Stop & Shop closures; Ruggerio’s absence; RI’s quirky gems: Top stories this week

Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of May 19, supported by your subscriptions.

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

Is your Stop & Shop closing?

Its corporate parent, the Dutch-based Ahold Delhaize, said at an investor meeting last week that it will close underperforming stores, without saying how many or which ones.

“Stop & Stop has done a thorough evaluation and is focused on assuring a stable and thriving future,” the Dutch company’s chief executive for the United States, JJ Fleeman, said during an online presentation dated May 23. That includes “optimizing the portfolio to focus on core markets where it can win.”

Stop & Shop has 395 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and parts of New York and New Jersey. That includes 26 locations in Rhode Island.

Business: Stop & Shop plans to close underperforming stores. What we know so far.

Out of sight for more than a month, 75-year-old Senate President Dominick Ruggerio had hoped to return to his powerful, front-and-center perch in the Senate chamber this week.

But that is not happening.

Ruggerio, the long-serving political warhorse who acknowledged last month that he is battling cancer, is no longer giving an estimated time for his return to work at the State House, though he says he hopes to return soon.

In a statement, Ruggerio attributed his absence to “health complications” from a virus he contracted in April. He says that even at a distance, he is actively engaged by phone in high-level, end-of-session negotiations on legislation, including the big budget bill still in progress.

Ruggerio has not presided over the Senate since April 23, and has not attended a session since April 25.

Politics: Where is Dominick Ruggerio? RI Senate president has been out over a month. What we know.

Narragansett’s summer tourist season began with a cloud hanging over property owners like Joseph Volpe, who rent a room, apartment or house on websites like Airbnb and VRBO.

One of the most aggressive local ordinances in Rhode Island to curtail the short-term rental of homes is set to go into effect there in September, so this may be the last summer Volpe offers his four-bedroom house online for use by visitors.

Most observers, including state Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor, say the sale and conversion of homes from year-round use to vacation rental is contributing to the shortage of apartments and houses on the market.

Will cracking down on vacation rentals actually make the problem better or worse? That’s unclear.

State House reporter Patrick Anderson explains the state law that legalized short-term rentals, the local ordinances enacted to impose restrictions or ban them outright, and the House study commission that is delving into the matter.

Housing: Vacation is over: New regs tamp down Narragansett Airbnbs as RI studies short-term rentals

Journal reporter Amy Russo is leaving Rhode Island, but she says she’ll take many memories with her, including experiences she had in her adopted state while writing her New to RI column. She spent time tending the braziers at WaterFire, did some quahog digging and clam cake eating, and, at one point, plunged into a practically frozen Greenwich Bay in January.

In her farewell, she lists the places she’ll miss the most. If you’re a seasoned Rhode Islander, you’ll know them all.

Entertainment: RI has plenty of quirky and fun hidden gems. Here are a few to visit.

It is not often that Journal food editor Gail Ciampa is so taken by a meal that she forgets to take a photo of what she’s eating. But she did just that on a recent visit to Providence’s Capital Grille.

While Gail and her husband were sipping cocktails and listening to the list of specials, the mention of a bone-in filet sealed her decision. What makes this special cut so intensely flavorful that it’s worth every penny of the $80 price? Gail can explain.

Dining: There’s a secret menu item at this Providence steakhouse. Why you’ve got to try it soon

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