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August 31, 2006

State objects to Biechele motion to lessen sentence

PROVIDENCE -- The state Attorney General's Office has objected formally to Daniel M. Biechele's motion to reduce his sentence of four years to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions.

Biechele, 29, of Winter Springs, Fla., was the band manager who shot off fireworks that ignited The Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people in February 2003. His attorneys filed a one-sentence motion with the court last week seeking to reduce his sentence, which was applied in May after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges.

Today, the state filed a motion objecting to the reduction.

"The sentence that the court imposed was well-reasoned and appropriate under all the circumstances," reads the state's motion. "There has been no change in circumstances since the imposition of the defendant's sentence that would in any way warrant a reduction...The state submits that no factual or legal basis exists to alter the sentence..."

Biechele's attorney said he filed the motion to beat a court deadline. He has not asked the court to schedule a hearing on the matter.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:48 PM | Comment

Sox' 'Broadway' Charlie Wagner dies at 93

BOSTON -- "Broadway" Charlie Wagner, a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who worked for the organization 70 years, died early today of an apparent heart attack. He was 93.

Wagner was stricken after attending a Reading Phillies-New Britain Rock Cats game in his hometown of Reading, Pa.

Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino said Wagner's dedication and loyalty to the Red Sox were unmatched. "In recent years, we had been honored with his frequent visits to Fenway Park and looked forward each opening day to his call of, 'Play Ball,"' Lucchino said.

-- Associated Press

Johnny Pesky, Wagner's former teammate and also a longtime member of the Red Sox organization, said Wagner was "a wonderful man."

"I never heard him say anything bad about anybody," Pesky said. "It was a little unusual for any type of ballplayer because you gripe about something. But he never griped about anything.

"I thought he'd live to be 100," Pesky said.

Reading Police Capt. Francis Drexler said Wagner was found in the passenger seat of his car in the parking lot at FirstEnergy Stadium, where he was a fixture and had earlier participated in an awards ceremony. He was pronounced dead of natural causes at 12:09 a.m. Thursday.

-- Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:39 PM | Comment

Firefighter hurt in blaze at abandoned Providence building

PROVIDENCE -- A firefighter was hurt this afternoon after falling through the floor of an abandoned building while battling a fire on the city's west side.

Police were called to empty two-story brick commercial building at 18 Constitution St., which is just off Cranston Street, at about 4 p.m.

Lt. Ernest Young, of Engine Company 8, was in charge of the first group of firefighters that arrived at the two-alarm blaze.

Soon after the group entered the burning building, Young stepped into an opening in the floor that was partially covered with debris, according to J. Curtis Varone, deputy assistant fire chief. Young fell 12 feet to the basement floor.

He was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was being treated for knee, wrist and back injuries, Varone said. The injuries do not appear to be life threatening.

"We're hopeful he'll be released tonight, but that's pending," Varone said. "He has some pretty significant back pain. They want to see if he has any cracked vertebrae."

The fire badly damaged the building, which was a former automobile repair facility. Firefighters contained the blaze by about 4:30 p.m. Authorities are investigating the cause.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:25 PM | Comment

Providence toddler falls from second-story window

PROVIDENCE -- A 15-month-old boy was hospitalized this afternoon after falling through a second-story window.

The child apparently fell off a couch and through a screen from a second-floor apartment located at 174 Chad Brown St., according to J. Curtis Varone, deputy assistant fire chief.

The child suffered trauma to the face, Varone said. He was conscious and crying when rescue personnel arrived, who took him to Hasbro Children's Hospital. The child was not identified.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:21 PM | Comment

Update: RIC poll finds Laffey surging ahead of Chafee

PROVIDENCE -- With their primary less than two weeks away, Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey has surged ahead of U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee in the battle for the Republican nomination in the November election, according to poll results released today by Rhode Island College's Bureau of Government Research and Services.

If the Sept. 12 primary were held today, 51 percent of likely Republican primary voters say they will vote for Laffey, 34 percent support Senator Chafee, and 15 percent are undecided. A RIC survey of Republican voters conducted in June had Laffey at 39 percent and Chafee at 36 percent.

