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« June 2007 | Today | August 2007 » July 31, 2007What's happening tonight: Songs by the seaHead to Narragansett tonight to hear some songwriters by the sea. An Evening of Ocean State Songwriters is a concert of folk, acoustic rock, pop and country music from Ryan Fitzsimmons, Becky Chace, Dean Petrella, Frank Martyn, Jon Campbell, Lisa Lawrence, John Fuzek and Mary Ann Rossoni. It will be held at The Towers in Narragansett -- look for the stone arch -- 35 Ocean Rd., beginning at 7:30. Admission is $10. For more information, call (401) 782-2597 or visit www.thetowersri.com For more things to do, check projo.com's calendar listings and Summer Guide. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:59 PM | Comment Photo: Running and rowing into first place
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:50 PM | Comment Motorcyclist killed in crash ID'd as Bristol man, 59BRISTOL -- The police today identified the Bristol man killed in a motorcyle crash early Sunday as Dennis Roies. Roies, 59, of 51 Collins St., had been heading south on Route 114 when the cycle hit the median where the road narrows from two lanes to one, according to the police. Yesterday, Deputy Chief Josh Canario said a preliminary investigation showed the motorcyclist lost control after the cycle hit the median shortly after midnight near the Mount Hope Bridge. The man was thrown from the motorcycle and landed about 50 feet from the impact. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered head injuries. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where he was pronounced dead. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:23 PM | Comment Update: Arraignment tied to police shooting delayedPAWTUCKET -- The arraignment of a Pawtucket man, who had been wanted for questioning "regarding his involvement in providing the handgun" that Jason Audette possessed when he was shot and killed by police Friday, has been delayed. The police today announced the arrest of Christopher Jones, 27, of 54 Coyle Ave. He was taken into custody in Lincoln by a Pawtucket Police special squad with assistance from Lincoln officers, according to a news release today. The police news release said Jones was to be arraigned today at 2 p.m. on charges linked to the accusation Jones provided the gun to Audette, the police said. But they were not ready to bring a charge at that point in court Now, the police expect Jones will be arraigned on the charge of illegal transfer of a firearm. The arraignment will be held at the Pawtucket police station by a bail commissioner, said Detective Lt. Daniel Mullen. The police release says at the time of his arrest last night, Jones had four outstanding warrants. Audette, 34, of 544 Central Ave. in Pawtucket, was killed Friday afternoon at the tenement house at 62-64 Coyle Ave. Officers called to the scene of a break-in on Coyle Avenue and shot Audette, a burglary suspect there and who police said had a gun in his hand. All together, Officers David Holden, 26, Mark Ramos, 31, and Christopher LeFort, 37, fired about a dozen shots at Audette with .40-caliber Glock service weapons, killing him. The incident happened within seconds. Pawtucket Police Chief George L. Kelley III couldn’t say whether Audette had fired any shots. Police have said Audette had a history of drug abuse and break-ins. Court records showed he had pleaded no contest to larcenies, break-ins, assaults and drug possession dating to 1989. It was the second fatal shooting by Pawtucket police within 36 hours. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:06 PM | Comment Traffic update: 95S lanes reopen after rolloverPROVIDENCE -- All lanes have now reopened on Route 95 south near Exit 23, where a vehicle roll-over had caused closure of the two left lanes, the state Transportation Management Center reports. Check for updates from the TRMC site. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:46 PM | Comment Update: Freddie Bishop arraigned in murder / Photo
WARWICK -- Alfred "Freddie" Bishop, the notorious criminal released from prison less than a year ago after serving 33 years for murder, was ordered held without bail this afternoon after being arraigned on seven charges related to the murder of a Warwick man last month. But few details about what happened last month came out during arraignment. Judge William Clifton laid out the charges, the prosecutor said little, and the judge ordered no bail. Bishop, 65, of 61 Hollywood Ave., also said little at his Kent County District Court arraignment at which several of the 15 or so family members of victim Gabriel Medeiros wore shirts bearing the name "Gabe." In a statement last night, Warwick Police Chief Col. Stephen McCartney announced the charges against Bishop, whom, he said, shot Medeiros and two relatives during a June 28 burglary, entering the house at 43 Warwick Lake Ave. while the family slept. Bishop had actually been in police custody since early July 3, when he was arrested at a relative's house in Warwick for violating the terms of his parole. At that time, Warwick Police Chief Stephen McCartney refused to say what Bishop had done to violate his parole or what led detectives to him. Described by the police for decades as a dangerous man with violent tendencies, Bishop had been jailed in 1973 for the murder of a friend, James Dunn. He was said to have shot Dunn repeatedly through the living room window of Dunn’s house. For that murder, Bishop became the second-longest serving inmate in the history of the Adult Correctional Institutions. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham and Journal archival reports 
Police sketch, left / Journal file photoA police sketch of the suspect in the murder; Bishop as he appeared at his release from prison last August. In the June 28 shooting at the Hoxsie neighborhood home, Gabriel Medeiros, 35, of 43 Warwick Lake Ave., was shot to death. His brother, Caesar Medeiros, 43, and Caesar’s wife, Claire Medeiros, 39, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated and released. The incident occurred just after midnight when Caesar Medeiros awoke to the sound of his dog barking and noises coming from the front of the couple’s ranch-style house. When he got up to investigate, the police say, he was confronted outside his bedroom door by a masked man who carried a nickel-plated handgun and may have walked in through an unlocked front door. Gabriel was shot in the chest and likely died instantly, the police say. Caesar was then shot in the arm and the upper torso and Claire in the thigh. It is believed the assailant suffered head injuries, though the police have declined to say how he was wounded. Before the patrolmen arrived, the suspect ran out the back door of the house and disappeared in the normally quiet neighborhood behind the Warwick school administration building and St. Timothy Church off Warwick Avenue. The police initially described the assailant as clean shaven and between 5’8” and 5’10” with red hair sprinkled with salt and pepper. They later said that description of his hair color may have been inaccurate, with the red perhaps due to blood. After today's arraignment, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, who had sat in the front row in the courtroom, said: "The fight is on and we're ready to go." Bishop was represented by lawyer Paul DiMaio. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:17 PM | Comment A Woonsocket beach closes due to bacteria levelsWOONSOCKET -- The state Health Department today recommended closing the World War II Memorial State Park Beach here because of high bacteria counts. Officials will monitor water quality and advised re-opening the beach when are deemed safe for swimming. To check information about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or call (401) 222-2751. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:07 PM | Comment Photo: Sign of progress at Woonasquatucket Greenway
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:01 PM | Comment Submariner is new commander at NUWC in NewportNEWPORT -- Rear Adm. (select) Patrick Brady, who has a history of serving aboard and commanding submarines as well as being involved with their research and development, assumed command today of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Brady relieved Rear Adm. Thomas Eccles, who has been in command of NUWC since March while also serving as deputy commander for undersea warfare at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Eccles will continue to serve as deputy commander of NAVSEA, responsible for the safety, certification, maintenance and modernization of the submarine fleet. The change-of-command took place this morning during an outdoor ceremony on the NUWC compound. The guest speaker was Vice Adm. Paul Sullivan, commander of NAVSEA, in Washington, D.C. Rear Admiral (select) Brady, a native of Camp Springs, Md., graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 and earned a graduate degree in national security affairs from the Naval Post Graduate School. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit He served at sea on the ballistic missile submarine USS Lewis and Clark (BLUE), based in Charleston, S.C.; and onboard the fast attack submarines USS Omaha, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; USS San Francisco, also based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and USS Drum, based in San Diego, Calif. He also commanded the fast attack submarine USS Portsmouth. Ashore, Rear Admiral (select) Brady served on the staff of Commander, Submarine Force, U. S. Pacific Fleet as a member of the Tactical Readiness Evaluation Team. Prior to assuming his new position, Rear Admiral (select) Brady served as the major program manager for advanced undersea systems. In that position, he was responsible for the research and development submarine NR-1, the USS Jimmy Carter and the Navy’s submarine escape and rescue systems, including deep submergence rescue vehicles, submarine rescue chambers, atmospheric diving systems, and the submarine rescue diving and recompression system. NUWC is the Navy’s research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:46 PM | Comment Great White tour manager up for parole in SeptemberPROVIDENCE -- The former rock band tour manager whose pyrotechnics ignited a nightclub fire that killed 100 people comes up for parole in two months. Daniel Biechele is scheduled for a parole hearing on Sept. 19th, according to Lisa Holley, chairwoman of the parole board. Biechele, the former tour manager for the rock band Great White, is serving a four-year prison sentence for his role in the 2003 Station nightclub fire. He pleaded guilty last year to igniting pyrotechnics without the required permit. The parole board considers factors such as inmate's remorse, risk of reoffending and plans for life after prison. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:57 AM | Comment Lincoln Mall has reopened after power outageLINCOLN -- Lincoln Mall was open for business this morning, after mall management brought in eight generators to power the 600,000-square-foot shopping complex off Route 116 in Lincoln. The 61-acre shopping center lost power around 5:30 a.m. yesterday when one of its transformers was struck by lightning. The Super Stop & Shop and Target stores in the mall had generators and were open yesterday, but the rest of the mall was without electricity. Crews were on site yesterday and again this morning, assessing the extent of the damage and planning repairs. The mall was not alone in suffering from the storm cell that swept through northern Rhode Island between 5 and 6 a.m. yesterday. A Glocester couple reported three of their cars, parked in their driveway, were damaged by a lightning strike around the same time. National Grid, which supplies power to the region, reported that about 20,000 of its customers in Woonsocket lost power as well. -- Journal Staff Writer John Hill Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:54 AM | Comment Ex-state police head testifies about smoke shop raidPROVIDENCE – Former state police Supt. Steven Pare took the stand this morning for about an hour to testify about the orders he received before he directed troopers to raid a Narragansett Indian smoke shop in July 2003. Pare told the court the governor never gave him explicit instructions to withdraw if the police met with resistance, despite what the governor said publicly in the days after the raid. Pare said he, the governor and the governor’s chief of staff had general discussions in the weeks and days leading up to the raid that “we’ll execute a search warrant, but we’ll do it as peacefully as we can.” “No one is to die or get seriously injured as a result of executing the search warrant” over untaxed cigarettes, Pare said about those discussions. Pare said he was not directed to execute the raid at the particular time on the Monday when it was conducted. The decision about when to execute the raid did not come from the governor, he said. Discussions had broken down on the Sunday before the raid, and at that point, Pare said either the governor of the governor’s chief of staff – he said he couldn’t recall which – told him to go ahead. The decision as to when, exactly, was left to the state police. After an hour of testimony, Pare left the stand. He is now heading to Louisiana for work. Carcieri insisted publicly in the days after the raid that state police had specific instructions from him to avoid conflict if they met any resistance. Lawyers for the state have objected to the governor being called to the stand. Read more in today's Journal about the case. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:44 AM | Comment Convicted killer to be arraigned for murder todayConvicted murderer Alfred J. "Freddie" Bishop, the second-longest serving inmate in the ACI's history and a criminal legend in Rhode Island, is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in Kent County District Court on charges related to the murder of a Warwick man whom the police say he killed in a triple shooting last month. Bishop had been released on parole from the state prison last August, after serving 33 years behind bars for the shotgun murder of his friend at his Warwick home. Warwick Police Chief Col. Stephen McCartney announced the charges against Bishop last night. The police say Bishop shot to death Gabriel Medeiros, 35, of 43 Warwick Lake Ave. His brother, Caesar Medeiros, 43, and Caesar’s wife, Claire Medeiros, 39, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated and released. (Clarification: An earlier item reported that the arraignment was scheduled for this morning, but Michael Healey, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office, says Bishop is scheduled for arraignment at 2 p.m. today.) Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:35 AM | Comment MBTA service resumes after man struck/ Photo
The fatal accident caused significant delays for morning commuters, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokeswoman Lydia Rivera said. The MBTA sent buses to pick up stranded passengers, and the trains are running again. The 8:06 a.m. train was “walked through” the accident area, moving at a very slow pace. Now, with the 8:10 a.m. departing on time, the tracks appear to be cleared of the accident, she said. The name of the man struck is not yet available. He was a white male approximately 40 years old, and it appears he was homeless, Rivera said. Details about what he may have been doing on the tracks are unavailable at this point, Rivera said. The train that struck the man did not derail. The accident remains under investigation, Rivera said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:21 AM | Comment Photo: Overlooking the fog
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:04 AM | Comment Patchy fog then sunnyPatchy fog is limiting visibility in some areas this morning, but the day should turn partly cloudy and then become sunny, according to the National Weather Service. The temperature should reach 86 degrees in the Providence area. Tonight will be clear with a low around 65 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about Rhode Island Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah Jeremiah's effort to address teen drinking after he was prompted in part by a teen's death in the Barrington River. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment Route 95 S lanes reopen after nighttime closurePROVIDENCE – The second round of nighttime closures of Route 95 for the Route 95-195 interchange project seem to have begun without a hitch. The state Department of Transportation reports that Route 95 southbound lanes closed as planned last night, around 11:20 p.m., and reopened at 4:40 a.m. today, nearly an hour before promised. As the DOT launches its second phase this year of Route 95 overnight closures, department spokeswoman Dana Alexander Nolfe has said all work is weather-dependent. Route 95 southbound lanes are expected to close again tonight and tomorrow by 11 p.m. – with individual lane closures starting by 8 p.m. The lanes are expected to reopen by 5:30 a.m. The last night of the work this week – Thursday – is expected to shutter the northbound and southbound lanes. Check out the road-closure schedule on the DOT’s site. For a look back at the earlier closures this year, see projo.com’s special reports section. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:23 AM | Comment July 30, 2007Pretend it isn't Monday: Let the music scene helpFor a back-to-business Monday, there's live blues, rock and jazz aplenty tonight. At AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence, Coal Hook plays rock. Call 831-9327. Show begins at 8 p.m. Cost is $3. All ages. Monday Night Potluck; bring food to share. Bruce Jacques, rock, One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. 847-9460. 9 p.m. Joe Parillo and Friends, jazz, True Brew Cafe, 213 Robinson St., Wakefield. 284-1850. 6:30-9:30 p.m. $5. Shipyard Wreck, blues, Newport Blues Cafe, 286 Thames St., Newport. 841-5510. 10 p.m. Creedence Clearwater Revisited, rock, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Fox Theatre, Route 2, Mashantucket, Conn. (800) 200-2882. 8 p.m. $27.50, $38.50. Josh Groban, pop, Mohegan Sun, Arena, Mohegan Sun Boulevard (exit 79A off Route 395), Uncasville, Conn. (888) 226-7711, www.mohegansun.com. 7 p.m. $95-$150. Steve Palumbo, pop, Colonel Blackinton Inn, 203 North Main St., Attleboro, Mass. (508) 222-6022. 6 to 9 p.m. Looking for more ideas? For music, check our music page and for other events, see what's happening on our calendar page. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Crews battle Richmond's stubborn stump dump fireRICHMOND -- Firefighters from six communities spent much of the weekend and most of today trying to contain a persistent stump dump fire that crews said covered an area about the size of a football field. For what seemed like the umpteenth time this summer, the stump dump on Skunk Hill Road near Route 95 burned and burned, even as firefighters, aided by occasional thundershowers, poured water on the hot spots. Firefighters responded on Saturday morning, again on Sunday and again today, at about 2:30 a.m., said Hope Valley Fire Chief Frederick A. Stanley. Aiming to put the fire out for good, firefighters called in heavy equipment to dig a trench that will separate sections of the nine-acre stump dump that have burned from sections that have not burned. Stanley said the trench will hopefully stop the fire from spreading underneath the ground as firefighters try to put it out from above. “You’ve got tremendous heat down under the ground, and what happens is it has to go some place,” he said. “So the more dirt that you put on top of it and the more water that you put on top of it, you force it to go into places where it hasn’t been burning.” Stanley said he expected firefighters to be at the scene "all night." -- Journal staff writer Randal Edgar Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:12 PM | Comment PC to stream some basketball games onlinePROVIDENCE -- The Providence College Friars will begin broadcasting basketball games online next season, sending streaming video worldwide to alumni and parents and giving a consolation prize to frustrated fans who cannot score a ticket for a sold-out home game. The college is not digitizing every dunk, but as many as seven home games next season will be available live on the Web, Arthur Parks, the college’s associate athletic director, said today. “It’s a service to our fans and alums that can’t see the game but want to follow the team,” Parks said. It is also a potential moneymaker for Providence College, which plans to sell access to the programming and use it to drive traffic to its athletics Web site, where visitors can donate to the university, buy tickets for games and purchase merchandise. The streaming video technology is not new, but the Friars have been restricted from broadcasting their games by the agreement that gives ESPN ownership over all Big East basketball games. That contract was renegotiated this year. It now permits Big East schools to air games online that ESPN does not broadcast on any of its cable channels — including ESPN 2, ESPN Classic, ESPN Regional Television and ESPNU — or through its subscription-based Web television site, ESPN360. Selling access to the streaming video will allow schools to supplement the income they receive from the conference’s lucrative licensing agreement with ESPN. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Providence College already sells subscriptions for online audio broadcasts of sporting events, charging $6.95 per month for men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey. The program, Providence All Access, is managed by CSTV Networks Inc., a college sports network founded in 1999 and acquired by CBS last year. There were 1,208 subscriber-months sold in the last fiscal year, generating $8,845 in revenue that Providence College split with CSTV. With streaming video, that monthly subscription fee will rise to $9.95. Parks said he hopes to increase gross revenue to $20,000. “We’re hoping that will go up because the video really enhances it,” Parks said. “It drives people to our Web site. There’s advertising on there that we generate revenue from, and an online store. As costs go up, you’re always looking for new revenue streams.” Providence All Access will also include live video for some home games for field hockey, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s ice hockey, volleyball and lacrosse. The games will be captured by college staff using a digital camera and laptop the college bought last summer. Eventually, the service will feature interviews with coaches and players online, as well as other features. Tom Odjakjian, an associate commissioner for the Big East conference, negotiated the new contract with ESPN. He said some colleges might not set up a pay-per-view system for the streaming video, and the number of games available for streaming might vary significantly. But all schools, Odjakjian said, could benefit from better brand recognition and new supporters. “Your fans around the world can see this,” he said. “It’s amazing the feedback you get from that outreach.” For Providence College next season, 18 of the 29 games are against conference rivals and will be broadcast on ESPN. Of the remaining 11, seven will be played at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, in Providence. The season begins in November and ends in March. ESPN could choose to air some non-conference games, such as the Dec. 22 contest against Florida State University. But the network is unlikely to snatch up all 29 games, with some rivalries, including Providence College and Brown University, of more local interest. (They are scheduled to play Dec. 9.) Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:06 PM | Comment Photo: A lesson in school hostage situations
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:55 PM | Comment 3 ex-Smithfield council presidents urge Tocco to quitSMITHFIELD -- Citing "criminal involvement" in bribery and the turmoil that has gripped town government lately, three former Town Council presidents today called upon the current president, Stephen G. Tocco, to resign. “More and more we feel that a cruel hoax has been perpetrated on the voters of Smithfield,” the former presidents wrote in a letter addressed to Tocco. “We are certain that your continued presence on the Smithfield Town Council will result in further erosion of public confidence in our government and further deterioration of our quality of life and the superior town government that previous councils, Republican and Democrat, have worked so hard to build over the last generation.” The letter was signed by John F. Emin, a council member for 18 years, 14 as president; Richard A. Poirier, a member for 12 years, two of them as president; and Alberto J. LaGreca Jr., a member for 12 years, eight as president. All are Republicans. Tocco is a Democrat. Poirier said he delivered the letter to Town Hall today. He said he tried unsuccessfully to contact Michael R. McGuinn, a Democrat and former council president. He said other former presidents live out of town. An attempt by The Journal to reach McGuinn also was unsuccessful. The ex-presidents joined James W. Archer, chairman of the Smithfield Republican Town Committee, in seeking Tocco’s ouster. Archer said last month, "I find it distressing that someone who is president of the Smithfield Town Council spent two years of his life not only delivering bribes to public officials in two cities, but personally overbilled the City of Providence to get money to cover the bribes." -- Journal staff writer Thomas J. Morgan Tocco’s tenure as chief began decaying after a reporter requested archive material from the U.S. District Court. According to the transcript of the 1993 trial of Gary Garafano, then deputy public works director in Providence, Tocco, who at the time was a Capitol Police officer and an employee of a construction company, testified against the defendant under a grant of immunity so as to avoid prosecution. He testified that he acted as a bagman who delivered bribes to officials in Pawtucket and Providence from the construction company. Tocco described on the witness stand how he had negotiated bribes and carried thousands of dollars’ worth on a number of occasions both to Garafano and to Louis S. Simon, public works director in Pawtucket during the administration of former Mayor Brian J. Sarault in the 1980s. Simon and Sarault pleaded guilty and served jail terms. In June, Tocco dismissed his role in the briberies as “something that happened in the ‘90s.” He added, “I’ve got no record.” He said that he and Forte Bros., the company for which he worked, had been the victims in the case, and that to have refused to pay the bribes would have meant being shut off from city contracts. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:35 PM | Comment Update: Thunderstorms leave mark on northern R.I.Powerful thunderstorms in the northern part of the state left much of Lincoln Mall still without power and included a lightning strike that damaged three cars in a Glocester driveway and caused a Burrillville house fire. This morning, 20,000 customers were without electricity in Woonsocket for more than hour starting at 5:17 a.m., a National Grid spokeswoman said. Lincoln Mall's Web site at this hour says all stores and restaurants except for Stop & Shop and Target are closed and that National Grid is working to restore power. A fire brought under control this morning in a duplex house at 27 Gazza Rd., Burrillville, is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike, the Oakland/Mapleville Fire Department chief said. Firefighters battled the fire that was reported at 9:10 a.m. today. Emergency crews determined the fire was under control earlier, but hot spots then flared up and they were continuing to fight the fire around 10:40 a.m., according to a police dispatcher. The fire was mainly confined to the overhang of the two-and-a-half story house in the attic, said Fire Chief Joe Bertholic said. Bertholic said his understanding was one family had been home at the time of the fire. The family had left the home when the fire department was on scene. Several trucks went to the scene on a morning when firefighters battled humidity as much as the fire. Firefighters pulled apart roofing and used various ladders in order to reach the fire inside the attic -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcello Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:01 PM | Comment Judge: Send teen drinking/drug cases to Family CourtPROVIDENCE -- Prompted in part by the recent death of a Barrington teenager, Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. today asked police chiefs to refer teen drinking and drug charges to Family Court rather than to local juvenile hearing boards. Jeremiah said the proposal is not meant as a criticism of the hearing boards, which handle juvenile cases in 33 of the 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island. Rather, he said, Family Court can offer more services to deal with the kind of problems highlighted by the charges levied against a Barrington teenager following the death of his classmate on July 17. Patrick Murphy, 17, had been riding a kneeboard pulled by a boat on the Barrington River when he disappeared. Authorities say Murphy was struck and slashed by something sharp, probably a propeller. The driver of the boat, Ryan A. Greenberg, 17, has been charged with reckless boating, death resulting; refusing to take a Breathalyzer test; and underage possession of alcohol. Greenberg has entered not guilty pleas. Jeremiah noted the Barrington police broke up a house party with 35 to 40 teens just nine hours after Murphy’s memorial service on Thursday. Four teens were charged with underage drinking. “It appears they are still drinking in Barrington,” Jeremiah said. “The parents have to take responsibility.” Jeremiah sent letters to police chiefs throughout the state, saying, “As of Aug. 1, 2007, I am respectfully requesting that all wayward alcohol and drug charges be referred to the Rhode Island Family Court instead of your local juvenile hearing board.” Now, when juveniles face first offenses, police chiefs may send those cases to local juvenile hearing boards or to Family Court. So Family Court often handles cases involving second offenses and more serious charges. Instead, Jeremiah is asking police chiefs to send Family Court all alcohol and drug cases that include “wayward” charges -- the juvenile equivalent of adult misdemeanor charges. Wayward charges could include possession of alcohol by a minor or an alcohol-related charge of disorderly conduct, Family Court officials said. “The Family Court has both staff and specialized programs in place to effectively and efficiently handle this serious problem facing our youth throughout the state,” Jeremiah wrote. “Therefore, I am asking that all wayward alcohol and drug charges be referred directly to Family Court to assure that this problem is managed in a standardized way statewide.” -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:57 PM | Comment Sen. Clinton coming to fundraiser in R.I., Sept. 27Sen. Hillary Clinton will bring her presidential campaign to Rhode Island on Sept. 27 with a fund-raising event in East Greenwich. Sen. Clinton will appear at a luncheon at the home of Democratic Party activists Mark and Susan Weiner. Lobbyist Gerry Harrington is chairman of the event. Harrington was a top fund-raiser for John Kerry’s unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. James Langevin, both of whom have endorsed Clinton’s quest for the Democratic presidential nomination, are also scheduled to attend.
