Top stories this week: Medicaid audit; UFOs in RI; full-time legislature

Here's a look at some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of Feb. 26, supported by your subscriptions.

* The Roger Williams University School of Law is requiring all students to take a class exploring how race has shaped American law, and now they are helping other law schools across the country launch similar courses. But the move has faced some resistance on campus, mirroring the fraught national debate over critical race theory.

* The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday heard a slate of bills to boost tenant rights and push back on landlord authority. While renters might be thrilled, for landlords, the feeling isn't mutual. What might these bills mean for Rhode Island renters? Amy Russo has a full breakdown.

* Recovery Connection Centers of America, an addiction recovery agency with offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, defrauded health insurers out of millions while depriving as many as 1,800 patients of vital drug treatment services, federal officials said Thursday. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha described the case as "one of the most brazen and egregious examples of health care fraud the FBI has seen here in Rhode Island in recent history."

* What's on tap for the second annual RI Craft Beer Week? Food editor Gail Ciampa has 17 ways to savor the state's local brews, from mini-golf to trivia nights to a Saugy showdown.

* For coverage of college and high school sports, including the runup to the boys and girls state basketball tournaments and profiles of the fall 2022 All-State Athletes, go to providencejournal.com/sports.

Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:

Auditors find hundreds of ineligible RI state workers on Medicaid rolls

At least 369 state employees who make too much money to qualify were nonetheless being carried on the state's Medicaid health insurance rolls until January, when a routine data analysis by the auditor general's office found their state pay exceeded federal income limits.

The discovery came to light Wednesday, when a letter from the state's interim auditor general, David Bergantino, to top state officials was made public at a legislative hearing.

The letter revealed the kinds of undetected problems state officials may face in April when they resume the recertification of Medicaid recipients, a process that was suspended during the pandemic. And Bergantino said the auditors found even more basic — and serious — problems that merit "immediate investigation."

Government: Auditors find hundreds of ineligible RI state workers on Medicaid rolls

Two of the most iconic flying saucer photos ever are from RI? Our history of UFO sightings

Rhode Island may not feel like "UFO Central," but the Ocean State ranks 15th nationally in sightings per person, according to Stacker.com, a data journalism hub that compiled data from the National UFO Reporting Center. The center's a real place where the Federal Aviation Administration refers people who want to report UFO sightings.

Stacker notes that Rhode Island's UFO history includes "two of the most iconic flying saucer photos of the '60s," including shots taken by a Woonsocket man who claimed he saw an unknown object hovering over power lines in the city just before a 1967 power failure.

Local: Two of the most iconic flying saucer photos ever are from RI? Our history of UFO sightings

Should Rhode Island have a full-time legislature? We asked and here's what lawmakers said.

Here in Rhode Island, rank-and-file legislators get $17,626.63 a year, their leaders, twice that. Not bad for a side gig, right?

One state over, however, their counterparts in the lawmaking business make more than $70,000 in base pay, with legislative leaders making more than $220K.

Has the time come to ask the once-a-decade question: Should Rhode Island's part-time legislators also go full-time with a salary big enough for them to give up their full-time gigs? What about shrinking the size of the House and Senate, raising their pay, or giving them four-year terms?

Political Scene: Should Rhode Island have a full-time legislature? We asked and here's what lawmakers said.

From fast-casual to dining in, a guide to where to eat on Thayer Street

Dining on Thayer Street is built for college students. That's not a surprise, as it is surrounded by Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design.

But its varied restaurants, serving Korean, Thai, Mexican, Greek, Indian, French, Portuguese and Mediterranean foods plus vegan, seafood dishes, pizza, all-day breakfast and even hamburgers and hot dogs, have something for every taste and price point.

Here's a guide to 10 dine-in restaurants and 10 takeout spots on Thayer and adjacent streets. This list will prove that you can find any kind of food you want on College Hill.

Dining: From fast-casual to dining in, a guide to where to eat on Thayer Street

Looking for a workout? Here are 3 RI fitness influencers with big followings

Finding the headspace, motivation and gear to work out can be a lot of work before the workout even begins.

Nothing helps with that quite like a workout guide (or buddy), which is where the fitness influencers come in. Available with just a few clicks whenever you need a bit of motivation or a workout plan, fitness influencers have created a new easily accessible way to exercise with options for all types of training.

We introduce you to some of the Rhode Island fitness influencers making a name for themselves on social media.

Exercise: Looking for a workout? Here are 3 RI fitness influencers with big followings

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