Vol. 39, No. 12
BORN FREE
THURSDAY, March 24, 2011
Consumers Face Water Rate Hikes
What’s Inside
By Tom Shevlin
LUCY’S HEARTH MAKEOVERS Page 9
Table of Contents CALENDAR 15 CLASSIFIEDS 18 COMMUNITY BRIEFS 4 CROSSWORD 17 EDITORIAL 6 NATURE 16 NAVY NEWS 8 POLICE LOG 5 REALTY TRANSACTIONS 6 RECENT DEATHS 18 RESTAURANTS 10-16 SPORTS 14 www.Newport-Now.com Twitter.com/newportnow Facebook.com/newportnow
Controversy Over House Bill No. 5012
Supporters of Marriage Equality Rhode Island gathered at Channing Memorial Church on March 19 to rally for gay marriage rights. Making its way through the legislative process is House Bill No. 5012, An Act Relating to Domestic Relations – Persons Eligible to Marry. The bill was proposed by Rhode Island representatives Deborah Ruggiero (D-District 74, Jamestown, Middletown), Arthur Handy (D-District 18, Cranston), Edith Ajello (D-District 3, Providence), Frank Ferri (D-District 22, Warwick), and Speaker of the House Gordon D. Fox (D-District 4, Providence), to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage within the state of Rhode Island. An excerpt from the most recent amended version: “Any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements … may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender. Read more about the issue on page 2. (Photo by Willem Cooper)
‘Y’ Offers Classes, Sports For Special Needs By Kerri Adams Just three years ago, the YMCA Newport County decided to start adapted programs for people with special needs. Along with adapted physical activity classes, the YMCA also offers a variety of athletic teams that train for the different Special Olympics events in Rhode Island. These teams include basketball, swimming, bowling, and track & field. Currently, there are about 75 special needs members enrolled and the numbers are growing each season. These programs all started with an email. Dan Glenning contacted the YMCA about setting up some Special Olympics teams and adapted programs because he wanted to get his son involved. “My wife and I had always been interested in Special Olympics,” said Glenning. “We are always looking for opportunities for our son to be out in the community.” He particularly enjoys the activities the YMCA now offers. “He learned to swim in the YMCA pool before he could walk,” said Glenning. The Glenning family was not the only one interested. Once the word was out about the YMCA starting these programs, 50 people showed up to the first meeting. “It has created excitement and it keeps growing” said Mike Miller, the Associate Executive Director of the YMCA Newport. He was the one who received that email from Glenning three years ago. Katy Woolbright, who is now the Adapted Physical Activity Director, and a committee of volunteers, helped Miller start the program. “Not many YMCAs are doing this across the country,” said
Miller “It’s amazing that there are not more programs like this.” Special Olympics training teams run from September to May. Each team practices once a week and plays games against other Special Olympics teams. The YMCA Newport is the only place offering training teams in Newport County. Miller hopes that they will continue to improve and grow so that, some day, they will qualify for nationals. The state games are at the University of Rhode Island in June. “I am glad the “Y” is serving the need,” said Woolbright. As the teacher and coach of these classes, Woolbright sees how much the members enjoy being part of a team. “They talk about this all week long,” said Woolbright. “One of the kids even asked if he could wear his jersey home” after one of the basketball practices. Having these Special Olympics training teams gives the members of these adapted programs an objective. Special Olympics tournaments started in 1968 and today are the largest program in the world for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Miller and Woolbright are glad that their YMCA is offering these opportunities to the Newport area and hope to increase the amount of the programs and sport teams in the next few years. One of the greatest challenges these programs face is finding money to support them. Woolbright writes grant proposals and researches scholarship programs to find funding. The YMCA is working with the James L. Maher Center, Bridges INC. and Looking Upwards on a grant proposal. The YMCA also
City Councilors met twice over the last week with water on their minds. During a pair of special workshops on its ongoing combined sewer overflow (CSO) and drinking water improvement plans, councilors heard a mix of encouraging words about the work already completed, and rather dire projections concerning the costs associated with what some are referring to as Newport’s “Big Dig.” The first meeting, held last Wednesday, March 18, focussed on the city’s ongoing effort to combat combined sewer overflows (CSO). Hosted by Public Utilities Director Julia Forgue, the wide-ranging discussion sought to bring the council–and a handful of members of the public–up to speed on the progress that’s been made over the last year to repair the city’s aging sewer lines, as well as the work that
See WATER RATES on page 6
Maritime Alliance Regroups By Tom Shevlin
Michelle Burgess, center, encourages Mark Moitoza, 32, to throw his ball. Bailee Pacheco, 13, awaits her turn. (Photo by Lynne Tungett) hosts fund-raising events throughout the year. They recently held a pasta dinner attended by more than 200. Additionally, the YMCA has a Strong Kids Campaign where 90 volunteers promote and raise money and a part of proceeds collected go to the adapted programs. These programs are not only a form of fun, physical education but also have a social component: The YMCA goal is to help integrate people with disabilities into a more accepting community. The adapted programs are great for the members to improve their social abilities. About half of the youths are students in the public school systems. At the YMCA, the members
are making new friends from different schools that they can relate to and even two of them are now dating. The YMCA Newport strives to provide a safe, fun, and comforting environment. “We are not just a swim and gym but really it is much more,” said Miller. UPCOMING EVENTS: East Bay Area Games April 16, 2011 Rogers High School Newport 10:30am–3:30 p.m. State Summer Games June 3-5 University of Rhode Island Kingston
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A few days following one of Old Man Winter’s more serious blows, Gov. Chafee found himself trudging through knee-deep snow drifts inside the parade grounds at Fort Adams. Upon exiting through the massive iron gates and onto the north lawn, he looked down the mouth of the bay and promised to get behind efforts to develop the peninsula into a world-class sailing facility. If the project proves successful, the area around Brenton Cove would serve as a bookend to one of the Northeast’s most active destination harbors. The pronouncement by Chafee buoyed preservationists, as well as the marine industry as a whole. Indeed, it seems that as the state slogs its way out of the worst recession since the 1930s, attention has finally turned toward harnessing the economic power of Narragansett Bay. For the hundreds of harborfront businesses and organizations in Newport’s downtown core, this renewed attention to the waterfront couldn’t have come at a better time. While state officials organize efforts to promote Newport to international regatta organizers, locally,
See ALLIANCE on page 3