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November 10, 2006

A funeral for fallen soldier in Portsmouth / Photo

Journal photo / John Freidah
Members of the R.I. Army National Guard's Military Funeral Honor Guard transport the ashes of Sgt. Michael Weidemann at his funeral today.

More than 100 mourners attended a funeral this afternoon in Portsmouth for Army Sgt. Michael R. Weidemann, the 11th Rhode Islander killed in the Iraq war.

The two-hour ceremony was held in St. Mary's Episcopal Church, where Weidemann's maternal grandmother is a congregant. She attended the ceremony, as did Weidemann's sister and three brothers.

Governor Carcieri, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Senator-elect Sheldon Whitehouse were among the dignitaries in attendance.

Weidemann's ashes were buried in the church cemetery.

Earlier today, a memorial service was held for Weidemann at Rogers High School in Newport, where he was a member of the Junior ROTC program. He enlisted in the service shortly after graduating in 2001.

Tribute to the troops: Post condolences for Sgt. Weidemann.

-- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:58 PM | Comment

Newport Grand sues Newport over its expansion plans

NEWPORT -- Newport Grand has filed a Superior Court lawsuit against the city for blocking its efforts to expand its video-gaming operations.

The former jai alai fronton will seek a summary judgment at a hearing slated for Dec. 4, according to court records.

Last summer, the city refused to issue a building permit for Newport Grand’s plans for a 23,000-square-foot, two-story addition to its complex.

The additional space would support 500 of the 800 new video terminals the state has approved. The city determined that the expansion would be illegal because zoning for the site prohibited “casino-type gambling, including but not limited to video lottery terminals.’’

When Newport Grand requested a zone change, the City Council unanimously turned it down.

Council members and residents cited concerns about any expansion of gambling at the facility, even though the state has approved an increase from 1,301 to 2,101 video terminals at Newport Grand.

-- Journal staff writer Rich Salit

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:46 PM | Comment

Update: Jury in Cape fashion writer's murder wraps up without verdict

BARNSTABLE, Mass. – After four days of deliberations, the jury in the Christa Worthington trial has been sent home for the weekend.

In the trial, trash collector Christopher McCowen, 34, is charged with raping and killing the fashion writer on Jan. 5, 2002.

The jury is due back in Barnstable County Superior Court at 9 a.m. Monday, according to Scott Nickerson, clerk of courts for Barnstable County.

Prosecutors insist McCowen acted alone and made up a story about his friend being the real killer.

Jurors have been instructed that under the state's joint criminal venture theory, they could convict McCowen even if they believe the story that he gave police that Jeremy Frazier fatally stabbed the victim.

Frazier was not charged and said he was not at Worthington's home the night she was killed.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com reports

Under the theory of joint venture, someone who actively assists another person in committing a crime is considered just as responsible for the crime. Under the theory, the person who assisted must share the same mental state or have the same intent as the person who actually commits the murder.

McCowen has said he had consensual sex with Worthington. He also told police he helped Frazier beat her, that he watched as Frazier killed her and that he helped Frazier wipe down her body then beat her.

Some lawyers have said it is somewhat unusual, but not unheard of, for a judge to instruct the jury on joint venture in a case in which only one person has been charged.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com reports

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:39 PM | Comment

Update: Provisional ballots boost Napolitano's lead in Cranston race

In what has been described as the closest mayoral election in Cranston’s history, Democrat Michael T. Napolitano’s lead over Republican rival Allan W. Fung increased this morning to 71 votes after the state Board of Elections staff tabulated the provisional ballots.

Fung has requested a recount of all 32,140 ballots cast in the election. That recount has been scheduled for Tuesday at the Board of Elections office in Providence.

This morning, once the provisional ballots were counted, Napolitano made his first public statement since the election.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “We hope it holds up.”

Napolitano did not declare victory, nor has he appointed a transition team to prepare to take over the mayor’s office.

The Board of Elections anticipates the recount results will be available on Tuesday.

The city’s Board of Canvassers could certify the votes for the city’s next mayor on Wednesday at the earliest, although legal challenges by the Fung campaign could delay that certification.

