This Just In: This Just In: Cities impose tougher restrictions; police OT spending on the rise

Also, the latest news on high-school sports. [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Tuesday, November 17 [This Just In...]( [This Just In: Cities crack down; police overtime grows]( Also, the latest news on high-school sports. Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. I'm officially past the point of being sick of the virus, and on to the part where I'm sick of people talking about how we're all sick of the virus. Rhode Island today [reported eight coronavirus deaths and 605 additional cases](. The state now says there were nine coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, making that the deadliest day in Rhode Island since June 5. Hospitalizations reached their highest point since May 16. The seven-day new-case average dropped for the first time this month, but remains more than double what it was at the end of October. Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza [is tightening the social-gathering limit in the city to five]( and revealed that both of his parents, along with an aunt and uncle, contracted coronavirus earlier on in the pandemic. Under the new restrictions, weddings and catered events will be restricted to 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors. [Mayor Jorge Elorza watches video evidence at Providence public safety officials news conference discussing officer-involved moped crash. Police Chief Col. Hugh Clements said 21 people were arrested on Tuesday night after a peaceful protest turned chaotic, including nine people from Providence.] Mayor Jorge Elorza watches video evidence at Providence public safety officials news conference discussing officer-involved moped crash. Police Chief Col. Hugh Clements said 21 people were arrested on Tuesday night after a peaceful protest turned chaotic, including nine people from Providence. David DelPoio The announcement came a day after Central Falls Mayor James Diossa [ordered bars and restaurants in his city to switch to takeout only](. Central Falls has suffered the highest infection rate, both in recent weeks and since the start of the pandemic, of any community in the state. Rhode Islanders are anxiously awaiting Gov. Gina Raimondo's next COVID news conference, but [they'll have to wait an additional day](. The news conference has been rescheduled from Wednesday to Thursday at 1 p.m. In [his latest coronavirus podcast]( Dr. Ashish Jha makes the case for stronger action by government to stem the surge in coronavirus, but says that action should not include closing in-person instruction for K-8 students. Meanwhile, Brown University is [switching to remote-only instruction]( something it had originally planned to do next week with the arrival of Thanksgiving break. Electric Boat is among the companies [that have been hit hard recently by the virus]( with 170 positive cases reported at the among employees over the last three weeks. Prior to Oct. 25, there had only been 200 cases at the company during the first seven months of the pandemic. CVS and Stop & Shop are among the first companies [to say they will begin providing COVID-19 vaccines]( once they approved by the government. Speaking of vaccines, [Pfizer has selected Rhode Island]( as one of four states that will participate in a pilot program to help the company plan rollout once its vaccine candidate is approved, as it is expected to be in the coming weeks. But that doesn't mean that Rhode Island will get doses earlier than any other state. The Rhode Island Interscholastic League will propose that [winter sports begin with practices on Dec. 11]( but that recommendation is subject to approval from Raimondo. In the meantime, the Interscholastic League  remains on a tight schedule to finish the fall sports playoffs, which means that teams required to quarantine due to potential COVID exposure are being forced to forfeit games. Protests calling for defunding the police are actually helping [drive up police spending](. Four months into the current fiscal year, the Providence police have already spent three-quarters of their projected overtime budget, and much of the overtime is associated with protests and demonstrations. "They're making money off us protesting against them," one activist says in response to the report. Finally, in case you missed it last night, [the Providence External Review Authority voted to fire its executive director]( state Rep.-elect José Batista, after Batista released an officer of an alleged assault by a police sergeant on a handcuffed man in defiance of the board's vote. Have a great night. 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