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April 12, 2006

Passover begins tonight

When the sun sets tonight at 7:23, a Jewish holiday begins.

Passover begins at sundown tonight and lasts eight days. Jews mark the holiday by gathering to remember their exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery.

Jewish families typically attend a seder, or special dinner, tonight in which the customary entree is matzo, a flat bread similar to the food Israelites ate after fleeing Egypt - they were in such a hurry they couldn't wait for the bread to rise.

Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month Nissan, and falls in early spring each year.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:38 PM | Comment

LNG bill passes House committee

PROVIDENCE -- The House Environment and Natural Resources Committee approved a bill today aimed at blocking tankers carrying liquefied natural gas from entering Rhode Island waters.

“We have a right to protect our resources in Rhode Island and our people in Rhode Island,” said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr., D-Bristol, Portsmouth.

The legislation would place exclusion zones around LNG tankers traveling up Narragansett Bay to the $250 million facility that has been proposed by Weaver's Cove Energy and Hess LNG.

According to the bill, the tankers cannot come with 500 yards (on each side) of any piers, wharfs, waterfront facilities, flammable materials, hunting grounds, welding work, or people. To reach the Weaver's Cove facility tankers would have to pass densely populated coastal areas in Narragansett and Mount Hope bays, which would be prohibited by the bill.

It was Gallison's third attempt at a bill along these lines. He said the bill should come before the full House for a vote sometime next month.

--Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:20 PM | Comment

Carcieri blasts Beacon Mutual after viewing report

Gov. Carcieri blasted the leaders of the state's largest worker's compensation insurer earlier today, calling on Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. to change "everything."

The governor's was briefed earlier today on a report released by an independent committee led by former Gov. Lincoln C. Almond that found evidence of abuse, mismanagement and preferential pricing practices at Beacon.

"This is a scathing indictment as far as I'm concerned," Carcieri said in an afternoon interview. "It's sort of confirming my worst fears."

He added, "It looks like a board out of control, it looks like a senior management out of control."

He said he was trying to arrange a meeting with the board at the State House tomorrow.

He said Beacon "needs a complete change," and, when asked if this included personnel, he replied, "Everything."

Asked if he thought Joseph Solomon, Beacon's president and CEO, should resign, Carcieri said he would discuss it with the board. "It looks to me like we've got a chief executive there out of control.''

Read the full story.

-- With reports from political columnist M. Charles Bakst

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:11 PM | Comment

Report: Patriots reach contract agreement with Seymour

ESPN News is reporting that the New England Patriots have reached agreement on a contract extension with All-Pro defensive end Richard Seymour.

Seymour's contract would have expired at the end of the 2006 season.

The Patriots have lost veterans David Givens, Willie McGinest and Adam Vinatieri to free agency this offseason, and one of the theories is that New England was saving money under the salary cap to afford extensions for Seymour and wide receiver Deion Branch.

More tomorrow from Tom E. Curran in the Providence Journal and on projo.com

Posted by Art at 4:35 PM | Comment

CVS pulls contact solution linked to fungus

CVS is pulling a contact lens solution from its shelves that has been linked to a dangerous fungal eye infection.

The Woonsocket-based drugstore chain says it's pulling ReNu MoistureLoc brand contact lens solution from its 5,400 pending the outcome of a federal investigation.

Bausch and Lomb halted U-S shipments of the solution Monday night. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating more than 100 reports of infection caused by a fungus called Fusarium in patients in 17 states.

Bausch and Lomb says the source of the problem remains a mystery.

Walgreens and Warwick-based Brooks pharmacies also are pulling the solution from their shelves.

CVS is the largest U.S. pharmacy by store count.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:23 PM | Comment

Red Sox sign Coco Crisp for another three years

The Boston Red Sox will hold a news conference at 3:30 this afternoon to announce a three-year contract extension with center fielder Coco Crisp, the Associated Press is reporting. The contract includes an option for 2010.

The Red Sox and Crisp agreed in February to a one-year, $2.75-million deal that avoided arbitration. The club acquired the 26-year-old Crisp in a multiplayer deal with the Cleveland Indians; Boston gave up top prospect Andy Marte in the deal.

