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May 2, 2006

Updated: Tonight's Sox-Yanks game rained out

BOSTON -- Tonight's game between the Red Sox and Yankees has been rained out.

The rivals were scheduled to face off for the second time this year at Fenway Park.

The game's 7:05 p.m. start had at first been delayed by the rain. By 7:40 p.m., with 100 percent chance of rain in the forecast, the game was officially called off.

-- With reports from Journal sportswriter Steve Krasner

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:22 PM | Comment

Cicilline to unveil his 2007 budget for Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline will unveil his 2007 budget for the first time tonight at a presentation before the City Council.

Cicilline will discuss the $610-million spending plan at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The last of his four-year term, the mayor has said it will be his most difficult budget of all.

The meeting is open to the public.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:32 PM | Comment

Photo: CNN's Amanpour speaks at Business Expo

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent and URI journalism graduate, kicked off the start of this year's Providence Business Expo at the Rhode Island Convention Center this morning. She called for new ideas and solutions in dealing with U.S. foreign policy challenges and covering those stories.

The expo continues tomorrow, opening with an 8:30 a.m. address by Liz Claman, co-anchor of the business channel CNBC’s Morning Call. Click here for a full list of the expo's events, which is sponsored in part by The Providence Journal.

More on Amanpour's speech in tomorrow's Journal and on projo.com ...

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:22 PM | Comment

No charges in wake of mall guard, TV reporter clash

PROVIDENCE -- City police have decided not to file criminal charges against Providence Place mall personnel accused of threatening a television reporter last month.

Channel 6 reporter Jim Hummel and cameraman John Guice filed a complaint with the Providence police after an April 5 incident with mall employees as they reported on a security vehicle dangling from the fourth level of the mall parking garage.

Some of the confrontation was recorded on video. Hummel alleged in a joint written complaint with Guice that an unidentified guard threatened to kill him, Hummel, off camera.

A police report filed today said the case is closed. "After an investigation by the Providence Police Detective Bureau and review by the City of Providence Law Department, it was determined that no charges will be filed ..." reads the report.

No reason for the decision was given in the report.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:05 PM | Comment

Langevin joins D.C. rally for spinal cord research

WASHINGTON -- Rep. James Langevin joined hundreds of people gathered on Capitol Hill today to support legislation aimed at fighting paralysis.

The rally was organized by the Christopher Reeve Foundation. Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat, is a co-sponsor of Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act, a bill that would coordinate and expand research, rehabilitation and quality of life programs for people with spinal cord injuries.

The event, called a Working 2 Walk rally, was hosted by actress Susan Sarandon.

Langevin, a quadriplegic since an accidental shooting at age 16, worked closely with the late Christopher and Dana Reeve in recent years on a range of issues that affect people living with paralysis and their loved ones.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:25 PM | Comment

Study: Outpatient treatment of alcoholism can succeed

PROVIDENCE -- Doctors and nurses can successfully treat alcoholism on an outpatient basis with the use of regular monitoring and medication -- reducing the need for costlier, more intensive programs -- a major study concludes in an article that will be published tomorrow in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The huge implication is that instead of folks having to go to 'specialty people' to get treatment for their alcohol addiction they can get it right in the primary care setting, with much less fanfare,'' said Richard H. Longabaugh, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School in Providence.

Longabaugh, who has spent much of his career studying alcoholism, is one of the authors of the study, which involved nearly 1,400 patients at 11 academic centers across the country. In conjunction with Roger Williams Medical Center, Brown enrolled 133 patients, making it the largest group in the clinical trial, which was conducted from 2001 to 2004.

"One of the problems with alcoholism is there is a big mismatch between the number of people afflicted and the number in treatment. This extends the options. Really, people can get treatment in their doctor's office,'' said co-author Dr. Robert M. Swift, psychiatry professor and associate director of Brown's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.

-- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:09 PM | Comment

Date set for 2nd detonation of old Jamestown span

JAMESTOWN -- In case you missed the first blast...

The state Department of Transportation has set the date for a second round of explosions on the old Jamestown Bridge.

A demolition team plans to destroy approximately 1,600 feet of bridge trusses -- 800 feet on each side of the existing gap -- on Tuesday, May 16. The team also hopes to demolish the top 50 feet of the central supporting pier with a simultaneous blast. The work is contingent on good weather.

Officials plan to close the new Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge at 10 a.m. for up to four hours. The controlled explosion is planned for shortly after 10 a.m.

Crews destroyed the middle section of the bridge last month. Officials are still working to remove pieces left in Narragansett Bay from the first denonation.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:55 PM | Comment

R.I. Red Cross names new CEO

PROVIDENCE -- There is a new chief executive officer for the American Red Cross Rhode Island Chapter.

The nonprofit agency announced today the selection of the Rev. John E. Holt, of Newport, who previously led efforts to help Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Middletown as the executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches and executive director of the Interfaith Counseling Center.

Holt also served as the chair of the Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund, helping to to raise $3.4 million for those who lost loved ones or were injured in the 2003 fire.

Holt will lead the Red Cross in preventing, preparing for, and responding to emergencies in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts communities. He will assume CEO duties on May 15.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:22 PM | Comment

Lottery: $200,000 PowerBall prize still unclaimed

It's been almost two weeks, and nobody has come forward to claim a $200,000 winning PowerBall ticket sold in East Providence, according to the Rhode Island Lottery.

