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« February 2, 2007 | Today | February 6, 2007 » February 5, 2007Weather update: Take care against the cold / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- This is a good night to stay in. It's no secret that it's cold outside. But the National Weather Service is calling for overnight temperatures to reach as low as 10 degrees below zero, taking into account the wind chill. "This will make for dangerously cold conditions tonight for anyone outdoors," reads a hazardous weather outlook released by the weather service this afternoon. The warning grows more dire as it continues: "Exposure to cold can cause life-threatening health conditions. Avoid serious conditions such as frostbite and hypothermia by keeping warm. Make sure to wear a hat, hood, or scarf... If you or a person you suspect is suffering from frostbite or hypothermia, seek medical help immediately or call 911." And don't expect things to improve tomorrow. The weather service is calling for a high around 25 for Tuesday, but it will feel closer to zero with the windchill. Get the latest conditions and forecasts for our area. Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:36 PM | Comment Funeral attendees being alerted to disease exposurePROVIDENCE -- The state Health Department is seeking to alert attendees at an East Providence funeral on Jan. 29 of possible contact with an elderly woman infected with a bacterium that can cause the deadly bacterial meningitis. The Health Department learned of the case of Neisseria meningococcemia at 1:30 this afternoon and sent out the notice less than three hours later. The bacteria was detected today in an elderly female resident of a Rhode Island assisted living facility, according to Dr. David R. Gifford, state health director. "This is the one you often hear about in the press. We’re very concerned about it," he said this afternoon. Gifford would not identify the assisted living facility or what town it is in, citing an effort to protect the infected woman's identity. However, health officials are urging anyone who attended the Mary Nelson funeral on Jan. 29 at the Watson Funeral Home in East Providence to contact the Health The infected woman was at the funeral, Gifford said, hugging and kissing people. She is being treated and is recovering. The bacteria is spread through saliva and respiratory droplets. Being in the same room as the person generally isn't enough to become infected, Gifford said, but close contact, especially if the infected person is coughing or sneezing, is cause for concern. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples It can take up to a week to develop flu-like symptoms, even after the infection has been spread, he said. The Health Department has already started contacting those on the funeral guest list to ensure they take antibiotics. State officials are also giving antibiotics to the other residents of the individual's assisted living facility, and the hospital staff where the person was treated. Bacterial meningitis is a rare disease, most common in communal living areas such as college dorms and nursing homes. Rhode Island usually sees four to five cases per year, Gifford said, noting there have been "a couple" cases reported so far this year. None have been deadly, he said, while noting that the disease can be fatal if untreated. Funeral attendees not yet contacted are asked to call the Health Department -- Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:20 PM | Comment W. Warwick police chief to take leave of absenceWest Warwick Police Chief Peter T. Brousseau will be taking a leave of absence in coming weeks as he undergoes treatment for a pre-existing medical condition, he said today. Brousseau said he is unsure of the exact date the leave will start, or how long he will be away from his job, but he made it clear he was not paving the way to take another position. "I don't know when it will occur, or whether it will be kind of quick or whether it will be a while," he said. "It will be a couple of weeks before I know the exact dates." Brousseau has served on the town police force for 25 years, taking over the post of police chief in 1999. Once Brousseau begins his leave, the Town Council will appoint an interim police chief, he said. That person will serve in Brousseau's capacity. When he returns from leave, Brousseau will resume his position as chief. -- Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:21 PM | Comment Sale closed on 8 R.I. newspapers, for $8.3MOwnership of at least eight Rhode Island newspapers switched hands today as the Journal Register Co. announced it completed the sale of those operations to a Delaware corporation. The corporation, R.I.S.N. Operations Inc., paid $8.3 million in cash, including working capital, for the newspapers. That figure is higher than the $7.6 million the Journal Register said it was getting when it first announced the sale 10 days ago. No reason was given for the increased sales price. The sale includes The Call, The Times and Kent County Daily Times, and the Southern Rhode Island Newspaper Group, five weeklies in Wakefield. The weeklies include: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times and The Standard-Times in North Kingstown. The announcement did not mention the Warwick Daily Times -- a fourth Rhode Island daily Journal Register operates here. No reason was given for the omission. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:05 PM | Comment Cumberland boy, 11, found after 8-hour searchCUMBERLAND — After searching for more than eight hours today, the police found a runaway 11-year-old boy in Attleboro, Mass. The boy, of the Valley Falls section of Cumberland, left a note for his parents saying that he was leaving home, and he did not report to school this morning, police said. He had been missing since about 7 a.m. Earlier in the day, police were searching around the woods behind the Stop & Shop Supermarket on Mendon Road, according to Sgt. George Stansfield. The boy was found in a public place in Attleboro, though the police did not immediately say where. -- Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:45 PM | Comment Update: ACI guards guilty in prisoner abuse casePROVIDENCE -- A District Court judge issued a guilty verdict this afternoon in the trial of three prison guards charged with assaulting an inmate they were questioning in the minimum-security unit of the Adult Correctional Institutions last winter. The guards, Capt. Gualter Botas, 38, of Pawtucket; Lt. Kenneth J. Viveiros, of North Providence; and Officer Ernest Spaziano, 38, of Burrillville, had each been charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor, for allegedly roughing up Jose Gonzalez, then an inmate, in Botas' office. District Court Judge Madeline Quirk essentially found the prisoner's testimony more credible than that of Botas and Spaziano, who testified in their own defense, denying the allegations. Quirk said that the prisoner was "visibly shaken" during testimony about sexually-suggestive verbal abuse. Botas will return to District Court tomorrow to be tried in another inmate-abuse case, where he is accused of forcing an inmate to taste his own feces. The guard's attorney said he would appeal the guilty verdict and ask for a jury trial in Superior Court. -- With reports from W. Zachary Malinowski Botas, Viveiros and Spaziano were among nine guards and prison personnel placed on paid leave a year ago for participating in the alleged abuse or failing to report the incident. An outraged A.T. Wall, director of the ACI, announced at a Feb. 17, 2006, news conference that the prison's internal-affairs unit and the state police had been brought in to investigate the allegations. The joint investigations led to the simple assault charges. In October, Wall fired Botas, Viveiros and Spaziano, after an internal administrative hearing found "numerous violations of departmental policy'' involving inmates. They went to Superior Court and got a restraining order that blocked their dismissals. The guards continue to collect their paychecks, but they have not been allowed to return to work. An ACI spokeswoman said that prison officials are still moving to fire them through arbitration hearings that are scheduled over the next two months. Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:35 PM | Comment New Cranston mayor continues staffing sweepCRANSTON -- Mayor Michael T. Napolitano has fired the director of the Parks and Recreation Department, Robert J. Clarkin, and replaced him with Anthony J. Liberatore, a longtime volunteer for local youth sport leagues. The staffing change is not the first in Napolitano's young mayoral career. Napolitano recently fired former Mayor Stephen Laffey's finance director, highways division superintendent and director of senior services. But last week, Napolitano said he would retain Public Works Director Marco Schiappa, the first top aide in the former Laffey administration to be kept on. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:25 PM | Comment Woonsocket mother arrested after bus-stop fightWOONSOCKET -- The mother of a Woonsocket High School student has been arrested in the wake of a fight involving her teenage daughter and a female cousin at their bus stop, the police said today. Robin L. Sevigny, 36, of 26 Bernice Ave., was arrested Friday and charged with simple assault stemming from the fight on the corner of Rockland and South Main Streets. The police have also charged Sevigny's daughter with assault. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes Police gave the following account of the Friday incident: It began, they said, when the two cousins, both 14, exchanged words about a boy on the bus ride home from school. It is unclear what grade the girls are in. Sevigny's daughter, who has not been named, text messaged her mother before getting off the bus to ask to be picked up. The daughter left the bus at the bus stop and went directly to her mother's car, while her mother walked across the street to talk to her niece. The niece allegedly pushed Sevigny in the chest, prompting Sevigny's daughter to run across the street and start fighting her cousin, according to the police. A witness told authorities that Sevigny held down her niece, so her daughter could punch the girl. Sevigny told the police that she was simply trying to break up the fight. Last month, the mothers of two Woonsocket Middle School students were charged with assault. One of the mothers is accused of driving her daughter to school to fight another girl. The second mother is accused of hitting a teacher during the resulting melee. