Rhode Island
Endangered stone walls; Matunuck Oyster Bar; clam shack winner: Top stories this week

See the 2025 Gaspee Days parade march through Pawtuxet Village
This video shows the Gaspee Days parade as it went through the village.
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of June 30, supported by your subscriptions.
- The Ocean State is naturally proud of the 21 lighthouses that dot its rocky shores, from its first – the 1749 Beavertail Lighthouse in Jamestown – to the sparkplug-style Plum Beach Lighthouse that graces one of Rhode Island’s specialty license plates. Here’s our guide to all 21, and how you can visit them – including one where you can stay overnight.
- Film fans have been keeping tabs on Rhode Island’s latest brush with Hollywood: the shoots that have been popping up for M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural romantic thriller “Remain,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Phoebe Dynevor and Ashley Walters. Here’s a rundown of where it’s filmed so far, and what we know about the plot.
- Terry Francona’s return to Fenway Park this week has been a wistful reminder of a better Red Sox era, says Journal sportswriter Bill Koch, who looks back at the heady time of curse-busting World Series wins and a fearless front office and asks: Is there hope to regain that winning culture? For that and more sports news, go to providencejournal.com/sports.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
New England once had 240,000 miles of stone walls, enough to wrap around the Earth 10 times. But these iconic structures, woven into the region’s history, environment and identity, are endangered, according to stone walls expert Robert Thorson, who spoke about them at a special program in Little Compton on July 2.
Thorson, an Earth Science professor at the University of Connecticut, said that stone walls reveal geology, provide habitat for plants and animals, and even have military significance, as New England Colonists used them for cover when fighting the British in the Revolutionary War. Yet they lack legal protections from those who would “strip mine” them for profit.
Read on to find out how Thorson is spreading the word as a “stump evangelist for stone wall conservation” and advising communities on what they can do to protect these threatened landmarks.
Local news: One man’s quiet war to save New England’s oldest landmarks
SOUTH KINGSTOWN – With pomp and politicians, Matunuck Oyster Bar reopened under a tent on June 30, across from the scene of a devastating May fire on Succotash Road.
The new dining space, offers breezes from the water, as it is set on the channel between Point Judith and Potter Pond, in front of owner Perry Raso’s new shellfish hatchery. With a wood floor, tent lighting and service stations, it feels well thought out and more like a restaurant than one would imagine, says Journal food editor Gail Ciampa.
Gail was there for the opening and heard Raso talk publicly for the first time about the May 20 fire that destroyed the restaurant, and his plans for the rebuild, which he hopes will be ready to reopen by May 20, 2026.
Dining: Matunuck Oyster Bar raises a tent as it rises from ashes. Go inside the interim restaurant
The restaurant industry is unlike any other when it comes to navigating razor-thin profit margins, bouncing back from a volatile economy and finding ways to keep people fed.
Restaurant patronage is still below pre-pandemic levels, and restaurants have a new battle to fight as well – inflation.
Since the late 2000s, the cost of dining out has risen faster than supermarket prices. In a recent survey of more than 500 U.S. restaurants, more than half of all respondents ranked food inflation as their top challenge.
We talk to the owners of several Rhode Island restaurants to find out how they’re adapting to keep customers fed and keep the lights on.
Local news: Caught between inflation, tariffs and egg prices, how do RI’s restaurants survive?
What are Rhode Islanders’ favorite places to fly to?
The federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics keeps track of such things, so we checked to see what the 10 favorite nonstop destinations in the United States for flights originating from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (excluding charters).
Read the full story to check out our list of favorite destinations, including a couple that might surprise you.
Travel: Is your favorite place among the Top 10 destinations for flights from T.F. Green?
Voters have spoken.
They overwhelmingly chose Roy Boy’s Clam Shack as the best clam shack in Rhode Island. The vote was 84.92% for Roy Boy’s over Champlin’s Seafood Deck, which received 16.02% of the vote in the final round.
In all, the North Kingstown restaurant bested 15 other clam shacks in The Journal’s bracket voting, which began June 11. Along the way, Roy Boy’s defeated some of Rhode Island’s best clam shacks, chosen for their locations, menus and specialties.
It was a real roller-coaster ride for Roy Boy’s upset win. Read on for more on this relative newcomer, which opened only three years ago.
Seafood: Roy Boy’s Clam Shack wins bragging rights as RI’s best clam shack. How they got there
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.