“Since early summer, Senator Chafee has been unable to expand his base of support," said Victor Profughi, a longtime political science professor and Rhode Island pollster, who ran the poll. "The Lieberman phenomenon, where a partisan base closes ranks around the ‘true partisan’ candidate, seems to be at work in Rhode Island, as it was on the Democratic side in Connecticut. Laffey’s efforts to link Chafee with the extremely unpopular President Bush also appear to be paying off.”

The statewide survey of 363 likely Republican primary voters was conducted Aug. 28 to Aug. 30. The poll has a margin of error of 5.1 percentage points.

A previous poll by RIC, conducted in June, showed the two GOP candidates in a virtual tie for the nomination.

Chafee spokesman Ian Lang dismissed today's poll results. "We’ve always known that this was going to be a tough race. And [today's poll] certainly doesn’t respect what our own internal polls are showing," he said. "We feel good with where we are going into the primary."

Laffey's spokeswoman Nachama Soloveichik said the new data is "evidence that the mayor's message in resonating" with voters.

Other polls continue to show the likely Democratic candidate for Senate, Sheldon Whitehouse, with commanding leads over Laffey, and small leads over the moderate Chafee. National Republicans, including President Bush, continue to support Chafee, who they believe is more likely to win in the general election.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples, with reports from Journal staff writer Katherine Gregg

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:35 PM | Comment

State seeks to block 5 Derderian defense witnesses

PROVIDENCE -- The state attorney general's office filed motions today seeking to block five witnesses -- including a foam expert and the state fire marshal -- from testifying in Michael Derderian's looming trial stemming from The Station fire disaster.

In separate motions for each of the five witnesses, the state has argued that their expected testimony is either irrelevant, or that the defense team violated court rules by waiting too long to notify the prosecution of the witnesses.

The witnesses include state Fire Marshal George Farrell and Assistant Deputy Fire Marshal William Howe, who are expected to testify about the complexities of the fire code and Rhode Island's general practice of notifying a property owner of a fire code violation before filing criminal charges.

Derderian and his brother, Jeffrey Derderian, owners of The Station nightclub, are charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of 100 people during the fire in February 2003. The state claims the brothers are criminally negligent in the deaths for using highly flammable soundproofing foam that violated the state's fire code and because the club was overcrowded.

The state also seeks to block testimony by Robert Schroeder, a fire safety expert expected to testify that he examined various types of soundproofing foam, finding it impossible to determine by sight whether they were flame-resistant.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Another contested witness, Thomas Brown, is expected to provide critical testmony regarding former West Warwick Fire Inspector Denis Larocque's occupancy limits. "Mr. Brown will testify as to the calculation errors made by [Larocque] using his own figures as contained in his notes," reads the initial defense motion describing Brown's expected testimony.

Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. has yet to schedule a hearing to rule of the state's motions.

Jury selection for Derderian's trial is set to begin next week, though opening statements likely won't begin until early October.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:23 PM | Comment

Ortiz released from hospital

Slugger David Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General this morning, according to Red Sox spokesman John Blake.

Ortiz returned to Boston from the team's West Coast trip for evaluation after he felt heart palpitations just before Monday night's game in Oakland. It was the second time in August that Ortiz was treated for the problem.

Blake had no additional information.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:18 PM | Comment

Late summer rerun: More filming in Providence

PROVIDENCE – It would be hard to miss the CBS television crew for the series Waterfront if you’re downtown today.

The big film trucks and trailers line Exchange Street in front of the Rhode Island Foundation.

The crew is filming in City Hall today and plans to be back tomorrow, said Jenny Peek, the city’s film manager in the Department of Art, Culture & Tourism.

Starring Joe Pantoliano as the charismatic but “ethically challenged” mayor of Providence, the show has been picked up by CBS as a mid-season replacement. That means it will probably be broadcast in either January or March.

And since they’re now planning to film nine episodes, we’ll be seeing a lot of them here in Providence – from now through February or so, Peek said.

But they won’t have to do all their filming right downtown. That’s because they’ve re-created a full replica of the Providence mayor’s office – with their own “stylistic enhancements,” according to Peek – in a warehouse in Cumberland.

Nevertheless, prepare to see those movie trucks and trailers quite a bit downtown and in some city neighborhoods, including the East Side and over near the courthouses, Peek said.

The trucks do take up parking spots, but they’re working to be as unobtrusive as possible, Peek said.

