Rhode Island
Here’s who made the cut for the Round of 16 at the 105th Rhode Island Junior Amateur
PAWTUCKET — It didn’t take long for a surprise on Tuesday morning at the 105th Rhode Island Junior Amateur.
Nick Emery took an early lead, absorbed a charge from Quinn Dumas and made a routine par at the 18th hole. That was enough to eliminate the top seed in the boys field, as the Round of 16 started in dramatic fashion.
More: Familiar names near top of leaderboard after Day 1 of Rhode Island Junior Amateur
Emery’s victory on his home course, 1 up, set the tone for an intriguing few hours of play. The former All-State pick from St. Raphael won the first three holes on his home course and survived after Dumas pulled even in the match at the par-4 17th.
“I know everywhere to put the ball — everywhere to go,” Emery said in an interview with the Rhode Island Golf Association. “To be able to put the ball where I need to on this course, especially because I know it really well, it just helps.”
Emery lost his way off the tee on the back side but found a fairway when he needed it most, clearing the hill with his drive at the signature closing hole. He had a simple wedge in from 75 yards and left himself a short birdie putt. Dumas couldn’t manage a par that would have forced the match to extra holes.
More: Have a Rhode Island golf bucket list? Here are the five courses Eric Rueb wants to play
“I was really nervous over the ball,” Emery said. “Just kind of backed it off, got back over it and put it to eight feet.”
Emery will face Jesse Hellring, whose match with Joey Iaciofano also went the distance. It was a high-quality affair — Hellring shot 1-under 68 over 18 holes, and his 1-up win featured deciding birdies at the par-4 16th and par-4 17th. Hellring finished with par at the 18th to hold off Iaciofano, who carded an even-par 69.
“Keep the ball in the fairway,” Emery said. “Don’t do anything dumb around the greens. That’s obviously it.”
Three-time defending champion Max Jackson, reigning Interscholastic League champion Rocco Capalbo, Drew MacLeod and Ian Dunham — four players who finished a shot behind Dumas in Monday’s stroke-play qualifier — all advanced rather comfortably. Capalbo strolled to an 8 and 7 victory while Jackson closed out former La Salle Academy teammate Sam Perry, 4 and 3. Brayden Dickinson and Eli Hamelsky will meet in a quarterfinal featuring two double-digit seeds after upsetting Sam Fuentes and Charles Melvin, respectively.
Girls quarterfinals on Wednesday will mark a return for medalist Olivia Williams, Adriana Eaton, Emma Lockhart, Lily Dessel and Claire McTaggart. All five received byes through to the Round of 16. Ava Andoscia used a par at the 18th to edge Brooke Barner, 1 up, in that field’s tightest match of the opening afternoon. Andoscia had the final answer in a meeting that saw just four holes halved.
“I was so nervous,” Andoscia said. “But I actually switched up what I was going to do for my second shot on (18), and I think that’s where I won.”
Boys first division and boys 14U division top seeds Connor Ahlborg and Mitch McTaggart will both play in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Ahlborg held off Sam Iden in 19 holes, making a birdie while playing the par-4 first for the second time. McTaggart received a bye after tying Raj Mammen for medalist honors on Monday with a 9-over 78.
Round of 16 results
Boys championship
Nick Emery def. Quinn Dumas, 1 up; Jesse Hellring def. Joey Iaciofano, 1 up; Drew MacLeod def. Andrew Lavoie, 2 and 1; Rocco Capalbo def. Michael Zeller, 8 and 7; Brayden Dickinson def. Sam Fuentes, 2 and 1; Eli Hamelsky def. Charles Melvin, 3 and 2; Max Jackson def. Sam Perry, 4 and 3; Ian Dunham def. Will Owens, 3 and 2.
Girls championship
Olivia Williams, bye; Elizabeth Kue def. Ella Rosa, 4 and 2; Adriana Eaton, bye; Emma Lockhart, bye; Lily Dessel, bye; Ava Andoscia def. Brooke Barner, 1 up; Claire McTaggart, bye; Julia Nault def. Maggie McDonald, 2 and 1.
Boys first division
Connor Ahlborg def. Sam Iden, 19 holes; Rich Cavanagh def. Mackinley Garcia, 4 and 3; Luke Cavanaugh def. Michael Letendre, 1 up; Noah Patel def. Nathan Carter, 5 and 4; Nick Adamonis def. Sawyer VonFlatern, 5 and 4; Conner Rabbitt def. Gregory Fitta, 1 up; Zachary Taraian def. Adam Gorman, 4 and 3; Julien Kocatas def. Alex Ji, default.
Boys 14 and under
Mitch McTaggart, bye; Nick Keefe def. Weylin Lynch, 7 and 6; Ray Rainville, bye; Aidan Connell def. Camden Fontaine, 8 and 7; Raj Mammen, bye; Logan Ferreira def. Huck Quinlan, 3 and 2; Kailer Louangxay, bye; Nico Capalbo def. Mikey Mendes, 7 and 6.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
Rhode Island
Rhode Island DCYF discloses fatality of 18-year-old
(WJAR) — The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families disclosed the fatality of an 18-year-old who was previously the subject of a near fatality notification on June 2.
According to the department, the 18-year-old died on Thursday and was involved with DCYF.
The Office of the Child Advocate was notified about the incident.
DCYF did not disclose additional information due to confidentiality laws.
The original incident that required the prior notification occurred on May 27, officials said.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
According to DCYF, Rhode Islanders are required by law to report known or suspected cases of child abuse or neglect within 24 hours of becoming aware of such cases and can do so by calling 1-800-742-4453.
Rhode Island
He grew up in the kitchen. Then he rewrote the menu, and the future of his parents’ restaurant – The Boston Globe
He became obsessed with driving around, searching for any local farm or fisherman on a dock and bugging them to see if they, too, wanted to help him with his vision.
His menu now, which reflects a reinvention, leans into a new way to present New England seafood for an old suburban fishing town, serving snacks like a smoked Rhode Island bluefish paté, raw New Bedford sea scallops with sesame and crispy shallots, chowder with quahogs and fermented hot sauce. He also makes his own pasta with milled local grains.
Today, Dion has largely taken over the business, although his mom can still be found in the kitchen.


