🌱 Landmark Medical Center Picketing + School Committee Met

Sylvia Cochran
Updated ·3 min read

Up and at 'em, Woonsocket; today is Tolkien Reading Day! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note. Here's what's going on today in town.

Did you know “floating” could be bad for patient care? Also, the school fights weren’t on the meeting’s agenda. Finally, could the Housing Authority’s non-compliance have a good excuse?

First, today's weather:

Warmer with clearing. High: 62 Low: 41.

Here are the top five stories today in Woonsocket:

  1. As we discussed earlier, there was picketing at the Landmark Medical Center on Thursday. In addition to dealing with wages, the United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local (UNAP) Local 5067 took on the issue of “floating.” It “moves nurses to cover units they might not be trained for” and this affects patient care. (ABC)

  2. The School Committee met Wednesday for the first time after the much-publicized school fights. The Police Chief already announced that “the 18-year-old ‘ringleader’ of the students involved in the fight on video was charged with felony assault Tuesday.” However, the fights weren’t on the meeting’s agenda because it “was established last week, prior to the Friday incident.” (WJAR)

  3. Who is to blame for the Housing Authority’s non-compliance? We learned Monday that the former executive director thinks “early pandemic lockdowns and improvised attempts to do the right thing to keep people safe” led to the problems. Explaining that nobody knew how long COVID was going to last, he “decided the security was necessary to lock down WHA’s four high-rises, which house mostly seniors and adults with disabilities.” (Woonsocket Call)

  4. A Woonsocket Navy veteran surrendered his dog to the RI Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals last year, so he could “clean up his life and enter a long-term, inpatient treatment program.” When the agency’s president learned about the situation, he put the dog in foster care, which would allow the veteran to get it back after treatment. This led to the change of the “hardship boarding-care program,” which previously had a two-week limit. (The Providence Journal/paywall)

  5. The Museum of Work & Culture will celebrate its Salute to Spring on April 3 with a program featuring Josée Vachon in concert. Yes, there will be poutine. “The afternoon will conclude with the culmination of the museum’s annual raffle, with 30 gift certificates to area restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as the announcement of the winner of the 6th annual Poutine Indulgence.” (The Valley Breeze)

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Today in Woonsocket:

  • Hop Into Spring Event at Rokn' Art (11:30 AM to 2 PM)

  • Shrek: The Musical with the JDP Theatre Company at the Bell Tower Theater (7 PM)

  • The Tempest at the Rhode Island Stage Ensemble (7:30 PM)

  • Orleans at the Stadium Theatre (8 PM)

  • Peacheaters at Chan’s (8 PM)

From my notebook:

  • Annie Jr auditions are taking place at the JDP Theatre Co on April 8 and 9. The casting call is for ages 10 to 16 with limited roles for those aged 7 to 9.

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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you around.

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

This article originally appeared on the Woonsocket Patch