🌱 Route 44 Study + Did Discarded Batteries Cause A House Fire?

Happy Saturday, Woonsocket! Sylvia here wishing you a Happy New Year! Here's everything you need to know to get this day started off right. Here's what's going on in town today.

Will officials make Route 44 safer any time soon? Also, placing tape over the ends of batteries could prevent a fire. Finally, is your carbon monoxide detector working?

First, today's weather:

A little rain. High: 53 Low: 48.

Here are the top five stories today in Woonsocket:

1. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. is conducting a study of Route 44 from the Greenville Library to Austin Avenue. Affected cities are looking for ways to put up traffic signals, signage, or construct new lanes. As of last Thursday, the firm has found quite a bit of crash data at various spots along the Route. (Valley Breeze)
2. Over in North Attleboro, members of the FD blame “old discarded batteries” for a Christmas Eve house fire. We learned Thursday that discarded batteries may have created a spark. “Sometimes if the metal touches some other metal, it could cause a spark,” the experts noted. Avoid this problem by “taping the ends of batteries before they are discarded.” (The Sun Chronicle/paywall)
3. The Harmony Fire District reminds residents that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. Check yours to make sure they’re working. Replace batteries if needed. New Year’s Day is a great time to take these steps. (Harmony Fire District)
4. Heed Friday’s warning by the RI State Police. There will be increased patrols over the weekend to target “impaired or intoxicated drivers, seat belt and child restraint violations, aggressive drivers, speeding violations, texting violations, and everyday traffic violations.” Officers encourage you to report dangerous drivers. (ABC)
5. What will the real estate market look like in 2022? There’s a good chance that it won’t return to the numbers we’ve seen in 2019. Prices keep going up but might slow down a little if the interest rates increase. While insiders expect more properties to be listed in the spring, it will most likely not be a big jump in the number of available units. (Providence Journal/paywall)

Today in Woonsocket:

• A Rhode Island Winter’s Tale at the John Brown House Museum (10 AM)
• Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at St. Mark Church (10 AM)
• AXS New Year's Day Trios at Walnut Hill Bowl (11 AM)
• Annual Disc Dog Nor'Easter at Wide World of Indoor Sports (11 AM)
• New Year’s Day at Chan’s with Misty Blues (8 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Woonsocket Cat Sanctuary, Inc. is grateful to the community, the employees at X-RAY Medical Imaging, Cynthia Tanzi, Gail Bourcier, Anita Robertson, Tonia Klemp, and so many others! (Facebook)
• As 2021 comes to a close, you can join the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park as it celebrates Old Slater Mill Association's centennial year one last time. The preservation of a building such as Old Slater Mill means fulfilling the promises of the past and looking ahead to the future. (Facebook)
• Check out The Whitin Spindle, which was a small print publication made in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, "from employees to employees" of the Whitin Machine Works. One hundred years ago, in January 1922, the Spindle included New Year's greetings and other topics. (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you soon!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.