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In the news…. updates for Dec. 3, 2022
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Recreational marijuana stores started selling Thurs, Dec. 1st. All five centers will be monitored by the state with remote video access and oversight.
The RI Food Bank says it is doing well with fresh food donations, and is most in need of donations of cash, followed by canned goods, cereal, etc. There is a list of most-needed items on their website.
Quote from Jeremy Pena, Astros – native Rhode Islander – graduate of Classical HS – “I never had to leave my house to find a hero…”.
Student enrollment has been cut in half in Boston as Black families move to other cities due to lottery system and poor educational outcomes
The eight hospitals owned by Lifespan and Care New England will combine with Brown’s Division of Biology and Medicine — which includes the Warren Alpert Medical School and the School of Public Health — to create an integrated research operation. The agreement will help Brown, Lifespan and CNE compete for larger funding opportunities.
Teamsters Local 251 members working as custodians, groundskeepers, and movers at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) have voted to authorize a strike by a 95 percent margin.
Newport Police Department added an LGBTQ liaison
Blithewold property in Bristol is in danger of losing some of its land due to rising sea levels
Neon Marketplace, A Neon Marketplace will have its 6th Rhode Island grand opening on December 6th at 1:30pm at its location – 288 Kinsley Avenue.
Andrew Schiff, head of the RI Food Bank, in an interview with UpriseRI, said he knew how to eliminate hunger – “Low-income families benefitted from higher SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, free school meals, and an expanded Child Tax Credit. Created as temporary measures in response to the health emergency, all of these programs should be reauthorized or made permanent now.” Need this year is up 20%
Brown University students are asking for a better lit campus to have a safer campus.
Warwick is rated as the worst city to be single in – by Wallet Hub
South County Hospital found Indian tribe artifacts while beginning to build a parking lot
Jasiel Correia, former Mayor of Fall River, loses appeal and most likely will stay in jail until 2027.
In MA, Blacks and Hispanics were far more likely to use hospital ERs for care than white residents
Employees at Savoy Bookshop & Café unionized under the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328 – approx. nine employees filed for representation. Fifteen employees work at the store, which is a partnership between Mystic Books Inc. and the Royce Family Fund.
Ballards has their ruling on retaining their license. They must hire two police officers on weekends and holidays in summer, “regular communication” take place between the bar’s private security and the island’s police chief, detailed rules about security team including wearing identifiable uniforms, location of trash bins, restrictions on bands to one only, and an island-wide ban on music festivals.
Chronic absenteeism remains a problem in Providence Public Schools, with over 40% of students still qualifying as chronically absent, over two times the national average of 17%.
The Pawtucket Police Department is asking residents to be aware of increased larceny from autos throughout the holiday season as well as possible thefts of packages left on front steps and porches.
The Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA) announced that 35 RI students were selected to take part in, or be alternates, to the 2023 National Association for Music Education All Eastern Honors Ensembles.
ProvPort vote scheduled tonight will be CONTINUED indefinitely. The controversial ProvPort resolution authorizing a lease extension and bond will be tabled until the next administration – noting there needs to be more public input in the process before moving forward.The legislation in front of the council is a proposed 30-year tax exemption agreement and lease extension for ProvPort, Inc
Massachusetts is reporting over 5,000 cases of COVID and 63 deaths in one week.
Nellie Gorbea, RI Sect. of State, who lost a run for Governor, will join the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University
Classical HS Vice Principal was stabbed while breaking up a fight.
Narragansett proposes raising the daily walk-on beach admission fee from $12 to $15 and raising the parking fee from $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends to $20 every day. Family of four would pay average $80.
Narragansett Park Plaza on Newport Ave. in Pawtucket will its residential space as Carpionato group says there is a waning demand for office space at this time. Plans calls for 9 3-story, 24-units each buildings, totaling approximately 215 units.
Fire destroys furniture store in Lincoln – Knock on Wood
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
Germany rushing to open coal plants as energy crisis unfolds
Frontier Airlines has eliminated phone service – directing customers to their social media and if you must speak to someone they will charge you.
