🌱 RI Nonprofits Get $5.4M In Relief + Robbery At Family Dollar

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

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 36 Low: 28.

Here are the top 3 stories in Providence today:

1. Over 160 Rhode Island nonprofits are sharing $5.4 million in federal coronavirus relief funding, the Rhode Island Foundation announced. The funds will go toward housing, behavioral health services, health care, job training, food pantries, and child care for those hardest hit by the pandemic. Providence's own Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic is among the lucky recipients of the grant funding. (The Sun Chronicle)
2. Providence Police are investigating a report of a robbery on Christmas Eve at a Family Dollar store. A store clerk reported that the male suspect approached the register to buy Christmas cards, before reaching over the counter to grab the cash in the register and threatening to kill the clerk if she tried to stop him. Another male clerk reportedly attempted to intervene, at which time that clerk said the robbery suspect threatened to shoot him as well. Both clerks said they did not actually see a firearm on the suspect, who then fled the store with approximately $700 from the cash register. (GoLocalProv)
3. North Providence police are seeking help in finding 15-year-old Jules Lopes. Lopes was last seen on Thursday, Dec. 16 wearing a red sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black and red Jordan sneakers; he was also carrying a gray backpack and wearing a gold necklace with a scorpion medallion. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Luis Rivera directly at 401-231-4533 ext. 1135. (WJAR)

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Today in Providence:

• Providence Historic District Commission Regular Meeting - Providence City Hall (4:45 PM)

From my notebook:

• 'Tis the season to improve river habitats! Recycle your Christmas tree and help improve Rhode Island’s rivers. (Facebook)
• Looking to get your COVID vaccine in East Providence? Check out the city's upcoming clinics through February. (Facebook)
  
• Free two-hour parking will be available in designated commercial districts throughout Providence through Dec. 31. (Twitter)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— 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.