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November 8, 2006

Defense Dept. IDs remains of 3 area WWII soldiers

The remains of three area soldiers lost in action 63 years ago have been identified, the Department of Defense announced today.

The bodies of Lt. Robert H. Miller, of Providence, Lt. Robert L. Hale, of Newtonville, Mass., and Staff Sgt. Joseph A. Berube, of Fall River, Mass, have been returned to their families for burial with full military honors, the department said.

The government reports that on Oct. 24, 1943, the men were aboard a B-25D-1 Mitchell bomber that departed from a New Guinea air field on a bombing run to Rabaul. The plane was attacked by Japanese fighter aircraft along the way.

Other American forces reported seeing the B-25 crash near a plantation at Kabanga Point.

Soon after the end of World War II, Australian War Graves search teams recovered some of the crew's remains from the crash site, but technology at the time made their identifications impossible. The remains were ultimately buried at the Manila American Military Cemetery in the Philippines.

But investigation teams returned to the area in recent years and exhumed the remains in 2004. Using a variety of techniques, including DNA testing and witness interviews, the men were subsequently identified, the Department of Defense said.

The three area men have already been buried near their families in the United States.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:29 PM | Comment

Carcieri says he's just happy to have survived

PROVIDENCE -- In his first post-election press conference, a relieved Governor Carcieri said: "A win is a win," no matter how close it is.

The Republican governor won a second term by a 51-49 percent margin, edging past Democratic Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty yesterday. Fogarty lagged him by fewer than 8,000 votes in a race in which more than 380,000 votes were cast.

"When somebody wins the Super Bowl, everybody forgets whether they won by one point or 31," Carcieri said in a news conference in the State Room.

In fact, given the widespread national anti-Republican sentiment, Carcieri said, "It's a wonder we survived."

"The message I take from it is, we're still here," he said.

One floor down in the lieutenant governor's office, Fogarty met one-on-one with reporters as they left the State Room.

He said he was proud to have come so close to defeating a governor with such high approval ratings he was seen as "invincible."

Fogarty dressed down a bit -- he wore loafers and no jacket or tie -- but said he had already conducted plenty of business, meeting with staff this morning to talk about closing down the campaign office and starting the transition process for the newly elected lieutenant governor, state Sen. Elizabeth H. Roberts.

Fogarty noted that this was the first time he's lost an election -- he served eight years in the state Senate and two four-year terms as lieutenant governor. He said he would like to run for office again, but didn't say when or for what.

"I'm not running for president," he said, but declined to rule out anything else.

-- Journal staff writer Elizabeth Gudrais

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:14 PM | Comment

Update: Napolitano widens his lead to 63 votes for Cranston mayor

CRANSTON – Republican Allan W. Fung's chances to succeed Mayor Stephen P. Laffey grew more slim today, after a manual count of 11 ballots not counted by machine Tuesday increased Democrat Michael T. Napolitano's lead to 63 votes.

The initial count had Napolitano, a former Municipal Court judge, with 16,099 votes and Fung had 16,041, a margin of 58 votes.

Seventy three provisional ballots will be counted on Friday by the state Board of Elections, according to the Cranston Board of Canvassers, which disqualified 81 other provisional ballots at a 3 1/2-hour meeting this afternoon.

To win, Fung would have to receive at least 69 of the 73 votes. Either way, his campaign plans to request a recount of every ballot.

If the provisional ballots don’t tip the election his way, Fung said this morning that he would seek a recount.

“I’m very proud of the race that I’ve run,” he said. “It is a very close race, the closest in memory, and I feel obligated to the people who voted for me to make sure that every vote has been counted. … I want to make sure that all the votes are certified correctly, and I will seek to do this in the most efficient manner so that the city can move on in a speedy fashion.”

People vote with provisional ballots if they've gone to the polls on Election Day and don't show up as registered, even though they say they are, or if some question about their right to vote exists, DeLorenzo said.

Election results only become official after the local Board of Canvassers certify them.

