This Just In: Bridges closed – for how long, no one knows
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Today is Feb. 3; one year ago on this date Gina Raimondo gave her final major address as governor of Rhode Island, a state of the state address in front of a mostly empty House chamber.
In May, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced that it was closing the Park Avenue Bridge in Cranston – which carried 15,000 vehicles today, plus me on my morning run – for a few months; it was supposed to reopen in time for the start of school. But the bridge remains closed. And that's nothing compared to how long a nearby bridge in Providence has stayed closed. When will the work get done? That appears to be anyone's guess. Jim Hummel investigates why thousands of residents still can't easily get from here to there.
A nationwide survey conducted by Northeastern, Harvard, Rutgers and Northwestern Universities found that only 34.2% of Rhode Islanders approved of the way Gov. Dan McKee was handling the coronavirus pandemic in January, as the omicron wave was driving cases to record highs. That was the lowest approval rating for any New England governor. The same pollsters found that 51% approved of McKee's COVID performance in November, and 60% approved in June; meanwhile, 53.8% approved of Raimondo's efforts to fight the pandemic in December 2020. President Joe Biden didn't fare much better: only 35.2% of Rhode Islanders approved of the president's handling of coronavirus last month, according to the poll.
The Rhode Island Department of Health today reported seven more coronavirus-related deaths and 1,205 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 15,042 negative tests, for a 7.4% positive rate. There were 328 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, down from 351 reported yesterday, with 39 in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 1,067 new cases a day over the last seven days, down 51% from a week ago and down 73% from two weeks ago.
A retired Warwick firefighter is facing federal charges of making terroristic threats against city officials. Barry LaFleur is alleged to have sent thousands of messages, mostly directed at Warwick officials, in which he threatened to "kill, shoot," to "commit work-place slaughters ... terror incidents, and mass killings."
And a former Providence police officer will serve 90 days in prison after admitting to driving under the influence of fentanyl in a 2020 crash that injured a state trooper on Route 95.
Most of the candidates to succeed Jorge Elorza as mayor of Providence are expressing concerns about the risks connected to his proposal to borrow money to address the city's pension crisis.
A year ago, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse gave what he thought was the last of his weekly "time to wake up" speeches on climate change. But with climate legislation stalled in Congress, Whitehouse was back at it yesterday, giving his 280th speech on the issue.
The attorney general's office is taking action against two Providence landlords after three children were found to be suffering from lead poisoning.
Experts in the United States and Australia are at odds over whether a shipwreck found in Newport Harbor is Capt. James Cook's legendary HMS Endeavour.
Mark Patinkin visited Olneyville NY System to meet five guys with a combined 175 years of wiener-making experience.
It's been 26 years since the URI women's basketball team made it to the NCAA Tournament, but the Rams are in the mix to finally get back this year, and they took another step on that journey last night at the Ryan Center.
Finally, the Winter Olympics start tomorrow. Here are the Olympic athletes and coaches who have ties to Rhode Island.
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: This Just In: Bridges closed – for how long, no one knows
