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April 24, 2006

Johnston police officer hurt in crash

JOHNSTON -- A Cranston man drove into a telephone pole this morning, left the scene and promptly smashed into a police cruiser, injuring a veteran detective, according to authorities.

Police Det. Joseph Arcuri Jr. sustained injuries to his right shoulder, neck and back, according to Deputy Police Chief Gary Maddocks.

The incident involving Donato A. Alviano, 54, of 32 Butler St., Arcuri and several other people took place along Killingly Street over a span of about 3 minutes, Maddocks said.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds

At about 10:19 a.m., a motorist encountered Officer David Slinko and told him that a northbound Pontiac had passed through at a high rate of speed, swerving and driving on the sidewalk, Maddocks said.

Slinko then saw the blue Pontiac by a telephone pole at 602 Killingly St., he said.

Other people had been trying to administer first aid to the driver, Alviano, who was unconscious, Maddocks said. The vehicle’s engine was running.

Alviano regained consciousness and tried to put the car into gear, Maddocks said.

Slinko and another officer tried to break into the car through the driver’s side window, but the dazed motorist succeeded in pulling away from the scene, he said.

Slinko pursued Alviano briefly before the driver rear-ended the unmarked detective cruiser at the junction of Killingly and Traver streets, Maddocks said.

The distance between the location of the first crash and the location of the second crash is about 1,000 feet.

It appeared that traffic had brought Arcuri to a halt in front of Alviano at the time of the crash, but the circumstances were still under investigation yesterday, Maddocks said.

Arcuri was treated at Rhode Island Hospital and released.

Alviano was taken to Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence, he said. He has not been charged in the case.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:15 PM | Comment

Providence firm to help launch mobile TV service

PROVIDENCE -- A Providence-based company says it's joining with satellite service provider SES Americom to launch a trial mobile television and entertainment service in Las Vegas this fall.

Officials at Aloha Partners say they're forming a subsidiary called Hwire to test the network. The service will likely provide 30 to 40 television, music, interactive and e-commerce channels.

Most of the content will come from the major broadcast, cable and satellite television networks. The channels will also include localized content, like news, weather and sports.

Aloha Partners is the largest owner of 700 megahertz spectrum in the United States. SES Americom is the largest supplier of satellite services in the United States.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:59 PM | Comment

Cigarette may have caused fire at Newport resort

NEWPORT -- Fire officials believe a cigarette butt may have caused a blaze at the Inn on Long Wharf yesterday.

"It looks like it was probably a discarded cigarette, but it's still under investigation," said Newport Fire Department Deputy Chief Joseph Donovan.

Fire crews responded to the waterfront resort at about 2:30 a.m. yesterday. Flames had already covered some of the building's exterior, extending four stories to the roof.

A sprinkler system prevented the fire from entering the building, Donovan said. The was some smoke and water damage, but no fire damage to the interior of the building, according to Donovan. The total damage is estimated at between $300,000 and $500,000.

Roughly 80 people who were staying in the 40-room resort were temporarily moved to the Fairfield Inn across the street. They were allowed to return to the Inn on Long Wharf yesterday by 9 a.m., Donovan said.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:34 PM | Comment

Updated: Kerry joins Fall River rally against LNG / Photo

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
U.S. Sen. John Kerry joins the rally at the entrance to the proposed Weaver's Cove terminal.

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- U.S. Sen. John Kerry joined a crowd of roughly 300 people gathered outside the proposed site of a liquefied natural gas facility earlier today, condemning the plan as an unwanted public safety risk.

Besides the Massachusetts Democrat and despite rain, the rally attracted several local politicians and many Massachusetts and Rhode Island residents who donned orange T-shirts with the words "I am not an acceptable risk." Many others carried "NO LNG" signs.

Local police closed portions of a road to accommodate the protest of plans by Weaver's Cove Energy.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:21 PM | Comment

Providence bond rating gets boost

PROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline announced today that Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the city's bond rating to its highest level since the early 1990s.

Moody's, an international credit-rating agency, upgraded Providence's rating from “Baa-1” to “A3" earlier in the month. Moody’s also gave the city "a positive outlook" regarding the status of $127.5 million of outstanding general obligation debt.

At the end of the 2005 fiscal year, the city's undesignated general fund balance increased to $16.71 million or 4.5 perceent of revenues, which approaches the city's 5 percent goal, according to Moody's Web site.

Providence’s improved credit rating means that the city can borrow money at a lower rate, resulting in substantial savings for taxpayers, Cicilline said in a statement.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:55 PM | Comment

Hearing delayed again for suspect in fatal hit-run

PROVIDENCE -- For the second time this month, a probation violation hearing has been postponed for the North Smithfield woman facing criminal charges after a fatal hit-and-run accident in Glocester.

Lori J. Benoit's attorney, John Lynch, said he needed time to consider a new "offer on the table" from the prosecution. Neither Lynch nor the prosecutor would clarify the offer.

Lori J. Benoit is accused of crashing her car into a group of friends at about 1 a.m. on March 18, killing Robert George, 36, of Glocester, and Jason Roy, 36, of Rehoboth, Mass., and injuring three others.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo

She has been held at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston since the incident.

Benoit pleaded no contest in February 2005 to charges of cocaine possession, obstructing a police officer, disorderly conduct and simple assault. She received suspended sentences and probation.

The state is seeking to have Benoit held at the ACI for two years for violating the terms of the probation, according to court spokesman Michael Healey.

Benoit's next probation violation hearing has been scheduled for May 5.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:30 PM | Comment

Water vandalism costs Blackstone $41,000-plus

BLACKSTONE, Mass. – The recent vandalism of a water-holding tank in this community of 9,000 cost the town just under $41,000 in direct costs -- but that figure doesn’t include the indirect costs, according to Town Administrator Raymond W. Houle Jr.

The $40,797.18 covers overtime for town employees and emergency personnel who responded after the vandalism, tank repairs and water reserves used to cleanse the system, according to town bills.

Harder to measure, though, are the indirect costs, Houle said. Those include the loss of business to the couple dozen mom-and-pop local businesses that had to close for two days and the psychological factors, such as how safe people in town feel about their water system, Houle said.

Houle said he would like to see the direct costs for the town reimbursed through the judicial process. “I certainly will make the court aware of that and ask for restitution,” he said. “I don’t know what the likelihood of getting it would be.”

Two 15-year-old boys face charges in Juvenile Court for the alleged vandalism of the tank last month.

The vandalism brought much in town to a halt and caused the schools to disrupt students throughout the district who were taking the Massachusetts standardized test know as MCAS that day, Houle said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:58 PM | Comment

Photo: Designs for "defining moment" in Providence

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers

Edmund T. Parker, chief engineer for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, and Alix Ogden, Providence Parks Superintendent, listen as Mayor David N. Cicilline announces plans for an 8-acre waterfront park along the Providence River. Calling the park's development "a defining moment in our city's history," Cicilline announced a public design competition for the park, which will be developed on land becoming available with the relocation of Route 195. For more information on the competition, see the city's Web site.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:33 AM | Comment

Gas prices jump 17 cents

Gasoline prices jumped another 17 cents in Rhode Island last week, continuing a painful trend for drivers, according to AAA Southern New England.

The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $2.92 per gallon at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey.

The price has climbed 46 cents in the last month, AAA says.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:10 AM | Comment

'Suspicious' items by federal court just coffee urns

PROVIDENCE -- The state fire marshal’s bomb squad has cleared the scene downtown after investigating a report of a suspicious article outside the federal court building early this morning and finding nothing amiss, according to Lt. John Blessing in the fire marshal’s office.

The fire marshal’s office, which oversees the bomb squad, got a call from Providence Police at about 7:45 a.m. reporting suspicious articles outside U.S. District Court, at One Exchange Terrace, Blessing said.

Two bomb squad technicians found two plastic coffee containers about 10 feet from the entrance to the court on Kennedy Plaza, Blessing said. Technicians x-rayed the containers and found no type of explosives.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:01 AM | Comment

'Underdog' still closing off Providence streets

Don’t forget the street closings this week for Disney’s filming of Underdog in downtown Providence.

Westminster Street is closed to traffic today, Thursday and Friday between Dorrance and Mathewson Streets, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tomorrow and Wednesday during those same times, Westminster will be closed between Dorrance and Memorial Boulevard.

Pedestrians will have some access to the street during the filming.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:54 AM | Comment

Hasbro posts wider first quarter loss

PAWTUCKET -- Hasbro Inc., the nation's second biggest toy maker, today reported a wider loss for the first quarter as foreign currency fluctuations and new accounting rules for stock options hurt results.

The loss totaled $4.9 million, or 3 cents per share, for the three months ended April 2 compared with a loss of $3.7 million, or 2 cents per share, a year ago. Expenses related to stock-based compensation reduced results by 2 cents per share in the latest quarter. If similar expenses had been included a year ago, the loss for that period would have been 4 cents per share.

Revenue rose to $468.2 million from $454.9 million. Currency fluctuations reduced revenue by about $9 million in the 2006 quarter.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting a loss of 1 cent per share, including stock-options expenses, on revenue of $430 million.

Hasbro's North American operations posted a 7 percent increase in revenue, to $310.3 million, driven by board games and toy lines such as Nerf, Supersoaker and Little Pet Shop. Operating profit at the division rose by $200,000. Hasbro said it saw an expected decline in sales of Star Wars merchandise during the quarter.

Because of the changes in some foreign currencies versus the dollar, Hasbro's international segment saw revenue decline by 5 percent and its operating loss widen by about $400,000. On a constant-currency basis, international revenue rose 2 percent.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:45 AM | Comment

Don’t forget your umbrella today

Rain and more rain is on the horizon. There’s a 70 percent chance of showers today. Expect a high of 54 degrees.

Looks like Wednesday will be our next sunny day.

If you live in Providence and thought it rained a lot during your weekend, you were right. Sunday set a record daily rainfall, with 1.44 inches, breaking the old April 23 rainfall record of 1 inch back in 1954, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Alan Dunham.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:59 AM | Comment