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April 25, 2006

Fall River soldier killed in Iraq over weekend

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- The Department of Defense announced this evening that a 19-year-old Fall River soldier was killed in Iraq over the weekend.

Army Pvt. Michael E. Bouthot was among four soldiers killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their military vehicle in Baghdad on Saturday, causing a fire.

This incident occurred during combat operations. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 67th Armored Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Bouthot was a 2004 graduate of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:02 PM | Comment

RWU breaks ground to expand shellfish hatchery

BRISTOL -- Roger Williams University broke ground today on a facility that would double the capacity of the state's only shellfish hatchery.

The improvements are part of the school's effort to build a new $3 million marine science building.

The shellfish hatchery incubates millions of oysters each year before releasing them into Narragansett Bay, helping to bolster native oyster beds depleted by pollution and overfishing.

The expansion will be partly financed by an unusual donation -- a 175-foot cruise ship.

Shipbuilder Luther Blount is donating the ship to three schools once the vessel is retired this fall. Roger Williams University, Rhode Island College and the Wentworth Institute of Technology plan to split the proceeds from the sale.

The two-story, 12,000-square-foot marine science building will be named the Luther Blount Shellfish Hatchery and Oyster Restoration Center and is expected to be completed by fall 2007.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:06 PM | Comment

Six guilty in Providence cocaine conspiracy

PROVIDENCE -- Six men have been convicted of drug charges for their involvement in a cocaine conspiracy last December.

The U.S. Attorney's Office this afternoon announced the conviction of Domingo A. Gonzales, 21, of Lawrence, Mass., who was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine yesterday in federal District Court.

Five other men pleaded guilty in the case, in which Drug Enforcement Agency agents broke up a deal in progress at a Providence home last December, seizing two kilograms of cocaine that Gonzales and another man had just transported from Lawrence.

During Gonzales' trial, DEA agents testified they had monitored conversations between the defendants in which cocaine was called “confetti” and kilograms of cocaine “girls.” The agents were closely monitoring the drug deal as it took place in a Gellatin Street house on Dec. 11.

Cornelio Ozorio, 25, of Providence, left the home and was met by DEA agents who saw a kilogram of cocaine fall from under his coat during a routine search. Agents seized another kilogram package of cocaine in the basement, where they also found the rest of the men hiding under a pile of rubbish.

Waskar Pena, 31, of Providence; Alejandro Pujols, 36, of Providence; Eduardo Garcia, 35, of Providence; and Christopher Garcia, 34, of Methuen, Mass., and Ozorio pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Christopher Garcia pled guilty to an additional count of possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and Pena also pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.

Each man faces between 5 and 40 years in prison.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:58 PM | Comment

Updated: MGM Mirage, Foxwoods announce partnership

LEDYARD, Conn. -- MGM Mirage will bring its marketing and casino expertise to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut in a partnership joining one of the the world's largest gaming corporations with the Indian tribe that runs one of the world's most successful casinos.

The deal, announced this morning, will put MGM's name on a new hotel and casino on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation but leave control of gaming operations to the tribe.

The arrangement opens the lucrative New England market to MGM and opens the world to the Mashantuckets.

The two sides will share a customer database, entertainment bookings and join in development projects outside the Mashantuckets' home in Ledyard, Conn.

The agreement comes as a $700 million expansion is under way at Foxwoods that includes the hotel and other facilities.

More to come in tomorrow's Journal and on projo.com ...

-- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi

CORRECTION: An earlier Associated Press report on this subject incorrectly said that MGM would open the hotel and casino.

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:26 PM | Comment

Beacon board members to fight termination

An attorney for two Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. board members fired last week by Governor Carcieri is requesting independent hearings to determine whether they should be forcibly removed.

In a letter to long-time board members George H. Nee and Henry Boeniger, Carcieri last week told the men he was removing them "for cause" and "effective immediately." The governor also gave the men a deadline -- which is today -- to voluntarily resign from the company or request a meeting to discuss their termination.

Attorney Marc B. Gursky, representing both Nee and Boeniger, said he responded to the governor's ultimatum this afternoon.

In letters sent to Carcieri today, Gursky requested hearings with an "unbiased, fair and impartial decision maker."

"Regrettably, your precipitous and illegal removal of Mr. Nee during his appointed term, your failure to afford Mr. Nee a pre-termination hearing, your prejudgment of Mr. Nee in correspondence, in media, and other public statements, and your evident disciminatory treatment of Mr. Nee and Mr. Boeniger on the basis of their union affiliations, demonstrate that neither you nor officials under your control would be capable of providing Mr. Nee with an unbiased, fair and impartial hearing," writes Gursky in a letter on Nee's behalf.

"Therefore, Mr. Nee requests that you provide this office with the name or names of proposed impartial hearing officers, for review by Mr. Nee, or with a proposed independent hearing officer selection process..."

Nee and Boeniger have been Beacon board members since the company was founded in 1994. Last week the board voted to fire former Beacon CEO Joseph A. Solomon "with cause" in light of allegations of mismanagement and abuse unearthed in a report commissioned by the company.

Nee and Boeniger, both former governor-appointees, were the only board members to vote to fire Solomon without cause, a distinction that would have given Solomon a severance package worth about $3 million.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi

Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:49 PM | Comment

Calling all U.S. Marines from Rhode Island

Governor Carcieri is urging all U.S. Marines from Rhode Island, or their families, to share their stories as contributions for the new National Museum of the Marine Corps that’s set to open in November in Quantico, Va.

In creating the museum, the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation are asking every Marine who is currently serving or has served to participate in an online “Roll of Honor.”

Carcieri has appointed a liaison to help locate active duty and retired Marines in Rhode Island. Also, Marines can head to the governor’s site and tell their Marine stories, which will be forwarded to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:29 PM | Comment

Hasbro invites votes for new Monopoly landmarks

Hasbro Inc., the Pawtucket-based toymaker, is planning to release an updated version of its popular Monopoly board game this fall.

But instead of Boardwalk and Park Place, the game could feature national landmarks such as Fenway Park, Times Square and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The toymaker is giving people a chance to vote online for their favorite sites on its Web site for another two weeks. The top vote getters will earn a place on Hasbro's "Monopoly Here and Now" game board.

Voters can choose from 66 locations in 22 cities, including Boston, New York, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Denver, New Orleans and San Francisco.

Missing from the list -- any landmarks in Hasbro's home state, Rhode Island.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:36 PM | Comment

Updated: Water main break closes N. Kingstown school

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Hamilton Elementary School is closed today because of a water main break in the Hamilton neighborhood, according to Maureen S. Buck, the school district’s director of administrative services.

With no water service at the school, officials decided to cancel school around 6 a.m., before any children were expected in the building, Buck said.

Tomorrow, there's “absolutely no reason” to cancel school again because the water main on Salisbury Avenue was fixed around 12:30 p.m. today, according to Susan Licardi, the director of the town’s water supply department.

In addition to the school, about 20 to 25 homes also lost water service in the Hamilton neighborhood, Licardi said.

The water main broke around 6 a.m. today, according to Jennifer Rainha, administrative assistant for the town’s Water Supply Department.

Licardi noted today's sunny weather.

“They lucked out,” she said of the elementary school students. “It’s a nice day.”

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:21 PM | Comment

Body discovered in Barrington river

BARRINGTON -- The Warren police announced today that a body has been discovered in the Palmer River near Wallis Avenue in Barrington.

The body fits the description of 53-year-old Steven Tomaselli, a Warren boat mechanic reported missing almost a month ago, according to Warren Police Chief Thomas D. Gordon.

A resident saw the body drifting in the river last night at about 7 p.m., about one mile north of Tomaselli's business, Speed's Diesel Service on Water Street.

Tomaselli's family had been searching for him since his March 27 disappearance.

The medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 11:40 AM | Comment

Brown basketball coach accepts job at Penn

Glen Miller, arguably the most successful men's basketball coach in Brown University's history, has agreed to accept the head coaching job at the University of Pennsylvania.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Miller will leave Brown for Penn, whose last coach, Fran Dunphy, has been hired to replace the legendary John Chaney at Temple University. Miller is expected to be introduced as the Quakers' new coach on Wednesday. Penn is the Ivy League's dominant team, having won or shared 10 of the last 14 league championships.

Miller coached seven years at Brown and won more games (93) than any other coach over a seven-year period in school history. His 2002-03 team qualified for the National Invitation Tournament, and he had a winning record (54-44) in the Ivy League during his tenure.

See projo.com's college basketball blog for more information on this story.

-- KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Art at 10:19 AM | Comment

GTECH charts future business plans

On the eve of its acquisition by Lottomatica SpA, GTECH today said it was eyeing a number of new ventures, including sports betting.

GTECH, of West Greenwich, is expected to be acquired by Lottomatica for $4.8 billion in mid June.

In its quarterly "update report" to shareholders today, GTECH, the world's largest provider of lottery systems and services, said, that in addition to expanding its current business, it saw potential in the following areas:

-- entering the sports betting business in select markets.

-- developing money transfer capabilities here and around the world, including India and Turkey.

-- introducing Keno, Pick 'n Play and EuroMillions games in Italy.

-- using lottery terminals for bill paying.

Posted by at 7:36 AM | Comment

Forecast: Partly cloudy, with morning fog along coast

It should be partly cloudy today, with a high near 68. There’s a chance of showers, mainly after 3 pm.

Drivers along the south coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts should be aware of dense fog, which is expected to last until mid-morning.

Sun is still in the forecast for tomorrow.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:00 AM | Comment