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May 19, 2006

First lady takes 10 minutes to back Chafee

PROVIDENCE – In a 10-minute speech this evening before a crowd of about 200, First Lady Laura Bush urged local Republicans to get behind U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee's campaign for re-election.

Mrs. Bush brought her brief message of support to the 17th floor of the Providence Biltmore hotel, as Chafee and GOP Governor Carcieri stood behind her at the podium.

"Redouble your efforts and make sure he's elected," she told those attending, who paid $500 for the privilege. Chafee is facing a primary challenge from Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey.

Instead of focusing on the fact that Chafee, known as a Republican maverick, doesn't always vote as her husband wishes, she touted his work on some of the issues they agree on, including environmental preservation.

-- With reports from projo.com staffer Steve Peoples

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:21 PM | Comment

Bumper crop of mosquitoes may be on the way

Showers may bring flowers. They also bring mosquitoes.

In the wake of the recent heavy rain, scientists are expecting a bumper crop of mosquitoes in Rhode Island and beyond.

Entomologists say eggs laid by some species of mosquito can lie dormant for long periods along the edges of floodplains and drainage ditches. When the water rises, nature goes to work.

Al Gettman works as a medical entomologist for the Department of Environmental Management. He expects Rhode Islanders will start feeling mosquitoes bites in a few weeks.

He says the ground is covered with puddles and organic debris, a nursery for mosquito larvae. But there's some good news: Each mosquito crop lives only four weeks.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:58 PM | Comment

Update: College graduation season kicking in / Photo

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
"My best friend gave me the bouquet of roses at home, just before I got in the car to come to the graduation," says Elizabeth Hughes of Warwick, who was graduating from the Community College of Rhode Island today with an associate's degree in general studies, with high honors. "I'm going to Rhode Island College next year--I want to be a Spanish teacher," she added.

Don't be surprised if you see people scurrying around this weekend in caps and gowns, as the annual college graduation season kicks into high gear.

The Community College of Rhode Island graduates its 40th class today during a 3:30 p.m. ceremony at its Warwick campus.

The St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing will hold its graduation tonight at 7 p.m., at
St. Augustine's Church, Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence.

Tomorrow, several Rhode Island institutions will hold commencement ceremonies, including Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island College, Bryant University, and Roger Williams University, where First Lady Laura Bush will be the featured speaker.

Sunday commencements include the University of Rhode Island, Providence College, and Salve Regina University.

For a full list of this year's college graduations, stories, e-cards and more, click here.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:51 PM | Comment

Jury may have to 'view' Station fire scene at warehouse

In what will probably be a first for Rhode Island, the jury in this summer’s planned Station fire criminal trial may be taken to see a crime scene that is no longer located where the crime took place.

Prosecutors today filed a request in Superior Court for what is known as a view, which, in ordinary cases, is a visit to the crime scene.

But, in the case of The Station nightclub, which caught fire Feb. 20, 2003, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200 others, the crime scene is no longer there. The remains of the West Warwick nightclub have been bulldozed, covered with dirt and converted into a makeshift memorial.

Before the site was cleaned up, though, lawyers who anticipated filing civil suits stemming from the fire had hired experts to dismantle what was left of the nightclub’s stage and reassemble it in a Cranston warehouse.

The filing asks that the jury in the trial of nightclub co-owner Michael A. Derderian be brought to that warehouse to see the stage, including the drummer’s alcove to the rear of the stage.

-- Journal staff writer Paul E. Parker

On the night of the fire, band manager Daniel M. Biechele had set up fireworks between the main stage and the drummer’s alcove. When rock band Great White took the stage, Biechele shot off the fireworks, which showered sparks onto the walls of the stage.

The walls had been covered with highly flammable polyurethane packing foam to dampen sound after the club’s neighbors had complained of noise. The foam caught fire and helped flames race through the building.

Michael Derderian’s trial on 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter -- two for each of the people who died -- is scheduled to start July 31 in the new Kent County courthouse.

His brother, Jeffrey A. Derderian, the club’s other owner, faces a separate trial later on the same charges. Last week, Biechele was sentenced to serve four years in prison after pleading guilty in February to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

-- Journal staff writer Paul E. Parker

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:19 PM | Comment

Update: Mixed receptions for First Lady

Associated Press
First Lady Laura Bush, left, waves as she makes a campaign appearance in Essex, Vt., today for Vermont Republican congressional candidate Martha Rainville.

PROVIDENCE -- First Lady Laura Bush is in the building, more than an hour before her scheduled appearance tonight at a fundraiser for Republican U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee.

Both protesters and media have gathered outside the Providence Biltmore hotel in downtown Providence, where the 6 p.m. event will be held.

