By Rob Smith — Rhode Island beachgoers could find themselves with extra room to enjoy the Ocean State’s shoreline next summer. The House special commission studying lateral shoreline access is winding down its work, and most of its members agree the boundary between public shore and private property needs to change.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — Most members of the special legislative commission on lateral shoreline access agree that it's absurd to use 18.6-year metonymic cycles to determine where the public beach ends and private property begins.

By Alex Nunes — A special House commission set up last year to study the hot button topic in Rhode Island is moving into the homestretch on its work. The panel is tasked with making recommendations to state lawmakers on how to address longstanding and escalating conflicts between beachfront property owners and the public–conflicts that have only escalated during the pandemic. This week members of the commission began discussing exactly what they’ll say in their upcoming report.

By Brian Amaral — Rhode Island lawmakers could actually redefine the rights of the “shore” further landward than the law does now, said Michael C. Blumm, professor at the Lewis & Clark Law School

By Brian Amaral — A Rhode Island shoreline fire district can’t restrict voting in its elections solely to people who own property, including beach cabanas, a state judge ruled Thursday in a decision hailed by civil rights advocates as a major win for the right to cast a ballot.

The revised mapping tool can be found on the CRMC website under Maps or https://crmcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/attachmentviewer/index.html?appid=7f8f263ce81c4e269c4b87a35371f86f

By Rob Smith — Rhode Island residents believe reform is needed for the beleaguered Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), according to public comment solicited by the House study commission on the agency. Members of the public recently submitted more than a dozen oral comments and an avalanche of some 100 correspondences to the study commission, all in support of doing something to reorganize CRMC.

By Tolly Taylor — In just over a dozen years, Barrington will contend with several key roads flooding every month, including the town’s evacuation route for hurricanes, according to experts and sea-level data projections.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — … Gloria is one of countless Rhode Islanders with a deep emotional attachment to privately-owned Rose Nulman Park, which sits on top of a crumbling bluff near the Point Judith Lighthouse. When boulders blocking the entrance and a sign reading "CLOSED" appeared just days before Christmas, there was a collective sense of mourning.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — Over the past few years, demands to improve shoreline access have ramped up across Rhode Island. Yet the politicians vying to be the state's next governor have been curiously silent on the topic.

By Bill Seymour — The administrators of a privately-owned 4.5-acre scenic area providing public oceanfront access for decades are threatening to close the property unless public officials give them millions of dollars to fix what they say is erosion damage.

By Russell Berman — Who will actually benefit from a new progressive climate policy?

By Antonia Noori Farzan — … “Unfortunately, neither the town nor the state consider the park a priority and will not grant us any of the government funds received from the federal infrastructure bill,” said a Wednesday Facebook post attribute to “The Nulman Family”.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — Three summers ago, Scott Keeley set out to make a point about his constitutional right to the shoreline, and collect some seaweed for his garden while he was at it.

By Brian Amaral — The family that owns the surfing hotspot are asking the public to lobby state and local officials for the funding needed to fix it

By Antonia Noori Farzan — …Several decades ago, the state came up with a solution: Towns could get grants to improve rights of way by clearing away brush, laying down walkways, and putting in amenities like picnic tables and bike racks. In exchange, they had to take steps to ensure that those sites would be accessible to the public — including providing parking whenever possible.

By Dale P Faulkner — Washington County residents sound off on beach access to state legislative committee

By Dale P Faulkner — Members of the Town Council say they will soon look into finding ways to ensure the premium real estate is only available to individuals who applied for and received parking passes for the beach and consider whether use of the beach can and should be limited to residents.

By Gayle Fee — Taylor Swift was onstage with the Rolling Stones in Chicago last night — which was good news for Watch Hill, R.I., where some beach-goers are disgruntled about their new celebrity summer resident.

By Gayle Fee — Taylor Swift was onstage with the Rolling Stones in Chicago last night — which was good news for Watch Hill, R.I., where some beach-goers are disgruntled about their new celebrity summer resident.