🌱 Professional Eater Visits Providence + Save The Bay Blasts RI

Rise and shine, Providence! Let's get you started this Tuesday with everything you need to know going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

Becoming windier and colder. High: 31 Low: 16.

Here are the top three stories in Providence today:

1. Save the Bay is blasting the state for slashing the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s (RI DEM) staff — especially inspectors and enforcement officers. Within the past 20 years, RI DEM's staffing has been slashed by 30 percent. According to advocacy coordinator Jed Thorp, "Save The Bay will be advocating for increased funding and staffing for RI DEM, particularly for permitting and enforcement." (GoLocalProv)
2. "Professional eater" Joel Hansen put back 13 pounds of sliders - and 15,000 calories - in 45 minutes in Rhode Island. YouTuber Hansen visited Camp Nowhere in North Providence to film an episode for his channel. As of Sunday night, the video has been viewed more than 143,765 times. (GoLocalProv)
3. One man is dead following an apartment fire in Providence early on Sunday morning. The victim, a man in his sixties, was found on the kitchen floor of his second-floor apartment at Hillcrest Village Apartments. The victim was transported to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition and later died due to the amount of smoke he inhaled during the fire. (WLNE-TV (ABC6))

Doing a "Dry January" or just looking for a flavorful alternative to regular cocktails? Here's a suggestion: try a non-alcoholic drink from our partners at Betera. Created by an award-winning chef from natural botanicals, Betera’s drinks come in 3 flavors — Ginger-Orange, Elderflower-Lime and Rhubarb-Hibiscus. We tried Ginger-Orange, and it was excellent — lightly effervescent, floral with a hint of bitterness and the sippability of a cocktail.

Betera is offering readers of the Daily a 15% discount on their first order: use PATCH15 at checkout. Highly recommended — you can try Betera here.

Today in Providence:

• Make-It and Take-It Crafternoons!, At Providence Community Library (4:00 PM)
• A PLAY IN A DAY, At Providence Community Library (4:00 PM)
• Conversations Book Club, At Providence Community Library (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Honor Betty White's birthday by participating in the Betty White challenge, which encourages participants to donate $5.000 in her name to a local animal shelter, such as the Providence Animal Rescue League. (Facebook)
• Marie Bracquemond's "Iris in a Pitcher," oil on panel, 1886, is now part of the RISD Museum's collection. (Facebook)
• Have you ever wanted to learn how a laser cutter works, what you can make with a 3D printer, or how to use a sewing machine? Find out in the Providence Community Library's weekly Open Studio, specifically for adults. (Providence Community Library)

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That's it for today! I'll see you around.

— 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.