After several years of momentum with increased earnings and expansion, Westerly-based Washington Trust Bancorp Inc. hit a $2.8 million pothole in the first quarter of 2013, but helped balance that dip with solid growth in commercial loans and strong mortgage production in a three-state region. more

Bel Air Finishing Supply in North Kingstown first tapped state professional-development grants five years ago when the company was making a push for exports and needed to train workers in overseas marketing. more

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island last week officially returned control of financially troubled Central Falls to local elected officials, the Associated Press reported last week. City officials are now charged with guiding the municipality through a recovery plan crafted under state oversight and approved by a federal bankruptcy judge. more

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – South County town officials say regulations enacted in 2012 have allowed dozens of small home-improvement projects that were stalled to go forward. more

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Business Plan Competition has chosen six finalists for its 2013 competition, the organization announced. more

BOSTON – The Mass. Department of Environmental Protection is seeking public comment for proposed amendments to agency regulations that deal with wetlands, waterways and water-quality certifications, as well as wastewater-related changes to state-issued permits and operation standards for sewer-treatment works. more

NEW YORK – Fitch Ratings last week affirmed its AA rating of the Massachusetts Port Authority’s $1.16 billion revenue bonds and its A+ rating of the authority’s $127.4 million passenger facility charge revenue bonds. Fitch said the rating outlook is stable for all of the authority’s debt. more

The rapid spread of H7N9 flu throughout China and with it, fears of a potential global pandemic, has Rhode Island health officials examining protocols and plans, in case the deadly flu spreads to the U.S. more

In our fast-paced, ever-changing business world, the notion of “prevention” – which generally means doing something you don’t absolutely have to do right now – often gets lost or set aside. But with so much riding on how smoothly things run at your business, that ounce of prevention can indeed far outweigh a pound of cure later on. more

When Peter VanLancker, president of Hunt Yachts, joined the company two years after its inception, in 2000, he saw a solid business idea but a fledging execution for a boat-building business. more