Late pitch to save McCoy; Jimmy Buffett surprise; nurse suspended: Top stories this week
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Here's a look at some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of July 2, supported by your subscriptions.
What's to become of the historic Cranston Street Armory? That's what weary residents of Providence's West End are asking after decades of passionate but (so far) fruitless advocacy for its redevelopment. With the latest proposal in limbo amid an embarrassing national scandal, neighbors are in a familiar place: feeling defeated and wondering when they will see progress — if ever. Columnist Mark Patinkin says it's time for state officials to summon the political will to save a Rhode Island landmark.
Providence Restaurant Weeks gets underway this weekend. Food writer Gail Ciampa whets your appetite with a guide to special menus and promotions.
Which baseball players with Rhode Island ties might be tapped when the MLB Draft begins Sunday night? Bishop Hendricken pitcher Alex Clemmey is expected to be off the board early, but he could have some company. For the latest on the draft and other high school and college sports news, go to providencejournal.com/sports.
Did you keep up with the week's events? Take our news quiz.
Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:
Billionaire with RI ties wants to buy McCoy Stadium to bring back baseball. Is it too late?
Journal sportswriter Eric Rueb broke the news this week about a billionaire businessman with ties to Rhode Island who is hoping to save McCoy Stadium and bring baseball back to Pawtucket. But the city’s mayor says the final pitch to save the ballpark has long since been thrown.
Stefan Soloviev, who studied at the University of Rhode Island, says he’s willing to buy the stadium and its land, make the necessary renovations and do whatever is needed to ensure professional baseball returns. But Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien said plans to demolish McCoy and use the site for the city’s new high school are signed, sealed and delivered.
Soloviev said he's beaten the odds before, saving a stretch of railroad slated for demolition in Colorado.
Sports: Billionaire with RI ties wants to buy McCoy Stadium to bring back baseball. Is it too late?
A nurse reportedly wrote his number on a patient's thigh. The state suspended his license.
The state Department of Health suspended a nurse’s license to practice after a patient accused him of writing his name and phone number on her thigh and touching her inappropriately during an examination.
Interim Director Dr. Utpala Bandy suspended the license of Raymond Dillon III after determining that continuation of his practice would “constitute an immediate danger to the public.”
According to the suspension notice, a female patient at an unidentified urgent care center said Dillon rubbed her arm and her upper leg after raising her shorts without permission to admire a tattoo. He reportedly encouraged the patient to call him, saying he could provide any prescriptions she needed, and commented about taking her out for wine, according to the notice.
Local news: A nurse reportedly wrote his number on a patient's thigh. The state suspended his license.
Why a plane saying that the RI shore isn't private flew over beaches on Saturday
A small plane with a banner stating, "THE RHODE ISLAND SHORE IS NOT PRIVATE!" flew over South County beaches last Saturday.
"The point is the Rhode Island shore belongs to the Rhode Island public — always did," said Scott Keeley, the activist who organized the demonstration.
Keeley said he initially envisioned the fly-over as a protest, but it ended up being a celebration of new legislation that allows public use of the shoreline within 10 feet of the visible high tide line.
On Friday, however, a group of coastal property owners drew a new line in the sand, filing a federal lawsuit to overturn the shoreline access law on constitutional grounds.
Beach access: Why a plane saying that the RI shore isn't private flew over beaches on Saturday
Jimmy Buffett plays a surprise performance in Portsmouth
Jimmy Buffett sings that life is “more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party,” but that didn’t stop him from surprising an audience in Portsmouth last Sunday.
The singer-songwriter made an impromptu 45-minute appearance at Sunset Cove, bringing the screaming crowd to its feet.
A video of the concert posted to Facebook shows Mac McAnally, the headliner for the show and longtime member of The Coral Reefer Band, in the middle of singing “It’s Five O'clock Somewhere.” When he got to the lyric “At a moment like this, I can't help but wonder what would Jimmy Buffett do,” Buffett himself showed up with an answer.
Entertainment: Jimmy Buffett plays a surprise performance in Portsmouth, RI. How did it happen?
2 RI Christmas Tree Shops to close in company's bankruptcy proceedings
Christmas Tree Shops in Warwick, Middletown and North Attleboro, Massachusetts, appear poised to close their doors forever.
The liquidation sales and closure of all Christmas Tree Shops in the country was outlined in proposed orders filed in federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware on June 29.
The Massachusetts-based retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 5, along with its parent company, Handil Holdings. The two Rhode Island stores are among 74 Christmas Tree Shops stores — all the remaining locations — that are slated to be closed.
Business: 2 RI Christmas Tree Shops to close in company's bankruptcy proceedings
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: McCoy Stadium pitch; Jimmy Buffett: Providence Journal top stories