The crew wants to keep coming back here, so they have “an incredible desire” to figure out how to make this work for the residents of Providence, she said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:49 AM | Comment

Sox' Lester tested for enlarged lymph nodes

BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital for testing after enlarged lymph nodes were discovered during a medical exam, the team announced today.

Lester was placed on the disabled list with a strained back Monday and was being tested to determine the cause of his back pain when the enlarged lymph nodes were identified, according to the statement from Dr. Thomas Gill, the team's medical director. The Boston Herald first reported the enlarged lymph nodes on its Web site Wednesday night.

Lester is 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 81 and 1/3 innings. Gill said he was resting comfortably.

Lester's problems were the latest on a team that's been riddled with injuries.

Slugger David Ortiz returned to Boston from the team's West Coast trip for evaluation after he felt heart palpitations just before Monday night's game in Oakland. It was the second time in August that Ortiz was treated for the problem.

Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General on Thursday morning, according to Red Sox spokesman John Blake. He had no additional information.

Left fielder Manny Ramirez has missed several games with a knee injury, and center fielder Coco Crisp injured his shoulder making a diving catch Tuesday.

Catcher Jason Varitek, shortstop Alex Gonzalez and outfielders Trot Nixon and Wily Mo Pena are also out with injuries.

Varitek, Gonzalez and Nixon were scheduled to make rehab appearances Thursday night for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:27 AM | Comment

Gas leak at Warwick home spurs evacuation

WARWICK -- A gas leak inside a city home has prompted police to evacuate a small area around Kilvert Street.

There were no details about the leak, which was reported at 10:39 a.m. at 77 Cottage St., but Lt. Mark Brandreth said that police, fire, and the gas company were on the scene and the evacuations were precautionary.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Posted by Steve Peoples at 11:26 AM | Comment

School for the Deaf, teachers reach tentative deal

The state-run School for the Deaf in Providence will open next Tuesday as scheduled, thanks to a tentative contract agreement reached early today between the school's 41 teachers and its board of trustees.

“We reached a tentative agreement at about 1:30 this morning, and the teachers are at orientation today,” said Marc Gursky, chairman of the board. “The talks were productive, and I thought negotiations went just as well as we would expect them to go when there are difficult issues to address.”

Gursky declined to specify what the key issues were, saying the new contract needs to be ratified by the union first.

Gursky said the teachers will meet Sept. 7 to ratify a new three-year contract and the trustees will meet to approve it Sept. 12.

The current contract expires today, and teachers yesterday did not attend a professional development day. However, the missed day will not affect the opening of school next week, Gursky said.

The School for the Deaf has about 105 students.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:12 AM | Comment

Photo: Golf tips from Tiger

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Tiger Woods, in Norton, Mass., for the Deutsche Bank Championship, gives some driving tips to Deutsche Bank CEO Seth H. Waugh along the seventh fairway during today's Pro-Am. Tournament play begins tomorrow at The Players Club of Boston in Norton and continues until Monday.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:14 AM | Comment

As strike deadline nears, hospital heads back to mediation

PAWTUCKET – Nurses and hospital administrators at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island head back to the mediation table at 5 p.m. today as a strike deadline of 7 a.m. Saturday looms.

The hospital and the United Nurses & Allied Professionals, Local 5082, were no closer late yesterday to an agreement that would avoid a strike. Both sides have met twice with a federal mediator since the union that represents 400 health-care workers issued its 10-day strike notice that would allow a walkout on Saturday.

Administration has drastically reduced the number of patients in the hospital as it prepares to care for the remaining patients with nurse managers and doctors who will continue to work if there’s a strike.

The union plans one final vote, set for tomorrow, on whether to go forward with strike plans.

Read more in today’s Journal about the situation at Memorial Hospital.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:29 AM | Comment

$6.9M in grants will help Providence kids learn to read

PROVIDENCE -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will visit Providence today to announce $6.9 million in grants that will help some 1,500 children learn to read.

The two grants are being awarded to Ready to Learn Providence, a program operated by The Providence Plan. The Providence Plan is a nonprofit organization working to reduce poverty and urban decline.

The grants will be used to help 3- to 5-year-old children at risk for early reading difficulty.

