Primary care shortage; exodus at AG's office; Airport Connector: Top stories this week

Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of Dec 3, supported by your subscriptions.

• For more than a decade, Rhode Island Recycled Metals has been a headache for the state's environmental authorities, with a graveyard of junk vessels rusting in the waters off its site on the Providence River. All but one of the boats are now gone, and the focus is shifting from water to land, where investigators are exploring whether the scrap yard's actions have released toxins into the environment. The Journal's Alex Kuffner explains why enforcement has proven so difficult.

• As 2023 winds down, it's a good time to remember the stores we've loved and lost, and vote for the ones we'd bring back if we could. Think of it as a visit to the Ghosts of Retailers Past.

• Satisfy your sweet tooth with a stop at the family-owned Sweenor's Chocolates in Cranston, where handmade candy canes are a seasonal labor of love.

• University of Rhode Island hoops fans celebrated the Rams' deep run in the NCAA Tournament 25 years ago with the induction of the second class into the school's basketball Ring of Honor. Read about that and more at providencejournal.com/sports.

Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:

'How did this happen?' Primary care shortage keeps hitting RI hard

Long waits, frustrated patients and overworked health care staff are symptoms of a doctor shortage that has pushed providers to the brink of burnout. The crisis has been building nationally for years, causing the head of the American Medical Association to raise alarms over doctors saddled with college debt and stretched to exhaustion.

Rhode Island is no exception, particularly when it comes to primary care. The people tasked with monitoring your health to prevent disease and treat illnesses are leaving their jobs. Blame workplace pressures, low Medicare reimbursement rates, administrative hassles and retirement.

A new study says Rhode Island will need nearly 100 more primary care physicians in the next six years to keep up with demand.

Health care: 'How did this happen?' Primary care shortage keeps hitting RI hard

More than 150 employees have left the AG's office since 2019. What that means for RI.

The Rhode Island attorney general's office has seen high turnover over the last three years, particularly among some of its most seasoned lawyers, records requests and analysis by The Providence Journal shows.

More than 150 employees have left since 2019, with some taking significant pay cuts to do so. The high turnover – which has seen almost the entire Civil Division depart – is affecting how cases are proceeding in federal court, causing discovery delays and resulting in lawyers being assigned to complex cases on short notice and scrambling to get up to speed.

While experts say the legal system – like many professions – is experiencing high turnover nationwide, particularly since the COVID pandemic, the exact cause of the lawyer exodus remains murky.

The AG’s office said such movement is normal, and the department is steadily hiring to fill vacancies. But several departed lawyers described a culture of mismanagement, strict top-down leadership by Attorney General Peter Neronha and his administrative team, and an environment in which their experience wasn’t valued and questions weren’t tolerated. They reported feeling sidelined and mistreated.

Courts: More than 150 employees have left the AG's office since 2019. What that means for RI.

What are they building by the Airport Connector and I-95 intersection? We found out.

Road construction projects are happening all around the state all the time. There's the new Interstate 95 North project, the tireless work on the Pell Bridge, and the new roundabout at the Henderson Bridge.

This week, What and Why RI looks into a smaller Rhode Island Department of Transportation project under construction in the grassy area next to I-95.

“What is being built in the intersection of I-95 and the Airport Connector in Warwick?” a reader wrote in to ask, referring specifically to the wall-metal frame that recently went up.

Here’s what we found out.

What and Why RI: What are they building by the Airport Connector and I-95 intersection? We found out.

Judge Frank Caprio announces pancreatic cancer diagnosis

Retired Providence Municipal Court judge and former "Caught in Providence" star Frank Caprio is suffering from pancreatic cancer, he announced on social media.

"I would ask each of you in your own way to please pray for me," Caprio said in a video posted to Facebook.

Caprio said he is being treated by "a wonderful team of doctors" in Rhode Island and at Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

"I pray that God guides their thoughts and their hands in their treatment of me," Caprio said.

Local news: Judge Frank Caprio announces pancreatic cancer diagnosis

Rhode Island's best Italian restaurant? Here are 7 reader picks

As home to one of the five best Little Italys in America, Rhode Island has one of the finest Italian food scenes you'll find outside of Italy.

With so many options, the hardest part is deciding which restaurant to visit.

The Providence Journal asked readers to nominate places to include in the poll on our Instagram page @ProJoEats, which we then compiled into a true poll asking people to vote for their favorite. Here are the top seven reader picks.

Dining: Rhode Island's best Italian restaurant? Here are 7 reader picks

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal top stories: Doctor shortage; AG's office exodus