aggregation Program: our town councilors are so risk-adverse that they voted down contracting with a Rhode Island Energy competitor. Luckily, I never have any complaints about the expense or quality of service, and a continued effective monopoly will only make things better for a public utility! 🥰 (Councilor Healy was the only “yes” vote on this initiative.)
Opposition to Pending State Firearms Legislation: resolution passed mainly along party lines, with Councilors Aiello, LaPietra, Van Dover, and Niemeyer voting for, Councilors Healy and Scialabba voting against, and President Duhamel absent.
Paving Napatree: where in the world did this rumor come from? I can’t even remember what they voted for: to reschedule the public hearing after some adjustments to the ordinance are made? Sorry. It’s all really stupid.
School Committee (August 20 and September 3)
Fighting the turf field zombie yet again
The work is done. The bill is paid. Poor Cindy, the Director of Finance, is trying to do some basic accounting, and the school committee is determined to make a political point, far too late, by not letting her. I can’t understand why this keeps coming up.
Youthful ingenuity
The school made some student handbook updates. Apparently, once kids turn 18, they’re protected by FERPA, so if they want to leave school early, the school can’t inform the parents. Plus, when students come in late and don’t sign in, the parents get robo-calls and worried that something happened. It sounds like the high school wants to make adult students sign a waiver to continue giving parents access to the student’s records and other personal information.
Boards and Committees
Planning Board (August 19 and September 2)
Harbor Management Commission (August 25)
Board of Canvassers (September 3) (this is a good one to read)
Architectural Review Board (September 4)
Economic Development Commission (September 9)
Conservation Committee (September 9)
Zoning Board (September 10)
Licensing Board (September 11)
If you found this information helpful, please consider sending me a tip on ko-fi or sharing this newsletter with a friend. It helps a lot!
