This Just In: The Rhode Islander who helped lead the nation's COVID battle

Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Four years ago today I was watching the World Cup, but because this year's competition is taking place in one of the hottest places in the world, I'll have to wait for November.

In early 2020, as the coronavirus was beginning to bear down on the United States, a retired Marine officer from Rhode Island was about to take on an unprecedented level of responsibility. As director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Donald Trump, Peter Gaynor was in the room as the magnitude of the crisis became increasingly apparent. He led the largest supply-chain mission in FEMA's history, an airlift of 1.1 billion pieces of personal protective equipment and other medical essentials into the United States. And as the year unfolded, his agency also coped with a record-breaking wildfire season and the most active hurricane season in history. But even that did not prepare him for January 2021, when Gaynor took over as head of the Department of Homeland Security just days after the riot at the Capitol. In hours of interviews with The Journal, Gaynor described those pressure-cooker days, and provided reporter Mark Reynolds with his diary entries documenting one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history. It's a story you'll only find at The Providence Journal.

The Rhode Island Department of Health reported one coronavirus-related death and 380 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 4,566 negative tests, for a 7.7% positive rate. There were 78 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, down from 85 reported yesterday, with six in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 328 new cases a day over the last seven days, down 21% from a week ago and down 35% from two weeks ago.

Every Rhode Island city and town has its own history of slavery, but in only one instance is the town itself known to have once sold slaves. That town is Jamestown. And now, the Town Council is taking steps to "acknowledge a wrong."

Last night was a night unlike any other in the Rhode Island Senate. After the Judiciary Committee appeared to have killed a proposed ban on high-capacity magazines, the Senate's Democratic leaders brought the proposal before the full chamber, where it passed after hours of tense debate. The ban, along with a measure to raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm, and another banning open carry of loaded shotguns, now head to the governor's desk.

The powerful but undermanned Coastal Resources Management Council, which has been dogged by accusations of insider deals, is closer to getting a new member, which will make it easier for the council to get a quorum even as talks continue about changing the way it does business.

Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green will create a task force to strengthen civics education in Rhode Island as a result of an agreement that ends a federal lawsuit filed by a group of students.

Rhode Island is a step closer to passing the nation's most aggressive law on renewable energy.

Three thousand midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy will sleep in the Rhode Island Convention Center in December, thanks to the news that Gillette Stadium is hosting the 2022 Army-Navy football game.

Congratulations to the All-State winners in boys and girls outdoor track.

And finally, you usually don't think of fine food when you think of a gas station, but Neon Marketplace is trying to change that.

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: Rhode Islander Peter Gaynor helped lead the nation's COVID battle