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June 12, 2007

North Carolina DA facing punishment

PROVIDENCE -- Mike Pressler, the former lacrosse coach of Duke University, says he expects a North Carolina district attorney will be punished for a botched rape investigation.

Pressler now coaches at Bryant University, in Smithfield.

He told WPRO AM that Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong is going to face a severe penalty for leading an investigation that targeted three of his former players.

Nifong is being tried today in a North Carolina courtroom for allegedly violating that state's rules of professional conduct.

He won indictments against three Duke lacrosse players last year after a woman hired as a stripper claimed she was raped at a team party. Nifong was later accused of withholding exculpatory evidence from defense attorneys and making inflammatory statements about the players.

North Carolina's attorney general later dropped the charges and rebuked Nifong.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:57 PM | Comment

Police: Narragansett man seriously injured by car

NARRAGANSETT -- Two Cranston men were arrested on charges of driving under the influence after a 43-year-old Narragansett bicyclist was struck Monday evening and sustained serious injuries.

According to a news release today, Bogdan Nowak, of Ocean Road, was riding a three-wheel sit-down bike southbound in the northbound lane of Ocean Road near Earles Court when he was struck by the car driven by James J. Maguire, 22, of 28 Waterman Ave., Cranston.

Maguire was charged with driving under the influence resulting in serious bodily injuries, according to the news release.

A passenger in the car, Matthew R. Kelley, 19, of 61 Waterman Ave., Cranston, drove the car from the scene, the police allege. Kelley was charged with driving under the influence, the police said.

Nowak is being treated for his injuries at Rhode Island Hospital after preliminary treatment at South County Hospital.

The police responded at 7:27 p.m. Monday.

Detectives and the accident reconstruction unit are investigating.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:30 PM | Comment

Attleboro museum's painting fails to sell at auction

A stored painting that Attleboro Arts Museum officials discovered was actually worth up to $1 million failed to sell at a major London auction today -- a blow to the small city-owned museum that hoped to use the money from the sale to beef up its endowment and expand its community outreach programs.

It was supposed to be the ultimate Antiques Roadshow moment. Several months ago, officials at the Attleboro Arts Museum made a startling discovery: the painting that had been kept in storage for decades.

The discovery prompted the museum to put the painting -- Under a Kirghiz Tent by the mid-20th-century Russian painter Alexander Yakovlev -- up for auction, where it was expected to bring from $800,000 to $1 million.

Today, those expectations were dashed when the painting failed to sell at an auction of Russian art in London. It also leaves the fate of another Yakovlev painting -- this one owned by Attleboro’s School Department -- in limbo.

Both paintings were donated to the city in the 1950s by Charles Thompson, a longtime Attleboro resident who worked as a salesman for the Vose Galleries, a Boston art gallery that also represented Yakovlev. Though both works were discovered about the same time, the Attleboro Arts Museum painting was the first to come on the market.

City officials are still debating what to do with the School Department painting, which depicts a group of Afghan tribesmen and is estimated to be worth between $600,000 and $800,000.

-- Journal arts writer Bill Van Siclen

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:35 PM | Comment

Photo: Dressed up and ready to film

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
If you think you saw signs of filming today in Providence, you were right. Actress Katherine Heigl, center, acts in a scene being shot at the Rhode Island Convention Center for the film "27 Dresses." Heigl's face is a familiar one these days. The star of TV's Grey's Anatomy is also currently on the big screen in the comedy Knocked Up.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:07 PM | Comment

Researchers in Providence detail red-blood cell risk

PROVIDENCE -- Men over 65 with "even slightly abnormal" red-blood cell counts are at more risk of death or cardiac events after a major non-cardiac surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Brown University and Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The findings applied to men with red blood cell counts that were either too high or too low, according to a Brown University news release. Eldery patients, who are more at risk of health problems that impact red blood cells such as kidney diseases, cancer and malnutrition, can therefore be at risk of red cell counts that are too low, causing anemia, or too high, a sign of a condition called polycythemia.

"The elderly are also more likely to have heart disease, which makes them more vulnerable to the stresses of surgery and puts them at greater risk of post-operative heart attacks and other cardiac complications," according to the news release.

The study's results will be published in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, though information may be available online sooner.

To read more about the findings today, click here.

The Brown researchers are with the university's Warren Alpert Medical School.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:51 PM | Comment

Health Dept recommends closing N. Kingstown beach

The state Department of Health today recommended the closing of North Kingstown Town Beach because of high bacteria counts.

"Officials will continue to monitor the water quality and recommend re-opening when the areas are safe for swimming," the Health Department said in a news release.

