🌱 Hope St B&E Suspect Charged + Psych Bed Shortage

Morning, Providence! Here's everything you need to know to get this Monday started off right.

First, today's weather:

Sunshine and patchy clouds. High: 29 Low: 18.

Here are the top 3 stories today in Providence:

1. Providence police officers were called to Hope Street on Friday night around 10:30 p.m. for reports of a breaking and entering in progress. On the scene, 48-year-old Kyle Bento reportedly drove recklessly at officers while trying to escape the scene of the crime and Detective David Harrington fired his weapon twice; a police spokesperson says no one was hit by either bullet. Police arrested Bento and he has been charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, felony assault and driving without a license. (WPRI.com)
2. A mental health crisis in children has spurred a regional psychiatric bed shortage, with the wait for a bed more than doubling in a year. The CDC reported a 24 percent increase in mental health-related emergency room visits for children between the ages of 5 and 11 in 2020. In response Rhode Island Rep. Joseph McNamara has filed two bills; one including school psychologists and social workers in federal Medicaid reimbursements and another allowing school lesson plans to be altered for students struggling with mental health. (Turn to 10)
3. On Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, a couple tied the knot in Providence in the middle of a heavy snowstorm. Surrounded by friends and family, Adam and Sally Irujo said their vows outside the Providence Public Library as snow continued to fall. The couple declared the winter wedding was “meant to be.” (WJAR)

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Today in Providence:

• Providence Talks Playgroup, At Providence Community Library (11:00 AM)
• PVD Young Makers, At Providence Community Library (3:30 PM)
• Afterschool Movie, At Providence Community Library (3:30 PM)
• Arts and Crafts for Kids, At Providence Community Library (4:00 PM)
• Virtual Italian Beginner Class, At Providence Community Library (5:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Today may be chilly, but it will be warming up in Providence throughout the week. Here’s the local weather forecast for the week ahead. (Providence Patch)
• Providence College discusses the importance of investing in the arts and cultural organizations during difficult times. (Facebook)
• After this weekend’s snowfall, the Providence Children's Museum shared a collection of the best places to sled in Rhode Island. (Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you soon!

— 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.