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June 19, 2007

Update: Senate passes House's budget unchanged

PROVIDENCE -- The state Senate has approved a $6.99 billion spending plan, despite strong objections from some lawmakers over provisions regarding sending 17-year-olds to the state prison and restricting the governor's ability to privatize state services.

The Senate approved the budget with a 29 to 9 vote at 6:10 p.m., about an hour and a half after the debate began.

The vote comes four days after the House overwhelmingly approved the same exact budget. The budget now goes to the desk of Governor Carcieri, a Republican, where it faces a certain veto, although his office has acknowledged it doesn't have the votes to block a veto override by the Democrat-controlled Assembly.

Less than an hour after passage, Carcieri released a statement saying he had no choice but to veto the budget.

“This budget is a huge disappointment for every Rhode Islander who wants a bright future for their children and grandchildren,” Carcieri said. “But it is a huge win for the labor leaders who appear to be in charge of both the House and the Senate.”

The Senate was not expected to make any substantive changes to the 2007-2008 spending plan. And it did not.

Senators voted down several budget amendments this afternoon. One would have increased the capital gains tax to help restore state education aid. Another would have increased income limits to restore state subsidized child care for the 2,400 children who will lose coverage on July 1.

The Senate also shot down an amendment that would have stripped the budget of a provision that institutes a series of strict standards regarding the governor's plan to privatize state services.

Each amendment was killed by an overwhelming majority in the Senate.

"It takes a lot of courage to vote for this particular budget," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Stephen D. Alves said. "It's what needs to be done at this stage."

The spending plan balances a budget deficit for next year projected at around $200 million.

“Instead of agreeing to my plan to solve the budget problem by reducing personnel costs, the General Assembly has decided instead to balance the budget on the backs of Rhode Island families,” Carcieri said in his statement. “In particular, the General Assembly cut school aid, raised taxes and squandered one-time tobacco settlement funds.”

Carcieri had proposed laying off 1,000 state employees, freezing union-negotiated pay increases and privatizing virtually every state service possible.

-- Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:14 PM | Comment

International film fest offers movies in Kingston tonight

KINGSTON -- It's been a nice day out there, and if you want to cap it off with a movie, head to the Courthouse Center for the Arts for some thing you won't catch in the big cineplex.

The Rhode Island International Film Festival’s Encore Series presents "Class Act," a 90-minute documentary that looks at arts education in public schools and tells the story of drama teacher Jay W. Jensen. Also being shown are two shorts: "Caught in Paint" and "Reflection of Self."

The Center for the Arts is at 3481 Kingstown Rd. (Route 138). Admission is $5, $4 for members. Call (401) 782-1018, or visit www.courthousearts.org.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:51 PM | Comment

Update: Man pleads not guilty in Fall River 'cold case'

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- A man accused of committing a "cold case" murder that is more than two years old pleaded not guilty in Fall River District Court today.

Jermaine Holley, 24, formerly of 671 Durfee St., Fall River, is charged with the first-degree murder in connection with the April 2005 stabbing of 23-year-old Suzy Goulart in her Pleasant View apartment.

Holley is being held without bail at the Plymouth County, Mass., House of Corrections. He has been serving an unrelated jail sentence in Plymouth County.

Last month, in announcing the arrest of Holley, Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter said Goulart was “brutally, viciously stabbed."

He declined at the time to provide additional details on her death or say whether Holley and Goulart knew each other.

Goulart was struggling with drug addiction at the time of her death, Sutter said last month.

“Nevertheless,” he said, “she had her entire life ahead of her. Her life was just as valuable as anyone else’s … It was a senseless, vicious, brutal murder.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims and archival reports

Sutter has encouraged residents to call the new telephone tip line — (866) SOLVE-07 — if they have information on unsolved killings.

In Bristol County, 80 homicides over the last 25 years remain unsolved, including the so-called highway murders in 1988 and 1989 of nine women whose bodies were dumped along area highways.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:48 PM | Comment

Update: Rte. 95 backups from Exit 9 car fire are over

Traffic backups that resulted from a car fire at exit 9 on Route 95 south are over, the state Transportation Management Center reports.

Traffic flow is normal in the areas of Route 95 south from exit 14 -- Route 37 -- to Exit 9, Route 4 south.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:33 PM | Comment

ME: 2 women found dead in fire died violently

PROVIDENCE -- The two women found dead in a burning Plainfield Street apartment this month died not from the fire but from other violent causes, the state Medical Examiner's Office announced this afternoon.

Amanda Sousa, 17, died from "multiple blunt impact and sharp force injuries" and Heather Jesus, 21, died from "sharp force injuries and asphyxia due to neck and chest compression," the office said in a statement.

