Daily Briefing: March sadness hits RI hoops fans

ALSO: Why libraries have become controversial. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Mon Mar 18 2024 Will Richmond | Managing Editor Communities & R.I. [@Will_Richmond]( Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at The Providence Journal and this is the Daily Briefing. Sunday was full of heartbreak for Rhode Island basketball fans. From Brown losing on a buzzer-beater as missed free throws opened the door for Yale to stick around to the NCAA Tournament Committee leaving Providence College on the outside looking in at this year's tournament, even after the Friars grabbed a big win Thursday night at the Big East Tournament, there was no luck of the Irish to lend a hand yesterday. It certainly appeared to be an uphill climb for PC, as most of the bracket experts had them well outside of being selected. Getting in continued to look unlikely as the weekend went on and teams not posied to get berths won their conference tournaments, stealing bids from those teams on the bubble. [Journal contributor William Geoghegan was on campus Sunday night to get all the reactions.]( [Ncaa Basketball Providence Press Conference] Providence College men's basketball head coach Kim English speaks to media following the NCAA March Madness bracket announcements at the Ruane Friar Development Center. Eric Canha, Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports And [now they're headed to the NIT.]( Earlier in the day, The Journal's Bill Koch was in New York City to cover the Ivy League championship where Brown was hoping to earn their first trip back to the NCAA Tournament since 1986. [It was looking pretty bright for the Bears, until the final horn sounded.]( • When I think of libraries I recall storytimes when my kids were little or taking them on a search for books of their interest. Maybe a bin of Legos to play with. Or one of the libraries at Syracuse University where the books reach four floors high with spiral staircases bringing you to each floor. What I don't tend to think about is controversy. Yet, here we are. Maybe it's over drag storytimes. Or Neo-Nazi flag-waving rally. It could even just be the books on the shelves. It's become enough of an issue that the General Assembly is taking up a bill to shield librarians from harassment and prosecution relating to libraries. [The Journal's Katherine Gregg examines the issue in this week's Political Scene and talks with the leader of an effort to save Providence's libraries in the early 2000s.]( • Have you ever heard of Jocko the monkey? Maybe it's because I'm from southern Rhode Island, but I had never heard the tale of the monkey that escaped from the Roger Williams Park Zoo in 1928 and proceeded to make with police and fire officials complain that Jocko was, well, “making monkeys out of” them. [Fortunately, The Journal's Katie Landeck digs into the archives to revive the story of Jocko in this week's What and Why RI.]( • The Journal's Eric Rueb was at URI where state champions were [crowded in boys]( and [girls basketball](. Jacob Rousseau was at PC for the boys Division I and [II]( and [girls hockey championships](. • Rhode Island high schoolers continue to do amazing things. [Check out this week's nominees and vote in our Student of the Week poll.]( WORTH A READ 🗳️ [Mike Pence accuses Donald Trump of 'walking away' from the Constitution]( after refusing to endorse him 👴 [What is the average life expectancy?]( And how to improve your longevity. 🤖 [A robotic dog was used in a recent Cape Cod police operation](. What else are they used for? RHODY RANKS Every day we receive emails ranking Rhode Island. While the work behind the ranks may be dubious, they can be fun. Each day I'll share where Rhody Ranks from one of the latest emails. According to a [new report]( from ConsumerAffairs on the best and worst roads in 2024, Rhode Island has the #1 worst-ranking roads in the U.S. Rhode Island ranks last due to the low budget of yearly road improvement spending and the percentage of poor-rated rural and urban roads. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( 🌤️ Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 50s. TOP STORIES [Veterans Voice: Horse therapy helps vets. Why doesn't RI VA support it?]( [Non-verbal communication at Beachwood’s farm in Charlestown.]( “Horses are naturally responsive to verbal and nonverbal cues and thus provide good feedback to the veterans.” So why isn't the local VA doing more? [READ MORE]( Advertisement [gavel]( [The Mega-Plex LGBTQ+ club is suing Providence police. Here's why.]( The Mega-Plex alleges that Providence police officers follow, search patrons after they leave the club. [READ MORE]( [In a 2015 file photo, Mary Redman, daughter of the late cyclist George Redman, places her hand on the portrait of her father displayed at one entrance to the linear park that bears his name, on the eastbound span of the Washington Bridge.]( [Mark Patinkin finds why it's worth getting stuck on Washington Bridge]( There aren’t many positives about the Washington Bridge news but Mark Patinkin thinks he found one. [READ MORE]( [This March, The Providence Journal is running a fish and chips bracket.]( [Vote in round 1 of our bracket to find the best fish and chips in RI]( Where's your favorite spot for fish and chips? [READ MORE]( [Sofia Soares, of Cumberland, kicks the ball around with freestyle soccer performer Nick Seyda before Saturday's debut game for Rhode Island FC at Bryant University's Beirne Stadium.]( [Rhode Island FC had its opening match. Here's who showed up to cheer.]( Fans who got tot he stadium hours early to tailgate said that they were excited for Rhode Island to have a pro sports team after losing the PawSox. [READ MORE]( Advertisement Vote with Confidence This 7-day newsletter course will help you be an informed voter before Nov. 5. [SIGN UP NOW]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. Share bonus subscription with a family member or friend. 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