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January 9, 2007

Traffic alert: Accident at Rte. 6/10 connector cleared

The Transportation Management Center at the state Department of Transportation reports an accident on the Routes 6/10 connector outbound, under the Tobey Street overpass in Providence.

Two left lanes were closed, as of 5:57 p.m., and there were "very heavy" delays. But by 6:16 p.m., the lanes had been cleared, although some delays were still being experienced.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:53 PM | Comment

Update: Lawyers debate trust status for tribal land

BOSTON -- Lawyers for the state and the Department of Justice today faced off before the full federal appeals court about whether 31 acres of land in Charlestown could be held in trust for the Narragansett Indian Tribe.

A three-judge panel from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September 2005 that the U.S. Department of Interior could hold the land in trust for the tribe. Unrestricted trust status would free the land largely from state and local jurisdiction, though most federal laws would apply. It would also place the land under the authority of the Narragansetts.

Some fear that would clear the way for the tribe to build a casino, smoke shop or other industry, without state oversight. The tribe has said it intends to build housing for its elders on the land, which is located off Kings Factory Road, north of Route 1, across from the tribe's settlement land.

The full court agreed to consider the issue last month at the state's request.

On face value, it might appear the case is about the tribe's quest to build affordable housing for its elderly residents, but much more is at stake, said lawyer Joseph S. Larisa Jr., representing the Town of Charlestown.

"It is really about one thing: jurisdiction," he said. It would strip land from the laws of Rhode Island for the first time in history, he said.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

He argued the Interior Department could not take the land into trust because the tribe was not federally recognized when the Indian Reorganization Act was passed in 1934. Congress enacted that act to restore certain rights and lands to Native Americans.

Additionally, the state asserted the tribe bargained away its rights when it entered the agreement that gave it 1,800 acres in Charlestown in 1978. That agreement, now law, places those tribal lands under state and local criminal and civil jurisdiction.

But Department of Justice lawyer Elizabeth Ann Peterson, representing the Interior Department, said that the agreement, referred to as the Settlement Act, does not explicitly bar the tribe from buying other property and having that land placed in unrestricted trust for the tribe.

Further, she said, the secretary of the interior "does not distinguish between tribes [recognized] before and after 1934."

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:50 PM | Comment

Woonsocket Middle School fracas spurs police presence

WOONSOCKET -- Police officials were out in force this afternoon at Woonsocket Middle School, after a long-simmering conflict between two 13-year-old girls resulted in a fracas involving the girls, their mothers, two other 13 year-old girls, and a teacher when school let out yesterday.

Police and school officials say the fight was facilitated by one of the mothers, who allegedly drove her already-suspended daughter to the school to fight one of the other girls.

"She was with Mom across the street at dismissal time waiting for this particular girl,” said Woonsocket Middle School Principal Patrick McGee, who called the entire incident “beyond ridiculous.”

Parents Maribel Santiago, 34, of 75 Village Road and Ana Rivera, 44, of 241 Park Ave., were both arrested and charged with simple assault for their involvement in the fight.

Their 13-year-old daughters and two other 13-year-old girls were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Their cases were turned over to the Juvenile Detective Division.

Read the full story in tomorrow's Journal and on projo.com.

-- Journal staff writer Kia Hayes

Officers responding to the school yesterday afternoon were met with several hundred students and adults, and several girls yelled and threatened Rivera’s daughter as she was led to a police vehicle. Police ordered the girls to stand back, and eventually arrested two other girls who continued to scream at and threaten the girl.

In response to the incident yesterday, police officials, who normally patrol school grounds when school lets out at 1:50 every afternoon, were out in force today. At least four police vehicles — including a paddy wagon — and a dozen of officers welcomed the 460 eighth-grade students when they filed out. Among the officials were Police Chief Michael L.A. Houle, Deputy Chief Richard Dubois, and Public Safety Director Michael Annarummo.

There were no disruptions today as students boarded buses and headed home.

Read the full story in tomorrow's Journal and on projo.com.

-- Journal staff writer Kia Hayes

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:40 PM | Comment

On deck: A night for the B's

There’s only one game on the local sports scene tonight, as the Boston Bruins head to Ottawa to take on the Senators. The B’s will be looking to get a win streak going after beating Philadelphia on Saturday.

