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June 14, 2007

Update: DOT chief engineer put on leave amid inquiry

PROVIDENCE -- Amid troubling questions about state Department of Transportation contract practices, DOT chief engineer Edmund T. Parker has been put on paid administrative leave and any documents relating to contracts are to be turned over to the U.S. Attorney's Office and state police.

Governor Carcieri's office this afternoon announced the moves as part of a review to determine the way business has been conducted by the DOT.

Carcieri expressed three concerns in a statement.

One was discovery that "a senior DOT employee, Ed Parker, participated in the decision to award a major contract to a company called Plexus, which is owned by his step-nephew," according to the news release.

As part of the same contract, another senior DOT employee "changed the evaluation scores on the different bids in order to strengthen the case for hiring Plexus." Plexus already had the highest score, but the employee "gave them additional points so that the company would even more clearly outscore its competitor."

And the state review of DOT contracts has found "a number of instances of contracts that have been repeatedly extended over time, without new bids," according to the release.

The Plexus contract started in 1997 as a $1.1 million contract to provide a project-tracking system for the DOT. But the contract had grown to $8.5 million 10 years later, the governor's office says.

Another contract, with Gordon R. Archibald, Inc. for the Quonset Point Improved Access Design, began July 1, 1982, for $361,423. Since then, "it has been extended 233 times and its total value now exceeds $20 million," the release says.

The contracts were never re-bid and DOT officials amended them to let new work be done under the old contract.

“This is not only poor management,” Carcieri said in the statement. “It appears to be a violation of state purchasing laws.”

“Over the last few months and weeks, I have become increasingly alarmed about information being uncovered at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation,” Carcieri said this afternoon. “After high overhead rates in one contract were exposed, we began a review of all other DOT agreements to see if we could uncover any other, similar problems."

Carcieri administration officials met today with State Police Supt. Brendan Doherty and with representatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to discuss an investigation of potential wrongdoing at the DOT.

“Given the gravity of these concerns, and in light of his involvement in these contracting decisions, I have also instructed DOT to put Ed Parker on administrative leave with pay until a more thorough review of his conduct can be performed,” Carcieri said in the statement. “Let me be clear. I am not prejudging the results of this review. But given his role in many of the contracts we are investigating, I do not believe he can continue to serve in that position while the investigation is ongoing.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau

Yesterday, Carcieri met briefly with Doherty to request the opening of an investigation. The governor’s staff also contacted U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente to discuss the potential for a federal investigation. Additionally, in a telephone conversation with the governor’s staff, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) promised to also begin a review.

DOT Director Jerome Williams also confirmed that Parker has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Parker is on administrative leave with pay "until his role could be more fully reviewed," the governor's statement said.

The governor’s office told Gerald Aubin, who is leading an inquiry into all state contracts that involve the retention of professional services, to turn over to the State Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office any documents related to DOT contracts.

“My message to Rhode Island citizens is simple,” Carcieri said. “The Department of Transportation has some major problems ... We will end the mismanagement and take the necessary steps to deal with any criminal activity we find.”

Extra: Look back at Journal coverage of this topic.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:13 PM | Comment

Update: Police: 2 found dead in fire a double-homicide

PROVIDENCE – Two women were found dead in a burning Silver Lake triple-decker early this morning, and police are saying that the incident is a double-homicide.

Firefighters responding to the 2 a.m. blaze at 381 Plainfield St. found Amanda Sousa, 17, of Providence, and Heather Jesus, 21, lying dead on the living room floor.

Police say that although they were found in a burning apartment, the actual cause of their death is unclear — and may not have been the fire at all.

Some of the “evidence surrounding the victims” prompted fire officials to turn to the police for help investigating the fire at the third-floor, said Mark S. Pare, assistant chief of administration for the Providence Fire Department.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the triple-decker, said Pare and James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. There are two businesses on the first floor, including the California Taco Shop at 381 Plainfield St., while five apartments occupy the second and third floors.

A half-dozen police officers combed the scene for several hours this afternoon, checking the doors to the apartment, examining the inside and searching the grounds outside the house in cracks and small areas.

The bodies of both women are at the medical examiner’s office, where autopsies are being performed.

