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January 11, 2007

Pare, head of state police, retiring at 46

The head of the Rhode Island State Police is retiring, after 26 years on the force, and at age 46.

Col. Steven M. Pare will leave in February, the governor's office confirmed early this evening.

Pare, of Cranston, has been the agency's top official since October 2001, when he was appointed by former Gov. Lincoln Almond. He has been with the state police since 1980.

In a statement released by the governor's office, Pare noted that he reached the maximum retirement age in June 2005. He declined to comment by phone tonight.

“Now that I’ve reached retirement age, and now that Governor Carcieri has completed his first term, this seems the appropriate time to look for new opportunities,” Pare said in the statement. “I love the State Police, but I believe I should make this move while I’m still young enough to have a second career.”

At the governor’s request, Pare has agreed to continue in his post until the end of February while a new superintendent is identified.

“Over the last 26 years, Colonel Pare has been a tremendous public servant,” Governor Carcieri said in a statement. “In fact, he has given his entire adult life to protect the people of Rhode Island. Rising through the ranks to become superintendent, Colonel Pare demonstrated the talent, leadership and sense of duty to lead the state police through the early years of the 21st century."

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:05 PM | Comment

On deck: Action at the high school level

It's pretty quiet on the area college and professional sports front tonight.

The Boston Bruins face off against the New York Islanders on home ice tonight, starting at 7 p.m.

Outside of that, you'll find more action on the local high school scene, with boys' and girls' basketball games on tap, as well as wrestling.

For a full list of today's high school events, click here.

Speaking of high school, it's time for the announcement of The Providence Journal's All-State teams for fall 2006. You'll find who's been selected, plus a new, Web-only feature. Each of our first-team athletes will have his or her own personal Web space. There, you'll be able to see their achievements during the fall season, browse photo galleries and find out a little more about these top young athletes.

Just go to http://projo.com/highschool.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:02 PM | Comment

Update: Langevin vocal in House OK of stem cell bill

WASHINGTON -- Setting up a veto confrontation with President Bush, the Democratic-ruled House of Representatives moved today to expand federally subsidized embryonic stem cell research.

The House voted 253 to 174 to lift Bush's 2001 ban on most federally financed research into potential medical treatments derived from stem cells in human embryos.

The bill is identical to legislation that Bush vetoed last year. Today's majority was not enough to override a veto, but Democrats control both the House and Senate now so they can attempt parliamentary maneuvers to pursue their goals more easily than before.

Nevertheless, opponents of the bill said their hand has been strengthened by reports on stem cell research that does not require the destruction of human embryos. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research say it is morally wrong to destroy living embryos.

Embryonic stem cell research holds out hope for millions and "can be done ethically,'' said Rep. James R. Langevin, D-R.I., a prominent supporter of the research, in addressing the House today. Fellow Rhode Island Democrat Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy also voted for the bill.

The debate renewed a quandary that Langevin resolved in favor of embryonic stem cell research, shortly after he came to Congress on 2001.

-- Journal staff writer John E. Mulligan

Scientists reported days ago on research suggesting that stem cells from a woman's amniotic fluid may have the same property that makes embryonic stem cells such a promising avenue in the quest for medical treatment breakthroughs. Embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into any kind of human tissue. But amniotic fluid is routinely taken from pregnant women during checkups, so the stem cells taken from it do not require the destruction of embryos.

The report prompted House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, an opponent of embryonic stem cell research, to ask the Democrats to delay their push to roll back the research restrictions.

Langevin said the new finding about amniotic stem cells "doesn't really change the debate for me.'' He called the report "`exciting'' but cautioned that "eureka'' studies on potential medical breakthroughs can prove disappointing.

Langevin said that even if further research bears out this early finding on amniotic cells, "the right thing to do'' is to pursue every avenue of research.

Langevin's own medical condition -- a crippling injury almost 26 years ago that confines him to a wheelchair -- has given him a significant voice in the stem cell debate. Langevin has said the shooting accident that severed his spinal cord made him acutely sensitive to the value of human life. He often cites the experience in explaining why he opposes abortion.

At the same time, Langevin has said his handicap helps him to identify with those who place hope in the prospect of stem cell-related treatments for a wide array of afflictions, from spinal cord injuries to various diseases.

He recalled in a speech how he was told after his accident years ago "that I'd never walk again.'' Still, Langevin said he has held onto the hope of "a miracle of science and prayer'' -- a hope that stem cell research has kindled.