Beach conditions can change daily. Check out the Department of Health Web site at http://www.ribeaches.org/closures or, for recorded information, call (401) 222-2751.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:48 PM | Comment

Fall River man convicted in assault case

A Fall River man was convicted today on two assault and battery charges for stabbing his girlfiend in her ear, cheek, abdomen and the genitals.

John Cuzzone, 50, was convicted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and indecent assault and battery in Taunton Superior Court. The decision followed a two-day bench trial.

According to the office of Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter Cuzzone assaulted the woman the evening of Dec. 23, 2004, inside a Shore Drive, Fall River, home that they shared with Cuzzone's mother.

Cuzzone faces up to 10 years in prison or two-and-a-half years at the House of Corrections on the assault and battery with a dangerous weapon charge. He faces up to five years in state prison or two-and-a-half years at the House of Corrections on the indecent assault and battery charge.

Cuzzone’s bail was not revoked by the judge after today’s conviction.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:17 PM | Comment

Borrington? campaign to receive national award

BARRINGTON -- Borrington? turned out to be just too interesting.

The campaign in which Barrington High School students wore bright orange "Borrington?" T-shirts and papered parts of town with similar posters during the night has won the 2007 National Activity of the Year award from Students Against Destructive Decisions.

Barrington High School's SADD chapter has been chosen for the award, according to a news release today. The "Borrington?" campaign aimed to take on and discredit the notion that Barrington, one of Rhode Island's more affluent communities, is boring and to offer alternatives to under-age drinking.

The Barrington chapter will be honored at an awards banquet at the SADD National Conference in New Orleans, La., in July. The chapter will receive a $500 cash prize and one youth and adult chaperone will get a free trip to the conference.

The campaign coincided with launch of a Website -- www.borrington.org -- which aims to highlight things to do around town and in the region.

As part of the campaign, a series of open-microphone nights have also been organized at different venues each month to promote giving teens weekend alternatives.

“Teenagers here blame high rates of underage drinking on a lack of activities for people their age,” Joanne Royley, the SADD adviser in Barrington, said in the statement.

“Our idea was to teach teens that the town is really not boring at all and with a little creativity and imagination, they can find many fun, interesting, and substance-free activities here.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

According to the program for the New Orleans national conference of SADD, officials will present awards in two areas besides the award going to Barrington: adviser of the year and chapter of the year.

“This campaign has had a positive impact on the community and has gotten students really involved in thinking about the town in a different way,” said Barrington student Kaitlyn Annunziata, a member of SADD. “We challenge anyone to call it Borrington anymore!”

“The innovation, creativity, and dedication of these SADD students is truly inspiring,” said Penny Wells, the national SADD executive director. “They deserve to be recognized for their tireless efforts promoting SADD’s message and empowering their friends to make safe, healthy decisions.”

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:07 PM | Comment

Freight company fined for hauling hazardous waste

PROVIDENCE -- A freight company must pay for illegally hauling hazardous waste from East Providence to Warwick.

U.S. District Court Judge Ernest Torres set an $80,000 fine today against Berkeley Transportation Company. He also ordered the firm to pay $35,000 dollars to a state environmental fund and complete three years of probation.

Berkeley Transportation's president reached a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney's office. He pleaded guilty in February to two counts of knowingly transporting hazardous waste in September 2004.

Prosecutors accuse the firm of hauling leaking 55-gallon drums containing chemicals on trailers unfit for the road.

Company officials didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:57 PM | Comment

Newport Guitar Festival bought by Florida lawyer

Some people bought guitars made of exotic woods at the annual Newport Guitar Festival. But now someone has bought the guitar festival -- and is taking it to a very different city by the sea: Miami Beach

That's according to a report in today's Miami Herald.

The paper reports that Miami Beach lawyer Henry Lowenstein, with business partners, bought the three-year-old festival on June 1 and that it will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in April 2008.

Search for Newport Guitar Festival on the Web, and the site is still up, though it appears to have not been updated since last year's festival, which was held at the Hyatt Regency and Conference Center last August. It featured workshops, mini-concerts and more.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:10 PM | Comment

Providence man sentenced on firearm violation

PROVIDENCE -- A Providence man was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison today, on top of a four-year state sentence imposed in 2005, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Milquan Lyles, 30, received the 44-month sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres today, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office.

The sentence will be served when Lyles completes the four-year sentence, which was imposed in Superior Court when Lyles was found to have violated probation stemming from a previous assault conviction.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

That violation occurred when Providence officers in 2005 said they seized a gun that Lyles had tossed away while he was being chased on foot.

Prosecutor Terrence P. Donnelly said at the plea hearing in federal court in March that the government could prove that officers stopped a car driven by Lyles at about 1:30 a.m. on May 19, 2005.

