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In the News… recap of the week ending Sept. 14, 2024
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Massachusetts & Maine are 2 of 9 states where the cost of living has increased the most since Biden administration
Monday RIPTA will break ground on the long-awaited amenities building to go with the newly built train station in Pawtucket. Ceremonies set for 10am
Gillette is moving its blade making plant to Amherst and plans on using about 1/3, according to reports, of its existing land in Boston for housing.
RIDOT will adjust the area of Elmwood Ave bridge over Route 95 on 9/13 and 9//20 – lanes will be blocked and reduced from Friday through Monday morning.
Olneyville Health Center closed this summer
RI Commerce announces the Washington Bridge Small Business Grant Program, in partnership with East Providence and Providence.
Brown Bee Coffee will open on Benefit St in Providence
Washington Bridge is coming down – construction noise overnight is a problem 9pm to 6am – traffic problems are in the day
Providence school busing a problem due to insufficient #s of drivers
MA cannabis regulator, Shannon O’Brien from her role
22 University of Rhode Island students were charged with various offenses over a one-week period from Sept. 2-8 – underage possession of alcohol, public consumption of alcohol, littering, urinating in public, transportation of alcohol, misrepresentation of age, DUI and social host
Sólás Irish Pub will close at the end of October after two decades on Bolyston Street.
Providence Parks Dept. will take over management of Skyline, after court action to end lease to Michael Mota
Co-founder of Seven Stars Bakery to return to RI from Vermont
Deconstruction of the Washington Bridge taking place 9pm to 6am, 5 days a week – will go on for weeks – jack hammering at night should end this week – neighbors and businesses complaining that their buildings are shaking and people cannot sleep. Noise heard as far away as Cranston
RI DHS supervisor and her daughter arrested for SNAP fraud
3 RI restaurants are closing: Saint and Federal Tap House on Federal Hill. Saint will rebrand and open again. Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza will close permanently
Johnson & Wales University Announces New Online Professional Culinary Skills Certificate Program, a 1-year program that can be completed totally online
Shannon O’Brien, fired MA Cannabis Control Commission chairwoman, plans to appeal her termination to the Supreme Judicial Court after being fired due to “gross misconduct”
A new Steamship Authority ferry meant to serve the Vineyard route will be several months late and is now expected to be in action by late fall
Harvard freshman Black enrollment declined from 18 to 14% – so have Amherst, Brown, MIT and Tufts. Stayed steady at Princeton and Yale.
Kim Zandy returns to WPRO-FM’s morning program
Providence Mayor Smiley announces $870k Investment in Overdose Prevention and a $2M federal grant for the same
Providence and CommerceRI will have up to $2,500 in individual grants to give to businesses impacted by the Washington Bridge who apply and qualify
ICE agents were on Nantucket “to serve administrative arrest warrants for immigration violations. The arrest warrants were specifically for ‘violent offenders’. The Nantucket Police Department, specifically the Detective Unit assisted with identifying requested addresses provided to them by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.”
In 2023, 13.4% of Rhode Island’s children lived in poverty
In 2023, 3.25% of Rhode Island children did not have health insurance
50,000 speed cam tix issued so far in Pawtucket
Providence announces “almost all” school bus routes are filled and running
RI ranked #1 for vaccination rates by CDC – keeping its near-top position over many years
A Jacksonville, Florida-based company is the new owner of the Serenata Beach Club in Ponte Vedra Beach after placing the winning bid at a foreclosure auction, edging out Michael Mota, of RI.
Sandra Cano resigned as Senator and her position in city of Pawtucket to expectedly take a position with the SBA in New England
PC named one of top 20 party schools by Wall Street Journal
Rhode Island now at high risk for EEE and WNV from mosquitos – RI Health Dept. urging precautions – and asking schools and organizations to reschedule early morning and early evening outdoor events – situation will only get worse until the first frost – weather continues unseasonably warm
Centreville Bank will go into the bookstore space on Main Street in Pawtucket
The University of Rhode Island is considered the top public university in New England
September 13-16 and on September 20-23 the bridge over Elmwood Ave will be replaced
Charles River Labs expects to lay off around 650 workers as part of restructuring. The Wilmington company had nearly 22,000 workers pre-cuts. Charles River Labs makes supplies used in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and attributed the cuts to softening demand for its products as those sectors struggle. (MassLive)
Controlled burns may return to Cape Cod National Seashore to curtail the possibility of wildfires
The superintendent of Brockton Public Schools has resigned over the district’s fiscal year 2023 budget shortfall
A Framingham man charged with shooting of a man during a small pro-Israel demonstration at an intersection in Newton
Lori Urso will complete the Senator position vacated by Sandra Cano. Cano will go to the SBA, New England and Lori, who was Slater Mill CEO for 12 years will fill the position
New evidence that the RT Network is spying for the Kremlin and trying to influence the 2024 elections
Thundermist Health has laid off over 100 staff, terminated their CEO, Jeanne LaChance who has been President/CEO for 7 years – former CEO, Maria Montanaro has been brought back temporarily. Salaries decreased for some. Thundermist operates with multiple locations cities of Woosocket (original location), West Warwick, in South County and in Providence, including a specialty Dental program. All facilities remain open.
