Tuesday, February 26, 2013
With delays, snow days and more throughout the year, when do students get out of school this year in North Kingstown.
The 2012-2013 school year has been laden with delays and cancellations for North Kingstown schools. First, the start of the school year was delayed after a strike by the North Kingstown Educational Support Professionals, protesting the outsourcing of the district's custodial staff. Then, Hurricane Sandy closed schools for two days in late October as crews worked to restore power across the state and NK. Several NK schools were without power for several days. Suzanne M. Henseler Quidnessett Elementary School was closed for three days due to the power loss. Who could forget the blizzard we just saw a few weeks ago, which closed schools for two days? With all the confusion, one parent is wondering when does "summer" start for her child this…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Eight-year-old Rylie Wallace has returned from her trip to New Jersey.
When 8-year-old Rylie Wallace of North Kingstown first started to collect donations for victims of Hurricane Sandy earlier this month, she had one goal: collect enough supplies to fill her family's minivan. As the Wallace family loaded up the minivan this weekend before Rylie set out to deliver the goods to Union Beach Memorial School, they quickly realized that Rylie's goal had far exceeded her goal. In fact, Rylie only had enough room in the minivan for half of the supplies. According to her mother Robyn, the minivan could only hold half of the 3,000 items. The other half will be transported down in a second trip before New Years. The supplies went to an elementary school where her aunt teaches in New Jersey, which was hit hard by …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A fifth grader from North Kingstown is helping out those devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
Abby Duffy’s first absence of the school year wasn’t due to sickness, or even a feigned sickness. Instead of sitting in the classroom on Wednesday, Dec. 5, Abby was sitting shotgun as she and her father drove down to the Jersey Shore to donate supplies to the area ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. Abby, who is in fifth grade at Suzanne M. Henseler Quidnessett Elementary School, decided to take action and help those hit hard by the October storm after watching the coverage on television. Struck by the images that streamed across her television screen, Abby sent an email to her principal to see if the school could do anything. Days later, letters were sent out to staff and parents asking for donations to send to New Jersey and two boxes were set …
Friday, December 7, 2012
Rylie Wallace, a third grader at Hamilton Elementary School, has started a collection drive to help an elementary school in New Jersey hit by Hurricane Sandy.
One North Kingstown girl isn’t letting 200 miles stop her from making a difference in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Rylie Wallace, a student a Hamilton Elementary School in North Kingstown, has been busy the past month as she collects school supplies and for an elementary school in New Jersey that was hit hard by the October storm. It all started as Rylie and her family watched the coverage of Hurricane Sandy on television, as images and video poured in of the devastation that the storm wrought on the eastern seaboard. She watched as homes were washed away, buildings flooded and thousands upon thousands of families displaced. “When I saw the pictures it broke my heart,” said eight-year-old Rylie. For the Wallace family, the storm hit home…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Two pelicans blown to Rhode Island by Hurricane Sandy were flown to Florida this weekend.
A pair of pelicans blown north by Hurricane Sandy are now safely back within their rightful climate zone today thanks to the efforts of volunteers from Rhode Island to Florida. The two juvenile birds were caught a day apart in Rhode Island on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 following Hurricane Sandy. The first bird was found in Galilee while the second landed on a fishing vessel (which coincidentally donates food to Sea World) 120 miles south of Block Island. For the past week or so, they have been treated and care for at the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of RI (WRARI) on Shermantown Road in North Kingstown. "They were in fairly good condition physically," said Kristin Fletcher, executive director of WRARI. "They lost feathers and were really …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Federal assistance through FEMA is now available for residents in Washington and Newport County whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
Newport and Washington County residents whose homes were damaged during Hurricane Sandy last month can now register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to determine eligibility for assistance. “Many residents of Newport and Washington Counties suffered significant damage in Hurricane Sandy,” said Governor Lincoln Chafee. “Fortunately, the President has authorized federal assistance to help those most seriously affected by the storm. I urge all residents of these areas in need of assistance to contact FEMA or visit one of the Disaster Recovery Centers to learn more about individual eligibility.” There are three ways to register with FEMA: Anyone who is registering should have the following information ready and available: …
Friday, November 9, 2012
An article from USA TODAY is coming under heavy scrutiny from North Kingstown town officials.
Town officials are criticizing an article published last week in USA TODAY that stated that North Kingstown was ill prepared for Hurricane Sandy, calling the piece “factually inaccurate” and defending the town’s preparedness for flooding. The article, which was featured on the newspaper’s front page on Nov. 1, highlighted communities hit by Hurricane Sandy that have received the lowest ratings from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in terms of flood preparedness. In the article, USA TODAY states that many cities and towns slammed by Sandy have done "little to protect themselves from flood damage, ignoring federal incentives." According to Town Manager Michael Embury, this statement is misleading and “just plain wrong.” “It tries to …
Monday, November 5, 2012
Employees help out, and you can, too
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Monday, November 5, 2012
It's been said it's far better to have a neighbor who's near, than a brother who's far away, but in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Americans across the nation have proven to be the best neighbors and the strongest of families. This past weekend, AOL and Patch employees took an opportunity to pitch in, packing two tractor trailers worth of food, water and supplies in Dulles, VA, and Baltimore. The donations are headed to Hurricane Sandy ravaged areas in New Jersey and Long Island. Want to join the relief efforts? Click here to donate: https://donate.networkforgood.org/aol "When a catastrophe of this size hits, we all feel it, both the hundreds of us who live in the impacted towns and our colleagues who are watching and wishing they could help…
Windy conditions could be more problematic due to trees and limbs damaged by Sandy.
As we clean up after Hurricane Sandy, Rhode Islanders might need to prepare for another storm expected to arrive on Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, a significant coastal storm is expected to impact Southern New England and the coastal waters on Wednesday. The storm's track and timing are still uncertain. Potential impacts from this coastal storm could include:
North Kingstown is ranked in the second-worst bracket for communities that are prepared for floods.
Superstorm Sandy's wrath wreaked havoc in many coastal communities from New Jersey to New Hampshire – and exposed the undeniable truth for many that they were not prepared for the flooding that accompanied the storm. According to USA TODAY, many cities and towns slammed by Sandy have done "little to protect themselves from flood damage, ignoring federal incentives." The article, which ran on the front page of USA TODAY on November 1, said that more than 100 municipalities in areas declared in a federal emergency following storm have been rated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as some of the worst in terms of flood preparedness in the country. Among them is North Kingstown. FEMA gives out higher ratings to communities that…
elizabeth
10:53 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Just FYI, it's not the union that pushes for/promotes the professional development days, it's the administration. more ›