In the News… quick recap of the week’s news (5.31.25)

RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

A 95-unit affordable housing development on land once contained the Narragansett Park racetrack in Pawtucket

Rhode Island Lottery report recommends RI add four to six new online sports betting vendors to boost its competitiveness with its neighbors, but only if it makes itself more attractive to popular companies like DraftKings and FanDuel (Rhode Island Current)

Rhode Island mariners push back against a Coast Guard plan to remove 38 navigational buoys, warning it could jeopardize safety on local water

Local ferries to MV, BI and Nantucket will experiment for 3 months with vegetable oil for power

RI Anime Con happening at the Convention Center June 7-8

Carousel in Battleship Cove, Fall River, is running again, after renovations

2 downtown Boston office buildings approved for conversion to housing

Southcoast Health donates anesthesia machines to Buttonwood Park Zoo vet team

CharterCARE Health Partners has a new safety and security system at its hospitals

First person swims all the way around Martha’s Vineyard.

Shark seen swimming at public beach area on Block Island

Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports visited Arigna Irish Pub in Pawtucket for his pizza review, giving their cheese pizza a 6.8 rating. Despite the average score, he praised the pub’s cool atmosphere.

Boston is one of eight U.S. metro markets where renters need to earn over $100,000 to afford rent

Plans for connecting New London to Vermont by reviving the ‘Central Corridor’ passenger rail line would be a 121-mile journey from New London to Brattleboro, Vt., and would include stops at Mohegan Sun, Norwich, Willimantic, UConn and UMass Amherst.

South Kingstown will launch a campaign focusing on combating impaired driving, distracted driving, and speeding, while also reinforcing the importance of seat belt use. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the months of June, July, and August see the highest number of traffic fatalities nationwide.

McCoy’s 2^nd time capsure found –

President Christina Paxson’s term extended by two years, set to end in 2028

12 deported from Nantucket

Brown student/journalist Alex Shieh to testify before Congress on June 4th

3 MA city/towns have had Catholic Church changes made by the New Bedford bishop. St. Francis New Bedford closing June 30 – and St. Theresa of Child Jesus, Attleboro also moving – In Westport, Our Lady of Grace, St. George and St. John the Baptist will merge to become Divine Mercy Parish, and all 3 churches will remain open.

On the Border in Warwick closed permanently

The Molar Express expands into Blackstone Valley – run by Delta Dental and other partners

Providence District Court had a disruption requiring sheriffs to respond with a taser to restore safety – 5^th floor

15 layoffs in Warwick schools due to budget

Rat infestation in New Bedford – so bad some roads closed, major cleanup planned after waste management company fire

R.I. Senate passed a bill prohibiting the use of personal electronic devices by students during school hours

Providence Equity Partners acquires logistics company behind record-breaking Taylor Swift tour

Attorney General Peter Neronha held a press conference to “provide immediate relief and long-term options for problems plaguing Rhode Island’s health care system”. (RI Current)

Providence is doing a $4.2M makeover of the ice rink area, to make the area cooler, perfect the concrete, add a shaded sail-type area – and install a $150K decorative lighting system for events such as disco roller skating, etc.

Mello’s Shoe Service in Bristol closing after 70 years

Health expert says no relationship between all the nurses with benign brain tumors and Newton-Wellesley hospital floor where they all worked

Warwick School Superintendent Lynn Dambruch retiring end of year

RIDOT to open up more lanes on I-95 north near Providence viaduct.

Suzuki Law Offices identified Rhode Island as the top-performing state for emergency response infrastructure, maintaining 68 total Public Safety Answering Points serving just over 1 million residents – creating unparalleled coverage with 6.22 PSAPs per 100,000 residents.. (Rhode Island – 68 total PSAPs (6.22 per 100,000 residents)

Federal judge ordered that Kseniia Petrova, a Harvard Medical School scientist from Russia who was detained for bringing biological specimens into the country, be released from immigration custody

Market Basket chief executive Arthur T. Demoulas has been placed on paid administrative leave while the board’s executive committee investigates whether he was considering plans to lead a work stoppage that could disrupt the supermarket chain’s business. (Boston Globe)

Providence Place is pausing the implementation of its updated parking rates originally scheduled to go into effect on June 1, following ongoing and meaningful feedback from community and tenants.

