This Just In: A storm is coming, and a Pawtucket mystery solved
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In, on a frigid Friday afternoon. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. The state will be under a winter storm watch tomorrow, with the possibility of up to 7 inches of snow in parts of the state. By late afternoon, the snow could fall at about an inch an hour before changing to a wintry mix and eventually all rain.
When the question came in to "What & Why R.I.," it seemed like a small issue. Why does Pidge Avenue in Pawtucket suddenly become Ridge Street? A woman who drove past the Pidge-Ridge intersection every day wondered if it was a typo. Paul Edward Parker investigated and found a rich story that includes cameo appearances from George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, plus a wealthy 19th-century landowner who died after being struck by a streetcar. Read all about it.
Shawn Smith, a 10-year-old from Tiverton, has brain cancer, and may have only months to live. His family is raising money to help him make the most of the time he has left. His bucket list items include visits to the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, the National Zoo in Washington, and the home of his favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Firefighters in North Providence had a tough afternoon, battling a fire at a restaurant directly across from Town Hall in howling winds. Although two people were hospitalized, including a police officer who slipped on ice from the firefighters' spray, Fire Chief John Silva was able to say, "We saved the whole block."
A remark a prosecutor made to jurors during closing arguments of a 2016 trial has resulted in a Warwick man's conviction on child-molestation charges being overturned.
Exeter, the only town in Rhode Island without its own police department, is forming a committee that will study the issue of creating one.
The Quonset air show has been rescheduled for Father's Day weekend — which totally makes sense — and the Thunderbirds will be part of it. Bring those earplugs.
The PC Friars, who are off to a strong start in the Big East, start a string of five consecutive games against teams that are currently ranked in the Top 25 tomorrow, when they visit Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska. In other college hoops news, Brown gets its Ivy League schedule started tonight at Yale. And URI is at home tomorrow afternoon against La Salle; we'll have a preview of that later at providencejournal.com.
Have a great weekend and try to stay warm. We'll be back on Monday. Until then, remember that if you enjoy This Just In, we encourage you to encourage a friend to sign up for it.