This Just In: Stories of grit and perseverance; the future for RI hotels

Also, the latest in vaccine politics. [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Tuesday, April 6 [Cumberland's Devin Bagley, offensive/defensive tackle, during team practice at Tucker Field.]( [This Just In: Stories of grit and perseverance; the future for RI...]( Also, the latest in vaccine politics. Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. If you're having a tough time staying motivated today (I know, I've been there myself), we start with two stories of Rhode Islanders who are succeeding despite enormous challenges. Natacha Legein was just hours from opening her new Crepe Corner café in Pawtuxet Village in September when she was struck by a car and nearly killed; she spent two weeks in the hospital. Nearly half a year later, Lagein continues to suffer from the aftereffects of the crash, but [it has not stopped her new business from becoming a reality]( At first glance, Devin Bagley of Cumberland High School looks like a lot of other young football players enjoying the opportunity to have a season despite the coronavirus pandemic. But look a little closer: Bagley, a junior who plays on the offensive and defensive lines, [has a prosthetic right foot]( the result of a birth defect that required an amputation when he was 9. “I feel like if I didn’t have to go through the struggle with the right leg, I wouldn’t be as hard-working as I am,” Devin says. “Having the right leg be an issue sometimes makes me want to work harder than if I was just a normal person with two legs.” Few industries have been hit harder by the coronavirus pandemic than hotels. After more than a year of large-scale layoffs and mostly empty rooms, things are finally starting to look up, but the industry [is facing new challenges](. One of them is finding workers to replace those who were lost. Brown University has become the second Rhode Island university, joining Roger Williams, to announce that[it will require students to be vaccinated]( if they are to be on campus in the fall. Meanwhile, some Rhode Island legislators are backing a bill that [would prohibit businesses from discriminating]( against those who choose not to get the vaccine. The Rhode Island Department of Health today [reported three more coronavirus-related deaths and 370 additional cases]( as hospitalizations continued to slowly increase. Dr. Ashish Jha believes the United States is in the early stages of a fourth wave of coronavirus infection, but he remains optimistic that that the vaccine rollout will prevent another crisis on par with the winter holiday surge. Dr. Jha [was appearing]( with G. Wayne Miller on the weekly COVID: What Comes Next podcast. Time is running out for some 3,600 Rhode Islanders who never filed a 2017 income tax return, [but are owed an average of more than $900 in refunds](. The IRS says that money will revert to the U.S. Treasury if the returns are not filed by May 17. Ama Amponsah was a Pawtucket city councilwoman, and much more. The proprietor of Ama's Variety on Main Street, she was known as "Mama Ana" because of the way she looked after neighborhood children as if they were her own. The city is mourning her death, [on Easter Sunday]( at age 62. The body of a man who fell into the water at the East Providence Yacht Club early last month [has been recovered]( near the East Bay Bike Path. In a groundbreaking vote, the employees of a medical marijuana dispensary in Portsmouth have [decided to unionize]( Finally, the DEM is alerting Rhode Islanders that they might start seeing more coyotes soon. [Don't feed them]( Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please [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