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November 3, 2006

Charting a course for season's first freeze / Photo

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Dinghys filled with rainwater and leaves sit on the shore at Haines Memorial Park in Barrington, waiting to be bailed out, put away for the season -- or perhaps for a thin sheet of ice to cover them up.

PROVIDENCE -- It's time to turn the heat on, switch to flannel sheets, break out the electric blanket.

It's going to be cold tonight, says the National Weather Service, which has issued a "freeze warning," which will be in effect from midnight to 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Temperatures are expected to be between 25 to 30 degrees -- the first freeze of the fall season for southeastern Rhode Island.

The weather service urges people to protect their plants, which may not survive the chilly temps.

What's on tap for the rest of this fall weekend? Check projo.com's weather page, for the latest local conditions and forecasts.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:27 PM | Comment

WPRI-TV poll: Carcieri maintains lead over Fogarty

A poll in the governor’s race released today shows Governor Carcieri leading Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty by 9 points.

Of voters polled, 50 percent supported Republican Carcieri, and 41 percent supported Democrat Fogarty. Those numbers include undecided respondents who said they were leaning toward one candidate or the other.

The poll, conducted Oct. 27 to 30 by Fleming & Associates for WPRI Channel 12/Eyewitness News, surveyed 400 registered voters likely to vote in Tuesday’s general election.

The results are virtually identical to the last poll from the same source.

That poll, conducted Oct. 11 to 14, found 50 percent for Carcieri and 42 percent for Fogarty. Pollster Joseph Fleming said the apparent one-point loss for Fogarty was “not at all significant,” given that the margin of error in each case was 5 percent.

The new results “basically show no change for either candidate,” Fleming said.

However, Fleming said it is significant that Carcieri has hit the magic number of 50 percent. “All the governor has to do is hold on to the vote he has right now,” he said.

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:27 PM | Comment

Brown's annual 'Sex Power God' party tonight

PROVIDENCE -- Brown University will host the controversial Sex Power God party tonight, an event that attracted national attention last year when Fox News aired video footage and telelvision host Bill O'Reilly labeled it "pure debauchery."

Sex Power God is scheduled from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Alumnae Hall. The annual event is hosted by the university's Queer Alliance.

Security for this year's party is expected to be tight. No bags or cameras will be allowed. Only Brown and RISD students who have been put on a guest list can enter, and then only with a photo ID.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:24 PM | Comment

Update: N. Providence woman accused of her newborn's murder

PROVIDENCE -- A North Providence woman was brought from the hospital to District Court this afternoon, where she was charged with the murder of her newborn child.

Julie Robat, 30, of Lori Drive, was released to the hospital after the brief court hearing. The judge ruled that upon her release from the hospital, she would be taken to North Providence police for processing and home confinement, pending the payment of $50,000 surety bail.

In a press conference after the court hearing, North Providence police detailed the events that led to Robat's arrest, which took place after three days of investigation and consultation with the Attorney General's Office.

Officials from Women and Infants Hospital contacted police at around 9:45 Monday morning after treating Robat for bleeding. Robat refused to admit she had recently given birth, police said today, but hospital officials were convinced that she had within the previous eight hours.

Police searched Robat's Lori Drive home, where they found a newborn girl's body in a garbage bag under the dryer in the basement -- a scene that North Providence Deputy Police Chief Paul Marino today described it as a "horrific."

It is unclear if the baby was born prematurely. Police today said it was in its third trimester but wouldn't be more specific. They said, however, that they believe the baby was born alive.

The medical examiner has yet to release a cause of death in the case.

Robat lives with her parents, Charles and Francine Robat, and two grown siblings.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Richard Dujardin

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:06 PM | Comment

Soldier's family plans burial with Army officials

The family of Sgt. Michael R. Weidemann, who was killed in action in Iraq on Tuesday, met with Rhode Island Army National Guard officials today to discuss burial arrangements.

Lt. Col. Denis Riel, public affairs officer, said that it was still unknown when the soldier's remains would arrive in the U.S. The family has yet to choose a funeral home, said Ambrose Miller, an uncle from South Kingstown who joined the soldier's grandmother in meeting with casualty assistance officers today.

Weidemann lived for a time with his grandmother in Middletown. His father lives out of state and his mother, Susanna Weidemann, died in 1999. Despite his family difficulties, he went on to graduate from Rogers High School in 2001, having enrolled at the Newport Area Career and Technical Center.

"I want people to remember Mike for what he was in his last years - a guy who pulled himself up by the bootstraps, thanks to the Rogers High School ROTC, and who loved the Army and wanted to make it his career,'' Miller said.

Weidemann had re-enlisted for another four years in the Army and was serving his second tour in Iraq.

Read more about the circumstances surrounding Weidemann's death.

