🌱 COVID Test Distribution Sites + Auditions For Mamma Mia!

Hey, people of Pawtucket! Nicole Fallon-Peek here with today's copy of the Pawtucket Daily.

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First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and very cold. High: 22 Low: 12.

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Here are the top 3 stories today in Pawtucket:

1. The City of Pawtucket has received a supply of at-home COVID-19 test kits and has begun distributing them to Pawtucket residents at select locations. According to the City, the Pawtucket Public Library (13 Summer Street) and the Leon Mathieu Senior Center (420 Main Street) will be open during normal business hours to distribute one free test kit per person to anyone who provides proof of Pawtucket residency, while supplies last. (City of Pawtucket)
2. Pawtucket-based Community Players has announced auditions for their upcoming musical production of Mamma Mia! Auditions will be held on Jan. 30 for performances that run Apr. 1 through 10, 2022. Community Players is Rhode Island's oldest community theater and this year they are celebrating their 100th anniversary. (My Backyard News)
3. A Rhode Island man who faked his own death in 2020 to escape a sex assault case was a no-show his recent hearing in Scotland after he had been granted bail. Nicholas Alahverdian, who is known to police in Scotland as Arthur Knight, was arrested at a Glasgow Hospital while being treated for COVID-19. Pawtucket police say they have taken at least four complaints about Alahverdian from women who made allegations against him. He has been arrested and is awaiting another court date for Jan. 27. (Free: WPRI; Subscription: Providence Journal)

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Today in Pawtucket:

• Take & Make Kits At The Pawtucket Public Library (12:00 AM)
• Snowman Scavenger Hunt At The Pawtucket Public Library (12:00 AM)

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From my notebook:

• Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket recognized Shirley Marrero, its Director of Pre-Teen Programs, for being "a role model here at the Club for many years." (Facebook)
• Many local blood donation appointments have been canceled due to COVID-19, leading to a critical blood supply shortage. If you are able to give blood, click to learn how to make a donation appointment with the Rhode Island Blood Center. (Johnston Sun Rise)
• This week, Superintendent Dr. Cheryl McWilliams visited Curvin-Mccabe School for #ReadBowl 2022. She read "I Am Human: A Book of Empathy" by Susan Verde to Ms. Fitzpatrick's 5th-grade class. (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update.

— 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.