And another group of supporters was expected to attend a special reception for Mrs. Bush at the Biltmore, just before her speaking engagement, according to a Chafee spokeswoman. They paid $2,500 each for the privilege of mingling with her in a second-floor room at the hotel.

Those attending the later event paid $500 to attend.

As the wind blew outside, about 20 protesters gathered to express their opinions on a variety of fronts, although most were expected to be there to protest the war in Iraq. But one carried a sign reading, "$500 a plate? I don't make $500 a week."

Meanwhile, the staff at the Starbucks cafe inside the hotel were buzzing -- and not from the caffeine. The place has been jammed with customers all day, they said.

-- With reports from projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Earlier today, the hotel and the surrounding area was crawling with Secret Service agents and local law enforcement preparing for her appearance.

Parking was restricted around the hotel, and bomb-sniffing dogs were checking the adjacent parking garage.

Several Secret service agents, sporting the traditional dark suits and ear pieces, were inside the downtown hotel's lobby.

Tomorrow, Mrs. Bush heads to Bristol, where she'll be the commencement speaker tomorrow afternoon at Roger Williams University.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:05 PM | Comment

Update: Students rally against Providence library closings

Journal photo / Kris Craig
Providence Mayor David Cicilline, speaks out against the closing of Providence Libraries, including the Knight Memorial branch in the background, on this afternoon at a rally with by area school students.

PROVIDENCE -- About 40 students beat drums, waved signs and chanted outside the Knight Memorial branch of the Providence Public Library this afternoon in an effort to stop the closure of six library branches.

Mayor David N. Cicilline attended the rally, as did eighth grader Chairis Rivas and about 25 students from Gilbert Stuart Middle School.

"I feel like this is going to make a big difference," Chairis said from a cell phone during the rally. "The kids really need these libraries."

In all, Rivas said about 75 people attended the afternoon rally, which spanned about an hour. Participants also signed a petition to stop the closures, which will be sent to the Providence City Council and to the library's board of trustees.

Making Connections Providence, a community-change initiative, provided some guidance and assistance to the students who are organizing today’s rally, communications coordinator Sally Turner said earlier today.

-- With reports from projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:47 PM | Comment

Update: Da Vinci Code draws small protest

Journal photo / Kris Craig
The Da Vinci Code shares billing with the horror movie, See No Evil, on the marquee on Showcase Cinemas in Warwick today.

WARWICK -- The Da Vinci Code opened at the Showcase Cinemas today amid mild protest by a handful of Catholics who held signs depicting Jesus Christ, shared in the saying of the Rosary and criticized the movie, based on the best-selling book, as blasphemous.

"I have no problem at all with entertainment,’’ said Francesca Silvestri, 53, of Providence, as she stood outside the movie theater at the corner of Division Street and Route 2, one of several protests and prayer vigils planned around the region. "I’m here to protest this movie for the way it depicts our Lord.’’

Silvestri said her major objection -- and what sits at the heart of the fictional tale -- is the assumption that Christ had married Mary Magdalene and had children and that a clandestine organization had existed for 2,000 years to protect that secret and their descendants.

Silvestri was one of four people at the Showcase who held signs reading: "I love our Lord Jesus Christ. I reject the Da Vinci Code.’’

Their protest received a mixed reception by passing motorists. Some honked their horns in supports. Others shouted epithets out the window.

Four protests were scheduled for today in Rhode Island and 19 in Massachusetts. They are among about 1,000 throughout the country affiliated with an organization called America Needs Fatima, according to Cranston resident Dawn Cousineau.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Cousineau was dashing out the door this morning for a prayer vigil she’s holding at the Showcase Cinema in Warwick, from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., to protest the message in the movie.

The three others are being coordinated by people in Providence, Westerly and Middletown, according to the Fatima site.

Prayer vigils are also being held in Newport today, tomorrow and Sunday at the Opera House from 3 to 6 p.m.; and in North Attleboro, Mass., today at the Showcase Cinema from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

As a volunteer who describes herself as a devout Catholic, Cousineau said she’s deeply opposed to this film, which she has not seen and will not because she says it is “blasphemous.”

“I’m very deeply opposed to this film,” Cousineau said. “It’s a Christ-bashing film, and it’s deeply insulting to the Catholic Church.”

Find out more about the movie and the book, and add your reaction to both, at:
http://www.projo.com/movies/davincicode/

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:58 PM | Comment

European Union OKs GTECH sale

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union today allowed Italy's betting company, Lottomatica, to buy GTECH Holdings Corp., a Rhode-Island-based provider of technology for the gaming industry, saying it saw no antitrust problems.

It gave the green light after an antitrust investigation of the gaming and betting markets in Italy, where Lottomatica operates the state-run "Lotto" sports events and betting services. The company had sales of 586 billion euros ($748.2 billion) in 2004.

