Daily Briefing: Get caught up on the latest Washington Bridge news

ALSO: 🌱 A discovery inside an unearthed bottle would’ve shocked the scientist who buried it in 1879 Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Fri Dec 15 2023 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. When a major highway gets shut down it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But the latest updates on Thursday do provide some good news...we hope. Get caught up on everything that's taken place, the latest stories from The Journal and what to expect today. • The Journal's Patrick Anderson reported Thursday afternoon that two-way traffic on Interstate 195 over the Washington Bridge should resume by Saturday morning. Guess what, it's already open. Gov. Dan McKee announced on social media Friday morning that the bypass lanes on the Washington Bridge are now open. [Tweet]( We'll all have to wait and see how the temporary traffic flow will work out, but it's certainly a relief from the detours through East Providence and Providence's East Side that have become the norm this week. [Find Patrick's full story from Thursday's press conference here.]( • But before the highway partially reopens it put reporters Antonia Farzan and Wheeler Cowperthwaite to the test to see who could get from East Providence City Hall to the Providence Journal office on Fountain Street fastest during Thursday morning's commute. The catch – Wheeler was on a bike and Antonia in her car. [Find out who won and what the experience was like here.]( [The Washington Bridge Race- Is a bike or car faster to get into Providence?-5.jpg] The Washington Bridge Race- Is a bike or car faster to get into Providence? David DelPoio • With the detours causing lengthy backups, we've heard horror stories about four-hour commutes and missed appointments, with this in mind Wheeler checked in with airlines operating out of T.F. Green Airport and the U.S. Postal Service to see how operations are running. [Here's what he found out.]( • For high school teams, travel is a must and so is starting on time in most cases. So when you can't get to an away game it creates havoc on the schedule later down the road. [The Journal's Eric Rueb found that fortunately, everyone in the Rhode Island high school sports community is cooperative and willing to find solutions.]( What's Next: Gov. Dan McKee and transportation officials have announced they will hold another press conference at 12:30 p.m. today at R.I. Department of Transportation headquarters. Patrick Anderson will be live on the scene to bring full updates. WORTH A READ 🌱 Discovery inside an unearthed bottle would’ve [shocked the scientist who buried it in 1879]( 📚 Two suburban Mass. women publish book designed to [ease the fear of baking baklava]( 👮 Digital evidence is reshaping police work. [How a new unit is cracking cases in Providence.]( [Today's Weather]( ☀️ Warmer with plenty of sun. Highs in the low 50s. TOP STORIES [State retirees make case to reinstate pension COLAs]( [Union groups from across Rhode Island, joined by members of Occupy Providence, rally outside the State House on Nov. 8, 2011, to protest what they called severe pension cuts.]( The Washington Bridge closure complicated their efforts, but state retirees turned out to argue for a rollback of 2011's pension overhaul. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [The seawall in front of 85 Nayatt Road in Barrington, once blocked by the property owners, must be accessible to the public, according to the Coastal Resources Management Council.]( [Why the state is saying Barrington couple must allow public on their seawall]( Holly and Lance Sheffield said they never would have purchased the $4.5 million property on Nayatt Road if they knew people could use the seawall. [READ MORE]( [Kaitlin Della Grotta, center, executive director of Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education, with RISE scholarship students who attend St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket. From left: God’iss Santos, Khamari Brown, Aaron Julius and Dazayah Cosme.]( [Education nonprofit helps kids of incarcerated parents find success]( Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education is in its 25th year of helping children with parents in prison succeed through scholarships and mentoring. [READ MORE]( [Stack of documents with eyeglasses.]( [Little Compton Agricultural Trust scammed out of $500,000 in land sale]( In December of 2022, the trust set its sights on a roughly 30-acre parcel of undeveloped land off John Dyer Road. [READ MORE]( [North Kingstown's Jaelyn Holmes goes in for a shot against Ponaganset in Saturday's girls basketball semifinals at URI's Ryan Center. 3/11/23]( [The 10 Division I girls basketball players you need to know]( Division I girls hoops was dominated by senior play last season. Who will step up this winter? Here are 10 players we think you should watch. [READ MORE]( Advertisement 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 ➔]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. Share bonus subscription with a family member or friend. 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