This Just In: The return of e-bikes, crunch time at the General Assembly

Also, R.I. plans to close down some COVID test sites. [providencejournal.com]( This Just In Monday, June 14 [Providence, RI, June 14, 2021 - Mayor Jorge Elorza and others gather at Roger Williams Park to announce the return of e-bikes in Providence via bike share service Spin. [The Providence Journal/Bob Breidenbach]]( [The return of e-bikes, crunch time at the General Assembly]( Also, R.I. plans to close down some COVID test sites. Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. Ready or not, e-bikes are coming back to Providence. When last they were here, bikes from the Uber-owned tech company JUMP became associated with vandalism and crime, to such an extent that JUMP officials [appeared to have been stunned](. The company pulled its bikes from the city late in the summer of 2019, and despite promises to bring them back, it never happened. Now another company, Spin, owned by Ford, is bringing 400 bikes to city neighborhoods – and unlike the previous arrangement, where the city paid JUMP, Spin is actually paying the city this time. In heralding their arrival, Mayor Jorge Elorza and Spin officials talked up [how difficult the bikes will be to steal]( We're heading into crunch time in the Rhode Island General Assembly, and [today's Political Scene]( column looks at the most significant issues still facing legislators before they head to the beach. Many big questions will be answered later this week, when the House leadership releases its budget. It appears unlikely that the two chambers will agree on a plan to legalize recreational marijuana before the summer break, but work on that issue continues. Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee [approved a revamped bill]( to legalize pot, assuring that the issue will be considered by the full Senate for the first time. The Rhode Island Department of Health reported no new coronavirus-related deaths and 60 additional cases of COVID-19 over the last three days. There were 10,680 additional negative tests, for a 0.6% positive rate. Over the last seven days, the state has reported an average of 28 new cases a day. No new deaths have been reported since Wednesday. Rhode Island remains among the national leaders in coronavirus testing, but the demand for tests has gone down significantly in recent weeks. As a result, the state [will be closing 13 testing sites]( by the end of this month. If you get a text message about a "COVID-19 Safe Drive to Work" program, [ignore it]( The wife and brother-in-law of Stephen Saccoccia, the Cranston coin dealer serving a 660-year prison sentence for laundering drug money on behalf of the Cali cartel, [are still required to pay $136 million each]( for their roles in the scheme, a federal appeals court panel has ruled. For the first time, shark researchers [have placed an acoustic tracking tag]( on a great white shark captured in Rhode Island waters. The shark was a 7-foot juvenile female found inside the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge. [There will not be a St. Patrick's Day parade in Newport this year]( but there will be a party. In March, the parade had been postponed to September, but it turns out that the city is so busy then that adding a parade would have just been too much. The Patriots were on the field today for minicamp, where their no-logo helmets reminded me of my 1981 Topps football cards, and where rookie quarterback Mac Jones [looked impressive](. Meanwhile, The Journal's Mark Daniels interviewed former Rhode Island high-school star Kwity Paye, [who is working hard]( to make a good impression with the Indianapolis Colts. 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