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October 4, 2006

Strong airport growth predicted in New England

BOSTON -- New England's airports can expect passenger traffic to grow 77 percent by 2020, with most of the region's smaller airports like T.F. Green seeing bigger gains than dominant Logan International, according to a study released today.

The report (large pdf), sponsored by the New England Airports Coalition, says New England is equipped to handle the growth without building a new airport, but only if the region's 11 passenger service airports improve performance and prepare for more passengers.

"By continuing to enhance the operation of each airport in the system, the region can avoid the tremendous cost and community disruption that developing a new major airport would require," the report concluded.

Among the region's six airports with more than 1 million passengers per year, the report projects the highest growth rate - 88 percent - at New Hampshire's Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. In Warwick, T.F. Green Airport is forecast to see 72 percent growth, from 5.3 million to 9.1 million.

The report looked at Green's proposed runway extension, noting that they will require significant investment. It found that the costs of the projects are justified by the contribution Green makes to the regional airports system.

The report noted that the Providence market is approaching sufficient size to support nonstop service to the West Coast and certain destinations in Canada, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic and Europe.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:58 PM | Comment

'We can no longer accept that this is normal behavior'

CENTRAL FALLS -- An event aimed at quieting the controversy that erupted last week when the Coventry police searched the Central Falls soccer team, instead seemed to stir up more emotion.

Thomas Mezzanotte, the head of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, today called community members from each side to come together to learn from the situation.

But many of the parents and community leaders gathered today inside the Central Falls High School auditorium were not in any mood to be calmed.

With the soccer team watching from the auditorium balcony, parents and community leaders criticized Coventry's handling of the situation. And state Rep. Daniel Issa said there have been other incidents of discrimination surrounding Central Falls sports teams.

"This is a wakeup call. There is a bigger issue going on everywhere,” said Anna Cano Morales, the head of the Central Falls school board.

"We can no longer accept that this is normal behavior. It’s blatantly discriminating and unacceptable."

Surrounded by a jeering crowd, the Central Falls team last week was subjected to what the coach and some players described as a humiliating search by the Coventry police after some Coventry football players accused the boys of stealing their cell phones and Ipods from their locker room.

The search turned up none of the missing items.

A group of Latino organizations and state Rep. Joseph Almeida will hold another press conference to talk about the situation tomorrow at the State House.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:34 PM | Comment

Jury done for the day in Urciuoli case

PROVIDENCE -- The jury in the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption case has adjourned for the day without reaching a verdict.

The jury will reconvene tomorrow morning at 9:30 to begin its second day of deliberations.

Former hospital President Robert A. Urciuoli, Frances P. Driscoll, a former hospital vice president, and Peter J. Sangermano Jr., a partner in the hospital's assisted-living center, are facing conspiracy and mail fraud charges. Prosecutors say the officials conspired to steal the honest services of former state Sen. John A. Celona by hiring him to do the hospital's bidding at the General Assembly.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:25 PM | Comment

CVS to partner with insurer for senior Medicare education

INDIANAPOLIS -- The nation's largest health insurer said it is teaming up with the country's largest retail pharmacy to help educate seniors about Medicare Part D options during the upcoming open enrollment period.

The partnership between WellPoint, Inc. and CVS/pharmacy will provide seniors with information at more than 5,800 CVS stores in 43 states, Wellpoint said Wednesday.

"Through this partnership, WellPoint will make it easier, more personal and very convenient for seniors looking for support to find the best plan, price and drug benefit for them," said Joan E. Herman, president and chief executive officer of Specialty, Senior and State-Sponsored Business for WellPoint.

CVS/pharmacy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Woonsocket-based CVS Corp.

The Indianapolis-based WellPoint will provide CVS stores with educational booklets about the Medicare Part D prescription plan. WellPoint also plans to have agents at several CVS stores during the enrollment period to help seniors.