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:25 PM | Comment Sports tonight: Frozen beans and a rising starMost of our local pro and college teams have this cold, nasty night off. But there are a handful of high school sports games. Providence Journal sports writer Rob Lee will be in Pawtucket for tonight's Division II boys basketball game between Lincoln (8-3 in the division; 10-4 overall) and Shea (2-8; 2-11). The game starts at 7. Check projo.com's GameDay page tomorrow for Rob's story plus a photo gallery from the game. At 7 tonight, Cox Sports Television will broadcast the tape of Friday night's boys basketball game between East Providence and Central. NESN will show both games of Boston's most predictable tradition: the first round of the men's hockey Beanpot. It will be Northeastern vs. Boston University at 5, and Boston College vs. Harvard at 8. Or you can just wait for BC and BU in the final next week. If you want a look at what might be in the Celtics' future, you can watch Texas play Texas A&M at 9 on ESPN. The sixth-ranked Aggies have the better team, but the Longhorns have a guy named Kevin Durant. Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:46 PM | Comment Update: No foul play in Portsmouth Abbey deathA 16-year-old student from Nevada was found dead at Portsmouth Abbey High School yesterday morning, the police said. A roommate found the student upon returning to the dorm room they share. "There's no suggestion of foul play," Chief Lance Hebert said this morning. The police received a call from a dormitory manager at 9 a.m. The Fire Department and the state Medical Examiner's Office were called to the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for this morning and results from a toxicology report probably won't be completed for several weeks, Hebert said. The school released a statement this morning confirming the death. "Our prayers and sympathy go out to his parents and family. We have our counselors, house chaplains and faculty available for our entire community in this time of sorrow," school headmaster James De Vecchi said in the statement. "We mean to respect the privacy of our student’s family and ask everyone to pray for them." -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:25 PM | Comment Update: Robbery suspects elude officers on Federal HillPROVIDENCE — About a dozen Providence police officers chased two robbery suspects around Federal Hill this afternoon, but after one slipped out of an officer’s grasp by slipping out of his jacket, the suspects are still at large. The robbery took place around 1:20 p.m, at the corner of Federal and America Streets, according to Sgt. Dan Gannon. The victim said that one of the robbers had a gun. Gannon happened to be driving by when he saw two young men pressing a third man up against the wall of a home. “Something about it didn’t look right,” he said, so he started to turn around to revisit the scene. In the meantime, the victim had begun yelling for help to a flatbed tow truck driver passing by. The driver slowed, and the two robbery suspects began to leave, Gannon said. Gannon called for backup, and an undercover unit nearby stopped the two young men close by. An officer had a hand on one by the jacket, but the suspect slipped out of the jacket, and scrambled off. The police began to search the area, questioning several people and examining a house on DePasquale Street where one of the men might have run, but they were not able to locate the suspects. The police took the victim back to police headquarters to try to see if he could identify his attackers by photographs. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by Jack Perry at 2:24 PM | Comment Update: Boy, 10, also escaped fatal Providence firePROVIDENCE – A 10-year-old boy also escaped from a fire in a Chalkstone Avenue triple-decker that killed a man early this morning, officials said this afternoon. The boy and his mother were outside early this morning when firefighters arrived at the scene of a fire at 687 Chalkstone Ave. Officials said earlier that a 14-year-old girl -- the boy's sister -- had been critically hurt in the fire. The boy and his mother were taken to the nearby Roger Williams Medical Center, where the teenage girl was also taken before she was flown by helicopter to Shriners Hospital in Boston, Assistant. Fire Chief Michael J. Dillon said this afternoon. If the boy sustained any injuries, they were “very, very minor,” Dillon said. Fire and police officials have not yet identified the family affected by the fire or the man who died. They do not know if the man is related to the mother and children, Dillon said, because they have not positively identified him. The girl was unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, when firefighters found her on the second floor, Dillon said. Because of the efforts of fire and rescue crews and the hospital staff, “the girl is still clinging to life,” Dillon said. The cause of the fire has not been determined, "but we're looking at accidental," Dillon said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:12 PM | Comment TBS to pay $2 million for Boston bomb scareBOSTON -- Turner Broadcasting Systems and Interference