Victory Over Japan Day Monday, Aug. 8
Vol. 39, No. 31
BORN FREE
THURSDAY, August 4, 2011
Art Boat Scraps Plan for Return
What’s Inside
By Tom Shevlin
MAinsheet 13
Table of Contents CALENDAR 14 CLASSIFIEDS 26 COMMUNITY BRIEFS 4-5 CROSSWORD 24 EDITORIAL 6 MAINSHEET 13 NATURE 20 POLICE LOG 5 REALTY TRANSACTIONS 6 RECENT DEATHS 22 RESTAURANTS 14-21 SPORTS 25 WELLNESS 28 www.Newport-Now.com Twitter.com/newportnow Facebook.com/newportnow
Last One In … Teams of lifeguards from as far away as New Jersey descended upon Easton’s Beach for the 35th Annual Newport Invitational Lifeguard Tournament on August 2 and 3. The two-day event pitted teams from some of the Northeast’s most popular beaches against each other in a variety of different challenges, including swimming, paddling, and running. Pictured above, lifeguards scrambled to push rowboats into the choppy waters and raced a one-mile course from one side of the beach to the other. Besides the hosting team from Easton’s Beach, other lifeguard groups came from Narragansett Town Beach, Jacob Riis Park Beach in Rockaway, New York, and the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol from New Jersey. A hard-fought, two-day battle of the beach’s bravest saw the lifeguard crew from Narragansett Beach the overall winners. (Photo by Rob Thorn)
Battle Buddy Dogs are Veterans’ Best Friends By Jack Kelly Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are two of the lingering health issues that plague our IraqAfghanistan veterans and members of our armed forces. They are debilitating conditions that also affect a number of local veterans. One organization that is assisting local veterans is USA Battle Buddies, which provides trained service dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD or other wounds of war. Iraq War veteran Steve Frye of Newport founded the group and is it’s CEO. Cyndi Kendall of Warren, a dog trainer, volunteers her expertise to the organization and personally trains these wonderful service animals. Frye suffers from PTSD resulting from TBI during his two tours in Iraq with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He survived two separate roadside bomb attacks directed at the patrol vehicles in which he was a passenger. Although he survived, the concussions from the massive explosions, coupled with the rolling debris from the destruction of the vehicles, led to his TBI. A TBI may cause brain functions to be altered or destroyed, and it can cause personality changes. Frye explained that he has short-term memory loss and also suffers from loss of balance at times. Frye began to research service animals after his discharge from the Army, to
help with his own health issues and those of other veterans. Kendall began her service in the US Army in 1973. During her service term she became a trainer for military canines. In the early 1980s while she was attached to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Kendall left the military to enter government service but remained at Walter Reed, where she visited patients in the wards. She met many Vietnam veterans dealing with a myriad of health issues. She used her gift for training dogs and gave them to those veterans she felt the dogs could assist. Kendall did this quietly and paid for most of the animals’ veterinary expenses herself. Kendall left government service, and through an unfortunate set of circumstances involving injury and disease, she was deemed 100% disabled by doctors. However, this didn’t stop her from visiting Walter Reed on a regular basis, although she suffers balance issues. Kendall confided that she feels that this is her calling in life. Her faith and spirituality lead her to help veterans recover from all of their wounds, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. For 30 years, Kendall has been sister, mother, confessor and motivator to soldiers in need. She still travels to Walter Reed monthly, spending a weekend with patients, and letting them know that they are appreciated and not forgotten. In August 2010, Frye was in Washington DC seeing family, when he
Iraq War veteran Steve Frye (R) was joined by Robert Jerdan, Commander American Legion Post 18, when Frye was presented with his Battle Buddy, Charlie Zino, at a recent ceremony at McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket. decided to visit Walter Reed. While he was on one of the wards, he observed Kendall, accompanied by a service dog, speaking with a wounded soldier. Frye overheard a bit of the conversation and approached Kendall when she had finished. As Frye spoke with Kendall, a friendship blossomed, and USA Battle Buddies began to take shape. After returning to Rhode Island, the two went to work making Frye’s ideas a reality. Frye explained why he chose the name “Battle Buddies”. Battle buddies are assigned to each other in army units. They
See Veterans on page 10
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NEWPORT – SeaFair, the floating art venue that became the center of controversy as it sought permission to dock in downtown Newport for the duration of the summer, will not be returning to Newport after all. The ship, which had been docked at Perry Mill Wharf since June, has pulled anchor. Its next port of call will be Sept. 15-19 in Greenwich, Conn. Meanwhile, organizers said on Tuesday that earlier plans to resume operations in Newport at the end of August have been scrapped. “SeaFair and its exhibitors were pleased with their initial Newport experience and plan to return to the historic community next summer as part of a broader series of one-week summer exhibitions throughout New England in 2012,” organizers said in a press release.
See SEAFAIR on page 11
Demolition Slated for School By Meg O’Neil
WALK FOR THE DOGS: On Saturday, Aug. 13, USA Battle Buddies will host a 1K and 5K walk-athon from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., rain or shine, at Colt State Park in Bristol. For more information, visit USABattleBuddies.org.
NEWPORT – With school out for the summer, work pertaining to the demolition of Sullivan Elementary School and the construction of the new Claiborne d. Pell Elementary School were the main topics of discussion at Thursday evening’s double-header meeting of the Pell Building Committee and Newport School Committee. The first topic of discussion at the building committee meeting was the demolition of the Sullivan School. A A Wrecking & Asbestos Abatement Co. from Johnston, R.I. was selected as the lowest bidder, with work estimated to cost $568,675, 10 percent under budget. Superintendent John H. Ambrogi said of the selection, “We are very pleased to be able to have a local Rhode Island company as a low bidder, and even happier to have it come in under the estimate.” The demolition of the Sullivan school will begin Aug. 15 and continue until mid-October. Committee member Jo Eva Gaines expressed her wishes and the wishes of other community members to have the opportunity to keep a brick from the school as a memento. Kenneth Romeo, from Strategic
See DEMOLITION on page 3
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