Scientists hope to learn much from embryonic stem cells about how it is that a single living cell can contain all the makings of a full-grown human being.

The research raises difficult issues of right and wrong because it uses frozen embryos left over from in vitro fertilization -- the modern technique that has enabled many infertile couples to have offspring. The extraction of the stem cells destroys the embryo that contained them.

Opponents of embryonic stem cell research put the frozen embryo on the same moral footing with the embryo inside a woman. It is equally wrong to destroy either form of human life, they argue.

But much of the public, particularly abortion rights supporters, disagree. Public polls suggest that embryonic stem cell research enjoys wide support.

Langevin is among the comparatively few legislators on the middle -- opposing abortion but holding that the destruction of embryos for obtain stem cells is permissible. He has based his position on two main points. One is that the lifesaving and curative power of embryonic stem cells is too rich to be dismissed easily. Langevin also notes that the stores of frozen human embryos are large. Most if not all of those embryos are destined to be discarded in any event, he maintains, so it is proper to use them in research intended to alleviate suffering.

In the view of some foes of embryonic stem cell research, Bush himself struck something of a moral compromise when he permitted one exception to his ban on federal subsidies for the research. Bush decided in August 2001 to support federal spending to explore the very few lines of stem cell that had already been taken from embryos.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:56 PM | Comment

New Cranston mayor fires highway chief

CRANSTON -- Mayor Michael T. Napolitano has fired the head of highway maintenance, Arthur J. Jochmann II, in his first personnel decision outside his personal staff. He did not name a replacement.

Napolitano cited "issues" in the highways division, but would not elaborate. Jochmann could not be reached for comment.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:43 PM | Comment

Update: Ailing mobster gets 56 months for extortion

PROVIDENCE -- A longtime capo regime in the Patriarca crime family was sentenced this afternoon to serve almost five years in federal prison for extortion.

In July, Anthony M. “The Saint,” St. Laurent, of Johnston, pleaded guilty to conspiring to extort $100,000 from a pizza parlor owner and a second Massachusetts man. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to ask for the minimum sentence.

U.S. District Judge William Smith gave St. Laurent 56 months, which falls in the middle of the sentencing range he could have applied.

St. Laurent wore a prison-issued khaki outfit and sat in a wheelchair in today's sentencing. He addressed the court before the sentence was issued and spoke about his health problems. He said he has "cement" in his bowels.

St. Laurent suffers from a myriad of health ailments including congestive heart failure, back problems and dysfunctional bowels. At a past hearing, his lawyer, John F. Cicilline, said that St. Laurent takes "40 enemas a day."

In applying the sentence, Smith noted that the conviction was St. Laurent's 17th. The punishments are not working, the judge said, noting that he would have given St. Laurent more time if he was in better health.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

The extortion plot dates to last spring when an FBI agent received information from a confidential informant. The informant agreed to wear a hidden microphone and participate in the investigation.

On April 4, the informant and an associate met with St. Laurent, at the mobster’s house at 2 Rotary Drive, in Johnston. St. Laurent provided both men with instructions to head to Massachusetts and collect money from “two guys.” A third man, named “Larry,” St. Laurent said, was also going to be part of the collection crew.

St. Laurent told the men that if the two men refused to pay, “you give ’em a smack or something and tell them not to go to the cops or we’re coming at you.”

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:38 PM | Comment

Governor replaces two Beacon board members

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri moved today to replace two longtime board members of Beacon Mutual Insurance, the state's largest workers' compensation insurer.

Raymond C. Coia and Michael J. Ruggieri will join the board, replacing George Nee and Henry Boeniger, whose terms expired on November 29.

Carceri last year waged an unsuccessful legal fight to oust Boeniger and Nee, two union-backed Democrats, before their terms expired. Both seats are gubernatorial appointments.

The governor's effort to oust Nee, secretary-treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO in Rhode Island, and Boeniger, government relations director for the National Education Association Rhode Island, followed the release, in April, of an independent report on Beacon by a team led by former Gov. Lincoln C. Almond. The report turned up evidence that Beacon gave preferential insurance rates to some large companies and maintained "inappropriate relationships" with certain insurance agents.

The governor has accused Nee and Boeniger, board members for more than a decade, of presiding over the mismanagement of Beacon.

Both new apointees also have ties to organized labor.

Coia is a coordinator for the New England Laborers’ Tri-Funds in Providence. Ruggieri is president of the Rhode Island Building & Construction Trades Council in Cranston. State law requires that all board members be Beacon Mutual policyholders.