Fung's lawyer said later today that the campaign may formally appeal a Board of Elections decision to deny public access to the ballots.

After the provisional ballots were tabulated this morning, Fung's campaign lawyer, Angel Taveras, requested access to any ballots that are rejected by the voting machines during the recount. About 420 of the 32,140 ballots did not register a vote in the mayoral race.

If ballots are rejected again next week, Taveras said, campaign staff would like to examine them to see if the voter's attempt is discernible.

The Board of Elections rejected that request.

"We're not allowed to see the ballots," Taveras said. "We don't believe that's appropriate."

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:02 PM | Comment

Mass. man is indicted for East Providence murder

A state grand jury today indicted Joel Noonan, 36, of Avon, Mass., for the murder Sept. 24 of Steven Dowgiala.

Noonan is charged with stabbing Dowgiala to death after forcing his way into Dowgiala's home in the Rumford section of East Providence. Dowgiala's wife Susan is Noonan's cousin.

The police say Noonan fled to New York City where, the next day, he was shot by a police officer and arrested.

Noonan is in custody in New York. According to the Rhode Island attorney general's office, a Governor's Warrant will be sought for his extradition.

In addition to one count of murder, the grand jury indicted Noonan today on one count of entering a dwelling house with the intent to commit murder, and two counts of simple assault.

Noonan allegedly assaulted Susan Dowgliala and the couple's 8-year-old daughter.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:55 PM | Comment

Photo: Mourning one of their own at Rogers High

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
As a flag flies at half-staff overhead, members of the Rogers High School Junior ROTC program today mourn the loss of Army Sgt. Michael R. Weidemann, 23, a Rogers graduate who was killed Oct. 31 in Iraq.

A memorial service for him was held outside the Newport school, where he had participated in the ROTC program before graduating in 2001.

This afternoon, funeral services are being held for Sgt. Weidemann at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Portsmouth. Burial will follow on the church grounds.

Weidemann was killed while on patrol in the Anbar Province west of Baghdad when his armored vehicle hit an improvised explosive device. He was serving his second tour in Iraq for the Army's 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

Tribute to the troops: Post condolences for Sgt. Weidemann.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:21 PM | Comment

Update: Woman rejects plea offer in brutal revenge killing

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – A Cumberland woman accused in the July 2005 revenge killing of a 19-year-old Providence woman declined a plea offer after it was made public in court this morning.

The offer from the state Attorney General’s Office, presented before Superior Court Judge Stephen P. Nugent, would have required Tawanna N. Sampson, 30, to plead guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The plea offer was presented for both Sampson and co-defendant Shea Cook, 22, of South Kingstown, who has not yet said if he’ll accept the offer.

During the proceeding, a man who was sitting by Sampson’s family stood up in court and said, “Hey, Tawanna, stay strong."

"Yo, just hold off. They don’t have nothing on you,” the man said as court officers escorted him out of the courtroom.

It is unclear whether the man was related to Sampson.

Neither defendant was asked to accept or reject the offer in court today.

However, after leaving court, Sampson declined the offer, her attorney, Joseph L. DeCarporale Jr., said outside the courtroom. The case will now proceed to trial, which is set to begin Jan. 30, he said.

Cook’s lawyer, Kathleen M. Hagerty, declined to comment. He will be back in court on Nov. 21.

The co-defendants in the murder trial of 19-year-old Stacy Ann Brissett would have faced up to 50 years in jail under the plea offer. They would have been eligible for parole after 40 years.

Sampson was arrested a month after the police say Brissett was shot repeatedly on Narragansett Indian land in Charlestown, strangled and then dumped over the Indian Leap waterfall in Connecticut.

Sampson is the sister of Dwayne A. Sampson, who was shot to death in Providence in June 2005. Prosecutors have said that Tawanna Sampson and the other defendants in the case suspected that Brissett had set up her live-in boyfriend, Dwayne Sampson. He was fatally shot with a high-powered rifle outside the couple’s home in Providence’s North End weeks before Brissett was killed.

