The town council plans to establish a dog pound at Fort Wetherill and build a highway barn on another municipally owned lot, The Jamestown Press reported July 9, 1993.
Town Administrator Frances Shocket said a pound at the boat basin would meet the federal land-use requirements as an “approved public health purpose.” The first step would be to vacate the World War II-era storage building where highway equipment is kept.
100 years ago — July 5, 1924
(Newport Mercury)
The USS Shenandoah airship is expected to fly over Narragansett Bay for the Fourth of July.
75 years ago — July 8, 1949
(Newport Mercury)
A New York man had a narrow escape from drowning while bathing at the shore near the Bay Voyage Hotel. Apparently overcome in the water, he was seen to be in difficulty by a Jamestown boy, John Fredette, who had been talking to him on the beach a few minutes earlier.
The boy enlisted the help of Barbara Lull, a hotel employee, who swam out and brought the man to shore. Edgar Olson, son of the hotel’s proprietor, immediately began administering artificial respiration. He was relieved by Sanford Crowell. The fire department continued treatment and then transported the man to South County Hospital to recover.
50 years ago — July 5, 1974
(Newport Mercury)
Despite the threat of a $25 fine, fishermen still are casting their lines from the western end of the Jamestown Bridge.
A law prohibiting fishing from the narrow two-lane span was passed by lawmakers at the end of their legislature session. The ban, however, has not worked as anglers have been there in numbers.
During an evening last week, 17 fishermen were spotted on the southside walk of the bridge. A sign, moreover, which read, “For safety’s sake, no fishing from the bridge,” has disappeared.
Anglers on the bridge, especially on pitch-dark nights, present a high element of danger, especially if they should step back into the narrow lanes as vehicles are passing. Motorists have complained about lead sinkers hitting their vehicles.
25 years ago — July 8, 1999
(The Jamestown Press)
For the first time in more than 58 years, the Festa do Espirito Santo, which translates to Feast of the Holy Ghost, will be celebrated in Jamestown.
From 1925-41, the Holy Ghost Society sponsored the festa in Jamestown with crowds reportedly reaching 1,500 guests. This year’s event will feature a procession from the Portuguese American Citizens Club to St. Mark for a special Mass.
The procession will return to the hall for a ceremony and traditional Portuguese soup. Joe Dutra has donated a heifer to be served at the feast, which began in Portugal during the Middle Ages.
10 years ago — July 10, 2014
(The Jamestown Press)
A lawsuit filed by a former town administrator has gone federal.
Kevin Paicos’ grievance against the town of Jamestown has been transferred from Newport Superior Court to U.S. District Court in Providence. The change was made at the request of the Providence attorney representing the municipality, Marc DeSisto.
Paicos left his post in February after a heated closed-door meeting with the town council. While shouting could be heard coming from the hallway, the councilors exited the executive session with a statement saying Paicos was leaving on “good terms.” The dispute, they said, was about the town’s residency requirement.
According to the lawsuit, Paicos is “seeking damages from breach of contract, tortious interference with contractual or advantageous business relations.” He also claims “deprivations of his constitutional rights to procedural due process.”
Although the total amount is not specified, the claim includes three weeks of paid vacation, $1,446.67 for a life insurance policy, $1,000 per month for housing, and damages in an “amount provable at trial, plus interest, costs and reasonable attorney fees.”