Lifestlye - RhodyBeat

Buttonwoods Brewery’s Holiday Bazaar celebrates local artists & creatives

The benefits of buying locally are very evident once you make the purchase and those benefits are amplified during the holiday season. Buying from a local business means that the money goes directly … more

By Robert Duguay | 11/24/21

READY TO START: With the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, Judy Davis and the bike she pedaled from Oregon to Rhode Island.

A message to those with big dreams...

As she tells the story, Judy Davis was restless. She was ready for an adventure, but she’s had difficulty articulating that feeling. She knew as she stood before the Warwick Rotary Club at … more

By JOHN HOWELL | 11/11/21

Children’s librarian Andrea Hutnak shares the book, Stepping Stones, by Margriet Ruurs, from the Welcomig Library collection at the Warwick Library available through November.

‘A book can show you the world’

Andrea Hutnak is exactly how you’d imagine a children’s librarian to be. She’s soft-spoken, yet enthusiastic about books, as well as her latest project. After nine and a half years, … more

By ERIN O’BRIEN | 11/4/21

During the pandemic DeSisto provides support to breastfeeding moms virtually via computer, cell, text and video. She works in Johnston and lives in Warwick.

Moms Mentoring Moms

More than half of the infants in the country participate in Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Programs, and the United States Department of Agriculture is shining a spotlight on the important role of … more

By JANE FRANCIS - Special to Beacon Communications | 10/28/21

Making the rounds with the 101

If you look closely as you pass the single-story building on Post Road in the shadows of the power lines, you can almost make out the words in faded white paint: “Lewis W. Rounds and Harold L. … more

By ERIN O’BRIEN | 10/14/21

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular lights up Roger Williams Park Zoo

The good folks at the Roger Williams Park Zoo have outdone themselves this year with a Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular that, as proclaimed, is “Music To Our Ears.” We have attended the … more

By DON FOWLER | 10/7/21

Making history

On Sept. 25, three-time Olympian and 2016 Team USA Captain Elizabeth Beisel overcame two weather-related postponements and fought through a finish-line riptide to make history as the first woman to … more

9/30/21

Plant City takes root in Warwick

“Real food. Plant based. Fast.” Those five words embody the mission of Plant City X, a fast food-style offshoot of what is described as “the world’s first plant-based vegan … more

By DAWN ANDERSON | 9/24/21

‘If we pull together as a community, we can overcome anything’

Art has long been a major part of Susan Brescia’s life, on both personal and professional levels. A self-taught musician since her youth, she plays guitar, ukulele, piano, mandolin and … more

By ALEX MALM | 9/17/21

BEST FRIEND: Heather Schey with her guide dog, Asher.

A life-changing bond

In August 2016, Heather Schey decided to switch out her white cane for another set of eyes and began the process of applying for a guide dog through Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Not only did Heather … more

By ANNELISE DEMERS | 9/9/21

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR NEXT PRESIDENT: Ryan Golditch and his campaign team work on getting him elected president at the Envision Junior National Young Leaders Conference in July.

Presidential experience

These days, it can be hard to make plans months in advance. Oak Lawn Elementary School student Ryan Golditch had to do just that earlier this year when offered the chance to attend the Envision … more

By PAM SCHIFF | 9/2/21

RARE FIND: Bill Ladd of West Warwick with an elusive Cauliflower mushroom.

Mushroom monsoon

Heat. Humidity. Rain. These weather conditions have local mushroom enthusiasts calling 2021 a banner year for foraging. This July we saw unseasonably rainy weather, followed by heat, and August … more

By ERICA MacKNIGHT | 8/27/21

Growing to feed the needy

Steve Stycos’s green thumb is all the greener thanks to an army of dedicated volunteers. Stycos and his fellow farm hands work at Westbay Farm, located on 1351 Centerville Road in Warwick. … more

By JARED GUSTAFSON | 8/19/21

BROKEN GLASS: Historic New England representative Dan Santos, regional site administrator for Southern New England inspects a broken window at the Clemence-Irons House in Johnston.

Window to the past

Only spiders reside in the dark second floor. Scant streams of sunlight illuminate their few wispy webs, which have been strung between arched banister rails. The house is dark. The windows … more

8/16/21

MEET THE AUTHOR: Martin Podskoch, author of “Rhode Island 39 Club” and “Rhode Island Conservation Corps Camps,” is pictured on Comstock’s Bridge in East Hampton, Connecticut.