Inc. agreed today to pay $2 million for an unconventional Cartoon Network advertising campaign last week that caused a widespread bomb scare, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced. The agreement with several state and local agencies resolves any potential civil or criminal claims against the companies, Coakley said during a news conference attended by a host of public officials, including Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Cambridge Mayor Kenneth Reeves. More than three dozen blinking electronic signs with a boxy cartoon character giving an obscene hand gesture were found Wednesday in the three cities. The signs, part of a publicity campaign for Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," also appeared in nine other major U.S. cities in recent weeks, with little interest. But in Boston, bomb squads responded to reports of the devices near a subway station, on bridges and elsewhere. Authorities say two men were paid to hang the signs around the city. Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, have pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct. Coakley said prosecutors were in discussions with the men's attorneys to resolve the charges before a trial. "We are fortunate that no one was injured," Coakley said. "We hope that this painful lesson will not be lived or learned again either by the communities involved or ... Turner Broadcasting and Interference. In one sense, all's well that end's well and we hope shortly we can put this behind us, but trust that this kind of episode won't be repeated all the while understanding that we can be no less diligent as perceived threats occur in the future." Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc., and Interference Inc., a New York City-based marketing company, also issued a public statement accepting full responsibility and apologizing for the "unconventional marketing tactic" and for hardships caused to Boston area residents. "We understand now that in today's post-Sept. 11 environment, it was reasonable and appropriate for citizens and law enforcement officials to take any perceived threat posed by our light boards very seriously and to respond as they did," the statement said. The companies also said they were reviewing their policies concerning local marketing efforts and strategies to ensure they are not disruptive or perceived as threatening. As part of the settlement, $1 million will be used to reimburse the agencies and $1 million will be used to fund homeland security and other programs. Boston, for example, will receive $140,232 in direct service reimbursements, $102,063 in other restitution and $242,295 in homeland security money. The MBTA, whose commuter services were disrupted by the investigation, will get the largest homeland security grant - $315,198. That is on top of $182,426 in reimbursements and $132,772 in restitution. MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas and Joseph Carter, the chief of the MBTA police, assured the public the money would not be spent on overtime or other intangible expenses. "We will develop a list of meaningful and effective homeland security and customer safety programs that will have an enduring effect on our customers," Carter said. Menino also struck back at late-night comics and others who have accused municipal officials of overreacting. "Shame on them," the mayor said. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:50 PM | Comment Attorney General to investigate TJ Maxx parentPROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Attorney General's Office has launched an investigation into TJX, the parent company of several area stores such as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Bob's Stores, and HomeGoods. State prosecutors have filed a civil investigative demand in Superior Court, according to a statement released today by Attorney General Patrick Lynch. The filing -- a civil action -- is the first step in looking into alleged violations of Rhode Island's TJX last month announced a security breach that compromised credit card information for millions of customers across the country. TJX is based in Framingham, Mass. "TJX owes its customers respect, not neglect," Lynch said in a statement. "By being negligent in its security procedures and by failing to employ immediate and aggressive methods to notify their many customers of the distinct possibility that their identities had been -- or were at risk of being -- stolen, TJX has displayed disregard for its customers." Lynch's office encourages anyone experiencing problems in relation to the -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:14 PM | Comment Red Cross helps 2 families displaced by morning firePROVIDENCE -- The Red Cross is assisting two families who were displaced after this morning’s fire at 687 Chalkstone Ave. Two adults and three children from one apartment and an adult couple from another apartment are receiving shelter, food and clothing, Red Cross spokeswoman Marisa Albanese said late this morning. The families are from the first- and third-floor apartments, she said. Firefighters found a middle-aged man dead on the second floor when they arrived shortly after 5 a.m. A 14-year-old girl from the second floor was taken to Shriners Hospital in Boston