This Just In: Memorial Day reflections; Twin River cuts back on smoking

Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal, and after a very tough week, I'm looking forward to a few days of family time and a lot of soccer. It doesn't look like we'll have perfect weather for Memorial Day weekend, but it's going to be a lot better than the cold, rainy conditions of last year.

For Journal executive editor David Ng, Memorial Day will always bring back memories of an awful phone call he received while working at the New York Post, alerting him to the death of a local servicewoman in the waning days of the first Gulf War. As David writes in this tribute, he had a unique connection to the woman who had lost her life, Army Maj. Marie Rossi, and he'll always remember her at this time of year.

Today in Providence, the city honored a local soldier who died in France fighting in World War I with a new monument. It was the third such attempt to do justice to Carlo Lafazia, after the first monument disappeared and the second was vandalized.

All but one of Rhode Island's state beaches officially open tomorrow, and while we may have some rain that day, Sunday and Monday are looking fine. Here's what you need to know if you're planning a trip to the shore.

For years, Rhode Island School of Design's Tillinghast Place in Barrington was a popular option for people who wanted to walk along the beach without the crowds commonly found at the town beach. But that's going to be a bit harder now, because RISD has permanently banned public parking at the waterfront property.

Amid worker protests and facing legislation that would overturn its exemption from the state's antismoking law, Bally's Twin River says people will no longer be able to light up while playing table games at its casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton.

It was a bad news, OK news kind of day when it comes to COVID data. The state reported eight new COVID-related deaths, bringing the pandemic total to 3,577 and the total for the month so far to 32, nearly twice as many as last month. But new cases continued to fall: there were 636 additional cases reported today, and the state has reported an average of 599 over the last seven days, down 28% from a week ago and down 22% from two weeks ago. There were 81 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, down from 82 reported yesterday, with fewer than five in intensive care. For the week, the positivity of reported tests was 9.9%, down from 10.8% the previous week.

Late yesterday afternoon, the CDC changed its COVID-19 community levels for all five Rhode Island counties. Providence, Kent, Bristol and Washington counties went from high to medium; but Newport County went from medium to high.

Most of the candidates for governor appeared together at a forum that was focused on fighting poverty, but a lot of the fighting involved an angry back-and-forth between Gov. Dan McKee and Democratic primary challenger Matt Brown.

Local optometrists and online eyewear sellers seem to have reached a compromise in their long-running feud over vision prescriptions apps, which would allow the apps to function as long as consumers don't totally stop going to in-person checkups.

The good news: US News and World Report has ranked Providence among the best places to live in the country. The bad news: You have to go pretty far down that list to find us. That doesn't sit well with Mark Patinkin.

A red wolf, a member of the world's most endangered canid (fancy word for dog) species, has given birth to a pup at the Roger Williams Park Zoo.

One measure of how much we lost during COVID is that some things are just now returning. One of them is Gallery Night Providence. Amy Russo checked it out for the first time.

This week's Walking RI destination, in South County, takes in the largest coastal salt pond in Rhode Island. Gold star if you can name that pond without clicking this link.

And last but not least, the Boston Celtics can punch their tickets to the NBA Finals tonight with a win over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tip-off at TD Garden is at 8:40-ish on ESPN. If they lose, they'll have to go to Miami for Game 7 on Sunday. Waiting in the wings: Steph Curry and the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors.

Have a fun and safe weekend. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please encourage a friend to sign up.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Memorial Day reflections; beach openings and closings