🌱 Blackstone Academy Staff Out With COVID + National Guard In RI

Up and at 'em, Pawtucket! Let's get you all caught up to start this Wednesday, January 5 off on an informed note. Here's everything you need to know today in town.

---

First, today's weather:

A little afternoon rain. High: 51 Low: 37.

---

Here are the top 4 stories in Pawtucket today:

1. Sixty percent of the teachers at Pawtucket's Blackstone Academy are currently out due to a COVID diagnosis or a pending test. According to the charter school's executive director Carolyn Sheehan, 100 percent of Blackstone's teachers are vaccinated and most have received boosters, but "but some are very sick and even can't teach virtually," she said. Sheehan noted the school was hoping to return to in-person learning on Thursday, but "staffing will be challenging" with the number of absences. (Free: Yahoo! News; Subscription: The Providence Journal)
2. A 25-year-old Pawtucket resident has been accused of conspiring to possess over a kilogram of cocaine shipped from Colombia in an old model tube TV. Jomar Cruz-Aponte was charged via a federal criminal complaint after U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted two separate packages in nine days shipped from Colombia to Rhode Island, which reportedly contained "an old TV without commercial value." Cruz was observed retrieving the second package in a controlled delivery operation by Homeland Security and the Pawtucket Police Department and was subsequently pursued by officers. (GoLocalProv)
3. Rhode Island has called in the National Guard to help with the surge of COVID-19. On Tuesday, Governor Dan McKee announced that he has activated 180 members of the Guard to support the state's response to the latest wave of the virus.McKee noted that the Guard would provide "nonmedical support for testing, vaccination, and supply management." (The Advocate)
4. Hilal Minda, owner of New Moon Ceramics in Pawtucket's Hope Artiste Village, was named one of GoLocalProv's "22 to Watch in Rhode Island in 2022." Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Minda has operated her studio since 2001 and makes unique, colorful mugs, platters, bowls, and more. "I am fortunate to pursue my passion as a professional studio artist and to be able to call it a job," she said. (GoLocalProv)

---

Today's Pawtucket Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at GoodRx — the best way to save money on your prescriptions. GoodRx helps you locate the lowest prices for medications at local pharmacies, so you're not overpaying. Works for pet medications too! To see how much you can save, go to GoodRx.com.

---

Today in Pawtucket:

• Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic - Dose 2 At International Charter School (4:30 PM)

---

From my notebook:

• The Pawtucket Police Department encourages residents to practice the "9 p.m. Routine" — Hide your things. Lock your car. Take your keys. "Help yourself to not become a victim," says the Department. (Facebook)
• The Pawtucket Public Library has canceled all in-person children's programs for the month of January. However, Take & Make Kits are still available and the daily Snowman Scavenger Hunt in the Children's Department is still on. (Facebook)
• According to the Rhode Island Department of Healthy, the omicron variant now makes up roughly 45 percent of cases in the state. (WPRI.com)

---

Loving the Pawtucket Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers

---

That's it for today. I'll see you around!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.