‘Scorched earth’ deed restrictions can keep grocers out of food deserts. States are fighting back

‘Scorched earth’ deed restrictions can keep grocers out of food deserts. States are fighting back

Woonsocket, Rhode Island, a city of roughly 45,000 people near the Massachusetts border, has just one full-scale grocery store: a PriceRite located three miles from the city center.  Getting there can be difficult for residents in one of the state’s poorest cities. With more than 40% of Woonsocket households earning less than $35,000 a year, and with 18% of residents having no access to a car, many families are stranded in what officials call a …