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LEADING OFF
Happy Thursday and welcome to Rhode Map, your daily guide to everything happening in the Ocean State. I’m Dan McGowan and I’m more excited for “The Sopranos” prequel than I am for the “Friends” reunion show. Follow me on Twitter @DanMcGowan or send tips to Dan.McGowan@globe.com.
ICYMI: Rhode Island was up to 151,580 confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, after adding 65 new cases. The most-recent overall daily test-positive rate was 1 percent. The state announced one more death, bringing the total to 2,708. There were 70 people in the hospital, and 540,757 residents were fully vaccinated.
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The Nonviolence Institute is about to get an infusion of cash to help address violence in Providence and surrounding communities.
After a spike in shootings in recent weeks, officials from Brown University, the Rhode Island Foundation and the Partnership for Rhode Island will announce later today that they are donating $500,000 to the Providence-based nonprofit, which has been struggling with fund-raising in recent years.
Brown is donating $300,000, while the Rhode Island Foundation and the Partnership for Rhode Island are kicking in $100,000 each. The Nonviolence Institute has two decades of history helping to curb violence in the capital city.
It employs street workers who often have relationships with gang members, and can help calm tensions between the groups, while also maintaining credibility with the police. It also has a victims’ resources team that helps individuals who have been injured or family members.
But the organization has gone from having 15 street workers in the mid-2000s to just five now, according to executive director Cedric Huntley. I wrote a column last week suggesting that Governor Dan McKee and Mayor Jorge Elorza use a fraction of the federal relief funding that has just come to Rhode Island to help the institute.
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Huntley said the $500,000 donation is one of the largest private contributions the organization has ever received. It does receive public funding at the federal, state, and local levels.
”This contribution will enable us to continue to support local communities, strengthen program capacity, support staff resilience and wellness, and develop management capacity,” Huntley said in a statement. “We appreciate the generous recognition of the value of the Nonviolence Institute’s work in the Rhode Island community.”
THE GLOBE IN RHODE ISLAND
⚓ We have an excellent guide of things to do in Rhode Island this Memorial Day weekend. Read more.
⚓ In a time of noise and anxiety, Beavertail State Park is a rare peaceful place, where the only sound is the waves and the wind, and the clanging of buoys. Read more.
⚓ Honeywell International Inc. is laying off approximately 470 employees at their Smithfield facility, which had a dedicated production line to make N95 face masks for the last year. Read more.
⚓ Governor Dan McKee has nominated a former hospital CEO as the head of the agency that runs Eleanor Slater Hospital, the state’s troubled “hospital of last resort.” Read more.
⚓ Rhode Island is now in the top 10 most-vaccinated states, along with every other state in New England. Read more.
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MORE ON BOSTONGLOBE.COM
⚓ Politics: Former Boston mayor Marty Walsh’s legacy is now threatened by missteps leading up to his confirmation as US labor secretary. Read more.
⚓ Maine: How the Passamaquoddy tribe regained control of Pine Island. Read more.
⚓ Travel: If you have an upcoming trip, here are some tips for getting a COVID-19 test. Read more.
⚓ Entertainment: Matthew Gilbert previews the “Friends” reunion set for tonight. Read more.
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.
⚓ BIRTHDAYS: Rhode Map readers, if you want a friend or family member to be recognized on Friday, send me an e-mail with their first and last name, and their age. If you want a shout out on the new Globe Rhode Island Facebook page, send along their Facebook handle as well.
⚓ Governor McKee will sign the Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act at 2 p.m.
⚓ The Guild’s pop-up beer garden near the pedestrian bridge in Providence opens today at 4 p.m. It will run on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon until 8 p.m., and Sundays between noon and 6 p.m.
⚓ Venture Café Providence is hosting an in-person discussion at District Hall on the future of retail at 4 p.m.
⚓ FountainHead RI is hosting a virtual event on self-care and mental health at 5:30 p.m.
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Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.