This Just In: Life transitions, and more news on vaccines

Plus, a professor's article sparks an outcry at URI. [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Thursday, March 25 [Bristol, RI, March 24, 2021 - Joe Sbardella and his daughter Brittney Longo work together on mulching a lawn in Bristol. Joe is a former corporate President who after being laid off, started his own landscape business called ÒOld Man and a TruckÓ. [The Providence Journal/Bob Breidenbach]]( [This Just In: Life transitions, and more news on vaccines]( Plus, a professor's article sparks an outcry at URI. Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In, on a lovely Thursday afternoon in Rhode Island. [Mark Patinkin's column today]( is about a former business executive who has become a landscaper at age 66, which tells me that the door to my pro sports career remains open a crack. Maybe I'll end up signing with some team [at Disney World]( Last week we learned that state officials are planning to make all Rhode Islanders eligible for coronavirus vaccines by April 19; today, [we learned a little more about the timing](. Those 50 to 59 should have less than two weeks to wait. (In an unrelated story, [they can go trout fishing]( just two days after that.) As is often the case at the weekly COVID news briefings, the encouraging news about vaccines was tempered by a potential reason for concern: Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said it is estimated that about 40% of new coronavirus cases in Rhode Island involve the more contagious B117 variant. That might explain why case levels are slowly rising, even as deaths and hospitalizations fall. The state [reported just one COVID death today, but also 483 new cases](. The seven-day new-case average is 382, the highest since Feb. 15. Dipping into its federal stimulus money, Rhode Island has spent millions to help businesses get through the pandemic. But what about those that didn't make it, whose owners remain saddled in debt? Jim Hummel [examined their plight]( Meanwhile, unemployment numbers [released today]( show that the state economy continued to struggle in February. Meanwhile, I feel like I use the word "meanwhile" too much in this newsletter. Suggestions for different transition words are welcome. The University of Rhode Island [is disavowing an online article]( by a URI women's studies professor, Donna M. Hughes, which described "the belief that a person can change his or her sex, either from male to female or from female to male” as a fantasy. The city of Central Falls [has agreed to a $90,000 settlement]( of a lawsuit brought by a former police dispatcher who claims she was subject to repeated sexual harassment. The Act on Climate bill that has passed both houses of the General Assembly does not include specific mandates for homeowners, but opponents of the legislation have said it could cost as much as $50,000 to $100,000 per household. That estimate, however, [assumes a top-to-bottom retrofit of a home]( which is rarely done and not recommended in the legislation. Not too far away, the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, is in the national spotlight after [firing its football coach]( over his team's anti-Semitic play calls. Finally, if you've ever wanted to be on a TV show, HBO [is looking for extras]( for "The Gilded Age," which is being filed (where else?) around Newport. It's not for me though, because as I've mentioned before, I can't grow a beard. Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please [encourage a friend to sign up]( [Discover more with our newsletters: Get the latest headlines, things to do and more in your inbox. Sign up here.]( [click here]( Problem viewing email? [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( • [Manage Newsletters]( • [Terms of Service]( • [Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights]( • [Privacy Notice]( • [Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy]( • [Feedback]( © 2021 75 Fountain St. , Providence, RI 02902