'Bachelor' drama; Washington Bridge hearing; rabid coyote: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of Feb. 11, supported by your subscriptions.
Two Rhode Island restaurants are among 47 honored as USA TODAY's Restaurants of the Year for 2024. Read our reviews of Gift Horse, chef Benjamin Sukle's inventive new seafood restaurant in Providence, and Sly Fox Den Too, the farm-to-table Charlestown eatery that celebrates Indigenous cuisine, run by James Beard Award-winning chef Sherry Pocknett, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. And if you're heading to Midcoast Maine, you'll want to know about the pop-up feasts at Black Goat Test Kitchen + Supperclub.
Do you love where you work? Consider nominating your company for a Providence Journal Top Workplaces Award. It's a fast and easy way to promote morale and recognize employers who go the extra mile. The deadline for nominations is March 22.
“You could argue he’s the greatest college coach who’s ever coached our game,” Providence College men's basketball coach Kim English says of Rick Pitino, who led the Friars to the Final Four in 1987 and went on to win NCAA championships with Kentucky and Louisville. At 71, Pitino has his sights on another national title with St. John's in what is likely his last stand as a head coach. Read that and more college and high school sports news, as well as a guide to Red Sox spring training, at providencejournal.com/sports.
Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:
In Malta, Newport's Sydney Gordon's dramatic time on 'The Bachelor' comes to an end
On the fourth episode of Season 28 of "The Bachelor," Newport's Sydney Gordon found herself on a romantic European date – a tour of Malta's Blue Grotto caves with this season's Bachelor, Joey Graziadei, capped by a romantic dinner.
The only problem: It wasn't a one-on-one date but a two-on-one date with one of the other women, Canadian Maria Georgas, with whom Gordon had been in a multiple-episode feud. Graziadei said he asked for the triple date to get some clarity on the fight between the two women, but in the end, Georgas got the rose and Gordon was sent home to face what she described as a torrent of online abuse from "The Bachelor" fanbase.
Read on for a recap of Gordon's four stormy episodes and what she posted afterward on Instagram.
Television: In Malta, Newport's Sydney Gordon's dramatic time on 'The Bachelor' comes to an end
Broken bridge parts and specks of blue paint. How long was bridge at risk before closure?
State transportation officials spotlighted the importance of broken tie-down rods when they closed the Washington Bridge's westbound lanes on Route 195 on Dec. 11, citing the potential for a catastrophe.
More than two months later, it still isn't clear how long the rods had been broken.
Appearing at an oversight hearing on Monday, Peter Alviti Jr., director of the state Department of Transportation, told state lawmakers that various "forensic" analyses can answer such "look-back" questions.
One tempting line of inquiry: specks of bright blue paint, visible in a DOT photograph of one of the broken tie-down rods, which may help pinpoint when the break occurred.
Local news: Broken bridge parts and specks of blue paint. How long was bridge at risk before closure?
Coyote that attacked two people in RI last week had rabies. State urges caution.
A coyote thought to be responsible for two attacks on humans last week has tested positive for rabies, the state has confirmed.
The coyote is believed to have bitten a man walking his dog on Peeptoad Road in Scituate on Thursday and then attacked a hiker in Johnston on Friday.
The hiker, a Johnston man bitten in the leg, pinned the coyote down by its neck, killing it by cutting off its air supply, police said. The carcass was taken for testing, and the state Department of Health confirmed the rabies diagnosis.
Find out what state officials are advising for anyone who might have came into contact with the coyote, either directly or through a pet.
Public health: Coyote that attacked two people in RI last week had rabies. State urges caution.
Wine and dine? Not so fast – these restaurants were stopped from serving alcohol, for now
Those planning on a romantic dinner on Valentine's Day had to change plans if they wanted to imbibe at several Providence restaurants.
As of Monday night, a handful of establishments still had active cease-and-desist orders barring them from serving alcohol as they failed to meet requirements for a renewed liquor license.
According to Mayor Brett Smiley's spokesman, Josh Estrella, liquor licenses expire on Dec. 1 each year, and applications for renewals are due well beforehand, on Oct. 1. But it's not enough to just apply. The city's Board of Licenses then has to review the applications.
Read the full story to see which restaurants are currently not able to serve alcohol.
Dining: Wine and dine? Not so fast – these restaurants were stopped from serving alcohol, for now
Feeling old? 5 of the oldest places in Rhode Island you can still see today
Rhode Island has a lot of history.
Roger Williams, famously banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his advocacy of religious tolerance and the separation of church and state, purchased land from the Narragansett tribe in 1636 to start a new settlement. Connecticut was founded the same year, making the pair the fifth and sixth of the original 13 Colonies.
Getting such an early start comes with a lot of historic buildings, including the oldest restaurant in the country.
Check out our list of five of the oldest places in Rhode Island.
History: Feeling old? 5 of the oldest places in Rhode Island you can still see today
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal top stories: 'Bachelor' drama; bridge hearing
