Shoreline Access Verdict; Lottery Winner; Johnson’s Pond: Top Stories from the Magazine

Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most read stories for the week of July 14supported by your subscriptions.

The work-from-home revolution unleashed by the pandemic is raising concerns in Providence about the city’s financial future as many office buildings in the city center are still largely uninhabitedexcept by security guards. So far, that has mostly affected landlords, real estate agents and banks that provide commercial mortgages, but that could change quickly. If office buildings fall in value in the current revaluation of the city, Taxpayers living in the private sector will have to pay the differenceThe Journal’s Patrick Anderson explains.
ICYMI: Here’s a look at Ways to Make the Most of the Surf, Sand, and Sun on Rhode Island’s Beaches this summer. For more pro tips, check out our Summer Guide Stories on providencejournal.com.
For the latest sports news, including The Providence Journal’s Spring All-State Athletes, Cranston Western Defeats Tiverton in Little League Softball State Championshipand Providence sailor Stu McNay’s Chances at the Summer Olympics in Paris, go to providencejournal.com/sports.

Be here the most read books of the week on providencejournal.com:

A Supreme Court judge has made an initial decision supporting a beachfront homeowner who argued that Rhode Island’s 2023 shoreline access law amounted to an unconstitutional seizure of private property.

Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter denied the state’s request to dismiss the lawsuit on behalf of Stilts LLC, owned by David Welch of South Kingstown. A final ruling is expected in the coming weeks, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing Welch in court.

The 2023 law — which established that the public has the right to use the shoreline up to 10 feet inland from the recognizable high-tide line, also known as the “wrack line” — “restored” the separation between public and private and “extended the point of public access across plaintiff’s private property,” the judge wrote.

What’s next in this lawsuit?and how does this statement affect other ongoing challenges to the law by coastal area owners?

Courts of Appeal: RI Judge Sides with Beach Homeowner in Lawsuit. What Does This Mean for Public Beach Access?

The President of Roger Williams University in Bristol won a $1 million lottery prize in February and I didn’t know until this month.

Ioannis Miaoulis bought a ticket for the $333 million Mega Millions drawing on February 2 at Stop & Shop on Metacom Avenue. His numbers: 11-22-42-64-69, plus a “Mega Ball” number of 19. On Groundhog Day night, when the winner was chosen, his five numbers were chosen. But his Mega Ball of 19 just missed – the winning number was 18. If you match all five numbers without the Mega Ball, you qualify for a second prize of $1 million.

But Miaoulis had hid the ticket in a seldom-used drawer, where it lay unseen for five monthsuntil he opened it and discovered he had a winner.

How does he plan to spend his net profit of $700,100?Read the whole story to find out.

Local news: The president of a local university bought a $1 million lottery ticket. Then forgot about it.

The Fourth of July felt different this year Johnson’s Pond, a man-made reservoir in Coventry surrounded by lakeside cabins and docks.

Low water levels prevented boating and water skiing, and the Johnson’s Pond Civic Association canceled its long-awaited fireworks display. But the mood was jubilant, with many homeowners lighting their own sparklers and Roman candles.

The reason? A week in advance, the In an unusual move, the City of Coventry has seized the 950-acre pond by way of compulsory purchase to settle a bitter, years-long feud with the owners.

But even before the last fireworks had died down, city residents had questions. Why did Coventry take responsibility for a broken dam when the city can’t even clean up the debris? And when will people who don’t own a boat or a home on the lake benefit from the city’s takeover, since they currently have no meaningful access to the pond?

Read on for more background information on this latest development in Coventry’s water war.

Political scene: ‘This isn’t over yet’: why Coventry seized Johnson’s Pond and what happens next

On a foggy morning recently at Roger W. Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett, two dozen nursing students were busy setting up beach tents, spreading out blankets and arranging colorful beach toys in preparation for the arrival of 14 special children.

The novice nurses, from the University of Rhode Island and the Community College of Rhode Island, participated in a URI program that provides respite care to children with special needs, giving their parents a much-needed break – completely free.

The program, which launched in 2023, is organized by Christine McGrane, a clinical professor in the URI College of Nursing, who was inspired by her dissertation, which examined the stress of raising children with special needs and whether respite care can alleviate some of that pressure.

To belong what the program means for parents and future nurses who participate.

Healthcare: Program gives parents of children with special needs a break – and helps train future nurses in RI

Rumors are swirling that the Olneyville New York System is about to close opened its doors at 20 Plainfield St. in Providence amid rising prices that have left the iconic business unable to serve the community it was designed to serve — or at least that’s the story going around.

Food editor Gail Ciampa went straight to the source – fourth generation owner Greg Stevens – to see if it’s true. Here’s what she discovered about one of Rhode Island’s most beloved eateriesalong with some other treats from the Ocean State’s culinary scene.

To dine: Is Olneyville New York System Closing? What the Owner Had to Say and Other Food News

To read the full stories, visit providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.