The fire was reported at 1:59 a.m. and was under control by 2:30 a.m., Pare said.

— Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi and and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Jose Diaz lives in the second floor apartment directly beneath the apartment where the fire occurred.

He said that while he was trying to sleep, shortly before 2 a.m., he heard repeated heavy noises, “thumps” as he described them, coming from the apartment above.

“I got up and banged on the ceiling with a broom,” he said. Then the noises stopped, and he went back to bed.

Soon after, other neighbors banged on his door to alert him that there was a fire and that he needed to evacuate.

As he stood in the street waiting to be allowed back in, he was shocked to see two bodies brought out on stretchers.

“I was just thinking it was a regular fire until I saw them bring the two bodies out,” he said.

Elio Olivero co-owns the Petro Mobil across the street from the gutted apartment. He said that Jesus, who he said was pregnant, used to come in regularly to buy cigarettes.

“She would come over here late night at night, all the time,” he said.

Cesar Morales owns the home next door to 381 Plainfield St. He said that it is a transient neighborhood with people moving in and out regularly, and that few neighbors know each other. He said that people would come in and out of the 375 Plainfield St. apartment at all hours of the night.

He also said that there was a serious fire in the same building a year ago, which caused heavy damage.

The Red Cross is assisting four adults and one child displaced by the fire, according to spokeswoman Marisa Albanese.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:56 PM | Comment

Testimony by Biechele, Derderians sought in suit

PROVIDENCE -- Lawyers for the victims of The Station nightclub blaze are pressing a band tour manager and the nightclub owners to testify for the first time since the fire killed 100 people and injured twice that many four years ago, according to court documents.

The request comes in a massive civil lawsuit filed by more than 300 survivors and victims' family members against dozens of defendants they hold responsible for the fire, The Associated Press reported.

If a U.S District Court judge consents, the depositions of tour manager Daniel Biechele and club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian would be the first time they've had to speak under oath about the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station club in West Warwick.

Each man reached plea deals with prosecutors that averted a lengthy trial but left some victims' family members outraged. David Kane, who lost his 18-year-old son Nicholas O'Neill in the fire, said he hoped the civil proceedings will uncover new evidence leading to criminal charges.

Biechele's lawyer has objected to the request, while a lawyer for the Derderians did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

"This has got nothing to do with the money," Kane said. "The only thing we have right now is the civil case. That can maybe open the door to depositions."

-- The Associated Press

The request for depositions came during a series of legal maneuvers.

In April, the parent companies of a radio station running a promotion the night of the fire asked to be dismissed from the case. Lawyers for the Capstar Radio Operating Company and Clear Channel Communications said there was no evidence they controlled the concert, the club or the pyrotechnics and couldn't be held responsible for the fire.

A tour manager for the band Great White, Biechele ignited a pyrotechnics display inside the Derderians' packed roadside bar. Sparks ignited flammable foam used as soundproofing on the club's walls. Flames and toxic black smoke engulfed the wood building within minutes.

Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison.

The Derderians pleaded no contest to the same charges. Michael Derderian received a four-year prison sentence, while his brother Jeffrey got a suspended sentence and probation.

But lawyers for the victims and their families argue more evidence is necessary to evaluate those claims, including a deposition with Biechele and the Derderians, among others.

Donald Maroney, an attorney for Biechele, said in a court filing that he doesn't want his client speaking with the plaintiffs. A defendant in the civil suit, Biechele has a constitutional right to refuse any questions to avoid criminal self-incrimination.

While state prosecutors have finished their criminal case against Biechele, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigated the fire and could still press charges.

"While Mr. Biechele is unaware of any pending federal investigation, the possibility of a federal prosecution remains open," Maroney wrote.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:47 PM | Comment

Photo: Showing the flag at Warwick school

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers

While their classmates sing a patriot song, students at John Greene Elementary School in Warwick wave Old Glory at a Flag Day event today. The students, several of whom have parents serving in Iraq, have a longstanding pen pal program with an Army unit there. To thank the students for their letters, the unit's soldiers sent them an Iraqi rug that was displayed in the ceremony today.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:11 PM | Comment

No toxic Thomas toys at Edaville railroad event

The recall of about 1.5 million Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys because of lead paint should not affect the popular "Day Out with Thomas" event at Edaville USA in Carver, Mass., this weekend, where parents can bring children to ride a train led by Thomas the Tank Engine.