Crisp broke into the majors with the Indians in 2002. Last year, he hit .300 with 16 home runs, 86 runs scored and 69 RBIs. He hit .333 over five games this year before going on the disabled list with a fractured finger.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:43 PM | Comment

Teacher assistants needed in Providence

PROVIDENCE - The city's schools need 100 new teacher assistants - fast.

Thanks to the federal Leave No Child Behind law, teacher assistants must now be highly qualified, which means they need one of the following: an associate's degree, 48 hours of college work or a passing grade on a national test.

Until now, approximately 110 of the district's 550 assistants have not met these new guidelines, so the city launched a recruitment drive yesterday.

To help candidates meet the grade, the Community College of Rhode Island is offering a 33-hour training program. Tutoring is being offered by Local 1033 of the Laborers International Union of North America, while Workforce Solutions of Providence and Cranston will recruit and screen candidates. The union is paying for the lion's share of the training program.

-- Journal staff writer Linda Borg

Posted by at 2:32 PM | Comment

West Warwick Marine remembered for his courage / Updated

Journal photo / John Freidah
The body of Marine Cpl. Brian St. Germain of West Warwick, who died in Iraq, is transported to Holy Apostles Church in Cranston for a Mass of Christian Burial.

CRANSTON -- A West Warwick Marine who was killed in Iraq was remembered today as a courageous young man who put his life at risk for his country.

Cpl. Brian St. Germain died April 2 when the truck he was in rolled over in a flash flood in Al Anbar province. He was 22.

Hundreds of mourners attended a funeral service this morning at Holy Apostles Church in Cranston. Governor Carcieri and the Rhode Island Congressional delegation attended.

The Rev. Richard Sheahan said St. Germain didn't back down from a challenge and had willingly put his life at risk.

People wept as his casket was carried out of the chapel.

St. Germain graduated from West Warwick High School in 2001. He was an all-state hurdler on the school's track and field team and an honors student.

Yesterday, uniformed Marines lined the entryway to the funeral home, as hundreds of mourners gathered for St. Germain’s wake.

Germain was later buried with military honors at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter.

-- Journal staff and wire reports

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:19 PM | Comment

Rally for Brown Bookstore

Supporters of the Brown Bookstore who hope it remains independent plan to rally again today at the university.

The Save the Bookstore Coalition was set to meet at 1 p.m. on the university’s main green, behind Faunce House.

The group sprang up earlier this year after a university committee announced that a majority of its members favored leasing the store to a national retailer such as Barnes & Noble’s college division or Follett Higher Education Group. They also rallied on March 15 and have set goals to raise money and awareness about this issue.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:03 PM | Comment

Games at the Legislature over same-sex marriage

More board games are in store at the Legislature this afternoon for the group pushing for an equal marriage bill, which has stalled at the committee level over the past decade and is now caught up in a liberal-conservative tug of war.

Although the bill that would allow same-sex marriage is not on the House Judiciary Committee’s agenda for discussion or a vote today, Marriage Equality Rhode Island is urging people who care about the issue to spend a second day outside the committee’s meeting room playing board games.

“People are upset and frustrated, and we’re going to draw attention to the fact that they’re playing games with our lives,” said Jennifer Steinfeld, co-chair of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, a volunteer organization.

Marriage Equality has also released poll data, which the group says show that “Rhode Islanders are generally fair-minded and have a live-and-let-live mentality toward their neighbors.”

The group wants to “keep an eye on the process,” Steinfeld said about the game-playing planned for today at the State House.

About 65 people camped out in the State House yesterday, the first day the group began what Steinfeld says will continue until the Legislature’s break.

“We have a number of games that we think have relevant titles – Jumble, Boggle, Sorry,” she said. “And we’re trying to draw attention to the fact that they’re playing games with the political process and that these games affect people’s lives.”

The survey of 500 Rhode Islanders that MERI released this week shows that 46 percent support and 40 percent oppose allowing gay or lesbian couples to marry legally. Forty-four percent of those polled said the issue makes no difference in their decision to support a candidate, according to the survey conducted April 6-9 by polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:50 PM | Comment

Roe v. Wade attorney speaks at Roger Williams

BRISTOL -- The winning attorney in the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case will speak this afternoon at Roger Williams University law school.

Sarah Weddington will speak at noon as part of the school's second annual Women in Law Day.

The event is open to the public.

Those looking for more information should contact the university at (401) 254-4650

Posted by Steve Peoples at 11:44 AM | Comment

Weather service warns of fire danger

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for fire danger in parts of southern New England.

The warning was issued because of recent dry weather, low humidity and gusty south to southwest winds expected this afternoon, according to the weather service.

It covers parts of Rhode Island, primarily to the north and west of Providence, along with northern Connecticut, southern New Hampshire and much of Massachusetts.

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:57 AM | Comment

Governor celebrates Johnston High's accreditation

Johnston High School is gearing up for a celebratory visit from Governor Carcieri this morning to highlight the news that the school has maintained its accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Heading over to the high school shortly before the planned event, Asst. Supt. Kathryn M. Crowley said the senior class will meet with the governor in the auditorium at 9:30 a.m. Also attending will be members of the School Committee and Town Council, Supt. Margaret A. Iacovelli, high school principal Elizabeth L. Mantelli and state Sen. Joseph M. Polisena, D-Johnston, whom Crowley said arranged for the governor’s visit.

The school’s accreditation was in jeopardy this year, following a recommendation last summer by NEASC’s commission on public secondary schools to strip the school of its accreditation. School officials worked feverishly this year documenting changes they made at the school and submitting a detailed case in December for why the school should continue to be accredited.

Late last month, school leaders learned that NEASC had removed the school from its probationary status, which it had carried for five years.

Preparing for what she said would be a great celebration today for the students, faculty and school administrators, Crowley said the commendations from NEASC about the school and why it should maintain its accreditation were “wonderful.”

Carcieri weighed in this summer about the high school’s accreditation worries. In August, he wrote to NEASC saying he was "deeply concerned about the potential revocation" of the school's accreditation.

He said the school had made significant progress in student achievement but must also take additional steps to bring all students "to proficient levels."

"Local officials have jurisdiction over the school; however, we at the state level have a responsibility to those students as well," Carcieri wrote. "We are ready to assist Johnston Senior High School in meeting NEASC standards."

NEASC has accredited more than 95 percent of all public high schools in New England. It requires schools to meet seven standards, which it classifies as either "teaching and learning standards" or "support standards."

Parents, students and educators in Johnston worried this year about what the ramifications for students could be if the school lost its accreditation. Officials were thrilled with the good news last month.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:16 AM | Comment

Medicare meeting for seniors in Providence

Rhode Island seniors have an opportunity to learn more about the new Medicare prescription drug program this morning.

An assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, general counsel Keith Gottfried, plans to speak about the importance of enrolling in the benefit before May 15.

Gottfried will speak with seniors from 10 a.m. to noon today, following a 9:30 a.m. press conference at the Westminster Senior Center, at 133 Mathewson St. in Providence. The presentation is open to the public.

HUD is working with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to educate seniors about changes to the Medicare program, HUD spokeswoman Kristine Foye said. Many elderly people who are beneficiaries of HUD services and programs can also benefit from the Medicare program, Foye said.

Medicare beneficiaries who do not sign up for the Medicare Part D plan before the May 15 deadline must wait until Nov. 15 to sign up for coverage – and that coverage will not begin until Jan. 1, 2007, according to HUD.

For more information, seniors can check out the federal government's Medicare web site or call: (800) 633-4227.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:30 AM | Comment

Tax-relief plan to be unveiled today

Leaders in the state Senate plan to unveil what they’re calling “a major, multiple-bill tax-relief plan” at a State House news conference at 3 p.m. today in the Senate Lounge.

Planning to discuss six legislative initiatives that focus on reducing local property taxes are Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano, D-North Providence, Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, and Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Stephen D. Alves, D-West Warwick.

Other senators who have already sponsored bills that will be incorporated in the overall tax-relief plan also plan to attend today’s news conference.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:00 AM | Comment

Partly cloudy today, rain late tonight

PROVIDENCE -- The National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., forecasts partly cloudy skies today with a high around 65 degrees in the Providence area.

In coastal southern New England, including the Cape and islands, the temperature probably won't climb above the 50s.

Rain is on the way tonight into tomorrow.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment