This Just In: How RI towns are spending their COVID aid; back to school with heavy hearts
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving no matter how you chose to spend it.
While the General Assembly has been under pressure to start spending $1.1 billion sent to the state via the American Rescue Plan Act, Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns are also receiving a massive influx of federal aid – somewhat more under the radar. So how are communities planning to spend the money – and have they even decided yet? Antonia Noori Farzan of our Watchdog Team contacted all 39 city and town halls to find out.
For the first time in more than two weeks, students were back in class at Pilgrim High School in Warwick. It came following the shocking death of the school's beloved principal, Gerald Habershaw, over the weekend. His brother said his death was the result of complications from COVID-19, which Habershaw may have contracted at a homecoming dance that is being blamed for the COVID outbreak that shut down the school. Last night hundreds gathered at the school's football field for a vigil in Habershaw's honor.
The Rhode Island Department of Health reported coronavirus data for the first time since Wednesday of last week. It reported 12 COVID-related deaths over the last five days, along with 2,414 additional cases of COVID-19 and 39,207 negative tests, for a 5.8% positive rate. There were 148 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, up from 127 reported Wednesday. Rhode Island has reported an average of 492 new cases a day over the last seven days, up 4% from a week ago and up 44% from two weeks ago.
More than 20 years ago, Rhode Islander Mike Moffitt started getting calls from an older woman who was trying to reach her daughter in Maryland, but kept mistakenly dialing the 401 area code instead of 410. It started an unlikely, long-distance friendship that culminated last week, when "Mike from Rhode Island" paid a surprise visit to "Gladys from Florida."
Sen. Jessica de la Cruz is seen as a rising star in Rhode Island's beleaguered Republican Party. In that capacity, she's become a leading critic of mask and vaccine mandates. Now she and her husband, a church pastor, have started a podcast where listeners can hear what they describe as more views from "the outside."
Ronald Mckeon says he was raped by a priest in Rhode Island more than 30 years ago. Now, his testimony has resulted in an indictment against the former priest, James Silva. And Mckeon says his faith is what kept him going all these years.
Later this week, residents of a four-story apartment building on the south side of Providence will be pushed out by the building's new owner, who is looking to rehab the building and significantly increase rents. For the soon-to-be-displaced tenants, it marks a forced farewell to a Providence that seems to be disappearing.
"Hamilton" is back in Providence tomorrow to start a highly anticipated two-week run at PPAC. For the national tour director, it's a homecoming of sorts.
There seems to be no stopping the Patriots (although the Buffalo Bills will try a week from today). And anyone who is waiting for rookie quarterback Mac Jones to slip up must be getting impatient. Mark Daniels writes today that the other teams in the NFL appear to have made a major miscalculation in letting Jones slide to the Patriots.
Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please encourage a friend to sign up.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: How RI towns are spending their COVID aid