“The cost of workers’ compensation insurance is felt especially among employers in the building and construction trades industry, where the risks of on-the-job injuries are so much greater. Ray Coia and Michael Ruggieri understand the impact that workers’ compensation costs have on these companies, and their expertise on the Beacon Mutual Board of Directors will be invaluable,” Carcieri said in a statement released this afternoon announcing the appointments.

When reached this afternoon, Nee said, "I have nothing but praise for those appointments.''

"I have worked with them both in the labor community for years and they are both solid, reputable people,'' he said.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:13 PM | Comment

Update: Rte. 4 lanes in N. Kingstown reopened

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- All lanes on Route 4 North are open again after a Bobcat construction vehicle toppled off a trailer and closed both lanes, forcing traffic into the breakdown lane.

No other vehicle was struck, according to the state police, who responded to the 12:40 p.m. accident just north of Route 102. No injuries have been reported, but traffic was backed up on the roadway, according to traffic.com.

A tow truck removed the Bobcat from the roadway around 1:45 p.m. The vehicle had flipped onto its side and could not be driven away, according to the police.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:59 PM | Comment

Photo: Saluting the City's top police graduate

Journal photo / Mary Murphy

Newly sworn-in Providence Police Patrolman Douglas Steele, right, salutes Officer Michelle L. Braga as she presents him with the honor graduate award for being at the top of his 30-member class at the 64th Providence Police Training Academy. Braga was one of the instructors in the academy. The graduation ceremony took place at Sapinsley Hall at Rhode Island College.

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:52 PM | Comment

Judge denies new trial for Urciuoli, Driscoll

PROVIDENCE -- Two former executives of Roger Williams Medical Center have lost their bid for a new trial.

At a hearing today, U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres denied motions by Robert A. Urciuoli and Frances P. Driscoll, who were convicted last October of corruption in the hiring of a state senator, John Celona.

That sets the stage for the two to be sentenced on Jan. 31.

Celona, who testified against Urciuoli and Driscoll after admitting to charges that he sold his office, is also scheduled to be sentenced that day.

Previous court dates have been postponed due to Celona’s continued cooperation in a widening State House influence-peddling probe. The former longtime North Providence senator has admitted selling his office to Roger Williams, CVS and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

Michael J. Connolly, Urciuoli’s lawyer, argued today that the evidence in last fall’s 3-1/2-week trial did not support the jury’s verdict that his client had stolen the honest services of Celona.

Kevin J. Bristow, Driscoll’s lawyer, argued that his client’s conviction on a single count of mail fraud, tied to a check for Celona’s services in April 2000, was not supported by any evidence at trial of any illicit actions that month.

But Torres rejected the defense arguments as too narrow to justify either’s case to have the conviction overturned, through a judgment of acquittal, or to grant their motion for a new trial.

Urciuoli, the former president of Roger Williams, was convicted of one count of conspiracy and 35 counts of mail fraud. Driscoll, a former hospital vice president, was acquitted of conspiracy but convicted of one count of mail fraud.

Urciuoli and Driscoll plan to appeal.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:47 PM | Comment

Woonsocket moms arraigned in middle school brawl

PROVIDENCE -- Two Woonsocket mothers who were arrested along with their daughters after a brawl outside Woonsocket Middle School Monday answered charges this morning in District Court, Providence.

One of the mothers, Ana Rivera, pleaded not guilty to a simple assault charge, which alleges that she punched the 13-year-old daughter of Maribel Santiago.

Appearing before Judge Michael A. Higgins, Rivera, 44, was asked through an interpreter if she accepts the misdeanor charge.

"No, that's false," she said. Her case was turned over to the public defender, and she is scheduled to return to court Jan. 29.

Maribel Santiago, the other mother, pleaded no contest to a simple assault charge, which alleges that she punched vice principal Robert J. Picard, who intervened in the scuffle.

She was given a one-year filing, the lowest level of punishment for first time offenders. If she stays out of trouble for that period, the charge will not be on her permanent record.

-- Journal staff write Kia Hall Hayes

Both women were arrested Monday after a fight outside the middle school, which is New England's largest middle school with 1,500 students. Police and school officials allege that Rivera drove her daughter--whom they claim was suspended -- to the school to initate a fight with Santiago's daughter.

Officials say that Rivera also assaulted Santiago’s daughter after the two girls began fighting, and that Santiago punched Picard in the face when he tried to break up the altercation. Rivera’s hand was cut in the brawl, but officers have found no evidence that a weapon was used.

