MAINSHEET Pg. 10
BOrN FrEE
thursday, august 8, 2013
Vol. 41, No. 32
Broadway to get Valet Parking
What’s INsIdE
By Tom Shevlin
CALENDAR Pg. 14
table of Contents CaLENdar COMMuNIty BrIEFs CrOssWOrd PuZZLE dININg Out MaP EdItOrIaL FaIth COMMuNIty FIrE/POLICE LOg FrOM thE gardEN MaINshEEt NaturE NaVy COMMuNIty rEaLty traNsaCtIONs rECENt dEaths sudOKu
13 4- 5 22 13 6 21 5 17 10 20 8 26 21 22
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Day of Remembrance
The 1677 Jewish burial ground on Touro Street, which is open to the public just one day each year, will be open on Sunday, Aug. 18 from 1-4 p.m. as part of the annual George Washington Letter Reading Day celebrations taking place at Touro Synagogue. Visitors are invited to explore the historic cemetery and learn about the city’s colonial Jewish ancestors who are buried there. Gravestones reflect the languages, occupations, and social organization of the Sephardic merchants, who traced their roots back to the days of the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. The cemetery gates are decorated with upside down torches, an acknowledgement of the extinguishing of life’s flame. (Photo by Meg O’Neil)
sunset League still Burning Bright By Jonathan Clancy In its 94th season, the George Donnelly Sunset League is among the oldest continuously running amateur baseball leagues in the country, and in the world for that matter. The first pitch was thrown on Aug. 4, 1919. During the first season, games rotated between the basin (now Cardines Field) and Wellington Park. Hall of Famers Jimmie “Beast” Foxx, and Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige are two of the most noted players to have passed through the historic organization. What is it about this legendary league that makes it so special? “It’s a staple of Newport history,” said Commissioner Chris La Rose. Originally from upstate New York, La Rose is in his third season with the Sunset League. He happened upon the job through a friend who played for the league. La Rose revels in the challenge and appreciates the league’s deep roots. He has even played in a couple of games. He explained that part of his mission is to piece together more of the league’s rich history and to try to bring alumni back to the game as fans and donors. “The most difficult part is finding the players that came from the battleships, or teams that weren’t here for many years,” he said. La Rose also noted that in recent years the level of talent has been on the rise, and that teams
are coming from other regions to play. He said that most of the players range in age from 18 to 28. But, there are a few guys who just can’t get enough of the game’s history, or of the game itself. If anyone knows the Sunset League, it’s Newport native Joe Tremblay. “I think this league is fantastic,” said the longtime fan. “It’s better baseball. It’s better than the big leagues.” Tremblay, 66, has been watching from the stands for over 35 years. “Precision Woodworking was the best team to ever grace Cardines Field. They won nine straight championships,” he noted. But Tremblay doesn’t play favorites. “Just as long as it’s good baseball, I don’t care who wins.” Joe Hopkins is the assistant coach for RR Construction, one of the league’s newest teams, but prior to coaching, Hopkins spent eight years as a catcher for the notorious nine-year champs. “Everybody used to get teams to try to beat us,” Hopkins said of his time with Precision Woodworking. “We were just kids from Providence who liked to come down and play. Earl Porter used to hit balls over the houses; it was amazing to watch him play.” The team reigned from 1981-1990. Playing since 1988, the Town Dock Mariners are one of the oldest of the seven teams that currently make up the league. Assistant coach Noah Clark has been playing in the league since 1981,
Beset by construction detours in recent months, businesses along Broadway can expect to be getting some help when it comes to parking this summer. Replicating a pilot project that took root in Washington Square several years ago, the Newport County Chamber of Commerce is planning to bring evening valet parking to the Broadway corridor. According to the Chamber’s executive director Jody Sullivan, details of the project are still being worked out, however motorists in the area can expect to see the service go into effect soon. Working in cooperation with the city, Sullivan said that as early as this week, a valet station will be set up outside of the Firehouse Theater to accommodate patrons of the busy street. Cars will then be shuttled to a monitored lot at Newport Hospital, with whom the Chamber has worked closely on the project.
see ParKINg on page 3
Coyote Problem Worsens By Tom Shevlin
Players from seven teams take the field in the Sunset League which plays at Cardines field. (Photo by Rob Thorn)
and still plays first base and outfield for the Mariners. “People always talk about Precision and how they won nine in a row, but we’ve won twelve. We just didn’t put them all together.” But, even Clark agrees, “Precision was the best team ever. When we were young, we gave them a battle, but they always managed to find a way to win.” The Sunset League
see suNsEt on page 18
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Joe Melillo was named the player of the month for July. (Photo by Jonathan Clancy)
While Middletown was wrestling with a growing coyote problem not too long ago, officials in Newport were watching closely. At the time, a pack of nuisance animals, which had become habituated to suburbia as pups, were becoming aggressive young adults. People leaving food in backyards had caused the problem, and the town was left to contend with an unpleasant task: how best to dispatch the scavengers from the area. Eventually, town officials agreed to hire a professional hunter to eliminate those animals that posed a threat to residents or their pets. It was a controversial decision, and one that has made the topic of coyote management a sensitive one for local officials to this day. So when reports began circulating earlier this summer that some neighborhood pets around Ocean Drive in Newport were being taken by what were suspected to be coyotes, like Middletown, the city was prompted to reevaluate its coyotemanagement protocols. According to City Manager Jane Howington, at least administratively, the city has over the last few years closely followed Middletown’s policies.
see COyOtEs on page 2
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