This Just In: Happy Hanukkah; the pause continues

© Ray Kugler, AP By the end of Hanukkah, all the candles on a menorah are lit.

Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I’m Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal, wishing a joyous Hanukkah to all who are celebrating. 

Gov. Gina Raimondo has extended the Rhode Island “pause” for an additional week, saying there are still too many people in the state not “following the rules.” Beginning Dec. 21, businesses like gyms and indoor recreation facilities will be allowed to reopen with strict limitations. 

The news came on a day when the state reported somewhat less terrible data: 14 coronavirus deaths and 948 additional cases, with 7% positivity. 

During Raimondo’s news conference, Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said that Rhode Islanders who are close contacts with a COVID-positive person will only have to quarantine for 10 days after their exposure, rather than 14. The change is a nod to recent CDC guidance. 

The latest coronavirus news already had me thinking that it was just like spring all over again, then I read that a sewer line in Johnston had gotten plugged up by a massive ball of disposable wipes. 

Six years ago, Andrew Bai and Krista Little had their first date, in Providence. This weekend, they’ll get married. And to their great disappointment, it will be in Massachusetts, not Rhode Island. 

Attorney General Peter Neronha is establishing a four-member team to handle all civil-rights complaints that his office receives. Neronha is also calling on each of the state’s police departments to appoint a “hate crimes and civil rights liaison” to work with the team. 

We asked all 13 Republicans who won Rhode Island General Assembly seats last month who had won the presidential election. Only one got back to us, and she wouldn’t answer the question. 

It was one of the most horrifying child-abuse cases in recent history, and it resulted in a Pawtucket father being convicted of murder in the 2013 death of his 10-year-old daughter. Now Jorge DePina is trying to get his conviction overturned, arguing that videos seized by police that showed him whipping and striking the child should not have been allowed as evidence. 

It’s a football game night. The Patriots are back in Los Angeles to take on the Rams in a rematch of Super Bowl LIII. Can they keep their winning streak alive, even with a struggling quarterback? 

Finally, the Roger Williams Park Zoo has opened its brand-new holiday lights spectacular. And I would certainly describe it as spectacular, though that does show a lack of imagination on my part. 

Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please encourage a friend to sign up.  

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: This Just In: Happy Hanukkah; the pause continues