-- Journal Staff Writer Rich Salit

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:04 PM | Comment

X-Box stabbing: Two men charged with attempted murder

ATTLEBORO -- Three men were arrested by Seekonk police early this morning after an argument over an X-Box game console resulted in a scuffle and a stabbing.

Attleboro police said the 20-year-old victim, who was not identified and whose injuries were not life-threatening, was discovered by police when they were called to 8 Holman St. around 3:35 a.m.

Police then put out a broadcast to neighboring communities seeking William E. Hancock III, 19, of 22 Frenier Ave.

Less than an hour later, Seekonk Ptlm. Thomas Strange pulled over a gray Chrysler on Central Avenue. The officer said the rear license plate was not illuminated.

He found five people in the car, none wearing their seatbelts. While he was writing citations for all five, he identified Hancock and notified Attleboro police.

Hancock and William Alvira Jr., 24, of 39 New Vista Lane, Worcester, were both charged with attempted murder.

They and Rafael Villanueva Jr., 28, of 491 South Main St. also face counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, home invasion, larceny over $250, intimidating a witness and assault in a dwelling while armed.

-- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:32 PM | Comment

Parole board, in a first, opposes casino proposal

The Rhode Island Parole Board — which has never before taken a stance on a political issue — has come out against the proposed West Warwick casino.

In the past few years, there has been “a steady stream” of gambling-related criminals before the parole board, the board said in a letter to several area newspapers. All seven members of the board signed the letter in their official capacities.

Board Chairwoman Lisa S. Holley said in an interview today that “we’ve really been watching this and seen it grow and grow and grow.”

“We have seen people — but for the gambling — would never have been in prison,” Holley said. “There are so many that have come to us who have lost their families because of gambling addictions.”

The board didn’t even take an official position on Question 2 on this year’s ballot, which would amend the Constitution to allow felons to vote after being paroled. (Holley said she and at least one other member have personally come out in support of that question.)

“We’ve never done anything like this before but we felt we needed to put something on the record because of what we see,” Holley said.

Harrah’s Entertainment and the Narragansett Indian tribe, which are trying to build the casino, said that board is using “peculiar information that is neither fact-based nor statistically significant.”

-- Journal staff writer Scott Mayerowitz

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:31 PM | Comment

Woonsocket man's insanity plea rejected in friend's murder

PROVIDENCE — A Superior Court judge has rejected a Woonsocket man’s claim that he was legally insane when he murdered a friend with a steak knife in a Central Falls Park four years ago, the attorney general's office announced this morning.

Following a jury-waived trial this spring, Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. this week found Robert Collazo guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Brian Araujo, of Central Falls.

Collazo, now 28, will face a mandatory life sentence for his crime.

Prosecutors say on the afternoon of March 10, 2002, Collazo visited Araujo at his family’s home at 79 Cross St. The young men left the house together and headed towards Jenks Park where they planned to smoke marijuana. Before leaving, Collazo took a steak knife from the Araujo’s kitchen pantry.

When the pair arrived at the park, near its Cogswell Tower, Collazo stabbed Araujo with the knife, breaking it in two pieces, and pushed his friend down a flight of stairs.

“Despite the fact that this case was made more difficult and complicated because there was agreement that Robert Collazo does suffer from a mental illness, the defendant’s claim that he was insane while committing a vicious and murderous assault on his friend did not withstand the evidence and testimony presented at trial,” Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a statement today.

Collazo will be sentenced on Dec. 8 in Providence County Superior Court.

-- Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:43 PM | Comment

Police: Suspect to be arraigned in death of newborn

The North Providence police say they plan to charge a suspect with murder in connection with the recent death of a newborn found at a home on Lori Drive.

The police say they have obtained an arrest warrant and plan to bring the suspect, a female, to Sixth District Court, Providence, for arraignment at 2 p.m. today.

A press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the police station.

The baby was in a split-level ranch, at Lori and Karen Drive, the home of Charles and Francine Robat, and their three grown daughters.

The police have not said how the baby girl died or how the police found out there was a body inside the home. The police learned there was a dead baby in the house Monday.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Richard Dujardin

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:21 PM | Comment

Former Roger Williams chief to speak out for Chafee

PROVIDENCE -- A former chief of staff for Roger Williams Medical Center will speak at a Lincoln Chafee press conference this afternoon, the second consecutive day the incumbent Republican senator has hosted a press conference seeking media attention in his campaign's waning days.

The hospital official, Dr. Phillip O'Dowd, a former president of the hospital's medical staff, has spoken out against Chafee's opponent in recent days. The doctor said that he met three times with Sheldon Whitehouse, then the Rhode Island Attorney General, in the fall of 1999 and presented him with documents regarding possible crimes by Urciuoli, the hospital's president.

But rather than investigate, O'Dowd said, Whitehouse told him that the matter would best be handled civilly because hospital leaders did not want to press criminal charges.

Last month Urciuoli was convicted of federal corruption charges that he put a state senator, John A. Celona, on the hospital's payroll for his political influence.

Today's press conference, the second in as many days hosted by the Chafee campaign, is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Law offices of Breslin, Sweeney and Earl, on Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick.

-- Projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:34 PM | Comment

Police: Pawtucket man made counterfeit casino coins / Photo

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Police display some of the counterfeit slot tokens seized when Louis "The Coin" Colavecchio was arrested.

The state police today announced the arrest of a Pawtucket man whom they say made thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit casino tokens.

Louis “The Coin” Colavecchio, 64, of 172 Argol St., Pawtucket, was charged earlier in the week with 10 counts of forgery, counterfeiting or alteration of a trademark.

This is isn't Colavecchio's first arrest for counterfeiting. In 1998 he was sentenced to 27 months in prison for making fake casino coins.

After he left prison, Colavecchio started an orthotics business, according to state police Sgt. Kevin Hawkins. “He said the business never took off, so he had to do what he had to do to survive,” Hawkins said of Colavecchio.

The police searched his Pawtucket home and seized dies, molds, chemicals and the various metals needed to manufacture slot machine tokens. They also seized $5,100 in cash.

Colavecchio appeared in District Court earlier in the week and was released on a $25,000 bond. His arrest was the result of a three-month investigation that involved authorities in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and Las Vegas.

-- Projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from John Hill and Karen Lee Ziner

While authorities consider Colavecchio to be an associate of organized crime, they said this case was confined to his own activities.

The process he used to duplicate the casino tokens was highly sophisticated. In fact, after his first arrest, Colavecchio worked as a paid consultant for the government -- while still in prison -- to help detect counterfeit coins.

The police say Colavecchio would take genuine tokens and melt them down, sending the melted metal to a chemist who would then analyze it to determine the proper mix of metals. He would then take impressions made from the tokens and copy them onto metal dies, according to the police. Colavecchio then bought metal in the proper mix and use the dies to duplicate the tokens, the police say.

The denominations seized from his home ranged in value from $5 to $100.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:29 PM | Comment

Former R.I. talk host DePetro fired

BOSTON -- Former Rhode Island radio talk show host John DePetro has been fired after making a derogatory comment about the weight and sexuality of Green-Rainbow party gubernatorial candidate Grace Ross.

An earlier report from The Associated Press said only that he had been suspended from WRKO-AM.

"In the context of what he said and the tone with which he said it, the comments were completely inappropriate, derogatory and will not be tolerated," Jason Wolfe, vice president of AM programming and operations, Entercom Boston, said in a statement.

Wolfe said he met with corporate staff last night after listening to the tapes and they decided to fire DePetro. He said DePetro was informed this morning.

The Associated Press reported earlier that Ross, who is openly gay, laughed when she heard about DePetro's remarks. "Big, fat? I guess that's supposed to be his way of saying he doesn't like somebody." She said it's not her place to say whether DePetro should be fired, but called the comments "wildly inappropriate."

DePetro, an Ocean State native, left Rhode Island's WHJJ-AM for WRKO in 2004. In July, DePetro was suspended by station management for using a slur normally aimed at homosexuals in reference to Matt Amorello, the former chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com staff

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:13 PM | Comment

Update: Police ID man who jumped from Jamestown bridge

The state police have released the name of a man whose body was recovered after he jumped from the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge this morning.

He has been identified as George Sanford, 58, of West Warwick.

Witnesses say Sanford stopped a car he was driving, got out and jumped over the railing into Narragansett Bay, according to Capt. James Swanberg of the state police.

Sanford left a note, leading the police to conclude he was despondent, according to Swanberg.

Witnesses called the police around 7:15 a.m. Police and firefighters responded, and traffic on the bridge, which connects the island of Jamestown and North Kingstown, was slowed this morning.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:53 AM | Comment

National college sailing event starts today at Roger Williams

Roger Williams University in Bristol will host a national collegiate sailing competition starting today.

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association/Vanguard Men's and Women's Single Handed National Championship is scheduled to begin at noon.

Racing will start at 10 a.m. tomorrow and Sunday.

The public is welcome to come and watch. The starts are near the Roger Williams boathouse on the campus.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:22 AM | Comment

Saratoga museum to get $6.5 million

North Kingstown - Independence Bank of East Greenwich, with backing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will lend the USS Saratoga Museum Foundation $6.5 million to develop a museum and a memorial at Quonset/Davisville.

The money to convert the aircraft carrier into a museum comes from the USDA's Community Facilities program funding for 2007. The government will guarantee 90 percent of the bank's loan.

