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January 23, 2007

Providence scene wins 4th annual governor's contest

The winning entry, "Approaching Providence."

Governor and Mrs. Carcieri announced today the winner of the fourth annual “Scenes of Rhode Island” art competition and show, sponsored in partnership with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

This year’s winner is "Approaching Providence," an oil painting by Marjorie Ball of East Greenwich. The winning artist is awarded $1,000 by Governor and Mrs. Carcieri for the painting, which hangs at the State House during the Carcieri administration. The piece is used to create limited edition prints which are provided to charitable organizations for their fundraising purposes.

The second place award of $250 goes to "Pomham Light" by Andrew Mechisen of Warwick. This photograph of the historic East Providence lighthouse was taken last year.

Third place, and a $100 prize, was awarded to a photograph entitled "Stone Bridge, Scituate" by Christine Delag of Providence.

This year there were 175 total entries, of which 33 were selected for exhibit in the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill. The artists must be Rhode Island residents and the pieces must feature scenes of the Ocean State.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:42 PM | Comment

Fox joins Langevin as State of Union nears / Photo

Photo courtesy of the Office of Congressman James Langevin
Actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and has become an outspoken proponent for stem cell research, joins U.S. Rep. James Langevin at a private reception this evening before the State of the Union address. Fox is Langevin's special guest for the event. Langevin, paralyzed by a shooting accident, supports lifting Bush's ban on most federally financed research into potential medical treatments derived from stem cells in human embryos.

Rhode Island's four members of Congress will be among the millions watching tonight as President Bush makes his State of the Union address from the Capitol.

Bush, whose approval ratings are the lowest going into a State of the Union since Richard Nixon, is scheduled to go live at 9 p.m.

Projo.com expects to carry live streaming video of the speech. We'll add news updates as the president outlines his international and domestic priorities for the next year.

Projo.com will also publish reaction from the Rhode Island delegation as it becomes available. As always, we want your reaction to the speech. Come back later tonight or tomorrow and tell us what you think.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:34 PM | Comment

Terrorism suspect nabbed in R.I. held without bail

BOSTON -- A federal immigration judge denied bail today for Mohammed Yousuf Mullawala, the man now at the center of a national anti-terrorism investigation following his enrollment at a tractor-trailer school in Rhode Island.

Mullawala, who maintains that he has no ties to terrorism, is facing deportation to India after authorities discovered that he overstayed a student visa. He appeared with his lawyer in federal immigration court today for a hearing that spanned about an hour and a half.

Judge Matthew D'Angelo was clear in explaining his decision to deny bail. He called Mullawala "a danger" to the community and "an extreme flight risk."

"I do not find his responses or his explanations to be credible," D'Angelo said, adding, "The court is concerned about his behavior at the tractor trailer school."

Prosecutors presented a detailed state police affadavit that outlines Mullawala's responses to various questions following his Dec. 5 arrest. The terrorism suspect told authorities that he had multiple addresses throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.

Through his attorney, Mullawala said that he moved often because he was "a single guy" and liked to be mobile. He also said he moved away from places where it was difficult to find parking.

Other behaviors that attracted the attention of authorities included “problematic” cell-phone calls; enrollment at three schools (including Johnson & Wales University) where he apparently never attended; and his expressed lack of interest at the Smithfield trucking school in learning how to back up a rig, and his request to buy software on hazardous materials from the school.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:58 PM | Comment

Fall River woman found guilty in fatal stabbing

TAUNTON, Mass. -- Karen Cordeiro, the 22-year-old Fall River woman on trial for fatally stabbing Courtney Sau after a confrontation at a Providence nightclub, was found guilty of second-degree murder this afternoon.

The jury deliberated for less than a day. She was also sentenced immediately, to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years.

Cordeiro, who admitted to the police that she grabbed a kitchen steak knife and broke a beer bottle so she and her roommate could confront Sau on the street in front of their Fall River apartment, had said she acted in self defense. Sau, then 19, had driven from Providence to Fall River on Feb. 5, 2005 to have it out with the two women.

