This Just In: The Fane tower can now be built, so will it be?
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Today is June 23, and we're expecting that it's the final day of action at the General Assembly. Our State House team of Kathy Gregg and Patrick Anderson will have reports throughout the evening on what gets passed and what doesn't, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, it's already been a pretty newsy day.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court has removed the final legal obstacle to the Hope Point Tower, better known as the Fane tower, which would be the tallest building in Rhode Island. The question now is whether developer Jason Fane will actually build the tower that the city approved three and a half years ago.
Providence has seen more than 3,000 crashes involving cars and bicyclists or pedestrians over the last decade. And although the number of crashes has gone down in recent years, many of the collisions leave lasting scars – both physical and psychological.
The Rhode Island Department of Health reported two coronavirus-related deaths and 380 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 4,027 negative tests, for an 8.6% positive rate. There were 54 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, down from 62 reported yesterday, with fewer than five in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 265 new cases a day over the last seven days, down 19% from a week ago and down 36% from two weeks ago.
Gov. Dan McKee has named a new leader for the Health Department. Dr. Utpala Bandy, an infectious diseases expert who has been with the department for nearly 30 years, will take over as interim director when Dr. James McDonald leaves the state next month.
Yesterday, McKee signed legislation that clears the way for Providence to borrow up to $515 million to bail out its beleaguered pension fund, but the biggest advocate for the pension obligation bond, Mayor Jorge Elorza, indicated that rising interest rates could put the plan on hold.
Over in Scotland (I would say "across the pond," but that's so cliché), the man who authorities say is fugitive Nicholas Alahverdian, but who insists that he is not, failed to show up for his latest court hearing, after checking himself into a hospital. You may not think that this man has much in common with Winston Churchill, but he would like you to think differently.
As I recently noted in this space, I would not consider myself to be handyman. My proudest accomplishments in this area include having assembled a Weber grill. Over at Brown University, by contrast, some students built a satellite that actually got sent into space.
Did you know Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country? I would hope so. Do you know how many sovereign nations are even smaller? Maybe not, but Mark Patinkin is helpfully here to tell you.
An Episcopal church in Bristol is moving to evict a day-care center that serves more than 60 children, even though the center believes it has a lease for two more years.
The Cumberland police have identified the two adults found shot dead inside their home on Wednesday morning as a husband and wife, Eric Huard and Courtney Huard, who have three children. Authorities have not provided any information on what they believe led up to the Huards' deaths, except to say that there is no broader danger to the public.
For the first time since the pandemic, Providence will host a Fourth of July fireworks display at India Point Park. That's one of many Independence Day celebrations planned across Rhode Island – here are details on the others.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: This Just In: The Fane tower can now be built, so will it be?
