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In the news… for June 17, 2023
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Patriots mini-camp started this week
Operation Stand Down RI needs donations of food, money to their food bank
State of MA 3rd most expensive state to rent
No money in budget going through RI legislature for the Arcade or the Superman buildings
No pot smoking on Narragansett Beach – and others – several signs going up
The Taunton hotel being used for homeless is 70-90% over capacity
MBTA ridership reached 68 percent of pre-pandemic levels in March, led by commuter rail (80 percent of pre-pandemic levels), bus (79 percent), and ferry (64 percent). Ridership on the subway system was 59 percent of pre-pandemic levels in March.” – CommonWealth Magazine
Providence Police attempted to capture a 19 year old wanted for murder in the West End of Providence – he is still wanted and considered “armed and dangerous”
Endangered red panda, Rusty, 18, died at Roger Williams Park Zoo
RIBluTech is working on a US submarine contract for a communications system
CVS’s Oak Street Health expands to 4 more states
David’s Bridal will close in RI
Arlington, MA delayed school due to a bear roaming the neighborhood
Massachusetts paid out $80 million in unspent COVID funds ahead of debt limit deal
Gridwealth, a U.S.-based commercial-scale solar developer, owner, and operator, focused on real estate investors, property owners and commercial customers, today announced it has been awarded $225,000 in grants from Rhode Island Commerce’s Renewable Energy Fund to build three Rhode Island solar projects. – 2 projects in Portsmouth for nonprofits and 1 in Pawtucket for a residential mill loft project.
Operation Stand Down RI is in emergency need of food items for their food bank in Johnston – lowest in 8 years – serve 20-30 veterans a day
45th anniversary of The Foxy Lady June 14th
Gov. McKee seeks disaster declaration to repair Newport’s Cliff Walk
Knead Doughnuts opens in Providence – corner of Smith and River
Avoid contact with Tiogue Lake in Coventry due to blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria) blooms. Blue-green algae can produce toxins that can harm humans and animals. Blue-green algae can produce toxins that can harm humans and animals.
Prov. City Councilwoman, Helen Anthony, seriously injured when hit by a van while hiking in California
Colombian Ambassador to the U.S. Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia was presented with a ceremonial key to the City of Central Falls by Mayor Maria Rivera
Cranston is the 11th community to commit to partnering with the state to improve student achievement levels through increasing out-of-school learning time, joining Newport, Bristol, East Providence, East Greenwich, Providence, Warren, Smithfield, Pawtucket, North Kingstown and Jamestown.
Drug overdose deaths remained at crisis levels in Rhode Island in 2022. However, after increasing for years, the number of fatal overdoses did not increase from 2021.
A portion of Beverage Hill Ave in Pawt. will be shut down for 90 days while Prospect Housing is attached to city sewer
Donated body parts sold by Harvard med school morgue staff – and sold
Juneteenth will be a RI holiday in 2024 – it is a national holiday now
Providence public school day will be extended by 30 mins as a way to catch up after COVID
In 2 weeks, RI and MA will begin taking undocumented drivers’ license applications. MA is anticipataing 1,700 people a day
Use of styrofoam in RI restaurants banned
Town of Johnston takes over Johnston School Dept. due to nearly 1 million deficit and budgeting problems.
Drug overdoses in RI have leveled off
Taxing hospital property that is rented to others has Lifespan saying it doesn’t need all the property it has and may begin to sell off some holdings.
47th annual RI Pride Fest will be held in Providence this weekend – reference page: https://prideri.org/pridefest/
Mayor Wu, Boston, has rejected the city council’s budget that would cut police and veterans services
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
UK PM Boris Johnson resigns from politics
NYC Police Chief abruptly resigns
COVID increased 40% since May
9 people shot in post-Denver game on Tuesday morning
Ukraine says it has regained control of 7 areas
Pat Sajak has announced his retirement after this next season of Wheel of Fortune
Novak Djokovic wins French Open, breaks record for most men’s Grand Slams with 23
4 children found in the jungles of Columbia, sole survivors of an air crash
Sickle cell disease is seeing great strides in research
Westfield, SF Center will close due to chronic homelessness and crime.
McDonald’s will come out with retro Happy Meals – for adults – in October
Route 95 overpass in PA closed because of highway collapse due to huge fire from tanker incident
4 children rescued from plane crash in jungles of Columbia after being alone in the jungle for 40 days
Alex Soros has taken over from his father George Soros
Unabomber’s death determined to be suicide
4% staff cut at The Athletic, sports media
13% staff cut from LA Times
Erie Canal Tour Boat capsized with 1 dead, 11 injured
23 military were injured in Syria helicopter mishap
US govt admits China has been setting up a spying location in Cuba since 2019
Findings show on the production of “Rust” with Alec Baldwin, that the gun handler was both hung over from drinking the night before – and using marijuana
Broadway attendance is down 17% from pre-pandemic levels
NYC has 74,000 asylum seekers with 170 emergency shelters, hotels are full, now setting up 2 mega-shelters in the upper west side. Funding has tripled for this situation.
Canadian fires are now in Ontario with smoke in midwest US
Another American couple in Mexico died overnight in their luxury rooms in Cabo San Lucas at Rancho Pescadero, a Hyatt facility – deaths attributed to CO poisoning – they had gone to an ER earlier in the day
Nathan Carmen took his own life in prison while awaiting trial for the death of his mother on a boat
Pope Francis has been released from the hospital
Dr. Mandy Cohen has been named head of CDC
Micron is putting over $6M into a chip manufacturing plant – in China
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PASSINGS
Silvio Berlusconi, 86, long time PM of Italy, of cancer
Daniel Ellsberg, 92, of pancreatic cancer – Ellsberg leaked the top-secret Pentagon Papers and helped push the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam
John Gibbons, 63, RI Sports Commissioner
Ray Lewis III, 28 son of Ray Lewis Jr., Ravens
Cormac McCarthy, 89, author, of RI
Treat Williams, 71, actor, in a motorcycle accident in Vermont
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