Follow us on social media:
Rhode Island
Restaurant closings; saving Misquamicut Beach; Cliff Walk future: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of June 2, supported by your subscriptions.
- Paris, New York, London, Providence. Sure, our state capital is known for its food scene and events like WaterFire, but to be listed among the best cities in the world may come as a surprise. Yet, Providence ranked 95th out of 1,000 cities from around the world in a new report, the “Global Cities Index” by Oxford Economics, a United Kingdom-based economic advisory company. This is the company’s first time releasing the report. How did it get there? Read the full story to find out.
- The idea of drive-in movie theaters evokes a certain nostalgia, and Rhode Island used to have its fair share of places where you could bring a carful of family or friends and settle into a big-screen treat. While most have been torn down, some still remain. This week’s What and Why RI looks back at the past and how to relive that fun now.
- The spring high school sports season is wrapping up, with championships on the line. For that, as well as the latest news from the college ranks, go to providencejournal.com/sports.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
It was a rough week for Rhode Island’s restaurant scene. Journal food and dining editor Gail Ciampa reported that on Federal Hill, a trio of restaurants announced they would soon end service. Later in the week, Gail reported that closures and changes were coming to even more restaurants, while a South Kingstown favorite would be shut down after a devastating fire. Meanwhile, in Warwick, The Journal’s Wheeler Cowperthwaite reports that Hooters has closed. The reason? The Washington Bridge.
Dining: Service coming to an end for three restaurants on Federal Hill. What to know.
On a fine summer day, you can probably find Caswell Cooke on a stage near Westerly’s Misquamicut Beach wearing a sailor outfit and jamming with his band, Caswell & the Peel N’ Eats.
These days you can also find Cooke in slacks and a jacket in meeting rooms trying to persuade Westerly residents and city officials to save Misquamicut Beach from coastal erosion. In recent months, Cooke has made his case before the Misquamicut Business Association – over which he presides – Westerly’s Town Council – on which he once served – and the Misquamicut Fire District.
He cooked up a plan that involves dredging sand from the ocean floor onto the coast. It has been done in other coastal communities, perhaps most recently in Montauk, Long Island, in New York, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers placed 500,000 cubic yards of sand along 4,100 feet of coastline. The Montauk project cost $11.7 million and, thanks to favorable weather, was completed ahead of schedule.
Beaches: Winter storms are eroding Misquamicut. Could this sand restoration plan be the answer?
As more frequent and intense storms have battered Newport’s famous Cliff Walk, causing chunks to plunge into the waters below and sinkholes to appear without warning, millions of public dollars have gone into the trail, and almost as quickly, nature has wiped the repairs away.
It’s an issue that’s existed for nearly a century, but the accelerating storm threats of climate change are raising a new question: Is continued investment in the nationally recognized yet steadily crumbling trail the right decision for a city that’s already struggling with other, more pressing financial burdens?
And how exactly did the Cliff Walk, which is pieced together on a series of private properties, come to be? Take a look back at the history of the famed oceanside trail.
Attractions: The Cliff Walk continues to crumble into the sea. Are repairs worth Newport’s investment?
The anniversary of D-Day is always a big event in Normandy, France, but this year’s commemoration was expected to be especially meaningful, since it’s probably the last major anniversary that D-Day participants will attend, says Tim Gray, founder and president of the World War II Foundation.
“This year will be absolutely crazy,” said Gray, who’s been to Normandy 18 times and plans to be there this year. “They’re really rolling out the red carpet,” he said.
President Joe Biden, other heads of state and major television networks were expected to be in Normandy for the June 6 anniversary, according to Gray. Airlines flew World War II veterans to the ceremonies for free.
Surrounded by World War II artifacts, Gray was speaking from The International Museum of World War II he created on Main Street in South Kingstown. A former television sports reporter, Gray left that field to follow his passion for telling the stories of World War II veterans.
D-Day: For Museum of World War II founder, this D-Day anniversary might be the most important ever
BARRINGTON – A Rhode Island pediatrician has been sentenced to serve seven years in prison after admitting to molesting a 7-year-old girl.
David S. Healey, 52, of Barrington, pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree child molestation. Superior Court Judge Linda Rekas Sloan sentenced Healey to 15 years, with seven to serve, and the remainder suspended with probation. He received credit for the time he has served since his arrest in March.
Courts: RI pediatrician sentenced after admitting to molesting 7-year-old
New East Bay Bike Path bridges are open and ready for bikes
What’s it like to ride over the new East Bay Bike Path bridges? We sent a reporter to try them out.