--- By Scott MacKay, Journal staff writer Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:36 PM | Comment Paz charged with simple assault, disorderly conductBoxing icon Vinny Paz turned himself in to Warwick police this morning after being charged with domestic simple assault and domestic disorderly conduct. The arrest warrant for Paz, 44, was issued early Friday morning, police said. Paz's girlfriend, Ashley P. Spencer, 25, of Eliot, Maine, is the alleged victim, the police said. The former five-time boxing world champion arrived at the police station around 7 a.m. and was then taken to the Kent County Court to be arraigned, the police said. Paz, a Cranston native who now lives in Warwick, has been arrested twice i the last eight years, most recently in February, for refusing to take a Breathalyzer test. Then in January 2000, he was arrested outside a club in Pawtucket and pleaded no contest to assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. -- Journal staff writer Stu Woo Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:18 PM | Comment Pawtucket police discuss fatal shootings / Photo
After two killings in one week, the Pawtucket police chief today offered his condolences to the families of two people who were shot and killed by officers. An Attleboro woman was shot on Thursday when she allegedly tried to run down a Pawtucket officer with a stolen car. A little over 24 hours later, a 34-year-old Pawtucket man was shot when he allegedly pointed a loaded semi-automatic at officers called to investigate a break-in at a tenement on Coyle Avenue. “What I think everybody has to realize is that the person they know is not the person the police encountered,” Police Chief George L. Kelley III said. On Friday, the police were responding to a 911 call about a man with a gun trying to break into a house on Coyle Avenue. As the officers ran to cover both entrances, Officer Donna Joyal ran around the house and slammed right into an armed Jason Audette in the driveway, the chief said. Chief Kelley said officer Joyal shoved Audette away. Audette, the chief said, then pulled a loaded .32 caliber semi-automatic gun on the police officers. Officers David Holden, 26, Mark Ramos, 31, and Christopher LeFort, 37, all fired about a dozen shots at Audette, killing him. The incident happened within seconds. The chief couldn’t say whether Audette had fired any shots. -- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Audette’s family listened to these details from a back bench in the Municipal Court as the police held a press conference. Some gasped as the chief said the officers fired between 10 to 12 shots. Two women bolted from the room. These three officers are on administrative duty, as is Officer Derrick Smith, who shot and killed Bridget DeGrafft, 49, when the Attleboro woman allegedly pinned him with a stolen car in a separate incident early Thursday. Smith is on crutches from the incident, Kelley said. Both officer-involved shootings are being investigated separately by a multi-agency task force under the attorney general’s office. The chief said the Pawtucket Police Department will conduct its own investigation as well. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:10 PM | Comment Animal rights group criticizes state DEM's decisionPROVIDENCE -- The animal rights group Defenders of Animals is criticizing the state Department of Environmental Management, after state investigators concluded that New England Pest Control did not violate environmental laws when it killed several sparrows at a National Grid facility in Lincoln. Earlier this month, New England Pest Control used poisoned corn to kill birds that were nesting and roosting at a National Grid facility in Lincoln. The DEM visited the facility and interviewed the New England Pest Control employee who distributed the poison. In a letter to the company sent last Thursday, Eugene Pepper, the Pesticide Enforcement Program supervisor, said the exterminators had not violated state or federal environmental laws. The killing of the sparrows prompted Defenders of Animals to call for a boycott of New England Pest Control. Now, the group says it will lobby the General Assembly to prohibit the use of Avitrol, the avicide New England Pest Control used in Lincoln. "The pest control companies are trying to make it sound like Avitrol is a flock-dispersing agent. Avicides like Avitrol are acutely toxic and cause birds and other animals to suffer immensely," Defenders of Animals said. "It’s outright cruelty as far as we are concerned. It’s a reckless practice that must stop." -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:03 PM | Comment Convicted killer will get to conduct religious servicesPROVIDENCE -- A convicted killer banned from preaching at the state prison will be able to conduct religious services again under a settlement announced today. Wesley Spratt had preached in prison for about seven years after receiving what he said was a ``calling'' from God. A new warden barred him from preaching in 2003, saying it was dangerous for inmates to be given positions of authority. A federal appeals court this year ruled in Spratt's favor and sent the case to U.S. District Court in Providence for a resolution. As part of the settlement, the corrections department has adopted a new policy that permits inmates to lead religious services under the supervision of a prison chaplain. The department also acknowledged that its blanket ban on preaching had infringed on Spratt's right to practice religion in prison. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:59 PM | Comment Bristol motorcyclist who died had struck medianBRISTOL -- The Bristol man, 59, who was killed in a motorcyle crash yesterday had been heading south on Route 114 when the cycle hit the median where the road narrows from two lanes to one, according to the police. The police would not identify the man today, so that next of kin who have been notified can contact other family, said Deputy Police Chief Josh Canario. The police are also awaiting autopsy findings, he said. Canario said today that the motorcyclist lost control after the cycle hit the median shortly after midnight near the Mount Hope Bridge, preliminary investigation shows. The motorcyclist was thrown from the motorcycle and landed about 50 feet from the impact. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered head injuries. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where he was pronounced dead. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney and Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:58 PM | Comment Cranston drug trafficker sentenced to 15-plus yearsPROVIDENCE -- A Cranston man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison for trafficking in crack and powder cocaine. The police said that in July 2006 they seized 28 grams of crack cocaine and 154 grams of power cocaine from Ricardo Pierre's home. Pierre, 27, who had three prior state convictions for drug trafficking, received an enhanced 188-month sentence from Judge William E. Smith on July 27, the office of U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said in a news release today. Prosecutor Sandra R. Beckner said at the plea hearing the government could prove that on July 28, 2006, Cranston Police used a search warrant at Pierre’s home on Stevens Road and found the drugs and drug-trafficking materials in various locations. Pierre was convicted of three drug trafficking charges previously: one brought against him in 1999 and two in 2003. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:05 PM | Comment Whitehouse, colleagues discuss global warmingSen. Sheldon Whitehouse and nine other senators this afternoon are discussing their recent trip to Greenland to study global warming. The senators visited the Kangia Ice Fjord near Illulissat on Saturday, and toured iceberg-filled Disko Bay by boat on Sunday. The press conference started about 1 p.m. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:06 PM | Comment More ticks in certain East Bay communitiesJAMESTOWN – The East Bay communities of Aquidneck Island, Jamestown and Little Compton have seen a dramatic increase this year in the number of nymphal deer ticks seen there, compared with a decrease in ticks in many parts of the state. The increases in certain parts of Newport County range from 50 percent to 850 percent above last year’s counts, according to Thomas N. Mather, director of the Center for Vector-Borne Disease at the University of Rhode Island. Mather today joined Congressman Patrick Kennedy at a press conference on the Jamestown waterfront to share the word about the recent tick samplings conducted around the state. Tick experts are concerned about the increase and want the people who live in the affected communities to educate themselves about how to prevent Lyme disease, babesiosis and anaplasmosis, all of which deer ticks transmit. Mather said experts also hope physicians in these areas will learn more about the tick-borne illnesses to help in early detection of the diseases. At the press conference, Anne Lane of Jamestown, held up a sign, “18 of 20 families have had Lyme disease at Jamestown’s North End.” Lane herself is from that neighborhood and said she has been treated for Lyme disease. URI’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease is seeking state and federal financial support to increase tick awareness programs throughout the state. The center’s Web site provides effective strategies for protecting yourself, your property and your pets from ticks. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:43 AM | Comment Smithfield man injured in Burrillville motorcycle crashA 29-year-old Smithfield man is in the ICU trauma unit at Rhode Island Hospital this morning after a motorcycle crash in Burrillville last night on Reservoir Road. Jason D. Heon, of 150 George Washington Highway, was traveling north on Reservoir Road from Glocester into Pascoag with a friend, Burrillville Police Lt. Kevin S. San Antonio said. The two were on separate bikes, and Heon was out front when he crashed. Heon is in critical condition, Rhode Island Hospital spokeswoman Andrea Barbosa said this morning. At a curve in the road, Heon somehow lost control of his 1995 red motorcycle, crossed over the lane of travel and hit a fence and a small wall. The bike bounced off one part of the wall and struck an abuument of another wall, San Antonio said. Heon was thrown about 20 feet from the bike. He was not wearing a helmet, San Antonio said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Heon’s friend did not witness the accident, but when he came around the curve in the road, he saw his friend had crashed, San Antonio said. A police reconstruction team is working to determine the cause of the crash. It’s too early to say what happened, San Antonio said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:27 AM | Comment Carcieri leads governors association education panelGovernor Carcieri has been named to lead the National Governors Association's Education, Early Childhood and Workforce Committee. "I look forward to taking on this role for the National Governors Association and working with my fellow governors in advancing education at the federal level," Carcieri said in a news release today. The governor added: "This committee will take on many of the issues that we have faced in Rhode Island. We are seeing improvements in student success across our state and we are creating some truly innovative public-private partnerships to ensure that adults receive the education and training to prosper." Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:21 AM | Comment Stubborn blaze in Burrillville keeps firefighters busyBURRILLVILLE – Firefighters are battling a house fire at 27 Gazza Rd. that was reported at 9:10 a.m. today. Emergency crews determined the fire was under control earlier, but hot spots then flared up and they were continuing to fight the fire around 10:40 a.m., according to a police dispatcher. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:45 AM | Comment Gas prices drop five centsGasoline prices in Rhode Island have fallen for the second week in a row, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $2.909 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. That's five cents less than last week. At this time last year, Rhode Islanders were paying an average of $3.109. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:45 AM | Comment RIPTA's electronic fare system off to good startPROVIDENCE – Bus riders disembarking at Kennedy Plaza said the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s new electronic fare collection system seemed to be working pretty well – and perhaps half a dozen RIPTA employees wearing fluorescent yellow vests with “Transit Info” emblazoned on their backs said the same. The driver of passenger Natalia Lara’s Reservoir line bus from Cranston seemed to be focusing on the new system, which requires drivers to type information in on their side of the machine, Lara said. But it took her about the same time to get to Kennedy Plaza as it typically does, she said. Gayle Ginish, who traveled on the 99 bus from Pawtucket with her mother, Rose Ginish, said people didn’t seem to know how to put the money into the machines. Gayle didn’t need to fiddle with the new system yet, as she has a disabled pass and those won’t change in this first phase of RIPTA’s new system. Her mother, though, noticed one thing right away: “You almost have to have a new dollar bill,” Rose Ginish said. Standing in the middle of Kennedy Plaza fielding all sorts of questions from riders, Mark Therrien, RIPTA’s assistant general manager for planning, agreed with Ginish. “The dollar-bill machines are pretty sensitive,” he said right away when asked how the system changeover was going. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson The bills really must be flattened out before the machines will accept them, he said – but he said they don’t need to be new, just not all crumpled up. Otherwise, “it’s going pretty good,” he said of the changes. “The system’s running on time.” When a bus driver pulled up and said he was having trouble with his machine, Therrien said reporting a problem right away is the way to go. If someone can’t fix it quickly – often by just resetting the machine – RIPTA will get that bus off the street and send in another. They’ve got extra buses standing by today, he said. The new machines replaced old bill machines from the 80s that just measured the size of the paper riders fed through – and would even take Burger King receipts because they were the right size, Therrien said. The new machines now measure size, weight and the magnetics in the ink, Therrien said. “Now, it’s got to be a dollar bill,” he said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:42 AM | Comment Pawtucket police to ID officer involved in fatal shootingPAWTUCKET – The police expect today to name the officer or officers who were involved in the fatal police shooting of a burglary suspect on Friday, which was the second fatal shooting by Pawtucket officers last week. State and local police and a representative from the Attorney General’s Office expect to report other details about the shooting at a press conference this morning at 11 a.m. in the Municipal Court at Pawtucket City Hall. The robbery suspect was shot in the driveway of a multifamily house at 62 Coyle Ave. after the police arrived in response to a report of a burglary in progress and the suspect brandished a semiautomatic handgun, Maj. John J. Whiting, the officer in charge of the detectives division, said Friday. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson “A struggle ensued. Shots were fired,” Whiting told reporters that afternoon. The man was taken to the hospital, where he died, Whiting said. Whiting declined to name the officers or identify the burglary suspect, saying the incident remained under investigation and the police were still notifying the suspect’s family. However, neighbors identified the suspect as 34-year-old Jason S. Audette and said he grew up in the neighborhood and had family in the area. The other fatal shooting by a Pawtucket officer last week followed the chase early Thursday morning of a female carjacking suspect who led police from multiple departments through several communities. The driver lost control of the car, which got snagged on a Jersey barrier, and then attempted to get away by jerking the car back and forth, according to the police. As that happened, a member of the Pawtucket Police Department got wedged between his cruiser and the Honda. He fired a round at the suspect, the police said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:23 AM | Comment Rollover in Lincoln ties up traffic on Route 146 N and SLINCOLN – A single-car rollover is jamming up traffic on Route 146 north and south. A woman in the car is injured, but her injuries don’t appear life-threatening, State Police Cpl. John Beauregard said. The car was traveling north on Route 146 just north of Breakneck Hill Road when it rolled over and struck the jersey barrier on the left side of the roadway, pushing it into the southbound lanes, Beauregard said. Because the jersey barrier in the southbound lane must now be fixed and the accident is in the far left lane of the northbound lanes, those lanes are each closed and traffic in both directions “really got jammed up,” Beauregard said. 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. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:55 AM | Comment Heavy rain, thunderstorms, flooding possibleScattered showers and thunderstorms are expected in southern New England through this evening, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms with torrential rain and frequent lightning are expected to move across Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts through 8 a.m., the weather service says. The storms could bring wind gusts up to 30 mph. Because the storms are moving slowly, they have the potential to dump a lot of rain onto the region, the weather service says. Rainfall could approach two inches per hour and cause flooding. Otherwise, it will be mostly cloudy with a high near 84 degrees. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Route 95 closures to resume tonightPROVIDENCE – Nighttime motorists, take two. You’ll still have to plan ahead for overnight closures of Route 95, but not until tonight., weather permitting. The Route 95 closure was set for last night. But it had to be delayed by one day, because some of the steel needed for that night’s work has been delayed in transit, according to Dana Alexander Nolfe, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation. As the DOT is poised to begin its second phase this year of Route 95 overnight closures, Nolfe said that all the work is weather-dependent. Route 95 southbound lanes will close by 11 p.m. tonight – with individual lane closures starting by 8 p.m. The lanes are expected to reopen by 5:30 a.m. The next two nights of the Route 95 work are also expected to close only the southbound lanes. The last night of the work next week – Thursday – is expected to shutter the northbound and southbound lanes. Check out the road-closure schedule on the DOT’s site, but for now, be aware that everything is pushed back one day. [i.e., where the Sunday schedule is posted, know that that’s now for Monday, etc.] For a look back at the earlier closures this year, see projo.com’s special reports section. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:55 AM | Comment Download today's front pageOvertime pay and the Iraqi soccer team lead today's Journal. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:54 AM | Comment July 27, 2007Weekend: Gaze at cars, WaterFire ... and Buddy?
WaterFire watchers tomorrow night might also become Buddy watchers. The lawyer for former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Charles Mansolillo, said today the man known as Buddy may well attend the festivities. Cianci spent the afternoon today dining at the Old Canteen on Federal Hill after being released an electronic monitoring device -- one of the last remnants of his sentence on a corruption conviction. This WaterFire will feature saxophonist Myanna and her band on the Verizon Jazz Stage. WaterFire begins at the 8:09 p.m. sunset and ends at 12:30 a.m. But be watchful for potentially rainy weather. Heavy rain may cause cancellation. Check for updates at waterfire.org. or call (401) 272-3111. In Newport tomorrow, car lovers rejoice. The Concours d'Elegance will be open to the public from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday on the grounds at Chateau-sur-Mer. Judging will happen Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the awards ceremony scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Among vintage cars slated to be there are Clark Gable’s 1934 Packard, several rare Dusenbergs and such high-end marques as Alco -- which were built in Providence -- Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Delahaye, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche and Rolls-Royce. In Narragansett, the Blessing of the Fleet Weekend kicked off today with a 10-mile road race that started at 5 p.m. The race was to end at The Towers, next to Veterans Memorial Park where there’s a seafood festival from 5 to 11 p.m. tonight and continuing tomorrow from noon to 11 p.m. The annual parade of commercial and recreational boats will be blessed by local clergy at noon tomorrow at the Port of Galilee. For more weekend events, check projo.com's calendar listings. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment New England jobless rate essentially unchangedBOSTON, Mass. -- The U.S. Labor Department says the number of jobless people across New England was essentially unchanged over the past year. The region's unemployment rate in June was 4.6 percent, up just slightly from 4.5 percent a year ago. Massachusetts had the highest number of unemployed in New England at 4.9 percent last month. Labor Department regional commissioner Denis McSweeney says that except for the March to April period this year, the unemployment rate in New England has been in the 4.5 to 4.7 percent range since September 2004. Vermont had the lowest jobless rate last month in New England at 3.8 percent. Maine comes in at 4.4 percent, Connecticut at 4.3 percent, Rhode Island at 4.7 percent and New Hampshire at 4 percent. The national jobless rate is 4.5 percent. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Newport schooner runs aground; crewmember hurtNEWPORT -- A crewmember aboard the two-masted schooner Madeleine suffered head injuries today when the 72-foot sailing vessel ran aground near the Dumplings off Jamestown with 24 people on board. Newport Harbormaster Tim Mills said that he transferred the injured crewmember, a woman, from the Madeleine to the Coast Guard Station at Castle Hill, where rescue personnel were waiting to transport her to Newport Hospital. The woman was conscious and her injuries did not appear life-threatening, Mills said. Her name was not released. Meanwhile, a 25-foot Coast Guard response boat from Castle Hill removed a pregnant woman and her husband from the schooner and took them ashore, according to the Coast Guard. They declined medical treatment. After running around about 1:30 p.m., the Madeleine floated free and was escorted to her berth at Bannister’s Wharf by the Coast Guard Cutter Tiger Shark. -- Journal staff writer Gina Macris Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:24 PM | Comment N.E. Pest Control did not break law in killing birdsPROVIDENCE -- New England Pest Control did not violate environmental laws when it killed several sparrows at a National Grid facility in Lincoln, a state Department of Environmental Management investigation has found. The exterminators used poisoned corn to kill the birds, which were nesting and roosting at a National Grid facility in Lincoln. The DEM visited the facility and interviewed the New England Pest Control employee who distributed the poison. In a letter to the company sent on Thursday, Eugene Pepper, the Pesticide Enforcement Program supervisor, said the company had not violated state or federal environmental laws. New England Pest Control, Pepper said, used the minimum effective amount of poison; took steps to avoid killing “non-target” birds; and applied poison only after non-lethal methods attempted by National Grid had failed. The killing of the sparrows prompted a Providence animal rights group, Defenders of Animals, to call for a boycott of New England Pest Control. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:19 PM | Comment Break-in suspect fatally shot by Pawtucket police
PAWTUCKET -- A man who had allegedy tried to break into a multi-family home on Coyle Avenue and was brandishing a gun was shot by the police during a confrontation this afternoon, a police official said. The man, described as being in his late 30s or early 40s, died at a hospital. The incident happened about 3:30 p.m. Details of what happened are not yet clear. A resident of the three-story home was coming into his driveway when he spotted the man kicking in the basement door, according to police Maj. John Whiting. The resident reported the break-in to the police. When officers arrived, Whiting said, the suspect brandished a semi-automatic pistol. Whiting did not describe what happened after that. Esther Kingston, of 681 Broadway, said she heard six popping sounds. At first, she said, she told her son it was firecrackers. She said she learned a few minutes later that a person had been shot. Early yesterday morning, a Pawtucket officer shot and killed a woman who allegedly had tried to run over officers during a pursuit that began in Attleboro, Mass., and went through other communities. In April 2006, a Pawtucket police officer fatally shot a man who police say robbed a convenience store, then rammed his car into a police cruiser. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney and Journal staff writer John Castellucci Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Comment Developer has OK to open 200 rooms at WestinPROVIDENCE -- The Procaccianti Group has been given permission to open the 200 hotel rooms in the new 32-story tower at The Westin Providence, the company said today. The rooms will be occupied starting Aug. 3, Procaccianti spokesman Ralph V. Izzi Jr. said. The Providence Department of Inspection and Standards issued a temporary certificate of occupancy on July 19, according to city records. The new hotel rooms were a requirement of the sale of the Westin by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, the independent state agency that owns the convention center and Dunkin' Donuts Center. “We followed through on the agreement and we’re delivering a first-class facility right in the heart of the city,” Izzi said. “We delivered it on time and on target, just as we set out to do.” -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:32 PM | Comment Update: Cianci leaves restaurant, with hat on / Photo
Cianci got into a waiting Mercedes sedan at a side door to the restaurant. A family member, John Turchetta, drove the car with the former mayor away. But Cianci, who was freed from his electronic monitoring device this morning, should return to his former city soon. He expects to attend tomorrow night's WaterFire celebration in Providence, said his lawyer Charles Mansolillo. Cianci expects to be out and about at the event but did not speak to a horde of media waiting outside the Federal Hill restaurant this afternoon. Mansolillo said the mayor did not want to go through a "cacophony of questions" today. Mansolillo said Cianci said he is happy to be back, was outgoing and told stories about life in prison. Cianci was among seven people having lunch together. At least two of the restaurant's entrances saw cars driven up to the them and left running. Mansolillo said he was not certain whether Cianci, who did not wear his well-known hairpiece at lunch today, will continue to go without the toupee. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Cianci had been sitting in a window seat at the front of the restaurant, with the curtain drawn. The former mayor was having haddock Sicilian, according to a kitchen worker at the restaurant, who told a Journal reporter that's what he always had when eating there. Cianci’s nephew, Brad Turchetta, left the restaurant around 2:30 p.m. after eating with his uncle. “Bracelet cut off, looking great, feeling better,” Turchetta said of his uncle. The electronic monitoring device worn by Cianci was removed at 10:45 a.m. today, according to David Neal, spokesman for the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office on Cape Cod. Cianci chatted with officers a little bit, and then he left, Neal said. He had been driven there by his nephew, with whom he had been serving his home confinement in East Greenwich. The ankle bracelet was one of the last remnants of Cianci's sentence for racketeering conspiracy. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:53 PM | Comment Update: Governor reacts to hospital merger planGovernor Carcieri said while today's news of the merger between Lifespan and Care New England "raises a number of important concerns" it offers potential for "significant positive progress on a number of fronts." The governor said in an afternoon statement: “Done correctly, this merger could actually help drive health care reform in Rhode Island. In particular, we expect this merger will create opportunities to improve health care quality, reduce health care costs, make the use of health information technology more widespread and effective, and bolster Rhode Island’s primary care system.” Carcieri said his administration “is committed to using its powers under the Hospital Conversion Act" to see that the merger meets those goals. "We will take every precaution under this law to guarantee that we have thoroughly and completely evaluated the merger proposal and its impact on the state’s health care delivery system,” the governor added. As the news of the merger between Lifespan and Care New England, rumored for weeks, began to eke out today, reaction was wary and restrained. The state’s two largest health insurers, which could face tougher negotiations over reimbursement rates with a united hospital system, both said it was too soon to comment. Dr. Barry Wall, president of the Rhode Island Medical Society, called the merger a symptom of problems in the health care system. “This looks like it’s going to change the landscape. I think a change in landscape is a sign of trouble,” Wall said. “I don’t think beyond that anybody can say anything.” Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, whose office must approve the merger, said that Lynch “believes that although these institutions are extremely important, they’re still not as important as the people they serve.” Healey noted that “a ton” of work remains to be done before the merger can go through. Rick Brooks, director of the United Nurses and Affiliated Professionals, the union that represents 2,000 nurses and technical workers at Rhode Island Hospital, said that the merger would require greater accountability by the hospitals. “These hospitals really belong to the people of Rhode Island,” he said. “They don’t belong to any one person or any one company.” Louis R. Giancola, president of South County Hospital, one of the community hospitals that will not be part of the new Lifespan, said it was too soon to predict what effect the merger would have on his institution. But he agreed with Wall that it was a sign of trouble. “It demonstrates how challenged community hospitals, including Kent, are -- that this kind of combination is necessary to be able to continue to serve their community,” Giancola said. Kent, which is part of Care New England, has been struggling financially and some observers see the merger as an attempt to rescue Kent. Hynes, however, said that merger would not involve infusions of cash to Kent, and that Kent was expected to improve through administrative changes already under way. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:46 PM | Comment Update: Cianci lunching at old haunt on Federal Hill
Journal photo / Bill MurphyMembers of the press wait outside the Old Canteen for a glimpse of Cianci.
