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Granting Immunity: COVID vaccine roll-out stymied by lack of supply

“We’ve crossed the 30,000 doses mark… as of 9am,” said Dr. Philip Chan of the RI Department of Health (DoH) in a press briefing late in the afternoon on Friday, January 8. “This morning, 31,541 doses have been administered and 1,798 people were fully immunized, meaning they received their second and final dose of the […]

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New Treatment Available: Monoclonal antibody treatments for all eligible RI patients

A new treatment for COVID-19 patients is available in RI to anyone who tests positive and is age 65 or older, or has an underlying health condition: a one-shot infusion of monoclonal antibodies. It is most effective when administered as soon as possible after testing positive, and it is hoped that it can reduce severity […]

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Dog Dance Parties, K9 Civil Disobedience, and Dog Island: An interview with the Peaceful Pack

The Peaceful Pack is an animal boarding service located in Johnston that advertises itself as more of a home than a kennel. It is owned and operated by Ashly and Sheila Rose, and they recently invited me into their pack to talk about owning a business, working with your spouse and bringing pups to protests. […]

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Dispatches From the Fort: Jeff Danielian publishes his fourth volume of poetry and it’s about time

Jeff Danielian is back with his fourth volume of poetry (to go along with four works of non-fiction geared toward educating youth), featuring his introduction, 56 poems and what he describes as “a short non-fiction adventure.” Danielian doesn’t pull any surprises with his writing style, keeping things humble and to the point. My favorite poem […]

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A Toast To Takeout: Raising a glass to Rhode Island’s carryout cocktails

Ah, the drudgery of January! Bank accounts are looking slim from holiday gifting, the recent snowstorm lines the streets with less-than-Instagram-friendly slush, and they just took “The Office” off of Neflix. Worst month ever? Wait just a second! What if I told you there was a way to beat the New Year doldrums with … […]

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The Earth Is in Our Care: How two local advocates are using art to spread environmental awareness

Art has always been an important tool of the environmental movement. For decades, music and imagery have been used to highlight the beauty of nature, to inspire concern and motivate the need for environmental protection. And more recently, groups like the Sunrise Movement and 350.org have used consistent, striking and recognizable art across all platforms […]

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On the Dotted Line: RI likely unaffected by delay in federal pandemic relief

President Donald Trump signed the combined $900 billion pandemic relief bill and $1.4 trillion omnibus funding bill around 8pm on Sunday, December 27, after almost a week of issuing implied threats that he might not do so. The delay already allowed critical unemployment insurance (UI) provisions to lapse the prior day, although the bill provides […]

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Don’t Panic: Explaining coronavirus mutations

In the last few days, there has been a near-panic reaction to the discovery of a mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The mutated lineage – in virology, a “lineage” suggests a variant somewhat closer to its immediate ancestors than a “strain” – is now named “Variant of Concern 202012/01,” having been referenced […]

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No Holiday for Death at the ACI

A second inmate has died from COVID-19 at the Adult Correctional Institution (ACI), according to a statement from the RI Department of Corrections (DoC) on the afternoon of Friday, December 25. Motif previously reported the first inmate death on Saturday, December 19, and the first staff death on Monday, December 14. “The inmate requested ‘Comfort […]

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Giving Rhody a Lfe Line: The latest kid on the fashion block

Clothes carry meaning, and fashion has the power to change social discourse. As the nation wrestles itself free from four years of hateful and divisive politics, society has an opportunity to express what it has learned from the experience and what it will no longer tolerate, and the fashion industry has the tools to communicate […]

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