Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of July 14, supported by your subscriptions.
- The remote-work revolution launched by the pandemic is raising concerns in Providence about the city's fiscal future, as many downtown office buildings remain largely uninhabited, except by security guards. So far, that's mostly affected landlords, real estate brokers and banks that write commercial mortgages, but that could soon change. If the value of office buildings tumbles in the city's current revaluation, residential taxpayers will be on the hook to make up the difference. The Journal's Patrick Anderson explains.
- ICYMI: Here's a roundup of ways to make the most of the surf, sand and sun at Rhode Island's beaches this summer. For more pro tips, check out our Summer Guide stories at providencejournal.com.
- For the latest sports news, including The Providence Journal's spring All-State athletes, Cranston Western's win over Tiverton in the Little League softball state championship, and Providence sailor Stu McNay's chances in the summer Olympic games in Paris, go to providencejournal.com/sports.
Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:
RI judge sides with beachfront homeowner in court fight. What does it mean for public beach access?
A Superior Court judge has issued an initial decision siding with a beachfront homeowner who argued that Rhode Island's 2023 shoreline access law amounted to an unconstitutional taking of private property.
Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter denied the state's motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed on behalf of Stilts LLC, which is owned by David Welch of South Kingstown. A final opinion is expected in the coming weeks, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing Welch in court.
The 2023 law – which established that the public has the right to use the shoreline up to 10 feet landward of the recognizable high tide line, also known as the "wrack line" – "reset" the division between public and private, and "extended the point of public access over the plaintiff’s private property," the judge wrote.
What's next in this court fight, and how does this ruling affect other pending challenges of the law by coastal property owners?
Courts: RI judge sides with beachfront homeowner in court fight. What does it mean for public beach access?
Local university president bought a lottery ticket worth $1 million. Then forgot about it.
The president of Roger Williams University in Bristol won a $1 million lottery prize in February and didn't know it until this month.
Ioannis Miaoulis bought a ticket for the $333 million Feb. 2 Mega Millions drawing while at Stop & Shop on Metacom Avenue. His numbers: 11-22-42-64-69, plus a "Mega Ball" number of 19. On the evening of Groundhog Day, when the winner was chosen, his five numbers were picked. But, his Mega Ball of 19 just missed – the winning number was 18. Matching the five numbers without the Mega Ball qualifies for a second prize of $1 million.
But Miaoulis had stashed the ticket in a little-used drawer, where it sat unseen for five months, until he opened it and discovered he had a winner.
How does he plan to spend his $700,100 net winnings? Read the full story to find out.
Local news: Local university president bought a lottery ticket worth $1 million. Then forgot about it.
'This isn't over': Why Coventry seized Johnson's Pond, and what comes next
The Fourth of July felt different this year on Johnson's Pond, a man-made reservoir in Coventry ringed by lakeside cabins and docks.
Low water levels kept people from boating and water-skiing, and the Johnson's Pond Civic Association called off its much-anticipated fireworks display. But the mood was jubilant, with plenty of homeowners lighting sparklers and Roman candles of their own.
The reason? A week before, the Town of Coventry, in an unusual step, seized the 950-acre pond by eminent domain to settle a bitter, years-long feud with its owners.
But even before the last fireworks fizzled out, townspeople had questions. Why was Coventry taking responsibility for a broken dam when the town can't even pick up the trash? And when will people who don't own a boat or a lakefront home get to benefit from the town's takeover, given that they currently lack any meaningful access to the pond?
Read on for the backstory on this latest development in Coventry's water war.
Political Scene:'This isn't over': Why Coventry seized Johnson's Pond, and what comes next
Program gives parents of special-needs kids a break – and helps train RI's future nurses
On a recent foggy morning at Roger W. Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett, two dozen nursing students hoisted beach tents, laid out blankets and set up a multitude of colorful sand toys in preparation for 14 special children to arrive.
The budding nurses, drawn from the University of Rhode Island and the Community College of Rhode Island, were participating in a URI program that provides respite care to special-needs children, in turn giving their parents a much-needed break – all free of charge.
The program, launched in 2023, is organized by URI College of Nursing clinical professor Christine McGrane, who was inspired by her Ph.D. dissertation examining the stress involved in special-needs parenting and whether respite eases at least some of that pressure.
Hear what the program means to parents, and the future nurses who participate.
Health care: Program gives parents of special-needs kids a break – and helps train RI's future nurses
Is Olneyville New York System closing? What the owner had to say and other food news
Rumors have been swirling that Olneyville New York System is teetering toward closing its doors at 20 Plainfield St. in Providence, amid rising prices that left the iconic business unable to serve the community it was designed to serve – or at least that's the story that's making the rounds.
Food editor Gail Ciampa went straight to the source – fourth-generation owner Greg Stevens – to see if it's true. Here's what she found out about one of Rhode Island's most beloved eateries, along with some other tidbits from the Ocean State's food scene.
Dining: Is Olneyville New York System closing? What the owner had to say and other food news
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