Top stories this week: Friars coach drama; 'pedophile' question; James Woods court fight

Here's a look at some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of March 19, supported by your subscriptions.

• A Warwick man is on a mission to protect Rhode Island's "old-growth" trees, some of which may be centuries old. Find out why his efforts have put him at odds with the state Department of Environmental Management. And learn how to spot these trees yourself.

• Do you ever wonder about one of Rhode Island's quirks or curiosities? Share your questions with us, whether they're serious or silly, and we'll find the answers as The Journal relaunches its What and Why RI series. If you want, you can even participate in the reporting process. Check out our first installment, on why Rhode Islanders refer to drinking fountains as bubblers.

• If you believe in locally made food but can't always get to a farmers market, stop by the Hope & Main Downtown Makers Marketplace, which opened in Providence earlier this year. You'll find breakfast and lunch, grab-and-go meals, and crafted coffees and teas, as well as all sorts of ingredients.

• Instead of complaining about problems in the state's foster care system, Lisa Guillette and her staff at the nonprofit Foster Forward focus on practical solutions, from providing mentors, free clothing and other supplies, to launching a nationally recognized jobs training program and housing for former foster kids.

• Have you kept up with what happened this week? Take our weekly news quiz.

• For full coverage of college and high school sports, go to providencejournal.com/sports.

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

Bill Koch: Cooley's departure from Providence basketball leaves bitter taste

The totality of Ed Cooley’s career with Providence is worth celebrating. But it’s going to be a long time — if ever — before some folks who support the Friars are ready to forgive what’s taken place at the close of his 12^th year.

On Monday, Cooley accepted a job offer from Georgetown and will attempt to restore the proud legacy of the late John Thompson, one of his coaching heroes. Cooley is the first coach since the Big East's 1979 founding to depart directly for a conference rival. How might this alter the collective spirit of the conference?

College sports: Bill Koch: Cooley's departure from Providence basketball leaves bitter taste

It's official: Kim English is the new Providence College men's basketball coach

Days after Ed Cooley announced his departure, Kim English was named the new Providence College men's basketball coach.

Terms were not disclosed in the college's announcement on Thursday, but the contract is reportedly for six years. English and new women's basketball head coach, Erin Batth, will be formally introduced at a news conference on Wednesday.

"Today, we begin a new era in the proud history of Providence College basketball," athletics director Steve Napolillo said in a news release.

Sports: It's official, Kim English is the new Providence College men's basketball coach

Republican who asked fellow lawmaker if she is a pedophile is removed from House committee

The GOP lawmaker who asked a Democratic colleague, one of two openly LGBTQ members in the House, if she was a pedophile doubled down on Thursday after he was removed from the legislative committee where the confrontation took place.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi gave this explanation for removing Rep. Robert Quattrocchi, R-Scituate, from the House Committee on State Government & Elections: "While asking questions as a member of the committee, Representative Robert Quattrocchi made several references about the applicability of the legislation to “Satanists” and “pedophiles” and directly asked Representative Kislak, 'Are you a pedophile?'”

Quattrocchi gave a not-sorry speech on the floor in which he "confess[ed] to my guilt for calling out evil, an evil act against children. ... I won't bend a knee to a man or a woman. I'll bend my knee to God and [when] my time is done, I will accept God's judgment. That's the only judgment I care about."

Politics: Speaker removes Republican who asked fellow lawmaker if she is a pedophile from House committee

Actor James Woods loses fight to stop RI neighbor from building a house next to his estate

A Superior Court judge dealt Oscar-nominated actor and conservative firebrand James Woods a defeat, striking down his effort to stop his neighbor from building a home on Boone Lake in Exeter.

Judge Sarah Taft-Carter ruled that the Exeter Zoning Board was well within its legal bounds when it issued a decision allowing Harry Hawker III to build a two-bedroom home on undeveloped lakeside property bordering the Woods family's estate.

Known for his "Family Guy" cameos, conservative political views and charismatic portrayals, Woods sued the Zoning Board over its approval of Hawker’s plan to build a home on West Shore Drive, arguing that proper notice hadn’t been provided and that Hawker had failed to show that the proposed project wouldn’t alter the character of the lakeside community.

Courts: Actor James Woods loses fight to stop RI neighbor from building a house next to his estate

Are the feds coming for coffee milk in schools? They might not even find it on the menu.

Generations of Rhode Islanders got hooked on the taste of coffee in elementary school, thanks to the cartons of super-sweet coffee milk handed out in cafeterias.

But those days may be coming to an end.

The federal government has proposed eliminating sugary flavored milk from school lunches, which would be bad news for Rhode Island's official beverage.

And even though it hasn't been banned yet, coffee milk has already vanished from many local schools — in part because two of the largest producers have stopped making it in eight-ounce cartons.

Schools: Are the feds coming for coffee milk in schools? They might not even find it on the menu.

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal top stories: Friars coach drama; James Woods ruling