When it comes to voting, Secretary of the State Nellie M. Gorbea – also a North Kingstown resident – knows the pivotal moment a count of ballots brings.

She tells the story of her own campaign seven years ago to occupy the office she holds today. Even though she prevailed, some comments from friends stuck with her.

Students in fraternities and sororities at the University of Rhode Island are sheltering in place, a decision the school made a day after Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, praised URI for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The 14-day order began Oct. 9 and extends to Oct. 24.

Dresses of various colors hang on racks. If the mood is for blouses, there’s plenty and jeans to match. Warm insulated vests shout that summer is begrudgingly giving way to more frequent cold weather.  

These clothes and more can be found in the heart of Peace Dale at the Jonnycake thrift store, which recently re-opened following a months-long closure when the coronavirus sapped the life out of many local stores catering to walk-in traffic.

The journey of weight loss is very different for every person.

“We know that obesity can be a difficult disease to live with and a frustrating problem to treat,” said surgeon Jeannine Giovanni, director of bariatric surgery at Care New England.

A decade ago, Janelle Blakely Photopoulos was at a bit of a crossroads. A former marketing communications employee for AT&T, she, her husband and their young family had just moved to Rhode Island from New Jersey and she was looking for a way to fulfill her creative drive. 

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.

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.

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.

The University of Rhode Island’s Faculty Senate has voted to eliminate spring break for 2021 and instead end spring classes one week earlier.

In making its decision, the Faculty Senate cited uncertainty created by COVID-19 outbreaks across the country and, in particular, on college campuses.

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 connector from Route 4 to Interstate 95 South in Quonset is one step closer to reality as Sen. Jack Reed’s (D-RI) office announced Friday that two new federal grants totaling a combined $25.3 million were awarded to Rhode Island by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to improve traffic flow in and around Quonset Business Park and the “Cranston Canyon” stretch of Route 37.

Officials say while no final decision has been made, there are numerous obstacles for preserving a pair of murals at the University of Rhode Island that were painted almost 70 years ago by a World War II veteran with strong ties to the university.

Every Sunday morning, Phyllis Farley fires up her laptop to attend the coffee hour for the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Kingston.

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.

Ballots are still being counted, but at press time Narragansett Democrat Alana DiMario led former North Kingstown Town Councilor Ellen Waxman by a 70-30 margin in the primary race to replace the outgoing State Sen. James Sheehan in District 36, which covers parts of Narragansett and North Kingstown.