RIPTA announced the Omni Providence Hotel is 1st hotel to sign up for their Wave to Work commuter benefits program. With approximately 260 employees, the hotel group will partially subsidize monthly passes for their employees.

RI Coalition for Israel flew a banner over Brown University commencement ceremonies to support Jewish grads.

LWBS – Left Without Being Seen – refers to hospital emergency room behavior. Nationally, that figure is 3%. In Rhode Island that figure is 6% (2022).

An illegal immigrant from Honduras arrested by ICE in Providence, after being accused of trafficking a minor at a high school

Day of Portugal, featuring Portuguese “logo” now available for order in RI

$50K given by RI to 8 groups for community “feasts”

New black box theater is coming to the Emerald Square Mall. 

MA. Gov. Healey ordered the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation to do away with some regulations, which she says will save businesses time and money.

5 charged with falsifying Boston MBTA track inspection records, US Attorney says

RI Rhythms & Roots Festival set for Ninigret Park Aug. 29-31

Matunuck Oyster Bar Employee Job Fair to be held on June 4, 2025

The RI Hospitality Association and RI Department of Labor and Training will host a Multi-Employer Career Fair for former employees of the Matunuck Oyster Bar on Wednesday, June 4^th, 10am to 2pm at Maury Loontjens Memorial Library, 25 Pier Market Place, in Narragansett. 

Newport Restaurant Group to open ‘J.T. Commons’ in former Foodlove Market space

Neon Marketplace stores (9) in MA & RI to soon be leased to and renamed Cumberland Farms.

Fenway concerts canceled due to “unforseen circumstances” – later, structural elements were identified as not being up to standard and shows were canceled by Boston Inspectional Services (Bos govt agency). Notably, Shakira canceled her DC concert for the same reasons as Boston.

Person stabbed outside Mass. General Hospital in Boston

Homeland Security identifies Rhode Island as a Sanctuary State Calls out Providence and Central Falls

Yo-Yo Ma given key to Providence

CVS plans to close 271 stores nationwide, including one in Massachusetts, and expand locations within Target stores

Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC (PLDO)’s four attorneys—William P. Devereaux, Principal; Joseph M. DiOrio, Chairman of the firm’s Banking and Creditor’s Rights Practice; Matthew C. Reeber, Partner; and Gene M. Carlino, Partner—named to the 2025 Rhode Island Super Lawyers List

MIT graduation speaker banned from ceremonies after going into an unsanctioned anti-Semitic rant, expressing support for “besieged Palestinians in Gaza, called for MIT to cut ties with Israel, and criticized administrators at the institute, which she accused of being “directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”

After two successive events spurring noise complaints, the Pawtucket City Council denied a bid by Aloha Restaurant Lounge for a license to host the Cape Verdean Heritage Color Festival at Festival Pier.

New restaurant at TF Green Airport – Narragansett Kitchen and Bar

McKee’s approval at an all-time low 19%, per UNH Survey Center

RI Senate study was positive about creating a public medical school at URI at a cost of approx. $225M

6 people now announced to run for former Sen. Ruggerio’s seat

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Mayor Eric Adams just launched the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism in NYC

Eric Trump will lead the Trump Presidential Library project

Boris Johnson and his wife parents to their 4^th child

3 Austin, TX mosques were vandalized with grafitti

Germany may reinstitute mandatory draft registration

EU tariff of 50% delayed until July, from original June deadline

Dual US/German citizen deported from Israel back to US after attempting to bomb the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, and threatening he would then go to DC to kill President Trump

Arlington National Cemetery begins horse-drawn caissons for military funerals once again

The Morning After Pill will be found in pharmacies as an over-the-counter, with the exception right now of Tennessee, Alabama, Texas.

President Trump says he’s considering giving $3 billion of Harvard grant money to trade schools all across America

Liverpool – attack by 53 y.o. driver – white & British who drove his car into a crowd – 27 hurt, 1 adult, 1 child with serious injuries – no expected to be terrorism

3 more LA escaped prisoners captured – now down to 2 not recaptured

Arkansas prison escape by former police chief guilty of rape and murder

Harvard revoked tenure of Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino for research fraud on honesty and ethical behavior

FBI reopening investigation of cocaine in the White House

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts again, sending lava up more than 1,000 feet

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer recommend routine COVID-19 vaccine shots for healthy children and pregnant women.

