Rhode Island
Taylor Swift in RI; Atlantic Mills sale; rebuilding Republicans: Top stories this week
Drone pilot Marc Bontemps captures video of Providence skyline
Bontemps, known for his aerial photos and videos on the Instagram account captured.by.marc, shares his craft with columnist Mark Patinkin.
captured.by.marc
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of Aug. 25, supported by your subscriptions.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
WESTERLY – Rhode Island’s most famous part-time resident spent time this week at her Watch Hill home, along with her football star boyfriend, at least according to People magazine and TMZ.
Both outlets report that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce – along with pals Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Bradley Cooper – were in Rhode Island this week, as the singer takes a break from her Eras tour, which resumes in October, and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end prepares for his Sept. 5 season opener against the Ravens.
Read on for more details on the celebrity sightings around Swift’s Watch Hill mansion, dubbed the “Holiday House.”
Entertainment: Taylor Swift is in Rhode Island this weekend (and she brought some famous friends with her)
PROVIDENCE − The owner of the Atlantic Mills in Olneyville has put the giant mill building up for sale after backing out of a deal with the city and the Providence Redevelopment Agency to buy the sprawling property.
Those who work in the building say they are worried about being kicked out of one of the cheapest manufacturing, warehouse and office spaces in the city, which could mean the end of business for some of them.
Unlike downtown Providence, where offices have remained empty since the pandemic, the Atlantic Mills is almost full, with an estimated 88% of its occupiable space leased. Tenant businesses say that alternative spaces elsewhere in the city are far too expensive and lack the sense of community they prize at their current location.
“We call this a hidden gem,” said tenant Mike McNulty, who runs a woodshop there.
Real estate: ‘Hidden gem’: Pending sale of Atlantic Mills leaves tenants worried about their future
All summer long, American Mussel Harvesters’ 8-acre oyster farm south of the Jamestown Bridge sat idle.
The problem wasn’t the oysters. It was the 90-minute voyage to get there. And Adam Silkes, who oversees the operation, just couldn’t justify burning all that time and fuel.
Until a few years ago, American Mussel Harvesters kept its boats at a marina near the company’s Quonset headquarters, so shellfish only had a five-minute trip from dock to cooler. Then, according to Silkes, the cost of dock space more than doubled.
“It’s reaching crisis proportions, honestly,” said Bob Rheault, executive director of both the Ocean State Aquaculture Association and East Coast Shellfish Growers Association. If you can’t access your farm, he said, “it’s a death knell.”
Read the full story to learn what’s causing the shortage of affordable dock space, and what solutions are being proposed to protect the state’s aquaculture industry.
Local news: Rising prices leave oyster farmers, quahoggers searching for places to dock their boats
“It just makes sense to be a Republican in Rhode Island!” proclaims a whiteboard in the unassuming headquarters of the Rhode Island GOP.
GOP chairman Joe Powers, who came up with the slogan, argues that people are “sick and tired” after almost 90 years of Democratic rule. But when asked about the main obstacles that he faces when trying to enlist candidates, he answers bluntly: “Being a Republican in Rhode Island.”
Rhode Island voters have gone nearly two decades without electing a Republican to any of the state’s top offices or to Congress. And GOP members are shut out of many of the positions that typically serve as a pipeline to political advancement.
Political Scene explores how Powers and the state GOP’s new executive director, 22-year-old Aidan Carey, are trying to build the party’s bench and chip away at Democrats’ supermajority.
Political Scene: Is there a path for Republicans in RI? Inside the party’s effort to build its bench.
Journal columnist Mark Patinkin was scrolling through Instagram one day when he came across a post with stunning aerial nighttime footage of Providence, backed by classical music.
Curious about the person behind the page captured.by.marc, he tracked down Marc Bontemps, a Montreal native now living in Providence who wanted to show off the beauty of his adopted city. Bontemps became a licensed drone pilot, capturing images ranging from WaterFire to tugboats on Narragansett Bay, and he displayed his craft while being interviewed on Providence’s pedestrian bridge.
Mark Patinkin: Drone pilot’s videos hold Providence in the highest regard. How he works his aerial magic
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.
Rhode Island
What food is Rhode Island famous for? You have to try these 16 classics
RI’s best Italian restaurants: Federal Hill to South County our favorites
From Federal Hill to South County, the best Italian restaurants across Rhode Island.
Journal Staff
Rhode Island has a thing for let’s say unusual foods.
We like Awful Awful drinks and coffee in our milk. We routinely confuse people on social media with our love of pizza strips that don’t even have cheese. We promoted giant stuffed clams in airports and calamari at the Democratic National Convention.
Quirky and distinctive food is part of the Rhode Island culture. Here are 16 of the speciality foods that Rhode Island is famous for.
Awful Awful
Awful big and awful good, this drink, which combines flavored syrups with ice milk instead of the ice cream one would find in a classic milkshake, was originally a New Jersey thing. But, today Newport Creamery has the rights to it, and it’s officially a Rhode Island thing.
Coffee Milk
For those who didn’t grow up drinking coffee milk from cartons in elementary school, coffee milk is exactly what it sounds like: milk mixed with a sweet coffee syrup. The drink was invented in Rhode Island, sometime in the 1930s.
Del’s Lemonade
Never drink it with a straw! Del’s Lemonade is a frozen lemonade with roots in European fruit ices. Perfectly refreshing on a summer beach day, lemon is the classic flavor but the brand offers many others.
Doughboys
Awfully close to the fried dough you might find at any old state fair, but better because of their smaller, more manageable pillow shape. Cover these in sugar and cinnamon for maximum happiness.
