School star ratings; Providence's hot housing market; French fries: Top stories this week

Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of Jan. 7, supported by your subscriptions.

• It's been another week of wild weather in Rhode Island, starting with the first significant snowstorm to hit the region in nearly two years, followed two days later by torrential rain that caused still more flooding, evacuations and road closures, and capped by a second heavy rainstorm Friday night into Saturday. Weather experts say this barrage of unseasonable wet weather is highly unusual for our area in January but it's likely to become more common due to climate change.

• Who doesn't love a bargain in these inflationary times? We'll let you in on one of the best-kept secrets in town: the steeply discounted services available to the public at the state's career and technical education programs, from gourmet meals to oil changes to custom architectural designs.

• If you felt an earthquake Thursday morning coming from the direction of Foxboro, it was the news that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are parting ways after 24 years and six Super Bowl championships. Team owner Robert Kraft said it was a difficult decision, rooted in business, not emotion. His successor, according to multiple reports, is Jerod Mayo, the team's linebackers coach under Belichick since 2019. For the latest on the Pats, and college and high school sports news, go to providencejournal.com/sports.

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

Rhode Island's school star ratings are out for 2023. See how your district did.

Without fanfare, the Rhode Island Department of Education released its latest "star" ratings late last week, offering a look at the performance of public schools around the state based on academics, attendance, graduation and more.

Friday's quiet release on social media breaks from last year's handling of similar data, when a briefing was held with reporters and Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green.

Overall, the data for the 2022-2023 academic year is a mixed bag. To see how your district performed, read more here.

Education: Rhode Island's school star ratings are out for 2023. See how your district did.

Providence will be among the hottest US housing markets in 2024, Zillow says. Here's why.

Providence will be the fifth-hottest housing market in the country in 2024, according to real estate listing site Zillow.

Zillo's report looked at the top 50 metropolitan areas by population and used calculations for forecast home value appreciation, number of days a house was listed, building permits, projected changes in the labor market and the number of owner-occupied houses.

Read on to find out more about why Providence qualified as one of the nation's hottest markets, and which cities ranked higher.

Real estate: Providence will be among the hottest US housing markets in 2024, Zillow says. Here's why.

In 2020, RI historian Pat Conley gave his home to his nonprofit. Then, they gave it back.

In August 2020, the state's honorary historian laureate, Patrick T. Conley and his wife, Gail, made an extraordinary gift to one of the nonprofit foundations he led.

Quietly, and without recording the deed for almost two years, the Conleys gifted "Gale Winds" – their waterfront home in Bristol – to the Heritage Harbor Foundation.

The gift was given under the terms of a "life estate" that would enable the couple to continue living there, as tenants, while the foundation paid one or more of their mortgages, totaling $880,000, according to a board member and a fundraising letter written by Conley.

On paper, it sounded like a win-win for both the Conleys and the foundation. The couple could potentially live out their lives mortgage-free. The foundation would get what was described, in a January 2023 fundraising package, as a "prestigious headquarters ... [and] site for small scale, but elegant events" with its "voluminous library on American legal and constitutional development" as a resource for nearby Roger Williams University's law school.

On May 22, 2023, however, the foundation returned the property to the Conleys. Why? Political Scene has the answer.

Political Scene: In 2020, RI historian Pat Conley gave his home to his nonprofit. Then, they gave it back.

What's the construction near the new Amazon Distribution Center in Johnston? We found out.

The biggest construction project happening in Johnston right now is the Amazon Distribution Center, at 2120 Hartford Ave., that's been in the works since 2021.

But right across the street, another major construction project is happening, which piqued the interest of a What and Why RI reader.

"It appears to be part of the Amazon project, but not sure," they wrote. "What is it and what will it be used for?"

As it turns out, it's not part of Amazon. What and Why RI explains what is planned for the new facility.

What and Why RI: What's the construction near the new Amazon Distribution Center in Johnston? We found out.

Where can you get the best French fries in Rhode Island? Vote in our poll

French fries are easy to overlook, often just filler food meant to complement the "main meal."

But everyone loves good fries, perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. And these days, there are so many more options than ketchup as a dipping sauce. You can find all kinds of French fries, loaded with cheeses or gravy, or Banh mi style vegetables, or lobster, or topped with an egg.

To find the best French fries in Rhode Island, we're putting it to a poll. You have until 11 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, to cast your vote for your favorite spot.

Food: Where can you get the best French fries in Rhode Island? Vote in our poll

To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Journal top stories: School ratings; Providence's hot housing market