Top Stories: Garden City Eats, High-Paying Jobs, Swift Wedding

Here are some of The top-read articles from the Providence Journal for the week beginning January 11, supported by your subscriptions.

• Fasten your seatbelts, Rhode Island. TheDrama is expected throughout the 2026 election cycle, with all the state-level positions up for election along with seats in the General Assembly and Congress. Can Governor Dan McKee secure a second full term despite poor poll results? Will House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi team up with former CVS executive Helena Foulkes to oppose McKee? And is there a chance the Republican Party of Rhode Island can succeed in any of these contests?The Journal’s Katherine Gregg lays the table.All you require is the popcorn.
• The tale of the American women’s right to vote is taking center stage in theTony-winning Broadway musical “Suffs,”arriving at the Providence Performing Arts Center on January 20. We also anticipate themusical performances available this summer at Theatre By The Sea in South Kingstown.
• As the The Patriots are preparing to face the Texans.In Sunday’s playoff game, spectators can get ready with Eric Rueb’s retrospective on theThe 15 top games of the Patriots in the NFL Divisional Round, from the 2001 “Tuck Rule” game versus the Raiders to the 2014 rally against the Ravens. For that, as well as thelatest edition of Providence Journal All State teams, go to /sports.

Here are the week’s top reads on :

Newport Creamery is no more. These eateries are set to open in Garden City.

Cranston’s Garden City Centerhas revealed two new dining establishments set to open this year and in 2027, and has also confirmed the locations for two other restaurants that were previously announced.

Each of the four restaurants is set to open its initial locations in Rhode Island at Garden City Center.

The food editor of the journal, Gail Ciampa, updates you on the new selection, offering everything from noodles to bagels, authentic Mexican dishes, and New Haven-style thin-crust pizzas.

Dining: Newport Creamery is no more. These eateries are set to open in Garden City.

Which Rhode Island state employees earned the highest income in 2025?

Head coach of the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team, Ryan “Archie” Miller was once more the state employee with the highest incomethe top of the year in 2025, highlighting his third consecutive year at the summit alongside well-known names.

A list of the state’s top 200 earners, released by the Department of Administration, calculated employees’ salaries in 2025 up to November 15. It showed minimal changes compared to previous years and remained similar.five top earners in 2024.

Every employee made over $200,000, and as typically seen, the list was largely composed of URI administrators and coaches, plus state police, correctional officers, and healthcare workers at state hospitals.

Political Scene: Which Rhode Island state employees earned the highest income in 2025?

Swiss nightclub blaze stirs recollections for family of Station fire survivor

I asked Anna Gruttadauria about the terrible news of theSwiss nightclub firehad revived memories of her daughter Pam.

Yes, said Anna – but truly, she has thought about Pam every day since losing her almost 23 years ago.The Station nightclub fireIn West Warwick, one hundred individuals lost their lives in that disaster, with Pam Gruttadauria being the final victim. She remained at Massachusetts General Hospital for three months before passing away from her injuries at the age of 33.

A fire that resulted in 40 fatalities at a club named Le Constellation located at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland bore a striking resemblance to the Station fire. In both cases, indoor fireworks triggered flammable materials inside the buildings.

Anna Gruttadauria and her husband, Joe, find themselves wondering: How could the lessons from the Station fire have been ignored?

Mark Patinkin: Swiss nightclub blaze stirs recollections for family of Station fire survivor

Why a Taylor Swift wedding could close down Westerly streets

Picture a group of top-tier celebrities making their way to the village ofWatch Hill in Westerly this summer to attend the wedding of a major celebrityTaylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce.

To Chuck O’Koomian, who is the ownerAirline Express Limousine and Car Servicewith his wife, Ginny Cauley, it’s as if they’re in a horror film scene.

“It’s going to be a logistical nightmare,” O’Koomian said to The Providence Journal, as part of our examination of wedding vendors on what it would take for the Ocean State to organize a wedding suitable for the world’s most famous woman.

No date or venue has been revealed for the wedding, but here’s what would be required to bring a significant celebrity audience to a ceremony held at Swift’s Watch Hill estate, the nearby Ocean House, or the Watch Hill Chapel, where former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and football player Christian McCaffrey got married in 2024.

Local news: Why a Taylor Swift wedding could close down Westerly streets

Providence Mall resident’s ‘ideal’ apartment is only 250 square feet

Amy Henion doesn’t reside in a tiny house, exactly, but her apartment is as close as you can get to that lifestyle in Providence.

She lives in the Arcade, the first indoor shopping mall in the United States, which has been partially converted for use as a residence (there are 24 apartments on the second and third floors of the former mall).

Henion, who previously worked for a small house blog and has authored a book and even delivered aTED Talkabout small living, moved in four years ago.

She currently manages a public Instagram account −I Reside in the Mall− devoted to living in the mall and her small apartment.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of residing in an apartment that is as large as three parking spots?Read the full story to find out.

5 questions: Providence Mall resident’s ‘ideal’ apartment is only 250 square feet

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This piece was first published in The Providence Journal:Garden City dining, highest-paid state employees, Swift’s wedding. Journal’s leading headlines