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In the news… recap for week ending Dec. 28, 2024
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Atlantic Mills employees vote to unionize
RI hired a Chief Medical Examiner, forensic pathologist Marius C. Tarau, M.D., who will be paid $393,750 a year
FBI has disbanded their organized crime unit, reports the BosGlobe
Gov. Maura Healey pledged that the cost of running emergency shelters would decrease from its historic levels, and pushed back on calling Massachusetts a “sanctuary state.”
The number of Rhode Islanders who may be impacted by the cybersecurity breach raised to 650,000
Mayor Smiley of Providence converted to Judaism after a year of study and is now a member of Temple Beth El (BosGlobe)
The Miriam Hospital will be renovating the emergency department, and inpatient units
“Stressed” Amazon worker in MA dumps over 80 packages in the woods
RI has the 7th highest incident of flu, RSV and COVID now – precautions advised
$1M lottery ticket winner in Pawtucket claims his winnings – will be buying a new car and new furniture, first
4 adults died in New Hampshire home due to a carbon monoxide leak
City of Providence says it will reopen naming sponsorship bid process for The Providence Ice Rink after the first of the year. Cianci Foundation says it will resubmit.
Town Fair Tires will sell 10 of their locations in MA
A contained fire of 3,000 gal. tank of corn oil stored on Allens Ave was extinguished in a few hours with Providence FD, and assisting Cranston, Johnston, Cumberland, East Providence and North Smithfield
Boston PD found for the 2nd time that they should not have terminated a police officer for tweeting about Jan. 6th.
204 unit housing complex for seniors will be built in 2025 in Coventry, $65M to be built by LRT
Gov. McKee will give the State of the State on Jan. 14th 7pm
Attleboro water superintendent resigns after ‘unacceptable water loss’
Car crashed into Backstage Kitchen and Bar, inside of Hotel Providence on Mathewson St. No one hurt, and no permanent structural damage
Significant damage at Capital Grille when a person, who has been arrested, stormed in, locked himself in the office and damaged the place
A 1st year student at RISD, Violet Goldstein, died of CO2 poisoning with her entire family at a New Hampshire vacation home.
A new tourism video produced by the Rhode Island’s Tourism Division showed the sunset at Watch Hill Lighthouse in Westerly while actually showing images of Point Judith Light in Narragansett.
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
MSNBC is reducing salaries: Joy Reid, Stephanie Ruhle. Rachel Maddow will have to pare down her $30M salary – the station lost 55% of its audience after the election.
Free COVID tests available again from US govt: https://www.covidtests.gov/
King Charles says he will continue cancer treatment in 2025 and is doing well
Julian Lennon underwent skin cancer surgery
Kamala Harris has landed a $20M book deal
Oyssey is a new real estate search app that provides some the political leanings of neighbors you are considering living in. It can also provide info on dogs, average household income and the ratio of homeowners to renters. Soft launching now in FL and NY.
Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez are set to marry this weekend – wedding estimated to cost $600Million
Rep. Kay Granger, TX, long absent from Congress, found to be living with dementia in a nursing home
13 dead in Nigeria as a Christmas giveaway of food and clothing resulted in a stampede
Albania shuts down TikTok for one year
20 “big cats” died in a Washington cat sanctuary – tests not definitive, could be bird flu
Elon Musk talked about the importance of bringing in super-talented immigrants to the US to help in tech industries
Netflix has obtained exclusive rightsto air RIFA Women’s Tournament
Honda & Nissan planning to merge
Mt. Kilauea Volcano erupts in Hawaii –
Container Store filed for bankruptcy
Michael Vick new head football coach of Norfolk State Univ. in Virginia
The Talk, on CBS, with Sheryl Underwood, Jerry O’Connell, Amanda Kloots, Akbar Gbajabiamila and Natalie Morales, has been canceled after 15 seasons
A homeless woman sleeping on a NYC subway car was set on fire and died. Two high school youth called 911 to report the assailant, who was arrested – an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who has been in the US since 2019.
