🌱 Curbside Christmas Tree Pickup + Laundromat Killing Charges

Good morning, Providence! Like many of you, the Patch team is taking some time off to enjoy the holidays, so there will not be a newsletter in your inbox tomorrow. We appreciate your understanding of this slight pause in our schedule, and I will be back on Monday with the next edition of the Providence Daily! Now, here's everything happening around town today.

First, today's weather:

A snow shower in the morning. High: 35 Low: 29.

Here are the top three stories today in Providence:

1. The City Of Providence has announced that free, curbside pick-up of Christmas trees will take place from Jan. 3-21 on regularly scheduled trash pickup days. All trees collected by the city will be delivered to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and recycled into compost. Trees must be free of all contaminants, such as garland, tinsel, lights, and ornaments, and should not be placed in a bag. (Press Release Desk)
2. Murder and gun charges have been brought against a suspect in a Providence laundromat killing. Johan Quinones, 22, is accused of killing Melbin Ricardo Perez Reyes, 38, during what police said appeared to be a robbery gone wrong on the night of Oct. 12 at a laundromat on Broad Street. He’s currently being held without bail at the ACI and is due back in court for a bail violation hearing on Jan. 4. (WPRI.com)
3. A tow truck driver told police a man pointed a gun at him early Thursday morning as he attempted to tow a car on Burnside Avenue in South Providence. The suspect, 38-year-old Emmanuel Lopez Melendez, admitted to taking a gun outside to confront the tow truck driver but claimed he didn’t point it at him. Melendez was taken to Central Station for charging and the gun has been seized. (GoLocalProv)

Today's Providence Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Providence!

From my notebook:

• Are you still searching for that perfect gift to give on Christmas Day? Consider giving your favorite geek tickets to Rhode Island Comic Con! (Instagram)
• The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management recently partnered with The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island (TNC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region on a new fish passage improvement project for the annual herring run on the Narrow River and Gilbert Stuart Stream. (Facebook)
• If you are visiting a Lifespan hospital, please be aware of the updated guidelines. Effective Dec. 27, we will require visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or results of a negative COVID test (PCR) administered within 48 hours, to enter Lifespan facilities. (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday! I'll see you soon.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She works as a freelance copywriter for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and as an assistant producer for a live-lit storytelling show in Chicago. She holds a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies from The University of Rhode Island. In her free time, you can find her traveling, hiking, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.