"It's really an information resource that can help someone navigate the options," said company spokesman Jim Kappel.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:54 PM | Comment

National Grid's U.S. chief to resign

National Grid PLC announced today the resignation of its top U.S. executive as the British utility company approaches a critical juncture in its push to become the Northeast’s largest energy supplier.

The company said Michael Jesanis, president and chief executive officer of National Grid USA, will leave the company at the end of this year.

The announcement comes as National Grid prepares to close on its $7.3-billion purchase of Keyspan Corp., a Brooklyn-based natural gas and electricity supplier. The company also is focused on integrating the Rhode Island operations of New England Gas bought from Southern Union Co. in late August.

With the New England Gas purchase, National Grid now controls both electricity and natural gas delivery throughout Rhode Island.

Posted by at 3:25 PM | Comment

Photo / McCain calls Foley's alleged actions "odious"

Sen. John McCain speaks at a fundraiser in Providence today for Sen. Lincoln Chafee.

--- Journal Photo Bill Murphy

While speaking at a campaign fundraiser for Lincoln Chafee today, Arizona Senator John McCain shared his thoughts on the scandal involving former Congressman Mark Foley, R-Fla., accused of sending sexually explicit e-mails to teenage boys.

"I think we can all agree that we cannot tolerate the intolerable," McCain said, characterizing Foley's alleged actions as "totally unacceptable" and "particularly odious.

McCain said that an independent panel of well-respected former lawmakers like former senator Warren Rudman and former representative Lee Hamilton should be convened to investigate the situation and make recommendations.

"We have to hold people responsible," he said, adding that he didn't know who was responsible. "I think the issue needs to be quickly addressed and by people who are credible."

McCain said that the American people's confidence in their institutions needs to be restored.

Foley resigned last week after being confronted by ABC News with copies of the suggestive e-mails. He has since admitted being molested by a clergyman in his youth and entered rehab for alcoholism.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:41 PM | Comment

McCain: 'do whatever is necessary' for Chafee

PROVIDENCE -- Arizona Senator John McCain, a likely 2008 presidential candidate, went to bat for his moderate Republican counterpart Lincoln Chafee at the Hotel Providence this afternoon, calling on the 100 or so lunch guests to "please do whatever is necessary" to help re-elect Chafee.

A relaxed and largely light-hearted McCain spoke for 18 minutes in the downtown hotel as campaign contributors ate mandarin orange salads, roasted chicken, and chocolate mousse at the $500-a-plate luncheon.

Standing at a small podium with a wireless microphone in his right hand, McCain cracked a few jokes -- including one about drunken Irish twins -- before diving into the real reason for his visit.

"We all know this is going to be a close race," he said of Chafee's battle against Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. McCain urged the crowd to put bumper stickers on their cars, signs on their front lawns, and even for them to call neighbors.

The most recent polls show Chafee and Whitehouse locked in a dead heat.

Chafee briefly addressed the crowd before McCain, acknowledging that his "piggy bank" was nearly empty after the contentious primary battle against Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey. On top of the $500 for the luncheon, contributors had the opportunity to meet privately with McCain earlier today for $1,000.

"Thank you very much for putting some coins in my piggy bank," Chafee said. "I need those resources to be competitive."

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

McCain noted his working relationship with Chafee, especially their efforts to form the "Gang of 14" -- a bi-partisan group of senators -- which helped avoid "the nuclear option" during the recent Supreme Court nomination debates.

Chafee represents an "independent voice" in the Senate, McCain said. "He's honest, he votes his conscience, he studies the issues."

Gathered among the 15 or so tables in the Hotel Providence banquet room today was Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian, who sat next to McCain while they ate, Republican candidate for Secretary of State Sue Stenhouse, and Reginald Centracchio, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:18 PM | Comment

It's hot, but probably not hot enough for a record

Yes, it’s a beautiful day today, but we’re not likely to set any records, according to the National Weather Service.

At 1:25 p.m. today, it was 75 degrees at T.F. Green Airport. That temperature is expected to rise to about 80 – “give or take a degree or two,” meteorologist Mike Ekster said.

The record for Oct. 4 is 85 degrees, Ekster said. That was set in 1959.

Record or not, it’s still a great October day. So get outside if you can.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:30 PM | Comment

Johnston police looking for 3 men who invaded home

JOHNSTON -- Detectives are following several investigative leads in an effort to capture three men who held a couple and child at gunpoint, the police said today.

Raymond Walker, 35, and his 25-year-old girlfriend, Dayna Caparco, may have seen the suspects at “establishments they had frequented in the past,” according to Johnston police Maj. Ralph Bubar III.

After deceiving Walker to gain entry to his Spraque Circle home around 4 p.m. yesterday, the men marched the couple -- and Caparco’s 5-year-old daughter -- out of the house at gunpoint and ordered them into nearby vehicles, Bubar said.

Ignoring the men’s commands, Walker sprinted across the street and told a neighbor to call the police, an action that prompted the suspects to flee before Caparco and her daughter had climbed into any vehicle, Bubar said.

“This was not a random home invasion where they picked a house and took what they wanted to find,” Bubar said. “These people were targeted.”

Police investigators urge anyone with information about the case to telephone them at 231-4210.

-- Journal Staff Writer Mark Reynolds

Investigators don’t know the suspects’ motives and they don’t know why the intruders tried to put the victims into vehicles, according to Bubar.

The three men were seen fleeing the neighborhood in a silver or tan minivan with tinted windows and a five-character license tag, beginning with the letters BG and followed by three numbers.

The gunman was wearing a blue uniform-type shirt and carrying a handgun while another suspect was masked by an orange bandanna. They took jewelry, Walker’s watch and several hundred dollars in cash, Bubar said.

Neither Walker -- a construction worker -- nor his girlfriend could identify the three suspects by name, Bubar said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:19 PM | Comment

Paris Hilton claims R.I. beauty queen punched her

LOS ANGELES -- Paris Hilton claimed former beauty queen Shanna Moakler punched her in the face at a Hollywood nightclub early today, police and Hilton's publicist said.

Moakler, a Rhode Island native, contended she was attacked by Hilton's ex-boyfriend Stavros Niarchos, who bent her wrists, poured a drink on her and shoved her down some stairs, Moakler publicist Susan Madore said.

Hilton, 25, and Moakler, 31, both filed police reports alleging battery, police Officer Karen Smith said.

The hotel heiress said she was struck around 1 a.m., shortly after arriving at Hyde nightclub with Niarchos, her publicist Elliot Mintz told The Associated Press.

The Associated Press

Mintz said Hilton told him Moakler walked up to his client, "used the most vile of language" and then struck Hilton in the jaw with her fist. Hilton claimed the alleged attack was unprovoked.

Madore said Moakler, Miss USA in 1995 and a "Dancing With the Stars" contestant this season, exchanged profanities with Hilton when Niarchos stepped in and threatened to beat her.

Police took pictures of Moakler and Hilton at the station, Smith said, and will speak with witnesses at the club as part of their investigation.

Hilton and Moakler's ex-husband, Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, were recently linked romantically in tabloid reports.

Mintz said the two were "just friends."

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:28 PM | Comment

Grand jury indicts two men for fatal Pawtucket shooting

PROVIDENCE -- Two men were indicted today on first-degree murder charges in the execution-style shooting of a 24-year-old woman.

A Providence County grand jury indicted Barry Offley and Alonzo Shelton on charges of murder, burglary and multiple weapons offenses.

Read the full Associated Press story

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:26 PM | Comment

Update: Deliberations under way in corruption trial

PROVIDENCE -- Jurors began deliberations in the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption trial shortly before 10 this morning.

Chief U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres clarified part of the instructions he gave jurors Monday before sending them out of the courtroom to try reaching a verdict.

