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November 6, 2006

New immigration judge appointed

An attorney who has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island for a decade has been appointed to the post of U.S. immigration judge, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced today.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin E. Feder will be assigned to the Boston Immigration Court, where she will hear a variety of immigration-related cases, including the removal of criminal undocumented workers and requests for political asylum, according to Corrente’s office.

Feder will begin her new job this month. She’ll join more than 200 immigration judges in 53 immigration courts throughout the country, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Providence.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:58 PM | Comment

Photo: Shifting from school to polling place

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Jo-Ann Henley and Larry Peltier, of the South Kingstown School Maintenance Department, move a voting booth into place in the gymnasium of the Curtis Corner Middle School this afternoon, as the school gets ready to serve as a polling place tomorrow, Election Day.

There’s no school in public schools around Rhode Island tomorrow, a longstanding tradition in a state where many schools double as polls. This year, public schools were closed for Primary Day in September for the first time, the result of a new state law.

Check polling places and view sample ballots in your town, by searching the Secretary of State's Voter Information Center.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:30 PM | Comment

Developer sues Cranston City Council

CRANSTON -- An industrial developer has filed a complaint in Superior Court accusing the City Council of overstepping its legal authority in its efforts to block construction of a controversial concrete batching plant.

The council has been fighting the project, slated for Marine Drive, since it was approved by the city's Building Department in March.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Cullion Concrete Corp., says council members have usurped the authority of the Zoning Board of Review.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:58 PM | Comment

Judge refuses to set aside Lynch convictions

PROVIDENCE -- A judge refused today to acquit former City Councilman Gerald R. Lynch of charges he sexually assaulted a teenage boy who worked in his Pawtucket flower shop 20 years ago.

The ruling by Judge Edward C. Clifton came a week after a jury found Lynch guilty of the charges, all of which involved oral sex.

It cleared the way for the next stage of the proceedings -- a motion for a new trial. The motion is scheduled to be heard on Nov. 16.

Lynch, 62, of 23 Morra Way, East Providence, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault following an 8-day trial in Superior Court. He faces 10 years to life in prison as a result of the conviction, which defense lawyers, C. Leonard O’Brien and Lise J. Gescheidt are expected to appeal if their motion for a new trial is denied.

In court this morning, Gescheidt tried to persuade Judge Clifton to grant a defense motion to acquit Lynch, arguing that the prosecution had failed to prove that force was used in any of the sexual acts that Lynch had performed on the victim.

The motion, if granted, would have had the effect of setting the jury verdict aside.

But Clifton said the testimony showed that force was used, even though the victim never physically resisted. At the time the sex acts occurred, Lynch was bigger and stronger than the victim, a boy between 14 and 15, and the victim regard him as a “father figure,” Clifton said.

On one occasion, Clifton said, the testimony showed that Lynch put his hands on the victim’s shoulders, forced him to his knees and had him perform fellatio.

On the other three occasions, the judge said, the testimony showed Lynch grabbed the victim, placed him on the raised platform holding the toilet used by flower shop employees, and forced him to submit to oral sex.

The sexual assaults took place between 1983 and 1985. Lynch, former director of the East Providence Boys and Girls Club, remains free on $10,000 cash bail ($100,000 bail with surety)..

Clifton doubled the amount of bail and tacked a number of new conditions onto the terms of Lynch’s release after a review last week determined he was ineligible for home confinement.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 1:20 PM | Comment

Update: Teen gets life for murder over hair-braiding debt

PROVIDENCE – Phearin Rot, 15, the second-youngest murder defendant in Rhode Island in more than a century, was sentenced today to life in prison after pleading guilty to killing a fellow teen over a debt for hair braiding.

In a deal with prosecutors, Rot pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and carrying a pistol without a license in the slaying of Jamont Richardson, 14, in Providence in June 2005 because of a dispute over the $10 debt.

Superior Court Judge Robert D. Krause also sentenced Rot to a 10-year suspended sentence with probation, which will be served consecutively after the life sentence.

The state agreed to dismiss one of the three counts Rot was facing. That charge – the unlawful discharge of a firearm, with death resulting – also carried a life sentence.

About two dozen members of Richardson’s family sat in court today as Krause accepted the plea deal and sentenced Rot. Both his mother and aunt presented victim-impact statements to the court: his aunt read both statements.

“He was a loving, bright, precious young boy,” Barbara Mitchell, read for the boy’s mother, Andrea Mitchell. “He was the centerpiece of my family. He held us all together. … I hope the defendant has learned that violence is not the answer.”

For Richardson’s mother, Barbara Mitchell spoke of how Rot’s actions have destroyed her whole family. Each week, his aunt said, the family prays in Candace Park.

“I hope this sends a message to young people to leave the guns alone because life is precious,” Richardson’s mother said through his aunt.

Rot was returned to the Adult Correctional Institutions, where he has been held without bail. He will be eligible for parole after serving at least 20 years.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:42 PM | Comment

Venture capital funding down 11 percent

BOSTON -- It's getting a little tougher in New England for entrepreneurs seeking venture capital money to bring their ideas to market.

