This Just In: Providence mall shooting, and a worrying spike in drug overdoses

Also, will air quality disrupt the Patriots game Sunday? [View email with images]( [Providence Journal] Thursday September 17, 2020 [Subscribe Now]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Providence Journal]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. In a big developing story this afternoon, [a 19-year-old man was fatally stabbed inside the Providence Place mall food court]( and four are in custody. Stay with us for updates. This has been such a difficult year in so many ways, so perhaps it's not surprising that it is on track to be [a record year for fatal drug overdoses in Rhode Island](. But the bad trend is about more than the economic and social dislocations resulting from the coronavirus pandemic: In fact, it started back in December. A big part of the problem is that the drugs on the street are more toxic, according to experts who spoke to Brian Amaral of our Watchdog Team. Another member of our Watchdog Team, Tom Mooney, spoke to a Chepachet homeowner [who has received at least a half-dozen letters]( regarding unemployment claims for people with suspicious names who don't live at the house. Brown University [has reached a legal settlement]( with a group of female athletes who challenged the university's move to eliminate several sports teams. The settlement saves two teams that had been targeted for elimination, while also putting an end date on a landmark 1998 agreement that a university official [had recently described as "pestilential."]( The Rhode Island Department of Health reported [four coronavirus deaths and 130 additional cases](. Two weeks ago the number of new cases in Rhode Island was on the decline, but the seven-day average is up 28% since then. [Subscribe to The Providence Journal]( Lifespan is looking for local people [who are willing to participate in clinical trials]( of potential COVID vaccines. A return to normal life in Providence seems farther away with the news that[there won't be any shows inside Trinity Rep until fall 2021](. A Superior Court judge [has cleared the way]( for the trial of former Rhode Island political operative Jeffrey Britt to begin Oct. 5. Rhode Island cities and towns [are sounding the alarm]( over the cost of emergency rules that the Board of Elections may vote to put into place tomorrow. The New England Patriots are planning to leave tomorrow for Sunday night's game in Seattle, but there's a possibility that [air-quality problems]( related to the West Coast wildfires could force a change in venue. Finally, after a heartbreaking overtime loss in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics [play Game Two against the Miami Heat tonight at 7](. Have a great night. 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.