Nursing home violence; Brown protest; Culpo’s restaurant picks: Top stories this week

Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of April 28, supported by your subscriptions.

• Last April, when an 81-year-old hospice patient was found dead in his room at a Warren nursing home, suffocated by pillow stuffing, police charged his 76-year-old roommate, who had become agitated, combative and delusional. In the wake of that death, The Providence Journal reviewed hundreds of pages of records from police departments and the Rhode Island Department of Health to get a better understanding of how often resident-on-resident violence occurs in nursing homes. Reporters also compiled three years’ worth of data in a database that will allow the public to look up incidents at specific nursing homes. Antonia Noori Farzan looks at what provokes these episodes, and what needs to be done to prevent another tragedy.
• Thirty-seven police chiefs command the officers who work in Rhode Island’s cities and towns, and 21 of those chiefs took their oaths less than five years ago (15 of them less than three years ago). While they’re not newcomers to law enforcement, being first-in-command presents a special set of challenges. What’s driving the high level of turnover, and how does it affect public safety? The Journal’s Mark Reynolds explains.
• Rhode Island chefs, restaurateurs and beverage experts are teaming up with AAA to offer curated food tours, starting in August. Food editor Gail Ciampa has the details on how you can join them, as well as a report on a new maritime-inspired blue gin from Providence distiller ISCO Spirits.
• For the latest college and high school sports, go to providencejournal.com/sports.

Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:

PROVIDENCE – Brown University’s pro-Palestine encampment agreed to clear out Tuesday in exchange for the Brown Corporation voting on a divestment measure in October.

Dozens of students who’d camped out on the campus green for a week had called on the university to stop investing in an array of weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas War.

Until now, the administration had resisted offering them more than a presentation of a proposal. But in a few months, that presentation will be followed by a formal vote on whether to divest – a development hailed as “an unprecedented win” by the Brown Divest Coalition.

After the deal was reached, student protesters peacefully broke up their encampment, in stark contrast to escalating tensions at Columbia University and other campuses around the country.

Politics: Brown University protesters agree to clear encampment. In exchange, Brown will vote on divestment.

What do pot-bellied pigs, propane, a new hotel and a crematorium have in common? They are all cases in Rhode Island’s new expedited “Land Use Calendar,” ordered into existence by the state legislature last year to reduce delays in Rhode Island’s development permitting process.

In a little more than three months, a single Rhode Island judge – Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Lanphear – became the arbiter of more than 135 land-use disputes, including some high-pitched battles by frustrated homeowners, developers and the owner of the 19-million-gallon propane storage tank at the Port of Providence.

Lanphear’s name may ring some bells in connection with one of Rhode Island’s longest and most controversial property disputes, a proposed expansion of Champlin’s Marina on Block Island. In 2003, he ruled in favor of the developers, but the mediated deal he approved was later struck down by the state Supreme Court.

Political Scene looks at some of the cases resolved so far by the Land Use Calendar, and noteworthy cases still pending.

Political Scene: From pot-bellied pigs to crematoriums: All RI’s land-use cases end up in front of this judge

Kim English said the quiet part out loud.

The fiery social media post late Tuesday night by Providence College’s men’s basketball coach felt like a fitting end to this latest round of transfer portal intrigue, which slammed shut on Wednesday, with no more players eligible to enter before the 2024-25 season.

English made some not-so-veiled references to alleged tampering with members of his expected roster for next year. The Friars did their work early in this current cycle, securing four commitments. It appears there might have been some late attempts to lure at least one of their players into further gauging his value on the open market.

“Just call me and [let me know] if you want to recruit our players,” English said. “Leave them and their families alone. Call me. I’ll see if they want to play for your programs.”

Journal sportswriter Bill Koch looks at English’s warning in the context of an NCAA recruiting process that he says is “flawed” and “begging for meaningful reform.”

College sports: Providence basketball coach Kim English has message for teams trying to lure his players away

Providence has four new, tiny, feathered residents living high above downtown.

Four peregrine falcons have hatched in their nest box atop the Superman Building, according to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.

The Audubon Society has a webcam that enables people to watch the eyas, or hatchlings, and their parents.

Peregrine falcons are “regarded by falconers and biologists alike as one of the noblest and most spectacular of all birds of prey,” according to the Audubon Society’s Guide to North American Birds.

Animals: Four peregrine falcons hatch atop Superman Building; Audubon camera lets you see them

When it comes to dining, Rhode Island’s Olivia Culpo is known to have taste.

Since 2017, the reality star’s family has opened five restaurants in the state – The Back 40, Union + Main, Lake Taco, Evie’s and Black Oak Kitchen & Drink – that she has a hand in. And she’s always made it known on social media that she loves Rhode Island food.

So it’s little surprise that when she did an Ask Me Anything on her Instagram stories, someone asked for her Rhode Island restaurant recommendations, and she delivered.

Check out her list.

Dining: Olivia Culpo shared a list of 13 restaurants she loves in Rhode Island. Check it out.

To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.