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January 15, 2007

Photo: Flagging the cause of peace

Journal photo / Sandor Bodo
Rodney Byrd, 8, of Woonsocket, holds a string as peace flags are assembled for display across the stage at Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremonies at Woonsocket High School today. At left is Ty Scurry, 6, holding one of the flags, made by participants in a workshop, to be attached to the string.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:00 PM | Comment

Raucous Charlestown meeting airs again tonight

CHARLESTOWN – Town residents can watch the repeat of the Town Council’s raucous meeting last Thursday in which the town solicitor was replaced.

The meeting will be broadcast tonight at 8 p.m. on Cox Communications Public Access Channel 18 in Charlestown, Richmond, Hopkinton, and Westerly.

Councilman James M. Mageau said the tape will also show Council Vice President Harriet A. Allen staging the theft of a purse in the council chambers and then jokingly urging residents to call Homeland Security because the purse could contain a bomb. The incident occurred after the meeting, while Cox Cable was still filming, Mageau said.

Mageau said he is filing a criminal complaint against Allen.

That would be the second complaint filed since the new council took power in November, not including three open meetings complaints.

A criminal complaint, also filed by Mageau, against 17 South County residents, some with environmental interests, charging them of being “eco-terrorists” is still being reviewed, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office.

The Attorney General’s Office has found merit to three Open Meetings Act complaints against Mageau and fellow Councilmen John O. Craig Jr. and Bruce W. Picard.

-- Journal staff writer Maria Armental

The first open meetings complaint, filed on Nov. 15, accuses then-council members-elect of violating the open meetings law by meeting without proper notice to discuss town affairs, namely the election of the new council president and vice president and the position of the town administrator.

Two other complaints were filed on Jan. 5. The first alleges that three members violated the open meetings law by trying to adopt an abbreviated version of a meeting’s minutes that did not reflect a vote taken, witnesses present, or an accurate description of council members’ comments at the meeting.

The second accuses the three council members of going into a closed session on Jan. 4 without properly disclosing the reason for such meeting. The minutes from the closed portion of the meeting have been sealed.

Council meetings in Charlestown have become true town affairs in the past months with residents packing the Council Chambers at every meeting, often chiding and reproaching the council’s votes and appointments.

Police officers have been assigned to all but one council meeting as a precaution.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:54 PM | Comment

Cranston police seek suspect in hit-and-run

CRANSTON -- The police have obtained an arrest warrant for a 27-year-old man accused of driving his Ford station wagon into a woman as she left church on Jan. 6, then fleeing.

The man, Arthur E. Logan, whose address was not released, faces a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in serious bodily injury, according to a police statement. Police are searching for Logan.

The victim, 67-year-old Nancy Bacon, of Providence, had just left St. Paul Church at the corner of Warwick Avenue and Broad Street when she was hit.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:42 PM | Comment

Update: Man who fled into Blackstone River ID'd

WOONSOCKET – The police have identified the Woonsocket man who inexplicably ran from the police Saturday night and jumped into the river.

Louis J. Gauthier III, of 457 Wood Ave., told police that he didn't want to go to jail, just before running into the frigid waters of the Blackstone.

The police say they do not know why he ran. Police Chief Michael L.A. Houle said they have no outstanding arrest warrants for Gauthier.

Dive teams searched the water yesterday for 38-year-old local man, but have since called off the search, according to Houle.

Gauthier was pulled over on Bernon Street near Front Street when the police noticed his license plate was not properly illuminated. He fled moments after the police arrested a man who had been riding in the back seat of his car.

An officer saw the man jump into the river, but the police lost sight of him, Houle said.

When asked if he thinks the man is still alive, Houle replied, “I have no idea.”

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:22 PM | Comment

Group to rally for Providence minimum wage proposal

PROVIDENCE -- Supporters of a $10 minimum wage for employees of businesses receiving city tax breaks will rally this afternoon at City Hall, to try to revive the dormant proposal with the help of the late Dr. Martin Luther King.

Organizers with Rhode Island Jobs For Justice said that the rally will be a gathering of faith leaders, community activists, and political leaders to call for a higher minimum wage for the working poor, a cause they said that the slain civil rights leader supported during his life. The rally will start today at 5:15 p.m. in the Alderman's Chambers, on the 3rd floor.

The ordinance would set a minimum wage of $10.19 per hour for any company receiving a city tax break. It would also apply to any nonprofit organization that receives $100,000 annually from the city and has more than 25 employees. Qualifying businesses would have to provide health care to their employees, or pay an additional $1.78 hourly.

It would have also meant immediate raises to city employees earning less than $10.19, which city officials estimated would have cost Providence about $1.6 million in the next fiscal year. Supporters of the ordinance said it would cost far less.

At the end of last year, at the last meeting under the old council leadership, the bill was sent back to the council’s Finance Committee, and new Council President Peter S. Mancini has said it needs more work before it will return to the full council for consideration.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Ingrid Fernandez is a Providence School substitute clerk, and is one of the dozens of city employees who would be directly affected if the Living Wage Ordinance passes.

“I want City Council and the Mayor to realize that we just want to work and have a paycheck that is enough to live,” Fernandez said, “If my daughter, Genesis, who is three years old, gets sick, I can’t take time to be with her, or if I do, the wages are not enough.”

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:51 PM | Comment

Update: Police ID woman charged in purse snatchings

CRANSTON -- The police have released the name of the woman arrested Friday in connection with a string of purse snatchings over the past two years as Deirdre C. Brown, 25, of Providence.

She has been charged with seven misdemeanors and three felonies, and the Cranston police say she will likely face additional charges in six other Rhode Island communities, as well as several in Massachusetts.

The woman is accused of targeting the Western Hills Middle School and Woodridge Elementary School in Cranston; a pediatrician's office in Lincoln; the St. Philomena School in Portsmouth; and sites in Brockton, Norton and Attleboro, Mass.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:48 PM | Comment

What they're saying in San Diego about the Pats

What are the San Diego media saying about the New Englands Patriots' dramatic come-from-behind victory yesterday against the Charges?

The San Diego Union-Tribune has a story about the Patriots' post-game celebration. Aside from the highly-publicized comments from MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, the paper features comments from rookie quarterback Philip Rivers:

"Rivers said he saw some Patriots pointing to the scoreboard, doing Merriman's 'Lights Out' dance and stomping on the Chargers helmet logo at midfield. 'They won and they deserve a lot of credit,' Rivers said. 'Personally I was disappointed in the way they handled winning. I mean, for as much as everybody said they expected them to win, they didn't act like it.' "

Chargers.com has a story with reaction from Marlon McCree, the Chargers' defensive back who intercepted a Tom Brady pass only to be stripped by Troy Brown on a key play in the fourth quarter.

"Had McCree simply knocked the ball down instead of intercepting it, the Chargers would have taken possession at their own 41-yard line," reads the story. "Instead, New England had new life at the Bolts 32, but McCree was confident in his actions."

Meanwhile, Journal sports columnist Jim Donaldson has already filed his post-game story for tomorrow's Journal, saying:

"SAN DIEGO -- The Chargers woke up here this morning wondering how they had lost to the Patriots. If, that is, they slept at all during a tortured night of tossing and turning, going over and over in their anguished minds how they’d blown a game they certainly could have — and, arguably, should have — won."

Read the full story now on projo.com.

Browse more game and post-game coverage, and add your comments, at:
http://projo.com/patriots/

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:17 PM | Comment

MLK speaker talks of roles of legislators, church / Photo

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Kemi Odunaike, 5, of Providence, a member of the Aiuma Youth Choir of Rhode Island, performs at the 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast today.

CRANSTON -- The keynote speaker at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast today told about 650 people in attendance that they must be aware of the problems in their communities if they want people to fix them.

“Our legislators – their role is to get out and improve the process by improving education, which will lead us to income and justice,” said the Rev. Lonnie McCleod, pastor of the Church of Living Hope in East Harlem, N.Y. “Our role, as the church, is to read the handwriting on the wall.”

The Ministers’ Alliance of Rhode Island breakfast, held at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, drew a host of political leaders: U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Governor Carcieri, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline and Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian. (The newly elected mayor in Cranston, Michael T. Napolitano, was attending a funeral.)

The Ministers’ Alliance honored the company MetLife for being a major supporter of the alliance over the last 23 years, and gave out 24 scholarships to high school students, each worth $400.

The Aiuma Youth Choir of Rhode Island and the Mix Magic Theatre each sang several selections at the breakfast.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Extra: Browse other local Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.

Multimedia: Hear King's speeches, send e-cards and more.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:58 AM | Comment

Gas prices down 5 cents from last week

Good news if you’re traveling in the car today.

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have fallen an average of five cents per gallon in the last week, the third consecutive week of decreases, according to AAA Southern New England.

Regular unleaded gasoline at the self-serve pump is averaging $2.35 per gallon, according to AAA’s weekly survey of prices throughout the state. That’s down seven cents from three weeks ago.

A year ago, the average price was $2.38.

Prices for regular unleaded gasoline range from $2.25 to $2.49 in today’s survey.

Average prices for other types of gasoline follow: midgrade unleaded, $2.48; premium unleaded, $2.59; and diesel, $2.75.

On AAA’s Gas Savings Tips & Tools Web page, find the most up-to-date local gas prices.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:08 AM | Comment

Missing Portsmouth man found in good health

The 48-year-old Portsmouth man who had been missing since Thursday night has been found in Connecticut in good health.

The family of Brian J. Kinsella called the Portsmouth Police Department this morning, shortly before 9 a.m., to report that the man had been found, according to the police. The police and Kinsella’s family and friends had been looking for him since Thursday night, when he didn’t come home.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:57 AM | Comment

Traffic on Route 295 is slow this morning

Route 295 northbound is fairly congested this morning, from Route 95 to Route 6 East, according to the state’s congestion mapper, which shows how heavy traffic is on area roads.

With an average speed of 45 miles per hour, the road’s jam factor is a 4.5 on a 10-point scale, with 10 being the worst.

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 7:56 AM | Comment

Watch out for sleet, snow in parts of region

PROVIDENCE – Wouldn’t snow be better than this chilly rain?

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for northern Rhode Island, most of northern Connecticut, central and most of eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire because of the mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow expected to fall during the day and into tonight.

Here in Providence, it’s 34 degrees and raining, with more rain and patches of fog in today’s forecast. Doesn’t look as if we’ll get snow here.

The highest accumulation of snow and sleet is expected over southern New Hampshire, where one to four inches will accumulate before ending tonight.

Check back with us for the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:08 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page includes a big photograph of Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski being mobbed by teammates after kicking the winning field goal in yesterday's game and a primer by John E. Mulligan on Rhode Island senators over the years.

Download today's front page.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment