This Just In: Remembering 'Cooler & Warmer'; Bishop Tobin reflects on the pandemic

Also, a Rhode Island Olympian who just kept setting records. [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Friday, April 2 [The state's ill-fated "Cooler & Warmer" logo.]( [This Just In: Remembering 'Cooler & Warmer'; Bishop Tobin reflects on...]( Also, a Rhode Island Olympian who just kept setting records. Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. We start today with the disturbing news out of Washington, where two people are dead after an attack on police guarding the U.S. Capitol. USA TODAY's Washington Bureau [has the latest developments]( on the situation. Here's the news closer to home:  Five years ago this week, I had just switched from the Journal sports department to news. I took a call from our business writer, Kate Bramson, who had a story to report. The state had announced its new tourism slogan, she said. It was: "Cooler and warmer." I responded: "Huh?" So did thousands of other Rhode Islanders. Just a day or so later, the phrase "Rhode Iceland" was born. Paul Edward Parker [takes a look back]( at that strange week five years ago, and at how the state's tourism marketing has evolved since. The Rhode Island Department of Health [reported six more coronavirus-related deaths and 407 additional cases of COVID-19](. The department said 29 COVID-positive patients were admitted to Rhode Island hospitals on Wednesday, the most in a single day since Feb. 20, but ICU occupancy fell to its lowest level since mid-October, which was the beginning of the late-fall surge. The parish priest of St. Elizabeth Church in Bristol [has died in Brazil]( after contracting the coronavirus. Over the last seven days, Brazil has reported more than three times as many COVID-related deaths as any other country. Bishop Thomas J. Tobin turned 73 this week, which means that he is two years away from retirement. This past year has been a particularly challenging one, with in-person Masses first closed down and then limited to reduced capacity due to the coronavirus. Bishop Tobin [spoke to The Journal's G. Wayne Miller]( about the pandemic, and where the church goes from here. Should a high-school senior who transitioned to home-schooling during the pandemic be able to participate in graduation? The question [is playing out in East Providence](  Kathryn Power, the head of the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, left early last night during a four-hour hearing on downsizing plans for the state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital. Members of the House Oversight Committee [are not happy about it]( Some elite athletes have a difficult time keeping in top shape later in life. That was not the case for Clara Lamore Walker. The Providence native reached the pinnacle of her sport in 1948, when she represented the United States in the London Olympics. But what she did in later years might have been even more impressive: setting 184 world records and 468 national records in different masters age groups. Walker [died Friday]( in North Smithfield, of natural causes. In a wide-ranging interview with The Journal's Patrick Anderson, Gov. Dan McKee says that [he removed a proposed 9-cent gasoline tax increase]( from the budget proposal that he had inherited from Gina Raimondo. There are many days when we have no earthquake. Today [was another one of those days]( Former U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman [has landed at a Johnston law firm]( Basketball star David Duke [is going pro]( forgoing his senior year at Providence College. Duke, who once starred at Classical High School, is projected as a possible first-round NBA Draft pick — he would be the first Rhode Island native to be selected in the first round since Marvin Barnes 47 years ago.  Finally, it's not going to be balmy outside, but it should still be a nice weekend for a walk. This week's [Walking RI column]( focuses on the former site of a gristmill, which is now a lush sanctuary for birds and wildlife, in Little Compton. Have a great weekend and a happy Easter if you're celebrating. (And if you are celebrating, please be smart about it.) And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, [encourage a friend to sign up]( [Discover more with our newsletters: Get the latest headlines, things to do and more in your inbox. Sign up here.]( [click here]( Problem viewing email? [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( • [Manage Newsletters]( • [Terms of Service]( • [Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights]( • [Privacy Notice]( • [Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy]( • [Feedback]( © 2021 75 Fountain St. , Providence, RI 02902