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July 3, 2006

Update: Chance of storm may threaten some fireworks

A severe thunderstorm warning for northwestern Providence County, including Woonsocket, has just expired.

But if you're planning to attend fireworks in that area tonight, you may still face the chance of a storm and rain.

The weather service initially predicted a thunderstorm capable of producing quarter-size hail, lightning and destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. But it says the system has since weakened.

Fireworks displays celebrating the Fourth of July are set to go around 9 p.m. or later in a number of Rhode Island communities tonight, including Burrillville in northern Rhode Island, where it was raining a few minutes ago, police said.

Before you head out, check projo.com's weather page for the latest conditions and forecasts.

And if you miss the fireworks tonight, more are on tap for tomorrow, the actual holiday, as well as parades and more. Check our July Fourth Web page for details.

-- With reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:43 PM | Comment

Update: Police probing quahogger's death

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- The police are investigating the apparent drowning of a quahogger off Lone Tree Point on Sunday afternoon.

Robert Gieck, 43, of North Kingstown, was found floating in the water near the end of Earle Drive around 5:30 p.m. while out clamming with another man and their girlfriends, Lt. Robert Desjarlais said.

The second man, whom police would not identify, had returned to shore shortly before Gieck’s body was discovered.

The state medical examiner’s office performed an autopsy today that will be complete "pending further studies.’’ The police continue to question people "to try to fill in the holes’’ in the case, Desjarlais said.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Vincent Gieck, of Glocester, said he was preparing a baseball field for an all-star game when he got the call Sunday that his brother’s body had been found. A day earlier, Robert had told him about his plan to go clamming on his day off at an excellent spot.

"He wasn’t a swimmer so he wouldn’t go deep,’’ Vincent Gieck said.

An occasional landscaper, Robert had two children and a grandson who live in Rhode Island, his brother said.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:10 PM | Comment

Update: 2 Mass. teens critical after Rte. 1 crash

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Two Massachusetts teenagers have been downgraded to critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital this afternoon, following a car rollover on Route 1 yesterday.

Passengers Jared Osburn, 18, and Valerie Goulet, 16, both of Mendon, Mass., had previously been listed in serious condition.

The driver, Richard Scalise, 19, of Upton, Mass., was heading north on Route 1 when he apparently veered off the road, smashed into a telephone pole and flipped his Volkswagen Jetta at around 4 p.m., State Police Sgt. Frank Sullivan said.

No other cars were involved in the accident, which is under investigation, Sullivan said.

-- Journal staff writer Paul Davis

Scalise and passenger Emily Prior, 17, also of Upton, were treated for minor injuries at South County Hospital.

A police team is trying to determine if speed, alcohol or other factors played a role in the crash, Sullivan said.

Scalise was the only one wearing a seat belt. The telephone pole and wires fell across the road, forcing police to reroute traffic for more than two hours from Route 1 to Route 1A, Sullivan said.

-- Journal staff writer Paul Davis

Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:54 PM | Comment

R.I. man, 21, missing in Virginia waters

GLASGOW, Va. -- Rescue crews searched today for a Rhode Island man who disappeared while rafting in the James River in Rockbridge County.

Authorities say the 21-year-old senior at Liberty University, whose name was not released, was rafting with a friend in rapids Friday afternoon when he fell into the river near Glasgow.

Robert Foresman, the county's emergency management coordinator, said the men were not wearing life jackets.

Search-and-rescue teams from Virginia and Maryland spent the weekend searching for the man. Foresman said the recovery effort has been difficult because of flooding last week and the river's width, which ranges from 300 yards to 500 yards in some areas.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com staff

The missing man is an intern at Boonsboro Country Club in Lynchburg, Foresman said.

University officials and local police could not be reached by projo.com today for more information.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com staff

Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:49 PM | Comment

Coast Guard seeks details on LNG transit plan

The Coast Guard said it does not expect to get the information it needs to evaluate navigation safety of the proposed LNG facility in Fall River, Mass., until November.

The agency had asked Weaver's Cove Energy for additional information in March after Weaver's Cove proposed using smaller LNG tankers and more frequent deliveries to its planned LNG terminal in Fall River.

