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« August 29, 2006 | Today | August 31, 2006 » August 30, 2006Update: Memorial nurses' union, hospital still far apartPAWTUCKET -- As a weekend strike deadline approaches, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island and its nurses are no closer to an agreement that would avert a walkout by unionized employees. There have been two federal mediation sessions since the union set a 7 a.m. Saturday strike deadline. Despite them, negotiators for the hospital and nurses remain far apart on several key issues, including mandatory overtime. Although a final mediation session is set to take place late tomorrow, Christopher Callaci, a union field representative, said the union, Local 5082 of the United Nurses and Allied Professionals, has scheduled a strike vote. He said union members will vote Friday after being informed of any progress that was made at the final mediation session, scheduled to begin 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Comfort Inn. Memorial said it is preparing for a strike by reducing the number of patients in its intensive care and medical and surgical units. More to come in tomorrow's Journal and on projo.com ... -- Journal staff writer John Castellucci "We’re almost at the level we need to be at for a long-term walkout,’’ said Francis R. Dietz, the hospital president. As of yesterday morning, there were just 47 patients in medical and surgical beds, and 4 or 5 patients in the intensive care unit, Dietz said. Dietz said the goal is to shrink the number of patients so that the few that remain in the hospital can receive quality care from the nurse managers and doctors who will remain on duty if unionized employees strike In press release today, the hospital vowed not to compromise patient care and is "standing firm" on what it says is the one remaining issue in dispute -- mandatory overtime for nurses. At an afternoon rally, the leaders of three unions, including Stan Israel of District 1199 and Debbie Ruggierio of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, voiced solidarity with the nurses, and two state legislators promised to reintroduce bills restricting mandatory overtime at hospital throughout the state. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr., D-Bristol, and Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., D-Smithfield, would prohibit a hospitalt from requiring hourly employees who provide direct medical care to patients to work beyond their scheduled 8-, 10- or 12-hour shifts except in emergencies. The legislation passed unanimously in the House but died in the Senate, where Tassoni said it arrived too late in the session for review. -- Journal staff writer John Castellucci Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:06 PM | Comment 7 beaches re-opened to swimming, 8 stay closedPROVIDENCE -- Hoping to get in a last few swims before the unofficial end of summer? You may be cheered to know that the state Department of Health has recommended the re-opening of seven beaches today to swimming, after bacteria levels were once again found to be acceptable. They are: Atlantic Beach Club Beach in Middletown, Easton's Beach in Newport, Goddard Memorial State Park, City Park Beach and Oakland Beach in Warwick, North Kingstown Town Beach and Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett. But eight beaches remain closed due to bacteria levels. They are: Barrington Town Beach, Bristol Town Beach, Conimicut Point Beach and Gorton Town Beach in Warwick, Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Mackerel Cove Beach in Jamestown, Third Beach in Middletown and Warren Town Beach. Still, the Health Department reminds, the status of beaches could change on a daily basis. You can check its Web site for updates here or call (401) 222-2751. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:45 PM | Comment Update: Striking Cumberland teachers to try mediation again / Photo
CUMBERLAND -- They'll try again tonight to reach agreement on a new teachers' contract, after the failure to do so last night led to teachers not showing up for work today and the cancellation of the first day of school. A mediation session has been scheduled for tonight, with teachers due to meet at 6 a.m. tomorrow to decide on what step to take next. The school department said today it plans to hold classes tomorrow. However, that had been the plan for today, too. Schools Superintendent Donna A. Morelle said union President Rod McGarry called her at 7:20 a.m. and told her that "teachers took a vote not to report to work today." "So in reaction to that vote, the district canceled school," Morelle said. Some of the teachers and supporters were picketing outside the high school today. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo A mediation session lasted until 2:30 or 3:30 a.m. today, according to Morelle. At that point, administrators decided to delay the start of school for an hour to give the teachers time to meet and decide whether to report for work. In an interview later this morning, McGarry said about 400 teachers voted unanimously this morning to not report for work. The union has about 428 members. He said no decision has been made about what the teachers will do tomorrow. McGarry said he's hoping for another mediation session today, but whether to hold another session is up to the mediator. Asked whether the teachers are calling their action a strike, McGarry said, "We are not using that word." Morelle said she was "quite dumbfounded" by the teachers' decision. She said teachers reported to school Monday for orientation and yesterday for professional development. Posted by Jack Perry at 5:47 PM | Comment Licensing board drops complaint against Sidebar tavernPROVIDENCE --For want of some records, a case was lost today at the Board of Licenses. The board threw out a police complaint against Sidebar & Grille, a downtown tavern owned by lawyer Artin H. Coloian, former chief of staff for imprisoned former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. City officials failed to produce records of cellphone calls and transcripts of traffic on police radios that the board subpoenaed at Coloian’s request. That failure, board members said, gave them no choice but to dismiss the allegations of overcrowding, unruliness and serving of underage patrons. Coloian needed the records to defend himself, said Chairman Andrew A. Annaldo and Vice Chairman Gordon Fox. The board delayed a decision until Friday. -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:25 PM | Comment Photo: Demolition of old Kent County Courthouse begins
