PVDFest gripes; charges dropped against ex-Friar; waterfront dining: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of Sept. 10, supported by your subscriptions.
It's been one wild week for weather in Rhode Island, beginning with flooding from torrential rain on Sunday and more rain and tornadoes on Wednesday. This weekend, we're feeling the effects of Hurricane Lee as it passes Southern New England (including "epic" surf conditions). Follow our live coverage of the storm's impact.
The air in Providence is clearer than it used to be, thanks to the landmark Clean Air Act. But some neighborhoods near industrial zones and highways are often plagued by bad air that can worsen asthma and other health problems. Brown University researchers are leading the nation in a study that will use a network of air monitors to pinpoint street-level causes of pollution and push for solutions.
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Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:
'No-fun festival': Why food truck owners were left frustrated by this year's PVDFest
Food trucks that shelled out hundreds of dollars for space at this year's PVDFest are frustrated over a washout weekend that they say tanked sales and turnout.
The owners of Ja Patty, serving traditional Jamaican patties, said sales were down more than 50% over last year's festival, and they lost thousands of dollars worth of prepared food. They blamed a festival layout that required long walks for food and left revelers little place to seek shelter during Sunday's downpour.
Jonathon Kirk, owner of Masa Taqueria, called PVDFest "a shell of what it used to be," downgraded to "a family no-fun festival."
Providence: 'No-fun festival': Why food truck owners were left frustrated by this year's PVDFest
Charges against ex-Providence basketball player Alyn Breed dismissed. Here's why.
State prosecutors on Wednesday dismissed the charges against former Providence Friars basketball standout Alyn Breed after concluding there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed.
Breed, 22, of Georgia, was arrested in April after an off-campus incident in which he was accused of brandishing a firearm at his on-and-off girlfriend as he demanded her car keys. The 33-year-old woman, who met Breed on TikTok and followed him from California to Providence, told the police that Breed had broken into her home, ordered her guest to leave, and then fled with her phone and car keys.
By the next day, the woman told police she'd found her cellphone in the trunk of her guest’s car and that she was intoxicated at the time of her report. She said she was “unsure of elements of her previous statement,” and that some aspects were false. The police never found a gun.
William J. Lynch, Breed’s lawyer, long argued that the charges were without merit, suggesting that the prosecution was malicious and perhaps even racially motivated. He faulted the state's delay in putting the allegations before a grand jury, dashing Breed’s chances to land at another school.
Courts: Charges against ex-Providence basketball player Alyn Breed dismissed
Naval aviation legend and Ohio State president hasn't hasn't forgotten Burrillville roots
When Walter “Ted” Carter won the Rhode Island Science Fair in 1977, he thought that might serve as a springboard to advanced study in biology. Perhaps he would become a dentist.
Fortunately for this state, the Navy and the higher education community in this country, he took a different direction.
Carter went on to graduate from Annapolis and became one of the most celebrated naval aviators in history. He served as president of the Naval War College and superintendent of the Naval Academy.
After 38 years of active duty, he retired from the Navy and became the eighth president of the University of Nebraska System. He was recently named Ohio State University's 17th president.
Last Friday, Ted Carter came home to Burrillville, where the high school sports facility was renamed the Vice Admiral Walter “Ted” Carter Gymnasium.
Veterans Voice: Naval aviation legend and Ohio State president hasn't hasn't forgotten Burrillville roots
Snow mammal? Normally found in Florida, manatee pays rare visit to Rhode Island
Rhode Island is being paid a rare visit by a manatee, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
One of the so-called "sea cows," which typically prefer the warmer waters of Florida, was recently spotted in Quonochontaug Pond, which is in Charlestown and Westerly, the DEM said.
Last weekend, jet skier Matt DeSalvo got a different kind of surprise when he spotted a great white shark off Narragansett, apparently feeding on a dead whale. The Atlantic Shark Institute in South Kingstown confirmed it was a great white after reviewing video from DeSalvo.
Nature: Snow mammal? Normally found in Florida, manatee pays rare visit to Rhode Island
We asked, you told us: 7 reader-favorite waterfront dining spots to try in RI
There's something about waterfront dining in Rhode Island. It's hard to beat the mix of sun, salt air and cooling breezes.
The Providence Journal recently asked readers to weigh in on their favorite spots. Hundreds of votes later, we have the results. Here are seven reader-favorite waterfront dining spots to check out in Rhode Island.
Dining: We asked, you told us: 7 reader-favorite waterfront dining spots to try in Rhode Island
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal top stories: PVDFest complaints; waterfront dining