But the jury did not accept the self-defense argument after the prosecution argued during closing arguments yesterday that Cordeiro had plenty of opportunities to avoid the battle with Sau, who got out of her car, unarmed, after being taunted by Cordeiro and her rooomate.

She died from stab wounds to the back and neck. The neck wound sliced her jugular vein. The attack was so violent, one knife blade broke off in her back. She ended up lying on her back on John Street, her head against the rear tire of her car, bleeding profusely.

The verdict was reached in mid-afternoon after the jury of nine men and three women asked the judge for further instructions on whether all 12 had to agree on the factors that constituted "extreme atrocity and cruelty" in a murder case. The judge said they only had to agree that a killing met that standard, not on the specific factors involved.

Cordeiro's roommate, Carla Carvalho, will be tried later.

-- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:36 PM | Comment

Suspect sought in hit-run spree on Route 195

EAST PROVIDENCE – Police are searching for a suspect described as "armed and dangerous" after a hit-and-run spree that tied up the morning rush hour on Route 195 west this morning.

The suspect, Gregory Coffey, 22, of 21 Pomona Ave., Providence, is accused of carjacking his girlfriend's car and striking two vehicles this morning.

But the incident's roots apparently go back to Sunday night, when Coffey’s mother reported that her car had been stolen. His mother is Lisa Pinto, of 55 Magnolia St. in East Providence.

This afternoon, Lt. Steven P. Kennedy said that Coffey had taken his mother’s 1997 blue Ford without consent and abandoned it in Providence, where it has been recovered.

Coffey and his family were the topic of conversation at an East Providence City Council meeting last week, when police Det. John J. Rossi defended the police department in the wake of allegations made by Coffey’s mother of police misconduct and abuse of power. Rossi said Coffey has a “lengthy criminal record.”

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Last night or early this morning, Kennedy said Coffey was in another stolen vehicle that broke down on North Brow Street in East Providence. Coffey convinced his girlfriend to take him in her car to get gasoline. But when they returned to the stolen vehicle, it wouldn’t start, Kennedy said, Coffey demanded that his girlfriend take him to his mother’s house in her car.

The girlfriend refused. Coffey, who was in the passenger seat, grabbed the keys out of the ignition, walked around the car to the driver’s side and forcibly removed his girlfriend from the car, Kennedy said. He threw her to the ground and said he was “carjacking” her, Kennedy said. She was later treated at the police station for a minor facial injury.

At about 6:30 a.m. this morning, Coffey drove off with her silver Acura with the R.I. license plate YH 212, Kennedy said. He traveled from North Brow Street, onto Cross Street and then south on Summit Street, where he allegedly struck an occupied vehicle and kept going. Speeding and driving erratically, Kennedy said, he took the on-ramp on Summit Street onto Route 195 west, where he struck another occupied vehicle and kept going.

Coffey’s girlfriend had called the police from her cell phone, and the police anticipated he might get on the highway. A cruiser on Route 195 west spotted him, Kennedy said, but lost sight of him in traffic once they reached Route 95.

The arrest warrant for Coffey from this morning’s incident charges him with carjacking, which is essentially second-degree robbery, and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with an occupied vehicle, Kennedy said.

Coffey’s girlfriend said he has told her that he has access to firearms, and the police have other information that indicates he may have weapons, hence the description of Coffey as armed and dangerous, Kennedy said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:09 PM | Comment

On deck: Friars lead tonight's local sports menu

The Providence College Friars men's basketball team (13-5 overall, 3-2 Big East) hosts a crucial Big East game in its quest for an NCAA tournament berth, when the Villanova Wildcats (13-5, 2-3) roll into the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Projo.com will have a photo gallery of the action tomorrow morning. The game starts at 7:30 and can be seen on Cox TV. Click here to read Kevin McNamara's preview of the game, and click here to talk about the keys to the game for PC.

If you're a hockey fan, the NHL's Young Guns Game and SuperSkills Competition is on the Versus network beginning at 7:30.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:37 PM | Comment

State police: No foul play in inmate's death

The state police see no reason to suspect foul play in the truck accident at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston yesterday that killed an inmate at the state prison.

