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In the news… local and national news items of note
Rhode Island region
Covid
Anjelica Infante-Green has COVID and is recovering with mild symptoms.
A RI DLT employee stole 132 settlement checks – charged with $115,000 – she was the chief labor standards controller.
The RI Rent Relief program will end in June in RI.
The Homeowners Assistance Fund program has ended.
Roger Williams Univ. has reinstituted a partial mask mandate.
Wheeler College has reinstituted a full indoor mask mandate.
Meals on Wheels Rhode Island will receive $150,000 in funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, which will support 150 new volunteers to assist in meals and delivery in Providence.
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week were up 31% percent, with the 4,376 cases reported, the highest daily count since Feb. 3. The omicron BA.2 variant is spreading across the region, and BA.2.12.1 is spreading in New England.
The Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art is closing its doors
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Other News:
The Providence Rink adds Roller Skating and Open Air Saturdays – “Roll Through the Decades” to Feature Curated Playlists in a Musical Journey through Time. The program will run from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $7 for a full day of skating. Rollerblades and traditional quads can be rented for an additional $7. The Trinity Beer Garden is open all day in nearby Burnside Park with craft beer and cocktails. To make reservations, and for more information about all the summer programming at the Rink, including adult sports leagues, film screenings, and special events, visit theprovidencerink.com.
BJs Market has opened in RI, smaller and more focused on food. It is located in the old Toys R Us building in Warwick.
Senate Minority leader Dennis Algiere will retire.
RI is one of 16 states suing USPS for failure to add electric vehicles.
RI based Bally’s Casino selected to build a casino in Chicago
The Kentucky Derby trophy is made in Rhode Island
The Black Sheep bar in Providence reported 3 men overdosed while on their dance floor
30th annual Letter Carriers Food Drive will take place Saturday, May 14th.
Walker’s in Little Compton has closed.
One person has been arrested for assault in Elmhurst section of Providence, thought to be the rapist and sexual assault person on the loose in the area – however police say he is not that person and people should be vigilant.
Two cases of children with hepatitis have taken place in Massachusetts
Boston Mayor Wu debuted a program to outfit more of the city’s three-deckers with solar panels. That’s part of a new strategy to reduce emissions that also includes accessing a state program to help reduce energy bills by improving the energy efficiency of homes in East Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan.
Some Democrats in the Massachusetts Legislature have proposed $500,000 to $2 million in grants for three local abortion funds as part of a budget that’s unlikely to become law until July.
Bishop Tobin reports that no RI church has reported abortion-issue demonstrations on Mother’s Day.
RI will once again attempt to find the sunken HMS Gaspee.
The Boston Food Bank will close their New Bedford location and look for a new one.
City Council member Kat Kirwin will not seek re-election, saying, “I didn’t go there to make enemies out of everyone.”
More than 43% of baby formula in RI is “out of stock”.
RIPTA to Detour Route 92 (RI College/Federal Hill/East Side) Every Friday and Saturday to accommodate Outdoor Dining on Federal Hill Friday, May 13, 2022 through Saturday, October 1, 2022. Detour in Effect Fridays and Saturdays from 3:30pm to 1am.
Less than a month after the resignation announced by his counterpart at Lifespan Corp., Dr. James E. Fanale announced that he is stepping down from his position as president and CEO of Care New England Health System.
The Fane Tower is getting an extension to build, waiting on a court ruling on height variance.
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National, International
President Biden’s speech Tuesday:
2 causes of inflation – pandemic & war in Ukraine
Ukraine has 20M tons of grain in storage – trying to get it out of the country – this will help bring down prices – global in nature.
Fed’s job is to assure maximum employment.
Fed’s job is to control inflation, our #1 problem.
2 paths forward – 1st, Democratic plan – 2nd, Republican plan.
Democratic – ask companies to not price gouge and to pay fair share of taxes.
Republican – increase taxes on middle class, let billionaires off the hook, and let them raise prices
Democratic – Putin price hike – gas and energy hikes. Coordinating largest release of oil in countries to boost global supply. US production at record levels. Sale of gas using homegrown biofuels, not allowed before. Clean energy future efforts. We can lower energy bills by $500/year with good insultation, etc.
Republican – give free pass to oil companies, unused oil leases, without paying taxes. Republicans offer plenty of blame, but with no plan to bring down prices or have a cleaner energy future.
Dem plan – drug prices – let Medicare negotiate on prescription drugs. Cap on cost of insulin.
Promoting competition for internet, meat processers, etc. – they set prices as high as they want because there is no competition. We need to help smaller companies ramp up to compete.
