Follow us on social media:
Rhode Island
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
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.
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.
Rhode Island
Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than $500K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Scott-Naso-022526-1-079e2e33c43a473590695ebdb06147b3.jpg?ssl=1 "Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than 0K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe")
As the two-year anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, widowed single father Scott Naso is sounding an alarm to fellow parents across the country — and especially in Rhode Island, where he lives with his now 4-year-old daughter, Laila.
-
Delaware50 seconds agoState Police Arrest Dover Man for Assault and Aggravated Menacing in Dover – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware
-
Florida7 minutes agoSNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
-
Georgia13 minutes agoGeorgia on nobody’s mind: The Dawgs are under the radar, and that’s a compliment
-
Hawaii19 minutes agoLarge section of Aloha Stadium demolished as project proceeds – West Hawaii Today
-
Idaho25 minutes ago
Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on April 18, 2026
-
Illinois31 minutes ago5 tornadoes confirmed in Illinois from Friday’s storms
-
Indiana37 minutes agoAn Indiana district turned to voters to fund more preschool seats. Here’s what happened next.
-
Iowa43 minutes agoVote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)