The RI Attorney General says he will create a public internet portal for viewing of the documents in the Washington Bridge legal case – however, if courts move to approve certain privacy injunctions, the documents will not be available until the end of the case, which could linger for years
South County Hospital physicians and staff made claims that care is seriously jeopardized due to inadequate funding and policies. The hospital responded saying there have been changes but care is going well. The Health Dept. released a report that conditions were good at the hospital, refuting claims of the medical staff. This resulted in multiple press conferences with patients, physicians, and management in this ongoing situation.
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
M&Ms is bringing back peanut butter and jelly options
Georgia Tech to end relationship with China
Cardi B announced the birth of her 3rd child
LL Flooring will now NOT close down their stores
Univision’s Jorge Ramos to retire after 40 years
Raw-dogging it on airplanes – referring to flying with no phone, book, magazine or baggage the entire way
Polaris astronaut leads a world concert from space – playing her violin into a young people’s orchestra, live
Wade Boggs discloses he has cancer, and will enter treatment
Big Lots to close 300 stores and file for bankruptcy
Harvey Weinstein had open heart surgery
Germany tightens borders amidst terrorism fears – Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic also are tightening borders
Tyreek Hill arrested for speeding and other auto infractions – treatment by police in question – body cameras released show his non-cooperation as well as overly aggressive police treatment
The Barbie pink flip cell phone will be available in October and sell for approx. $139
1600+ Dollar General stores will close
Boar’s Head closes its plant in Virginia that was the source of listeria
A Boston high tech entrepreneur has invented a phone app to block political text messages overwhelming many phones
Paris wants to keep Olympic ring (sculpture) on the Eiffel Tower – others want them removed
China stopping international adoptions – unless there is a blood connection, or step-children – this comes when hundreds of US families are in the process of adoptions
The Forbes International Tower being built nearCairo Egypt, will be 787 feet and powered by hydrogen supplemented with solar – for a net zero carbon footprint.
Bon Jovi, on a bridge to shoot a music video, interacted with a woman threatening to jump off the bridge, bringing her back over – with video of them hugging while medical staff arrived
Starter homes are now home for over 6 years, with an expectation to be there as long as 15, rather than 5 years or so years ago
3 attempts to attack the Paralympics were thwarted – most targeted at Israeli groups
Of the 5,000 or so mobile phones at the last Kamala Harris rally in North Carolina, over 3,600 of them came from Georgia – approx. 800 miles or 14 hours away
The Tonight Show is now 4 days a week
Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris – after the debate
70 million skilled workers in the U.S. don’t have a bachelor’s degree. That’s 62% of Black, 54% of Hispanic, 65% of rural and 62% of Veteran workers.
67 million watched the Trump-Harris debate
Unfounded claims about Haitians eating cats and pets in Ohio
Dr. Fauci and other professionals at NIH would purposely misspell words to avoid FOIA request searches
Trump said no to a 2nd debate with Harris – because he won the 1st one, and because early voting has started
China raising retirement age as population is living longer – 20% over age of 60 – expected to balloon to as much as 40% in coming years. Retirement age for men will rise from 60 to 63 and women, 55 to 58
Putin has said there will be a bad outcome if US allows Ukraine to use its weapons to continue to strike inside Russia
North Korea released photos of nuclear plants working on various components
Pope Francis says it is a sin to not take in migrants in need – and it is a sin to abort a pregnancy, calling it murder
Boeing workers reject contract, authorize strike, 92% of workers support this – negotiations to resume next week – impact on delivery of parts, planes, and building operations
Cain Hayes, CEO of Point32Health, the $9 billion company created from the merger of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan will step down. The company has also announced it will acquire Health New England, a nonprofit health plan owned by Baystate Health.
CVS to allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control in MA – patient history will be taken, and blood pressure measurement, and there will be a charge for those services
1/3 of cinnamon samples have elevated lead levels
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PASSINGS
Alan Shawn Feinstein, 93, RI philanthropist and entrepreneur
James Earl Jones, 93, actor
Irene Lynch, 93, matriarch of Lynch family in RI
Robert Mann, 76, renowned defense attorney
Chad McQueen, 63, son of Steve McQueen, and actor
Sergio Mendes, 83, Brazilian born singer, composer
Sylvia Weber, 85, RI health advocate
Lloyd Ziff, 81, photographer and famed art director