He had run a red light at Broad and Cahir streets, the police said. As officers got out of their cruiser, Lyles sped off. The police chased the car. Lyles abandoned his car and ran away. Officers said they saw him toss a gun over a fence. They retrieved the gun and said they found Lyles hiding beneath a house porch.

Lyles had past state felony convictions for carrying a pistol without a license and assault with intent to rob, the U.S. Attorney's office said. When the police seized the gun in 2005, he was on probation after having served a prison sentence for assault.

Lyles pleaded guilty in March in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:53 PM | Comment

Gooseberry Beach among best for swimmers

Journal file photo
Umbrellas packed the beach and kids dove off the platform last year on one of the hottest days of the season.

If you're looking for one of the best places to swim in the country, Travel & Leisure magazine says you don't have to go much farther than Gooseberry Beach in Newport.

The magazine has released its list of best beaches in various categories, and Gooseberry was one of five on the list of best swimming spots.

"Protected by granite borders and grassy dunes, Gooseberry's conditions are ideal for swimming or splashing in tidal pools," says the blurb on the magazine's Web site.

Gooseberry joined North Beach on Cape Cod, Rosemary Beach in Florida and Zuma Beach in Malibu, Calif., as the best swimming locations.

Other beaches the magazine examined fell into the categories "secret sands," "people watching," "nature escapes," and "fun for everyone." Beaches from Nantucket to the north shore of Chicago to California made those lists.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:43 PM | Comment

Case against Duke lacrosse prosecutor in court today

RALEIGH, N.C. -- More than a year after shocking allegations emerged about Duke University’s lacrosse team, prosecutor Mike Nifong was back in court today -- this time, as the defendant.

The North Carolina State Bar charged the Durham County district attorney with several violations of the state’s rules of professional conduct, all tied to his handling of the lacrosse case.

Duke's coach at the time, Mike Pressler, was forced to resign from Duke and is now men's lacrosse coach at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.

In April, when word came that North Carolina attorney general dropped all charges against his former players, Pressler spoke to media in Rhode Island, saying among other things that "the injustice, the lies and the myths have been fully exposed."

Pressler, who Bryant University said is in New York City today, has written a book about what happened at Duke. He is due to appear on the "Mike and the Mad Dog" radio show, among other stops.

Reade Seligmann, one of the three former Duke players cleared of the rape charges, will attend Brown University in Providence in the fall and play lacrosse there.

"I hope to make them proud of accepting me as a student," Seligmann said last month in a statement to the media provided by his lawyer, Jim Cooney. "I am looking forward to just being a student again."

Well before the start of the hearing, reporters and observers -- including the mothers of David Evans and Collin Finnerty, two of the once-charged and now cleared lacrosse players -- packed the state Court of Appeals courtroom to watch. Finnerty and the third player, Seligmann, were expected to attend the trial at some point, as were their attorneys.

Nifong's trial is expected to run for five days. As it started today, the hearing commission chairman promised a quick verdict. If convicted, Nifong could be disbarred.

-- Associated Press, with projo.com reports

Nifong won indictments against the three last year after a woman hired to perform as a stripper for a lacrosse team party in March 2006 said she was raped there. He aggressively pursued the case, at one point calling the lacrosse team “a bunch of hooligans” in a newspaper interview.

That interview, along with several others made in the case’s early days, formed the basis of the bar’s initial complaint against Nifong, which said he made misleading and inflammatory comments to the media about the athletes.

The bar later added allegations that Nifong withheld evidence from defense attorneys and that he lied to both to the court and bar investigators.

Worried the pending ethics charges might result in an unfair trial, Nifong asked the North Carolina Attorney General’s office to take over the lacrosse prosecution in January. By then, most experts and legal observers had long since concluded the case could not be won.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper agreed in April and dropped all charges against the three players. In a stunning rebuke, Cooper said there was no rape or attack, calling the indicted players “innocent” victims of a rogue prosecutor’s “tragic rush to accuse.”

Nifong arrived at court early today with his wife and teenage son, who took seats in the front row behind the defense table. Nifong is expected to testify.

His attorney, David Freedman, did not return calls seeking comment this week, but last week, he insisted his client had no plans to heed calls from his critics to resign.

“Public opinion is not going to weigh in on how the proceeding develops and will not weigh in on the ultimate decision by the bar,” Freedman said. “Our purpose is not to sway public opinion but to present his case to the State Bar.”

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:25 PM | Comment

Update: Historic 1st among 4 town budget votes today

Voters in Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond and East Greenwich today will decide their towns’ finances for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Exeter’s and Richmond’s votes will take place in the traditional Financial Town Meeting, during which eligible voters review the budget proposal collectively, adjusting the proposal as they see fit.

In East Greenwich, voters either approve or reject the budget. If the budget is rejected, it is sent back to the council for further consideration and then presented to the public again at a subsequent town meeting.

And in Hopkinton, it's an historic first. The town, incorporated in 1757, amended its Town Charter last November to do away with the Financial Town Meeting and replace it with an all-day referendum.

For details on the Richmond budget, click here. For details on the Exeter budget, click here. For details on the East Greenwich budget, click here. And for details on the Hopkinton budget, click here.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:56 AM | Comment

Carcieri moves on to meeting with chamber coalition

After spending about an hour discussing his budget proposal on a radio talk show this morning, Governor Carcieri's next stop is a special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Coalition.

He was due to address the group at 11:30 a.m. to enlist the support of chamber members for his plan to reform the state budget, according to a release from his office.

The Chamber of Commerce Coalition is made up of nine local chambers of commerce and represents 12,500 member businesses and 75,000 employees, according to the governor's release.

According to its Web site, its mission is to "provide adequate fair and timely representation at the local, state and federal level of government, on behalf of the members of the participating Chambers of Commerce and business organizations within our Coalition." Click here for its 2007 agenda.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:36 AM | Comment

Carcieri defends layoff plan in WPRO interview

In an interview on radio station WPRO this morning, Governor Carcieri is defending his plan to cut 1,000 jobs from the state payroll.

Earlier on the station, Dennis Grilli, executive director of the state's largest public employees union, had criticized Carcieri's plan. He characterized the governor as "gleeful" about the proposed layoffs.

"I'm not happy about putting people out of work," Carcieri said when host John DePetro asked for his reaction to Grilli's comment.

But Carcieri, a former business executive, added that private sector employers all over the state are saying they need workers.

"There's many things going on in the private sector," he said.

The state faces a $340-million budget deficit.

Carcieri said the state benefits program is far too generous for state employees when compared to private sector benefits, and the state cannot put off clearning up its budget deficit.

The interview is continuing.

Read more about the governor's budget proposal and reaction to it in a Journal story today.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:38 AM | Comment

Photo: Leaves in Lincoln

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
The sun breaks through the trees in Lincoln Woods State Park this morning. The National Weather Service forecasts a partly sunny day turning to partly cloudy and scattered showers in the Lincoln area mainly after noon. The temperature should reach 72 degrees. Thunderstorms could move into the area tonight.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:28 AM | Comment

Nominee for Joint Chiefs chairman to speak

NEWPORT -- A Navy admiral nominated to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff speaks in Newport today.

Admiral Michael Mullen is expected to deliver an address before the U.S. Naval War College, one of his first major speeches since his nomination this month. He's now chief of U.S. naval operations.

In past appearances, Mullen has challenged the War College to redefine the Navy's role in a post-Cold War world.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he nominated Mullen after Democrats in the U.S. Senate indicated the incumbent could face harsh questions about Iraq if renominated.

The Senate has not yet confirmed Mullen.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:15 AM | Comment

Activists, lawmakers to rally at State House

PROVIDENCE -- Activists and some state lawmakers will rally at the State House today in support of bills aimed at protecting the rights of people caught up in the legal system.

The bills include one that would eliminate minimum sentencing requirements for some drug violations; and another that defines the conditions under which a defendant can be declared indigent and gives judges discretion to waive court costs.

The rally will be attended by activists from Direct Action for Rights and the Family Life Center, as well Senator Charles Levesque and Representatives David Segal and Joseph Almeida.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

Chance of showers

Look for increasing clouds with a high near 71 degrees today and scattered showers after noon, the National Weather Service says.

Tonight should bring scattered showers and the chance of thunderstorms.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a photograph and story about a federal audit that criticizes Rhode Island for ceding almost total control of its multimillion-dollar bridge-design and repair program to consultants.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment

You must be whacked: Watch 'Sopranos' end again

Maybe you need to see the black-out witnessed around the world one more time. Or two more times. Or three.

Maybe you missed something, some clue, some subliminal message.

Maybe once was enough.

Whatever. Relive the end -- was that the end? -- of The Sopranos tonight at 10 p.m.

For those who missed it Sunday night and wondered why everyone was so perplexed around the water cooler today, well, there is quite possibly no way to miss it so long as you can snag HBO, visit a friend with HBO, catch it at a relative's house or find a local restaurant or bar willing to give you an hour.

The HBO online schedule shows the "Made in America" finale running through June 17 at various times on various versions of HBO around the country.

Or maybe you really missed it -- the whole series. Like the person who never laughed with Seinfeld in the '90s, never pulled up a bar stool for Cheers in the 80s and never watched MASH in the '70s, you've steadily avoided the cultural touchstone of the moment.

Feeling out of it? Catch up online, at the show's official Web site.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 AM | Comment