Hasbro Defies Expectations + Pawtucket Firefighter Remembered

Welcome to the Pawtucket Patch Daily — your quickest way to get caught up on the city's top news stories. I'm your host, Mary Serreze. I can be reached at mary.serreze@patch.com. Feel free to send me your news tips, thoughts, and ideas.

First, today's weather: Light rain overnight. High: 90, low: 65.

Here are the top stories in Pawtucket today:

1. Hasbro Inc. (HAS) on Monday reported a loss of $22.9 million in its second quarter, but the company's earnings defied expectations, and shares surged more than 10 percent. The post-pandemic return of film and TV production has turned things around for Pawtucket-based firm, CEO Brian Goldner told analysts on an earnings call. (New York Post)

2. Tanner Houck will remain in the Red Sox rotation, and he'll start Wednesday against the Blue Jays in Boston. “At least for one more week, manager Alex Cora will stick with a six-man rotation that includes the rookie, who returned from Triple-A Pawtucket to make his third start of the season July 22.” (CBS Sports)

3. Paul R. Vallaro Jr., who worked for many years as a Pawtucket firefighter and paramedic, has died at the age of 44. Vallaro also served as a volunteer for 26 years with the Defiance Hose Company of the Bristol Fire Department. (GoLocalProv)

4. A fundraiser in Pawtucket benefited Cold Case Rhode Island, the task force working to solve unsolved murders across the state. The event was organized by the sister of Lauren Morris, a woman who was killed in 1988. Matt Paddock of WPRI has the story.

5. Rhode Island is seeing substantial community transmission of the coronavirus, with 57.4 new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days. State health officials said Monday the delta variant of COVID-19 now has a significant presence in the state. (WJAR)

Today's Pawtucket Daily is brought to you by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Pawtucket!

July 27 in Pawtucket

• The Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency meets at 12:15 p.m. at City Hall Room 303. The matter of 354 Pine Street is on the agenda.
• The Pawtucket Advisory Committee on Arts and Culture meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall Room 303. Among other things, the "Blackstone Monument" is on the agenda.

That's it. You're all caught up. If you like this newsletter, sign up and tell your friends. It's simple, but it keeps us rolling. Let me know about your community events. Have a good day out there. -Mary

About me: Maine native, UMass Amherst Regional Planning alum. Stick-shift driver, explorer. I believe in good government and the public's right to know. Interested in just about everything. I still like paper maps. I can be reached at mary.serreze@patch.com.