In no particular order, here are The Block Island Times’ choices for the top news stories of 2019. The year was exciting, confusing, and messy.
Ed Roberge resigns
Town Manager Ed Roberge submitted a letter of resignation to the New Shoreham Town Council on Monday, Oct. 21. The resignation will be effective Dec. 20, Roberge told The Block Island Times. Roberge was appointed Town Manager in September 2017 and started in early 2018. He was the former engineer for the city of Concord, New Hampshire.
Easing the housing crunch
1. Lottery to fill five homes at Cherry Hill Lane
The lottery involved the sale of five affordably priced homes in the Cherry Hill Lane development off Cooneymus Road. The lottery was held on Oct. 17 in the Town Hall chamber, when 12 hopeful applicants gathered to learn of their fate. A nervous anticipation filled the room, as the pre-approved applicants settled into a packed chamber. When the winners were announced, there was a dramatic mix of jubilation and disappointment. Bernice Johnson and Joe DeMatteo were chosen for the two two-bedroom houses. Shannon and Louis Marsella, Jessica