Pres. Biden commutes 37 death sentences to life without parole – some having killed children, etc. – meeting with bipartisan controversy
Tiger Woods son, Charlie, got a hole-in-one at a championship he was playing with his father
President Trump elect wants to buy Greenland for national security. He also wants to reclaim the Panama Canal. Panama said no.
Former President Bill Clinton hospitalized “with a fever”, said to be in “good spirits” – released to home on the afternoon of Christmas Eve
“Plastic” teabags now found to release “huge amounts” of nanoplastics in use
Luigi Mangione pled not guilty in the killing of United HealthCare CEO – his attorney appeared wearing similar clothing – maroon sweater, white-collared shirt – in court – saying Mangione has been made a spectacle of.
All charges against Alec Baldwin for the “Rust” shooting have been dropped, cases closed.
Pope Francis ushered in a Jubilee year – happens only every 25 years – on Christmas Eve
The family behind the Nordstrom retail chain is teaming with a Mexican retailer to take the company private for $6.25 billion
COSTCO organic eggs issued emergency recall for products sold in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
Ford, GM, Toyota all donating $1M for the US inauguration
Abercrombie CEO, Jeffries, who is about to stand trial for abusing children is said to have dementia and may not be able to be tried
2 reporters killed in violent attacks in Haiti
Plane crash in Kazakstan – at least 29 survivors, many expected dead – now attributed to a possible accidental Russian defense missile attack
Ukraine attacked by Russia on Christmas – more than 70 missiles, 100 drones, aimed to take out the energy sector
Newbury Comics has UAW complaints
Another power cable has just broken between Finland and Estonia in the Baltic Sea sabotage is suspected.
Fox hosts Sean Hannity, 62, and Ainsley Earhardt, 48, are engaged. Hannity proposed to Earhardt on Christmas Day at Church.
The new So. Korea president was also impeached
Marianne Williamson launches bid for DNC chair
6 hurt when NYC cab jumps curb after driver has a medical incident
Combination COVID/flu tests are now available for home use
Proposition 36 in California once again makes shoplifting a felony
18% increase in homelessness report by HUD in one year – 770,000 homeless on any one night – the highest number ever recorded
An older person, with multiple health issues in Louisiana has contracted the nation’s first severe case of bird flu after the virus mutated inside their body, allowing it to more easily infect their upper respiratory system.
NYC holiday outdoor shopping market caught on fire
2nd person found on fire at NYC train station, who survived
In China, citywide catastrophe insurance policies are being looked at to protect millions of people from devastating storms.
Pres-elect Trump asks courts to wait on Tik Tok decision until he is in office
The White House record of District Attorney Fani Willis visiting the White House, and Kamala Harris prior to the GA Trump RICO indictment, was revealed.
The $1Billion Lottery ticket was sold in CA and won by one person
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PASSINGS
Michael Brewer, 80, folk singer (One Toke Over The Line)
Sanford Fern, 98, RI advertising icon
Goldstein family: Matthew Goldstein, 52, Lyla Goldstein, 54, Valerie Goldstein, 22, and Violet Goldstein, 19, all of Newton, Massachusetts. Of CO2 poisoning at a New Hampshire vacation home. Violet was a first year student at RISD
Greg Gumbel, 78, CBS sports broadcaster
Dayle Haddon, 76, model and founder of WomenOne, of carbon monoxide poisoning at a home
Ricky Henderson, 65, Hall of Famer, MLB
Olivia Hussey, 76, actress (Romeo & Juliet), of breast cancer
Jill Jacobson, 70, actress, esophageal cancer
Abigail McGrath, 89, founder of The Renaissance House on Martha’s Vineyard & writer for MV Times
Dick Parsons, 76, marketing executive
Richard Perry, 82, pop record producer in 70s and 80s