That's according to a spokeswoman, who said all of the products listed in the recall have been pulled out of the mix offered at such train-ride visits.

There may be other items for sale in a retail area of the event, but they are not the lead-paint containing ones that have been recalled, said Danielle Webb, a spokeswoman for HIT Entertainment, which owns the Thomas & Friends brand, of which Thomas the Tanks Engine is a part.

Items containing lead paint can be toxic if ingested by young children. The recall includes wooden vehicles, buildings and other train set components, which are listed on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice about the popular children’s toys, which are manufactured in China.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Kate Bramson

The Edaville USA Web site describes the Thomas ride as a "classic storybook engine" that "chugs into a station near you." Participants get 25-minute rides on the train and hear a story telling, live music and more. This event runs tomorrow through Sunday.

Meanwhile, the company that has the recalled items in question, RC2 Corp., has posted additional information about the recall on its Web site, including the fact that toys named in the recall list that are marked with codes containing “WJ” or “AZ” are not included in this recall.

Parents and caregivers are urged to take the recalled toys away from young children immediately. They may contact the RC2 Corp., of Oak Brook, Ill., for replacement toys. RC2 Corp. can be reached toll-free at (866) 725-4407 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central time Monday through Thursday and on Fridays between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The recalled toys were sold nationwide at toy stores and other retailers from January 2005 through June 2007 for prices ranging from $10 to $70. The front of the packaging carried the logo “Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway” on the upper left-hand corner and a manufacturing code may be located on the bottom of the product or inside the battery cover, according to the company.

No injuries have been reported with regard to the many recalled toys, according to the safety commission.

As a percentage of Thomas products on the market, 1.5 million is actually a relatively small number, Webb said. RC2 is one of several companies with licenses to sell the Thomas brand.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:47 PM | Comment

FWS would buy state land to save Charlestown parcel

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to buy 70 acres of state-owned land in South Kingstown, bordering the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Regufe, in exchange for the state conserving the approximately 50 acres in Charlestown it had proposed to sell for $3.4 million to balance its budget.

The 70 acres would be purchased at fair market value -- to be determined through a certified appraisal -- and public uses would be continued, Charles E. Vandemoer, refuge manager of the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, wrote to Rep. Steven M. Constantino, chairman of the House Finance Committee.

House spokesman Larry Berman said Constantino “is aware of the existence” of the letter but “is leaving the money savings in the budget for the sale of the (Charlestown) land."

“All we did was (to) put the money in the budget that Governor Carcieri suggested would bring revenue to the state of Rhode Island,” Berman said this afternoon.

“That amount of money,” Berman said, referring to the $3.4 million estimated the 50 acres of open space land bordering the state’s Burlingame Management Area and Watchaug Pond would draw, “is remaining in the budget."

“It’s up to Governor Carcieri to work out the details as to this sale or an exchange of land.”

The House will take up the proposed budget tomorrow.

Rep. Donna Walsh, D-Charlestown, said today she intends to withdraw an amendment she filed yesterday — which proposed to remove the land sale from the budget and reduce the Judiciary’s budget by the projected $3.4 million — if she gets firmer assurances the land will not be sold.

-- Journal staff writer Maria Armental

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:48 PM | Comment

Update: Carcieri, U.S. Attorney team members meet

Governor Carcieri today confirmed that members of his team have met with members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ask them to look into matters at the state Department of Transportation.

In recent days, Carcieri has asked the state police to begin a review of the way business has been conducted by the DOT.

This afternoon, Carcieri addressed the issue at an unrelated press conference for a Big Brothers announcement about a chocolate chip cookie fundraiser.

When asked what his concerns over the DOT are, Carcieri said business practices.

Thomas Connell, a spokesman for U.S. Atty. Robert Clark Corrente in Rhode Island, said that Corrente and members of his staff met with the governor’s representatives at about 11 a.m., at Carcieri’s request. He declined to elaborate on the topic(s), participants or length of the meeting.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katherine Gregg and Mike Stanton

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:11 PM | Comment

Father of missing Newport sailor dies

The father of a Newport sailor whose boat went missing last month has died, without knowing the fate of his daughter.