Rhode Island
Providence man arrested in connection to narcotics and firearms investigation | ABC6

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island State Police said a Providence man was arrested after police allegedly discovered multiple narcotics and a gun inside two residences on Sept. 23.
47-year-old Joel Garcia was charged with possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver one ounce to one kilogram of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while committing a controlled substance violation, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and distribution of a controlled substance in a school zone.
According to RISP, police received court-authorized search warrants for two residences in Providence in connection to a narcotics and firearms investigation.
Inside an apartment on Dresser Street, police allegedly seized 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.3 kilograms of cocaine, and 147 grams of methamphetamine.
Police also searched Garcia’s residence on Portland Street and allegedly seized one fully loaded pistol.
According to police, Garcia had allegedly used the apartment on Dresser Street to “store, package, and distribute large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.”
Garcia was arrested and charged.
RISP, Providence police, Cranston police, North Providence police, Johnston police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Rhode Island National Guard Counterdrug Program assisted in the investigation.
Rhode Island
The Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford

Millions have been mourning the death of a cinematic icon over the last week with the passing of Robert Redford at age 89.
The award-winning actor is arguably one of the most famous of all time. With over 70 films to his credit on screen and nine he directed throughout his career, Redford’s work in cinema stands out as some of the greatest.
Though only two of Redford’s movies were ever filmed in Rhode Island, the Oscar-winning actor has a deep connection with the Ocean State.
Redford’s Family Roots Near Rhode Island
Though no Redfords actually lived in Rhode Island, Robert’s family was longtime residents of Stonington, CT and several members were born in nearby Westerly, RI.
READ MORE: ‘Sopranos’ Star Officially Becomes a Rhode Island Resident
Throughout Robert Redford’s childhood there were visits to his grandparents in Stonington, where his grandfather worked as a milkman.
Presumably this time in Stonington meant crossing the state line into Westerly on more than one occasion in his youth and perhaps led to his love of the Rhode Island seaside in later years.
Filming The Great Gatsby in Newport
During his career, Redford came to Newport in the 1970s to film The Great Gatsby at the historic Rosecliff Mansion. Decades later he returned to Rhode Island with the science fiction film The Discovery and even wrote a thank you letter to Newport, praising their preservation efforts in the city.
READ MORE: HGTV Says You Need to Drive This Road in Newport
Though when he did ultimately settle in New England, Redford chose Weston, CT as his home for almost two decades. He purchased a home not too far from his close friend and fellow actor, Paul Newman.
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Rhode Island Honors Robert Redford
Rhode Island never forgot its ties to the beloved actor however. In 2002 Redford was asked to be the commencement speaker at Brown University and that same year Trinity Repertory Company awarded him a Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.
Just one of the many lifetime achievement awards Robert Redford would go on to accumulate during his illustrious career.
20 Stars Who Hail From Rhode Island
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the nation, but it has been home to many celebrities. Though some have moved here, filmed here or attended school here, only a handful were actually born here. These are those celebrities.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Academy Award and Golden Globe Winners from Massachusetts
These Massachusetts natives have taken home some of Hollywood’s top honors.
Gallery Credit: Michaela Johnson
30 Things To Do in Newport Any Time of Year
Newport has always been seen as a summer destination. Wealthy New Yorkers used to escape the city in the hotter months for this picturesque seaside spot and the label as a summer vacation destination began.
There are, however, plenty of things to do in this historic town in any season and we’ve found a few that you may want to try the next time you head to Newport.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Rhode Island
GoLocalProv | Sports | VIDEO: Providence’s Lassiter Scores 44-Yard TD in Vanderbilt’s Upset Over #11 South Carolina

Sunday, September 14, 2025
Zell Lassiter
PHOTO: Via Vanderbilt
Providence’s Jamezell Lassiter had a big play on a huge stage on Saturday when Vanderbilt football upset #11 South Carolina. SEE 7:25 MARK.
Lassiter, who played for the Edgewood Eagles and the Mount Hope Cowboys and attended the San Miguel School in Providence, smoked the Gamecocks on a 44-yard touchdown score.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE — SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Vanderbilt won 31-7 over No. 11 South Carolina, snapping a 16-game losing streak between the two programs.
Zell Lassiter PHOTO: Vanderbilt Athletics
In 2024, GoLocal sports columnist Robert McMahon wrote about Lassiter’s journey to the top Division I program:
His athletic skills impressed his San Miguel classmates. Flag football, soccer, basketball—Jamezell could do it all. He was a natural athlete.
But the transformation of Zell, as he likes to be called, happened in the San Miguel classroom.
READ MORE HERE
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