The ticket was purchased from Sonny's Convenience Store on Willett Avenue for the April 19 drawing, according to the lottery.

The ticket matched the first five numbers (5-28-32-34-53), but not the PowerBall number (10), according to the lottery. The jackpot was $20 million.

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:26 PM | Comment

Speaker addresses Providence's child poverty rate

PROVIDENCE -- Throwing up your hands and giving up after examining health and economic data about Providence children is not the answer, a policy analyst with Rhode Island KIDS COUNT said this morning.

Kathleen Keenan expects to talk this afternoon about what can be done in response to Census and other data that shows a high rate of child poverty in Providence.

Keenan's 1 p.m. session is free and open to the public at the Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South St. The 90-minute program is the first of six planned for the six Rhode Island communities with 15 percent or more children living in poverty, Keenan said.

Providence’s child poverty rate is second in the state – behind Central Falls – and third in the nation for cities of 100,000 or more. Nationwide, Providence is tied with New Orleans behind Brownsville, Texas, and Hartford, Conn.

Keenan plans to follow a 45-minute presentation with a community discussion about what’s working in Providence. Elected officials and service providers are among those expected to attend.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:43 PM | Comment

S. Kingstown man accused of killing own pitbull

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- A local man is facing multiple criminal charges for allegedly shooting his own dog in a residential neighborhood and burying it in a shallow backyard grave.

Edgar Goulet, 58, of 20 Nautilus Drive East, appeared in 4th District Court in Wakefield this morning to answer charges of domestic malicious injury to or killing an animal, firing in a contact area, and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

He was released on $40,000 personal recognizance bail, and ordered to surrender any firearms in his possession.

Police say that Goulet's 3-year-old pitbull got loose yesterday morning and ran into a neighbor's yard. Neighbors told police that Goulet screamed at his pet, named Sparky, and said he would shoot the dog if he caught it.

Before retrieving Sparky, the police say that Goulet dug a shallow grave in his backyard with a backhoe -- a machine he uses for work. Then he brought the dog back into his yard and shot it with a .22-caliber gun, according to police.

In an interview outside the courthouse this morning, Goulet said he shot Sparky in self defense. "I had no choice," he said.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:36 PM | Comment

R.I., other states to sue over fuel economy rules

WASHINGTON - - Ten states, including Rhode Island, said today they plan to sue the federal government to try to force the Bush administration to strengthen gas mileage requirements for sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

The lawsuit will contend the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to conduct a thorough analysis of the environmental benefits of fuel economy regulations and the impact of gasoline consumption on climate change.

The states were filing a petition for review with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco later today. The action follows the release of a government rule in late March setting tighter gas mileage rules for pickups, SUVs and vans covering the 2008-2011 model years.

In addition to Rhode Island, the states are California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. The District of Columbia and New York City were also plaintiffs.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:23 PM | Comment

Updated: Chamber to report on R.I. income tax

PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island's income tax is hurting the state's economic growth.

That's the conclusion of a report the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is expected to release today at 3 p.m. in the House Lounge of the State House.

Chamber officials say they are making a change in the tax code a top priority.

At the General Assembly, legislation that would lower income taxes for Rhode Island’s richest residents is a major piece of the House leadership’s agenda for the year.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com staff

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:03 AM | Comment

Amanpour says U.S. credibility at 'all-time low'

PROVIDENCE – The credibility of the United States has dropped to an “all-time low” around the world, with people unsure about what the U.S. will do next, CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour said this morning when she addressed working journalists and alumni, faculty, administrators and students from her alma mater, the University of Rhode Island.

In Providence for the day, CNN’s chief international correspondent will speak again at 11 a.m. today as part of Business Expo 2006, an annual business showcase held today and tomorrow at the Rhode Island Convention Center. That talk is free and open to the public. (See who is exhibiting at this year’s show, which is sponsored in part by The Providence Journal).

In her talk this morning at The Providence Journal, Amanpour spoke about the state of journalism today and encouraged local television reporters to continue pursuing stories with an international angle. Amanpour said she just doesn’t believe the frequent statement that viewers and readers don’t care about world events.

Considering the view of the U.S. around the world, Amanpour encouraged young people – regardless of the profession they’re pursuing – to take a year off and go out into the world “and show the real face of the U.S.”

“And start building bridges,” she said.

Amanpour said she still believes this is the “best profession” and an important one.
She said her e-mail inbox is “overwhelmed by young people” asking if they should go into the news profession.

“Good journalism enriches our societies and our world,” she said. “There is no doubt, but that message has been lost.”

Asked to comment on new media on the Internet, including blogs, and the impact it has in countries with state-run media, such as Iran, Amanpour pointed out that Farsi, the language spoken in Iran, is the fourth most-used language on the Internet.

By all means, the Internet breaks down the barriers that exist in countries with state control over the media, she said.

What concerns her with the Internet, though, is that “anything goes.”

“Now, anybody who wants to can be your provider of news,” Amanpour said.
The big challenge for those online is “to know what’s true and what’s not,” she said.

-- Projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:02 AM | Comment

Rain, rain and more rain

Looks like this morning’s rain will just keep falling. Moderate to heavy rain should continue to roll in off the ocean and into eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, making for a messy rush hour. Take it slow on the commute.

Today’s high temps are expected to be in the lower 50s.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:01 AM | Comment