This Just In: Pearl Harbor Day, and a tribute to a D-Day veteran

Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Today is Dec. 7, the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Rhode Island media had an interesting role in reporting the events of that day. The Westerly Sun, the only Sunday evening paper in the country, was also the only newspaper that was able to report the attack in its regular Dec. 7 edition. However, according to an Associated Press story, the newspaper had to alter the time of the attack by one minute – from 2:22 p.m. Eastern time to 2:23 – because there were only two 2s in the lead print type used for the headline.

Many other papers printed special editions on the night of Dec. 7, 1941, including The Providence Journal. Here's what the front page looked like:

The front page of today's Journal celebrates the life of a man who took part in another epic event of World War II: the D-Day invasion. Owen William Mahony was 18 on June 6, 1944, and the images of carnage on the Normandy beaches stayed with him forever, but they would not define him. Mahony, who died Wednesday at age 95, returned home after the war to raise 12 children with his wife (also making a home for more than 30 foster children), while serving the community as a volunteer and the state as assistant director of the old Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. Donita Naylor has this tribute.

Talk radio host John DePetro is promising a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the unsolved killing of 24-year-old Miya Brophy-Baermann. In an interview with The Journal, Brophy-Baermann's mother spoke about her grief and the complicated issues swirling around the quest for justice.

The latest COVID data from the Department of Health show that Rhode Island's cases continuing to surge. The Health Department reported just one more coronavirus-related death but 1,087 additional cases, along with 24,632 negative tests, for a 4.2% positive rate. There were 203 COVID-positive hospital patients at last count, up from 184 reported yesterday and the first time since Feb. 15 that more than 200 coronavirus patients have been hospitalized in Rhode Island; 29 were in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 896 new cases a day over the last seven days – the most since mid-January – a 73% increase over a week ago and an 87% increase over two weeks ago.

He'd been a priest for more than 30 years, and said the Latin Mass once a week at Holy Name Parish on Providence's Upper East Side. The Rev. Joseph Santos died Saturday, about a month after contracting COVID-19.

I've always been a fan of the "wave plate," but after years of talk, it seems like the state is finally moving forward with plans to make it a thing of the past. The Division of Motor Vehicles has launched a plate design contest and is planning to start rolling out the new-look plates next summer.

Dan Doyle, the disgraced founder of the Institute for International Sport, is asking a federal judge to overturn his conviction for embezzling $1 million from the nonprofit, while accusing state prosecutors of "character assassination."

One of Rhode Island's most historic diners is about to serve its last plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The Beacon Diner in East Greenwich, which has been a diner since 1954, will close for good on Sunday. Judy Harris, whose family has owned the Beacon since 1967, shared some memories with our food editor, Gail Ciampa.

Gail also spoke with celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, who is coming to Dave's Fresh Marketplace in East Greenwich this weekend to sign copies of her new cookbook.

Using a game plan right out of some high-school coach's playbook, the Patriots took down the Bills last night despite quarterback Mac Jones completing just 2 of 3 passes for 19 yards. And if you're thinking that sounds boring, you must not have been watching. With this latest win, the team's seventh in a row, the whispers about a possible Super Bowl return have grown into something much louder.

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: Pearl Harbor Day, and a tribute to a D-Day veteran