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In the News… quick recap of the week’s news 6.21.25
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Providence denies liquor license to NY System
Block Island home explodes – accidental attributed to propane tank problem
RI Senate Chambers may be named for deceased Senate President Dominick Ruggerio
Staff Sgt. Christopher Potts Bridge – new name for Sakonnet Bridge
RI will receive $30M more from the Purdue settlement – 80% will go to the state, 20% will go to cities and towns
The Boston Planning & Development Agency directors approved a $1.7 billion, 14-story Dana-Farber Cancer Institute hospital during their June meeting, alongside three other approved developments.
Brown University, 11 other universities, the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities filed a lawsuit Monday to block limiting of indirect costs to 15% on grants from the U.S. Department of Defense.
Eastern Bank, based in MA, will close 13 branches
IGT is now known as Brightstar
Patricia Royal, Pawtucket’s School Superintendent, announced her resignation, says it has damaged her health
Cumberland teacher and band director, Michael Feroce, resigns after investigation into a band trip where he was in a female student room for an extended period of time.
Hasbro to lay off 3% of local workers – over 100
175 non-PFAS turnout coats received by East Providence Firefighters are the first of their kind in the U.S. fire service
Brown U. Dining Services employees say that over the past 20 months, they have faced an increasingly unmanageable workload and toxic work environment, broken equipment, not enough staff, etc.
Brown U. Corporation approves $1.9 billion budget
URI will give a new masters degree in management
Sat June 21 Pride Parade in Providence – many buses to be rerouted
USA Gymnastics championships come to Providence this weekend at the AMP
18 rest stops in MA will be redone under contract with Irish company, Applegreen
MA will consider a billion-dollar mark for emergency shelter spending as the state’s fiscal year. About 90% of the people eligible for state-funded shelter beds are Massachusetts residents. The shelters are costing about $3,500 per family per week
Bottle Bill will not be expected to pass this year – held for future study
The Seastreak ferry running from Providence to Newport began – https://seastreak.com
RI health insurers going for large rate increases averaging 25%
50 year anniversary of Jaws, shot in Martha’s Vineyard
The entire on-site staff at the National Marine Life Center on Cape Cod resigned in June as a result of a divide over mission and leadership. The center’s Board of Trustees said in mid-June that the organization will be shifting its focus to ensure its survival, including temporarily stopping caring for sick or stranded animals (Cape Cod Times)
Prov Water will be replacing lead pipes and doing construction which will impact Providence, Edgewood area of Cranston, parts of Johnston, etc. – More at: provwater.com/construction
Striking Butler Hospital workers are back at the negotiation table with Care New England twice this week – to no success
More bears seen in West Warwick and Coventry
Atlantic Mills complex sells for $4M
Boston Calling concert on hold for 2 years
Assault Weapons Ban passes the RI legislature in early morning hours, on a Sub-A amended version – Gov. McKee says he will sign it – the bill will face constitutional challenge with legal efforts planned. “…The reworked bill would, as of July 1, 2026, ban the sale, purchase and manufacture in Rhode Island of certain semiautomatic firearms, including those associated with mass shootings across the country, but not the possession or use of any firearms.” (ProJo)
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles is closing its center for transgender youth.
Riley Gaines pregnant with her first child
Hillary Clinton’s former aide Huma Abedin and George Soros’ billionaire Alex Soros married
Real Housewives executive Lauren Miller died right after giving birth to her 2nd child
Tesla has a 213% surge in deliveries in Norway
National Weather Service issues first ever heat alert for Alaska, low 80s expected
G7 summit happened in Canada
Galapagos turtle, aged 135, becomes a father for the first time – Miami Zoo
The average RN salary in the U.S. is $43.97 an hour,
Thousands of confused visitors waited outside the Louvre in Paris yesterday after a staff strike abruptly shut down the world’s most-visited museum. The employees’ protest against overwhelming crowds, understaffing, and deteriorating infrastructure follows mounting frustrations over mass tourism across Europe.
At Home files for bankruptcy – most stores will remain open – 2 in RI area
WhatsApp to introduce ads to some parts of its messaging app
Trump Organization to launch $47.45-per-month mobile phone plan and $499 smartphone in September
Costco will open a new standalone gas station in California solely for use by its members, reportedly the first of its kind for the wholesaler. Usually they require a gas station to be on premises of their stores – along with a liquor store.
Strange radio signals emerging from beneath Antarctica’s ice—at angles too steep to match known particle behavior—are baffling scientists and challenging existing models of physics, with some suspecting unknown particles or phenomena may be at play.
NAACP won’t invite Trump to its national convention. He will be 1st president excluded in 116 years
‘Project Runway’ Fashion Designer Killed at ‘No Kings’ Protest in Utah
Claudine, a new Frenchrestaurant offering an 8-course asting menu will open across from Providence Performing Arts in Providence
A California doctor has agreed to plead guilty to illegally supplying ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry before his accidental overdose death.
Former Sen. Bob Menendez set to report to prison for 11-year sentence in gold bar bribery case
Tyler Perry accused of sexual assault in $200+ million lawsuit
Kristi Noem taken to the hospital by ambulance after what was said to be an allergic reaction
A woman claiming to be an Idaho DoorDash driver who dropped off food to victim Xana Kernodle minutes before a home invasion stabbing spree killed her, her boyfriend, and two roommates, has emerged as an unexpected eyewitness to testify at Kohberger’s upcoming murder trial, and she told police she saw him at the scen
R. Kelly accuses prison staff of trying to assassinate him by giving him an overdose of anti-anxiety meds – he is serving a 30 year sentence for racketeering and harassment – he is trying to get a pardon.
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart suffered a heart attack last Sunday and is not doing well
The FBI has declassified the report on election interference in 2020 and turned it over to Sen. Grassley. Pres. Trump suggests appointing a special prosecutor.
Pres. Trump called on the unconditional surrender of Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini has refused. He says “the battle begins”.
LA Mayor has lifted the curfew – while 2,000 more Nat’l Guard have been deployed in recent days. An appeals court restored the President’s right to call out the Guard.
The Princess of Wales has pulled out of attending Royal Ascot – saying she is still finding her post-cancer right balance
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced $50 million in taxpayer dollars to cover legal services for illegal aliens
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from limiting passport sex markers for many transgender and nonbinary Americans.
LA Lakers being sold for $10B – largest sale of a US professional sports team – to Mark Walter, principal owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and CEO of TWG Global and Guggenheim partners. Walter summers in Newport, RI
A break-in has been reported at the home of slain Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, authorities said
VERDICT: Karen Read: Murder 2nd degree – not guilty 2nd lesser charge (inaudible) – not guilty Operating under influence – guilty. Huge crowds outside courthouse. Will prob. get 1 yr probation on OUI charge. Has a few civil charges pending against he.
U.S. regulators have approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV.
The Golden Retriever has been named the most-searched dog in 2025
The Soroka Hospital was directly hit with a missile from Iran – the 5th floor that took the direct hit was a urology unit that had just been evacuated to another location, but the entire building has sustained damage and will not be taking new patients right now.
New COVID variant has unique symptoms of a throat that feels like you swallowed razor blades
After ICE removed illegal workers from a meat processing plant, resident job applicants flood meatpacking plant to replace them
Activists in Venice promise to disrupt the Bezos wedding this weekend
SpaceX rocket explodes during engine testing
Telegram CEO has 100+ children – plans to leave his $13B fortune to them
Florida and Gov. DiSantis sending cruise ships and planes to Israel to help in evacuating Americans
HHS to drop drink limit guidance to “drink in moderation”
MET School teachers vote to join NEARI union
Chuck Todd now says the Biden team purposely sabotaged his campaign with an early debate so they could justify making a change in party candidates
Harvard is negotiating on international students with federal govt and a compromise may be reached
Farmers may take “control” and be responsible for illegal migrants working for them as a compromise measure, per Pres. Trump
Mahmoud Khalil, Palestinian activist arrested at Columbia Univ. released on bail – as he is released he accused the university of funding genocide of Palestinians
Courts shoot down as unconstitutional that Louisiana schools display the 10 Commandments
Several jurors in the Karen Read case are speaking out to the media
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PASSINGS
David Hekili Kenui Bell, 46, Lilo & Stitch
Anne Burrell, 55, chef and TV personality, possible drug overdose
Betsy Gay, 96, actress, Little Rascals fame
George Kent, 88, founder, Chorus at Westerly
Former state Sen. Frank Niceley, 78, of Tennessee, of a heart attack
Dave Scott, 52, choreography, DWTS