He’s there eating lunch today, just hours after his electronic monitoring device was removed at the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office on Cape Cod. Cianci was with five other men, including his lawyer, Charles Mansolillo. He was not wearing his trademark toupee, and was bald, except for close-cropped hair around the sides. He was sitting in a window seat at the front of the restaurant, with the curtain drawn. The former mayor was having haddock Sicilian, according to a kitchen worker at the restaurant, who told a Journal reporter that's what he always had when eating there. A horde of media were gathered outside. Cianci’s nephew, Brad Turchetta, left the restaurant around 2:30 p.m. after eating with his uncle. “Bracelet cut off, looking great, feeling better,” Turchetta said of his uncle. Cianci may just stay at home this weekend, his nephew told the 15 or so reporters waiting outside the restaurant for a glimpse of Cianci. Turchetta said he doesn’t know if his uncle enjoys all this media attention. As for Turchetta, reporters asked if he was surprised by the crush of media around him. “After Boston, nothing will surprise me,” he said. Turchetta was the one who drove Cianci from the federal prison to the halfway house in Boston when the former Providence mayor was released. Today, Turchetta then got into his gray Lexus SUV and drove away. Your Turn: Where's Buddy? Send in your sightings -- Associated Press writer Eric Tucker, Journal staff writers Daniel Barbarisi and Karen Lee Ziner and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson In the late 1990s, when Cianci proposed a skating rink for downtown Providence, the original plan was to locate it near the Amtrak station near the State House. Cianci was having a veal supper one night at the Old Canteen when he was chatting with Marzilli about the proposed rink, modeled after the famous ice surface in Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan. Marzilli urged Cianci to place the rink in Kennedy Plaza, in the heart of the city’s revived downtown. Cianci agreed and when the rink opened on Nov. 25, 1998, Marzilli was a guest of honor. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:45 PM | Comment Housing bond money goes to affordable projectsThe first installment of a $50 million state housing bond has been divided among 20 development projects that are expected to start producing more than 250 affordable apartments, condominiums and houses before the end of the year. Approved by voters in the November election, Ballot Question 9 asked Rhode Islanders to approve a $50-million affordable housing bond that would help create 2,000 affordable houses and apartments over the next four years. -- Journal staff writer Randal Edgar Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:07 PM | Comment In Providence: Iron chef contest is under wayPROVIDENCE -- At this hour, someone is on his or her way to becoming the iron chef. The first annual Iron Chef Compeition, sponsored by Farm Fresh Rhode Island, began at noon and runs until 1 p.m. It's at the Downtown Farmers' Market. Chefs, who have the hour to prepare an appetizer, entree or dessert, were told only what ingredients they have to work with. Locally grown secret ingredients are being used. Farmers donated the produce. The guest judge is from Jen's Dish, and she does a weekly live radio program about food. There's also a people's choice award in the balance to be determined by ballot vote. You can still help decide who that is. Everyone who goes can sample dishes and vote for their favorite. Time's running out. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:55 PM | Comment ALERT: Buddy's finally a free manBuddy's bracelet is off. The electronic monitoring device worn by former Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.was removed at 10:45 a.m. today, according to David Neal, spokesman for the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office on Cape Cod, where the last remnant of his imprisonment was taken off. Cianci chatted with officers a little bit, and then he left, Neal said. He had been driven there by his nephew, with whom he had been serving his home confinement in East Greenwich. The ankle bracelet was one of the last remnants of Cianci's sentence for racketeering conspiracy. Barry J. Weiner, chief U.S. probation officer for Rhode Island, said late this morning that Cianci’s sentence technically elapses one minute after midnight tonight – regardless of when the ankle bracelet is removed. “If he goes out tonight at 11:59 and commits a crime, he’s still definitely under the supervision of the Bureau of Prisons,” said Weiner. “The release dates are determined by statute, and it’s not likely” that Cianci will become a private citizen until just after midnight. Cianci must then serve two years of supervised release and perform 150 hours of community service. Cianci has worn the monitoring device while serving the last six weeks of his sentence on home confinement at his nephew’s home and working in marketing at The 903 Residences in Providence. The former mayor had served 4 1/2 years in federal prison at Fort Dix, N.J., after being convicted of corruption following the FBI probe of City Hall known as Operation Plunder Dome. Just what the man known as Buddy will do after he's free has been a popular matter of speculation, ranging from whether he'd try to re-enter the political arena or return to talk radio -- or appear without his toupee. Nonetheless, Cianci’s lawyer, Charles Mansolillo, who is Cianci’s long-time confidante and lawyer, said today: “It’s all over as of now. I’m very happy for him.” -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:25 PM | Comment Lifespan, Care New England to merge / Photo
Hospital officials, whose plans face a gauntlet of federal and state reviews, envision a united system able to compete with the Boston medical centers in attracting medical researchers, winning grants and offering top-quality care. Coupled with Brown University’s plan to build a new medical school near Rhode Island Hospital, they describe the new organization as a boost to the state’s economy and biotechnology industry. But they will have to convince regulators and the community that their union will not monopolize the market, threaten the financial health of the outlying community hospitals, or raise the health care costs. The two corporations had come close to a similar union seven years ago, despite opposition from business and labor, and then mysteriously walked away from the deal after working on it for 23 months. Officials dismissed the previous plans as “irrelevant” to the recent decision. While last time the focus was on efficiencies and cost-savings, this time the talk is all about investment and expansion. Unlike last time, both groups are financially strong and engaged in massive building projects. Additionally, they have a fully developed definitive agreement, which has been quietly in the works for a year. “It’s not about cuts or layoffs. This is about growing the business,” said George Vecchione, Lifespan’s president and chief executive officer. “Trying to grow research dollars takes great coordination.” “We hope it generates excitement and enthusiasm rather than concern,” said John J. Hynes, Vecchione’s counterpart at Care New England. Plans call for selling or developing the highly valuable 110-acre campus of Butler Hospital, on the East Side of Providence, which the city last year assessed at $115.8 million. The proceeds would be used to build a new psychiatric hospital at Rhode Island Hospital and endow a brain science institute there, furthering Butler’s ground-breaking work in surgery to treat psychiatric conditions. Additionally, a Level 2 trauma center would be established at Kent Hospital, in Warwick, to provide an alternative and backup to the state’s only trauma center, at Rhode Island Hospital -- a step considered crucial to preparing for disaster that might occur at or near Rhode Island Hospital. -- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer The hospitals must still prove to federal regulators that their merger would not be an illegal monopoly, and win approval from the state Health Department and the attorney general. But if they succeed, a united Lifespan and Care New England would become not just the biggest health-care organization in the state, but the biggest company of any kind doing business chiefly in Rhode Island. Its annual patient revenues would approach $2 billion; its employees would number 17,600. Lifespan encompasses the state’s biggest hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, as well as Miriam Hospital, also in Providence, Bradley Hospital, a children’s psychiatric hospital in East Providence, and Newport Hospital. Care New England consists of Women & Infants Hospital, in Providence, where the majority of Rhode Island babies are born; Kent Hospital, in Warwick; and Butler Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Providence. All the hospitals are not-for-profit. The new organization would be called Lifespan and Vecchione would remain as CEO. Hynes would become senior vice president for special projects. The combination would bring together five of the seven hospitals affiliated with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, coming closer to creating the “academic medical center” that Brown has long craved. But the six hospitals left out of the new Lifespan include the most financially vulnerable in the state. Every one of the six lost money last year, and Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket is amid a particularly deep financial crisis. How the merger will affect those hospitals’ viability is likely to be a top concern for regulators. Vecchione revealed that Lifespan is “having exploratory discussions” about acquiring Landmark. The decision will hinge, in part, on whether Landmark would increase Lifespan’s market share enough to breach antitrust laws. As the news of the merger, rumored for weeks, began to eke out today, reaction was wary and restrained. The state’s two largest health insurers, which could face tougher negotiations over reimbursement rates with a united hospital system, both said it was too soon to comment. Dr. Barry Wall, president of the Rhode Island Medical Society, called the merger a symptom of problems in the health care system. “This looks like it’s going to change the landscape. I think a change in landscape is a sign of trouble,” Wall said. “I don’t think beyond that anybody can say anything.” Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, whose office must approve the merger, said that Lynch “believes that although these institutions are extremely important, they’re still not as important as the people they serve.” Healey noted that “a ton” of work remains to be done before the merger can go through. Rick Brooks, director of the United Nurses and Allied Professionals, the union that represents 2,000 nurses and technical workers at Rhode Island Hospital, said that the merger would require greater accountability by the hospitals. “These hospitals really belong to the people of Rhode Island,” he said. “They don’t belong to any one person or any one company.” Louis R. Giancola, president of South County Hospital, one of the community hospitals that will not be part of the new Lifespan, said it was too soon to predict what effect the merger would have on his institution. But he agreed with Wall that it was a sign of trouble. “It demonstrates how challenged community hospitals, including Kent, are -- that this kind of combination is necessary to be able to continue to serve their community,” Giancola said. Kent, which is part of Care New England, has been struggling financially and some observers see the merger as an attempt to rescue Kent. Hynes, however, said that merger would not involve infusions of cash to Kent, and that Kent was expected to improve through administrative changes already under way. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:21 PM | Comment Photo: Coach Belichick is back at it
