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« June 14, 2007 | Today | June 16, 2007 » June 15, 2007House budget: School aid level-funded
After more than two hours' debate, the vote was 50 to 25 -- not uniformly along party lines, indicating the difficulty the education aid plan posed for legislators who will return home to some districts where school committees may not be pleased. Symbolically, though, it represented a two-thirds majority, which will be required to pass the overall budget when House members reach that point. Rep. Amy Rice, D-Portsmouth, for instance, announced on the House floor after all amendments had been heard that she would vote against the education-aid article. The level-funded aid set forth by House Democratic leaders cut a 3-percent across the board education aid increase that Governor Carcieri's budget proposal had included. The proposal, contained in Article 21 of the House budget, still needs to go before the state Senate next week. Republican House members launched into amendments beginning in the afternoon. All failed. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Rep. Robert Watson, R-East Greenwich, the House minority leader, offered an amendment to add more than $6 million to be distributed equally among every community. Watson's proposal called for level funding the state Department of Education's budget. He cast it as an ultimatum for the other representatives. "You're either going to support your communities" or support a bureacracy, Watson said during the televised debate. "My vote's going to be with the children." The House voted it down. Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, offered an amendment that he said would have given school systems the option of nullifying a collective bargaining agreement. Trillo said his community is facing serious problems without some way to make available more money for education. An amendment by Rep. John Loughlin, R-Tiverton, called for allowing school districts the choice of going to the state Department of Education to say they are not going to comply with certain "unfunded mandates" that they currently must pay for themselves. Details were not fully available, but it appeared that it generally would have applied to communities where such mandates push them over a tighter budget cap that communities must adhere to. An amendment by Rep. David Segal, D-Providence, sought to raise the capital gains tax back to 5 percent to provide more money for education aid. The capital gains tax was 5 percent last year, went down to 1.67 percent this year and was due to be phased out next year, Though Segal's amendment failed, the House budget already includes a provision -- prior to today's debate -- to freeze the capital-gains tax at 1.67 percent next year. One amendment did pass. It added $615,000 to the education-aid article. But that simply brought the education aid up to level funding in communities slated to lose money because the budget had called for reductions in towns that had fewer group-home beds than in the previous year. Shortly after 7 p.m., the House went into recess for dinner. Projo.com will update the House's budget actions later tonight. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:33 PM | Comment Weekend: Hear Rhode Show, Lennon tributes
Rhode Show, the youth hip-hop group that’s an outgrowth of the Broad Street Studio at AS220, finally cut a CD, and projo.com has put half of it online as mp3s at projo.com/music. Also there, you'll find links to samples from Instant Karma: The Campaign To Save Darfur, a 23-track double CD on which musicians such as U2, Green Day, Willie Nelson, REM, The Deftones, Barenaked Ladies and many, many more cover John Lennon tunes. Listen, then chime in on our survey on our music page: In these tributes, "Who honors Lennon and who doesn't?" Posted by Sheila Lennon at 6:57 PM | Comment House budget: Big debate about school aid ensues
The level-funded aid set forth by House Democratic leaders cut a 3-percent across the board education aid increase that Governor Carcieri's budget proposal had included. The House has been taking up its budget since just after 2 p.m., and Article 21, which covered the education-aid-to-communities component, is pushing the discussion into the evening. The House budget contains 42 articles. As 6 p.m. nears, the House is debating an amendment by Rep. David Segal, D-Providence, to raise the capital gains tax to provide more money for education aid. A raft of Republican lawmakers' amendments have all failed. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Rep. Robert Watson, R-East Greenwich, the House minority leader, offered an amendment to add more than $6 million to be distributed equally among every community. Watson cast his proposal as an ultimatum for the other representatives in the House chamber. "You're either going to support your communities" or support a bureacracy," Watson said during the televised House debate. "My vote's going to be with the children." The House voted it down. Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, offered an amendment that would give school systems the option of nullifying a collective bargaining agreement. Trillo said his community is facing serious problems without some way to make available more money for education. An amendment by Rep. John Loughlin, R-Tiverton, called for allowing school districts the choice of going to the state Department of Education to say they are not going to comply with certain "unfunded mandates" that they currently must pay for themselves. Details were not fully available, but it generally would have applied to communities where such mandates push them over a tighter budget cap that communities must adhere to. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:03 PM | Comment Update: Ex-Latin Kings member nabbed on 10 chargesNORTH SCITUATE -- Two Providence men, one a former Latin Kings gang member who served time, were arrested today on a bevy of charges, the state police said at a news conference today. Kareem Abdullah, 31, identified by police as the former gang member, and Francisco Perez, 25, were both living at 362 Carpenter St., Apt. 1, Providence. Police leveled 10 charges against Abdullah, from firearms possession to drug possession, to fireworks possession, to counterfeit money possession. Perez faces a total of 9 similar charges. The police said that Abdullah served about 11 years in prison for his role in the Latin Kings gang and got out in April 2006. (In a news release earlier today, a man arrested was described as a "chief enforcer" of the Latin Kings. It is not clear at this time whether that applied to Abdullah and when.) Other than the fact that the two men were living at the same address, the police would not say what the connection was between Abdullah and Perez. The police did not say whether Perez had any Latin Kings connection. There may be future arrests, the police said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi The twoy will be held at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston until District Court arraignment, probably on Monday, according to the police. The police said that the Latin Kings nationally saw an upsurge in the 1990s and then investigations by federal, state and local authorities helped reduced that. But there has apparently been a spike nationally recently. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:49 PM | Comment House budget: Corporate tax 'loopholes' closedPROVIDENCE -- In approving another part of its state budget proposal, the House voted to close a series of perceived "loopholes" that let multi-state corporations avoid paying certain Rhode Island corporate taxes. The provision won overwhelming approval in the Democratic-majority House over Republican opposition. "One man's loophole is another man's incentive," said Rep. Carol Mumford, R-Scituate. Governor Carcieri, a Republican, expressed opposition to the move, saying earlier this week that it was among proposals in the House Democrats' proposal that amounts to "backsliding" from already enacted tax "reforms" the governor has supported. For anyone keeping score -- and ignoring the amazingly sunny day outside -- the House was wading into article 21 of its 42-article budget proposal as of 5:15 p.m. That's the one covering the highly controversial issue of education aid to communities. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:15 PM | Comment House budget: A new courthouse survives -- for nowPROVIDENCE -- House consideration of its version of the state budget drew its first mini-debate this afternoon -- whether to keep a proposed new Blackstone Valley state courthouse in the spending plan. And it appears the courthouse, which would be built in Lincoln, survived that debate. Rep. John Savage, R-East Providence, offered an amendment seeking to cut the courthouse capital project, included in a section of one of the budget articles the representatives are voting on this afternoon into the evening. The amendment went nowhere, with the House voting 52 to 13 against it. "I do not think this is the type of thing we should be considering at this time," Savage said during floor debate, which is being televised live on Channel 15. House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, stood up twice -- once during Savage's amendment debate and then during another courthouse amendment debate -- to defend inclusion of the capital project. Costantino said the courthouse was needed, in part, to relieve heavy congestion that occurs at the Garrahy Judicial Complex in Providence. Another Republican-offered amendment, to take the courthouse out and have it go before voters in the future, also died. Governor Carcieri, a Republican, has opposed the courthouse, projected to cost $71 million in borrowing at a time when the state is running a deficit. The courthouse amendments were in Article 5 of the House budget proposal. As of 3:40 p.m., they're on Article 10. Only 32 more budget articles to go. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:43 PM | Comment Update: Police ID man shot by officer in CranstonCRANSTON -- A local man who was shot by the police yesterday after he charged at an officer with a weapon has been identified today as Keith Olin. Police Chief Col. Stephen McGrath said that the police were called to an apartment in a complex at 28 Harris Ave. after the Fire Department responded first to reports of a man who had had tried to kill himself. When the first officer arrived shortly before 5 p.m., McGrath said that he found the 44-year-old Olin bleeding and brandishing a weapon. McGrath declined to identify the weapon, citing the fact that the case is under investigation. Olin was transported by rescue to Rhode Island Hospital where he was listed in critical but stable condition this morning. Olin, who lives on nearby Bain Street and was visiting a friend in apartment 229 of the building, came toward the patrol officer with the weapon and refused to put it down despite repeated verbal commands to do so, according to the police. The officer, whom McGrath refused to identify, then shot Olin. “He came at the officer with a weapon, and that’s what led to the use of deadly force,” McGrath said. The officer was carrying a department-issued .40-caliber Glock handgun. McGrath said the incident is being investigated by the Attorney General’s office, State Police and Cranston police and could possibly be sent to a grand jury. In accordance with Cranston Police Department regulations, the officer will be placed on administrative duty until the matter is resolved, McGrath said. -- Journal staff writer Barbara Polichetti Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:09 PM | Comment Bicyclist struck by auto in ProvidencePROVIDENCE – A bicyclist has been struck by an auto at 66 Branch Ave., in the street near the Benny’s. More details are not yet available about the accident in the Mount Hope neighborhood that happened shortly before 3 p.m., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:04 PM | Comment Child pornography charges leveled at Middletown manA Middletown man who was free on bail from a state charge of second-degree child molestation is now accused of producing and possessing child pornography. Barry Zurybida entered no plea today and was ordered detained when he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Middletown Police officers arrested Zurybida today, armed with a federal complaint that was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, Providence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Today, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Warren Bamford and Middletown Police Chief Anthony Pesare jointly announced the complaint today. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson The complaint stems from a Middletown Police investigation into allegations of child molestation that began in January. The FBI joined that investigation, and Middletown Police arrested Zurybida in March on the second-degree child molestation charge. A federal grand jury will now review the charges of producing and possessing child pornography, which are felony charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A conviction on production of child pornography would carry a minimum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison plus a $250,000 fine. A conviction on the possession charge would carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:58 PM | Comment House kicks off debate on budget / Photo
Journal photo / Ruben W. Perez House Finance Chairman Steven M. Costantino, left, and House Fiscal Advisor Michael O'Keefe chat today. PROVIDENCE -- The great debate at the House of Representatives has begun. The House convened today shortly after 2 p.m. for what is expected to be a marathon session to pass the 2007-08 state budget. The 75 representatives will go through the budget passed by the House Finance Committee last week one section, or article, at a time. There are 43 articles. Each lawmaker has the opportunity to introduce floor amendments aimed at changing the budget. At least 90 amendments have been drafted. While not every amendment is debated, the session is expected to be among the longest of the year. Last year's House budget debate spanned nine hours. The major sticking points today are expected to be restoring child-care subsidies, state education aid, and requiring 17-year-olds to be tried as adults. But at the end of the night, which may cross into morning, the House is expected to have passed next year's state budget. The Senate is expected to endorse the plan early next week. Then it faces a potential veto from the governor, although Carcieri's staff this week acknowledged he doesn't have the support in the General Assembly to block a veto override, which requires a three-fifths vote. Projo.com will help you keep up with the debate by providing updates this afternoon and evening. If staying inside on a nice day in front of a TV doesn't faze you, you can also watch the entire proceeding on Cox Cable's Channel 15. It's on right now. -- Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau and projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:29 PM | Comment Buying to the beat at farmers' market / Photo