“If you’ve had a piece of swordfish at S.S. Dion in the past 43 years, she’s grilled it. And she doesn’t want that to end,” said Dion. “She loves it, and wants to work forever.”
His father visits every day for an hour to keep track of “all of my numbers.”
“I do it all on a computer, and he’s got every, every penny of it on paper,” said Dion.
The reimagined version has had a lot of success, growing 300 percent over the last five years.
What to eat: Try any of the snacks to start with, but be sure to get at least one of their house-made pastas for the table to share: a black spaghetti puttanesca with fried squid, anchovies, Calabrian chilies, and braised tomato. A bowl of gemelli with house-made fish sausage, rapini, pangrattato, and aglio e olio. A roasted mushroom campanelle with sautéed leeks, Brussel sprouts, tarragon, and tender pea tendrils. A perfect bolognese. There are also comforting staples from S.S. Dion’s past life: “The chicken parmesan will be on that menu for my whole life,” said Dion. “But there’s a fermented hot sauce martini on there as well.”

“I want to have that spectrum of people who have always come into S.S. and ordered what they love and remember,” said Dion. “But also there might be something exciting for someone else in their party who is more adventurous.”
You can get three courses for just $40 per person if you order from their prix fixe menu. Your options include local crudos; a funky caesar with smoked Rhode Island bluefish and sourdough croutons, calamari from Point Judith, all sorts of scratch-made pastas, and plenty of desserts.
Dion said his fries take three days to prepare, and he makes every part of their burger from scratch (an “everything” milk bun, house bacon, crispy onions, a 21-day dry-aged burger bun from Blackbird Farm slathered in a special sauce) other than the cheddar cheese it is topped with.

“The world just seems to get more and more artificial, and there’s a really blurry line between what is human and what is manufactured,” he said. “It just feels good to be authentic to my place.”
What to drink: Start off with a bang and get the “Low Tide Hot N’ Dirty,” which uses a nori-infused Lime Rock gin, fermented green chili, yuzu, and topped with a spicy seaweed chip. Or their bacon fat-washed maple old fashioned. The beer list has a ton of local brews from around New England, while the wine list has some interesting choices for the area: a Primitivo from Puglia, an Austrian riesling, and a chenin blanc-viognier from Napa.

Don’t forget dessert: The bananas foster bread pudding is baked in a cast iron pan drizzled with rum caramel and topped with pecans and vanilla ice cream. The chocolate pot de creme uses miso caramel, beetroot meringue, salted cashew crumble, and fennel. Or you can order a basque cheesecake topped with flaky sea salt and orange zest, or a traditional affogato that’s drowned in a double shot of espresso from Borealis Coffee Company, a small-batch local specialty roaster.
Final say: S.S. Dion is one of those legacy restaurants that found further success after reinventing itself when the second generation took over. Dion has dreams of opening his own restaurant with a different concept and to potentially do it in Providence. He’s looking for locations, but isn’t ready to sign a lease yet.
“I’m really happy with where S.S. is now,” said Dion. “But what chef doesn’t have dreams of opening a dozen more restaurants?
“I’d say that’s what’s next,” he added. “I’d like to start something else soon.”
S.S. Dion, 520 Thames St., Bristol, R.I., 401-253-2884, ssdion.com. Raw bar $3.5-$165; salads $13-$18; snacks $9-$25; scratch pasta $14-$38; entrées $25-market price; Sides and sauces $1-$7.

Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
Rhode Island
Clergy sex abuse bill passes RI Senate on unanimous vote. What’s next
Newest clergy sex abuse lawsuit bill gives victims ‘hope,’ Neronha says
A new bill gives clergy sex abuse victims a path to sue the institutions that may have been responsible for their abuse as children.
PROVIDENCE – Victims of clergy sex abuse scored a long-sought victory in the Rhode Island Senate on Wednesday, June 3.
Legislation to allow the victims to sue the Catholic Church – and any other institution that failed to protect them from molestation when they were children – won unanimous Senate approval and now goes to the House for final votes.
The fast action from Senate Judiciary Committee approval – to a full Senate vote – within an hour and a half was not unexpected after the announcement on Monday of a compromise backed by the Senate’s top-tier Democrats, including Senate President Valarie Lawson, Majority Leader Frank Ciccone and Senate Judiciary Chairman Matthew LaMountain.
If passed, as now appears likely, the legislation will allow the victims of sexual abuse by clergy to sue the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and any other entity that knew, but failed to stop – or concealed – the abuse they suffered as children at the hands of trusted elders.
The legislation would also provide the long-ago victims – many of them now in their 60s and 70s – with a two-year window to revive claims currently barred by expired time limits.
The compromise – after years of pleas and inaction – follows the long-awaited release on March 4 of Attorney General Peter Neronha’s report detailing the systematic cover-up by the Catholic Church of the sexual abuse of more than 300 Rhode Island children.
His report laid bare, for the first time, the scope of more than a half century of alleged child sexual abuse by Rhode Island Catholic clergy and the breadth and depth of the alleged cover-up, which often included destroying key files or shuffling priests from parish to parish, where they would reoffend.
Sen. Mark McKenney, the lead Senate sponsor, told colleagues that the proposed new law not only states “this conduct unacceptable, but from now on, the institutions that have enabled it will be held accountable as well.”
As to whether the law would survive a legal challenge, McKenney said the Rhode Island Constitution “contains a provision that is somewhat unique in the United States: a victims’ rights clause. That provision has been largely overlooked in the debate that’s gone on about the constitutionality of this and … previous versions of this bill,” but retired U.S. District Judge William Smith drew attention to it when he testified.
He said Article 1, Section 23 “of our constitution provides that crime victims, including child sexual abuse victims, not only may receive compensation from perpetrators, but also, and this is a quote from the constitution, ‘Shall receive such other compensation as the state may provide,’ with that power ‘entirely committed to our authority as the General Assembly.’”
Co-sponsor Dawn Euer applauded “the victims and survivors, both the ones that we know of and the ones that we don’t, as well as the ones that we have lost. The strength and courage that it takes to go through what [these] people have gone through … is incredible.
“And then to be able to come up here and advocate …. for passage of this legislation over years [of] legislative turmoil and back again, it’s really incredible the strength and determination that you all have shown,” she said to the group of survivor-advocates in the Senate gallery.
“We get used to it,” she said of the process by which “the proverbial sausage is made. But for issues like this that have real impacts on people’s lives, it can be an additional trauma,” she said of the year after year of public hearings and testimony, followed by inaction.
On Wednesday, she said, the Senate sent the “strong signal that Rhode Island stands with survivors and victims.”
This story has been updated with new information.
-
World1 minute agoMap: 3.8-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Las Vegas
-
News8 minutes agoHow Trump’s Proposed Arch Could Complicate D.C.’s Congested Airspace
-
Lifestyle41 minutes agoA new ‘Cape Fear’ remake rolls out one surprise after another
-
Technology53 minutes agoValve says it’s ready to launch the Steam Machine this summer
-
World56 minutes agoAs Hezbollah rejects truce, families on Israel’s northern border describe life under fire
-
Politics1 hour agoRubio sanctions Cuban groups with ties to US nonprofit network funded by communist donor Neville Roy Singham
-
Health1 hour agoPeople taking common sleep drug may not realize they’re too impaired to drive, study finds
-
Sports1 hour agoSeth Jarvis scores overtime game-winner as Hurricanes storm back from 2-0 deficit to even Stanley Cup Final