James J. Grinavic, 52, died Monday of a heart attack while at home in Cumberland with his wife, Mary Grinavic.

He collapsed as the two were bagging the trash, his wife said in an interview today. She called 911, and emergency responders were there in two minutes. However, just as they came in the door, James Grinavic died, his wife said.

Their only child, 26-year-old Christine Grinavic, was one of four sailors aboard the 54-foot Flying Colours when the sailboat disappeared in a growing tropical storm off the coast of the Carolinas on May 7.

The U.S. Coast Guard led a massive, six-day search for the sailboat that included jets, search planes and cutters from several states and military stations over a region the size of Texas. The Coast Guard suspended the search after finding no trace of the boat or its crew.

Mary Grinavic said the Coast Guard has still not found a sign of the boat, “not a bit of debris, nothing.”

The couple had held out hope. “We have to go forward” was their attitude – until Monday, when James died, his wife said.

Now, she continues to hope – convinced that “some sign of something” has to show up eventually.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

If she were to give up hope and then the sailors are found drifting at sea, “she’d be so mad at me” for losing the faith, Mary Grinavic said of her daughter.

For now, Christine’s mother is working with the family’s lawyer to handle her daughter’s finances. She doesn’t want to leave outstanding bills unpaid and have her daughter return to a bad credit rating.

Christine, a Cumberland High School and University of Rhode Island graduate, had expected to be home for Mother’s Day, which was the Sunday after the sailboat was lost. The last time Christine had seen her parents was when she was home in December for her grandmother’s funeral. Mary Grinavic’s mother died Dec. 12.

Leading up to this week, Mary Grinavic had worried about this Sunday.

“I didn’t know what we were going to do for Father’s Day,” she said.

“And now I don’t have to worry,” she added softly.

Although her husband had chronic health issues – among them, diabetes and sleep apnea – and she didn’t expect to grow old with him, James Grinavic had just been to see his doctor last month and there was nothing significant that appeared worrisome at this time, his wife said. His doctor wanted to see him for a check-up in three months.

Mary Grinavic said her husband's sister said she thinks he died “of a broken heart.”

His wake is set for tomorrow in Norwood, Mass., the community where he and his wife met and where his parents and her mother are buried. The funeral will be from the funeral home on Saturday followed by a funeral Mass at St. Catherine of Siena Church, Norwood.

Grinavic said she’ll have the priest say a special prayer tomorrow night as a vigil is going on in Oregon for one of the sailors missing with Christine. Family members of Rhiannon Borisoff, 22, who live in Oregon, had planned a vigil for tomorrow night, well before James Grinavic’s death. Now on each coast, the families will be hoping for the safe return of their loved ones.

“But then I’d have to tell her her Daddy’s dead,” Mary Grinavic said, her voice catching.

Read James Grinavic's obituary and sign an online guestbook.

Read more about the sailors and the Flying Colours at a Web site created by a family member of the boat's captain, Patrick "Trey" Topping.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:55 PM | Comment

Sound Session lineup announced for Providence

PROVIDENCE -- The lineup for the summer's Sound Session, produced by the Black Repertory Company, has more than 50 artists, from Brazilian funk to jazz legends to reggae, Mayor David Cicilline's office announced today.

Among those scheduled to perform are The Spinners, jazz musician James Moody, reggae musician Queen Ifrica, jazzman Ben Allison; "hip-hop troubadour" Taylor McFerrin, the New Orleans-style Youngblood Brass Band, and more.

The seven-day festival kicks off at the Providence Black Repertory Company’s Xxodus Café on Sunday with gospel music and continues through the week. The festival ends Jule 21 with a concert at Waterplace Park, a parade through the streets and a block party on Westminster Street.

Flanked by drummers, singers and entertainers dressed in costumes, Cicilline and Providence Black Repertory Company Executive Artistic Director Donald W. King announced the lineup.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

“Over the past three years, Sound Session has grown into one of our region’s most exciting music festivals, attracting thousands of people to our city from all over New England,” Cicilline said in a statement. “This is a festival that transcends cultural barriers and brings people together from diverse backgrounds for a week of great, live entertainment.”

