This Just In: From duckpin bowling to apartments
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal.
I've been typing those words nearly every day for the last three years, since this newsletter was first launched. Today's the last time I'll be typing them, because next week I start a new job as executive editor of The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. (I've still got a couple days left in Providence, but they'll be spent clearing the decks, tying up loose ends, and whatever other clichés I can come up with.) It's been a pleasure using this newsletter to highlight the great work that the team at The Providence Journal does every day; I'm not sure people understand the amount of work and thought each of them put forth every day to keep the public informed. I thank you for reading us all these years, and encourage you to continue doing so.
I also want to thank Gannett's Katie Landeck and my old boss, Alan Rosenberg, who helped me figure out how to write a newsletter (or at least I think I figured it out).
It's my hope that This Just In will be back very soon with a new author; stay tuned for more information on that. Enough about that, here's what we've got going on today:
Legion Bowl and Billiards on Park Avenue in Cranston is a throwback – an old-fashioned duckpin bowling alley with an attached bar. For folks who live nearby, it's something of a landmark. Cranston officials are hoping that it will soon be a landmark of a different sort – the site of the first privately developed affordable housing in the city "in recent memory," and an example for other projects going forward. However, somewhat predictably, some who live in the area remain fiercely opposed to any additional housing, as Wheeler Cowperthwaite reports.
More on housing: Mark Patinkin spoke to a couple who have lived in Newport for 41 years, but say they are going to have to leave the city because their rent is about to go way up. Where will they go next? Unfortunately, they have no idea.
There's been a lot of talk this week about the heat, for good reason, but Rhode Island farmers are faced with a more significant problem: a drought that is now impacting the vast majority of the state.
The Rhode Island Department of Health reported one coronavirus-related death and 329 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 2,503 negative tests, for an 11.6% positive rate. There were 76 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, up from 75 reported yesterday, with fewer than five in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 266 new cases a day over the last seven days, down 10% from a week ago and up 20% from two weeks ago. For the week, the positivity rate of reported tests was 10.7%, up from 10.4% last week and 8.7% two weeks ago.
We've certainly written plenty recently about prices going up, but here's something different: The Biden administration says more than 100,000 Rhode Islanders may be able to get $30 off their monthly internet bills as a result of a provision in the infrastructure bill that passed Congress last year.
Gov. Dan McKee will try again Monday to get the Commerce Corporation Board of Directors to approve a reworked financing plan for a new pro soccer stadium in Pawtucket.
Cumberland police have determined that the deaths of a couple in their home last month were the results of a murder-suicide.
Newport Folk Festival weekend is here. If you've got tickets, good for you! Here are five acts you should not miss, and a roundup of the food and drink options that'll be available to you (stay hydrated, people!), plus some advice for getting there.
If you don't have tickets, you might consider checking out the Providence Fringe Fest, which will be going strong through next Saturday. In her latest weekly column, Amy Russo found out what that eclectic festival is all about.
If you'd like to get some time outdoors despite the sweltering temperatures, this week's Walking RI destination at least has plenty of shade.
And finally, ready or not, the Red Sox are back in action tonight at Fenway against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox limped into the All-Star break having lost six out of their last seven games, and they're now on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race. So will management do anything to upgrade the roster?
I close by thanking you, readers, for your support for this newsletter, and for local journalism. Have a great weekend.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: This Just In: From duckpin bowling to apartments