Although the case officially went to the jury late Monday, the jurors decided not to stay and begin deliberations that day. Yesterday, the jury had the day off due to a death in one juror’s family.

Today, the jurors are deliberating whether state Sen. John Celona was selling his public office, as the government contends, or his testimony, as the defense asserts.

Former Roger Williams Medical Center President Robert A. Urciuoli is accused of conspiring with former hospital executive Frances P. Driscoll and with Peter J. Sangermano Jr., a partner in the hospital’s assisted-living center, to steal Celona’s honest services.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:07 AM | Comment

Commission on Women names 3 Women of the Year

WARWICK -- The Rhode Island Commission Women has recognized three women who - by their example and their advocacy - have done much across their careers to foster the advancement of women in the Ocean State.

The Women of the Year 2006 are State Police Lt. Linda Bailey, the state's first female trooper; Dr. Kimberly Cipolla, a hydrodynamicist at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport; and Kathy Jellison, former director of the Women's Center in Providence, and currently interim director at Slater Mill in Pawtucket.

At the Crowne Plaza Hotel last night, WPRI-TV Channel 12 anchor Karen Adams hosted an event in their honor. First Lady Sue Carcieri congratulated the winners and shared the head table with the award winners, Adams and women's commission selection committee chairwoman Linda Newton.

Governor Carcieri and Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty also offered their congratulations.

Proceeds support the commission's Freda H. Goldman Education Award, a scholarship providing supplemental financial assistance to women in need who are continuing their education.

The Rhode Island Commission on Women was established in 1970. Its mission is to support women in achieving full equality in all areas of life, through the promotion of rights and opportunities for all women.

Posted by maria caporizzo at 9:44 AM | Comment

Sen. McCain in R.I. today to help Sen. Chafee

PROVIDENCE – U.S. Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., a potential 2008 presidential contender, is stumping in Rhode Island today for U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee.

McCain will attend a luncheon fundraiser at the Hotel Providence for the Republican incumbent who is locked in a close race with Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse.

He’ll also join Chafee at Save the Bay this afternoon for a discussion with Rhode Island’s leading environmental advocates about their federal legislative priorities. They’re expected to discuss energy, climate change, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, according to Chafee’s office.

Then, at 2:45 p.m., the Republican senators are expected to meet with the families of deployed service members of the Rhode Island National Guard. They’ll tour the Guard’s office of family programs in Cranston.

--- Kate Bramson, projo.com staff writer

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:48 AM | Comment

Verizon seeks license to offer cable television in R.I.

Verizon, the biggest local telephone service provider in Rhode Island, this morning will tell state regulators of its plans to offer cable television in parts of the state, setting up competition with Cox Communications, the dominant cable provider.

Verizon officials will testify in Warwick at the first of four public hearings held by the state Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, which will consider Verizon's request.

Verizon wants a cable television franchise in Warwick, West Warwick, East Greenwich, West Greenwich, Exeter, North Kingstown and Coventry. The area covers about 80,000 households.

Posted by at 8:06 AM | Comment

A high near 80 today under partly cloudy skies

PROVIDENCE – If you’re driving to work today, beware of patchy, dense fog predicted for this morning, before 9 a.m.

Then find a way to kick out of work for a long lunch break, if you can. We should have a high near 80 today, with partly cloudy skies.

Tonight, we should see a low of 56 and potentially heavy rain.

The National Weather Service has predicted a hazardous weather outlook for the region later today, but the gusty thunderstorm that meteorologists say could arrive between 7 pm. and 10 p.m. is not supposed to hit Rhode Island. It could hit southwest New Hampshire and western Massachusetts.

Later this week and weekend, easterly winds and astronomically high tides could cause minor coastal flooding, most likely in Nantucket. Nevertheless, the weather service suggests monitoring this changing weather through Monday.

Check back with us periodically for the latest conditions and forecasts .

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:11 AM | Comment