By Alex Nunes — The Watch Hill Yacht Club controls more than half of the moorings in Westerly’s exclusive Watch Hill Cove, a flashpoint for public access to Rhode Island’s coast. A new investigation found local, state and federal officials worked to change U.S. law to help keep it that way.

By Jonathan Stone OPINION — The R.I. Supreme Court’s rejection of the “settlement” between Champlin’s Marina and the Coastal Resources Management Council should serve as a wake-up call to all Rhode Islanders. The decision makes it clear that the agency’s structure is fundamentally flawed and in need of immediate correction by the governor and General Assembly. Rhode Island’s coastal environment and Rhode Islanders themselves deserve nothing less.

By Alex Nunes — Voters following the 2022 elections in Westerly are witnessing something they haven’t seen in years. Candidates are widely promoting their support for public access to Rhode Island’s shoreline.

By Jim Hummel — The Rhode Island Supreme Court has rejected — for a final time — a proposed marina expansion on Block Island, bringing an end to nearly two decades of hearings and litigation over the controversial project.

By Alexander C. Kaufman and Hermes Ayala Guzmán — Beaches are supposed to be open to all. But as privatization sweeps the debt-smothered territory, treasured shorelines face new threats.

By Brian Amaral — Powered by a federal grant, the effort will lay the groundwork for long-term goals including a 5-year shore access management plan, and one right-of-way for every mile of Rhode Island’s coastline.

By Christopher Allen — The Middletown Zoning Board of Review on Tuesday unanimously approved a special use permit for Atlantic Beach Suites II LLC to construct a 23-unit four-story hotel on Wave Avenue, located on the border between Newport and Middletown, paving the way for a project first proposed in 2018.

By Jim Morrison — Without the $1.8 billion initiative, the Army Corps of Engineers says much of the city would be at risk for flooding by 2075. But questions persist about its effectiveness and impact.

By Cynthia Drummond — … An issue that has elicited some of the strongest public engagement in Rhode Island in recent years, access to the shoreline in coastal towns, including Westerly, has been the subject of in-depth coverage by ecoRI News.

By Thomas Frank — The storm inundated the homes of thousands of Floridians who don't have flood insurance, exposing weaknesses in the nation's effort to address the rising costs of extreme weather.

By BEN FINLEY and STEVE HELBER — When Hurricane Ian struck Florida’s Gulf Coast, it washed out the bottom level of David Muench’s home on the barrier island of Sanibel along with several cars, a Harley-Davidson and a boat

By Renee Meyer — Following on the heels of the incidents that fell on Victory Day in August, with the throngs of concertgoers packed onto Ballard’s Beach and the ensuing fights at Ballard’s and on the Block Island Ferry in the evening, residents and officials on Block Island started asking questions about just how Ballard’s Resort came to grow under the radar over the past few years.

By Brian Amaral — When it’s done, the wall’s steel, concrete and stone will protect Matunuck Beach Road and the waterline it carries, shoring up access to the 250-property neighborhood there. But for how long?

By Antonia Noori Farzan — … A few years ago, that would have been unimaginable: Shoreline access was barely on the radar of politicians seeking state-level office. But that's changing, and candidates are realizing the issue has broad popular support among voters who otherwise don't see eye to eye.

By Colleen Cronin — The sound of thousands of mussels moving on conveyor belts and clanking through sorting machines almost drowned out Greg Silkes as he tried to explain how the shellfish get from the ocean, through the processing plant, to plates around North America.

By Chris Burrell — …Lynn residents are not the only people of color struggling to access Massachusetts' beaches. In some of the most racially diverse and low-income urban communities along the coast, including Lynn, pollution caused by inferior wastewater infrastructure can force local beaches to close to swimmers. And beaches in many other areas simply aren't open to the public, which critics link to lingering effects of overtly racist housing practices in coastal communities.

By Frank Carini — … “They have a guard posted to be sure no one walks across the walkway to the beach,” he wrote. “Next to their beach entrance is a public right of way that is blocked by a fence. … It is on town property designated as a road on older town plats.”

By Josh Bickford — … a few months ago the owners of 85 Nayatt Road hired a security guard, installed alarms, and made it abundantly clear that their yard and the seawall were off-limits.

That decision has irritated neighbors, angered fishermen, and recently spurred an official cease and desist order from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). That order requires the property owners to allow public access along the riprap retaining wall.

By Liz Bateson —

By Alex Nunes — In Narragansett, coastal property owners along several popular rights of way to the shore are encroaching on designated public roads, effectively limiting parking and public access to the waterfront.