South County is set to receive state money to protect open space on a historic South Kingstown farm property and to make needed infrastructure improvements in Narragansett and North Kingstown.

The ball is back in the Narragansett Town Council’s court, after the Narragansett Planning Board recommended the council not pass a proposed ordinance change that would cap the number of students that can live in a rental house at three.

Bowing to objections from residents and local officials, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has dropped plans to allow hunting with firearms in some areas of the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge.

However the plan does provide for hunting and fishing opportunities at the 563-acre refuge, which straddles South Kingstown and Narragansett and portions of the Narrow River.

A move to help local restaurants freely use available town venues for events, along with approval of a longtime project for a popular restaurant to serve beer and wine, have been approved by the Town Council in Narragansett.

Tourists are coming back to South County, say many local business owners and tourism officials, in ways unexpected just a few months ago.

Tracking data for various accommodations in South County shows that brand name hotels as well as vacation cottage rentals are seeing more reservations following the easing of restrictions and the start of the summer vacation season, local officials say.

Though Rhode Island officials have applauded the state’s robust rate of testing for COVID-19 in comparison to other states, recent data shows that tests have nevertheless reached only a small fraction of those in the general population, including those in Narragansett, South Kingstown and North Kingstown.

An analysis of state-provided data on testing for the coronavirus shows only 12 percent — 9,265 — of the three towns’ combined population of 72,492 residents had tests as of a week ago for the coronavirus. The number could even be lower when repeat testing counts are removed, state officials said.

For the first time in nearly 15 years, the Suez water company along with South Kingstown and Narragansett officials have issued an urgent and immediate order that bans outdoor water uses for homeowners.

Neighbors around the Boon Street area have noticed an unusual amount of activity at the site of the old Narragansett Pier Railroad station.

More people from Florida — than any other state — have filed an address change for the areas surrounding Narragansett, South Kingstown, North Kingstown or New Shorham-Block Island since the coronavirus began, according to a preliminary analysis of United States Postal Service data.

Both Narragansett and South Kingstown spent the past week clamping down on illegal parking — and increasing penalties for doing so — in response to visitors denied spots at local beach lots, which have reduced their capacity to discourage large crowds.

State Rep. Carol Hagen McEntee this week cheered the passage and signing of the Rhode Island Parentage Act, which provides legal parental rights for same-sex couples and people using assisted reproductive technology.

Five South County police departments, the first in Rhode Island to create specially trained crisis intervention teams, last week received federal recognition with a $100,000 grant to support new approaches when called to aid people with mental health conditions.

Narragansett lifeguard Brian Guadagno, founder of Raw Elements Natural Sunscreen, has for the second consecutive year had state officials offer his sun protection lotion at state beaches and parks.

The Narragansett Town Council couldn’t come to agreement this week on approving $43,000 in work to make the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library in Narragansett safer for visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.