Community Corner
🌱 600% Increase In Omicron In 1 Week + Increased Tests & Shots
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Woonsocket.
Hey, people of Woonsocket! Kathleen here with today's Woonsocket Daily.
First, today's weather:
Partly sunny. High: 44 Low: 27.
Here are the top four stories today in Woonsocket:
- As a result of the threats on Friday at three of the Woonsocket schools, the Superintendent will be holding virtual meetings next week to discuss the safety of the students, teachers, and staff. McGee wants to hear from teachers and parents so that altogether these issues can be addressed. The conversations will take place via Zoom and the links will be forthcoming. (Woonsocket Call)
- The company that operates the Woonsocket Water Treatment Plant is making adjustments to the chlorine levels in the city's water supply after 30 to 50 residents complained of a strong smell and taste earlier this month. The complaints have come from all over the city.
Suez, a multinational utility company that has been handling the city's water treatment since 2018, operates the new $57 million plant. The new plant operates on chlorine liquid which is much safer than the old chlorine gas. Seasonal changes, including changes in water temperature, can impact water service and cause certain additives to seem more pronounced as the weather turns cold. Levels of chlorine in Woonsocket water, we are told, are completely safe. (Valley Breeze) - The Rhode Island Department of Health said Sunday's positivity rate for COVID-19 was 8.1%. If recalled correctly, the goal was a 1% or less positivity rate. The State on Monday reported 3,962 new cases and six additional deaths. Rhode Island's level of COVID-19 transmissions stood at 726.7 new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days. The Centers for Disease Control considers anything over 100 to be "high transmission." (WJAR)
- Before all of the holiday gatherings through the new year, Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) are expanding access to rapid testing and to COVID-19 booster doses and primary series vaccines. RIDOH has allocated 100,000 COVID-19 self-tests to community partners located in Rhode Island's hardest-hit communities. RIDOH is working to obtain one million additional self-test kits for broader distribution. For more information about when and where to get tested for COVID-19 in Rhode Island, visit covid.ri.gov/testing. (Rhode Island)
Today's Woonsocket Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Woonsocket!
Today in Woonsocket and Local Area: Christmas Lights!
- Governor McKee has scheduled a media conference to discuss pertinent issues and take questions. (2 pm)
- Southwicks Zoo's Festival of Illumination runs now thru Christmas. It is New England's largest and premier lantern showcase. (5:30 pm)
- Slater Park, Pawtucket hosts Winter Wonderland. It's a 30-acre Christmas display located within Slater Park making it the largest Christmas display in all of Rhode Island. (4-9 pm)
- Holiday Lights Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence — a new walk-through experience. Select nights through January 2, 2022, for an amazing light display, featuring larger-than-life luminous displays and over 3 million illuminated lights. Tickets are timed-entry and available for purchase online only. (5 - 9 p.m.)
From my notebook:
- If you're looking for a new job or thinking about a career change, the shortest commute is the best. The Patch is going to be listing both part-time and full-time jobs in Woonsocket and the surrounding area each week. Just click on the link and start your search! (Woonsocket Patch)
- Woonsocket Harris Public Library has Disney characters candy cane sleds in craft bags in the children's room. It's available this week while supplies last. There's a full video on their YouTube page. (Facebook)
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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update! I'm Kathleen Stoddart, a Woonsocket resident and I'm almost done with my wrapping!