Based in West Greenwich, from where it operates traditional lotteries and supplies gaming technology and machines worldwide, GTECH has only "a limited presence in gambling and betting in Italy," the EU said.

GTECH employs some 5,300 people in over 50 countries and had sales of $1.3 billion in 2005. Lottomatica is paying some 4 billion euros ($5.1 billion) for Gtech.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:42 PM | Comment

Carcieri to announce deal with Coast Guard

PROVIDENCE -- This afternoon Governor Carcieri will disclose details of a new partnership with the Coast Guard that will give local authorities more law enforcement power at sea.

Under the terms of the agreement, Rhode Island law enforcement officers, working with the Coast Guard, will have the authority to stop and board vessels and take action against people violating federal safety and security zones.

Carcieri and a Coast Guard commander will discuss the terms of the partnership at a State House briefing scheduled for 2 p.m.

The plan has drawn opposition from at least one lawmaker -- Rep. Raymond Gallison, D-Bristol, who fears Carcieri's agreement will hurt the state's ability to block plans for a liquefied natural gas operation in nearby Fall River.

A Carcieri spokesman, Jeff Neal, said that Gallison doesn't have his facts straight. The partnership does nothing to "promote, encourage, or enable the passage of LNG tankers through Rhode Island waters," Neal said.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:49 PM | Comment

Prosecutor: Mass. gay bar attack suspect just passing through Ark.

Prosecutor closes case in slaying of Gassville officer

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. -- The Arkansas prosecutor investigating the slaying of a police officer by a man wanted for a hatchet attack at a New Bedford, Mass., gay bar has ended his investigation, but can't say why Jacob Robida fled to Arkansas.

Robida, 18, shot and killed Gassville officer Jim Sell, 63, on Feb. 4 after Sell stopped Robida because his license tag didn't match his car. Sell didn't know Robida was suspected in a gun and hatchet attack two days before in New Bedford, in which three men were injured, according to the report by prosecutor Ron Kincaide.

Kincaide said Robida and a woman traveling with him, Jennifer Rena Bailey, 33, of Charleston, W.Va., sped away after the shooting but returned so Robida could retrieve his license.

"He (Robida) pulled his driver's license from Sell's dead hand to prevent us from knowing who he was," Kincade said.

Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:43 PM | Comment

Anti-war demonstrators to protest first lady in R.I.

PROVIDENCE -- Anti-war demonstrators are planning a protest when First Lady Laura Bush visits Providence this afternoon.

The Rhode Island Community Coalition for Peace plans to protest outside the Providence Biltmore Hotel in downtown Providence, where Mrs. Bush is expected to attend a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee.

The group says it wants the troops brought home.

Mrs. Bush is also expected to speak at Roger Williams University commencement ceremony tomorrow.

Both the fundraiser and commencement ceremony are closed to the public.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:48 AM | Comment

Municipal officials converge to discuss cost cutting

WARWICK -- Officials from the Carcieri administration will meet with a host of representatives from Rhode Island's cities and town this morning to talk about saving tax dollars.

The event is part of Cariceri's Fiscal Fitness Program, an effort that he says is projected to save taxpayers $140 million by the end of June.

Department of Adminstration Executive Director Brian Stern, who is the chief purchasing agent for the state, will explain how the model can save local communities money on things like records storage and centralizing town operations.

The meeting is planned for 8 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick. The governor is not expected to attend.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:31 AM | Comment

Raindrops keep falling

If you were up by 5:30, you might have thought the rain was going to skip over Providence. But no such luck. The morning’s clear air has turned to dark clouds in Providence, and heavy rain has begun to drench portions of southern New England as thunder claps in downtown Providence.

The National Weather Service reports there could be as much as one inch of rain in a few southern New England locations. This rain should cause many of the local rivers to hold steady or even rise slightly before resuming the recession that followed more than a week of steady rain.

This morning’s rain and patchy fog should clear, but our partly cloudy afternoon could also include showers. Expect highs in the mid-60s.

As for this weekend, expect highs in the lower 70s but know that we could have afternoon showers both days – and thunderstorms on Sunday.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:00 AM | Comment

Updated: Bike to Work Day in the rain / Photo

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Marc Tatar, a biology professor at Brown University, arrives on Kennedy Plaza this morning after riding his bike to work from his home in Barrington despite the rain. Bike Downtown provided breakfast for bicyclists this morning in downtown Providence to celebrate Bike to Work Day.

PROVIDENCE -- Today is Bike to Work Day, and some hardy bicyclists participated despite the heavy rain that hit the region.

Providence Mayor David Cicilline had planned to ride his bike to work but canceled because of a downpour that hit Providence at 7:30 a.m., when he was planning to leave, according to his spokeswoman.

Bike to Work Day was established to encourage people to go to work or school using alternative forms of transportation.

-- The Associated Press with projo.com reports.

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:18 AM | Comment