This Just In: Vote counting continues, healthcare giants looking to merge

Also, 60 years since the Patriots first took the field [View email with images]( [Providence Journal] Wednesday September 9, 2020 [Subscribe Now]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Providence Journal]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Today is Sept. 9. Sixty years ago on this date, the Boston Patriots football team played the first game in franchise history (and the first game in the history of the American Football League), [losing to the Denver Broncos]( 13-10, at Nickerson Field in Boston. Rhode Island's primary is over, but we still don't know the winners in most contested races, as the Board of Elections workers [go through 30,000 mail ballots that were sent in statewide](. [Get]( most up-to-date count here](. Several high-profile General Assembly incumbents [have reason to worry]( including Senate Finance Committee Chairman William Conley. However, Congressman Jim Langevin [had no trouble fending off a primary challenge]( from Dylan Conley; he will face former Republican state Rep. Robert Lancia in November. The Board of Elections held an emergency meeting today to discuss an equipment failure that caused some votes in one Pawtucket precinct -- which happens to be Conley's home precinct -- [to go uncounted](. The lengthy on-again, off-again courtship between the state's two largest healthcare companies is back on again, in a big way. The boards of both Lifespan and Care New England [have voted to sign a letter of intent to merge the two companies]( whose finances have been battered by the coronavirus pandemic. The merger would include Brown University. The Rhode Island Department of Health [reported three additional coronavirus-related deaths and 84 additional cases of COVID-19](. The state [updated its count of cases by community](. Central Falls, which per capita has seen the hardest-hit community during the pandemic, saw a big drop in newly reported cases. Three open-government groups -- the state affiliates of Common Cause, the ACLU and the League of Women Voters -- are calling on legislative leaders to rein in what they say is Gov. Gina Raimondo's [desire to indefinitely extend her use of emergency powers](. The groups say continued decision-making by the governor without public input is a threat to transparency and accountability. [Subscribe to The Providence Journal]( It may take four years for the hotel industry to get back to where it was last year. That was one of the takeaways from [the annual economic outlook session]( of the Rhode Island Hospitality Industry. The fact that the session was held remotely, and not in-person, says a lot of what you need to know about the state of hospitality. That hasn't stopped entrepreneurs from opening new restaurants and bakeries in Rhode Island. One of them, [Blush Bakeshop on Federal Hill]( offers everything from breakfast sammies to brownies to pizza, all vegan. But if that's not your thing, [the Rhode Island Seafood Festival]( is on in Providence this week, although, like everything this year, it will be different. The Boston Celtics will look to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals [when they face the Toronto Raptors at 6:30 tonight](. If the Celts lose, it's on to Game Seven on Friday. Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please [encourage a friend to sign up]( . providencejournal.com [Facebook]( [Twitter]( You are receiving this communication as a member of the Providence Journal. Providence Journal values your online privacy. For more information, view our [privacy policy]( now. Please do not reply to this message. [Manage Preferences or Unsubscribe]( Providence Journal 75 Fountain Street Providence, RI 02902 © 2020 Providence Journal. All rights reserved.