Big Drug Bust, Massive Fire, Tragedy on the Roads

RHODE ISLAND—There was no shortage of big news last week in Rhode Island, including a massive fire in Newport, a big drug bust in Woonsocket, and a series of terrible crashes that took the lives of young people in Portsmouth, Coventry and Exeter.

Here's a rundown of some of the scores of stories posted on Patch sites across Rhode Island last week:

Newport Mansion Consumed by Massive Fire
Stonor Lodge in Newport was reduced to a smoky pile of rubble after a massive fire tore through the 9,100 square foot mansion. Construction workers scrambled away from the structure as it went up in flames—and pointed their cameras at the house to capture the incident on video.

Skeleton-Masked Armed Robber Guns Down Cranston Store Clerk
Police are still looking for a man who opened fire during an attempted robbery of a gas station in Cranston. The clerk suffered multiple gunshots and is recovering, but the family now is coming to terms with mounting medical bills.

RI Catholic School Bans Transgender Students
The Mount Saint Charles school community is having a debate about the schools inclusiveness—or lack thereof—after its policy barring transgender students from the school prompted a petition on Change.org. Since this story was posted, the school has released a statement and said that it will consider ways to provide accommodations to transgender students in the future.

Middletown Hotel Killing: Newport Woman Faces First-Degree Murder Charge
A 51-year-old man from South Carolina is found dead in a bathtub in a Middletown hotel and police charged two people with first-degree murder.

Woonsocket Bank Robber Arrested
Just one day after Woonsocket police said they're looking for a bank robber, they arrested a man for the alleged crime. And it's all thanks to the public.

Portsmouth Man Faces Felony Domestic Charge after Newport Break-In
The man apologized and offered to pay for the damage he caused but police went ahead with pressing charges.

Fallen Newport Soldier to Get Medals Posthumously
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed presented the medals to his family on Friday.

Short-Change Con Artists Hit North Kingstown Walmart
A group of people, apparently of Indian descent, have been targeting businesses in South County, tricking cashiers out of money using a classic short-change or flim-flam con. They hit a North Kingstown Walmart not long after South Kingstown police put out a warning that Con Artists short-changed a SK business.

Crate and Barrel Opens in Garden City Center
You don't have to peer into the windows anymore. It's open! And it marks the completion of a major phase of the long-term Garden City Center expansion in Cranston.

Portsmouth Mourns Loss of Ray Oliver, 20
The town of Portsmouth is mourning after a young Bristol Community College student died after a Turnpike Avenue Crash while delivering pizza. His Obituary describes a man who barely began his life before it ended.

Swift Passage for Tiverton Casino Bills
Voters will decide in November whether Newport Grand shall be allowed to pull up stakes and move operations into a new facility in Tiverton.

Former Woonsocket Walmart Eyed for Trampoline Park, Storage Facility
Diamond Hill Road is bouncing back, the mayor said.

RIDOT Sets Weight Limit on Mink Street Bridge
The bridge is in poor shape and isn't expected to be fixed for years.

Norah Jones Coming to Newport Folk Festival
Full list of announced acts so far, too.

Newport Man Arrested for Felony Shoplifting and Police Chase

92 Sailors, Soldiers and Marines Graduate from Naval War College in Newport

EG Man Charged with 2 DUIs in 3 Days

EGHS a Finalist in $2m Samsung STEM Contest
To vote, post on Twitter or Instagram and use the right hashtags! Click through for specific instructions.

Moody's Assigns A1 Rating to $5.9m in Town Bonds
Some decent financial news for Coventry.

Police ID Victim of Fatal Crash in Coventry
A terrible tragedy. A Coventry teen dies and a driver is facing a dui charge for a fatal rollover on Route 2 that involved speed and alcohol.

McLaughlin Rescinds Resignation
It was an about face for Newport City Councilor Justin McLaughlin. First he was resigning. Then he wasn't.

30 Arrested in Woonsocket Drug Trafficking Sting
Major drug bust targeted public housing complex. City officials say the rampant drug activity in some parts of the city have put a chokehold on the city's revival.

Newport Man Indicted for Robbing Cumberland Farms at Knifepoint

Newport Woman Registers .371 BAC after DUI Crash in Middletown

Woonsocket Man Indicted for Child Molestation

Portsmouth Looking for Town's "Top Dog"

Man Passes Fake $100 at Brewed

Newport's Norey's Named Best Craft Beer Bar in RI

Fung Announces Another Run for Mayor