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 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.

By Alex Nunes — A group of coastal landowners is asking a federal District Court judge to block enforcement of a new state law intended to clarify where beachgoers can be along the state’s shoreline.

By Alex Nunes — A legal fight over a town-designated path to the beach has put the town council president’s connections to the Watch Hill resort community in the spotlight.

By Alex Nunes — The legal action comes in an escalating battle over the Fort Road right-of-way to the undeveloped Napatree Point beach and conservation area.

By Alex Nunes — Expressing support for two bills under consideration by the General Assembly, Attorney General Peter Neronha told state lawmakers that the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council is “in desperate need of reform.”

By Alex Nunes — Public records show Town Council President Edward Morrone accepted $30,000 in consulting fees to “monitor issues” for property owners in the Watch Hill vacation community, an area that's become the focal point of ongoing coastal access debates.

By Alex Nunes — A legal battle over a contested right-of-way to the beach in Westerly has become a flashpoint in the debate over shoreline access.

By Alex Nunes — The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council Rights-of-way Subcommittee will meet Tuesday about a contested path to the shore in Westerly that’s become emblematic of the debate over shoreline access in the Ocean State. If designated public, the path would open a long-closed gateway to one of the most inaccessible, undeveloped beaches in the state.

By Alex Nunes — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is getting involved in a closely-followed case over a contested right-of-way to the shore in South County.

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 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 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.

By Alex Nunes — A bill intended to clarify shoreline rights along Rhode Island’s coast is moving forward in the House.

By Alex Nunes — The Narragansett Town Council has voted to waive walk-on fees to the town’s public beach for all members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe.

By Alex Nunes — The Narragansett Town Council will take up a proposal Monday night to waive all walk-on and parking fees at the town’s beach to members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe. The ocean is a sacred spiritual place for members of the tribe, but the Narragansett do not currently have any of their own land along Rhode Island’s shore.

By Alex Nunes — A bill is expected to be introduced in the Rhode Island House this month that clarifies where people can be along the shore without creating other restrictions.

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 Alex Nunes — The summer season may be months behind us, but advocates for beach access aren’t letting up on their calls for lawmakers to do more to strengthen and protect shoreline rights. They made their case again Thursday night at a special public hearing in Richmond.