Venture capital funding in the region fell nearly 11 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period a year earlier.

According to a report from the firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, venture capital in the third quarter was $578 million in New England. That's the total for 87 deals with an average deal size of nearly $7 million.

Thirty-nine percent of the funding went to biotechnology ventures for a total of $223 million. Software ventures brought in $85 million.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:09 PM | Comment

Group urges women to forget excuses and vote

PROVIDENCE -- “No excuses” was the message from a group of female political leaders today as they urged women to head to the polls tomorrow and cast a ballot.

As part of its last-minute plea to female voters, the Rhode Island Women’s Fund created a fake sample ballot with 10 common excuses from women and why they aren’t valid.

“I have two jobs and I can’t take time out of work to go vote,” reads one.

The answer to that excuse: lawmakers are the ones who set the minimum wage, set what is covered by health insurance and set workplace safety standards.

-- Journal staff writer Scott Mayerowitz

Another excuse: “I have to help my kids with their homework.”

Here the group pointed out that lawmakers approve state aid to schools and that some ballot questions deal with new school construction.

Jennifer Wood, chief of staff for the state Department of Education, encouraged mothers to bring their children along to the polls with them as a civics lesson.

“It all starts at home,” Wood said, “with the mother to say: `This is your homework today.’ ”

Ivette Luna, an organizer with the Ocean State Action Fund, said there are plenty of ways to find out where to vote, including going to the Secretary of State's Web site or just asking a neighbor.

“Sisters, let’s stand together,” Luna said. “Let’s not dream about the future. Let’s vote.”

Republican Secretary of State candidate Sue Stenhouse said, “It’s about women. It’s not about what you’re voting for. It’s about expressing your vote.”

State Sen. Elizabeth H. Roberts, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said that sometimes the people at the bottom of the ballot make the biggest decisions directly affecting our lives. She also noted that Rhode Island elects its statewide officeholders in presidential mid-term years.

See all 10 excuses.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:03 PM | Comment

Gas prices down a penny this week

Gas prices across Rhode Island today are on average one penny cheaper than last week, according to a survey released this morning by AAA Southern New England.

The average price of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.17 per gallon at the self-serve pump. That's the lowest price since last December and down 11 cents from last year at this time, according to AAA.

And today's price marks declines in 13 or the last 14 weeks.

In today's sample, AAA found a range in prices from $2.12 to $2.23.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 10:54 AM | Comment

Chafee, Whitehouse on trail early today

It's going to be a long day on the campaign trail.

With all eyes on Rhode Island's U.S. Senate race and less than 24 hours left before polls open, both candidates were out with voters bright and early today.

Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee greeted workers at Amgen Inc. and GTECH in West Greenwich as they arrived for work at 7:45 a.m..

Chafee also plans to visit senior centers in South Kingtown and Middletown and spend the rest of the day campaigning outside grocery stores across the state, according to his spokesman Christopher Spina, who added that the Republican incumbent will probably be campaigning until 9 or 10 p.m.

"It's just like any other day," Spina said, joking.

Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse started his day at 8 a.m. at a senior center in Coventry. He plans to visit several more senior centers today.

And he won't be in bed early either. Former president Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak at a Whitehouse rally in Warwick at 9 p.m.

"We're just tyring to talk to as many people as we can to make sure they come out to vote," Whitehouse spokeswoman Alex Swartsel said.

-- Projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 9:35 AM | Comment

Download today's front page

Saddam's death sentence and Rhode Island's most average voter lead today's paper.

Download file

Posted by Peter Phipps at 9:30 AM | Comment

Clinton returning as R.I. Senate race tightens

PROVIDENCE -- Former President Bill Clinton plans to return to Rhode Island tonight on the eve of an election that could shift the balance of power in Washington.

Clinton spoke at a Democratic Party fundraiser in Providence last month. His wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, also spoke in Rhode Island last month on the behalf of Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse.

Clinton is scheduled to appear at 9 p.m. at a Whitehouse rally at the Community College of Rhode Island's Knight Campus.

Two polls released yesterday show the race tightening. The first poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, gives the incumbent Lincoln Chafee a narrow lead: 46 percent to 45 percent. The national pollster surveyed 625 registered voters by phone from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

And a separate Gallup poll gives Whitehouse a 3-point edge -- 48 percent to 45 percent. Gallup polled 880 registered voters by phone. Like Mason-Dixon, the margin of error is 4 points -- meaning that each of the results is within the margin of error and the leads are statistically insignificant.

-- Projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:48 AM | Comment

Clear, crisp day to start week

The National Weather Service is calling for a clear, crisp day to start the week.

Today should be mostly sunny with a high near 57. There will be a calm west wind, the weather service says, of 7 to 10 mph.

But the winter-like temperatures should return tonight. The expected low overnight is 36.

And the weather for election day is supposed to be fair, with increasing clouds and slightly warmer temperatures with a high around 60.

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

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:00 AM | Comment