Join the club!

Connecticut author Martin Podskoch has authored books about the Civilian Conservation Corps camps in Rhode Island and other locations, plus travel guides for all of the cities and towns in … more

By DON FOWLER | 8/6/21

‘MEANT TO HAPPEN’: The connection between author Lauren Ruggiano and illustrator Chris Woodhouse began online. Recently, their book, “Please Keep Your Distance,” was released through Barnes & Noble.

‘Just believe in yourself’

As a first-time author, Lauren Ruggiano has found a new way to channel her voice. Chris Woodhouse, meanwhile, has used his skills as an illustrator to bring her words to life visually. The two … more

By DANIEL KITTREDGE | 7/29/21

CLOSE QUARTERS: Every square inch of the boat has a purpose. There’s even a place for Marie’s spreadsheets and charts that have been carefully highlighted with stickers to remind the two of them places and people they want to see on their trip.

They’re ‘loopy’ for certain

Marie Ahlert and her husband, Rick, both love the water and boating. But she had no idea what he was talking about when he said he wanted to do the loop. Rick gave the simple explanation: … more

By JOHN HOWELL | 6/11/21

CELEBRATING HISTORY: The Gaspee Days Arts & Crafts Festival, typically held Memorial Day weekend, will instead take place in September this year. In 2022, Gaspee Days marks its 250th anniversary.

Moments in the sun

Rhode Islanders have never been so ready for summer. More than a year after the pandemic shutdown, a return to “normal” life has largely, finally, arrived. Most COVID-related … more

By DANIEL KITTREDGE | 6/4/21

PAST AND PRESENT: After moving from Pennsylvania to work in Rhode Island as a young reporter, Lu Anne Stewart wrote first for what was then called the Pawtuxet Valley Daily Times in West Warwick. She later worked at the Warwick Beacon from 1982 to 1985. Today, she lives in Florida, having retired from her journalism career in 2018.

Fact and fiction

Meg Sullivan, a fresh-faced journalism school graduate, has just arrived at her first job in the business – crime reporter for a small-town daily in the imagined town of West Wicklow, Rhode … more

By DIANE NEWBERRY | 5/27/21

Best foot forward

Tyler Rose, founder and owner of CleanCo 401, has taken his passion and love for collecting sneakers and turned it into a thriving business. The sneaker culture came to be in the 1980s with the … more

By ROBERT ALTOMARI, Special to Beacon Communications | 5/20/21

Natural resource

When does a simple walk through the woods become something more? Perhaps you come across an interesting plant with a unique flower that you’ve never seen before. Maybe you catch a glimpse … more

5/13/21

Saving masks and lives

CharterCare ER nurse Timothy Aurelio was working a shift in the COVID-19 unit last July when he noticed a security guard with a brown paper bag intertwined with his belt loop. Joking with the … more

By JACOB MARROCO | 4/29/21

‘BEFORE ALL OF THIS’ As a nursing student University of Rhode Island junior Katherine Blake spends much of her time at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence – and as a result, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a particularly anxious time for her. She looks forward to enjoying a concert at an outdoor venue near her home in upstate New York. “I can’t wait to go there because it feels like home, and it reminds me of what we knew before all of this,” she says.

‘I miss being together’

Paige Chakouian turned 21 six months ago and is still waiting to celebrate her birthday. The University of Rhode Island junior always imagined her coming-of-age celebration would involve her not … more

By KATE LeBANC | 4/22/21

Madeline, seen here at the Narragansett Breachway, experienced her first panic attack at age 9.

Finding peace in panic

I was 9 years old when I had my first panic attack. It was a hot August day, and I was sitting in a cramped Italian restaurant in New York City. Family was visiting from out of town, so we took … more

By MADELINE BATAILLE | 4/15/21

MOBILE GUIDE: The Brewery Passport app helps people discover new local breweries and plan routes to visit multiple spots. It’s a helpful way to keep track of where you’ve been.

A thirst for exploration

After a long winter, spring has sprung. And local Rhode Island breweries are embracing the warmer weather by opening their outdoor seating – and brewing up a storm. Now, with the help of … more

By OLENA KAGUI | 4/8/21