A group of Florida-bound migrants, including almost 50 children, who reached the Florida Keys in a rickety sailboat from Haiti on Monday, resulting in a frantic federal, state and local rescue effort, have been returned to the Caribbean nation
The U.S. Coast Guard said a cutter arrived in Haiti on Friday with the migrants on board.
The WHO renamed Monkeypox – to be MPox
Word of the year by Merriam-Webster for 2022 is “gaslighting”
Chinese universities are sending students home to try to prevent more protests against severe “zero COVID” restrictions and calling for President Xi Jinping to resign.
Whole Foods will not sell lobster from Maine due to environmental concerns
Doordash will lay off 1,200
Rod Stewart announced the death of his 2 brothers, Don & Bob, 2 months apart
H&M to cut 1,500 jobs
Rail strike looms as President calls on congress to solve it – after announcing it was solved just before the election. Some progress has been made.
Pope Francis: “Prayer is not an escape from one’s tasks; it is an aid in realizing the good we are required to do, here and now.”
Bird flu epidemic is the worst the UK has ever seen, being called “devastating” for farmers
President’s rental cars on Nantucket burst into flames days after entourage left the island
Twitter ends misinformation enforcement about COVID
Kanye West blocked from Twitter use due to references to Nazis and swastika use.
AMC will make deep layoffs as people move to on-demand streaming and increased costs of production vs. less ad dollars. Joins major media companies in struggle with tech, digital companies.
CNN will make deep cuts in staff as owner Warner Bros focus on $3 Billion in cuts – cuts will take place by end of the week
Warner Bros. Discovery laid off 70 staffers working in sports across brands including Turner Sports, Bleacher Report, and studio operations in Atlanta. It cut 14% of its HBO Max workforce earlier this summer.
Al Roker is back in the hospital after being released for Thanksgiving when he was treated for blood clots in his legs and lungs.
A senior royal aide was let go from serving the royal family after she repeatedly asked Ngozi Fulani, who was born in Britain and works for a domestic abuse support group “what part of Africa are you from?”
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries from New York who has served in the chamber since 2013 set to become the new Speaker of the House, taking over from Nancy Pelosi.
Pres. Biden allocated $75M as part of $135M to move tribes to safer land as storms and fires threaten to take over the land they are living on now
The Atlantic Shark Institute is producing a license plate with a large shark on it for ordering
The Washington Post announced it is ending the print version of The Washington Post Magazine on Christmas Day
Country with the highest use of marijuana per capita is Iceland
NPR has imposed a near-freeze on hiring, avoids layoffs for now
NYC is hiring a Director of Rat Migration – salary about $160K
Student loan forgiveness program halted again by a judge – more rulings to follow
LA is considering reinstituting mask mandate, including universal indoor masking
Alex & Ani has partnered with Cher to promote their new jewelry
Iran demolished the family home of the world athlete who competed in rock climbing with a mandatory head covering.
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PASSINGS
Irene Cara, 63, singer, famous for Flashdash vocals
Michael Feingold, 77, The Village Voice drama critic
Don Kaull, 77, URI basketball radio voice
Donald McEachin, 61, Rep from Virginia, of cancer complications
Christine McVie, 79, of Fleetwood Mac
re: Mr. Schiff – If we keep making things permanent, no one will be left to pay for them. When that happens, even more people will have needs. We’re already in a cycle of give and take and it’s unsustainable. There are already many people who are living paycheck to paycheck but don’t qualify for anything. They make do with what they have. With the rising costs of everything, from soup to heating, we can’t afford to keep giving. If someone is receiving SNAP, they should make their kids meals with the food they bought with their card. How hard is it to make a sandwich and brown bag lunch? It’s effortless to make a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. When nobody fixes supper, it takes away any family sit-down. We decry the dissolution of the family unit but constant giving and taking only supports this.
Some of us have nothing left to give.
Please correct “blacks” to Black or Black people. Also, each race and ethnicity needs to be capitalized yet only “blacks” is lowercase.
Thank you – corrections made. We will keep white lower case in accordance with AP style guidelines. And yes, using those same guidelines “Black” or “Blacks” should now be capitalized.