This Just In: Congressional quiz time; Touro Synagogue fight back in court

Also, our favorite Friar moments of the past season. [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Monday, March 28 [Touro Synagogue in Newport]( [Congressional quiz time; Touro Synagogue fight back in court]( Also, our favorite Friar moments of the past season. Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. It was hard for me to accept this weekend, but the March Madness dream is over: I'm not going to beat my 11-year-old in our family bracket challenge. The race to succeed Jim Langevin as the representative of Rhode Island's Second Congressional District is one of the most competitive that this state has seen in many years. One thing that is not required to run: residency in the Second Congressional District. Still, we felt like it would be fair to give the candidates [a pop quiz]( to see how much they actually know about the area they would like to represent. As it turns out, the best grade went to one one of the nonresident candidates. [You could take the pop quiz yourself]( – but don't expect to do better than me, because I helped come up with the questions. One of the candidates on the Democratic side has run into legal trouble, following [a bizarre incident in Ohio]( The dispute between two congregations, one in New York City and one in Newport, over the historic Touro Synagogue [played out in court today](. The New York congregation, which owns the building in Newport, wants to see leadership changes and more "transparency" from Rhode Island-based Congregation Jeshuat Israel. But the local congregation responds acerbically that “New York-based Shearith Israel is so detached from this jewel of Rhode Island that it does not even know the Synagogue’s address.” The bipartisan leadership of a special legislative commission [has introduced a bill]( to clarify the public's right of access to the shore. But the long-awaited legislation is already facing organized opposition from a group representing beachfront property owners. The official death toll from coronavirus in Rhode Island jumped today as the state added 83 deaths, most of which occurred in January and February (none were this month). "All of Rhode Island’s death data are considered provisional for at least three months," explained Joseph Wendelken, Health Department spokesman. "Our COVID-19 death data, like all our death data, sometimes get adjusted upward because it can take time for causes of death to be confirmed, and for us to cross reference our different data sets." Wendelken said all 83 deaths reported Monday were people who had tested positive for COVID-19, and were experiencing symptoms. In some cases, there may have been a negative test in between the last positive test and the death, or more than 30 days may have passed between the last positive test and the death. The Health Department reported no new deaths over the weekend and 422 additional cases of COVID-19 over the last three days, along with 9,495 negative tests, for a 4.3% positive rate. There were 51 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, down from 56 reported Friday. Rhode Island has reported an average of 161 new cases a day over the last seven days, down 11% from a week ago and up 5% from two weeks ago. Should pandemic-era changes that made it easier to vote by mail in Rhode Island become permanent? While some states are making it more challenging to vote by mail, momentum seems to be building in the Ocean State [to do the opposite]( Dr. Anthony Fauci will be in Rhode Island [to deliver the commencement address]( at Roger Williams University on May 20. During World War II, he survived the sinking of a destroyer off New Guinea. During his career in the Navy he served on 10 different ships, and crossed the Arctic Circle and the Equator three times each. And he adopted two children who say they owe everything to him. In this week's Veterans Voice column, Frank Lennon [tells the remarkable story]( of James Robinson , a longtime Newport resident who is now 100 years old. Even though it's freezing out there today, [tick season has officially begun]( across New England. And finally, with the PC Friars' special season now over, we take a look back [on the top five moments]( 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]( © 2022 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902