A bit farther afield, the Boston College men’s basketball team looks to improve to 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference when it visits Wake Forest at 9.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:32 PM | Comment

Update: Hotline for parents of children in crisis

PAWTUCKET – Parents and other caregivers of children who are in emotional crisis – such as crying inconsolably or hurting themselves or others – have a new way to get help fast.

As outlined in a press conference today, a state-run hotline (1-866-429-3979) can put parents in touch with a clinician trained in children’s mental health and related family issues. The rules require a return call within 15 minutes, and if a face-to-face interview is warranted, the clinician should be available within two hours.

The family can also arrange a meeting the next morning. These clinicians should then locate the appropriate type of care for the distressed child.

Prompted by a new state law, this mental health clearinghouse – called Kid’s Link -- has been operating quietly since Nov. 1 on a pilot basis.

This morning, Governor Carcieri joined state and mental health officials at Gateway Healthcare to announce that Kid’s Link is ready for prime time and will start an advertising campaign.

Carcieri said Kid’s Link gives families, for the first time, a single point of entry into the mental health system. “The sooner we can pick up youngsters in crisis and get them plugged into the care they need, the better they will do,” he said.

-- Journal health writer Felice J. Freyer

New hotline offers help for children in crisis
Posted 10:55 a.m.

Parents and caregivers of children in emotional crisis have a new place to go.

They can now reach out to learn more about all the children’s services available in the state by calling one number – a centralized emergency hotline that is already in operation.

This morning, the state Department of Children, Youth and Families and Gateway Healthcare are holding a press conference to announce the Kid’s Link RI hotline.

So pull out a pen and jot down this number in case you ever need it: (866) 429-3979.

“When a child is acting out, experiencing excessive anger or hurting himself, parents may not know where to turn for help,” DCYF Director Patricia Martinez said in a statement.

“Families often turn to the hospital emergency room, which may not always be the best place for their particular problem. This hotline will be extremely valuable, as the emergency service clinicians who answer the phone know all the available resources in the state, are trained to help sort out the child’s symptoms and can point families in the right direction for the best care.”

Hotline administrators assure parents they will be called back within 15 minutes of placing the call and that qualified clinicians will see children for face-to-face assessments if needed within two hours.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:22 PM | Comment

R.I. congressmen oppose increasing troops in Iraq

Rhode Island's Democratic congressmen don't want more American troops sent to Iraq -- along with the majority of Americans, according to a poll released today.

President Bush plans to deliver a primetime speech tomorrow night in which he will reportedly outline a plan to send thousands more troops to Iraq in the coming months.

Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I., released a statement today dismissing the president's proposal as "misguided."

"While our armed forces have heroically pursued their mission in Iraq, I don't believe any objective observer thinks that a gradual escalation of 20,000 troops will fundamentally change the unfortunate realities on the ground in Iraq. Indeed, we have tried this strategy in the past and it has failed each time," Kennedy said. "The president's proposed escalation is not a change, it's just another chapter in his stubborn refusal to base policy in reality. It's time to begin transitioning the mission and bringing our troops home, not sending even more into harm's way."

The majority of Americans agree, according to the results of a Gallup Poll released today.

Based on a national sample conducted Jan. 5-7, Gallup found that 61 percent of Americans oppose the president and just 36 percent support his plan when asked this question: "As you may know, the Bush administration is considering a temporary but significant increase in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to help stabilize the situation there. Would you favor or oppose this?"

The survey also found that Bush's current approval rating is 37 percent.

A spokeswoman for Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., did not release a new statement today in anticipation of the president's speech. Instead, Langevin spokeswoman Joy Fox referred to a Dec. 20 statement in which the congressman unequivocally opposed any troop increases.

"I am opposed to increasing our troop levels. The time for sending more combat troops to Iraq has long come and gone. It is time to make a significant military shift away from combat activities while continuing to train and advise the Iraqi military," Langevin said. "Furthermore, sending more combat troops now will do nothing to address the underlying problems in Iraq, which are largely political in nature."

Bush's speech tomorrow night is scheduled for 9 p.m.

Survey: What would your plan for dealing with Iraq be now?

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:11 PM | Comment

Update: Terror suspect Mullawala professes innocence

BOSTON -- A 28-year-old Indian national, arrested last month after his behavior drew attention at a Smithfield tractor-trailer school, appeared briefly in a federal immigration court this afternoon.

"No matter what you read, I came to attend the University of Bridgeport,” a very anxious, but polite Mullawala said to Judge Matthew J. D’Angelo. "I’m going to tell everything honestly, the truth, sir."

