Cover Story

BOTTLE OF VINO: Armando Bisceglia, owner of Bacco Vino & Contorni on Providence’s Federal Hill, serves wine to Sarah Long of Swansea on a Friday night. On Fridays and Saturdays, Atwells Avenue is closed to vehicle traffic so restaurateurs can set up tables outside along the street. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

TOURISM PIVOT: Struggling industry shifts focus closer to home

Cover Story 07/24/2020

Ella Gonzalez is used to hearing families from faraway places bustling into the lobby of the Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina during the summer....

NEW HOME: Nicole Tickner with her daughter Lily, and parents George and Judy Vit. They are in front of the South Kingstown house that Tickner bought for them after they moved to Rhode Island to be closer to their granddaughter. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

Battling buyers: House hunters find fewer listings but overwhelming competition

Cover Story 07/17/2020

Rhode Island has had a seller’s market for several years in single-family and multifamily homes, particularly for entry-level or median-priced houses. In the past...

DIVERSE WORKFORCE: C.C. Business Corp. Vice President Ron Brewer, left, and President Marcellus Sharpe stand outside of Thundermist Health Center in Woonsocket, one of the private-security company’s clients. Brewer estimates that 70% of the company’s 39 employees are minorities. / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

A question of equity: Can R.I. level the field for minority...

Cover Story 07/10/2020

As small-business owners clambered to get in on the federal payroll relief program launched in the wake of COVID-19, Anna Mangeni held back. Her business,...

STEEP DROP: Robert Toth, owner of bowling centers Old Mountain Lanes in South Kingstown and Walnut Hill Bowl in Woonsocket, says he saw a $968,720 decline in revenue for March, April and May at the centers as a result of being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

STARTING BLOCKED: Indoor rec businesses argue they should have opened a...

Cover Story 07/03/2020

ROBERT TOTH STARTED to see the world reopen around him and, in some ways, without him. Many businesses in Rhode Island, such as restaurants, salons,...

Going back to work? Here are answers to some tricky questions

Cover Story 06/26/2020

Rhode Island’s reopening is picking up speed. The state is heading into phase three, which means more businesses are set to open and more people...

COLLABORATIVE EFFORT: A staff member from Alert EMS gets a COVID-19 test sample from a drive-up patient at a mobile test site in Central Falls. Alert EMS staff handles the swabbing, CVS Health Corp. runs the machines that process the samples and the University of Rhode Island helps house the machines. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

NO PANACEA: Employers told COVID-19 tests won’t ensure safety in workplace

Cover Story 06/19/2020

Rhode Island is a COVID-19 testing leader. At an average of nearly 3,000 tests a day, the state has among the highest rates of testing...

DOUBLE SCOOP: Ken Schneider, owner of Sundaes Ice Cream was frustrated that his flagship Seekonk location was closed for an additional six weeks after his Rhode Island locations were allowed to reopen in early April with restrictions, such as directional arrows and spacing for social distancing and wearing gloves and masks. / PBN PHOTO/PAMELA BHATIA

ALL OVER THE MAP: Differing reopening plans create cross-border advantages, impediments

Cover Story 06/12/2020

Clumps of fur fell to the ground as Barbara Gariepy shaved a small dog at Canine Corner Inc. in Seekonk recently. Surrounding her were...

OUT OF POCKET: Robert Berczuk, publisher of The Jamestown Press, says the money his newspaper is losing as a result of a 33% decline in ad revenue is coming directly out of his pocket, but he has assured his staff of six that there will be no pay cuts, layoffs or furloughs. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Should newspapers be rescued by the government?

Cover Story 06/05/2020

Newspaper publisher John Howell didn’t think he would ever have to lay himself off. But when COVID-19 hit the United States, that’s exactly what he...

NEW DESIGN: The staff at Loft LLC, an industrial design company, has recently pivoted its work to designing and building contactless COVID-19 testing trailers for use by the National Guard. From left, Scott Noh, product design; Jeanette Numbers, co-founder; Nari Shin, designer/textile specialist. In the background is David Baker, director of engineering. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Startup shake-up: Entrepreneurs scramble to revamp business plans

Cover Story 05/29/2020

Like many college seniors, biomedical student Abbie Kohler and engineering student Greg Fine were disheartened to have their final semester suddenly cut short and...