Summery news from Ocean State

The Newport Armory, future home of the Sailing Hall of Fame.

From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

Meanwhile, the state Commerce Corp. has approved a $200,000 grant to help bring the Sailing Hall of Fame to Newport, where it obviously belongs. The Providence Journal reported that the institution’s president, Gary Jobson, raised optimism that it would be able to move into the Newport Armory by saying that $3.5 million of the estimated total $4.3 million to $4.5 million cost of the project had been given or raised. The hope is that the museum will open sometime next year, making the City by the Sea an even more interesting place to visit.

And Commerce Corp. also approved about $2.2 million in tax credits to go to the Farm FreshRI food hub planned for the Valley area of Providence. The hub would be a place where food and farm business would, in The Journal’s words, “work together to boost local and regional food production’’ with the challenge that the region’s farms are small and few. The hub will be near United Natural Foods Inc.’s headquarters. So maybe they’ll start calling the neighborhood the “Food District.’’

Farm FreshRI plans to build a 60,000-square-foot headquarters on the site, which will also house retail and wholesale distributors and a year-round farmers market.

Anyway, both the Sailing Hall of Fame and farm food are pleasant reminders that summer will soon be here.