In the News… quick recap for the week ending February 7, 2026

Each Saturday we publish a quick summary of news items of the week – in Rhode Island, regionally, nationally and internationally – and passings of note.  Catch up, HERE:

RHODE ISLAND &  VICINITY

Sale of 2 hospitals (St. Joes, Roger Williams) extended to 2/27

Diocese releasing Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Providence

The Lily Jean, a fishing vessel out of Glocester, MA, sunk with 7 people lost

MA companies, jobs lost in last 60 days:

ZIPCAR (leaving Boston, 65 jobs)

SynQor (moving to NH, 250 jobs)

Analogic (moving to NH, 500 jobs)

Smyth Cos. (leaving MA, 70 jobs)

Curia Global (closing Burlington, 81 jobs)

Thermo Fisher Scientific (closing plant, 100 jobs)

Panera (closing MA facility, 100 jobs)

Martha Stewart’s favorite place to visit – her home in Mount Desert Island, ME

Ladder 133 restaurant auctioned off in Providence

Launch of a pilot program that would engage people in the state that have some college credit but no degree. Several MA state universities in partnership with ReUp Education, a nonprofit to help get degrees, will work with people.

Angus Davis named to Science, Technology, and Innovation Board (STIB) by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Heritage Restaurant Group will acquire Mews Tavern in Wakefield.

RI Treasurer’s office says since the launch of RISavers, more than 500 employers have registered their businesses to participate in the state’s portable retirement savings program. More than 2,800 employees statewide have started saving

Two individuals in a physical fight on Thayer Street resulted in one stabbing the other – he was captured.

Brown University awarded $1.5 million in grants to CCRI and Building Futures, an apprenticeship program that supports low-income workers to find employment.

6 manhole covers in Back Bay, Boston blew, with building evacuations

Robert Kraft will also not be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

NK High School girls basketball coach put on leave without stated reasons

Claudine and PVD Noodle Bar Restaurants in Providence and Vieste Simply Italian in Newport closed for repairs from burst pipes

Rhode Island would prohibit life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for people age 21 or younger, under a bill

Speaker Joe Shekarchi will not run for Governor

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti resigns – to retire at the end of February

Warwick voters turned down $50M bond issue for more school construction – which will mean schools will have no athletic fields, or significantly scaled back fields

Newport Folk Festival sold out in seconds.

Roger Williams Park Kids Camp for one week in the summer sold out in minutes.

Josh Brumberger is CEO of Utlidata, a smart-grid startup partnered with NVIDIA is moving from Rhode Island to Michigan.

Castle Hill Inn in Newport suffered significant damage after a very late night fire – guests were evacuated and accommodated at other housing locations – no injuries reported

Holyoke, MA released its new Point in Time Count of homeless individuals as 89. Last year it was 82, the highest # ever recorded in all of Hampden County.

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Death penalty off the table in the Luigi Mangione trial

Kennedy Center will have no Black History Month events

Minneapolis ICE demonstrations held inside 19 Target stores

Snoop Dog’s grandchild has died – born almost 4 mos premature

“Melania” documentary earns over $7M in its opening weekend

Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin pauses its New Shepard space tourism program for at least two years, citing a need to focus on its New Glenn program for lunar exploration

$45 fee to fly if you do not have Real ID – must be paid online, bring receipt to airport and go through a 30-minute confirmation

Elon Musk reportedly considering merging SpaceX with either xAI or Tesla ahead of planned SpaceX initial public offering this year

New nasal vaccine shows efficacy in protecting rodents against H5N1 bird flu; treatment may help prevent an eventual jump of the virus from animals to humans

FDA is accepting requests to participate in its PreCheck pilot program, designed to boost domestic drug supply by speeding up construction and review of drug manufacturing

Sarah Ferguson emails revealed with Epstein files and she has now closed her charity.

Kelly Clarkson to end her show this year

Homeland Security officials will now wear body cameras 

Haitian temporary protected order extended while it works its way through courts

Lindsey Vonn will participate in the Olympics, wearing a brace

The Doberman Pinscher – Penny – took Best of Show at the Westminster Dog Show for 2026

Pepsi cutting prices after consumer complaints on items such as Lays, Doritos

Spain may limit or ban social media for minors – similar to Australia

Josh D’Amaro replace Igner at Disney

Border Czar Homan drawing down 700 agents immediately in Minneapolis

American Society of Plastic Surgeons opposes trans surgeries for minors – recommending a child and his/her parents make decisions after puberty. AMA says it agrees with the ASPS

A biolab found in a Las Vegas home – being run by a man inside a prison

SCOTUS allows redistricting that favors Dems in CA

Pizza Hut will close over 250 restaurants in first half of 2026

Washington Post to let go 1/3 of their staff – closing sports, metro, podcast, int’l news

Ryan Routh, who attempted to kill Pres. Trump at his golf course, sentenced to life

Moments after the first event of the Winter Olympics got underway — the curling venue was forced to pause the action due to a power outage.

Nike under investigation for how employees are treated, discriminatory practices

Mary Carillo – familiar to all women’s Olympics sports will replace Savannah Guthrie as Olympics co-host – a position Savannah was set for.

The end of Minute Maid’s Frozen Canned Juices after 80 years

Rapper Lil John’s son is missing

TrumpRX.gov has launched with extreme discounts on over 40 medications, to start – others to be added

1.48 Billion Chicken Wings will be eaten during the Super Bowl

White House President’s account posts video of Obamas as apes and other political leaders as various animals – after bipartisan backlash, the video was removed. Staff member who created it may be terminated or removed from that work.

Bad Bunny says you can’t confront hate with hate, only with love – and that he is losing sleep over his half-time performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday

Winter Olympics opened Friday in Italy – watch games on NBC and Peacock

Dow hit the 50,000 mark for the first time

Search continues after 2nd letter received on the kidnapping or disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Savannah Guthrie

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PASSINGS

LaMonte McLemore, 90, singer and founding member of the 5th Dimension

Chuck Negron, 83, co-founder, Three Dog Night, heart disease

Herman Rose, 93, philanthropist who supported literacy and book causes

Demond Wilson, 79, of Sanford & Son – cancer