“Sound Session is genuine cultural exchange at its best,” said King. “It educates, inspires, excites the imagination and amplifies the kind of cultural programming and shared experience that Black Rep offers all year round.”

There will also be neighborhood and community programming, including workshops, neighborhood concerts and master classes.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:40 PM | Comment

W. Warwick student accused of having gun to scare

WEST WARWICK -- West Warwick school officials accuse a student of having an unloaded gun inside a middle school yesterday to scare off someone else.

Superintendent James DiPrete says the incident happened at Deering Middle School and that no one was in immediate danger.

Early yesterday, three students told a teacher they had seen a seventh-grader with a gun. DiPrete says an assistant principal led that student back to his locker. A police officer examined the student's backpack and found the unloaded firearm.

DiPrete says police questioned the student, then took him into custody.

The boy was taken to Family Court in Providence, but school authorities weren't certain if he will face charges.

-- Associated Press

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:58 PM | Comment

ALERT: Mass. lawmakers block gay-marriage ban

BOSTON -- Massachusetts lawmakers today blocked a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage from reaching voters, a stunning victory for gay marriage advocates and a devastating blow to efforts to reverse a historic 2003 court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

The 45-151 vote means Massachusetts remains the only state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to marry. The question needed the approval of 50 of 200 lawmakers in consecutive sessions to advance to the 2008 ballot. It got the first approval at the end of last session in January with 62 votes.

As the tally was announced, the halls of the Statehouse erupted in cheers and applause from supporters of gay marriage gathered outside the House chambers.

"We're proud of our state today, and we applaud the Legislature for showing that Massachusetts is strongly behind fairness," said Lee Swislow, executive director of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders.

Full story ...

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:44 PM | Comment

URI scientist to research safe water supply in India

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- A University of Rhode Island associate professor has gotten a $190,000 grant from the World Bank to come up with a way to provide people in rural India with "safe, affordable and reliable drinking water."

The university issued a news release saying Thomas Boving, associate professor of geoscience, is one of 22 grant winners from 13 countries out of a pool of 2,900 people who applied for the grants.

The World Bank's Global Development Marketplace and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are the agencies paying for the grants.

Boving's project will "use a low-cost, easy to replicate approach of treating polluted surface water with riverbank filtration wells."

Next fall, Boving will start by surveying some residents in India about water needs and related issues. He will also track infection rates from water-borne diseases and find several potential sites to install riverbank filtration wells.

"We¹ll drill the wells near the river, and the pump will force the water to flow into the well through natural sediments that will clean it of pathogens," Boving said in the news release. "To ensure that the water is cleaned thoroughly, it should take about 20 days for the water to travel from the river to the well. The exact location of the wells -- how far away from the river to put them -- will be determined by the geology."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Water-borne disease accounts in India for 21 percent of all communicable diseases and results in 1,600 deaths each day, according to a news release.

"The Kali River in southern India is very polluted, so if the locals rely on water from the river to drink, they get sick," said Boving. "If they rely on existing wells for their water, they typically must carry the water long distances and the wells often go dry. Riverbank filtration wells, however, make use of the natural filtration capacity of the sediments underlaying the river and produce water without contaminants."

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:49 PM | Comment

R.I. soldier injured in Iraq heading to Walter Reed

An Army soldier from Rhode Island is being flown to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., after suffering serious injuries in Iraq.

Angel Gomez, who had been serving in Iraq since February, was apparently injured when the Humvee he was traveling in "got blown up," said Dennis Littky, founder and co-director of the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center in Providence.

Gomez joined the Army in August 2004 following his graduation from The Met school, Littky said. He had been stationed in Kansas and specialized in humvees, Littky said.

Littky did not know exactly where or when Gomez was injured. He said he has talked to Gomez's mother. Gomez is supposed to arrive at Walter Reed today or tomorrow, according to Littky.

A fund is being established to help Gomez. Donations can be dropped off or sent to The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, 325 Public St., Providence, R.I., 02905.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:29 PM | Comment

State wants to bring salmon back to the Blackstone

PAWTUCKET -- The state has moved closer to bringing salmon back to the Blackstone River for the first time in two centuries.