In March, Roy A. Nash, the Coast Guard's captain of the port for Southeastern New England, expressed concerns about the modified transit plan, saying it "may be feasible," but would require "extraordinary maneuvers" for the tankers to safely pass through the old and new Brightman Street bridges.

In an update released this afternoon by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nash said he has asked Weaver's Cove for more information about LNG tanker and tug boat design, results of a computer simulation of an LNG tanker transit, contingency plans, and other information.

Nash said if he determines that tankers can proceed through Narragansett Bay, Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River safely, he'll then evaluate the modified proposal's impact on marine safety and impacts on the environment, including increased bridge openings.

Posted by Tim Barmann at 5:44 PM | Comment

Johnston board to debate closing school tonight

JOHNSTON -- The School Committee meets at 6 o'clock tonight to consider whether to reorganize and potentially close one or more elementary schools as a way to trim the district’s budget. The meeting is at the N.A. Ferri Middle School.

Read more about the meeting in a Journal story.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:40 PM | Comment

Electricity back on after fire at Block Island marina

BLOCK ISLAND -- Electricity was restored at Champlin's Marina today, the day after a fire destroyed the waterside resort's power plant.

About 30 firefighters responded at 11:24 a.m. yesterday to a report of a dryer fire at the marina, set at the edge of the Great Salt Pond, said Fire Chief Ned Connelly. They found flames shooting from the roof of the building housing three generators that served as the resort's main power source.

The crew knocked the fire down in about 10 minutes, relying in part on water drawn from a swimming pool, Connelly said.

The firefighters were assisted in containing the blaze by southwest winds, which kept the flames away from an adjacent hotel and the Overlook, a building that houses summer employees, Connelly said.

The electrical fire is believed to be "completely accidental,'' he said.

By yesterday evening, two portable generators almost the size of tractor trailer trucks had arrived by ferry to restore power to the resort over the busy holiday weekend, said Robert D. Goldberg, Champlin's lawyer.

-- Journal staffer Katie Mulvaney

"Customers were very cooperative,'' Goldberg said. Most of the boating crowd were longstanding visitors to the marina, he said.

He also praised the firefighters. "They were fantastic,'' he said. "They averted a true disaster.''

-- Journal staffer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:18 PM | Comment

House fire in Warren quickly brought under control

WARREN -- Firefighters responded to a house fire on Locust Terrace this afternoon, bringing it under control in 20 or 25 minutes.

The police said no one was injured in the fire at 29 Locust Terrace. Firefighters went to the scene at 3:59 p.m., with four engines, a ladder truck and a rescue truck responding.

-- Journal staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:58 PM | Comment

Update: Reed aims to assess Iraqi security forces

CRANSTON -- About to leave on his eighth trip to Iraq, Sen. Jack Reed said today that he will continue to press for the redeployment of U.S. combat forces beginning this year.

"This is a critical moment" in the war, the Rhode Island Democrat said, and for both tactical and strategic reasons, the departure of American forces is the right move.

Reed said he expects to meet with civilian leaders and also to assess the condition of Iraqui security forces, particularly their willingness to serve the government rather than sectarian and religious militias.

The member of the Senate Armed Services Committee said he hopes to visit top U.S. commanders in Baghdad, small unit commanders about the country who are closest to the battle against the insugency, and members of the 43rd Military Police Brigade of the Rhode Island National Guard.

Reed will travel with fellow Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware. They will focus on the prospects for reductions in U.S. force levels.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis / blandis@projo.com

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:35 PM | Comment

Alleged shoplifter's accomplice held without bail

PROVIDENCE -- A District Court judge this afternoon ordered held without bail the alleged accomplice of a suspected shoplifter who was killed by a North Smithfield police officer yesterday.

Carl Dinsmore, 45, of 93 Howard Ave., Cranston, was ordered held after he was found in violation of probation for two previous shoplifting convictions.

Dinsmore is charged with shoplifting more than $100 of baby formula, conspiring with James Wilcox to commit shoplifting and also being a habitual offender.