for smoke inhalation and burns, and her mother was taken to Roger Williams Medical Center with smoke inhalation and burns, according to Providence Fire Battalion Chief Thomas Brearley. The Red Cross has not been asked yet to assist anyone from the second floor, Albanese said. They are not sure how many others may have lived in the triple-decker. They are helping the families who came to them seeking assistance this morning, Albanese said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:01 PM | Comment Update: N. Providence apartment complex evacuatedNORTH PROVIDENCE – About 10 adults were evacuated this morning because of a gas leak in a 12-unit apartment complex at 9 Cynthia Drive. When the North Providence Fire Department arrived at the three-story, wood-frame apartment complex around 9:30 a.m., crews detected a gas leak in the public hallway, battalion chief Gerald Capaldi said. The residents were evacuated immediately, following standard procedures for a gas leak in a public place, he said. Crews shut off the gas into the apartment complex and allowed residents to return to their apartments after the building was ventilated, which took about 20 minutes, Capaldi said. National Grid spokesman David Graves said he cannot confirm that there was actually a gas leak. He said the gas company has sent two people out to go from unit to unit to try to determine what may have happened. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:30 AM | Comment Police: No foul play in Portsmouth Abbey deathA 16-year-old student from Las Vegas, Nev., was found dead at Portsmouth Abbey High School on Sunday morning, the police said. A roommate found the student upon returning to the dorm room they share. "There's no suggestion of foul play," Chief Lance Hebert said this morning. The police received a call from a dormitory manager at 9 a.m. The Fire Department and the state Medical Examiner's Office were called to the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for this morning and results from a toxicology report probably won't be completed for several weeks, Hebert said. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Steve Peoples at 11:20 AM | Comment Update: Man dies, 2 injured in Providence fire
PROVIDENCE -- A man was killed and two people were injured in a fire this morning on Chalkstone Avenue, according to the Providence Fire Department. Firefighters rescued an unconscious 14-year-old girl from the building's second floor, Batallion Chief Thomas Brearley said. She was critically injured with smoke inhalation and burns. She was taken to nearby Roger Williams Hospital and will be flown to Shriners Hospital in Boston, Brearley said. The girl's mother had gotten out of the building by the time firefighters arrived. She was taken to Roger Williams Hospital with smoke inhalation and burns. The man who died was described as middle-aged. He and the two people injured were all on the second floor of the 3-story, wood-frame building at 687 Chalkstone Ave. The fire was reported at 5:04 a.m. and about 60 firefighters answered the call, but they were unable to bring it under control until about 6:37 a.m. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Kate Bramson and Journal staff photographer Bill Murphy. Fire crews are still there, as well as the state Medical Examiner. The Red Cross is also there. The Providence Fire Department and state Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause. A firefighter was taken to the hospital with knee and back injuries. Much of the water the firefighters used to extinguish the blaze flowed onto the street, which is now coated with ice. That section of road is closed. The building is charred and heavily damaged. Children from the neighborhood are starting to walk to school. Some have tears in their eyes. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:41 AM | Comment Portsmouth Abbey student found deadPORTSMOUTH -- A 16-year-old student was found dead at Portsmouth Abbey high school. Police and fire departments were called to the Catholic boarding and day school in Portsmouth early Sunday. Police have not released details about a cause of death, nor have they released the student's name. -- The Associated Press Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:10 AM | Comment How cold is it?So cold that the National Weather Service issued a special alert for windy and bitterly cold weather. By this afternoon the Weather Service is calling for winds gusting to between 35 mph and 45 mph with a high of just 19 degrees. Drivers of vans and other high-profile vehicles may have difficulty staying on the road. Tonight the temperature is expected to fall to around 5 degrees with the wind chill making it feel like 10 to 15 below. And then it's going to stay cold all week. The Weather Service doesn't forecast a temperature above 30 degrees for the next five days. Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:03 AM | Comment Today's front pageWarning Patriots' fans: Today's front page features a big photograph of Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after he led the Colts to a 29-17 Super Bowl win over the Chicago Bears. There's also a story about the state's concerns over low reading scores for students. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006