Stuffies
Served in the shell, stuffies are baked stuffed clams with lots of breading and butter. This Rhode Island food is so iconic that a seven-foot version was placed in airports around the country to attract visitors to the Ocean State.
Clam Cakes
A deep-fried fritter made with chopped clams, clam juice and a flour base. They have a similar consistency to a hush puppy after they’re fried and are more cakey than say a crab cake.
RI-style Calamari
Take a basic calamari appetizer (batter and fried squid) and toss it in butter, garlic and hot peppers, and you get Rhode Island-style calamari. The dish is the official state appetizer.
RI Clam Chowder
A lighter take on clam chowder than the New England or Manhattan versions, Rhode Island clam chowder skips the cream and the tomatoes giving it a clear broth.
Lobster Roll
Sure, Maine gets a lot of credit for their lobster rolls, but Rhode Island’s are every bit as good. As a state, we’re not picky about if they’re warm or cold. We just like them with an ocean view.
New York System Wiener
We know, it says New York in the name, but we promise this is a Rhode Island thing. The weiners – which are a mix of beef, pork and veal – come in a natural casing that makes a 20-foot rope that the restaurants has to cut to size by hand. Once in the bun, it’s covered in a spicy sauce that includes onions and ground meat.
Grinder
If you’re really from Rhode Island, you’ll pronounce it “grindah” and forget about the r. This Rhode Island favorite is a sandwich made with Italian cold cuts, pickles and other vegetables put on a grinder roll. You can mix up the cold cuts, but they have to stay in the salumi family.
Dynamite
A Woonsocket classic, the dynamite sandwich is a type of sloppy joe-like sandwich served in a torpedo roll with a spicy sauce often made in batches large enough to feed a crowd.
Pizza Strips
Also called a party pizza, red strips or a bakery pizza, a pizza strip is a rectangular strip of pizza, served on a crust that would be best described as focaccia, topped with tomato sauce and often a dusting of grated Romano cheese. It’s served at room temperature.
Johnnycakes
Similar to a pancake, the main difference is Johnnycakes are made with stone-ground cornmeal. A staple at May Breakfasts across the state, they’re very easy to make.
Pepper biscuits
An Italian treat, a pepper biscuit is a simple biscuit flavored with fennel and pepper rolled out into a log before being twisted into a round. The crunchy snack pairs well with a glass of wine.
Zeppole
A treat traditionally served on St. Joseph’s Day, zeppole resembles a flattened cream puff, filled with cream and topped with more cream and a cherry. Traditional ones are filled with pastry cream. Others are made with ricotta cheese, chocolate cream or whipped cream and fruit.
Rhode Island
Dreamflight Studio Releases Rhode Island for MSFS – FSElite
Dreamflight has released its rendition of Rhode Island for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024.
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (KPVD) features the Bruce Sundlun Terminal, a modern two-level facility with North and South concourses housing around 20 gates. It’s served by major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and Breeze, offering frequent connections to major hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Washington, along with seasonal routes to Florida and select Caribbean destinations.
Dreamflight’s version of TF Green Airport delivers an accurate and up-to-date recreation of the real location, featuring a fully modelled terminal interior, detailed ground work, and the current 2025 layout. Handcrafted textures, tuned night lighting, and realistic clutter help bring the environment to life, while static aircraft placements match real-world operations. The package also includes a GSX profile for enhanced ground service compatibility.
You can buy it from Contrail for 16.99 (excluding taxes).
Features
- Accurate, data-driven airport recreation – Modeled using real-world references to deliver the most precise TF Green experience available
- High-quality textures and detailed custom modeling
- Fully modeled terminal interior
- Custom ground poly – Realistic pavement detail, accurate taxiway markings, and updated surface materials
- Up-to-date 2025 airport layout
- Professionally tuned night lighting
- ATC tower interior
- Authentic ground clutter and service equipment
- Patriots 767 parked as in real life, static business jets
- Handcrafted PBR materials
- Detailed parking lots and landside areas
- GSX Profile by pvrlpe
Rhode Island
Renovations bring new look, new stores to TF Green Airport
WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport is undergoing a multimillion-dollar project to improve the airport’s terminal.
The project includes multiple new restaurants and stores along with a new decorative flooring that will replace the old carpet throughout the terminal.
The new restaurants inside the terminal include Narragansett Kitchen and Bar in the North Concourse, replacing the location of the old TGI Fridays.
“It’s a great facility, we opened this in May of this year, it’s over a $2 million investment,” said Nikolas Persson, executive vice president of business development. “We want to make sure that when our passengers are arriving here, they have the best impression of our state, and when they’re leaving that the last impression is a lasting one.”
In the South Concourse, the new restaurant is Federal Hill, an Italian restaurant.
Federal Hill is a new restaurant in the South Concourse at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick. (WJAR)
The old Providence Provisions will be replaced with a new Block Island-inspired seafood restaurant.
A Burger King will also replace Rhode Island Burger Co. near the TSA security line.
“We want to make sure that our of our customers have something that their familiar with,” said Persson.
The project to install the new retail and restaurant attractions cost $21 million, while the flooring cost $20.5 million.
According to the airport, the projects are funded by federal funds and airport revenue, not taxpayer money.
It’s not clear what will happen to the sailboat at the information center at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick. (WJAR)
The airport said it’s unclear what will happen to the sailboat by the information desk at baggage claim. But the airport ensures the live piano music will remain.
In the near future, the airport will undergo a $64 million project to improve its walls, ceilings, seating and lighting. Each project at the airport is done in phases.
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