This Just In: Biden's latest drive through our state; McKee's secret weapon

Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Today is July 19; on this date in 1723, according to the New England Historical Society, officials in Newport "hanged 26 sailors for piracy before a jubilant crowd." Fortunately there are better things to do over there in the summer these days.

President Joe Biden will be in Somerset, Massachusetts, tomorrow afternoon to address climate change. The appearance comes just days after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin pulled out of talks about climate legislation, and as the president faces pressure from fellow Democrats to take executive action. Biden is expected to fly in to T.F. Green Airport before heading north on Route 95. It will be Biden's second Green landing since he became president, only last time, he went south from here on Route 95.

Dan McKee has the lowest approval rating of any governor in the country, according to a new poll from Morning Consult. But the governor might have found someone who can help turn tings around: his 94-year-old mother.

Meanwhile, one of McKee's Democratic primary rivals, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, is blaming him for the General Assembly's lack of action on expanding insurance coverage for abortion.

Tenacity was a characteristic that defined Olin W. Thompson III during his time doing criminal defense work in Rhode Island. And it defined him, too, during his courageous fight against Lou Gehrig's disease, which finally took his life on Monday. Courts reporter Katie Mulvaney wrote this appreciation.

The Rhode Island Department of Health reported no coronavirus-related deaths and 266 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 2,219 negative tests, for a 10.7% positive rate. There were 74 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, up from 53 reported yesterday, with fewer than five in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 284 new cases a day over the last seven days, up 4% from a week ago and up 20% from two weeks ago.

Today was the first of what could be six straight days of temperatures with highs in the 90s. Here are some tips for staying healthy in the extreme heat.

State police have charged a 60-year-old man with murdering a 65-year-old woman in Exeter. Although few details have been revealed so far, they say they believe Ramsundar Ramkalawan struck Donna MacDonald several times with a rock after the two of them got into an argument.

And Providence police say they were able to quickly recover thousands of dollars in one-dollar bills that were reported stolen from the Cadillac Lounge strip club on Monday.

Attorney General Peter Neronha says no change is needed to Rhode Island laws on concealed carry gun permits, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a similar law in New York.

Providence's municipal reparations committee is making a list of recommendations that go far beyond spending the $10 million in pandemic relief funds that the city has specifically set aside.

A year ago, officials in Warwick noticed that waterfront neighborhoods in the city were lined with "No Parking" signs that had no legal basis, and were in fact unenforceable. Now, the City Council is taking steps to add legal parking in areas with shoreline rights of way.

And speaking of the Warwick waterfront, a single-family home on Greenwich Bay has sold for a city-record $3.15 million.

The president of the University of Rhode Island is condemning what he described as a racist video involving at least one former student athlete.

Former Classical High and PC star David Duke Jr. made quite an impression at the NBA Summer League.

And finally, earlier this month, reporter Donita Naylor retired from The Journal after a career that spanned nearly 40 years. In her final story, she reflected on three ordinary people who made an impression on her with their extraordinary good works.

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: Biden's latest drive through Rhode Island; McKee's secret weapon