I’ve long thought bike paths are among Rhode Island’s premier attractions, up there with the beaches, the mansions and the bay.
We like to knock government, but credit where it’s due, the state has done an amazing job building out an incredible pedaling network.
It’s clearly a priority.
At least I thought it was.
But they’ve just dropped the ball on what should have been a beautiful new stretch.
The plan was to finish a mile-long connector from the East Providence end of the Henderson Bridge all the way to the East Bay Bike Path.
There was even $25 million set aside to get it done.
Except WPRI recently reported that it’s now been canceled.
The main fault lies with the Trump administration, which is no friend of bike paths, and moved to kill that $25 million.
But it gets complicated, as government funding always does.
To try to rescue that money, the state DOT reportedly worked with the administration to refunnel it into a road project. Specifically, the $25 million will now be spent helping upgrade the mile-long highway between the Henderson Bridge and North Broadway in East Providence, turning it into a more pleasant boulevard.
That totally sounds worthy.
But it’s insane to throw away the bike path plan.
Especially for a particular reason in this case.
They’d already put a ton of money into starting it.
When state planners designed the new Henderson Bridge between the East Side and East Providence, they included a bike path.
It’s a beauty – well protected from traffic by a barrier, a great asset for safely riding over the Seekonk River.
The plan was to continue it another mile or so along East Providence’s Waterfront Drive, ultimately connecting with the East Bay Bike Path, which runs all the way to Bristol. Which, by the way, is one of the nicest bike paths you’ll find anywhere.
But alas, that connector plan has been canceled.
So the expensive stretch over the Henderson Bridge to East Providence is now a bike path to nowhere. Once the bridge ends, the path on it continues a few hundred yards or so and then, just … ends.
Too bad.
We were so close.
Most of the stories on the issue have been about the complex negotiation to rescue the $25 million by rerouting it to that nearby highway-to-boulevard project. But I don’t want to get lost in the weeds of that bureaucratic process here because it loses sight of the heart of this story.
Which is that an amazing new addition to one of the nation’s best state bike path systems has just been scrapped.
You can knock the Rhode Island government for blowing a lot of things.
The PawSox.
The Washington Bridge.
But they’ve done great with bike paths.
And especially, linking many of them together.
Example: not too many years ago, Providence bikers had to risk dicey traffic on the East Side to get to the more pleasant paths in India Point Park and on the 195 bridge to the East Bay Path.
But the state fixed that by adding an amazing connector that starts behind the Salvation Army building and beautifully winds along the water of the Seekonk River for a mile or so.
That makes a huge difference – and no doubt has avoided some bike-car accidents.
We were close to a comparable stretch on the other side of the river – that’s what the $25 million would have done.
But it’s now apparently dead.
Online commenters aren’t happy about it.
On a Reddit string, “Toadscoper” accused the state of being “complicit” with the feds in rerouting the money from bikes to cars.
And there was this fascinating post from FineLobster 5322, who apparently is a disappointed planner who worked on the project: “Mind you money has already been spent on phase one so rejecting it at this point is wasting money and also against the public interest … but what do I know? I only worked on the project as an engineer … I didn’t get into this to build more highways. I do it … to give back to communities and give them more access to their environment.”
Wow. One can imagine the state planning team is devastated. That’s not a small consideration. Good people go into government to make life better in Rhode Island, and it’s a bad play to take the spirit out of the job by first assigning a great human-scale project and then, after a ton of work, trashing it.
A poster named Homosapiens simply said, “We just accept this?”
Hopefully not.
The first stretch of the path over the Henderson Bridge is done, money already sunk.
What a shame to leave that as a path to nowhere.
It doesn’t have to happen.
Between Governor McKee and our Washington delegation, there’s got to be a way to get this done.
There’s got to be.
mpatinki@providencejournal.com
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
-
Louisiana1 minute agoAt least 8 children killed in shooting in Louisiana, US
-
Maine7 minutes agoWet, cooler today; rain & snow impacts across Maine
-
Maryland13 minutes agoSpeeding motorcycle rider dies in t-bone crash along Marriottsville Road
-
Michigan19 minutes agoFlood warnings continue around Cheboygan as river level stays high
-
Massachusetts25 minutes agoNew Bedford MS-13 Member, Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Role in Brutal Murders In Massachusetts, Virginia
-
Minnesota31 minutes agoVikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade
-
Mississippi37 minutes agoMississippi College Baseball Wins Series vs. West Florida for First Time
-
Missouri43 minutes agoIt’s All Madsen In Missouri High Limit Tilt – SPEED SPORT