PROVIDENCE – Children downtown are dancing to the swing-blues band, and shoppers are buying kettle corn, vegetables, coffee and pastry and artisan crafts. Those who live and work downtown know what that means – today is the first day of the Farmers’ Market in Kennedy Plaza beside the skating rink. It’s open today until 3 p.m. and will return each Friday through Oct. 26. It just feels more like summer when the market kicks off its season, doesn't it? However, this isn’t the first – or last – market of the season to open. The Goddard State Park market in Warwick opened May 4 and continues on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 26. The Burrillville Farmers’ Market held its grand opening on June 2 and will be open again tomorrow from 9 a.m. to noon. The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training farmers’ market, on the other hand, doesn’t open at the Pastore Complex in Cranston until July 27. For more information about farmers’ markets near you, head to the Farm Fresh Rhode Island Web site. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:25 PM | Comment Update: High court upholds Pona's murder convictionPROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court today upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Charles "Manny" Pona in what the court called "the senseless, random killing of Hector Feliciano" in 1999. The state's highest court concluded Superior Court Judge Robert D. Krause did not err in denying Pona's motion for a new trial. The Supreme Court also upheld the Superior Court in the various other issues that formed the basis of Pona's appeal. The decision also affirmed the conviction of Pona on charges of attempted arson and carrying a pistol without a license. In July 2000, a jury found that Pona murdered the 17-year-old Feliciano in August 1999. More than three years later, a Providence County Superior Court jury convicted Pona for orchestrating the murder of Jennifer Rivera, the 15-year-old witness gunned down the night before she was to testify against Pona. Pona is now serving two consecutive life sentences in prison, plus 28 years, for his crimes, according to the Attorney General’s Office, which issued a statement this afternoon by Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch "As I said when Charles Pona was convicted of masterminding the brutal murder of Jennifer Rivera from inside his jail cell at the ACI, his actions over the course of eight months in 1999 and 2000 were heinous, cowardly, and unforgivable, and they tore a community apart,” Lynch said in the statement. “Today's decision by the Supreme Court upholds the important conviction for Pona's senseless murder of Hector Feliciano." In the appeal pertaining to Feliciano's murder, lawyers for Pona, who is black, asserted that prosecutors kept a black woman off the jury because of her race. Defense lawyers argued in briefs that Krause denied Pona his constitutional rights in accepting the prosecution's reasons for removing "the only black juror seated on the panel." The two sides argued the case on Feb. 27 before the Supreme Court. The court's finding was made public today. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:32 PM | Comment Two RIPTA trolley stops will move tomorrowPROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's Providence LINK Gold Line and Green Line trolley stops will be moved tomorrow to accomodate the Rhode Island Pride Parade. Passengers will be picked up and dropped off at teh M stop in Kennedy Plaza, RIPTA announced today. The relocation will begin at 8 a.m. and end with the day's last trip. For more information, call (401) 781-9400. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:12 PM | Comment Family gathering to mourn murdered cousinsPROVIDENCE – Family and friends of the two young women found dead early yesterday in a burning Silver Lake triple-decker are traveling to bring out-of-town relatives to Rhode Island. The women found dead were cousins who had not spoken for some time until two months ago – when the elder, 21-year-old Heather Jesus, learned she was pregnant, said two women at the crime scene today who said they were first cousins of Jesus and 17-year-old Amanda Sousa. The police have not yet said how Jesus and Sousa died. The state Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting autopsies but has not said yet how the women died. Evidence on the scene led firefighters to call the police for help. The two women were found dead yesterday in a third-floor apartment at 381 Plainfield St. The building is boarded up today, with police tape surrounding it and cards from insurance estimators stuck to the plywood that’s now covering the burnt-out doors and windows of the multi-family residence that also housed a first-floor taco shop. Sisters Helen Haworth and Alicia Haworth came to the Plainfield Street triple-decker this morning to see where their cousins died. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi “It’s horrible. They lost two in one shot,” Alicia Haworth said of the women’s extended family. When Jesus told her family she was pregnant, she and Sousa became inseparable, the women’s cousins said. Sousa spent most nights at Jesus’ apartment, which is where the two were found dead. Jesus was looking forward to her first prenatal doctor’s appointment on Monday, when she would learn more about the baby she was carrying, her cousins said. “Heather was the more adult,” Helen Haworth said. “She was so happy. She had her first appointment on Monday.” Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:01 PM | Comment Lacrosse player: 'We were in their minds ... guilty'RALEIGH, N.C. -- Facing ethics charges that could lead to his disbarment, Mike Nifong took the witness stand today to testify in his own defense about his handling of the Duke University lacrosse rape case. He was preceded by emotional testimony from one of the players later cleared of charges in the case, Reade Seligmann, who will be attending Brown University this fall. The North Carolina State Bar has charged Nifong with violating several state rules governing professional conduct, including an allegation he withheld critical DNA test results from defense attorneys representing the three players charged with raping a stripper at a team party. The bar has also charged Nifong, the Durham County district attorney, with lying to both the court and bar investigators, and making misleading and inflammatory comments about the three indicted athletes. Those statements included calling the players a "bunch of hooligans" and confidently proclaiming he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl." "I think clearly some of the statements I made were improper," Nifong said. "The comment about race was not a comment that should have been made." "In a single word the man gave us our life back," Seligmann testified earlier today. "My whole life turned around on that one word." Video: Watch part of Reade Seligmann's testimony today. Seligmann testified he and his teammates didn't hesitate to give investigators DNA samples, believing it would be the quickest way to clear their names. Those tests failed to show any physical contact between the accuser and members of the lacrosse team, but Nifong still sought indictments against Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans. "The feeling on campus, it was as lonely a feeling as you could ever imagine. ... We were in their minds completely guilty," Seligmann said. "Everyone assumed they knew who we were. This is who we were. We went from being viewed as athletes to being viewed as rapists." Seligmann had previously appeared in a few televised interviews, but today's appearance before a disciplinary hearing committee was the first time he had answered detailed questions in public about the high-profile case. He was the state bar's final witness, capping several days of sometimes legally intricate testimony with a flood of emotion. He broke into tears as he described how his attorney got a call from Nifong notifying him of the indictment. He said the attorney glanced his way and said, "She picked you." The mothers of all three players, watching in the audience, also began to cry as he spoke. "My dad just fell to the floor, and I just sat on the ground," Seligmann said. "And I said, 'My life is over.' ... The first thing I thought about was, 'How am I going to tell my Mom." "Right away, my Dad says we have to start putting together alibi information. We never thought it was going to be me, so we never thought about it," Seligmann said. Since opening its case on Tuesday, the state bar has largely focused on the DNA testing, specifically when Nifong learned about the results and when he shared that information with the defense. If convicted by a disciplinary committee, Nifong could be stripped of his license to practice law in the state. The team's coach, Mike Pressler, has since become the coach of the lacrosse team at Bryant University in Rhode Island.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:00 PM | Comment Cranston police moving to new headquarters /Photo
CRANSTON – Today marks the end of an era for the Cranston Police Department. For the last time, Cranston police officers gathered this morning for roll call in the department's headquarters on Atwood Avenue. Tomorrow morning, officers will assemble for roll call in the new headquarters located at Garfield Avenue and Cranston Street, Chief Col. Stephen McGrath said this morning. Workers and officers are moving the last of the furniture and boxes from the old headquarters today, even as the day-to-day police work continues. The department is “almost completely out of [the Atwood Avenue headquarters] and almost completely in Garfield Avenue,” McGrath said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:44 AM | Comment Injured soldier heading to Texas, not D.C.An Army soldier from Rhode Island who was injured in Iraq is being flown to Texas instead of the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., according to his aunt. The Army informed the family of Angel Gomez today that he will be taken to a hospital in Texas instead of Walter Reed, his aunt Deya Garcia said this morning. Garcia is upset by the change and said the family wasn't given any reason for it. She doesn't know which hospital he's being taken to. She said the family hasn't received much information from the Army. Gomez, who has been serving in Iraq since February, was injured when the Humvee in which he was traveling was blown up by a bomb, said his mother, Mayra Lopez, through an interpreter. His right leg was amputated below the knee and he suffered injuries to his arms and abdomen. He underwent surgery in Germany yesterday and remains in critical condition. Gomez joined the Army in August 2004 following his graduation from The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center in Providence, said his aunt. 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. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Jack Perry at 10:05 AM | Comment Fatal Swansea fire under investigationSWANSEA – The Swansea police and fire departments are investigating after a 48-year old man was found dead in his burning garage yesterday afternoon. The Swansea Fire Department responded to a 911 call yesterday about 4:30 p.m. and found “heavy fire” at a detached garage at 192 Barneyville Rd., Swansea Fire Chief Peter Burke said this morning. Firefighters quelled the fire within 15 minutes, Burke said. Firefighters found the body of Jean Valiquette on the floor. Burke said the fire is under investigation by Swansea police and fire departments and the state’s fire marshal. Burke said he could not comment on whether the fire appeared suspicious. A spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney’s office could not be reached for comment this morning. -- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Jack Perry at 9:53 AM | Comment Bar association's Station talk canceledThe Rhode Island Bar Association has canceled its panel discussion on The Station fire case. The discussion on "lessons from The Station fire" was to be held as part of its annual meeting today. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:37 AM | Comment Man shot by Cranston police officer is criticalCRANSTON – A 44-year-old man who was shot last evening by a police officer is in critical but stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital this morning. The man was shot after the police and fire departments were called to respond to the report of a suicidal male at 28 Harris Ave., apartment 229, last evening, Cranston Police Chief Col. Stephen McGrath said. “He came at the officer with a weapon, and that’s what led to the use of deadly force,” McGrath said. McGrath would not say what weapon the man wielded, nor has he named the man who was shot or the officer who shot him. That officer has been placed on administrative duties while local and state police and the Attorney General’s Office investigate the shooting, McGrath said. Because the shooting will lead to a grand jury investigation, McGrath said he will not release the officer's name yet and he will consult with the Attorney General's Office before deciding if he will release the officer's name. The officer was not injured in the incident, he said. The shooting took place around 4:53 p.m. yesterday in apartment 229, McGrath said. The man does not live in that apartment, he said. The police expect to discuss more details about the shooting this afternoon, McGrath said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Just three weeks ago, a grand jury cleared two Central Falls police officers of wrongdoing after they shot and killed a man brandishing a knife during a late-night confrontation. The grand jury concluded that Patrolman Derrick V. Levasseur and Patrolman Maximiliano Gonzalez were in fear of their lives and of the lives of people in the apartment house at 71 Rand St. when Selvin M. Garrido Morales threatened them with a kitchen knife on April 8. The two were, therefore, legally justified in fatally shooting the man, the grand jury said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:09 AM | Comment Download today's front pageA double murder and an investigation of the DOT headline today's Journal. Posted by Peter Phipps at 8:56 AM | Comment Traffic: Route 295 south construction delaysConstruction on Route 295 south between exit 6 B (Hartford Avenue) at Route 6 west and exit 5 (Rhode Island Resource Recovery/Shun Pike) has slowed traffic in that area, as it has since the project began. Otherwise, traffic hasn’t really heated up yet this morning. For other traffic needs throughout the day, 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 and listen to or read the radio reports for the week about traffic and construction on specific roadways. To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:14 AM | Comment House budget on the agenda todayPROVIDENCE -- The battle of the state budget is coming to a head. The House begins budget debate today. And despite vehement opposition from many quarters because of proposed cuts to child care and education aid programs -- including Governor Carcieri, Republicans and even unions -- the budget the House approves is unlikely to stray far from the seven-billion dollar budget proposed by the House Finance Committee. House Finance Committee Chairman Steven Costantino says there are no resources to restore cuts. The House Republican caucus yesterday afternoon release a list of 37 amendments it plans to introduce to the debate. Republican members slammed the House leaderships budget proposal for failing to close projected future deficits. The Senate debates the budget next week. Then it goes to the governor's desk. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:05 AM | Comment Warm day today could turn to rain for weekendPROVIDENCE – We’ve got a beautiful day in store for us, with a high near 70, sunshine and a few clouds. Those clouds will be increasing tonight, though, as the low dips near 53, and we’ve got a slight chance of showers tomorrow and a slight chance of thunderstorms Sunday. Highs this weekend should be mid-70s on Saturday and mid-80s on Sunday. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006