Good morning, Providence. This is PVD Current, the newsletter that’s as helpful as a phone charger when your battery's on 1%.

What to expect in today’s Current:

• Food trucks & food on Thursday 🍔 

• PPSD’s $1M hack 💻

• ⏸️ A pause on the bridge demo

Let’s get to it.

— Oscar Punchak

Currents & Waves

PPSD’s Ongoing $1M Ransomware Attack ‍💻

Since the 12th of last week, there have been technical difficulties within the PPSD community. Yesterday morning it was found that a hacking group that goes by the name Medusa claimed to have hacked PPSD and required a $1,000,000 ransom to let it go. Medusa operates on the dark web, where they claimed that they hacked PPSD. The image above was obtained from a cyber security company’s X (f.k.a Twitter) account here. PPSD and their IT agency have reached out to all relevant parties and ongoing analysis of the situation is taking place. Hopefully, the issue will be resolved ASAP so students and teachers can resume regular learning.

Food Truck Eats & Beats 🌮 🎶 

Although this isn’t in Providence I think it’s worth mentioning. On Thursday there will be an event from 5-8 pm in Wakefield. Enjoy a variety of local food trucks from PVD Food Truck Events, live music by the Kaitlyn Tarro Band from 5-8 pm, and a wide selection of drinks including craft cocktails, beer, sangria, and mocktails.

• Admission is free; pay for food and drinks.

• Families are welcome, though the tasting room is 21+ after 5 pm.

• No smoking, outside alcohol, or pets (service animals only).

• 1425 Kingstown Rd, South Kingstown, RI 02879

Learn more here.

Washington Bridge Demolition Paused ⏸️

The R.I. Department of Transportation has paused demolishing the westbound Washington Bridge to preserve evidence for a lawsuit against 13 companies that allegedly failed to address the bridge’s structural issues. The bridge was suddenly closed last December after an engineer found a structural problem that state officials believed could have caused an immediate failure. This latest delay adds some uncertainty to the demolition timeline. Aetna Bridge Co., the company doing the demolition work, is one of the 13 companies named in the State’s lawsuit. The State’s goal is to resume demolition as soon as possible.

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Coastline Commerce

RI Housing Department to Close Charlesgate Deal 🏢

The Rhode Island Department of Housing will soon purchase the former Charlesgate Nursing Center in Providence for $6.85 million, $300,000 less than expected. The building will provide up to 105 shelter rooms to address homelessness. The state has rented 57 rooms from Davenport Associates since May 2023, with Amos House managing services. The price reduction is due to needed repairs and potential environmental remediation, estimated at $575,000.

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Seaside Skies

WEDNESDAY

78°🌡 62° | 🌫️ | 💧 15% | 💨 E 8 mph

THURSDAY

69°🌡 60° | 🌧️ | 💧 49% | 💨 NNE 13 mph

(The forecast as of the night before this newsletter was published.)

Sound Waves

WEDNESDAY

Nick-a-Nee’s | Bluegrass Throedown | 8:30pm

THURSDAY

Bar'Lino Pizzeria | Live Music | 7:30pm

Moonshine Alley | Kolton Davis | 8pm

That’s all for today…

Thank you for reading all the way through! Feel free to email us with any questions or suggestions. You’ll hear from us again on Friday.

Thanks,

Oscar Punchak | Publisher, PVD Current