-- Journal staff writer Maria Armental

The plea offer for Tawanna Sampson and Cook reflected downgraded charges.

Sampson will now go to trial on the original charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, carrying and discharging a firearm while committing a violent crime, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

Cook has also been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and carrying and discharging a firearm while committing a violent crime.

In court today, once the plea offer was presented, Sampson’s attorney addressed the court, telling the judge his client had asked to be released from the ACI into home confinement. DeCarporale told the judge he explained to his client that wouldn’t be possible, based on the nature of the charges, and he then asked for a January trial.

A date of Nov. 27 was set for when Sampson will officially enter her plea in court.

The shooter, Shonda Northup, admitted her role in Brissett's killing and agreed to testify against Sampson and Cook last May. She pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, conspiracy and two firearms charges in exchange for 60 years in prison, with 45 to serve.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:36 PM | Comment

Sox reportedly have inside track on pitching phenom

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the Red Sox have made the top bid for the rights to negotiate with highly touted Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Olney quotes major league sources as saying that the Red Sox have bid between $38 million and $45 million to Matsuzaka's Japanese club, the Seibu Lions, for the rights to talk to the pitcher. The Lions have until Tuesday to accept or reject the bid.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 2:30 PM | Comment

Veterans Day: Events, closings mark WWI end

Journal photo / John Freidah
Students at the Barnes Elementary School in Johnston sign a Rhode Island state flag which will be sent to the 1207th Transportation Company of the Rhode Island National Guard at Base Camp Adder in Iraq. Student Zachary Guglielmo, 8, was among them. His uncle, 1st Lt. Thomas Manera, is with the 1207th. Read the full story from today's Journal.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day, the annual observance of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I.

Events will be held around our area this weekend, including two ceremonies at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery in Exeter. See a list here.

Observed as a federal and state holiday, it also means that government offices are closed tomorrow. Here's a list of what's open and what's closed on Saturday, Veterans Day, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Liquor stores open
Retail stores open
Supermarkets open
Taverns (food) open
Taverns (no food) open

Banks varies
State offices closed
Municipal offices closed
Schools closed
Libraries varies

Stock market closed
Federal offices closed
Mail delivery none

RIPTA Holiday schedule

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:19 PM | Comment

Providence crews fighting two-alarm blaze

PROVIDENCE – Firefighters have responded to a fire at 25 Terminal Rd., where two vehicles inside a storage facility are on fire.

Crews were called to the scene of the two-alarm blaze at 1:50 p.m., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

More details are not yet available.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:13 PM | Comment

Coast Guard IDs worker who died on fishing vessel

The man who died yesterday while working aboard a docked fishing vessel in New Bedford has been identified by the U.S. Coast Guard, which is investigating the contractor's death.

Jose Baptista was found collapsed yesterday around noon on the Sandra Lee after using a gas-powered pressure washer in the boat, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Pinneo.

Nine other people were hospitalized after being overcome by fumes, according to the police.

Although carbon monoxide poisoning is being considered as a factor, the investigation is ongoing, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boston office.

-- projo.com reports and The Associated Press

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:03 PM | Comment

Sunday girls soccer finals moved to tomorrow

With lots of rain in the forecast for the end of the weekend, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League has decided to reschedule three girls soccer finals from Sunday afternoon to Saturday. Tonight's Division I final between La Salle and Scituate will take place as scheduled, as will the three boys soccer finals scheduled for tomorrow.

Here is the new girls soccer schedule for Saturday. All games are at Pierce Stadium in East Providence:

2 p.m.: Division III, Tiverton vs. Lincoln
4 p.m.: Division IV, Tolman vs. Rogers
7 p.m.: Division II, Coventry vs. Prout

Posted by Mike McDermott at 11:55 AM | Comment

Providence police look for link between two shootings

PROVIDENCE – The police this morning are investigating the possibility that two shootings last night within 20 minutes of each other could be connected.

Both young men who were shot – one in the Smith Hill neighborhood and one in South Providence – are in stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Police Capt. Hugh Clements said this morning.

