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Community Corner

🌱 Get Boosted & Wear Mask + Body-Cam Grant For Woonsocket

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Woonsocket.

Kathleen Stoddart, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Hello, neighbors! It's me again, Kathleen Stoddart, your host of the Woonsocket Daily.

First, today's weather:

Sunny. High: 36 Low: 27.

The Next Few Days:

Tuesday: Partly sunny. High: 42 Low 27. 6 mph winds, with gusts up to 16 mph

Wednesday: High 45, low 25. Chance of Rain: 40%, An afternoon shower in spots

Thursday: High 39, Low 23

(Woonsocket Patch)

Here are the top five stories in Woonsocket today:

  1. Friday was an eventful day for Woonsocket Schools. Woonsocket High School had an unsubstantiated threat but at Villa Nova middle school and Beacon Charter school, the social media threats were "real" and arrests were made. Looking at last week's threat written on a bathroom door at Barrington High School, the principal is temporarily moving to remote learning these last 3 days before the holidays. A Barrington High School student started a petition for students to return to virtual learning after the school threat. Will Woonsocket do the same? (WJAR)
  2. The omicron variant is moving so quickly it could overtake the delta variant in the U.S. in a matter of weeks. Rhode Island's numbers have tripled over the last month. Last year was difficult enough canceling plans. This year people are craving the contact. Health experts say the most important thing we can do is get vaccinated and get the booster shot. Indoor parties aren't as safe as outdoor gatherings but it's too cold! At a large, indoor party, one person without a mask can result in many people being infected. Some of these can turn into superspreader events. Even if everyone is vaccinated and boosted, breakthrough infections can happen. And don't count on symptoms to tell you who's carrying the virus. Half or more of infections are spread from people before they have symptoms. (Turn to 10)
  3. Longtime medical journalist Donald McNeil Jr. argues that it's no longer accurate to use the phrase "pandemic of the unvaccinated" in describing the current COVID situation. "It is becoming a pandemic of the un-boosted," Two-thirds of the state's hospitalized COVID patients were unvaccinated as of Monday, even though they make up only 17% of the population. Similarly, the rate of new cases for unvaccinated Rhode Islanders was nearly four times higher last week than it was for those who've gotten vaccinated. On the other hand, Rhode Island's high vaccination rate may have provided a false of sense of security as cases surged over the last month. While nearly 74% of Rhode Islanders have gotten either one dose of J&J or two doses of Moderna and Pfizer, only about one in four has gotten a booster or other extra dose — leaving a majority of the population more vulnerable to Delta and Omicron. (WPRI)
  4. U.S Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse alongside Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced on Friday a $1.5 million federal grant under the Department of Justice's Body-Camera Policy and Implementation program awarded to the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety. This award will enable eleven municipal police agencies to implement broad-scale body cameras. Woonsocket and the State Police are 2 of the eleven. Body-worn cameras protect both citizens and law enforcement. Expanding the use of this technology by state and local law enforcement agencies will further assist police departments in promoting accountability on the part of officers and citizens, aid law enforcement by providing crucial evidence in criminal cases, and strengthen community trust in policing. (ABC)
  5. Senate Oversight Committee held a hearing Tuesday so the panel could make recommendations on a variety of issues its members have deliberated in 2021 — including the controversial ILO contract originating from the Governor's Office. The committee's suggestions: prohibit switching from a request for proposals (RFP) to a master price agreement (MPA) once the procurement process begins; ensure the relevant state agencies are directly involved in developing RFPs and negotiating with bidders; reevaluate who can be named to an RFP review committee, and review the procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest during the bidding process. (ABC)

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Today in Woonsocket:

  • City of Woonsocket has the City Council Regular Meeting tonight in Harris Hall – Third Floor 169 Main Street (7 pm)
  • Jim Brickman, the multiple Grammy-nominated songwriter and piano sensation is back this festive season with his annual holiday tour "The Gift of Christmas." The Stadium Theatre (7:30 pm)


From my notebook:

  • No more hearings are expected before the final vote of Rhode Island's redistricting, but if you want to weigh in, you can go submit feedback by clicking "Contact" at the top of riredistricting.org. (WPRI)
  • 4 Freshest Homes For Sale in Woonsocket. Follow the link below to see photos of homes that might spark your interest. (Woonsocket Patch)
    • 172 Pond Street
    • 107 Virginia Ave.
    • 2580 Diamond Hill Rd.
    • 264 Arnold Street
  • Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park: On December 19, 2014, Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park was named the 402nd unit of the National Park Service. Originally Blackstone River Valley was known as the Birthplace of America's Industrial Revolution. (Facebook)
  • Joseph from Nextdoor's Community Team, Nextdoor: "Holiday COVID-19 safety message from the CDC. - Neighbors, This holiday season, keep your family, friends, and communities safer by doing your part to slow the spread of COVID-19: ✅ Get vaccinated and a booster when you're eligible. " (Nextdoor)

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That's it for today! I'll see you tomorrow with a list of Christmas light displays. I'm still wrapping presents and my youngest dog is still trying to eat the Christmas tree lights.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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