The state Department of Environmental Management yesterday signed a purchase agreement for a dam in Pawtucket and the former Elizabeth Webbing hydro plant in Central Falls.

That gives the state control of four dams along a key stretch of the river and opens the door for the construction of fish ladders that would allow salmon to make their way up the waterway to spawn.

-- The Associated Press

Salmon have been unable to swim upstream since the construction of numerous textile mill dams 200 years ago.

Department Director Michael Sullivan says building the fish ladders will require about two years of engineering studies and analysis, and he hopes construction will be complete by 2010.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:43 AM | Comment

Some 1.5 million Thomas & Friends toys recalled

About 1.5 million Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys have been recalled because they contain lead paint, which can be toxic if ingested by young children.

The recall includes wooden vehicles, buildings and other train set components, which are listed on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice about the popular children’s toys, which are manufactured in China.

The company, RC2 Corp., has posted additional information about the recall on its Web site, including the fact that toys named in the recall list that are marked with codes containing “WJ” or “AZ” are not included in this recall.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

No injuries have been reported with regard to the many recalled toys, according to the safety commission.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:26 AM | Comment

Red Cross fundraiser to support armed forces

NEWPORT – The Red Cross has been busy today since responding at 3 a.m. to a Silver Lake fire in which two people were found dead.

The organization is helping five others affected by that fire and was then called to help three people displaced by a fire around 7 a.m. today in Olneyville.

Now, the Red Cross is hosting a fundraiser from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Atlantic Beach Club in Newport. The Flag Day breakfast is raising funds to support emergency services for the armed forces, spokeswoman Marisa Albanese said.

The breakfast fundraiser is open to the public.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:30 AM | Comment

Photo: Two found dead after a fire in a triple-decker

OVERNIGHT_FIRE 01 BM.JPG
Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Providence Police investigate a fatal fire at 381 Plainfield Street this morning.

PROVIDENCE – Firefighters found two bodies in a burning Silver Lake apartment overnight. Fire and police officials consider the triple-decker a crime scene and are investigating.

Some of the “evidence surrounding the victims” prompted fire officials to turn to the police for help investigating the fire at 381 Plainfield St., said Mark S. Pare, assistant chief of administration for the Providence Fire Department.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the triple-decker that has two businesses on the first floor, said Pare and James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

Investigators are still trying to identify the people found dead in the fire, Pare said. It’s unclear at this point whether the people died from the fire or another cause, Taylor said.

The fire was reported at 1:59 a.m. and was under control by 2:30 a.m., Pare said.

The Red Cross is assisting four adults and one child displaced by the fire, according to spokeswoman Marisa Albanese.

The California Taco Shop is on the first floor of the building.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:09 AM | Comment

Photo / Fire in Olneyville displaces 3 residents

Firefighters at 30 Covell St. this morning.
Journal Photo/Bill Murphy

PROVIDENCE – The Red Cross is assisting three adults after an early morning fire in Olneyville.

The fire at 30 Covell St., just off Atwells Ave., was reported at 6:56 a.m. and was under control by 7:08 a.m., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

No one was injured in the second early-morning fire in the capital city, Taylor said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:53 AM | Comment

Chance of showers

The National Weather Service has forecast patchy fog before noon and a slight chance of showers today in the Providence area.

The high should reach 64 degrees with winds from the northeast between 13 and 18 mph., gusts up to 30 mph.

The temperature should drop to 50 degrees tonight with s chance of showers before 9 p.m.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:03 AM | Comment

Middleborough selectmen delay vote on casino

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Mashpee Wampanoag Indians' plan to pay Middleborough $7 million annually over the next 10 years in exchange for hosting their proposed casino has been delayed while town officials weigh the offer.

After hearing from residents on both sides of the issue at a hearing Wednesday night that ran more than three hours, the board voted to delay a vote for at least a couple of weeks to allow some revisions to the draft proposal.

-- Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a photograph and story about a rally at the State House over the proposed layoff of 1,000 state workers.

There's also a story about a Jamestown couple and their adopted children from Russia.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment