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In the news… on January 22, 2023
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Mayor Smiley says he wants police officers to stay in schools, but “dressed down”
Johnston Police receive first body cams
Lifespan opens 4th urgent care center in Johnston
Providence Municipal Court renamed, “The Frank Caprio Courtroom” – an honor of Judge Caprio’s nearly 40 years of service – he now becomes the 1st Chief Judge Emeritus
Project Weber/RENEW and CODAC Behavioral Healthcare are proposing to open a supervised drug use site on Huntington Avenue in Providence
Virgin Pulse Inc. has appointed Jeffrey Jacques, former CVS Health Corp./Aetna Inc. clinical leader, as chief medical officer
RI E-911 has a staffing shortage
Party City has declared bankruptcy – no store closures yet announced
FY24 RI budget proposal to the General Assembly includes proposals to provide insurance coverage for abortion-related services for state employees and those in Medicaid
Marc Crisafulli was named Chair of the I-195 Commission. Crisafulli recently retired as president of Bally’s and previously was a senior executive and general counsel for GTECH Corporation, now IGT. He also served as managing partner of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder. Crisafulli has served on the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission since 2019.
Stefan Pryor was named Secretary of Housing to take over for Josh Saal who resigned his position over the homeless crisis
F.I.N.A.O. Tattoo Ink will open a new location in Centredale Village
TF Green will begin non-stop flights to Richmond, Virginia
Two teens fought in Kennedy Plaza, with one stabbing the other 4 times, requiring surgery.
The Narragansett Town Council is commissioning a study to determine how many people can safely be on Narragansett Town Beach
The 6/10 connector construction used contaminated fill soil, and the RI AG charged Barletta Heavy Division with two counts of illegal disposal of solid waste, one count of operating a solid waste management facility without a license, and one count of providing a false document to a public official. Also charged is Dennis Ferreira, a former senior employee of Barletta, with two counts of illegal disposal of solid waste, one count of operating a solid waste management facility without a license, and one count of providing a false document to a public official
The RI budget notes a $3 million loss beginning next fiscal year on the minor-league soccer stadium project being built in Pawtucket
BHDDH has asked to have the budget reflect a $20/hr minimum starting wage for those who work with adults with developmental disabilities, and it appears in the budget that now goes to congress
Langevin will be a visiting scholar in the URI Department of Political Science, and a senior fellow in the Brown University Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.
Providence schools midterms were changed to being done online and being administered by the district and not individual teachers
The AMP celebrates 50 years when it was founded as the Providence Civic Center
Jennie Johnson, longtime executive director of City Year Rhode Island will go to the Community College of Rhode Island as vice president of workforce partnerships
Amy Grzybowski is the new vice president of community relations at New England Tech
Seth Klaiman, former chief of staff for former state treasurer Seth Magaziner, has joined the New Harbor Group communications agency as an executive vice president.
Bristol Police Chief Kevin M. Lynch is the incoming president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association
Wayne T. Salisbury Jr., recent assistant director of the state Department of Corrections, takes over for outgoing director. Salisbury also served at the Wyatt Detention Center
John Lombardi becomes Chief Judge of Providence Municipal Court, replacing the retiring Frank Caprio
All 5 counties in RI are in medium level of COVID risk
The Bouchard Restaurant (and Inn), a fine dining French restaurant in Newport will “reopen” in February under the name Chanterelle, and offer French/American cuisine. Owners are stepping aside, but still involved in the restaurant and new ownership which hopes to make the restaurant one not only for special occasion dining, but regular dining as well
Actor Jeremy Renner has gone home to recover from his snowplow accident where he broke more than 30 bones.
Mayor Smiley is surveying 600 people prior to considering candidates for police chief
Wayfair, in Boston, making serious cutbacks in staff
Edaville Railroad owners will build 336 housing units on their campus – the park will remain open each year at holiday time.
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
On Saturday night, another group of classified documents were discovered by an unannounced, 13-hour search by DOJ at the president’s Delaware home – some going back to his time in the Senate, others from his time as Vice President
President Biden’s Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, has resigned.
SCOTUS says it cannot find the source of the leak about the ruling on abortion
Female Manniquins in stores in Afghanistan must have their heads covered up in plastic or masks.
2 Georgia football team members were killed in an accident just after they won national championship
Girl Scout Cookie Sales has started
NYC will open its 5th immigrant center for 1,000 single, adult men
US program, “Welcome Core” beginning to allow private citizens to sponsor “refugees” to this country
Tech companies make staffing cuts as mega-tech companies start cutbacks
1 in 3 American high schools do not have certified athletic trainers on staff
NYC Mayor Adams made a speech at the border slamming the federal government for not coming up with a plan for immigration
Todd & Julie Chrisley begin their 19 years in prison
Abbott Laboratories is under investigation by the US DOJ – this is the company that makes most of the baby formula that went unavailable last year and remains short in supply today
Illinois police say they will not enforce the semiautomatic weapons ban
The CEO of United Airlines said the other airlines won’t be able to handle the volume they are planning on
The International Atomic Energy Agency is placing teams of experts at all four of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to reduce the risk of severe accidents
The Church of England has said they will not officiate same sex weddings
The Prime Minister of New Zealand steps down saying she knows what is needed to do the job but she does not have “what you need in the tank” to continue to do the job
Over a dozen schools in Virginia have withheld notice of National Merit Awards – not even students or parents know they won, in an equity move
Moderna is making an RSV vaccine
The WHO is establishing a group to escalate the TB vaccine throughout the world, as compliance continues to go down.
For the second time, a Colorado library has been closed due to meth contamination
Mafia boss captured in Sicily after 30 years
Microsoft will lay off 5% of their workforce, approx. 10,000 workers
Google is laying off 12,000 workers
France wants to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65 to help the viability of the pension system
T-Mobile has had a data breach
A small nuclear reactor has been approved in Oregon
The Navaho Nations have withdrawn their mask mandate
Judge issues rescinding of Illinois semi-automatic gun ban.
China is celebrating the Lunar New Year (the year of the Rabbit) with community events, out of lockdown
Thousands marched in the annual March for Life in Washington this weekend.
50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade – 1st since SCOTUS overturning
In Japan, plans were announced to downgrade COVID to the equivalent of seasonal influenza in the spring, a move that would further relax mask wearing and other preventive measures as the country seeks to return to normalcy. It would also remove self-isolation rules and allow COVID-19 patients to seek treatment at any hospital instead of only specialized facilities.
Greece is expanding its border wall with Turkey
A strain of gonorrhea, never before seen in the United States, that shows signs of resistance to every recommended treatment for the disease has been identified in Massachusetts
Buzz Aldrin, 93, married his long time girlfriend, 63, on his birthday.
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PASSINGS
David Crosby, 81
Gina Lollabrigida, 95