Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of Sept. 22, supported by your subscriptions .
- Private investigators are icons of pop culture, from Marlow to Magnum to Rockford. But what's life like for a real PI? The Journal's Tom Mooney gets the scoop from Bristol's Charlie Galligan, who has nearly 35 years of experience talking his way into people's confidence – and talking his way out of tense situations. For Galligan, likability is a super power.
- When hunger pangs strike on your next visit to Newport , but you don't want to battle tourists and spend a fortune, check out these insider picks by a native , Journal reporter Antonia Noori Farzan, who offers pro tips on finding bargain-priced lobster rolls, creative coffee drinks and Italian food she argues is even better than in Providence.
- Fall is officially here, aka the season of pumpkin spice everything. Check out our fall fun bucket list , with activities for every weekend through November, and some fun food things to do , including Oktoberfest celebrations and USA TODAY Food & Wine Experience , featuring great local restaurants, breweries and makers. It runs today from 1 to 4 p.m. at 195 District Park in Providence.
- Spirits are running high with the return of high school sports – maybe a bit too high at the football season opener for South Kingstown and Portsmouth. A shoving match between two parents after the Rebels' 21-20 overtime win led police to charge both parents with disorderly conduct this week. For more high school and college sports news and coverage of the New England Patriots , go to providencejournal.com/sports .
Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com :
Posting tow trucks along Interstate 195 on an "emergency standby" basis is one of RIDOT's strategies for trying to alleviate traffic issues associated with the Washington Bridge crisis .
The sooner a tow truck can haul out a disabled vehicle, the sooner the resulting traffic backup can end. That's the DOT's rationale for the practice. And it passes muster with Rhode Island State Police.
DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin justifies the $1.4 million spent so far to keep tow trucks at the ready around the clock, saying, "Every minute matters when we can clear lanes quicker." But does standby towing really help? Read the full story to find out.
Local news: 'Every minute matters': Are standby tow trucks really easing Washington Bridge traffic?
A lost-and-found wallet on a photo assignment for the Warwick Mall led to a decades-long friendship and, in this election year, an endorsement by all-time NFL leading point scorer Adam Vinatieri for Cranston City Council candidate Alan Rudolph .
Vinatieri, who was a place kicker for 24 seasons – 10 with the New England Patriots and 14 with the Indianapolis Colts – endorses Rudolph for the Ward 4 Council seat in a video in which he gives "a shout out to my friend Alan, [who] I've known since 1996, and I can honestly say there's no better person for the job.
Read on for the backstory on how Rudolph, who faces School Committeeman Frank Ritz in the council election, became friends and business partners with Vinatieri, starting with a good deed 28 years ago.
Politics: How 30 Super Bowl tickets and a lost wallet led Pats' Vinatieri to endorse this RI candidate
What are the hopes of those who want a constitutional convention in Rhode Island? That depends on whom you ask.
The right-leaning Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity envisions term limits for "compromised politicians, bought-and-owned by special interest groups"; expanded school choice options; "saving women’s sports by Constitutionally prohibiting biological boys and men from competing in girls and women’s sport s"; and " workplace freedom ... [from] restrictive state laws or oppressive union rules."
Opponents of a constitutional convention , including unions, civil rights and women's advocacy groups, have a long list of fears that boils down to this: "Big-monied special interests hijacking our constitution." And 50 days out from Election Day, they are so far the only ones successfully raising and spending money to defeat the constitutional convention question.
Political Scene explains the arguments on sides of the issue and looks at how voters are feeling , according to the most recent poll.
Political Scene: Hopes, fears and money go into campaigns for and against constitutional convention
A tug-of-war over the McKee administration's proposed use of $108 million in federal "internet for all" dollars has evolved into a lawsuit by Cox Communications against the state .
Cox is seeking to stop the R.I. Commerce Corporation from using a "flawed mapping and challenge process to build redundant broadband internet infrastructure in some of Rhode Island’s wealthiest communities ... while ignoring residents truly in need of better broadband service and financial assistance to pay for it."
Put another way: Cox alleges that Commerce plans to spend "millions of dollars building internet infrastructure in ... [areas] where residents already have access to high-speed internet." That includes "homes in Barrington on Rumstick Road and Nayatt Point and mansions along Ocean Drive in Newport ... at the expense of Central Falls, Woonsocket and Providence,” according to a Cox spokesperson.
Local news: Cox files lawsuit against RI over $108M statewide internet plan
Two weeks into the RIIL high school football season and we’re starting to see some trends developing and favorites are showing their faces.
The middle class of the divisions – outside of D-I, which is as strong as it’s ever been – is where the drama currently lies. It’s great for football but maybe not so great for power rankings. Coming up with 16 teams wasn’t a tough process, but finding four others proved difficult.
Read on to find out sportswriter Eric Rueb's Top 20 heading into Week 3.
Sports: Which are the best HS football teams in RI after Week 2? Here's how Eric Rueb ranks them
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com . Find out how to subscribe here .
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Standby tow trucks; Vinatieri endorsement; constitutional convention: Top stories this week
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