🌱 Beyond Van Gogh + 95 Percent Of City Employees Vaccinated

Happy Wednesday, people of Providence! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening locally today.

First, today's weather:

Sunny much of the time. High: 25 Low: 6.

Here are the top three stories in Providence today:

1. An immersive Van Gogh experience is coming to Providence this spring. "Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience" will run from May 24-July 8 at The Rhode Island Convention Center. Beyond Van Gogh has become one of the most popular current traveling exhibitions, with more than 2.5 million tickets sold globally. (What'sUpNewp)
2. 95 percent of Providence city employees are vaccinated, according to an announcement by Mayor Elorza’s office. A vaccine mandate went into effect on Jan. 14, which contributed to the numbers. A remaining 5 percent of employees are unvaccinated, with the exception of 2 percent of employees from the Providence Police Department, which includes police that are out on some sort of leave. (WLNE-TV (ABC6))
3. 2021 was a record-breaking year for Roger Williams Park Zoo attendance. In 2021, the zoo had 834,960 visitors, which they noted is a 23.5% increase over pre-pandemic attendance in 2019. In addition, the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, which is the zoo's annual Halloween event, set a new record with 168,850 attendees in 2021. (WPRI.com)

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Today in Providence:

• Arts and Anime, At Providence Community Library (12:00 PM)
• Winter Tree Identification Walk, At Roger Williams Park Conservancy (3:00 PM)
• PVD Young Makers, At Providence Community Library (3:30 PM)
• Free COVID-19 Testing, At Providence Community Library (4:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Candles are for romancing’ your significant other, for a bubbles ‘n suds night by yourself, or for clearing the smell of sautéed onions from the kitchen. Snag a candle from Perfect Match Shop at the upcoming Valentine's markets on Feb. 6 and 13 at the Providence Flea Market. (Instagram)
• The Rhode Island State Police shared a sneak peek of their new lightbars that feature the traditional RISP red lights interspersed with eye-catching (but not blinding) blue and yellow. (Instagram)
• The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management honored the memory of Dr. Edward Wilson, who passed away last month at the age of 92. Dr. Wilson was a preeminent scientist, naturalist, author, and teacher who had profound impacts on our understanding of evolution, social organization, biodiversity, and conservation. (Facebook)

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Events:

• Virtual Info Session About Career Training (January 26)
• Youth and High School Rugby Camp! (February 22)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Wednesday off right. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new 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.