By Alex Nunes — The Westerly Town Council could soon consider a proposal to enter into settlement discussions over a lawsuit challenging the public’s right to access a popular beach and conservation area in Watch Hill. But shoreline access advocates are raising conflict of interest questions about the new town councilor who proposed the idea.

By Alex Nunes — The Westerly-based fire district, a taxing entity with government authorities but no fire department, had blocked information on its website from public view.

By Rob Jennings — State officials have notified a Jersey Shore landowners’ association that it could be fined up to $25,000 a day if it resumes blocking beach access on Sunday mornings next summer.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — RIDOT initially said that "fishing accommodations will not be provided" on the new East Bay Bike Path bridges, but now says that it doesn't intend to prohibit fishing.

By Alex Nunes — The U.S. General Services Administration now says the deal to transfer the lighthouse to the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association won’t be finalized until Westerly investigates concerns about public access to the land.

PODCAST By Colleen Cronin, Joanna Detz, and Rob Smith — Beach season may have ended, but conflicts over shoreline access have not. ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Rob Smith break down pending and settled lawsuits, and explain recent legislation that determines where the public beach begins and where private property ends.

By Brittany Bowker — “Our physical location in the theater is more harmful to the Theatre than it is beneficial,” said Torey Malatia, chief executive of The Public’s Radio.

By James Merolla — When is a public right-of-way to the shore not a right-of-way? When, over time, it has been impeded, overgrown, sits on or near private property, or becomes unsafe.

By Alex Nunes — The disclosure contradicts characterizations of an agreement made public in July by Rhode Island U.S. Senator Jack Reed.

By Ryan Blessing — Town Council President Edward P. Morrone submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday morning at Town Hall and pointed the finger at the actions at a recent council meeting as one of the reasons he stepped down.

By Alex Nunes — Council President Edward Morrone had been under scrutiny for his ties to private interests in the Watch Hill community as disputes over shoreline access became a focal point for the Westerly Town Council.

By Alex Nunes — The Weekapaug Fire District has filed a motion in Rhode Island Superior Court, asking a judge to find the town of Westerly in contempt of a decades-old agreement that covers use of a road known as the Sand Trail that runs down the middle of the Quonochontaug Barrier Beach.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — The Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association, which has maintained the property since the 1980s, says it will continue to provide public access once it takes over. But some in Westerly have doubts.

By Brian Amaral — The legendary Block Island bar had a tumultuous season last year, culminating in a chaotic music festival last August.

The City of Providence’s Camp Cronin in Narragansett has been mired in controversy in recent years.

By Matt Paddock & Allison Shinskey — Camp Cronin, a property owned by the city of Providence valued at more than $1 million, was sold at a tax auction last fall, according to documents obtained by 12 News.

By Nancy Lavin — The group of coastal taxpayers seeking to stop state agencies from enforcing the new shoreline access law has no grounds to sue.

By Antonia Noori Farzan — Records show that the City of Providence could be at risk of losing Camp Cronin, its seaside camp in Narragansett, over unpaid property taxes. The city spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to renovate the long-neglected Ocean Road property last year, but failed to pay the $16,721 that it owed in back taxes.

By Dale Faulkner — Large crowds attributed to COVID-19, the summer heat, and our local pop mega-star have combined to force visitor limitations at the Watch Hill Lighthouse.

By Alex Nunes — The move comes three weeks after U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced the property was slated to be transferred to a private non-profit in Watch Hill.