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:16 PM | Comment Update: Biechele files motion to reduce his sentenceThe band manager who shot off fireworks that ignited The Station nightclub fire has asked a Superior Court judge to reduce his sentence of four years to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions. Daniel M. Biechele, 29, of Winter Springs, Fla., filed a one-sentence motion with the court on Aug. 25, which was announced today. It does not list reasons for seeking a reduction in the sentence, which included 11 years suspended and three years of probation. Biechele's lawyer, Thomas G. Briody, said the motion was submitted to beat a filing deadline in order to preserve Biechele's rights to seek a reduced sentence. Biechele is not seeking a hearing on his motion at this time. Under state law, defendants have 120 days to seek a reduction in sentencing. Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. sentenced Biechele on May 10, so the 120-day deadline is approaching. On Feb. 7, Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each of the people who died in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire in West Warwick. -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:31 PM | Comment Schilling throws 3,000th strikeoutOAKLAND, Calif. -- Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling became the 14th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 strikeouts when he fanned Oakland's Nick Swisher in the first inning today. The 39-year-old Schilling allowed a leadoff double to Jason Kendall before getting Swisher swinging for the miletstone strikeout. His accomplishment was announced, and Schilling received a lengthy ovation. He stepped off the mound and tipped his hat. The score was tied 1-1 in the second inning of play. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:11 PM | Comment Update: P&W stock dips as trading re-opensAfter setting a 52-week high yesterday, the stock of Providence & Worcester Railroad didn't trade for four hours today. When trading finally began at 1:30 p.m., the stock began to fall back. At 3 p.m. it it was off about 5 percent from Tuesday's high. The stock closed Thursday, Aug. 24 at $19.01 a share on volume of 200 shares. Then on Friday trading jumped to 10,500 shares. Volume was 11,100 shares on Monday and 8,700 shares yesterday when the stock closed at a 52-week high of $20.75. At 3 p.m. today, the stock was down 98 cents a share at $19.77 on volune of 3,600 shares. The railroad, based in Worcester, runs 516 miles of track between New Haven and Worcester.
Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:20 PM | Comment Former lead paint makers ask judge to dismiss suitPROVIDENCE - - Lawyers for three former lead paint manufacturers found liable for creating a public nuisance asked a judge today to dismiss the state's lawsuit against them, saying the state failed to provide enough evidence to support the verdict. A jury in February found three companies - Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries Inc. and Millennium Holdings LLC - liable for creating a public nuisance by manufacturing and selling a toxic product. The state says the verdict could cost the companies billions of dollars to clean up lead paint contamination in Rhode Island, though a judge has not yet decided how much, if anything, the companies must pay or even whether to uphold the jury's judgment. -- The Associated Press Lawyers for the companies, speaking before a packed courtroom today, said the state failed to show that lead pigment or paint manufactured by their clients or their predecessors was ever sold in Rhode Island or significantly contributed to any public nuisance here. Lawyers for the state planned to respond to the defense arguments this afternoon. Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein said he expected the arguments to stretch into tomorrow. Don Scott, a lawyer for NL Industries, said it was not enough for the state to suggest that the company at some point sold some type of lead product somewhere in Rhode Island. He said there was nothing to connect the companies' activities to the state's lead paint problems. "The record of any kind of nexus is thin, at best, as to NL or the other two defendants," Scott said. "I would suggest worse than thin, it is legally insufficient." The lawyers said the state promised evidence before the trial that never materialized and that jurors were forced to make a series of inferences to reach their verdict. Mickey Pohl, a lawyer for Sherwin-Williams, said the state tried to suggest that because the defendants were the dominant lead paint manufacturers, collectively, that their products must have ended up in Rhode Island. He said the state should have presented evidence "party by party, defendant by defendant." "The collective behavior is not a shoehorn by which the state can say its verdict can be sustained against Sherwin-Williams," Pohl said. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:21 PM | Comment Pollster: R.I. women cynical about political processRhode Island women tend to be disengaged from politics and many don't regard political activity as an effective way to influence their world, according to interpretations of a survey released today by the Women's Fund of Rhode Island. The telephone survey of 507 women age 18 to 75, conducted last week, found that Rhode Island women are focused on their local communities, willing to volunteer, committed to voting, but "cynical" about the political process, pollster Anna Greenberg said in presenting the results today. A key reason, Greenberg asserted, is that Rhode Island has had few women In a finding that Greenberg called "stunning," only 13 percent of the This is in spite of the fact that Rhode Island voters could help tip the balance of power in the U.S. Senate if they elect a Democrat in November, and that in a small state, each vote carries more weight. Read another story on the survey from today's Journal. -- Journal staff writer Felice Freyer The survey was done as a followup to a 2002 study of status of Rhode The Women's Fund, founded in 2001 with the help of the Rhode Island Cone-Tighe said that the Women's Fund would use the survey results to The survey was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a research and Posted by Jack Perry at 2:06 PM | Comment School for the Deaf teachers didn't go to workPROVIDENCE – Without a settled teachers contract, the 41 School for the Deaf teachers did not attend a professional development session today. Students are set to start school next Tuesday. Union leader Robert A. Walsh Jr. “very concerned” about reaching a settlement for the school, which educates about 105 students, ages 3 through 21. Walsh is executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Education Association, which represents the school’s teachers. “Now I’m very concerned,” Walsh said early this afternoon. “I’ve gone from concerned to very concerned. Folks didn’t go to professional development today, so we really have to get this done this weekend so school can open for the kids next week.” The NEA represents the state-run School for the Deaf and several local districts where contract talks have come down to the wire this year, including the Cumberland School District. Teachers in Cumberland are out on strike today instead of teaching on what was scheduled to be the first day of school for students. Walsh has declined to say what issues are holding up contract negotiations at the School for the Deaf, but he did offer one piece of information following news reports that teachers there do not pay a portion of their health insurance. "Co-pay [for health insurance] is not the issue, by the way," he said. "That's not the issue." Walsh said he does not know when the next negotiation session will be set. Nothing was scheduled as of last night, he said. "I think it's absolutely safe to say we are hoping to meet with management tonight to continue negotiations, and we will be available from tonight through the weekend to make sure we can get things done," he said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:46 PM | Comment Mass. announces plans to ease Boston trafficBOSTON -- State transportation officials plan to add more commuter trains and boats and urge commuters to car pool under steps announced today to ease traffic delays around Boston when the number of cars on the road increases after Labor Day. Tunnel closures caused by a fatal Big Dig ceiling collapse in July have clogged roads and frustrated motorists traveling in and out of the capital city. The governor has said it could take several months before traffic is flowing again through the entire Big Dig tunnel system. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:34 PM | Comment Husband of woman killed in Big Dig tunnel wants "justice"BOSTON -- The husband of a woman who was killed by falling concrete ceiling panels in a Big Dig tunnel today criticized the contractors and overseers of the massive highway project for putting financial concerns above the safety of motorists. "I want justice for what happened," said Angel Del Valle, 46, of Boston, who managed to squeeze through the window of his crushed car to escape the July 10 accident that killed his wife, Milena Del Valle, 39, a mother of three. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:16 AM | Comment U.S. basketball team advances to world semifinalsThe United States basketball team, looking to rebuild its international prestige after a half-decade of failure on the world stage, cruised past Germany, 85-65, this morning in Saitama, Japan, and advanced to the semifinals of the world basketball championships. The U.S. will play Greece in the semifinals, with Spain and Argentina meeting in the other semifinal matchup. Posted by Art at 9:30 AM | Comment Ernesto, there's still a small chance he'll visit usThe National Hurricane Center puts the probability that tropical storm Ernesto will blow through Providence this weekend at 3 percent. The probabilities of sustained winds of around 40 mph are higher for other east-coast cities: New York, 10 percent; Atlantic City 14 percent; Baltimore, 22 percent. In contrast, the Weather Service predicts that Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina have more than a 40 percent chance of getting hit by the storm. Ernesto made land in southern Florida early this morning. Peter Phipps Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:17 AM | Comment Clouds and a chance of showers todayThe National Weather Service calls for a slight chance of showers before 9 a.m. today and a mostly cloudy day with a high near 76 degrees. Clouds should clear out tonight with the temperature dropping into the 50s. Tomorrow should be sunny with a high near 72 degrees. For more weather and updates, see projo.com/weather. |
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Oct 2005 - March 2006