In the news… for March 25th, 2023

RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

Medical residents and fellows at Massachusetts’ largest health systems are preparing to unionize

Some Brown students want nap pods installed on campus to help address college students’ lack of healthy sleeping habits: “We need more sleep, and installing a few nap pods around campus would help us dream a little sweeter.”

Carpionato Corporation is moving from Johnston to Cranston, 100 Sockanosset Crossroad. Kelly Coates said, “I’m very excited to invest in Cranston.”

PVD Fest will move to September, to accommodate college kids back at school in Providence

Fogo de Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse chain, will open at Prov. Place Mall

Night Shift Brewing, a MA-based brewery, also opening at the mall

Temporary agreement reached with Jamestown – Newport ferry – for this summer

Three fires took place this week at homeless encampments. Events in Providence – and one at a house squatting situation in New Bedford and another in Brockton.

Tom Hanks will deliver the commencement address at Harvard

Dolphins were seen in a feeding pool just north of the Mt. Hope Bridge in Bristol

A skimming device was found on a Johnston ATM

TopGolf will open this summer in Cranston, per Mayor

Costco still working on location in Cranston, but set to go forward

Gap and Talbots will close only its Prov. Place Mall store

Level 99 will open in PPM

The Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium (UTIC) announced $25,000 in scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year to undergraduate and/or graduate students pursuing degrees in STEM-related fields with a focus on undersea technology. www.underseatech.org

Two young people were killed in a dirt bike accident in Cranston – without helmets, no license to drive the bike, the bike was for off-roading and had no headlight – having bought it the day before.

Pawtucket announces a delay in issuing bonds for the Tidewater Stadium – stadium was to open in 2024 and may face delay – this brings up broader issue of bond fonding and projects all over RI that may be impacted or delayed.

An additional $10 million in funding for the Public School Energy Equity Program, for infrastructure improvements leading to healthier learning environments in the classroom and cost savings for school districts was announced with 10 communities presently eligible – Central Falls, Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, West Warwick, East Providence, North Providence, Cranston, Coventry, and Burrillville. 24 schools have also had lights replaced with LEDs.

Cranston’s Budlong Pool will be the topic of a press conference about its future on Monday.

A bill to allow tax free “Christmas in July” is moving through the RI legislature

Project Weber/RENEW with CODAC Behavioral Healthcare plans to open a harm reduction clinic on Huntington Avenue in Providence where people can use drugs under the supervision of a trained and experienced staff. More centers will be planned. RI was the first state to allow these clinics in the US.

In Massachusetts, barely 346,000 people rode the MBTA on an average weekday in January, compared with 688,000 riders per day in January 2020 – a permanent director of the MBTA has not yet been named and speed slows have continued among repair and safety issues. MassterList said, “From falling concrete to mounting delays, a blistering federal safety report, trains stranded on highways to derailments, problems continue to pile up like a comedy of errors for the beleaguered transit agency.”

Financing for at least 600 apartment units is being threatened by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank which had purchased Boston Private Bank, a funding source for construction and development of affordable housing in MA.

UMass Medical School in Worcester will expand into Burlington with a partnership with the Lahey Clinic

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

CVS is changing its hours so it will be open for the convenience of its customers, according to a press release – they are also closing for lunch from 1:30 to 2pm at some stores – check with your local store or website

Footlocker to close 400 stores

Prospective lawyers will no longer be required to disclose juvenile arrests and other encounters with police that did not result in formal criminal charges or convictions, the presiding justices of the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division have announced.

Russian president Putin has presented the nation’s top military awards to the pilots that took down the American drone

Video of Russian President Putin driving around Mariupol, Ukraine, regardless of the warrant out for his arrest

Swiss government plans for Credit Suisse to be been taken over by its competitor, UBS, for $3.2 billion to calm the banking community

New York Bank will buy Signature Bank

Moderna will come to Congress to explain why cost of COVID 19 vaccines will quadruple

Curfews have gone into effect for Miami Beach spring break visitors – midnight to 6am this weekend and next and no alcohol selling after 6pm – 2 shootings – 2 deaths and multiple injured

Rupert Murdach, 92, will marry again, getting engaged on St. Patrick’s Day

The National Matching Program for physicians left 555 positions unplaced

Amazon will lay off another 10,000 workers

More Dolphins have shown up on the Jersey shore and died

Disney will lay off 4,000 employees

Over 400,000 school children in LA were out of school while teachers called a 3-day strike

Shaquille O’Neil was hospitalized briefly for hip replacement surgery

California’s decade-long drought is over with reservoirs 70% full – but catastrophic flooding happening and power outages

White House will disband the COVID Team in May – headed by Dr. Jha, from Brown University – there may be another Pandemic Team formed

GM will stop making the Camaro next year

Tom Brady buys into the LA Aces, women’s basketball

US launches retaliatory strikes in Syria after a US contractor was killed by a drone, and 5 US troops injured

US House passes “Parents Bill of Rights” bill – it goes to the Senate for passage

The Portuguese government announced it would end its residence-by-investment of “Golden Visa” program, which attracted “digital nomads”, and they are now heading towards other countries such as Dubai, Turkey, Singapore, Germany as well as Hong Kong. 50% of the Golden Visas in Portugal were from China. Remote workers who liked the nomad life, initially, are now looking for destinations that offer Wi-Fi and a different way of living, which offers them more safety, in the longer term.

Massive tornado destruction in the Mississippi area with early reports of approx. 15 dead