Governor Carcieri and U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee will join Spellings. Shortly before the noon grants announcement, Carcieri, Chafee and Spellings will read to kindergarten students of John Hope Settlement House at Ready to Learn Providence on Westminster Street.

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:21 AM | Comment

Overnight fires in Providence displace 11, injure 1

PROVIDENCE – Fire crews this morning are investigating two house fires from overnight, one in the Elmwood neighborhood that displaced four adults and seven children and one in a vacant building in Smith Hill that sent a firefighter to the hospital with minor injuries.

The fire in Elmwood, in a three-family house at 69 Laura St., displaced three families, according to Red Cross spokeswoman Angie Moncada. The fire started in a child’s first-floor bedroom around 9 p.m., Moncada said. Crews put it out in 15 or 20 minutes, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

The Red Cross provided food and clothing for all three families and paid for one family of two adults and a child to stay in a hotel, Moncada said. One adult and two children were just moving in and could stay in their former residence, Moncada said. The fire broke out in the apartment of the third family, which consisted of one adult and four children. That family stayed in the neighborhood with family and friends, Moncada said.

The second fire, at 26-28 Frederick St., broke out on the second floor of a three-and-a-half story building. Crews were called at about 2:55 a.m., and the fire was under control at 3:35 a.m., Taylor said.

Fire crews were called out of the building when they couldn’t control the blaze from inside, Taylor said. They fought it from outside until they could safely go back inside, he said.

The firefighter who suffered minor injuries was taken to Roger Williams Hospital, Taylor said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:12 AM | Comment

Update: Traffic better on Rt. 195 East, Route 95 South

PROVIDENCE -- Traffic is easing around Providence after early morning jams on Route 195 East and Route 95 South because of road work.

Traffic on Route 195 was flowing well in both directions around 8:20 a.m., according to the state's Traffic Management Center.

But there was still some residual backup on Route 95 South.

At about 6:30 a.m., traffic appeared to be down to one lane on Route 195 East in Providence as paving work continued past a 6 a.m. deadline.

Traffic was backed up on Route 195 East. Traffic on Route 95 South was also backed up as drivers tried turning onto Route 195 South.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:32 AM | Comment

Update: Smiling Cumberland teachers head to work

CUMBERLAND -- Cumberland teachers emerged at 6:51 from a meeting this morning at the Lusitana Club ready to go to work.

Negotiators reached a tentative agreement on a new contract for the teachers at 10:35 last night, and union leadership recommended that the teachers report for work this morning.

"We're happy to go to school," one of the teachers told a reporter.

The teachers refused to show up for the first day of classes yesterday.

School starting times have been delayed for an hour this morning, so the teachers could meet and discuss the tentative agreement.

Two teachers leaving the meeting said they would vote at 4 p.m. tomorrow on whether to ratify the new contract.

They discussed the terms at this morning's meeting. The teachers voted unanimously to return to work today, the teachers said.

Union president Rod McGarry later said the teachers were "definitely satisfied," although teachers didn't get everything they wanted.

He wouldn't discuss specifics of the proposal, but confirmed tomorrow's vote at McCourt Middle School.

The School Committee must also approve the contract. Its next scheduled meeting is Sept. 14.

The tentative agreement was reached after several long sessions starting Saturday.

"Our teachers are looking forward to getting back to doing what they do best, which is teach," McGarry said.

Read today's Journal story about the contract issue.

-- Journal staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:27 AM | Comment

More demolition work today on old Jamestown Bridge

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- Traffic on the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge will be temporarily delayed today by more underwater demolition work on what remains of the old Jamestown Bridge.

Some of the bridge's piers will be blown up.

The state police will conduct rolling roadblocks to temporarily clear the bridge of traffic at times. Work will be done from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m.

The state Department of Transportation says explosives are being used to blow the piers far enough below the surface to pave the way for safe boat navigation.

For boaters, the Coast Guard will enforce a 3,000-foot safety zone on either side of the bridge during demolition.

The denotations are expected to continue through October to complete the process of taking down the bridge. Its center truss was demolished in April.

-- The Associated Press and staff reports.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:18 AM | Comment

A fine day on the way

Today should be mostly sunny with a high near 76 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The temperature should drop to about 57 degrees tonight under starry skies.

Rain could move into the region for the Labor Day weekend.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment