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ROUGH SHAPE: An empty restaurant on West Main Road in Middletown – located across the street from the planned  Middletown Center development – has been unoccupied and boarded up for more than a decade. 
PBN PHOTO/CHRISTOPHER ALLEN

Prime Middletown property remains stuck in limbo

The Jan Cos., operating under Renaissance Development Corp., professes a commitment to “long-term stewardship,” asserting on its website, “We believe in investing for generations,...
SEARCH AND RESCUE: Chris Sheehy says he’s started Omni Search Labs LLC to assist small businesses in ranking higher with search engines employing artificial intelligence. 
PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

Omni Search Labs focusing on AI-era SEO

Chris Sheehy has been building websites since before Google became the default way to navigate the web. Now, he’s launched a new firm aimed...
CHIARA DELTITO-SHARROTT, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Charter Public Schools, says the moratorium on charter schools will hurt the state's ablility to attract and retain a skilled workforce. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

A ripple effect from charter freeze?

A new three-year charter school moratorium in Rhode Island is raising concerns that it could weaken workforce competitiveness and limit options for families. The measure,...
INN THE KNOW: Monica Hopton has owned and operated the Christopher Dodge House, a 14-room bed-and-breakfast in Providence, since 2002.
PBN PHOTO/­MICHAEL SALERNO

Through thick and thin, she keeps urban B&B running

When Monica Hopton was a teenager, her father and stepmom bought a bed-and-breakfast on Nantucket. The island surroundings were lovely, and the B&B was...
ECONOMIC ILLS: Brown University Health’s­ 2024 purchase of two Massachusetts hospitals, including Saint Anne’s in Fall River, has led to significant financial losses. 
PBN FILE PHOTO/­WILLIAM HAMILTON

Brown Health losses raise fears for R.I. services

Brown University Health insists losses tied to two ailing Massachusetts hospitals have no bearing on financial decisions affecting Rhode Island operations. But they can’t convince...
Josef Blazar became owner and president of Blazing Editions in East Greenwich in 2016. The fine art printmaker was started by his father, Alan Blazer, 30 years ago. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Stay curious

Josef Blazar | Blazing Editions owner, president One of the most valuable lessons I have learned as president of Blazing Editions is that growth rarely...
Bruce Newbury

Dining Out: Making it in the West End

With the recent visit of the joyous Scottish soccer fans to Rhode Island, it seemed like everyone wanted to make a connection with the...
GREEN KEEPER: Anastasia Karatza opened Thea Plant Co. on Broadway in Providence in 2023 and offers an array of services and community programming. 
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO.

Broadway plant shop has taken root

When Anastasia Karatza discovered solace in the company of her plants, it was the genesis of her becoming a small-business owner and entrepreneur. During the...

A fresh start for R.I. tax delinquents

Rhode Island leaders are expecting a $26 million boost in tax collections by early next year from delinquent payments. The windfall from the state’s first...
June ­Speakman

RIPEC housing analysis is an apples-to-oranges housing comparison

There’s no need to remind everyone that there remains a housing crisis in Rhode Island. Rents are too high, home prices are too high,...
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