Woonsocket Radio News Room

September 5, 2018

MAYOR LISA BALDELLI-HUNT CONTINUES
BLIGHT AND DENSITY REDUCTION MISSION

WOONSOCKET, RI: A city-owned vacant structure that previously housed six residential units and commercial space located at 44-52 Blackstone Street is set for demolition tomorrow morning which will restore another 0.064 acres or 2,787 sq. feet of open space to Woonsocket.
"In continuing to eradicate housing blight and unhealthy density citywide, the removal of 44-52 Blackstone Street will help improve both the quality of daily life as well as the City's physical appearance," said Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt who envisions a blight-free cityscape for her native Woonsocket. "Nobody deserves to live on the side of blight."
The demolition of the 6,125 sq. ft. building will mark the twenty-fifth that the City has completed under its goal of blight remediation which began in the Spring of 2014.
To date, the twenty-four buildings that have been demolished contain a total of 63,598 sq. feet or 1.46 acres of land.
"It is essential for the City to stay on the continued path of eradicating blight which has accumulated over two decades," noted Mayor Baldelli-Hunt. "Vacant, blighted properties attract unhealthy, negative and nuisance behavior. Blight has a negative affect on the quality of life and is very time consuming for our public safety officials."
 

President Biden is willing to debate Donald Trump ahead of the November presidential election. During an interview today with radio host Howard Stern, Biden said he doesn't know when, but that he'd be happy to debate Trump. The comment comes as the Biden campaign has declined to commit to a debate for months.        Former President Trump's criminal hush money trial is back in session today in New York City. Jurors are once again hearing testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker who gave details this week on how he protected Trump from negative stories leading up to the 2016 presidential election. This comes as the judge in the case said he'll consider four other Trump gag order violations being alleged by the prosecution.       Hundreds of protesters against Israel's war in Gaza have been arrested across the country in the last two weeks. Anti-Israel protests have sprung up across the country since the NYPD arrested over 100 demonstrators at Columbia University on April 18th. The New York Times says since then, protesting students have been setting up tents at campuses across the country, and over 400 protesters have been arrested for refusing to disperse.       According to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, presidents shouldn't have absolute immunity for their actions in office. That's what the Republican leader told NBC's "Meet the Press" as the Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue related to former President Trump Thursday. McConnell said he still stands by the comments he made after he voted to acquit Trump following the 2021 Capitol riot, in which he said the former president could be held accountable by the justice system.       Millions in the central U.S. are under the threat of severe thunderstorms. The multi-day event is underway and is expected to bring large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes to the region. Major cites that could be hit with multiple rounds of severe storms include Dallas, Kansas City, Omaha and Des Moines.       The NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs include four games on Friday. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers will look to take a three-to-nothing series lead against the Washington Capitals. In the West, the Vancouver Canucks will head to Nashville to take on the Predators in game three of their series. The Winnipeg Jets will face off against the Colorado Avalanche in game three as well. Lastly, the Edmonton Oilers will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Kings.       

Old News Archives