Santiago and Rivera's daughters, as well as two other 13-year-old girls who made threats, were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. The four girls were suspended from school.

Interviewed after her arraignment, Rivera gave a different account than has been provided by police and school officials. She said that her daughter was not suspended at that time, but she told her to stay home from school for her own protection.

"I told my daughter not to go to school, because they were going to jump my daughter," she said. Her daughter, who came to the arraignment with her, nodded in agreement.

Santiago, however, has said that it was Rivera and her daughter who were making threats, and that Santiago went to the school to collect her daughter and bring her home.

Not so, says Rivera.

After ordering her daughter to stay home, Rivera said she went to work. But the other girls continued calling the house and taunting the girl, prompting her to walk to the school to face them.

"I was like 'Oh really?,' so I left the house and went to school to fight the girl," Rivera's daughter said.

When Rivera called her daughter and found out she was on her way to confront the other girls, she drove to the school to stop the fight. In her effort to intervene, her hand was cut.

"I was trying to separate the girls," she said.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:47 AM | Comment

Connecticut Democrat Dodd will run for president

NEW YORK -- Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd announced today he will run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, saying problems at home and abroad meant it was time for him to "get out of the bleachers and onto the arena floor."

Dodd, a 26-year Senate veteran, told the "Imus in the Morning" radio show he will file paperwork to establish a campaign committee later in the day.

"I know how to do this. I know what has to be done. I'm going to get out and make my case," Dodd said. He described himself as a dark horse in a Democratic field dominated by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois - neither of whom have yet entered the race.

Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:15 AM | Comment

Warren shipbuilder honored at Boat Show

Before the 14th annual Providence Boat Show officially opens today at noon, a legendary shipbuilder, philanthropist, inventor and entrepreneur who died in September will be honored posthumously as the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association 2007 Boater of the Year.

Three daughters of Luther H. Blount, whom friends called “an institution of Warren,” will accept the award for their father at 11:30 a.m. during the boat show’s opening ribbon cutting ceremony on the 2nd floor of the Rhode Island Convention Center, according to the association.

Blount, who died at 90, held more than 20 patents, owned several cruise lines and shipbuilding companies, created more than 300 vessels and donated millions to local institutions to protect the waterfront and support shellfish research.

“The Boater of the Year Award was given in recognition of Mr. Blount’s extraordinary lifetime of accomplishment and exceptional contributions as inventor, entrepreneur, shipbuilder, cruise line inventor, philanthropist, aquaculturist, explorer, historian, father, grandfather and great-grandfather,” said Gerry DiSchino, president of the association, who will present the award to Blount’s family.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

The boat show, held at the Convention Center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, continues through Sunday. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. today and tomorrow, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets cost $12, with free admittance for children under 12.

Read Journal staff writer Tom Meade's story about the market for boats.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:49 AM | Comment

Another Mollis son arrested, for shoplifting

The 17-year-old son of Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis was arrested and accused of shoplifting at Providence Place mall on Tuesday night, the second of Mollis’ children to have a brush with police in a week.

Capt. Keith Tucker, head of the Providence Police Department’s Youth Services Bureau, confirmed today that Angelo Mollis was brought to the police station and that his father came to the station and took him home.

Tucker declined further comment, citing the younger Mollis’ status as a juvenile. He said that the matter was referred to Family Court and will follow the usual process and that no special treatment was sought or given.

According to people familiar with the situation, Angelo Mollis allegedly tried to take a $10 shirt at J.C. Penney.

The elder Mollis’ first week in office was marred by the arrest last Wednesday night of his 19-year-old stepson, Gian Piscione, on a charge of attempted murder and by questions about how the police handled two other incidents involving the youth last year.

Mollis issued the following statement, which is included in the extended entry.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

In a statement, Mollis said: ``My family, like other families, faces personal struggles every day. My family is well aware that when they make mistakes, they will face the consequences of their actions. They are also aware that they will face those consequences and challenges with the love and support of a strong, close family.

``As a public official who holds dear the trust and confidence of Rhode Island, I know that my family must be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability. We will continue to strive to meet the standards Rhode Islanders expect and deserve.

``I have been accessible and forthright to the media during this difficult week, and I respect the media's responsibility to pursue these matters. I would ask, in the best interests of my family which I love very much as well as the proud office I hold and people I serve, that some privacy be provided to my family during this time.”

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:28 AM | Comment

R.I. Guard won't be among the first to fill Bush's order

As 37 airmen with the Rhode Island Air National Guard are about to arrive home from Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Qatar tomorrow, the number of Rhode Islanders at war is decreasing, despite President Bush’s call last night to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.

The returning airmen were among 74 deployed in September from the 143rd Airlift Wing for two- and four-month deployments. The 143rd has been returning home recently, one at a time or in twos and threes, according to National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Denis Riel. The remaining 20 airmen of that initial deployment four months ago should be home within the next two weeks, Riel said.

And for now, the National Guard is not sending another group in to replace those 74. Thus, the Guard will be down to 157 Rhode Island Army National Guardsmen left in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than 3,400 Rhode Island Guard troops have been deployed since Sept. 11, 2001.

As for the president’s suggested surge in troops, Riel stressed that those troops will come primarily from active-duty Army troops already in the region whose tours will be extended and the early deployment of active-duty Army troops and Marines who are already scheduled to go to Iraq.

“We don’t see any initial impact on not only the Rhode Island National Guard but on the National Guard as a whole,” Riel said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

The 143rd airmen will return tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. to the Quonset Air National Guard base, in a Rhode Island C-130 J. Some of the 143rd were based in Qatar and flying that C-130 J regularly into Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Rhode Island Air National Guard was responsible for supplying those 74 airmen for four months out of every 20 months, Riel explained. Rhode Island also had a commitment to supply an aircraft for two years, and that commitment has come to an end.

As for sending more airmen, it will be 16 months from now that “we’ll be on the hook again,” Riel said. Additionally, some members of the Rhode Island Army National Guard have already been alerted that they’ll be deployed later this year, but they don’t yet know when they’ll be going, he said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:48 AM | Comment

Police stop leads to fugitive, gun charges

EAST PROVIDENCE – When the state police stopped an SUV on Route 195 East for speeding around 1:30 a.m. today, they discovered two men who were wanted, one as a fugitive from justice in Ohio, and a loaded .45 caliber handgun under the driver’s seat.

The driver, 27-year-old Clentonio Watson, of Fall River, was wanted for failing to appear in District Court, Providence, on a charge of driving without a license. Watson, of 2 Weaver St., was charged again with driving without a license, according to State Police Lt. David Neill.

Watson’s passenger, 25-year-old Shawn Lumpkin of the same address in Fall River, is wanted in Ohio for felony possession of dangerous drugs, Neill said. He was charged as a fugitive from justice, and Ohio police have said they’ll move to extradite him, according to Neill.

With the arrest of both men, the car was impounded. That’s when the police found the loaded handgun under the driver’s seat, Neill said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Both men will be arraigned this morning in District Court, Providence, where they will also be charged with possession of a firearm without a license, possession of marijuana, conspiracy to possess a firearm and conspiracy to possess marijuana, Neill said.

The police do not know if the men had plans to use the firearm, Neill said. They’ll ask the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to run a trace on the gun.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:05 AM | Comment

Traffic: Accident near entrance ramp to 295, Johnston

A tractor trailer carrying canned peaches rolled over on Shun Pike this morning, just before the entrance ramp for exit 5 onto Route 295 north, over near the state Central Landfill.

No one was injured in the 6:55 a.m. accident, and no other cars were involved, State Police Lt. David Neill said.

The accident has not obstructed access to the highway and doesn’t seem to be affecting traffic, Neill said.

The peaches have not spilled onto the roadway, Neill said.

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.

Also, check out congestion mapping -- i.e., how heavy the traffic is -- here.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:19 AM | Comment

All-State Friday on projo.com

The Providence Journal's All-State section for the fall 2006 season is out tomorrow, and projo.com will offer enhanced coverage of the All-State selections.

Each of our first-team athletes will have his or her own personal Web space where you will be able to see their achievements during the fall season, browse photo galleries and find out a little more about these top young athletes.

Just call up http://www.projo.com/highschool on Friday.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 7:17 AM | Comment

Cool and clear

PROVIDENCE -- Today will be sunny with a high near 39 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

That high is considerably colder than what we've had many days this winter, but it's still warmer than normal, according to the weather service. The normal high for today is 37 degrees.

The temperature should drop to 29 degrees -- about nine degrees higher than the normal low -- tonight under partly cloudy skies.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page includes stories about President Bush's proposal to send more troops to Iraq and the state's plan to sell a building that houses a strip club.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment