Fentanyl Bust + Medical Marijuana + Harvest Kitchen Cafe

Rise and shine, Pawtucket!

Welcome to the Pawtucket Patch Daily — the quickest way to get caught up on the city's top news stories. I'm your host, Mary Serreze. I can be reached at mary.serreze@patch.com. Feel free to send me your news tips, thoughts, ideas, and information.

First, the weather. Hint: It's not quite summer yet. Wednesday looks mostly cloudy with a high of 78 and a low of 57. Prepare for rain on Thursday with a high of 67. Friday we return to overcast skies with a high of 76.

Patch Pick:

“When a soldier dies, it really impacts the people who are left behind,”says Vietnam veteran and author Terry Nau. “It’s just leaves a hole in their lives.” Pawtucket has taken special care to honor its 21 Vietnam War Heroes, writes Mary K. Talbot for the Providence Journal.

Here are the top five stories in Pawtucket today:

1. Two men who allegedly tried to supply Pawtucket with a large supply of fentanyl pills have been busted. The Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force worked with an undercover informant to set up controlled buys here and in Boston. Read all about it at Patch.com.

2. A convicted felon who had a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his car during a routine traffic stop is headed to federal prison. Jonathan Reyes, 35, was pulled over in 2020 by Pawtucket police. On Tuesday, he stood before a judge and pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge.

3. A lawyer who wants to build a cannabis "compassion center" in Pawtucket did not appear before the city's Zoning Board of Appeals last night, as indicated on a posted agenda. That hearing has been postponed until a later date. Thomas Mirza, CEO of New Leaf Compassion Center, was shot down by the Planning Board in March but still wants to build a medical marijuana dispensary at 30 India Street.

4. Pawtucket has made progress in fighting COVID-19, and a vaccination site at St. Anthony's Parish Center last week administered its very last shot, the Office of Mayor Donald Grebien announced. Residents can still get vaccinated at McCoy Stadium on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Patch.com has the story.

5. Farm Fresh Rhode Island has reopened its Harvest Kitchen Cafe in downtown Pawtucket after a year of pandemic closure. The cafe is open weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a new menu featuring local ingredients. There's a social mission: underserved teens work at the restaurant, writes Gail Ciampa for the Providence Journal.

Events Around Town

• Virtual Bilingual Spring Story Class
  Wednesday, June 2 from 10:30 am to 11:00 am
  Pawtucket Public Library, 13 Summer Street
• FREE GRAB and GO Lunch at the Pawtucket Public Library
  Wednesday, June 2 from 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Creativity Contest: What is Kindness?
  Kids in grades K-12 are invited to upload their artwork during this month-long contest sponsored by The Empowerment Factory.
• The Blackstone Valley Community Health Care Patient Advisory Group meets via Zoom from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. All are welcome.
• The Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency has a meeting scheduled for Thursday at noon, and they plan to enter executive session and then adjourn, according to a posted agenda.

That's it. You're all caught up. Follow Pawtucket Patch on the web, and if you like what we're doing, ask your friends to sign up for our newsletter. Have a great day.

About me: Maine native, UMass Amherst Regional Planning alum. Stick-shift driver, explorer. I believe in good government and the public’s right to know. Interested in just about everything. Former reporter with The Republican/MassLive. Did my time as news director at WBSM 1420 AM in New Bedford. I still like paper maps. Reach me at mary.serreze@patch.com.