Some parts of presidential plan can be done on “my own” but for others I need congress. Republicans in Congress don’t want to do these things.
ULTRA-MAGA agenda – wants to raise taxes on American families. They have it backwards in the Democratic point of view. Their plan would raise taxes on small business owners making less than $50,000 a year.
This is a moment of peril. Last thing we should be thinking about is rewarding big companies for causing inflation. We should not put Medicare and Medicaid on the chopping block every 5 years, which is what the Republicans want to do. Dems want to give Medicare power to negotiate prices.
MAGA-Republicans should be asked how they can sleep at night if those amounts change in Medicare and Medicaid every 5 years.
Dem plan on deficit – We’re cutting the deficit by $1.5 Trillion at the end of the fiscal year. We will pay down the national debt.
Rep plan on deficit – Deficit exploded under Trump admin. Never paid down the National debt.
Americans have a choice between 2 paths. “My plan taxes inflation and grows economy gives raises, reduces deficits, etc. The other path is the ULTRA-MAGA plan – to raise taxes, lower income, threaten sacred programs, and give break after break to billionaires.
“I know [you] have to be frustrated. By high prices and gridlock in Congress. Fact is congressional republicans – MAGA republicans are doing everything they can to get you to hand power over to them.”
I urge all Americans to think about what I propose and choose the path that is right for you and your family. Focus on what matters.
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Covid
27 cities are under lockdown in China – called a “magic weapon” – widespread mental health crisis expected – reports of suicides, etc.
India has banned forced vaccines.
Bill Gates has COVID with mild symptoms.
Craig Melvin from The Today Show – and his wife and 2 children all have COVID, with mild symptoms.
Predictions of 100M new cases this fall and winter – unless vaccinations and boosters are increased.
Savannah Guthrie has experienced another case of COVID
Colbert’s show will be off the air this week as he and members of his crew have COVID.
Post-COVID conditions are found more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, but anyone who has been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience post-COVID conditions.
Of the 1 million people who have died in the US, 70% were over the age of 65. White people made up 65% of the deaths. Per capita, Mississippi had the most deaths.
FDA limits use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be used if only other brands are unavailable.
A cruise ship in Seattle is overwhelmed with COVID, over 100 people sick, with more every day.
Shots will be mandatory in California and New Orleans for school children.
ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl has tested positive for Covid-19, people familiar with the matter confirm, days after sitting next to Kim Kardashian at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and interacting with President Joe Biden.
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Other News:
Nationwide baby formula shortage continues. Most stores are now limiting sales. Abbott plant is shuttered because of a voluntary recall. Formula is being impacted as well by shipping issues.
German embassy has reopened in Kyiv.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has repeatedly made clear his disdain for remote and hybrid work, calling work-from-home arrangements an “aberration” that the bank intends to correct. Solomon has pushed to bring the firm’s employees back to the office over the last year, arguing that it helps younger employees develop critical skills and cultivate a prestigious network, even as other financial institutions—JPMorgan Chase, UBS, and Citi—have embraced more flexible work models.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed medical benefit expansion to include abortion services, bariatric care, oncology, congenital anomalies from within 24 months of birth, mental health treatments and in-patient substance abuse disorder services. The new benefits will apply to treatments that are not available inside a 100-mile radius of an employee’s home and for which virtual options are not available.
Amnesty International says Russia must be tried for war crimes.
The National Black Farmers Assoc says there is a 30-day window to plant crops – much of the aid guaranteed to them – and all farmers – have not been received.
Boeing is moving from Chicago to Virginia, out of concern of crime in the city.
Hedge Fund Citadel says they are deciding about a move out of Chicago as well.
Intuit-Turbo Tax settled with $30 per year per person filed expected to be paid for advertising you could file for free.
The White House has explained their use of the “fake” White House set in the building next door – that it accommodates a teleprompter better for the President.
California proposes a 4-day work week
US Median age for giving birth for the first time is 30.
Vicky White & Casey White have been captured, having escaped from prison. Vicky has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
42+ die in a Cuban hotel explosion reported due to a gas leak.
Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby, with an 80-1 payout, last expected horse to win.
Congressional staff at the US Capital may unionize.
Tom Brady reported to be joining Fox Sports as an analyst when he retires. The largest contract of its kind, it is for 10 years and estimated at $375 million.
Chef Mario Batali found not guilty of assault
Elon Musk says he will restore Donald Trump’s Twitter account
Netflix may offer a lower priced option and would run ads on that service.
Carvana has eliminated 2,500 jobs
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Passings
Mickey Gilley, country music celebrity, at 86.
Bob Lanier, 74, NBA Hall of Famer, played for the Detroit Pistons