Culpo at Twin Oaks; Gano St. apartments; lost RI ski sites: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of March 3, supported by your subscriptions.
Rooming houses have long been one of the cheapest forms of housing on the market, a last resort for those on society's margins. But they're a dying breed, with only a handful left in Rhode Island. As part of The Journal's series on Rhode Island's housing crisis, Antonia Noori Farzan explores that trend in conversations with both rooming house owners and their residents. “I had nowhere to go,” said one Brown graduate who moved to a furnished room in Woonsocket after a series of personal misfortunes, finding both shelter and unexpected friendship with his landlord. “If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
Once upon a time, when Jennifer Lee was a bullied kid in East Providence, she found solace watching a VHS tape of the animated classic "Cinderella." Years later, Lee is the star of her own Cinderella story, with an Oscar for writing and directing the hit "Frozen" and a job as the first woman in charge of Walt Disney Animation Studios. How did that happen? It's an inspiring story.
Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, so remember to set your clock ahead one hour before turning in tonight. Here's why we "spring forward" and why Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is pushing to make daylight saving time permanent.
The final weekend of the Big East regular season is about to get underway, and the Friars have one last chance to burnish their March Madness credentials tonight against top dog UConn. Bill Koch breaks down the latest batch of Big East power rankings as we enter crunch time. For that and more college and high school sportsnews, go to providencejournal.com/sports.
Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:
Olivia Culpo brings fiancé Christian McCaffrey to one of her favorite RI restaurants
For his first visit to Twin Oaks in Cranston, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey couldn't have asked for a better guide to one of Rhode Island's most well-known restaurants: his fiancée, reality star Olivia Culpo.
Culpo is as much of a regular at Twin Oaks as any Rhode Islander who has moved to Los Angeles can be. She has repeatedly talked about how much she loves the chicken parmesan, and her family is friends with the owners, the Deangelus family, who went to Las Vegas to support her when she was competing in the Miss USA pageant en route to her 2012 Miss Universe win.
It was that close friendship with the Deangelus family that brought Culpo and McCaffrey to Twin Oaks last Sunday.
Dining: Olivia Culpo brings fiancé Christian McCaffrey to one of her favorite RI restaurants
Neighbors tried to stop a 133-unit apartment complex on Gano Street. A judge just tossed their case.
A Superior Court Judge denied the appeal seeking to overturn Providence's approval of a four-building, 133-unit apartment complex going up on Gano Street in Fox Point.
Two adjacent property owners and a real estate developer a half-mile away challenged the Providence City Plan Commission's approval of the project, as well as "adjustments" that allow increases in the buildings' maximum height, according to the city's final plan approval.
Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Lanphear ruled in favor of the city and the developer of the Power Street Apartments, finding that the two neighboring property owners had no injuries that would give them standing to sue and that they were not entitled to notice of the project.
Local news: Neighbors tried to stop a 133-unit apartment complex on Gano Street. A judge just tossed their case.
Yawgoo Valley is the only ski area left in RI. Do you remember any of the 4 that closed?
Rhode Island isn't much of a ski state.
There’s one ski resort – Yawgoo Valley Ski Area and Water Park in Exeter – that keeps skiing (and snow tubing) alive, so Rhode Island doesn’t become the only New England state without a ski slope to its name. But the state's relatively flat landscape is less than ideal for the downhill sport.
One What and Why RI reader asked: “Did RI ever have other ski resorts besides Yawgoo? And if so, what happened to them?”
We sure did. There were four other ski resorts in the state. Here’s what happened to them.
What and Why RI:Yawgoo Valley is the only ski area left in RI. Do you remember any of the 4 that closed?
The customs, quirks and unspoken rules that really decide how bills become law in RI
You probably already know the basic Civics 101 explanation of how a bill becomes a law. But each state legislature has its own distinctive customs and quirks, and Rhode Island is no exception.
For instance: Most bills get a hearing, regardless of their chance at passing. But when legislation actually goes up for a vote, the outcome is typically pre-ordained.
Read on for an overview of how lawmaking really happens, from the idea stage to the governor's signature.
Political Scene: The customs, quirks and unspoken rules that really decide how bills become law in RI
Food, history and beaches. Yankee Magazine named these RI towns among best places to live
Yankee Magazine named two Rhode Island towns among the best places to live in New England.
Instead of a simple numerical ranking for its 2024 Best Places to Live in New England, Yankee accounted for different tastes by breaking its list into categories, such as best for adventure, best up-and-coming food town and best coastal town.
In each category, the magazine names a top, a worthy alternative and an affordable option.
Here’s which Rhode Island towns made the top rankings in their categories, and one that was named a worthy alternative.
Lifestyle:Food, history and beaches. Yankee Magazine named these RI towns among best places to live
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Journal top stories: Culpo and McCaffrey at Twin Oaks; RI ski sites