That won't happen for at least a week. Candidates in close races such as this one have until the close of business next Tuesday to request a recount, DeLorenzo said. The board then waits until that process is completed before certifying the election.

See related story

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:45 PM | Comment

Voters reject spending for restoration of Fort Adams

Ballot Question 7, which would have provided $4 million for restoration of the historic fort at Fort Adams State Park in Newport and a new building at the site, failed in yesterday’s election, according to the unofficial election results compiled by the state Board of Elections.

The issue was too close to call at deadline last night, with 51 percent rejecting and 49 percent favoring the question. In the end, 183,373 voters – 50.57 percent of them – rejected the question, and 179,233 – or 49.43 percent of voters – favored the project.

Read a related story about the proposed project.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:22 PM | Comment

Tonight's high school soccer playoff games postponed

Six boys soccer playoff games and two girls soccer playoff games have been postponed tonight due to weather.
All of the postponed games will be made up tomorrow. The schedule:
Division I boys semifinals at Hendricken: Barrington vs. Hope, 5 p.m.; Mt. Hope vs. La Salle, 7 p.m.
Division II boys semifinals at Cranston Stadium: Pilgrim vs. Central, 5 p.m.; Cranston East vs. Tiverton, 7 p.m.m
Division III boys semifinals at La Salle: Prout vs. North Smithfield, 5 p.m.; Lincoln vs. West Warwick, 7 p.m.
Division IV girls semifinals at Portsmouth: Central Falls vs. Tolman, 5 p.m.; Shea vs. Rogers, 7 p.m.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:34 PM | Comment

Whitehouse thanks voters during Arcade stroll / Audio

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Whitehouse greets Steve Berenback, center, and Pete Riefler, both of Barrington, during his visit to the Arcade, built in 1828, and considered the prototype for an indoor shopping mall.

PROVIDENCE -- U.S. Senator-elect Sheldon Whitehouse strolled through the Arcade in downtown Providence early this afternoon, giving hugs and handshakes to many surprised supporters on their lunch breaks.

"I just came by to say how much I appreciate it," Whitehouse said inside Ocean Coffee Roasters to one woman as she put sugar in her coffee. "Keep praying for me. We've got a lot of work to do."

The Democrat who unseated Republican U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee yesterday was flanked by a horde of media as he walked through the historic mall. The post-victory Arcade appearance has become a tradition for Rhode Island politicians from both parties.

Whitehouse's first stop was Le Greque, a small Greek eatery.

"Congratulations," shop owner Steve Stamatis said to Whitehouse as they clasped hands across the counter.

"Whitehouse is a customer of mine," Stamatis said later. "He comes here to eat falafels."

Whitehouse briefly addressed the media as he arrived.

"I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that we have Montana and Virginia sewed up, because if we do then it really is a new day with a change of leadership," he said of the two states too close to call in the Democrats' quest to gain a majority in the U.S. Senate.

Audio: Listen to Whitehouse at the Arcade.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Whitehouse said that even if Democrats don't take the Senate, the dynamics have changed in the Congress with the Democratic takeover in the House of Representatives.

"I think now that the Democrats have actually a seat of power in Washington, they [Republicans] have to go back to negotiating like normal people again, and that that will be good for America, we’ll move toward the middle," he said.

Whitehouse's march through the Arcade lasted about 15 minutes.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:11 PM | Comment

Accused rapist from R.I. caught in New Hampshire

PLAISTOW, N.H. -- An accused rapist from Rhode Island, who was featured on the Massachusetts Most Wanted list, has been caught in the southern New Hampshire town of Kingston and sent back to the Bay State for trial.

Richard Vitiello, whose last known address was in Lincoln, R.I., was arrested by Kingston Police last Friday and held in the Rockingham County jail over the weekend.

He was arraigned in Plaistow District Court on Monday and agreed to return to Massachusetts to face charges of kidnapping, rape, indecent assault and battery and unarmed robbery.

The police allege that Vitiello lured a woman he met in Rhode Island to his family's auto salvage business in Blackstone, Mass., two months ago, promising her a job interview. But once he was alone with her, he tied her up, raped her and stole her money, authorities said.

Police searching for him had no luck until posting his photo on the Massachusetts Most Wanted Web site. A few days later, they got a call saying he was working at a truck and auto salvage business in Kingston. He was arrested without incident.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:59 AM | Comment

Mass. liquor dealers cheer defeat of wine sales in food stores

Liquor-store owners in Massachusetts and Rhode Island cheered yesterday's defeat of a referendum that would have allowed wine sales at food stores. The Bay State's voters, they said, understood the safety concerns raised by the liquor-store industry during one of the most expensive advertising campaigns in the Massachusetts' history. The members of the United Independent Liquor Retailers of Rhode Island watched the battle for months, said director Tom Saccoccia. Passage in the Bay State would have increased competition for liquor stores in Rhode Island's border towns.

-- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi

Posted by Sheila Lennon at 11:58 AM | Comment

Senator-elect Whitehouse plans lunchtime thank-you at Arcade

PROVIDENCE – The state’s new Democratic senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, expects to head to the Arcade in downtown Providence at noon today to shake hands and thank people for their support.

He may be there a little after noon, but they’re shooting for that time, spokeswoman Alex Swartsel said this morning.

Whitehouse has played it low-key today, mostly spending time with his family, which he expects to do most of the day, Swartsel said. He has not made any public appearances yet this morning, she said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Sheila Lennon at 11:40 AM | Comment

Download today's front page

Whitehouse victory; casino defeat lead the newspaper

Download file

Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:36 AM | Comment

About 1,000 Providence customers lose power

PROVIDENCE – The 846 East Side customers who lost electrical power last night woke up this morning with lights, televisions and radios working again, some of them baffled as to why there was a power failure during what was a calm rain at that point.

The Hope Street region lost power because an insulator on the line broke, causing a wire to fall, National Grid spokesman David Graves said this morning.

When that wire came down at 9:58 p.m., 123 customers lost power. Their power was restored at 10:37 p.m., Graves said.

However, as the company worked to make repairs on the line, they had to disconnect service for other customers, Graves said. Consequently, 260 customers lost their power at 10:18 p.m., and 463 customers lost their power at 10:34 p.m. Power to all of those customers was restored by 11:35 p.m., Graves said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:51 AM | Comment

Jury deliberates in Cape Cod murder trial

BARNSTABLE, Mass. -- Jurors were set to resume deliberations today in the trial of a former trash collector accused of raping and killing fashion writer Christa Worthington.

Christopher McCowen, 34, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated rape and aggravated battery in the January 2002 murder of Worthington, 46, who was fatally stabbed in her Truro home.

Jurors got the case yesterday, deliberating for about four hours before going home for the day without reaching a verdict.

Prosecutors cited DNA evidence linking McCowen to the crime and said he gave eight different versions of the events leading up to the killing. McCowen eventually told police he had consensual sex with Worthington. He admitted beating her, but said his friend, Jeremy Frazier, killed her. Frazier was not charged.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:33 AM | Comment

Traffic: Accident on Route 10, flooding possible later

PROVIDENCE -- The state's Traffic Management Center is reporting an accident on Route 10 North near Union Ave. in Providence that is affecting travel on the left side of the road.

Fog this morning and wet weather, especially later today, could cause problems for travelers, as the National Weather Service is warning of the potential for flooding as heavy rain moves into the region.

For more traffic information, see the state Department of Transportation's Web site.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:10 AM | Comment

Heavy rain moving into region, flooding possible

PROVIDENCE -- A low pressure area is moving up the coast and should drop heavy rain onto southern New England this afternoon and evening with the possibility of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.

Rainfall of one to three inches through tonight could cause problems on roads and flooding in low areas, small creeks and streams.

The high temperature tonight should reach 59 degrees.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment