Daily Briefing: Imagine staring down a 160% interest rate

ALSO: Looking back at Rhode Island's history with the circus. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Fri Apr 26 2024 Will Richmond | Managing Editor Communities & R.I. [@Will_Richmond]( Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at [The Providence Journal]( and this is the Daily Briefing. When my oldest son was younger he used to marvel at Providence's Superman Building. During one visit to Kennedy Plaza, he gazed upward at the height and we attempted to take a tour when they were being offered, but the tickets ran out before we could secure them. He no longer holds that sense of awe but the building remains a landmark in my family when we drive by. When we're returning from a trip to points north of Rhode Island and it reminds us we're close to home or just that we're in Providence. The building will also always remind me of him as a young boy and how interested he was. Now it sometimes feels like it will take a heroic act to save the Superman Building and as a developer works to convert the building into residences could cashflow be its kryptonite? [05_Superman_04222024.JPG] The Superman building. Photographed on April 22, 2024. Kris Craig/The Providence Journal Could that be the case now? [The Journal's Wheeler Cowperthwaite talked with state officials to learn more about the fate of the project – including the potential need for more funding – and what's happened so far since work resumed in late 2023.]( • Imagine paying 160% interest on a loan. In desperate times, it may be the only option for some even if it means digging out of what feels like a lifetime of debt. Curtailing the triple-digit interest rates charged by storefront lenders is still a priority for R.I.'s General Assembly, but lawmakers see new high-tech threats emerging. [The Journal's Antonia Farzan takes a deeper look at the issue.]( • A federal judge is expected to rule in the coming months on a private school student’s quest to play high school sports for a fifth year due to his disability. [The Journal's Katie Mulvaney takes a look at the case and the reasons why the student's family wants the teenager to continue to play and why the Rhode Island Interscholastic league feels otherwise.]( • As Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey return to Providence today for the first time since 2017 [the Journal's Jonny Williams takes a look back at the circus' interesting history with Rhode Island.]( • If you love lobster rolls a new option will start appearing in Rhode Island this weekend. [Journal food and dining editor Gail Ciampa has the tasty details.]( More from The Providence Journal [Find the latest obituaries here.]( [Subscribers can read the eNewspaper here.]( WORTH A READ 📰 'Rule for the ages': [Takeaways from historic Supreme Court arguments in Trump immunity case]( 💻 [Thursday's FCC's net neutrality vote affects your internet speed.]( We explain 🏈 NFL draft grades: [Every team's pick in 2024 first round broken down]( RHODY RANKS Every day we receive emails ranking Rhode Island. While the work behind the ranks may be dubious, they can be fun. Each day I'll share where Rhody Ranks from one of the latest emails. A study by [Hello Millions]( identified which states’ residents have the most interest in appearing on TV. According to the study, Rhode Island is home to people who are most likely to want to be a reality TV star – with the state experiencing an average monthly search volume of 179.07 per 100,000 of the state’s population. This is 38% more likely than the U.S. national average identified in the study. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( ☀️ Sunny much of the time; pollen levels will be very high. Highs in the low 60s. TOP STORIES [Pitches made for RI retirees without pension boosts or Social Security]( [State Rep. Patricia Serpa, D-West Warwick, noted Thursday that Social Security has made a big difference in her retirement assets and would help boost many state employees' finances if they could enroll in the program.]( RI Treasurer James Diossa voiced support for giving retired teachers and state workers a one-time stipend: The smaller of 3% of their pension or $40K. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [The Cranston police released this photo of suspect caught on surveillance tape during a Jan. 21 bank robbery.]( [RI man has been robbing banks for more than a quarter century]( A "serial bank robber" admitted to robbing his eighth, ninth and 10th banks Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Providence. [READ MORE]( [Voting and call buttons in the Rhode Island House chamber.]( [Why RI unions are trying to ban 'captive audience meetings']( The state's unions and businesses are at odds over 'captive audience meetings,' with one side saying they're union-busting, another saying free speech. [READ MORE]( [Secretary of State Gregg Amore teaches a civics class at Classical High School.]( [The 10 best high schools in RI, according to U.S. News & World Report]( The annual rankings look at college readiness, college curriculum, state assessments, underserved student performance and graduation rate. [READ MORE]( [Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi reacts in the first half against Nashville SC at Chase Stadium.]( [Messi, Inter Miami to draw record-setting crowd in New England]( Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are expected to play in front of a record-setting crowd on the road in Saturday’s game at New England's Gillette Stadium. 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