Daily Briefing: Where have all the dentists gone?

ALSO: Take a look back on the 21st anniversary of the Station nightclub fire. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Tue Feb 20 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. A trip to the dentist is rarely a highlight. I've yet to meet someone who looks forward to their appointments but we all know it's one of those necessary evils in life. Soon enough you may be glad you have a dentist to visit. As The Journal's Amy Russo reports about 45% of the state's dentists age 55 and older and there aren't many lining up to fill those positions as the older workforce begins retiring. [03_Dentist_02142024.JPG] Photograph Dr. Frederick A. Hartman, an oral surgeon and president of the Rhode Island Dental Association photographed on February 14, 2024. He is performing surgery on a patient as his East Providence office. Kris Craig/The Providence Journal Why is the number of dentists shrinking in R.I.? [Amy found out more about the conditions current dentists are facing and what's being done to hopefully stem the tide.]( • Hasbro has long been one of Rhode Island's high-profile companies but the company has had a sting of bad news lately. The company announced [1,100 layoffs]( in December and its intentions to [not renew a lease for its building in downtown Providence](. That followed layoffs of 800 announced in January 2023. And now the company has announced that revenue fell 23% in the fourth quarter of 2023. What will the company do to improve in 2024? [The Journal's Wheeler Cowperthwaite looks at what's working and what isn't at Hasbro.]( • Today marks the 21st anniversary of the Station nightclub fire. Take a look back at our story from last year [examining how fire safety has changed since that deadly night.]( You can also find a roundup of The Journal's coverage over the years. • Rhode Island's birdwatching community is at a loss so far this winter. Two years after snowy owls made a trip to the state as part of their winter, [this year appears to be a dud, The Journal's Jack Perry reports.]( • Are you a brunch lover? [Vote in our poll to find out Rhode Island's favorite place.]( WORTH A READ 📰 ['Additional sanctions' against Russia]( being considered after Navalny death, says Biden 🎶 Explore the NY hamlet [where Bruce Springsteen recorded 'Born to Run']( 💊 [What happens with drug money seized in Massachusetts.]( Here's what we found out. 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. Experts at [Set for Set]( analyzed Google data to find the number of visits reported for various gyms in Rhode Island to determine which times are the most popular and which are the least popular. The busiest time to go? 10 a.m. on a Saturday, followed by 5 p.m. on a Tuesday. The quietest time? 11 p.m. on a Sunday, followed by 10 p.m. on a Sunday. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( ☀️ Plenty of sunshine. Highs in the mid-30s. TOP STORIES [How did the Pawtucket soccer stadium get so expensive?]( [A rendering of the proposed Tidewater Landing soccer stadium on the site of a former coal gasification plant on the west bank of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket.]( Over the 30-year life of the bond, the state will ultimately pay $132 million on a $54.3 million bond. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [File photo of Joseph M. Ricci, a medical marijuana patient and licensed grower, who is suing the Town of Smithfield and the state, alleging $1.7 million in damages stemming from a 2017 search and seizure of his property.]( [RI pot grower says Smithfield police made up informant, destroyed evidence]( The Smithfield grower also contends that police likely made up a confidential informant to justify a search warrant. [READ MORE]( [The Budlong Pool "is the only thing we have for people who cannot go to Narragansett, go to the beach," Councilwoman Aniece Germain said. "It’s right there in their backyards, they can walk there, they can walk their kids there, it’s accessible for them, and I want to keep it there."]( [Budlong Pool will again be closed this year, won't open until 2025]( Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins says that critics are engaging in "political theater" and grandstanding. [READ MORE]( [A 20-foot section of the Cliff Walk collapsed on Thursday, March 3.]( [Council approves Cliff Walk repair contract. What it means]( A portion of the iconic walking trail along the coast of Easton Bay collapsed in March 2022 and sustained further damage later that year in December. [READ MORE]( [Jake Steinkamp, Ponaganset boys hockey]( [Ponaganset beats RMT to claim top seed as D-II hockey playoffs draw near]( Ponaganset's win Monday clinched its playoff seed, but beating RMT meant so much more to the Chieftains as the Division II playoffs draw near. 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