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In the news… for April 22, 2023
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
East Side Cheese and Provisions to open on the East side of Providence
RI Airport will spend $19M for improvements – runways, fencing, and a new baggage handling system
WPRI Ted Nesi begins 6 weeks “delayed paternity time”
Exeter Fire is thought to have been caused by a homeless encampment of a family who frequents Burlingame
First medical marijuana shop goes bankrupt in RI– predictions are that more will follow
Fine Time Watch & Jewelry in Warwick to close
Governor selected Ashley Deckert as his nominee to serve as the next Director of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Deckert will replace Kevin Aucoin, who has served as Acting Director since 2019. The Governor will submit Deckert’s name to the Rhode Island Senate for advice and consent.
The Rhode Island Transit Authority’s No Fare Pilot Program will continue for an additional six months, after the agency’s board recently voted to extend the program. The program offers free bus passes to individuals from age 5 to 65 who are living at or below 200% of the poverty line and didn’t already qualify for the agency’s free fares program for older adults and people with disabilities. The passes gave riders free unlimited travel for six months, which will now be extended to free travel until September. Usually, an unlimited bus pass costs $70 a month.
Cranston officials moving 3 encampments out of wooded areas owned by city/state – notifications given and removal should be completed by the end of the week
Gabe Amo has entered the race for CD1
RISD and their union settled their union dispute
Coyotes were thought to have been spotted walking in pairs in the Oakland Beach area. They are unusual in color – black with white feet – and may be mistaken for dogs – if they get too close to property, create a disturbance to frighten them away was the advice – UNTIL they learned they WERE in fact dogs, and possibly a hybrid with coyotes. They were cornered and tranquilized for genetic testing after their prior owner came forward to explain the situation.
Gov. McKee attended an event at Bryant University with author and former basketball player Dan Grunfeld to celebrate 75 years of Hillel.
Concert at Emmanuel Church to benefit the Mike Renzi Musicianship Award scholarship at URI will be held on April 28th, featuring pianist Russ Kassoff
Mayor Hopkins will have an Armenian flag raising this week at city hall
RI lost 700 jobs from last month
City of Boston has hired a Mural consultant – Street Theory, Inc. – they will manage 15 new murals for $3.5 million
RI AG Peter Neronha will be having spinal cord surgery and recovering for approx.. 6 weeks (Boston Globe)
Koch Eye will pay over a $1Million fine to the federal government regarding a whistleblower Medicare issue
Woonsockekt Mayor Baldelli collapsed at a news conference on Thursday and is now in stable condition at Landmark Medical Center
Governor Dan McKee today announced that he has selected Michael Grey to serve as the next Chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education. Grey replaces Barbara Cottom.
URI commencement speaker will be writer, naturalist, and freedom-of-speech advocate Terry Tempest Williams. Honorary degrees will be given to: Zaven Khachaturian, Ph.D., widely considered the “father” of modern Alzheimer’s disease research; Wendy Schmidt, president of The Schmidt Family Foundation; and Clint Smith, an interdisciplinary scholar and inspirational social justice educator, poet, author and speaker.
URI researcher’s study, published in the journal Obesity, confirms that increased PFAS content in the blood promotes weight gain.
Barrington HS graduation will continue as originally scheduled – issue was over # of school days completed – graduation is June 4th.
Walter Berbrick, a professor in the War Gaming Dept. at the US Naval War College and a former intelligence officer has announced he will run for Congress, CD1 in RI. He is 38 and lives in MIddletown. See all announced candidates: https://rinewstoday.com/rhode-islands-runaway-race-for-congress/
Memorial Hospital is compromised as a location for homeless in a construction deal and confusing ownership. With the contractor, Michael Mota, announcing it is ready to go back to Amos House for use as a shelter, Amos and RI Housing say they are not interested in the building. The RI Attorney General now enters the conflict to intervene.
Nicholas Alahverdian‘s saga was the topic of a 2-hour Friday night Dateline
Athena’s Home Novelties was recognized by the Woonsocket City Council for 25 years of business success. The company was founded by Jennifer Jolicoeur.
The 47th annual Pawtucket Open will take place during the weekends of June 16-18 and June 23-25 at Slater Park’s renovated Mike Kenny Courts, after a 4 year absence.
The Pawtucket Animal Shelter has reopened with new staff and facilities at Slater Park, after 3 years.
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
Lady Gaga appointed by Pres. Biden as co-chair of the White House Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Attempted coup in Sudan continues
David’s Bridal will layoff over 6,000 employees prior to its plan to file for bankruptcy
Train derailment in northern Maine – no threat to people
Merck to acquire Prometheus, a clinical-stage biotech firm focusing on the treatment of immune-mediated diseases, for $10.8B
Philadelphia has put a 2PM curfew for the shopping district – law says minors will not be able to go into the shopping outlets without an adult over the age of 23 after 2 p.m.
A secret Chinese police unit was identified and arrested in NYC – within a few days approximately 12 others were found
Jamie Foxx who suffered a mild stroke remains hospitalized due to complications
Victims of the Alabama dance studio shooting were identified as a 17, 18, 10 and 23 year old – and over 20 others wounded
REI closing Portland, OR store because of looting and violence
McDonalds announces it will be tweaking its recipes
Sen. Fetterman returned to Congress in shorts and a hoodie – cast one vote – and left
SpaceX, after canceling Monday’s flight, flew on Thursday but exploded when the engine was to separate. Musk said it was a success once it left the launch pad as the goal was to gather more data.
Elon Musk says the US government had complete access to DMs on individuals’ social media accounts
Damar Hamlin cleared to return to football
Parking garage, multi-level building in NYC collapses – one killed, others injured
Fox network settles lawsuit with Dominion day before case was to proceed – amount said to be $787.5 Million
Donald Trump sells out of an NFT on his 1st post on Instagram in years – raising over $4M
US Supreme Court temporarily extends access to abortion drug until Friday the 21st.
US jobs loss 5,000 from last week
$100Million in gold stolen from Canadian airport
Larry Elder, who graduated from Brown Univ. will run for president
President Trump is expected to announce for president next week – by video message
BuzzFeed is shutting down – will keep HuffPost open
MSM are reporting that there are 3 tax crimes and 1 gun purchase possible against the president’s son
No severance pay for thousands of Bed, Bath & Beyond layoffs
Aerosmith, with Steven Tyler, announce they will go back on tour
Vox cut 7% of its workforce
Whole Foods, owned by Amazon, are set to layoff hundreds of corporate employees
IKEA will open 8 new stores in US
China building weapons to take out our satellites in the case of war as a first strike
Netflix facing lawsuit over depicting Cleopatra as a black woman… not Greek, which would have been her ancestry in Egypt
Gov. Newsom calls out the National Guard to “shut down the open-air drug dealing” in San Francisco – this follows calling out the NG to set up 1,200 tiny homes for the homeless.
Late Friday night, the US Supreme Court temporarily blocked restrictions on use of the abortion pill, while the issue works its way through lower courts.
COVID upticks are beginning, with increased recommendations for vaccine boosters for those at high risk.
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PASSINGS
Irwin Becker, 83, former ProJo reporter, and later citizens advocate
Jim Gillis, 64, Newport Daily News reporter, writer
Edward Koren, 87, New Yorker cartoonist
Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, 99, founder of Kleinfeld Bridal and inspiration of Say Yes to the Dress