This Just In: Searching for the Gaspee; tax relief coming to RI?
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Sometimes I complain about the weather but it could be worse: 45 years ago today a freak storm left a foot of snow in parts of the state.
Speaking of history, we're a month away from a very big anniversary: the 250th anniversary of the burning of the HMS Gaspee. Colonists famously burned the ship to the waterline on June 10, 1772, and despite multiple attempts, no one has ever found what was left. But D.K. Abbass, director of the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, hopes to finally locate the wreck, using modern technology as well as professional divers. What will happen if her team does have success? There are quite a few possibilities, as Paul Edward Parker reports.
State government is flush with cash, and that's before you consider last year's surplus plus the pandemic aid already that has already been paid out by the federal government, but remains unspent. Now, in the midst of an election year where inflation is taking a larger bite out of voters' paychecks, officials and their ballot rivals are debating how much to cut taxes, and where.
Taxpayers of the Central Coventry Fire District have overwhelmingly rejected a supplemental budget increase request that leaders say would have put the district back on firm financial footing. Without more money, members of the district leadership say they won't be able to pay the bills by the end of next month.
The Rhode Island Department of Health reported one coronavirus-related death and 848 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 5,840 negative tests, for a 12.7% positive rate. There were 93 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, up from 78 reported yesterday, with fewer than five in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 712 new cases a day over the last seven days, up 34% from a week ago and up 90% from two weeks ago.
Last night, state Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green canceled her planned appearance at a "State of Education celebration" after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Candidates for governor Nellie Gorbea and Helena Foulkes are both supporters of abortion rights, so why were are they savaging each other over that issue in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade?
Will questions about the conditions of U.S. prisons block the extradition of fugitive Nicholas Alahverdian from Scotland? The lawyer for the man who authorities say is Alahverdian (but who continues to insist he is not) is calling for a report on prison conditions in Utah before the court rules on her client's future.
Employees at a Warwick bank hid in the vault during a robbery this morning.
A dozen or so pro scouts journeyed to South Kingstown's Old Mountain Field yesterday afternoon to see high-school pitcher Ben Brutti, and he didn't disappoint.
And finally, the Bruins will be short-handed tonight when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Five of their playoff series. But Patrice Bergeron will be there, and the veteran is a key reason the series is now tied. The game starts at 7 o'clock on ESPN.
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: Searching for the Gaspee; tax relief coming to RI?