Before the medical examiner's announcement, the police said they are investigating the case at 381 Plainfield St., in the Silver Lake section, as a double murder.

Both women had lacerations, according to police, and their injuries occurred before the fire started. The police have also said the fire was set intentionally, apparently to destroy evidence.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:32 PM | Comment

Traffic advisory: Serious accident on Rte. 95, Exit 9

A warning to drivers: Traffic is backed up on Route 95 south because the Exit 9 ramp has been affected by a serious accident involving a car fire in the area, according to the DOT.

Also, most lanes on Route 4 south -- which is what Exit 9 connects to -- are closed, with just the right lane open.

"The areas of 95 southbound from the [Route 295 south merge] to 95 South, to Exit 9 (Route 4) is currently experiencing very heavy traffic congestion," the state DOT's Transportation Management Center says in a 5 p.m. advisory.

The car fire has been brought under control, the TMC says.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:27 PM | Comment

Update: 'Mega-yacht' repair yard planned at Quonset

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- A Florida developer plans to build a $150-million shipbuilding and repair yard for servicing "mega-yachts" at Quonset Point, according to the Quonset Development Corporation, the agency that controls the former Navy base in North Kingstown.

The company, Island Global Yachting, began discussing the project with the QDC in January. Last night, the QDC granted the company access to the 43-acre site, where it says it will employ as many as 450 workers servicing yachts ranging from 80 to 600 feet in size.

In addition to a shipbuilding facility, Island Global Yachting hopes to construct two buildings for repairing so-called mega-yachts, as well as space for yacht storage and sales. Services would include painting, general maintenance and the upgrading of electrical systems.

Mega-yachts require up to $5 million in maintenance and refitting every year, according to the Quonset Development Corporation.

In all, the company says the 500,000-square-foot facility, including equipment to raise and transport yachts measuring 600 feet, would employ about 400 craftsmen, according to state records. They would earn an average salary of $50,000.

The company says it could take two years to complete the final design and obtain the necessary permits from federal and state agencies.

--Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:16 PM | Comment

Update: N.K. beach again recommended for closure

The state Health Department has again recommended closing North Kingstown Town Beach to swimming because of high bacteria counts.

Officials will monitor the water quality and recommend re-opening when the area is deemed safe for swimming, according to a news release today.

The department had recommended closing the beach to swimming earlier this month as well.

To check the status of any beach for swimming, go to the state Department of Health site, or for recorded information, call (401) 222-2751.

This most recent closing is not yet reflected on the Health Department's list of beach closings on its Web page, but is referenced in a press release on that page.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:06 PM | Comment

Schilling back in Boston to have his shoulder examined

Journal sports writer Sean McAdam reports this afternoon from Atlanta that veteran pitcher Curt Schilling has left the Red Sox and returned to Boston to have his shoulder examined. Details on projo.com's Sox Blog.

Posted by Art Martone at 4:35 PM | Comment

Cink, Henry win CVS Caremark Charity Classic

Journal photos/Bob Breidenbach
Stewart Cink, left, and J.J. Henry, shown at the first day of the tournament yesterday, went on to win today.

Brad Faxon made quite the run at it, but problems on the back nine meant that for the third time, the co-host of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic finishes as the runner-up.

Faxon and teammate Zach Johnson needed to birdie the 18th hole today to force a playoff with Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry at minus-20. Things weren't looking so good when Faxon's tee shot went onto the crushed shell cart path near the 16th. But his relief spot -- the ball had also landed behind one of the electric scoreboards -- gave him a favorable spot and he gave himself about a 12-footer for the tie.

Johnson's birdie try was a little bit longer, and he put it just inches right of the cup.

Faxon and Johnson had a two-shot lead after 11 holes, but Cink-Henry birdied the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th holes to get to 20-under. Faxon-Johnson, at minus-17 after a birdie on 11, added just two more the rest of the way.

For more on the Classic, check out Shalise Manza-Young's entries on the SportsBlog.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:47 PM | Comment

Update: Suspect in trooper attack put in high security

The former state correctional officer accused of punching Rhode Island state Trooper Brendan R. Doyle in downtown Providence this weekend has been placed in high security in protective custody at the Adult Correctional Institutions.

James Proulx, 36, of Smithfield was moved out of the general inmate population at the intake center of the state prison because of the high profile of the case and because he’s a former correctional officer at the ACI, prison spokeswoman Tracey Z. Poole said today.

Meanwhile, Trooper Doyle has been upgraded to serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said at noontime today.

Doyle, 25, had been hospitalized in critical condition since Saturday morning after he was punched while taking action when he was off-duty in Providence. The police have said Doyle was trying to prevent others from being hurt by Proulx, who was allegedly driving a BMW recklessly through the streets.

Proulx is accused of hitting Doyle so hard that he fell backward and struck his head on the pavement.

Proulx is charged with felony assault and reckless driving, which is a misdemeanor. He is held at the ACI on $1 million bail with surety that was set yesterday for the assault charge. Even if he were to post that bail, he would remain at the ACI because he is being held without bail for a prior charge until a July 2 violation hearing.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits and projo.com staff writers Kate Bramson and Michael McKinney

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:48 PM | Comment

Accidental fire damages condo in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — Fire investigators could not determine what caused a blaze that badly damaged a condominium in Oakland Farms early this morning. Although it started on the outside of the building, as did a series of suspicious fires in nearby Newport earlier this year, this one has been deemed purely accidental.

“This fire was not suspicious in any way, shape or form,” said Deputy Chief Philip Simmons. “This is an accidental fire, although we can’t pinpoint the cause.”

The fire started on the exterior of one of two units in a single-story condominium building at 51-53 Cornell Dr., Simmons said. It’s one of many condominiums in the Oakland Farms development off East Main Road, south of the State Police barracks.

Donna Bouressa lives in the unit with John Butler and two dogs. When one of the dogs got agitated just after midnight, Bouressa awoke and noticed light coming through one of the windows, Simmons said. It was flames shooting up one of the outside walls.

She called 911, and he tried but failed to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. The flames had penetrated the soffits and reached the attic.

“It had probably been burning in the attic for some time,” said Simmons. “It made it a very difficult fire to fight.”

Firefighters had to punch holes through the ceiling to fight the fire in the attic, he said. It took 45 minutes to get the fire under control, said Simmons, but firefighters continued to douse hot spots in the attic for several hours more.

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

Bouressa’s condominium was seriously damaged and left uninhabitable, Simmons said. The adjacent condominium received smoke and water damage and will have to be professionally cleaned before its occupants return, he said.

A fire wall between the two units and separate attics spared the adjacent condominium worse damage, he said. “It definitely stopped it,” he said.

Simmons said there was some shrubbery and mulch in the area where the fire started, but could not say for sure whether they were a factor. There was no source of electricity near the fire’s origin. The state Fire Marshal’s Office assisted in the investigation.

“We just don’t have a substantial amount of hard evidence” to determine an exact cause, Simmons said. “It’s pretty much a closed case.”

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:30 PM | Comment

Plea hearing postponed in steroid distribution case

PROVIDENCE -- A plea hearing was postponed today for a former New York doctor charged in a steroid distribution case.

Ana Maria Santi had planned to plead guilty in federal court today to charges that she wrote prescriptions for steroids and human growth hormones for customers she never met or examined.

But U.S. District Judge William Smith continued the hearing until July 13 after Santi challenged the government's description of the case against her.

Santi is accused of writing medically unnecessary prescriptions under the name of a doctor who was retired and living in California. Santi today said she had permission from that doctor to use his name.

A federal prosecutor said Santi's claim was irrelevant, but the judge said he would not accept a guilty plea today.

Prosecutors have said Santi and other doctors were enlisted by the president of New Jersey-based American Pharmaceutical Group to write prescriptions for bodybuilders and other customers, including some in Rhode Island.

-- Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:14 PM | Comment

Group protests budget hours before Senate votes

PROVIDENCE -- Hours before the Senate will take up the state budget, about 25 business leaders and Republicans gathered at the State House this afternoon calling on state leaders to properly close the structural budget deficit.

They held signs bearing messages such as "stop putting today's burden on the backs of our children."

As they held a news conference, a large group of children on a State House tour stopped by and watched for a bit.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Stephen Alves, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, watched the news conference from the second-floor balcony for about five minutes.

Alves and Paiva Weed indicated later that they did not expect significant change to take place today when the Senate considers the proposed budget passed by the House last week (H 5300 Sub A). Democrats hold a wide majority in both houses.

The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to consider the budget at 3 p.m. and then the Senate will take it up at 4 p.m. Amendments are expected to be introduced in the Senate, but none are expected to pass.

The debate is not expected to match the 11-hour marathon the House held on Friday night into Saturday morning before giving its approval to the proposal, which Governor Carcieri, a Republican and former business executive, has decried.

More budget background ...

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

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:07 PM | Comment

Quigleys prosper at the CVS in Barrington

Uncle Dana, left, congratulates his nephew Brett Quigley at today's CVS Caremark Charity Classic.
Journal Photo/Bob Breidenbach

Posted by Peter Phipps at 11:54 AM | Comment

Commission sets calendar for Montalbano casino case

PROVIDENCE -- The Ethics Commission this morning established a schedule for briefs to be filed regarding the prosecution of Senate President Joseph Montalbano on charges that he used his political position to reap financial benefits from a proposed casino in West Warwick.

Commission lawyer Dianne L. Leyden proposed that Montalbano, through his lawyer, Max Wistow, has until July 6 to submit a legal brief to the Ethics Commission. She will have until Aug. 6 to respond to Montalbano’s position. After both sides exchange briefs, Montalbano will have until Aug. 16 to counter Leyden’s argument.

Finally, Leyden and Wistow are scheduled to appear before the Ethics Commission on Aug. 21 to air their positions. The Ethics Commission unanimously approved the schedule and ruled that each side will be limited to 30-minute presentations at the public hearing followed by 10-minute rebuttals.

A trial-like hearing against Montalbano was indefinitely postponed more than two weeks ago after Wistow raised multiple constitutional challenges about the proceedings.

In a related development, the Ethics Commission decided to table any action against former Senate President William Irons, who is being prosecuted in a separate case, until Montalbano gets an answer to several constitutional law issues.

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

The rulings could have a direct impact on the Irons case.

Among the claims Wistow has raised that most concern reform groups is that immunity legislators enjoy under the state and federal constitutions bars the commission from even trying Montalbano on four of the eight charges against him because they depend on his votes in the Senate.

After this morning’s brief hearing before the Ethics Commission, Wistow met with reporters in the hallway. He said Montalbano’s voting record “itself can’t be the basis for the charge against him.” But, he said, if Montalbano -- or any other elected official -- was involved in an “elicit arrangement,” he could face criminal prosecution.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:18 AM | Comment

Beach report: All open in R.I. and ready for action

It’s a beautiful beach day today, and all of Rhode Island’s 118 licensed bathing beaches appear open and ready for sunbathers, swimmers, joggers and beachcombers.

Before you head to your favorite beach, check the state Department of Health’s beach closures and advisories on the department's Web site. You may also call (401) 222-2751 for an update on swimming at the state’s beaches.

Beach status may change on a daily basis, particularly if we get heavy rains. However, there's none of that on the forecast for any day soon.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:43 AM | Comment

Traffic: Check out your commute via DOT site

Route 195 west is slow in downtown Providence, but what else is new? It appears to be a typical commuting morning at this hour.

For other traffic needs, check out the state roadways, via the Department of Transportation's online traffic offerings.

You can find any traffic alerts describing accidents here, browse traffic cams to see real-time photos of the highways and check out the DOT’s road construction schedule here.

Also, check out congestion mapping -- i.e., how heavy the traffic is – here 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 7:48 AM | Comment

Download today's front page

The arraignment of the man accused of beating Trooper Brendon Doyle and a story on the state budget lead today's Journal.

Download file

Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:45 AM | Comment

Enjoy the prelude to summer

PROVIDENCE – It’s going to be a beauty today, so if you can find some time to get outside and enjoy, be sure to do so.

We should see a high of 85 or so, with coastal areas cooler than inland areas.

Aside from a few morning showers tomorrow, we’ve got sun and 80s or near 80s for the rest of the week.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:35 AM | Comment

Baby giraffe gets a name, awaiting half-sibling

PROVIDENCE – The new baby giraffe at the Roger Williams Park Zoo can rest easy tonight – that is, if he was concerned that he was the only one of four giraffes at the zoo who didn’t have a name.

He is now known as Mtembei (pronounced mu-TEM-bay), which is Swahili for “one who roams.”

What Mtembei may not be able to do is remain “the new baby giraffe” for long, as he is likely to have a half-sibling born “any day now,” according to zoo spokeswoman Laura Dunn, who said that zookeepers and the zoo’s director for animal programs believe a second giraffe birth at the zoo is imminent.

The giraffe who was born May 5 to Sukari – before a crowd of oohing and ahhing spectators – has been named after the zoo held a naming contest that drew more than 5,000 entries. The contest began on Mother’s Day and concluded yesterday, on Father’s Day.

The zoo selected the name suggested by the Wojtyszyn family of North Kingstown – Lori and Bill and the couple’s 4-year-old son, Riley.

Read more about the giraffes at Roger Williams Park Zoo and about Mtembei’s birth.

Also, check out the zoo’s Web site for video of Mtembei’s birth and of his first attempts to stand.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

As winners of the naming contest, the Wojtyszyn family were given a family membership to the zoo, a framed photo of the calf and a chance to meet the zookeeper.

At a zoo with one adult male giraffe and two adult females – who gave birth to two calves less than two weeks apart back in 2002 – animal experts are expecting another birth soon.

“We’re still waiting with baited breath” for another birth, Dunn said today. It’s difficult to know precisely when a pregnant giraffe is expected to give birth, and it can even be difficult to be sure if a giraffe is pregnant, according to the zoo’s deputy director for animal programs.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:07 AM | Comment