In the news… RI, region, national, international, and passings of note update for July 8, 2023

RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

$25,000 in fireworks and property were stolen from a Coventry fireworks stand – they resupplied to open again for the rest of the holiday

Providence Veterans Administration Cardiopulmonary Vascular Biology (CPVB) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence a renewal grant of $4.4 million

There will be a bike path in Cranston connecting the Washington Co. bike path to Chapel View.

Boston EMS community is sounding alarms about the long closure of the Sumner Tunnel and the inability of EMS vehicles to move quickly through Boston streets – asking for my vehicles to be put into service, and saying “there will be very long waits for ambulances”

Former RIC President Frank Sanchez now president of Manhattanville College in NY

Del’s Lemonade is 75 years old this year

Mt. Pleasant HS Asst. Principal who had solicited donations to pay off a student’s “coyote” who helped the student come to America has now been terminated.

Priscilla De La Cruz, named Providence’s director of sustainability.

Centers Health Care were charged in a massive fraud scheme to use $83 million in Medicaid payments for personal gain of ownership. Facilities owned in RI are: Bannister Center for Rehabilitation and Health Care in Providence, the Kingston Center in West Kingston and the Oak Hill Center in Pawtucket. The group operates 47 homes in New England and New York.

Christmas Tree Shops have 2 locations in RI, both will close.

4 shootings in Providence over the 4^th of July holiday

A large round rug has been put down on top of the state seal at the RI State House – to hide the “Providence Plantations” wording that cannot be removed without damaging the floor – $2.5 Million has been designated to doing this project wherever it appears.

MA and CT among “most expensive” for day care in the US

The Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives is CIC’s 10,000th client celebrating their ribbon cutting. The IEA works with governments and industry to shape a secure and sustainable energy future for all.

A billionaire has stepped forward to buy McCoy and bring back baseball to RI.

People can book Fenway to play Pickleball this summer

The Paris Street public pool has reopened in Boston for family swim and lessons, after 3 years closed

“American Veteran Traveling Tribute” coming to Rocky Point in Warwick on September 8^th-10^th. The display is an 80% scale version of the Vietnam Wall Memorial in Washington, DC, and spans over 300 feet. The display will commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accord, which effectively ended the decade long war and restored peace to Vietnam. The weekend-long display will be hosted by the City of Warwick, Gaspee Day Committee, and Operation Stand Down Rhode Island. Organizers will be raising money – $13,000 –  to bring the memorial to Rhode Island.

Harry Kizirian Elementary Pre-K is the second school in the District to receive the 50star BrightStars rating. The first school was Young Woods Elementary.

Aramark will cut 111 positions after losing the Providence food contract.

Rhode Island Association of Coastal Taxpayers filed a federal lawsuit challenging Rhode Island’s law that moves the public beach inland and onto private coastal property along the entire state shoreline, giving the public an extra strip of land at the expense of private property owners.

74 year old Westerly man drowns at Misquamicut Beach

Beachfront property owners in RI trying to overturn the new shoreline access law

RI beaches are seeing a high bacteria rate – some closing repeatedly – check with RIDOH here: https://Health.ri.gov/data/beaches/

RI Driver Privilege card – design was supposed to be altered from the standard RI driver’s license – but it is identical – in Florida, “privilege cards” will not be accepted, specifically Rhode Island’s.

Itri Park in Knightsville, Cranston opens on Sunday – fountain, benches, bocce, band concert, gazebo, more

___

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Lesss than 50% of workers have returned to in-office work in the US’s top 10 cities

McDonald’s will debut an adult Happy Meal in October

Christmas Tree Shops seem destined to all close say industry experts

Morning after pill vending machines are now installed in 39 US universities/colleges (17 states)

2023 is the 90^th anniversary of the drive-in movie theater

LA environmental groups tried to restrict the fireworks – but more groups said they would do them after that action

Biden administration wants to block the sun’s rays to help with climate change

600 people out of work at a Bud Light Anheuser Busch plant

Walgreens to close 150 storess in US

Charles Barkley rewrote his will after the SCOTUS decision on Affirmative Action so that proceeds – scholarships – can only go to African American students at Auburn Univ. where he has a fund established.

Maine’s five daily newspapers and 25 weeklies, all owned by one owner, are up for sale.

White House had a hazard incident call on July 2^nd with crews responding for an unknown substance – later identified as cocaine – Secret Service is investigating

George Soros nonprofit foundation will cut staff by 40% – programs are now under the management of his son

Cases of malaria are being seen in US, first time in 20 years

Ukraine president Zelenskyy says US president Biden must invite Ukraine into NATO now.

Putin has given his soldiers an 11% raise, ever leary of a future coup

FDA has approved a blood test that can identify pregnant women who are at risk of pre-eclampsia

US has issued an “advisory” for American travel in China

Afghanistan beauty salons must close by the end of the month, per Taliban orders

Court orders White House to have no contact with social media sites, as they may have violated the 1^st Amendment during the election. White House says they will try to overturn this.

Teamsters representing UPS have given notice that a strike will take place on August 1^st. Negotiations broke down and no new ones are planned.

Nearly every ticket area in England’s railroad will be shut down

Chinese govt says US is responsible for putting Taiwan in the center of war

World registered hottest day ever, July 3^rd

Meta started a rival to Twitter called “Threads”

About 50% of the indigenous tribes in Brazil have now moved into the city and are struggling to get jobs, pay bills, find housing

Jenny Craig – Wellful, Inc. has acquired the Jenny Craig brand; they will return this fall as a Direct-To-Consumer Brand 

17 mass shootings in the US over the 4^th of July holiday

There were 5 shark attacks on Long Island over the 4^th holiday

Approx. 50% of the US water supply contains forever chemicals – initial recommendation to use a water filter if you use tap water for drinking, etc.

Canadian wildfires raging across Canada have already broken records for total area burned, the number of people forced to evacuate their homes and the cost of fighting the blazes, halfway through the season

The FDA has endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease.

2 Dutch museums are returning antiquities to Sri Lanka and Indonesia shutting down – Dream On Baby will be taking over

US will send cluster bombs to Ukraine, while 100 countries ban their use, by passing US law, and UN denounces the action.

Jimmy & Rosalyn Carter celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary.

El Paso Walmart shooter sentenced to 90 life terms.

Sumner Tunnel closing requires people to add a 2-hour Travel time for the next 2 months

Jeff Merhige will be the YMCA of Pawtucket’s new CEO

McCoy final fireworks good-bye was rescheduled from the 4th to the 16th of July

Skatepark long planned for Pawtucket will now open in Woonsocket

___

PASSINGS

Leandro DeNiro, 19, grandson of Robert DeNiro, blamed on fentanyl

Coco Lee, 48, voice of Mulan, by suicide

Joe Lindner, “Joesthetics”, 30, popular extreme fitness iNFLuencer, of a brain aneurysm

Dr. Susan Love, 75, of recurring leukemia – ground-breaking breast cancer surgeon and researcher

R. Robert Popeo, 85, well known attorney in Boston

Denise Solomon, 66, of cancer, wife of former Providence City Council President, Michael Solomon