But Mullawala didn't get a chance to say much more than that at today's deportation hearing.

D'Angelo asked him if he spoke English.

"I speak," Mullawala responded.

Then the judge asked him if he wanted more time to get a lawyer. Mullawala, who was arrested in early December, said he did.

"I don’t know anybody," said Mullawala, who appeared handcuffed wearing blue prison garb marked with the letters "I-C-E," for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "I didn’t get the opportunity to call my parents to tell them to send money."

D'Angelo continued the hearing to Jan. 23. Earlier today, the court had planned to hold the hearing on Jan. 16.

Authorities have widened their investigation into Mullawala, citing "problematic" cell-phone records and his apparent guise as an international student.

Mullawala’s interest in purchasing software on hazardous materials and his lack of interest in learning to back up a rig drew the attention of the Smithfield trucking-school owners, and eventually, the federal Department of Homeland Security.

He has been held at the Suffolk County Detention Center in Boston since Dec. 5, on a civil immigration charge of violating his student visa.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples and Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

R.I. state police seek deportation of driving student
Posted 12:04 p.m.

The Rhode Island state police today plan to ask for the deportation of a 28-year-old Indian national who raised suspicion at a Smithfield tractor-trailer school and eventually the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Mohammed Yousuf Mullawala is expected at a 1 p.m. hearing in immigration court at the JFK Building in Boston.

Mullawala has been held at the Suffolk County Detention Center in Boston since Dec. 5, on a civil immigration charge of violating his student visa. The police expect to ask for his deportation because of that immigration violation.

Read more in today’s Journal about how the investigation into Mullawala has widened over the past month.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:40 PM | Comment

Founder of conservation group admits embezzling

PROVIDENCE -- Geoffrey M. DiCenso, a charming and energetic environmental advocate who created the first statewide association of local conservation commissions, has pleaded no contest to embezzling and stealing checks from the same organization and agreed to make restitution of $4,300.

DiCenso admitted that he was able to embezzle the checks because they were unauthorized, and he failed to produce receipts, Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch, said today. DiCenso converted the money to his personal use, Healey said.

Superior Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer sentenced DiCenso yesterday to two years probation for the two felonies.

In an e-mail today, Dan Novak, who now serves as co-president of the Rhode Island Association of Conservation Commissions with William Bivona, described the DiCenso case as a “long and agonizing saga” and a “tragic waste of talent and time.”

He said he hoped the case would warn other environmental organizations of DiCenso’s troubled past and help him “hew a straighter path.”

-- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:32 PM | Comment

Cranston police seek car that hit woman, 67

CRANSTON -- The police are searching for the driver of a brown station wagon who allegedly hit a 67-year-old pedestrian on Saturday afternoon and fled.

The woman, Nancy Bacon, of Providence, had just left St. Paul Church at the corner of Warwick Avenue and Broad Street when she was struck, the police say.

She is being treated for serious injuries at Rhode Island Hospital, according to a police statement.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:30 PM | Comment

Ripken and Gwynn voted in Hall; Rice denied, again

Former Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice failed to gain admission to baseball's Hall of Fame today, as shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and outfielder Tony Gwynn were elected on their first ballot appearance.

Mark McGwire, whose home run totals have been tainted by steroid suspicions, was not elected.

Click here to read the full story from mlb.com

Posted by Peter Phipps at 2:33 PM | Comment

Ethics Commission broadens nepotism rules

PROVIDENCE -- The state Ethics Commission today approved revisions to the state Code of Ethics, broadening its nepotism provisions to include households along with families. The change makes unmarried couples subject to the same rules against conflicts of interest as apply to family members.

The only testimony at a public hearing before the vote came from the state’s principal government reform groups, Common Cause and Operation Clean Government. Both groups said they generally like the changes but think the commission should tighten the rules even more.

The ethics code is aimed at banning, or punishing, conflicts of interest, where government officials use their offices to benefit themselves, business associates or family members. The section of the code revised today involves nepotism, or favoritism for relatives.

Commission Chairman James Lynch Sr. said the commission will also “consider” a request from Governor Carcieri that it substantially tighten the rules applying to state legislators. The governor wants the commission to require state senators and representatives to disclose far more about their personal business ties and to forbid them from voting on legislation affecting industries from which they, their families or business associates get more than a minimal amount of income.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Today’s vote was the second in a series of revisions the commission has produced, and Lynch said he wants to move ahead on other changes. In September, the commission substantially broadened the “revolving door” rules to include hundreds of local officials, including elected officials and as well as both elected and appointed school committee members.

Those rules are intended to prevent elected officials from arranging jobs for themselves after they leave office, and forbid officials from taking jobs with their own agencies for a year after they leave office.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:18 PM | Comment

Trial under way in Fall River fatal stabbing

TAUNTON, Mass. -- The trial of a Fall River woman charged with stabbing to death another woman with a steak knife is under way.

Karen Cordeiro, of 136 John St., Fall River, has been charged with murder in the death of 19-year-old Courtney Sau of Taunton. Police believe the stabbing stemmed from an argument over a boyfriend in a Providence, R.I., nightclub in February 2005.

Authorities say that following the argument, Sau drove to Fall River, and called the two women on a cellular phone to let them know she was coming.

When Sau arrived at John Street, Cordeiro and a friend, Carla Carvalho, came out of the apartment, wielding improvised weapons. According to court records, Carvalho sliced Sau's neck with a broken bottle, and Cordeiro stabbed the Taunton woman with a steak knife.

Cordeiro's lawyer has argued that his client acted in self-defense.

Both sides made opening remarks yesterday in Superior Court, according to the clerk's office. This morning, the jury, the judge and the stenographer traveled to Fall River to view the crime scene.

Witness testimony is expected to continue this afternoon.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:14 PM | Comment

New Bedford police officer cleared in fatal shooting

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- A New Bedford police officer who fatally shot a man brandishing a pellet gun will not face criminal charges because the shooting was justified, according to an investigation into the incident.

Officer Justin Kagan was justified in firing his gun during the Oct. 26 incident because he thought his partner's life was in danger, according to an investigation by the Bristol district attorney's office.

Lamont Cruz, 38, pulled an airgun that looked like a real gun on the officers in the hallway of known drug house and said, "I'm going to use it," according to the investigation. Cruz, a convicted felon, did not live at the house.

Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:57 AM | Comment

Traffic slow on Route 95 South

Route 95 South appears congested at this hour, based on the Department of Transportation’s congestion mapping system.

The state police say it’s not related to a single-car accident at Exit 20 (the Route 195 exit). That car is off the road and in the right shoulder and traffic is flowing there, according to a police dispatcher.

Nevertheless, the state Department of Transportation Web site says traffic on Route 95 south is moving at an average speed of 25 miles per hour from the Massachusetts state line all the way down to Exit 20.

For other traffic needs, check out the state roadways, via the Department of Transportation's online traffic offerings.

You can find any traffic alerts describing accidents here, browse traffic cams to see real-time photos of the highways and check out the DOT’s road construction schedule here.

To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:57 AM | Comment

Dispute over Narragansett land heads to court

BOSTON -- A legal fight over which laws apply to a parcel of land owned by the Narragansett Indian Tribe heads for a Boston courtroom today.

The case centers on whether the federal government can hold 31 acres in Charlestown in a trust for the Narragansetts. That move could exempt the land from state and municipal law -- perhaps opening the door to a casino banned under Rhode Island law.

Arguments are set for 2 p.m. in the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

State lawyers say the federal government can only hold land for Indian tribes recognized before a federal law took effect in 1934, unless Congress decides otherwise. The Narragansetts were recognized in 1983.

Indian rights advocates say that argument could call into question the ownership of Indian lands across the country.

Read in today's Journal about last night's contentious Charlestown council meeting, where more than 100 residents packed the chambers. One resident said the public was in attendance, because they are nervous about the direction of the town under the current council and the potential of a slot parlor being built on Narragansett lands.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:39 AM | Comment

Clouds moving in, a high near 47

PROVIDENCE – The moon was a brilliant white as it was setting this morning.

Now expect cloud cover to move in. We’ll have a high near 47 today, with west winds between 10 and 16 miles per hour.

We’ve got a slight chance of snow showers from midnight tonight until about 3 a.m. tomorrow. Expect a low tonight around 28.

The rest of the week should be partly cloudy, with high temps ranging from the high 30s for the next two days to the mid-50s on Friday and Saturday.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:06 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page includes a stories about heating oil prices remaining high despite the warm weather and the challenges President Bush faces in convincing Congress and America that sending more troops will help the situation in Iraq.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment