Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Rhode Island’s COVID-19 data reporting will go into effect next week. We will be transitioning from reporting COVID-19 data Monday through Friday to reporting data weekly, on Thursday afternoons. Other states have already moved in this direction. (For example, Massachusetts transitioned to weekly reporting in early July.) And the CDC is on a weekly reporting cadence for its assessment of community risk levels by county. This change is reflective of the larger shift Rhode Island has made from a pandemic response to endemic management, informed by COVID-19 data trends over a period of weeks. However, our data team and COVID-19 leadership team will still be reviewing hospitalization trends and other key metrics daily to monitor for any significant shifts. We have the ability to move back to daily reporting, should it be warranted at any point in the future.    

 

One last note on these monkeypox vaccination clinics this weekend. Pre-registration is required. All appointments have been taken. There is no vaccine at these clinics for walk-ups. Eligible people can get on a notification list for when additional vaccine comes into Rhode Island through a link on this page: health.ri.gov/monkeypox

 

Joseph Wendelken | Public Information Officer

Rhode Island Department of Health

 

 

There are reports the Justice Department is investigating Minnesota's governor and the Minneapolis mayor. Multiple outlets cite U.S. officials saying Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey are being investigated for allegedly obstructing federal law enforcement. One official says the investigation centers on statements the two leaders have made about the thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents deployed to Minneapolis. Their presence has sparked protests, which have grown since the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer last week.        Court is done for the week in the Charlie Kirk assassination case in Utah. Lawyers for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of shooting the conservative personality at a rally in September, argued a key prosecutor has a family member who was present at the time Kirk was shot. They say that communications between them raise concerns over impartiality and the prosecution's decision to seek the death penalty, and argue the prosecutor should be disqualified.        President Trump says he currently doesn't have reason to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. Before leaving the White House for Florida on Friday, Trump was asked about using the act as protests continue in Minneapolis. Trump said there's no reason to use it at this time, adding, that if he "needed it, it's available" to him. The Insurrection Act would give Trump the authority to deploy the military to suppress a rebellion on American soil.        Virginia Senate Democrats are sending a redistricting amendment to voters for approval. If voters support the amendment in a special election, which is expected to be on the spring ballot, the Legislature would be able to redraw the state's congressional map before midterms. Democrats currently have a six-five edge in the state's congressional delegation, looking to control either a ten-one or nine-two split for the new map.        Renee Good was unresponsive when first responders arrived after she was shot by an ICE agent last week in Minneapolis. A newly released incident report from the Minneapolis Fire Department offered more clarity into the incident, with Good having two apparent gunshot wounds to her right chest, one on her left forearm and another possible wound on the left side of her head. Good's killing has led to protests nationwide, while the Trump administration is calling her a "domestic terrorist."        Bad Bunny is previewing his upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performance. The video shows the singer walking through a forest while playing a song from his most recent album, soon joined by dancers off all different ages and cultures. It ends with a message saying "the world" - all different ages, races and styles - "will dance." Bad Bunny's choice as the headliner of the halftime show has drawn conservative backlash, with the Trump Administration threatening to have ICE agents at the game.       

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