NATIONAL NEWS

Fire damages a popular Rhode Island restaurant known for its ‘pond-to-table’ menu

May 20, 2025, 9:19 AM | Updated: 11:40 am

SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. (AP) — One of Rhode Island’s most famous restaurants has been damaged after a fire broke out early Tuesday morning.

Union Fire District Steve Pinch told reporters firefighters arrived at 3:45 a.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the Manutuck Oyster Bar in South Kingston. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. No injuries have been reported.

A phone message seeking additional details was left at the the Union Fire District of South Kingstown.

The oyster bar has operated a seven-acre aquaculture operation on a local salt pond since 2002, and later opened the restaurant on the waterfront in 2009 where it quickly became a “pond-to-table” destination for diners. The restaurant regularly offers oyster farm tours for the public.

The oyster bar’s littlenecks and chourico dish was lauded one of the “ ” of the year in 2023 and USA Today listed the location on its “ ” list in 2024.

“Everybody in town either works or knows somebody who works at the oyster bar, or comes here and enjoys the oyster bar, so we are just saddened for all of the employees and the owner,” Pinch told .

The fire comes just days before Memorial Day weekend, marking the unofficial kick-off to summer and a boost in business for New England’s seaside businesses.

“I’m grateful there were no injuries and thankful to first responders for their quick response at a treasured local institution,” U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, a Rhode Island Democrat, said in a statement.

National News

Associated Press

Loose pet kangaroo keeps police hopping — again — in a Colorado town

Chasing a loose kangaroo is getting to be part of the job for police in a southwestern Colorado town. Irwin, the pet kangaroo, wasn’t difficult to nab when he got loose last fall in Durango, Colorado. Still quite young at the time, he leapt into a bag similar to a mother kangaroo’s pouch. On Monday, […]

14 minutes ago

The New York City skyline is seen behind Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Wedn...

Associated Press

FAA extends flight limits at Newark airport into June because of controller shortage and tech issues

The flight restrictions that have been in place at New Jersey’s largest airport ever since air traffic controllers first lost their radar and radios briefly last month will remain in place into June, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday. The interim rule will cap the number of arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport […]

40 minutes ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Offic...

Associated Press

Hegseth orders new review of Afghanistan withdrawal and suicide bombing at Kabul airport

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered another review of the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and of the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed American troops and Afghans. President Donald Trump and Hegseth have repeatedly blasted the Biden administration for the withdrawal, which Hegseth said Tuesday was […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Man taken into custody at Buffalo airport after crashing pickup truck into gate

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (AP) — A man in a pickup truck drove through a roadside gate at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and crossed a runway before being taken into custody Tuesday morning, according to police. The unidentified man was apprehended at the western New York airport without incident about 6 minutes after breaching the gate, […]

2 hours ago

FILE - Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica for his first Sunday ble...

Associated Press

Survivors of clergy sexual abuse turn up calls for reforms from new pope’s American hometown

CHICAGO (AP) — Survivors of clergy sexual abuse amplified calls Tuesday for a global zero-tolerance policy from the new pope’s American hometown and raised questions about Leo XIV’s history of dealing with accused priests from Chicago to Australia. The cases span Robert Prevost’s previous posts. They include leading a Catholic religious order, bishop and as […]

2 hours ago

Advocates for migrant rights hold signs outside the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Cu...

Associated Press

The revival of an old program delegates Trump immigration enforcement to local police

As part of the Trump administration’s push to carry out mass deportations, the agency responsible for immigration enforcement has aggressively revived and expanded a decades-old program that delegates immigration enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement agencies. Under the 287(g) program led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police officers can interrogate immigrants in their […]

2 hours ago

Fire damages a popular Rhode Island restaurant known for its ‘pond-to-table’ menu