🌱 Pawtucket's Fire Chief Retiring + Library Parking Crunch

Hello again, Pawtucket! Important update: You all, as readers, have made the Pawtucket Daily so successful that it is my honor to announce the next stage of the newsletter. Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the Pawtucket Daily. Although I have loved getting to know this community, we want to pass the torch to someone truly local to write about Pawtucket long term. So if you’re interested in earning extra income while making this newsletter a more valuable resource for your neighbors, learn more and apply here.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and much colder. High: 34 Low: 29.

Here are the top three stories in Pawtucket today:

1. After a 35-year career with the department, Pawtucket's fire chief is retiring. William Sisson has held the position of chief for 12 years, but on Friday that will come to an end when he retires. Succeeding Sisson will be Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Murray, who will take over as acting fire chief. (TurnTo10)
2. Vaccination clinics will soon be hosted in schools around Rhode Island with vaccination rates of less than 20 percent. According to an announcement by Governor Dan McKee on Wednesday, school clinics will first be hosted in Pawtucket, Central Falls, Providence, and Woonsocket. In schools, about 48 percent of eligible students, including those five and older, have completed their primary vaccination series, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. (Boston Globe)
3. The Pawtucket Library could face a future parking crunch. The library, located at 13 Summer St., has been leasing a parking lot from Nexus Development next door, due to the limited on-street parking available in the area. A one-year extension on the lease was approved by the City Council’s property subcommittee and now the full council will vote on it. However, the arrangement is only temporary. (The Valley Breeze)

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Today in Pawtucket:

• Watercolor Tutorial, At Pawtucket Public Library (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• On Thursday, The Beat COVID-19 test site in Pawtucket closed permanently. A new test site will open on Friday inside the Pawtucket Visitor Center at 175 Main St. (Twitter)
• Kent Hospital has mammogram appointments available at its Pawtucket Memorial Campus. (Twitter)

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You're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners, and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, hiking, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.