They have conducted 55 interviews with staff and inmates in the minimum security facility where the accident occurred, Capt. Stephen J. Lynch said this afternoon.

A state prison spokeswoman has identified the inmate who died after being run over by a box truck as Walter J. Jamro, 52, who had last lived in Pawtucket. Neither the police nor the prison has released the name of the truck driver, although the ACI might release the name at some future point, spokeswoman Ann Fortin said.

The final report from the state medical examiner’s office is still pending, Lynch said.

Jamro, who died shortly after he was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital yesterday morning with severe head trauma, was serving a 90-day sentence for a probation violation. His anticipated release date was Feb. 13.

Fortin said that Jamro had recently fallen and broken both his arms, which were in casts when he was killed.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:51 PM | Comment

Ethics commission pursues charges vs. Montalbano

PROVIDENCE -- The state Ethics Commission decided this afternoon to move forward with charges against Senate President Joseph Montalbano.

After more than an hour behind closed doors, the commission announced that probable cause exists for eight separate charges that Montalbano violated state law by failing to disclose legal work done by his firm related to the casino proposal.

Now, there are two possible outcomes: The case could be brought to a trial-like hearing before the Ethics Commission, or Montalbano could strike a deal with the commission.

Robert P. Arruda, former head of Operation Clean Government, which originally brought the complaint, said after the hearing that there was clear evidence of a "substantial conflict of interest" as Montalbano "sheparded through" a bill that would allow voters to decide the casino proposal.

"The evidence...in my opinion is overwhelming," Arruda said.

Montalbano did not attend today's hearing. His lawyer, Max Wistow, refused to comment on the commisssion's decision as he left the hearing. He previously ackowwledged that Montalbano failed to file the proper financial disclosures, but that the oversight was not intentional.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:21 PM | Comment

Photo: A snowy scene in Burrillville

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
A layer of snow coats a stone wall and a field off Hill Road in Burrillville this morning. Bright sunshine has helped melt much of the dusting Rhode Island received over night, but there's a chance of snow tomorrow and the coldest weather of the season should move into the region Thursday, the National Weather Service says.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:56 PM | Comment

High court rejects apnea defense in drunken fatality

The state Supreme Court has denied an appeal by a man who is serving time for a 1999 drunk-driving accident in East Greenwich that killed 13-year-old Kaitlyn DeCubellis and her best friend’s mother, Marsha Bowman, and injured three others.

The Oct. 29, 1999, accident drew statewide attention and propelled the parents of DeCubellis to become two of the state's leading activists against drunken driving and substance abuse.

Stephen Reise pleaded no contest in 2000 to five counts of driving while intoxicated, two of which resulted in death and three of which resulted in serious bodily injury. He received a sentence of 14 years to serve followed by 15 years suspended, with probation.

With what he called newly discovered evidence that he suffered from obstructive sleep apnea, Reise applied to Superior Court in March 2004 for post-conviction relief. The state filed a motion to dismiss in October 2004, on the ground that Reise had failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. The Superior Court granted the state’s motion, and Reise filed a notice of appeal in November 2004.

The Supreme Court has now upheld that Superior Court denial, writing, "Regardless of the existence or absence of the medical condition to which Mr. Reise now points, he still was legally intoxicated when he struck Marsha Bowman’s vehicle, causing the deaths of both Marsha Bowman and Kaitlyn DeCubellis and serious injury to other persons.”

Read the court's ruling here.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

According to the facts of the case outlined in the Supreme Court ruling, which was filed today, Reise drank multiple alcoholic beverages at three different locations in the early evening of that October 1999 night. He was driving his mother’s 1986 Toyota, with two passengers, north on Route 4 toward Providence. On that same road was Marsha Bowman, driving her 1999 Honda with her daughter, Rebecca Bowman, and her daughter’s friend, Kaitlyn DeCubellis.

Driving erratically around 8 p.m., Reise took his eyes off the road to search the floor of the car for cigarettes. At that point, his vehicle struck the rear of Bowman’s, propelling her car over the Route 4 median and directly into the path of a vehicle being driven south by Robert Sylvestre. The collision between Sylvestre’s and Bowman’s vehicles killed both Marsha Bowman and DeCubellis and caused serious bodily injury to Rebecca Bowman and two other people.

In the Supreme Court ruling, the court states that Reise admitted, in pleading no contest, that he drank alcoholic beverages before the collision, that his blood alcohol level was 0.130 two hours after the collision and that his actions were the sole cause of the deaths of Marsha Bowman and Kaitlyn DeCubellis.

"Even if Mr. Reise were able to prove (1) that he suffered from obstructive sleep apnea at the time of the collision; (2) that he was unaware of this condition at the time of the collision; and (3) that the condition was not discoverable prior to trial despite due diligence, we are nonetheless unable to perceive how, given his express acknowledgement of the truthfulness of the state’s recital of facts, he can prove that this newly discovered evidence would change the verdict," the court states.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:41 PM | Comment

Narragansett tribe members plead not guilty

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, approaches the bench for his arraignment. Attorneys John J. Killoy, left, and William Devereaux, right, are representing the Narragansetts.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The seven Narragansett Indians arrested in the state police raid on a tribal smoke shop in July 2003 pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges at formal arraignments today in District Court, Wakefield.

William Devereaux, their lawyer, asked that the cases be prosecuted in Superior Court, where he said they would proceed to jury trial.

Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and six other adults were arrested for resisting officers trying to shut down a tax-free smoke shop the tribe had opened on its land in Charlestown. Governor Carcieri ordered the raid to stop the tribe from selling tobacco without charging state-mandated taxes. It disintegrated into a violent and widely televised scuffle between tribal members and police.

In addition to Thomas, those arrested include Tribal Councilmen Randy Noka and John and Hiawatha Brown; Bella Noka; Thawn Harris, a tribal conservation officer on duty at the time of the raid; and Adam Jennings.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Most of the defendants were arraigned immediately after the raid, but Judge Frank Cenerini ordered that all be arraigned on the misdemeanor charges formally in District Court because so much time had elapsed since the July 14, 2003 incident.

Devereaux said after the proceedings that the tribal members believed at the time "that they enjoyed certain protections on federal Indian land. Certainly their intent wasn't to interfere with normal police activities."

"I believe there is video taken from various angles that will show quite a lot," said Devereaux, who is seeking all footage from the raid.

The state, said Deputy Attorney General Gerald Coyne, does not "agree with the legal significance of their arguments."

He said the tribal members were being treated as any other Rhode Islander would be.
The cases had been on hold as the federal courts weighed what authority the state police had on tribal land. The Supreme Court opted not to hear those issues last year, upholding a lower court's ruling that state criminal and civil laws applied on the land.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:56 AM | Comment

4 teens charged in beating, robbery of disabled man

CUMBERLAND – Two teen-age boys are being held at the state Training School in Cranston after they were charged in the beating and robbery of a man whom the police describe as mentally challenged.

They are among four teenagers accused of luring the man into the woods, where he was beaten and robbed, Cumberland Police Capt. James Coyne said. The teens had been friendly with the man, according to Coyne.

The two who remain at the Training School, ages 15 and 17, are accused of punching the man in the face and the rest of his body a week ago and then repeatedly kicking him in the face and head after he fell to the ground.

They have been charged with felony assault, second-degree robbery and conspiracy and are being held pending Family Court appearances.

The 15-year-old has a Family Court hearing tomorrow morning, and the 17-year-old has a pre-trial conference set for March 5.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

The crime was not a random act, according to the police.

“They picked out their victim,” Coyne said. “It was a crime of opportunity. They felt he had money on him, and it was a way for them to get the money.”

In the end, the four got a “very small amount of money” and the man’s iPod, Coyne said. Unsure exactly how much money they took, Coyne described it as “less than $10.” There’s some debate over whether the iPod even works, he said.

Two other teens -- a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy -- are charged with conspiracy for walking into the woods with the others and watching the beating, Coyne said.

“They all agreed for the four of them to go together,” Coyne said.

The teens met up with the man at his Cumberland home around 7:30 p.m. last Tuesday and went for a walk with him along Branch Avenue, Coyne said. The five walked into a wooded area at the end of the street, and the 15- and 17-year-old boys started to attack the man. The teens had been friends with the man for some time, Coyne said.

The two teens charged with conspiracy “just stood and watched,” Coyne said.

“They did help him up after the assault, and they pointed him in the direction of his house,” Coyne said.

The man, whom Coyne declined to identify, walked to his home, where he lives with his parents, and someone there called for help. The man was treated that night for injuries to his face and head at Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket and was released. The next day, he spoke to the police and identified the four teenagers, Coyne said.

Wednesday evening, the police arrested the 14- and 15-year-old boys. The older boy, one of the two accused of doing the beating, was held overnight at the Training School and appeared in Family Court the next morning. The judge decided to hold him at the Training School until the probable cause hearing tomorrow, where the court will decide whether there’s enough reason to continue to hold him.

The 14-year-old, charged with conspiracy, was released to his parents pending action in Family Court, which has not yet been scheduled.

The 16-year-old girl, also charged with conspiracy, turned herself in to the police Friday morning. She arrived with her parents and was voluntarily taken to Family Court, where she was arraigned and released to home confinement, according to Coyne.

Having not yet located the 17-year-old boy, the police obtained an arrest warning for him on Friday morning. He was arrested that afternoon at his home in Lincoln and was held through the weekend at the Training School. When he was arraigned in Family Court yesterday, Coyne said he waived his right to a probable cause hearing and went back to the Training School. He will be held there until a pre-trial hearing, which is set for March 5.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:31 AM | Comment

Photo: Dusting with a snow shovel in N. Smithfield

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Nanci Stankus, of North Smithfield, clears the snow from the driveway of her Victory Highway home this morning following an overnight dusting. The snow has cleared out and partly cloudy skies are forecast for today. There's a slight chance of snow showers tomorrow and then the coldest weather of the season will move into southern New England Thursday night, according to the National Weather service.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:13 AM | Comment

Traffic update: Traffic clearing up

PROVIDENCE – The state Transportation Management Center says all traffic incidents on Route 195 West in Rhode Island have been cleared and traffic should soon be back to normal.

Earlier, the center had issued an advisory that the right lane on Route 195 West before Exit 2 (South Main Street) was closed. On a morning when transportation experts expected snow to tie up traffic, it was a hit and run accident related to an incident in East Providence that caused trouble, TMC operator Stephen McGovern said this morning.

Traffic was backed up into Massachusetts during the heavy morning commute.

Snow over night left only a dusting, but it was enough to make roads slick and also apparently led to some other minor accidents.

For 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 8:49 AM | Comment

EMC 4Q profit more than doubles

BOSTON -- Profits more than doubled in the fourth quarter for information-management vendor EMC Corp. and beat the estimates of Wall Street analysts Tuesday.

In the last three months of 2006, EMC earned $389 million, 18 cents per share, on revenue of $3.21 billion. In the comparable quarter last year, the Hopkinton-based company earned $148 million, or 6 cents per share, on revenue of $2.71 billion.

Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:36 AM | Comment

Scraping snow this morning

PROVIDENCE – Leave the house an extra few minutes early this morning to scrape the snow off your car and then manage the lightly coated roads in the area or to trudge through the snow to your bus stop.

There’s not much of the white stuff, but it sure looks like winter out there, doesn’t it?

Today, we’ll have a mostly cloudy morning, with the sunshine peeking out later. We’ll have a high of 31 and a low tonight of 21.

Last night’s snow, for the most part, has moved beyond our area. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for today, predicting snow rotating south from the Gulf of Maine may reach Cape Ann, north of Boston, this morning and the outer Cape this afternoon and tonight.

Tomorrow, we could see a bit more snow, mostly after 9 a.m.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:07 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page displays a photograph and story on 88 deaths attributed to explosions in Baghdad and features a local story reporting that gambling revenues are dropping in Rhode Island and other states.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment