Stop & Shop closures; Absence of Ruggerio

Here are some articles from the Providence Journal most read stories of the week of May 19supported by your subscriptions.

Here is the best reads of the week on providencejournal.com:

Stop & Shop evaluates the performance of its stores to determine which will close and which will remain open.

Is your Stop & Shop closing its doors?

Its parent company, Dutch company Ahold Delhaize, told an investors meeting last week that it will close underperforming storeswithout saying how many or which ones.

“Stop & Stop has carried out a thorough evaluation and is working to ensure a stable and prosperous future,” said the Dutch company’s managing director for the United States, JJ Fleeman, during an online presentation dated May 23. This includes “optimizing the portfolio to focus on key markets where it can win.”

Stop & Shop has 395 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island and parts of New York and New Jersey. This includes 26 locations in Rhode Island.

Business: Stop & Shop plans to close underperforming stores. What we know so far.

Out of sight for more than a month, a 75-year-old manSenate President Dominick Ruggerio had hoped to return this week to his powerful front-row seat in the Senate chamber..

But this is not the case.

Ruggerio, the longtime political warhorse who admitted last month that he was battling cancerno longer gives an estimated time for his return to work at the State House, although he says he hopes to return soon.

In a statement, Ruggerio attributed his absence to “health complications” due to a virus he contracted in April. He says that even remotely, he is actively participating by phone in high-level end-of-session negotiations on legislation, including the major budget bill still pending.

Ruggerio has not presided over the Senate since April 23 and has not attended a session since April 25.

Policy:Where is Dominick Ruggerio? The president of the RI Senate has been away for more than a month. What we know.

Narragansett’s summer tourist season began with a cloud hanging over homeowners like Joseph Volpe, who rent a room, apartment or house on websites like Airbnb and VRBO.

One of Rhode Island’s most aggressive local ordinances to restrict short-term home rentals is set to go into effect there in September, so this may be the last summer Volpe offers his four-bedroom home online at the use of visitors.

Most observers, including Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor, say the the sale and conversion of year-round homes to vacation rentals contributes to the shortage of apartments and houses on the market.

Will cracking down on vacation rentals really improve or worsen the problem? It’s not clear.

State House reporter Patrick Anderson explains the state law that legalized short-term rentals, the local ordinances enacted to impose restrictions or ban them outright, and the House study committee. it’s digging into the subject.

Accommodation:Vacation is over: New regulations curb Narragansett Airbnbs as RI studies short-term rentals

Newspaper reporter Amy Russo leaves Rhode Island, but she says she will take many memories with her, including the experiences she had in her adopted state while writing her New to RI column. She spent time tending WaterFire’s fire pits, digging quahogs, and eating clam cakes, and at one point she dove in a nearly frozen Greenwich Bay in January.

In her farewell, she lists the places he will miss the most. If you’re a seasoned Rhode Islander, you’ll know them all.

Entertainment: RI is full of quirky and fun hidden gems. Here are a few to visit.

It’s not often that Journal Food editor Gail Ciampa gets so engrossed in a meal that she forgets to take a photo of what she’s eating. That’s exactly what she did during a recent visit to the Capital Grille in Providence.

While Gail and her husband sipped cocktails and listened to the list of specials, the mention of a bone-in fillet sealed his decision. What makes this special cut so intensely flavorful that it’s worth every penny of the $80 price tag? Gail can explain.

To eat:There’s a secret menu item at this Providence steakhouse. Why you need to try it soon