No arrests have been made, but the police do have suspects in mind and continue to investigate both shootings, Clements said.

At 10:42 p.m. last night, the police were called to 48 Pekin St., in Smith Hill, where Wilfredo Ramos, 23, had been shot on the street, in both of his legs and in the buttocks, Clements said.

Then in South Providence at 11:06 p.m., 18-year-old Melvin Brown was shot at 355 Friendship St. in his right arm, his left thigh and his lower right leg, Clements said.

The police do not know the motive for the shootings at this time, Clements said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:01 AM | Comment

R.I. to honor veterans with parades, prayers

Rhode Islanders will mark Veterans Day tomorrow with parades, speeches, prayers and ceremonies.

See a list of events from today's Journal.

Veterans Day, which falls on November 11, was originally established as Armistice Day to honor World War I veterans and mark the armistice between allied and German forces that went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 1954, after U.S. forces had fought in World War II and Korea, the Act was amended to change the holiday to Veterans Day and honor American veterans of all wars.

In a proclamation last week, President Bush urged Americans to recognize the week of Nov. 5 to Nov. 11th as National Veterans Awareness Week, and he encouraged "all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers."

"To protect the nation they love, our veterans stepped forward when America needed them most. In conflicts around the world, their sacrifice and resolve helped destroy the enemies of freedom and saved millions from oppression," Mrs. Bush said. "In answering history's call with honor, decency, and resolve, our veterans have shown the power of liberty and earned the respect and admiration of a grateful nation."

Read the full proclamation.

Since Nov. 11 falls on a Saturday this year, state employees will celebrate the holiday Monday, according to state law.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:00 AM | Comment

Germans probe deposits by wife of Custer Battles founder

DARMSTADT, Germany -- German authorities say they are getting help from the U.S. Justice Department on a probe into $1.7 million deposited in German banks by the wife of a former Pentagon contractor with Rhode Island roots.

Custer Battles LLC, of Middletown, R.I., was found guilty by a jury in Virginia last March of defrauding the U.S. government and told to pay $10 million for exaggerating its work in Iraq. The whistleblower lawsuit was later overturned by a federal judge on grounds that the coalition authority in Iraq, set up by President Bush after the U.S. invasion, was not legally part of the U.S. government.

The Justice Department declined to comment on any investigation of the firm, which provided security at Baghdad airport and other U.S.-occupied installations. German authorities, however, say they are making progress in their probe of large deposits made by Jacqueline Battles, wife of company co-founder Mike Battles, into multiple German bank accounts under her maiden name of Vihernik.

Jacqueline Battles, who returned to Germany after the jury verdict was announced, was arrested Sept. 6 and ordered to remain in Germany and wear an electronic monitor. However, she has not been charged.

Nearly $2 million was seized from her accounts, based in part on information from the Justice Department and the federal court in Virginia where the jury verdict was reversed, said Ger Neuber, spokesman for the prosecutors' office here.

Read the full story.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:13 AM | Comment

Download today's front page

Today's front page leads with: Sen. Chafee's press conference and the reaction of two Rhode Island Marines to the defense secretary's resignation.

Download file

Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:11 AM | Comment

Funeral today for R.I. soldier killed in Iraq

The funeral for Sgt. Michael Weidemann, the 23-year-old Newport soldier killed in Iraq last week, is scheduled for today.

Weidemann's funeral will be at 2 p.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 324 East Main Rd., Portsmouth. Burial will follow on the church grounds.

Weidemann, a 2001 Rogers High School graduate, was killed last Tuesday while on patrol in the Anbar Province west of Baghdad when his armored vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.

He was serving his second tour in Iraq for the Army's 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:11 AM | Comment

Weather: September returns in November

PROVIDENCE -- Today should feel more like September than November with sunny skies and the temperature expected to reach 64 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Tomorrow looks like the best day of the weekend with partly sunny skies and a high near 62 degrees. Showers should move in after 3 a.m. Sunday. Expect periods of rain during the day Sunday, especially after noon.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment