When Conor Schmidt was searching recently for office space for his new physical therapy practice, he found just the right spot at the Salt Pond Shopping Center.

He first had to hunt around and look at various other locations, and all were price competitive. He didn’t see a glut of bargain listings, as some areas of New England have reported in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Students can look forward to sports, field trips, activities and clubs this fall in Narragansett, which starts its school year Sept. 8.

Superintendent of Schools Peter Cummings said the goal is to make this year’s school experience as close to normal as possible for students.

But Cummings and the administrators in North and South Kingstown also are putting in place measures to protect against COVID-19, particularly with the spread of the Delta variant in recent weeks.

Following an Aug. 19 executive order from Gov. Dan McKee and the guidelines from the CDC, Rhode Island Department of Health, Rhode Island Department of Education and the Rhode Island chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics, the North Kingstown School Committee voted to adopt Superintendent Phil Auger’s mask policy proposal during their meeting Tuesday night.

Like many houses, this one needs some exterior shine. However, it’s a lighthouse and comes with a cost of nearly $80,000, which has spurred preservationists to seek some help to defray.  

The Dutch Island Lighthouse Society is undertaking after 14 years the recoating of this 1827 beacon for mariners once almost lost to the waves of change except for the commitment years ago of local lighthouse and history enthusiasts.

Even though some losses occurred with COVID-19 more than a year ago, an important step in the grieving process for those some friends and families is just starting.

Local funeral directors are reporting that they are holding small numbers, but far more than pre-pandemic, of delayed funeral, memorial and committal services for those who died while the pandemic raged. Restrictions barred any traditional large gatherings, so much a part of the first stages of grieving.

Public safety was front and center at Monday night’s Town Council meeting, with the potential future development of a new public safety complex along with the approval of the purchase of 49 riot helmets with full coverage shells among the hottest topics of the evening.

The Town Council unanimously approved the awarding of a contract to DBVW Architects, the same firm which did the redesign for the old Town Hall on Boston Neck Road, for professional architectural and engineering services for a new public safety complex to be built on the same property as the current public safety complex at 8150 Post Road, as well as a coinciding study of additional properties if the architects determine the site unsuitable.

Despite neither the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee or any potential mask mandate for students being on the agenda Tuesday night, they dominated the conversation during the first North Kingstown School Committee meeting of the 2021-22 school year.Nearly 30 community members spoke during the public comment section, taking up much of the roughly two hour meeting.

The small but savory clam remains a popular item in many menu selections. There’s no “clamming up” on demand for it.

There are steamed and raw clams, bread-filled clam cakes, clam dip, “clam liquor” often called clam broth, clam chowder in its many forms including clear Rhode Island and creamy New England.

There’s also linguine and clams, Jaecheop-guk, a clear Korean soup, fabes con almejas, a clam and bean stew and, of course, fried clams, the old timer among seafood menu selections.

Val Williams and her family are on the verge of having nowhere to live.

The 56-year-old breadwinner for her family, which includes two kidney transplant recipients and a disabled mother-in-law, is scared. She has to be out of her Stone Bridge Drive rental house at least by the middle of August, if not beforehand.

The Class of 2021 certainly faced a senior year like no other, and in North Kingstown, now they have something to remember it by.

Members of the North Kingstown High School Class of 2021 received their yearbooks Friday afternoon during a pickup window at the high school, where fellow graduates could meet and sign each other’s yearbooks and enjoy a frozen lemonade courtesy of Del’s.

This year’s summer season touted as an escape from COVID is bringing a boomerang effect as concerns arise about a potential resurgence of the virus.

The Delta variant is more than a prediction, it now a statistic.

For instance, New York Times tracking data shows Rhode Island having an overall 289% increase in reported COVID-19 cases when comparing the past two weeks to early July. Narragansett, South Kingstown and North Kingstown so far have been spared the brunt of it.

The North Kingstown Town Council met for their sole meeting of July Monday evening at the Beechwood Senior Center and listened to several presentations, including an update from Finance Director Jim Lathrop on the American Rescue Plan as well as a presentation from North Kingstown Fire Chief Scott Kettelle on the need for a new public safety complex in town. 

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Rhode Island Department of Transit on July 13 awarded 22 projects, including North Kingstown’s Ryan Park, a combined total of $1.4 million in grants to support recreational trail development and improvement.

The Recreation Department received $88,000 in grants for Ryan Park to fund trail improvements including trail markers, better pedestrian crossing signage near the baseball fields, bicycle racks, trailhead improvements, kiosks, trimming and maintenance of vegetation, trail resurfacing and interpretive markers and stations to dispose of pet waste.

The state will not impose registration requirements on residents who engage in home-sharing and other short-term property rentals, after Gov. Dan McKee’s recent rejection of proposed legislation to that effect.

Officials in local towns expressed skepticism at whether a registry would actually be functional or simply become another revenue-generator for the state by extracting a registration fee. The state admits it lacks the staff to do any compliance checks.

Almost two years after the last festival, the Wickford Art Festival made its much anticipated return this past weekend as thousands descended upon Wilson Park, which served as the main venue, and Wickford Village to view and purchase art pieces in nearly all media by 170 artists from across the region and country.

This was the first time in the festival’s 59-year history that it wasn’t held in the village itself, but rather Wilson Park, with the decision to do so in order to keep with COVID guidelines at the time of planning while also allowing Wickford restaurants the space to continue outdoor dining. Artists and stands were set up in rows within the park, while Wickford businesses and restaurants welcomed passersby and traditional village staples like the First Baptist Church’s strawberry shortcake stand and kids corner remained.