In the news… update for March 4, 2023

RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

Friday, March 3 at the Ceilidhe Club in Cranston beginning at 7:30 PM.

Four nursing homes in Western Massachusetts will be closing this spring – putting fear into MA and RI on nursing home financial stability

For St. Patrick’s day, bars in Newport will use scanners to read fake IDs

Barrington recruiting for police officers

Rhode Island Blood Center declared a blood emergency after New England saw its first major snowstorm of the winter season. This resulted in the loss of nearly 100 appointments due to lower donor turnout and canceled blood drives, and RIBC is asking for blood donors.

Paolino Properties announces the acquisition of 70 Kennedy Plaza, historically known as the Peoples Savings Bank Building. Built in 1947, the building sits between Kennedy Plaza and Westminster Street.

New Bedford offering $5K sign on bonus for police officers joining the force

URI’s women’s basketball coach Reiss named A-10 coach of the year

RIDOT head, Peter Alviti, was voted to continue in his position – after groups protested his reappointment – it now goes to the full committee for final vote

Nicole Alexander-Scott, former RIDOH director has moved to Georgia to be closer to family

85,000 RI households losing $156 million in SNAP food assistance aid.

RI Speaker Shekarchi introduced a package of bills that have been proposed in the RI legislature having to do with housing. One bill would ban rental application fees

Bank Newport representatives recently visited Hope & Main, based in Warren, Rhode Island, to highlight a $10,000 grant previously awarded through the Bank’s All In Giving program in support of  Nourish Our Neighbors, an innovative program that provides meals prepared by local food businesses to support vulnerable populations.

Joe Paolino, Jr. was successful in his bid to purchase the Christopher Columbus statue, for $50K

The Rhode Island General Assembly will celebrate International Women’s Day next week with an event Tuesday, March 7, at 1 p.m. in the State Room on the second floor of the State House.

Open Doors shelter in Pawtucket has opened 24/7 – with 16 beds and more spaces to come in out of the cold – as well as support services

The state is setting up mobile treatment programs to treat people who were left without services with the closure of 14 opioid treatment centers.

The work of journalists is to listen and convey the truth of what was really said, Pope Francis told a Catholic weekly magazine – “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank, through you, all journalists for their work. It is a noble profession: to convey the truth.”

Project Weber/RENEW and CODAC are hoping to open one of the first safe injection sites in the US soon in RI

Winters School in Pawtucket has reopened for students

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

A bill has been submitted to make the AR-15 the National Gun of America

The EPA halts hazardous waste shipments out of East Palestine, Ohio, out of concern with where it should go – originally intended for Texas – on Monday it began again, but with other Ohio destinations, not Texas

SpaceX launch scrubbed on 2/27

Major winter/snow in the west and southwest, some seeing snow as never before

The comic strip Dilbert has been taken off most newspapers because the cartoonist made a comment that he will stop trying to help black Americans because they really don’t want help from whites – he claims he was taken out of context and now his reputation has been destroyed.

Mattel’s “Adventure Park” will open in Arizona, featuring themes around Barbie, Thomas the Tank, Hot Wheels, and more.

SCOTUS is considering the student loan forgiveness program and its constitutionality.

Hong Kong ending its mask mandate

Turkey hit with another earthquake – in the 5.- measurement

Janet Yellen, treasury head, went to Ukraine

Twitter is now down to 2,000 workers, from a high of 7,500 workers

Monoclonal antibodies are not be used as before, due to how rapidly the virus is morphing. Companies could ramp up production but they would have to change the formula continuously, and that would not be economically feasible. The govt could guarantee the companies would be made whole if one supply had to be quickly replaced with a new version, but so far the US has not chosen to do so.

US Marshals say they had a data breach

Mayor Lightfoot of Chicago has lost her bid for re-election

The Commerce Dept, headed by former RI Governor, Gina Raimondo, has $39 million available and is accepting inquiries for the building of chip manufacturing

A vaccine for RSV for seniors may soon be available, being developed by Pfizer

FBI Director Wray is acknowledging there is a good possibility that the origin of Covid was China’s Wuhan lab

At least 36 people have died in a high speed train collision in Greece, with many injured

Eli Lilly has slashed the price of insulin to no more than $30-$35 per month

Prince Harry & Meghan have been asked to leave the cottage on the palace property

Yosemite is closed until massive amounts of snow can be safely removed as conditions are dangerous

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, CA, is hospitalized with shingles

The band, KISS, announces its final concert tour

The National Guard is dropping MREs in California where snowbound cannot get out to get food

KellyAnn Conway and George Conway will divorce after 22 years

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PASSINGS

John DeLuca, founder of the DaVinci Center