The police say Dinsmore was with Wilcox yesterday afternoon when Wilcox was shot and killed outside a Super Stop & Shop on Route 146A.

According to the police, a police officer shot Wilcox once in the stomach after Wilcox, driving a minivan, struck the police officer while trying to flee the parking lot.

The police say Dinsmore fled and was later apprehended in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's restaurant.

Wilcox's daughter, who the police would not identify, was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.

The Rhode Island State Police are investigating the shooting.

Dinsmore initially appeared in court for a brief hearing on the charges from Sunday's incident, and was then brought to another courtroom to determine whether he had violated his probation.

He did not enter a plea today, and there was no new information on the shooting.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:20 PM | Comment

Update: Carcieri can put questions on ballot

PROVIDENCE -- A Superior Court judge sided with the Carcieri administration this afternoon, ruling that the governor can place nonbinding questions on the November ballot.

The secretary of state sought a ruling after the General Assembly revoked the governor’s power to place questions on the ballot last month. At issue were two specific questions Governor Carcieri submitted in May, before the assembly vote.

But Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. ruled today that the governor has an inherent power to place any nonbinding ballot question on the ballot with or without the authority of the General Assembly.

According to a statement released this afternoon, Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. said that the state Constitution contains no “express prohibition” against the practice. The judge emphasized the nonbinding nature of the questions, and noted they could be useful in measuring the sentiment of the public.

Lawyers for the secretary of state, General Assembly and the governor gave arguments before Judge Fortunato this morning, and the judge issued his ruling early this afternoon.

Read the full story about the case in today's Journal.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Elizabeth Gudrais

Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:29 PM | Comment

Update: Suspect ID'd in stabbings at Atwells Ave. home

PROVIDENCE – The suspect in a multiple stabbing at an Atwells Avenue home has been identified by police today as the brother of one of three victims.

Ramon Pagan, 34, faces three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and three counts of possession of a knife while committing a crime of violence, according to Detective Sgt. Michael Sweeney.

Pagan is accused of stabbing his sister, 37-year-old Ivette Pagan; her boyfriend, 53-year-old Lorenzo Betances; and that couple’s 16-year-old son, Luis Betances, at 1016 Atwells Ave. last night.

The Pagan siblings and Luis Betances live at 1016 Atwells Ave. and Lorenzo Betances lives elsewhere in Providence, Sweeney said.

The stabbing was unprovoked, the family told the police. “There was no fight, no argument,” Sweeney said the police were told. “The family can’t explain it.”

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

According to Pagan’s family, Ramon Pagan is under a doctor’s care at The Providence Center, Sweeney said.

After a 911 call was placed from the Atwells Avenue home, the police arrived to find Ramon Pagan standing in the driveway wearing a blood-soaked shirt. Sweeney said the family identified him as the one who stabbed the three others.

Pagan was treated and released from Rhode Island Hospital for injuries the police believe he sustained while wielding the switchblade used in the attack, Sweeney said. He was expected to be arraigned in District Court today, Sweeney said.

The worst of the stabbings was sustained by Lorenzo Betances, Sweeney said. With a stab wound to his right shoulder and to his right hand, he was in “pretty serious condition” at Rhode Island Hospital, Sweeney said.

Ivette Pagan was treated and released from Rhode Island Hospital with a stab wound to her right hip area. Luis Betances was treated at Rhode Island Hospital for a stab wound to his left knee, Sweeney said.

Although the police said this morning that the triple stabbing took place during a house party, Sweeney said he does not believe there was any party at the home last night.

Also at the Atwells Avenue residence during the stabbing was the mother of Ivette and Ramon Pagan and a young child, Sweeney said.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:15 PM | Comment

Update: Annika scores the win at U.S. Women's Open

NEWPORT -- Annika Sorenstam quickly put an end to Pat Hurst's hopes today, beating her by four strokes in less than 3 1/2 hours to win the U.S. Women's Open.

Sorenstam held a commanding lead throughout today's playoff at tne Newport Country Club, to net first prize, $560,000, the biggest payoff in women's golf.

For a look at today's action, read projo.com staffer Mike McDermott's blog from the Newport Country Club.

