Fishermen and fishery workers like Meghan Lapp welcomed word last week that the state is starting a $5.2 million project to make much-needed improvements at the Port of Galilee.

“The docks are the lifeblood of the port,” Lapp, general manager of fishing company Seafreeze Shoreside, said. “This is a very important infrastructure project.”

The Board of Canvassers in Narragansett has concluded that the way mail-in ballot applications for the primary election were provided through the Maury Loontjens Library wouldn’t change the election’s outcome.

The board voted Oct. 13 to end an informal inquiry it began after Town Council primary candidate Steven Ferrandi questioned the validity of mail-in ballot applications from the library. Ferrandi took his complaint first to the state Board of Elections, which directed that the local board look into the matter.

The Narragansett Town Council’s sudden replacement of three longtime members of Narragansett’s Library Board of Trustees has council critics claiming that politics, and the divisive issue of a new library site, played a role.

The Narragansett Town Council on Monday voted in changes to Narragansett Town Beach admission charges that will double the weekday parking fees and raise the daily entrance price by 50 percent.

Among the fee changes will be hikes to the daily admission fee from $10 to $15, and the daily parking fee from $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends to $20 seven days per week.

Although Election Day is still weeks away, voting begins this week as unprecedented numbers of mail ballots arrive in mailboxes and Oct. 14 starts early in-person voting.

Local elections officials say they are swamped with many tasks to ensure orderly voting while the fear-laced atmosphere of COVID-19 has produced greater demand for mail ballots and the threat of long lines to vote in person.

Nine of the 10 candidates for Town Council talked about the controversial library project, the town beach, seniors, zoning and more during an online forum hosted Sept. 30 by the Narragansett Pier Residents Association.

NPRA members Denis Lynch and Harold Schofield moderated the two-hour forum, the only such moderated discussion planned for this year’s Town Council race.

Narragansett Elementary School and Kingston Hill Academy are among the tops in the country, both being named as 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

The U.S. Department of Education selected the schools, along with Charlestown Elementary School, as three of just 367 schools nationwide for the honor, which measures each school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

Veronica Berounsky has lived on Narrow River for 30 years and swims in it regularly, but its beauty and natural diversity never cease to amaze her.

The Board of Canvassers in Narragansett has started an inquiry into a complaint from Town Council primary candidate Steven Ferrandi questioning the validity of mail-in ballot applications provided through the Maury Loontjens Library.

Although your much-reviled motor vehicle tax bill hasn’t arrived yet in Narragansett and South Kingstown, officials say don’t fret. It’s still coming and is still on the books.

A new online beach and parking pass system, along with a slate of fee increases, could be coming to Narragansett’s town beach next year.

Among the fee changes would be hikes to the daily admission fee from $10 to $15, and the daily parking fee from $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends to $20 seven days per week.

South County schools opened this week, but with increased preparations, and a delayed start among many changes educators, parents and students are confronting.

Apprehension combined with excitement and commitment are some of the feelings parents, students, teachers, school staff and administrators talked about to The Independent as school doors opened and students filled hallways.

A flood of mail-in ballots in this year’s primary helped local candidates who favor a plan to move Narragansett’s library into the site of the former Belmont/IGA market.

Eight of the 10 Town Council candidates for the Nov. 3 general election have voiced support for the move, which has languished under the current council and spurred protests from supporters.

Throughout South County, another squad in the community COVID-response team has popped up: organizations that reach out to community members facing financial or mental health hardships.

The Independent has provided periodic stories about groups, organizations and businesses filling needs in the community. Their sponsors often say the motto “We’re in this together” is what draws supporters and volunteers into action.

The air quality in part of Narragansett Town Hall has deteriorated so much that the Town Council recently approved $150,000 in emergency repairs to remedy the situation.

Abcore Restoration Co., Inc. and Automatic Temperature Controls are contracted to perform the work, estimated to cost $149,482.