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LEADING OFF
Happy Friday and welcome to Rhode Map, your daily guide to everything happening in the Ocean State. I’m Dan McGowan and I just want to skip ahead to next week for the “West Wing” reunion show. Follow me on Twitter @DanMcGowan or send tips to Dan.McGowan@globe.com.
Programming note: There will be no Rhode Map on Monday because it’s a holiday, but we’ll be back in your inbox Tuesday morning.
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ICYMI: Rhode Island was up to 26,045 confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, after adding 182 new cases. The most recent overall daily test-positive rate was 1.8 percent, but the first-time positive rate was 6.3 percent. The state announced one more death, bringing the total to 1,127. There were 117 people in the hospital, 12 were in intensive care, and six were on ventilators.
We’re now into the eighth month of the pandemic, and it has been easy to become numb to the daily news about new infections, and sadly, the death toll. Now there’s real concern that cases are beginning to tick up again.
So how has the virus spread across the country since March?
Brown University School of Public Health Dean Dr. Ashish Jha and his team have created a simple and helpful time-lapse video that breaks down the rate of cases per 100,000 for the US since March 1.
It’s worth taking a minute (literally) to watch this.
THE GLOBE IN RHODE ISLAND
⚓ House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello testified that he was ticked off when he first saw a 2016 campaign mailer in which a Republican endorsed him, but he acknowledged that he paid political operative Jeff Britt a bonus when he won the race and then tried to hire Britt again two years later. Britt is on trial for a money laundering charge in connection with that mailer.
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⚓ The Bruins selected Riley Duran in the NHL Draft, but you could first seem him playing at Providence College in 2021. Two other PC players were drafted as well.
⚓ Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island president and CEO Kim Keck is getting a big promotion as she will take over the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association beginning in January. The local organization is going to hold a national search to find her successor.
⚓ Rhode Map readers have sent another round of Happy Birthday wishes to: Annie Lou Montague (99), Ava Marie Barnes (1), Travis Escobar (30), David Klepper, Elaine Coderre, Ben Chester (25), Meg Griffiths (39), Robert Salter, Darrell West, Fay Parenteau (79), Ken Block, Shirley Booth (90), Henry Dennen (17), Francesca Malerba (forever 24), Donna Cardi (67), Brian Nelson (47), Brad Dufault, Donna Cronin (76), Julia Irene Iafrate (16), Nicholas Gregory Iafrate (4), Providence Councilwoman Rachel Miller, Maura Nugent Martinelli (40), Lisa Ranglin, Christine Drumm (60), Henry Adams (21), Frank O’Donnell, Rob Hogan, Molly Kate Donnelly, Jake Scearbo, Peter McWalters, Stephen Graham, and Doreen Costa.
MORE ON BOSTONGLOBE.COM
⚓ Health: Here’s a helpful guide to the antibody cocktail President Trump received to treat the coronavirus.
⚓ Fun: It’s spooky season, but how do you do Salem in a pandemic? We’ve got everything you need to know.
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⚓ Sports: We know the Patriots' game has already been moved to Monday, but Tara Sullivan wonders if the team should play at all this week.
⚓ POTUS: My colleague David Scharfenberg talked to an Amherst College professor about where a bitterly contested election would leave the country.
WHAT’S ON TAP TODAY
Each day, Rhode Map offers a cheat sheet breaking down what’s happening in Rhode Island. Have an idea? E-mail us at RInews@globe.com.
⚓ The judge will hear closing arguments in the Jeff Britt money laundering trial beginning at 10 a.m. A verdict is not expected for several weeks. You can listen to the livestream here.
⚓ At 1 p.m. Globe editorial page editor Bina Venkataraman will interview former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Sign up to watch here.
⚓ The nonprofit Stages of Freedom is hosting a virtual conversation at 6 p.m. with Pulitzer Prize winner David Blight to discuss Frederick Douglass' connections to Rhode Island.
⚓ Need something to do this weekend? Don’t forget the festival on Federal Hill. Also, GPub in Providence has opened a beer garden on Orange Street.
⚓ Do you ️ Rhode Map? Your subscription is what makes it possible. We’ve got a great offer here.
Thanks for reading. Send comments and suggestions to dan.mcgowan@globe.com, or follow me on Twitter @DanMcGowan. See you on Tuesday.
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Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.