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

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:30 PM | Comment

Update: Police officer in shoplifting shooting ID'd

NORTH SMITHFIELD -- Authorities have released the name of the officer who fatally shot a shoplifting suspect yesterday afternoon as he fled from a supermarket in a minivan.

Russell B. Amato, a seven-year veteran of the Police Department, has been placed on paid administrative lead while the state police investigate the incident.

The Rhode Island State Police has begun investigating the shooting.

More to come ...

Amato shot and killed James Wilcox, 34, of Pawtucket, who was suspected of stealing baby formula from a local supermarket. Wilcox struck an officer with his car while trying to flee the scene, according to police.

The officer fired a single fatal shot, hitting Wilcox in the stomach.

Wilcox's 5-year-old daughter was in the car.

North Smithfield police asked the state police to take over the investigation, according to a statement released this morning. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:11 PM | Comment

Gas prices up again

PROVIDENCE -- The average price of regular unleaded gasoline in Rhode Island is $2.99 per gallon, according to a survey conducted by AAA Southern New England released this morning.

That price is up 4 cents from last week.

At the beginning of 2006, the average price was $2.25 per gallon. And it was $2.27 per gallon at this time last year.

AAA found a range in prices across Rhode Island from $2.91 to $3.13. The company suggests that motorists shop around for the best prices, according to a statement released this morning.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 10:26 AM | Comment

Judge to hear Carcieri ballot argument this morning

PROVIDENCE -- Lawyers for the General Assembly and Governor Carcieri will square off today in Superior Court over the governor's ability to place nonbinding referenda on the ballot.

The General Assembly recently voted to strip the governor of that power. At issue today is whether two questions Carcieri submitted before the Assembly's vote will still appear on the November ballot.

The matter is scheduled to go before Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato at 11 a.m.

Read the full story in today's Journal.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 8:34 AM | Comment

Police searching for man in alleged skateboard attack

The Cumberland police have an arrest warrant for a young man believed to have bashed a skateboarder in the head Friday night with a nylon sack filled with hard objects, possibly rocks.

Capt. Ralph Liguori said that the police are searching for Anthony Santiago, 19, of Central Falls. The warrant alleges that Santiago committed assault with a dangerous weapon, according to Liguori.

Liguori said that Santiago is not friends with the victim, 18-year-old Ernie Lagassey of Cumberland, who was skating with his friends at the skate park across from the Town Hall at around 6 p.m. Friday.

Lagassey told the police that two young men approached the skate park and taunted and jeered the skaters. Then one of the men spit in one of skater's faces. Lagassey intervened and was hit in the face with a hard sack, according to the police.

Lagassey's wounds required several stitches.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 8:28 AM | Comment

Rhode Islanders to become U.S. citizens today

PROVIDENCE -- More than 15 Rhode Island residents will become American citizens today.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is holding a special naturalization ceremony this morning at the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence -- the site where Roger Williams first founded a settlement in 1636 to provide refuge for people seeking religious freedom.

The ceremony is one of many events the immigration department is organizing across the nation to celebrate Independence Day.

More than 18,000 people are expected to become American citizens during the July 4 celebrations.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:55 AM | Comment

Big night planned in Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Thousands of people are expected to flock to downtown Providence later today as the city has a series of events planned to celebrate the July 4 holiday.

First, a 12-member orchestra known as Plena Libre will begin playing at Station Park at 6:30 p.m. The Grammy-nominated group specializes in a new and revitalized form of traditional Afro-Rican musical style.

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Pops orchestra will follow at 8 p.m., with fireworks above Station Park scheduled to begin at 10 p.m.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:37 AM | Comment

Warm day, slight chance of showers this afternoon

PROVIDENCE -- The National Weather Service is calling for temperatures to reach the mid 80s today, with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of showers this afternoon.

The wind is also expected to shift today, from the northwest to the south, blowing at about 8 mph.

The chance of precipitation is 20 percent this afternoon, and similar weather is expected to persist through tonight's fireworks displays. There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms until midnight, according to the weather service.

For more weather and updates, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:00 AM | Comment