This Just In: The story behind a police chief's unexplained leave

Also, the state is changing; are people ready to change the state name? [View email with images]( [Providence Journal] Friday July 31, 2020 [Subscribe Now]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Providence Journal]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Today is the last day of my favorite month of the year. It's also the 78th birthday of Gerry Philbin , the Pawtucket native and former Tolman High star who helped the New York Jets defeat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, one of the biggest and most important upsets in the history of American sports. Staying on the sports kick, special thanks to everyone at [Best Hoops Premier Basketball Camp]( who made the last two weeks special for my two boys under very difficult pandemic circumstances. (And, of course, also for helping keep me more productive.) They'll be back next year. When the police chief in Scituate, Donald R. Delaere Jr., went out on leave last summer, there was no reason given, and the chief wouldn't discuss it. A year later, Delaere has retired, and our partners at The Hummel Report [have learned more about what was going on behind the scenes in Scituate]( and how it has led to an ethics investigation against the sitting council president, James H. Brady Jr. The provost of the Naval War College in Newport is on leave after an email, sent on his behalf to all faculty, [contained a link to a pornographic image](. Lewis Duncan says he was the victim of hackers; an investigation is under way. Rhode Island voters this year will get the chance to change the state's full name to remove the words "Providence Plantations." It's an idea that has been around for a long time, and never come close to reality. [This year may be different](. Tom Mooney interviewed some longtime opponents of changing the name and found that some have warmed to the idea. [Subscribe to The Providence Journal]( It hasn't exactly been a peaceful summer so far, but things may get even less so around here next week. It's looking increasingly likely that [Hurricane Isaias will pass near these parts]( although the exact timing, and severity, remain very much up in the air. After more than 20 years in prison for a murder he says he didn't commit, Derick Hazard [is expected to walk free]( in January as a result of a Parole Board ruling. Hazard had failed in his bid for a new trial despite a Providence Journal investigation uncovered evidence that he was in Ohio at the time of the 1996 murder in Providence. A former prosecutor who advocated for Hazard's release says Hazard is looking forward to becoming a "productive member of society." For the second day in a row, Rhode Island [reported no new deaths]( from the coronavirus. Unfortunately, the number of patients in hospital intensive care units rose for the seventh straight day. The union representing workers who had threatened to go on strike at five Rhode Island nursing homes [has postponed the action]( after Gov. Gina Raimondo pledged to work on staffing legislation that the union supports. [A story that we brought you earlier this week]( has a happy ending: a $2,000 satellite transmitter that a URI scientist had attached to a mako shark [has been found](. What happened to the shark, however, we cannot say. OK, Mickey Mouse can make appearances in Shanghai, Paris, Orlando and Anaheim in the same day, [but he didn't sign your tax refund check](. Finally, even though I'm a Sixers fan, I can't wait to see [the Celtics get back in action]( tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. Have a great, and safe, weekend. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please [encourage a friend to sign up](. providencejournal.com [Facebook]( [Twitter]( You are receiving this communication as a member of the Providence Journal. Providence Journal values your online privacy. For more information, view our [privacy policy]( now. Please do not reply to this message. [Manage Preferences or Unsubscribe]( Providence Journal 75 Fountain Street Providence, RI 02902 © 2020 Providence Journal. All rights reserved.