U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, Governor Carcieri and Cong. Jim Langevin praised the funding at a news conference this morning.

The USS Saratoga Museum Foundation will contribute an additional $4.5 million in equity towards the project, of which more than $3.5 million has been raised so far.

Robert Catanzaro, Sr., Chairman and CEO of Independence Bank, said: “We believe this project would be of great benefit to Rhode Island, which makes the financial commitment eminently worthwhile. This project will create jobs, bring new money into the state, and provide a shot in the arm for the local economy."

Posted by Peter Phipps at 11:00 AM | Comment

Flags to be lowered for Newport soldier

PROVIDENCE -- State flags will be lowered to half-staff today in honor of Army Sgt. Michael R. Weidemann, of Newport, who was killed in Iraq on Tuesday.

Governor Carcieri issued a statement this morning thanking the 23-year-old Portsmouth native for his service.

"Today we remember the service and sacrifice of a brave Rhode Island soldier who was deeply devoted to serving our country,” Carcieri said. “Sgt. Weidemann served with honor and distinction, and we will never forget that he made the ultimate sacrifice for us."

"My wife Sue and I offer our prayers and condolences to Sgt. Weidemann’s family and friends."

Weidemann was a 2001 graduate of Rogers High School in Newport. He was an honor student and a member of the JROTC.

He was killed Tuesday in Iraq when the armored vehicle he was driving was hit by an improvised explosive device.

Weidemann is the 11th Rhode Islander to die in Iraq since 2003. Read more about him in today's Journal story.

Extra: Post a tribute and messages of condolences here.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 10:59 AM | Comment

Cranston police arrest man for Wednesday shooting

CRANSTON -- Cranston detectives have arrested a man for a shooting Wednesday on Allen Avenue that has left a man in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital.

Michael Lynch, 35, of 60 Allen Avenue, Cranston, is scheduled for an appearance in District Court this morning on charges of assault with intent to commit a felony, murder; and assault with a dangerous weapon, a gun, according to the Cranston Police Department.

He was arrested last night at the police station, according to Maj. Ronald Blackmar.

Todd Karwoski (also known as Todd Gravelle), 41, also of 60 Allen Avenue, was shot early Wednesday outside the single-family home where the men lived. Karwoski suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:17 AM | Comment

Former R.I. radio host disciplined for remarks about candidate

BOSTON -- Former Rhode Island radio talk show host John DePetro has been pulled off the air after making a derogatory comment about the weight and sexuality of Green-Rainbow party gubernatorial candidate Grace Ross.

WRKO-AM pulled DePetro from his morning show today, and began an investigation into the comments, station spokesman George Regan said.

Ross, who is openly gay, laughed when she heard about DePetro's remarks. "Big, fat? I guess that's supposed to be his way of saying he doesn't like somebody." She said it's not her place to say whether DePetro should be fired, but called the comments "wildly inappropriate."

DePetro, an Ocean State native, left Rhode Island's WHJJ-AM for WRKO in 2004. In July, DePetro was suspended by station management for using a slur normally aimed at homosexuals in reference to Matt Amorello, the former chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

-- The Associated Press

Regan said Entercom Communications, the owner of WRKO, would have a further statement today. DePetro apologized after making the remarks on-air yesterday.

"This corporation has zero tolerance for this type of nonsense," Regan said. "It will not be tolerated."

DePetro did not immediately return an e-mailed request for comment today. A man who answered the phone at the studio refused to send calls to DePetro's voicemail.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:25 AM | Comment

Download today's front page

A soldier from Newport dies in Iraq; the candidates for governor debate for the final time.

Download file

Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:37 AM | Comment

R.I. Food Bank launches holiday meal drive

PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Community Food Bank kicks off its holiday meal drive at 10 a.m. today with 1,500 turkeys.

Stop & Shop will deliver the frozen turkeys to the food bank at 200 Niantic Avenue, Providence, this morning. Bank of America and Paul Arpin Van Lines have also made "significant contributions" to the food drive, according to the food bank.

The food bank is asking Rhode Islanders to help with the meal drive between today and December 22 by donating a turkey or sending a check to Rhode Island Community Food Bank, 200 Niantic Avenue, Providence, R.I., 02907.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:32 AM | Comment

No flurries, but cold weather

PROVIDENCE -- With blue sky over Providence, it looks like the region has escaped the chance of sprinkles or flurries the National Weather Service forecast for early this morning.

It's certainly cold enough at 28 degrees in Providence. The sky is expected to turn partly cloudy and the temperature should reach 49 degrees with wind from the northwest at 7 to 11 mph.

The temperature is expected to drop to 28 degrees tonight and the weather service says it might issue a freeze warning.

Parts of Rhode Island, including Richmond, had a heavy frost over night.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment