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January 24, 2007

Tickets on sale for annual Tour RI event / Photo

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
Anne Holst, dressed in a soldier's outfit from the 1700s, of Cloud Hill, a historic inn in Burrillville, and Mark Young, of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, holding an early wooden tennis racquet, were among those in costume attending the announcement today.

PROVIDENCE -- Governor and Mrs. Sue Carcieri announced today that the fourth annual Tour Rhode Island, There's No Place Like Home, event will be held on Saturday, May 5, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at locations throughout the state.

The event, which coincides with National Tourism Week, is designed to give Rhode Islanders a chance to see many of the state's well-known sights.

Participants can select from one of 24 tour options. New this year are three tours that will visit multiple regions while focusing on a specific theme: Jewels of the Bay, a Kids’ Fun and Diners and Ethnic Foods in Rhode Island.

Tickets went on sale today, and are available only over the phone by calling AAA Southern New England at 1-877-874-7845. Ticket prices are $30 per adult and $20 for children 12 and younger. Ticket sales are on a first-come, first-served basis, and the event has sold out in the past. Additional information on each tour is available at: www.VisitRhodeIsland.com/tourri.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:56 PM | Comment

Update: Carjacking suspect nabbed after pursuit

PROVIDENCE -- After a lengthy chase by car and on foot, the police apprehended a carjacking suspect early today when he slipped and fell after running across Route 95.

The chase was a resumption of an event-filled police pursuit a day earlier after Gregory Coffey, accused of carjacking his girlfriend in East Providence.

He sped away early yesterday, striking two other cars with his girlfriend's car as he fled, according to the East Providence police. The second hit-and-run caused a miles-long rush-hour traffic jam on Route 195 as the East Providence police pursued Coffey.

At about 4:30 a.m. today, in Providence, a patrolman spotted what he said was a speeding car on Dexter Street in the West End and gave chase. The driver of the fleeing vehicle, later identified as Coffey driving a stolen car, ignored stop signs and other traffic control signals.

The chase left city streets and entered Routes 10 and 6, and finally 95 South, where police said Coffey drove recklessly, cutting off other cars and crossing lanes without using his turn signal. Coffey stopped the car about one-half mile north of Exit 13, got out and jumped over the highway median, ran across the northbound lanes of the superhighway, and climbed over a fence.

Officers finally caught him when he slipped and fell on a patch of ice, bruising and scraping his head, according to the Providence police.

At Providence police headquarters, Coffey, 22, of 21 Pomona Ave., Providence, who has an extensive criminal history, refused to come out of his holding cell in order to be fingerprinted, according to police. As the result, his arraignment in District Court was postponed until tomorrow.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Providence police charged him with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, eluding police and operating with a suspended license. The registered owner of the stolen car, the police said, is Kianha Hayman, 19, of 134 Summit St., East Providence.

Coffey also was issued a handful of court summonses for traffic-law violations.

An arrest warrant obtained by East Providence police says he is wanted for carjacking and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with an occupied motor vehicle.

Coffey was released from the Adult Correctional Institutions last month, according to the East Providence police.

Coffey’s mother, Lisa Pinto of 55 Magnolia St., East Providence, has previously accused the East Providence police of racial profiling, harassment and abuse of power, regarding her sons and other people, and has led a petition drive based on her accusations.

East Providence police allege Coffey stole his mother’s car on Sunday night and abandoned it in Providence. He was in a third car, also allegedly stolen, that broke down Monday. That breakdown prompted him to seek help from his girlfriend.

When she refused to take him to his mother’s house, police said, he allegedly threw her to the ground, stole her car and began the hit-and-run episode.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:46 PM | Comment

House fire in Burrillville under control

BURRILLVILLE -- A house fire on Wallum Lake Road this evening is now under control and was confined to a bedroom.

No one was hurt in the fire, according to Fire Dispatcher Glen Biddiscombe. It was reported to authorities at around 6 p.m., at 555 Wallum Lake Rd.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:35 PM | Comment

United Way seeks move, selling East Side HQ

PROVIDENCE — The United Way of Rhode Island is selling its East Side headquarters, and is considering moving into a recently rehabbed Olneyville mill building.

The move is part philosophical change, as the United Way is seeking to get closer to the people it helps — difficult from its current headquarters at 229 Waterman St. — and at the same time move into larger, more modern quarters, said spokesman Hank Sennott.

“As an organization, we’re shifting from being more than a fundraiser and a distributor of funds to being an organization that really has some impact in the community,” Sennott said, adding that this seemed inconsistent with keeping their building on the affluent East Side.

“It seemed to us to make sense that we should in a way put our money where our mouth is,” he said.

With that in mind, the United Way is in negotiations to move into Calender Mills, a recently completed mill renovation in Olneyville, in the shadow of the Rising Sun Mills.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

The project is one of several in Providence conducted by Baltimore’s Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse. It is a mixed-use, 40,000 square-foot project at the 50 Valley St. site of the former Providence Bleaching, Dyeing and Calendaring property.

But Sennott said that that is just one of several properties the United Way is looking at, and a deal with Struever is by no means complete.

Several weeks ago, the United Way hired real estate broker CB Richard Ellis to sell its three-story, 42,000-square-foot headquarters, which was built in 1945 and sits on 58,000 square feet of land at the corner of Waterman and Wayland Avenue.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:36 PM | Comment

With almost-severed leg, man drags self to call for help

FOSTER -- A 71-year-old man was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital this afternoon after nearly severing his leg in a brush-cutting accident.

Richard Simons, of 10 Ram's Tail Road, was cutting brush with an electric saw on a frozen pond near his home at about 2 p.m. when the blade apparently detached from the saw, according to Foster Police Chief Robert Coyne.

The blade cut into Simons' right leg near the knee, leaving it 80 percent severed, Coyne said. Simons was alone and nearly 300 yards from his house at the time of the accident.

Using his hands and elbows, Simons dragged himself the length of three football fields to his home, pulled himself inside and used a first-floor phone to call for help.

An ambulance arrived at 2:18 p.m., Coyne said, and rushed him to the hospital. Simons was conscious and alert when he left the scene.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:35 PM | Comment

Icy road sends cruiser into rock cliff in Smithfield

A state trooper escaped injury this morning when his cruiser struck a rock cliff off the side of Route 295 north in Smithfield, according to the state police.

The cruiser, operated by Trooper John Shelhart, slid on black ice and spun out of control at about 9:20 a.m., said Lt. Steven Lefebvre.

Shelhart had been monitoring traffic with radar north of the Route 104 overpass. The accident happened as he was pulling out from the side of the highway to pull over a suspected speeder, Lefebvre said.

The back of the cruiser was heavily damaged, while the front had some minor damage, Lefebvre said.

There were "a lot of spinouts" because of the black ice on state highways this morning, according to Lefebvre.

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:16 PM | Comment

Sports tonight: URI faces big test vs. UMass

The first-place URI Rams (12-8 overall, 5-1 conference) face their toughest Atlantic 10 foe thus far when they host the UMass Minutemen (14-5, 4-1) at the Ryan Center. This one should be a good indication as to whether the Rams can handle a team with a dominating inside game. If you're not going, you can catch the game at 7 on Cox TV. Projo.com will also have a gallery of photos from the game tomorrow. Click here to read Paul Kenyon's preview.

Meanwhile, the slumping Celtics, losers of eight straight games, try to get back on the winning track when they host the Atlanta Hawks at the TD BankNorth Garden. The Hawks are, as usual, pretty awful themselves, with a 13-26 record. But they did beat Boston last week in a meeting down in Atlanta. The game is at 7:30 on Fox Sports New England.

If hockey's your thing, then you should definitely catch the NHL All-Star Game in Dallas. The game is on at 8 on the Versus Network. Zdeno Chara, winner of last night's fastest-shot competition, is the Boston Bruins' sole representative in the game; he's on the Eastern Conference's reserve squad.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:11 PM | Comment

Update: Crash a case of deja vu for trooper? / Photo

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Rhode Island State Police troopers investigate an accident involving one of their cruisers on Route 146 south, near Route 295 in Lincoln this morning.

LINCOLN -- The same state trooper whose cruiser was struck last Friday by a wrong-way driver on Route 95 was providing security at an accident scene this morning when his cruiser was rear-ended by a small car carrier.

Trooper Daniel O’Neil was taken to the hospital for neck and back pain, but is expected to be fine, state police Sgt. Richard Ryan said this afternoon.

O’Neil was not injured last week and was back on the road that same day, Lt. Joseph DelPrete said at the time.

This time, Ryan said, O'Neil will be recovering for the next two days at home.

Neither accident was O’Neil’s fault, Ryan said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

At about 8:55 a.m. this morning, after a minor accident on the access road from Route 295 to Route 146 south, O’Neil was sitting in his cruiser with the emergency lights on, Ryan said.

The cruiser – not the same one he was driving last week when he was hit on Route 95 – was straddling the white line between the high speed lane and the left-side breakdown lane, because there wasn’t enough room for the cruiser to sit entirely in the breakdown lane, Ryan said.

A two-car carrier truck approaching the accident scene “was unable to stop in a timely manner and struck the rear of the police cruiser,” Ryan said.

O’Neil saw the truck coming and threw his vehicle into drive but had no more time to react, Ryan said. The impact of the crash propelled the cruiser across both lanes of travel, beyond the right-side breakdown lane and into the grass on the side of the road, Ryan said.

The accident investigation is still under way; no charges have been filed against the driver at this time, Ryan said.

The police identified the truck driver as David Frazier, 44, of 11 Catlin Ave., East Providence.

The cruiser was towed from the scene and is being assessed for damages.

Last Friday, O’Neil’s cruiser was struck by Providence resident Michael Liggins, 37, Liggins attracted police attention while swerving erratically between all lanes of travel on Route 95 north during the morning commute. He eventually ended up driving the wrong way and colliding with O’Neil’s cruiser.

According to the state police, Liggins fled to the Courtyard by Marriot hotel in Warwick, where 25 state troopers and additional Warwick officers surrounded the hotel and then took Liggins into custody.

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:11 PM | Comment

Celona asks court to dismiss state corruption charges

Former state Sen. John Celona has asked a Rhode Island judge to throw out corruption charges against him, arguing that it would constitute double jeopardy.

William C. Dimitri, Celona’s lawyer, argued today that four counts of a five-count state indictment should be thrown out, because Celona has already admitted to related ethics violations and has been fined a hefty $130,000 by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission for the same offenses.

Asst. Atty. Gen. J. Patrick Youngs III countered that the ethics commission meted out a civil punishment last year that does not preclude the state from seeking to hold Celona accountable criminally.

Celona has already pleaded guilty to similar charges in federal court that he sold his public office to Roger Williams Medical Center, the CVS drugstore chain and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He faces sentencing Jan. 31 in federal court.

The courts have held that a defendant can be prosecuted in both state and federal courts for related criminal activity.

Meanwhile, Celona’s state charges remain pending. Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini promised to issue a decision next Monday.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:06 PM | Comment

Cicilline joins mayors in Washington

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline met with congressional leaders this afternoon in Washington, D.C. to discuss global warming, part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual winter meetings.

Cicilline arrived in the nation's capitol yesterday, along with his director of policy, for the conference and will stay through Saturday, according to his spokeswoman Karen Southern. He attended the "Mayors Against Illegal Guns National Summit" yesterday, and started today along with many of the 250 mayors in Washington this week at a brief meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

There are a host of meetings and receptions planned through Saturday, including one about the best cities in America for young people set for tomorrow. Cicilline also plans to attenda two-day conference Friday and Saturday about best practices in urban education, regional growth and urban transportation.

Local taxpayers are paying about $4,300 for the conference, Southern said, a tab that includes $1,100 in registration fees, $1,373 in roundtrip airfare for two, and two hotel rooms at the Capitol Hill Hilton at $193 a night.

"The mayor feels those conference are very valuable in sharing best practices," Southern said.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Cicilline sits on the U.S. Conference of Mayor's advisory board and holds various other positions with the group, including national chairman of the Children, Health & Human Services Committee.

Today's meeting on global warming was arranged by the mayor of Seattle, according to Southern. Several elected officials are meeting with the group to "focus on what Congress can do to help mayors control climate change," she said.

“This will be an intense and important week of meetings for mayors from across the country, at one of the largest-ever winter meetings of the United States Conference of Mayors,” Cicilline said in a statement. “For the first time in many years, we have a Congress eager to hear what the leaders of our American cities have to say about the direction this nation is taking."

In 2009, the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors will be held in Providence.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:45 PM | Comment

Kerry intends to stay out of 2008 race

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democrats' losing presidential candidate in 2004, does not intend to run again in 2008, a Democratic official said today.

This official said Kerry intends to seek a new six-year term in the Senate.

Kerry plans to disclose his political plans in remarks on the Senate floor later in the day, according to this official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting a formal announcement.

Kerry, 64, who lost the White House when Ohio voted for President Bush by 118,601 votes on election night in November 2004, was attending a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting and unavailable for comment.

Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:29 PM | Comment

Carjacking suspect nabbed in Providence

PROVIDENCE -- A man accused of carjacking his girlfriend's car in East Providence yesterday morning then causing two accidents that tied up rush-hour traffic on Route 195 west for miles is in Providence police custody this morning.

Gregory Coffey, 22, of 21 Pomona Ave., was arrested early this morning, said East Providence Lt. Steven P. Kennedy, who called the man armed and dangerous yesterday. The police sought Coffey after he fled in his girlfriend’s silver Acura, then struck two occupied vehicles and drove away, according to the police.

The Providence Police Department called East Providence police early this morning to inform them of the arrest.

The Providence police are charging Coffey with reckless driving, eluding the police and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Coffey will be arraigned tomorrow morning.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:59 AM | Comment

Traffic update: 95 South is slow going

An incident that has drawn police to the 95 south exit ramp at Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick has backed up traffic into Cranston.

A disabled vehicle on Route 95 South near the intersection of Route 195 is affecting the exit ramp for Exit 20, according to the state's Transportation Management Center.

Route 195 West also looks slow, according to the center's cameras.

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 9:08 AM | Comment

Photo: The Sunrise in Lincoln

Journal photo / Bill Murphy

Wednesday morning's sunrise seen from Great Road in Lincoln. The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny day in Lincoln with a high near 38 degrees and a west wind between 7 and 11 mph. But watch out. The coldest air of the season moves in tomorrow night.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:20 AM | Comment

Boy burned in a fire at West End apartment

A 9-year-old boy is at Hasbro Children’s Hospital this morning after he suffered second- and third-degree burns on 30 percent of his body last evening when his clothing caught on fire.

The boy was burned in his West End apartment, located at 675 Cranston St., at about 6:21 p.m., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

The fire marshal is investigating the fire, Taylor said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:05 AM | Comment

R.I. lawmakers to unveil new anti-peeping law

PROVIDENCE -- Two lawmakers plan to unveil a bill today that closes a loophole in Rhode Island's anti-peeping law.

The issue came to light this month when prosecutors dropped criminal charges against a Middletown gym owner accused of spying on a showering woman in a locker room. (Read the Journal's story.)

The attorney general's office says the man couldn't be prosecuted because he wasn't trespassing -- a requirement under the existing criminal code.

Representatives Amy Rice and Donald Lally Jr. plan to unveil their bill this afternoon in the State House.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:42 AM | Comment

High near 40 today, but colder air on the way

PROVIDENCE -- Today should be mostly sunny with a high near 40 degrees and a northwest wind between 5 and 11 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

But the coldest air of the season should move into the area tomorrow night, with dangerously cold wind chills expected across southern New England late tomorrow night and Friday morning, the weather service says in a special weather statement.

Wind chills will drop to 15 to 20 degrees below zero late tomorrow night and Friday morning across the interior and 10 to 15 below along the south coast.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's Journal front page features stories on President Bush's State of the Union address and the state Ethics Commission's decision to pursue charges against state Sen. President Joseph Montalbano.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment