Daily Briefing: What is RI's most iconic food? You make the call

ALSO: 🏥 Why are families paying $24,000 a year for health insurance when inflation is going down? Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Thu Oct 19 2023 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. During the past year, reporters at The Providence Journal have had plenty of opportunities to write about Rhode Island's iconic foods. There are stuffies at airports, a book about all things clam cake, there was Kenan Thompson dining at Olneyville New York System after filming "Good Burger 2," a look at the history of Awful Awfuls, Del's Lemonade's 75th anniversary and that's just scratching the surface from the top of my head. These sorts of stories also raise a good question – just what is Rhode Island's most iconic food? Arguments have erupted over the topic after all. When the question of whether coffee milk or Del's should become the official state drink, legislators found themselves split. The state appetizer? A battle ensued between stuffies and calamari. [01 Del's] It's been 75 years for Del's Lemonade, the frozen treat that came from Naples to Rhode Island. AP, file Sure we all have our favorites, but ultimately there has to be one food that truly represents Rhode Island. That's where you come in. Beginning today, we're holding a bracket competition to whittle our way down to Rhode Island's most iconic food. Led by The Journal's Katie Landeck, we've picked what we think are the state's 16 most recognized foods and drinks and matched them up into pairs. Each week a new grouping will emerge and in the end we'll declare a winner. [Find the first-round matchups here]( along with the rules around voting and cast your ballot. And if you ask me, N.Y. System Weiners will come out on top. A subscription to The Providence Journal will have you coming out on top seven days a week. [Find our latest offer here.]( WORTH A READ 🏥 [Why are families paying $24,000 a year for health insurance]( when inflation is going down? 🍩 [Where are the best cider doughnuts in New England?]( This map has over 250 options to try ✏️ [RICAS scores are out.]( Here are the takeaways. [Today's Weather]( 🌤️ Sunny to partly cloudy and pleasant; another chilly and wet weekend ahead. Highs in the mid-60s. TOP STORIES [New RICAS scores are out. Here's what they show]( [A student taking a standardized test.]( Overall, the scores represent slow recovery from pandemic-era learning loss, with only 1 in 3 students meeting expectations in math and English. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [gavel]( [Nursing home agrees to pay $288K after wage theft investigation]( Pawtucket's Oak Hill Center has agreed to enter a consent judgment with the Department of Labor, which still needs to be approved by a judge. [READ MORE]( [A dip in the jet stream will help guide a powerful storm into Southern New England this weekend, according to AccuWeather.]( [Storm to bring heavy rain, wind to Southern New England this weekend]( The heaviest rain is likely to fall Saturday but could linger into Sunday, along with gusty winds Sunday, the National Weather Service says. [READ MORE]( [The abandoned cargo ship Felicity Ace smolders in the waters southeast of the Azores last week.]( [Fire officials plot responses to car-carrier ship fires at ProvPort]( Providence Fire Chief Derek Silva knows about recent fires aboard two RI-bound car carrying ships. He isn't losing any sleep. [READ MORE]( [Phil Martelli, shown last season as Bryant men's basketball assistant coach, is now the interim coach.]( [Martelli takes over for Grasso, Bryant picked 3rd in conference]( Bryant looks to returning stars Sherif Gross-Bullock and Earl Timberlake, two of six players named to the preseason all-America East team [READ MORE]( Advertisement Love where you work? Get your organization awarded as an employer of choice by USA TODAY. Participation is easy. [NOMINATE NOW]( [NOMINATE NOW]( Sign up for the news you want Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don’t miss out! We’re always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. [SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔]( [SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. Share bonus subscription with a family member or friend. The universal eNewspaper, the digital version of our print paper, plus bonus monthly magazines and hundreds of local papers. Original reporting of our hometown teams, from high school sports to the pros. [Unlock news for $1]( [SUBSCRIBE TODAY]( Follow Us Problem viewing email? [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( • [Manage Newsletters]( • [Terms of Service]( • [Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights]( • [Privacy Notice]( • [Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy]( • [Feedback](