NPR sues US govt over ceasing of their funding

Volvo will lay off 3,000 employees nationwide due to lack of interest in EV cars and tariff concerns

Todd & Julis Chrisley, reality show stars in jail for tax issues and fraud, pardoned by Pres. Trump

New COVID strain out of China – now seen in NYC

Germany, England, and France have put out travel warnings for visiting America

Pres. Trump says it will cost Canada nothing to be covered by the Golden Dome if they become a state – or $61M if they don’t.

Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton has been arrested in West Virginia on a DUI charge

All new applications for student VISAS on hold

Student visa interviews at international embassies halted while application process is edited

SpaceX flight broke up over Indian Ocean, while carrying at least 20 Starlinks set to deploy

Billie Eilish dominates the 2025 American Music Awards, bringing home seven awards

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company, raises $600M at $9B valuation, up from $3.5B valuation in 2023

Cholera outbreak in Sudan

Barron Trump did not apply to Harvard – fake news reporting one of the reasons Pres. Trump is focused on Harvard is that he was rejected. He is a student at NYU’s business program

US Navy ends all medical experimentation on cats and dogs

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan has been charged with over 20 offenses against 4 women, including sexual assault

Broadway’s Patti LuPone says Trump-led Kennedy Center ‘should get blown up’

Elon Musk announces his time at the White House is coming to an end, though members of his DOGE team will continue to offer assistance – Musk has also been critical of the Big, Beautiful Bill as it stands

Student visas of Chinese national students are beginning to be revoked

$200 could be the cost for a COVID shot if it is not recommended by CDC and the person wants to receive it

Hoda Kotb revealed her young daughter’s uncontrolled Type 1 Diabetes was a primary reason for her leaving The Today Show

Hamas Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar confirmed has been killed earlier this month

Recall of some Dinty Moore beef stew products

Skittles eliminating Titanium Dioxide in their candy

Germany will increase providing weapons to Ukraine

Private military groups are working in Haiti against the gangs to try and regain control for the country

Victoria’s Secret experiencing cyberattacks

MIT breaks from Harvard and other elite colleges by ending DEI

300 more Rite Aid stores to close

Israel signs on to US proposal for ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas has yet to sign.

Exeter Job Corps, along with most Job Corps centers nationwide. 

Syria flies the US flag over US Embassy, first time since 2012 – beginning process of removing the country from the list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism”

NVIDIA CEO Huang speaks out in support of tariffs saying they could set up the US for unprecedented success for centuries.

Billy Bush announces he will join PrimeTime and leave “legacy media”, going out on his own with a show called Hot Mike

Major human trafficking bust targeted massage parlors across US in 19 states – 26 suspects detained, 48 victims, including 1 child recovered in 1 night

Supreme Court allows President Trump to revoke the temporary legal status of more than 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Taylor Swift now bought back all her music

Zika virus found on Oahu, Hawaii

Report of a new trend – men calling their men friends to say goodnight

Owner of Spanx sold her company for 1.2 Billion – gifted all 500 employees 2 first class tickets to anywhere in the world and $10k

Nipon investment of $14B in US – single largest investment of any kind, in any industry, in PA and in history of American steel – also announced an increase from 25% to 50% on steel imports into US

The CDC has kept COVID shots on its list for children for now; RFK Jr announced they would be removed for healthy children

Lester Holt does his last news hosting for NBC – will now transfer to Nightline

Pres. Biden marked the 10th anniversary of his son, Beau’s, death to cancer – spoke to press – said “We’re going to be able to beat this.”

June is Pride Month

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PASSINGS

Vincent Balasco, 82, Cranston, Citizens Bank Executive and Coast Guard Veteran

Presley Chweneyagae, 50, actor known for “Tsotsi”, of respiratory failure

Rick Derringer, 77, guitarist and singer, “Hang on Sloopy” fame

Dennis Grande, Union Fire District of South Kingstown Battalion Chief

Dr. Robert Jarvik, 79, invented, 1^st permanent artificial heart

Bernard Kerik, 69, New York’s Police Commissioner on 9/11

Rep. Charles Rangell, 95

Phil Robertson, 79, Alzheimer’s Disease, patriarch of The Duck Dynasty

Dame Jillian Sackler, 84, Sackler family pharma

Loretta Swit, 87, actress, M.A.S.H.