Daily Briefing: Looking back at how Providence was built

ALSO: Is a part of democracy dying in Rhode Island? ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Mon May 13 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. Rhode Island's history never ceases to amaze and this week's edition of What and Why RI offers another interesting glimpse into the past. Katie Landeck examines the history of the New England Steam Brick Company operation in Barrington and just how impactful bricks made in that town were on the building of Providence. It's a tale of using natural resources until they ran out and then turning the area into something useful. [Find out more for yourself in this week's What and Why RI.]( • In my days as a reporter I spent my fair share of weekend shifts, usually around this time of year, covering financial town meetings. It's an experience new reporters are less likely to find. [In this week's Political Scene, Journal reporter Antonia Farzan examines the declining use of financial town meetings to approve a municipal budget]( and why the nine Rhode Island communities participating in this form of democracy continue to hold on to tradition. [Foster's Financial Town Meeting drew enough attendees to fill the cafeteria at Captain Isaac Paine Elementary School. May 7, 2024] Foster's 2024 Financial Town Meeting drew enough attendees to fill the cafeteria at Captain Isaac Paine Elementary School. Antonia Noori Farzan/The Providence Journal • Robert Hill, who is 77, is scheduled to be arraigned for murder later this month. But it may never happen. [The Journal's Tom Mooney looks at the case of the Navy veteran arrested by Warren police in April last year]( after being accused of killing his Crestwood Nursing Home roommate, John "Jack" Sullivan, who was 81 and what happens in these situations. • It turns out there are more than two Medal of Honor honorees from Rhode Island who served during World War II. [Journal contributor Frank Lennon shares the story of Robert Waugh of Cumberland, who was brought to his attention following a previous column on another Medal of Honor recipient.]( • The school year is hitting its final weeks but that hasn't stopped students from excelling. Now you can help recognize their work [by voting in this week's Student of the Week poll.]( More from The Providence Journal [Find the latest obituaries here.]( [Subscribers can read the eNewspaper here.]( WORTH A READ 🚑 Patients face longer trips, [less access to health care after Walmart shuts clinics]( 👨‍⚖️ [Will Michael Cohen be a star witness in Donald Trump's trial?]( Prosecutors have tried to back up his story. 🌿 3 men charged with [stealing $436,000 in cash from marijuana shops in Swansea, Massachusetts, holdup]( 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. Through a comprehensive survey of 3,000 people in long distance relationships, [DatingAdvice.com]( sought to find out whether the city in which their partner resides is a factor when deciding whether to move. Providence rated as the most attractive city in Rhode Island to move to for a new relationship placing 134th in the county. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( 🌤️ Milder with intervals of clouds and sun. Highs in the mid-60s. TOP STORIES [Clements' Marketplace to take over Seabra Foods in Bristol]( [Clements' Marketplace, with a flagship store on East Main Road in Portsmouth, will open a market in the former Seabra in Bristol.]( The new market will continue to stock the Portuguese goods that Seabra Foods was known for. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [State Rep. Julie Casimiro hands tape to Melina Lodge, executive director at Housing Network of Rhode Island, as they and Rich Morrissey of South County Habitat for Humanity install a window in a new house in the Cardinal Lane development in Hope Valley.]( [Take a look: RI lawmakers roll up their sleeves to ease housing crunch]( Besides working on legislative solutions to boost the state's affordable housing stock, on Friday lawmakers helped build a house in Hope Valley. [READ MORE]( [Maggie Cole stands in the calf barn with an empty milk can after feeding her collection of calves on an early April Saturday morning as she works the family farm, Emma Acres, in Exeter. The farm name came from the first initials of Maggie and her three older siblings, Elizabeth, Matthew and Alex.]( [What's it like to be a young farmer in Rhode Island? Here's a look.]( At 25 years old, Maggie Cole is part of a rising tide of young farmers in the state who, despite the challenges, are making a go of it. [READ MORE]( [Nicholas Alahverdian, pictured in 2011.]( [Dig deeper: The best podcasts and docs about the Nick Alahverdian case]( The case of Nicholas Alahverdian, aka Nick Rossi, has been described by "Dateline" as one of the most perplexing and confusing they ever came across. [READ MORE]( [May 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) pitchers against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports]( [Young Brayan Bello keeps paying dividends for Red Sox]( Bello is a reason why Boston has started the season at a surprising 21-19, and owns the league's lowest ERA among starting pitchers. [READ MORE]( Advertisement Vote with Confidence This 7-day newsletter course will help you be an informed voter before Nov. 5. [SIGN UP NOW]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. 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