Daily Briefing: Want to be Santa or Mrs. Claus? There's a camp for that.

Also: Go in-depth on Donald Trump's day on Jan. 6. [Read in browser]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Tue Dec 20 2022 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. Have you ever looked at the Santa Claus sitting in the mall and wondered what it takes to do that job? Is it more than just having a fluffy white beard, or at least a good costume? It turns out there is training available to become Santa Claus and even the lovely Mrs. Claus for those inclined. [Hadley Barndollar, a USA Today regional reporter here in New England, has the story about New England Santa Camp,]( has been held for seven summers in Greenfield, New Hampshire. Despite what you may think, it's not a week of learning how to belly laugh or getting the reindeer names in the correct order. Attendees learn about taxes, insurance, where to buy Santa suits and how to get them cleaned. They learn about bleaching beards, designer beards, and how to communicate with children in sign language and Spanish. Dan Greenleaf, co-founder of the New England Santa Society and resident of Manchester, New Hampshire, told Hadley Santa Camp gives attendees "a strong foundation to understand the role they play." [05 Santa 12082022] Rhode Island resident Steve Earle chats with visiting children while at the Christ Church in East Greenwich. Kris Craig, The Providence Journal Hadley's story also includes comments from Steve and Marybeth Earle of North Kingstown, who are two-time attendees and have come to embody what they see in Santa. "I really think Santa represents unconditional love and kindness and generosity," Steve said. [Read Hadley's full story here.]( WORTH A READ • It's been a little more than a year since Connecticut legalized sports betting. [Our sister publication, The Bulletin, in Norwich, Connecticut, takes a look at what has happened at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun since.]( • The Jan. 6 panel has r[eferred Donald Trump to the Justice Department for]( prosecution. [Our colleagues at USA Today put together a graphic examing where Trump was while out of the public eye that day.]( • This may be [one of the most unusual snowmen]( you'll find this year. [Today's Weather]( ☼ They'll be plenty of sunshine and highs in the low-40s. [Read Today's eNewspaper]( [Read Today's eNewspaper]( [Pummeled by Cranston police officer, man reaches settlement with City]( [Cranston Police Officer Andrew Leonard received a year of probation, with no prison time, for assaulting an unarmed prisoner.]( Gian Mattiello, of Cranston, agreed to settle with the City and its police department over a 2020 assaul by former Police Officer Andrew Leonard [READ MORE]( [Jesus Folger, Central boys basketball]( [D-I Boys Basketball - Central at Mount Pleasant]( The early-season matchup between the city rivals felt like a playoff game and it was Central coming away with a win over Mount Pleasant. [READ MORE]( [Sen. Jack Reed at Taco Comfort Solutions.]( [Thinking of upgrading your heating system? Funding is on the way]( About half of RI homes use natural gas and just under a third use oil. Only about a tenth of households currently use electricity for heat. [READ MORE]( [In this 1993 FBI surveillance photo, Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, left, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, second from left with back to camera, and Frank Salemme Jr., behind right, are seated at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass. The trial of Francis Salemme, a geriatric former New England Mafia boss accused of killing a nightclub owner in 1993, underscores the decline of the once-powerful mob. (FBI Surveillance Photo via AP)]( [Former New England mob boss, Cadillac Frank, dies in federal prison]( Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, once led New England's La Cosa Nostra crime syndicate and was the a Mafia boss in the Patriarca crime family. [READ MORE]( A Better Daily Briefing We've redesigned your favorite newsletter to have a cleaner look and feel. Let us know what you think about it. [SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ➔]( [SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ➔]( Sign up for the news you want Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don’t miss out! We’re always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. [SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔]( [SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔]( [Newsletters]( | [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( Follow Us 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](