Murder Arrests + Fireworks + Samuel Slater's Birthday

Welcome to the Pawtucket Patch Daily — your quickest way to get caught up on the city’s top news stories. I'm your host, Mary Serreze. I can be reached at mary.serreze@patch.com. Feel free to send me your news tips, thoughts, and ideas.

First, the weather:

• Wednesday: Possible light rain in the morning. Temps: High of 86° & low of 65°.
• Thursday: Partly cloudy throughout the day. Temps: High: 78° & low of 52°.
• Friday: Mostly cloudy throughout the day. Temps: High of 69° & low of 54°.

Patch Pick:

It’s Samuel Slater’s birth anniversary. Slater – the vaunted “Father of the American Industrial Revolution” — was born on this day in 1768 in Derbyshire, England. As a young man, Slater emigrated to America, teamed up with Quaker merchant Moses Brown and built America's first water-powered cotton spinning mill right here in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Here are the top five stories in Pawtucket today:

• Pawtucket police have arrested two men in connection with a deadly May 15 drive-by shooting on Randall Street. The two defendants are charged with murder one. Read in on Patch.
• The City of Pawtucket plans its Independence Day fireworks celebration on July 3 — but with a twist. Obviously, there will be no baseball game this year. Plus, McCoy Stadium itself will be closed to the public, even as fireworks are set off from inside the venue, according to Mayor Donald Grebien. Patch has the story.
• Pawtucket police plan to crack down on illegal fireworks this year. In fact, they are letting scofflaws know about their “zero-tolerance” policy and asking the public to submit anonymous tips. Patch has the details.
• Registered Democrats in District 5 headed to the polls yesterday to decide whether attorney Clovis Gregor or charter school official Ana Soares will fill out the remainder of the late Councilor Ama Amponsah’s term. The Valley Breeze has the story.
• U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has endorsed Maya Wiley in the race for Mayor of New York City — and there’s a Rhode Island connection. Wiley’s father is the late George Wiley, for whom the Wiley Center in Pawtucket is named. Her uncle is the late Alton Wiley, Rhode Island’s first black judge, and her sister is Bev Wiley, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Warwick. GoLocalProv has the story.

June 9 Events:

It's a jam-packed night for local government. The Pawtucket City Council meets at 7 p.m. to hear amendments to the city’s operating budget. Tune in at 5:30 to catch the Committee on Claims and Pending Suits.

The Finance Committee convenes at 6:35 p.m., and the Board of License Commissioners will meet at 6:45 p.m. If you’d like to watch live video of these public meetings, you can go to the city’s ClerkBase page. The Zoom Meeting ID is 914 6830 3202 and the password is CCJUN921.

That's it. You’re all caught up. We’ll see you tomorrow.

-Mary