Posted by Peter Phipps at 12:16 PM | Comment Reported accident causing congestion on Route 95Drivers, take heed. Traffic congestion is building on Route 95 south from Exits 27 to 23 in Pawtucket due to an accident, the state Transportation Management Center advised at 12:11 p.m. Exit 27 is the Route 1 exit and Exit 23 is Route 146 north. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:14 PM | Comment Judge: Smokeshop defendants must be tried togetherPROVIDENCE -- Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl this morning ruled that all of the Narragansett Indian smokeshop defendants will be tried together. The state had sought to have Matthew Thomas, chief sachem of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, separated because of concern his statements could prejudice the state's case when it went to a jury. Judge McGuirl also today rejected a defense motion to have charges dismissed against two defendants, Bella Noka and Adam Jennings. This month marked four years since the state police stormed the smoke shop on tribal land in Charlestown -- a raid that sparked tensions in what was an effort to stop the tribe from selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:46 AM | Comment Journal parent reports 2Q profit dropDALLAS -- The parent corporation of The Providence Journal says its second-quarter profits fell 15 percent, although it beat expectations on Wall Street. Dallas-based Belo Corporation owns newspapers and TV stations. Company officials say they're struggling with weak newspaper advertising. Net income between April and June dropped to $36 million, or about 35 cents per share. That's compared to $42 million, or roughly 41 cents per share, a year ago. Even so, those numbers beat analysts' estimates. The corporation says it expects its third-quarter TV revenue to grow while newspaper revenue drops. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 11:03 AM | Comment Photo: Barrington teen arraigned in boating death
Ryan A. Greenberg, 17, of 33 Lamson Rd., was arraigned on one felony count of operating a boat recklessly, death resulting, and one misdemeanor count of refusing to submit to a chemical test. The police added a third charge at the arraignment: being a minor in possession of alcohol, a misdemeanor. Patrick Murphy, 17, also of Barrington, was killed in the accident on the Barrington River. Greenberg, tall and lanky, appeared in court wearing a blue blazer, tie and khaki pants. Not guilty pleas were entered on the misdeameanor charges. No plea was entered on the felony charge, which is typical practice in District Court because Superior Court has jurisdiction on felonies. Murphy's mother, Phoebe Murphy, was among those in the courtroom. Greenberg was ordered released on $10,000 personal recognizance on the two previously existing charges and $2,000 personal recognizance on the new alcohol charge. Outside the courthouse after the arraignment, Greenberg's attorney, William Dimitri, said Greenberg is "sick over this. This is not easy for him. This was his best friend." He also defended his client against allegations that he was drunk. "If he was so intoxicated as they allege, why did they let him search for an hour?" Greenberg, who helped in the massive search for Murphy, is scheduled to return to court Aug. 28. Yesterday, hundreds of mourners bid their goodbyes to Murphy at a memorial service at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Barrington. -- With reports from Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. and Journal photographer Mary Murphy. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:00 AM | Comment Federal judge criticizes Providence police in rulingPROVIDENCE -- A federal judge has refused to dismiss evidence in a drug case amid allegations that lawyer John M. Cicilline, the mayor’s brother, conspired with the Providence police to frame a drug suspect and take more than $125,000 from him for fixing his case. U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith issued his 20-page ruling late yesterday and said that more than two days of hearing provided ``scant evidence’’ supporting allegations made by Khalid Mason, of Providence, a felon awaiting trial on federal crack cocaine dealing charges. Among other things, Mason alleged that Cicilline had a close relationship with Detective Scott Partridge, the lead investigator in the drug probe, and took him to the 2004 Super Bowl in Houston. Partridge took the stand and vehemently denied the charges and pointed out that he did not even attend the Super Bowl three years ago. Nonetheless, Smith was highly critical of the Providence police for its ``decrepit policies and practices’’ for failing to properly document six weeks of police surveillance that led to the arrests of Mason and a second man, Derek Isom, of Pawtucket. Smith said had the Providence police handled the investigation in a more professional manner, the suppression hearing that led to yesterday’s ruling could have been avoided. Isom has pleaded guilty. Mason is expected to go to trial in the coming weeks. If convicted, he faces substantial time in federal prison. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski Posted by Jack Perry at 10:52 AM | Comment Major tie-ups on Route 95 southwest of BostonWESTWOOD, Mass. – A single-car crash on Route 95 north, south of exit 13, that closed both the northbound and southbound lanes of the highway for an hour so a helicopter could land, continues to tie up traffic. If you were trying to get to work in the Boston area or to the New England Patriots summer camp in Foxboro this morning and instead spent the whole time sitting in traffic, this is most likely the cause. At 5:29 a.m. today, an adult male driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla in the middle northbound lane of Route 95 struck a storm drain that had dislodged from the roadway, according to Massachusetts State Police Trooper Thomas Murphy. The grate bounced up and broke through the Toyota’s windshield, striking the driver. The car then veered across the left travel lane and collided with the median, Murphy said. The man, who was wearing a seatbelt, sustained serious injuries and was taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston by helicopter. His condition, name and town of residence are not yet available from the police, Murphy said. By about 6:30 a.m., the southbound lanes were all opened again, but only the right and breakdown lanes on the northbound side have reopened since the crash, Murphy said. The left and center lanes will be closed “for an extended period of time,” Murphy said, as an accident reconstruction team continues to investigate. The accident occurred in a construction zone. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:45 AM | Comment State identifies man rescued at Charlestown beachCHARLESTOWN – The state Department of Environmental Management this morning identified the 72-year-old Massachusetts man who was rescued by lifeguards at East Beach yesterday afternoon. Walter Sulek, of East Hadley, Mass., was flown by helicopter to The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., after he apparently lost consciousness in waist-deep waters around 3 p.m. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:20 AM | Comment Overnight fire at Charles Place Apts. in ProvidencePROVIDENCE – No one was injured in an overnight fire at the Charles Place Apartments. The fire in apartment 801 at the 460 Charles St. building was reported at 12:31 a.m. and was called a second-alarm blaze a few minutes later, requiring additional fire equipment to be sent, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The fire was under control at 1:04 a.m., Taylor said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:27 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story about a police chase early yesterday morning that resulted in the death of a 49-year-old woman carjacking suspect. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment Do you like thunderstorms? You're in businessHot, muggy with a chance of thunderstorms. Got it? That's today's forecast for Newport and coastal Rhode Island. And basically, that's the forecast for the whole region tomorrow through Tuesday. For Providence today, the National Weather Service is calling for a high of 86 with a 30 percent chance of rain. But for coastal Rhode Island this evening, the service has issued a hazardous weather outlook because of the threat of thunderstorms. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:51 AM | Comment Plan calls for installing E-Z Pass on the Pell BridgeJAMESTOWN -- The days of digging into your wallet for a toll to cross the Pell Bridge may be numbered. The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority says it's planning to install E-Z Pass electronic tolling on the bridge. They're aiming to have it up and running by 2008 or early 2009. Authority Chairman David A. Darlington says Rhode Island is the only state on the Eastern Seaboard north of Virginia that does not use E-Z Pass. He says adding E-Z Pass will help Rhode Islanders get through the Pell Bridge tolls faster, and will also help them get through tolls faster in other E-Z Pass states. The operations of the turnpike and bridge authority are funded by the tolls on the Pell Bridge. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 AM | Comment July 26, 2007Fire on Longfellow Terrace brought under controlPROVIDENCE -- The Providence Fire Department brought under control a fire in a three-and-a-half story wood-frame house at 27 Longfellow Terrace this evening, said James Taylor, chief of communications for the Fire Department. One firefighter was taken to Rhode Island Hospital for an ankle injury. The Red Cross was called to assist nine adults and two children displaced by the fire. The call came in at 5:17 p.m. and the fire was brought under control at 6:08 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:57 PM | Comment Daily Show comedian plays Newport tonightLooking for laughs? Tonight, the Newport Summer Comedy Series brings comedian Lewis Black to the Newport Yachting Center. Black, a Grammy winner and guest on The Daily Show, offers political commentary, social satire and more. The Yachting Center is on America’s Cup Avenue. The show (for those 16 and older) starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $52. Call (401) 331-2211 or go to www.newportcomedy.com. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Judge finds Memorial Hospital guilty of unfair laborPAWTUCKET -- A judge has ruled that Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island was guilty of an unfair labor practice when it banned a pro-union sticker worn as a lapel button during contract talks involving the contentious issue of mandatory overtime. In a scathing 26-page decision, Judge Wallace H. Nations accused hospital officials of making an issue of the sticker either to drum up support for their bargaining position, or out frustration with the negotiations, which were dragging on inconclusively last summer while the union attacked the hospital in the newspaper and on TV. “I believe that the “KNOW RESPECT” sticker was banned by the hospital as part of its tactics in negotiations or out of frustration with the negotiations and for no other reason,” said Nations, an administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. A hospital press release that characterized the sticker as stressful to patients and inflammatory “appears to me to be trying to create an issue around the button to garner support for the Hospital’s bargaining position,” the judge wrote. In a written statement this afternoon, Memorial Hospital said it was disappointed with the judge’s ruling, which requires the hospital to post notices announcing the actions that its supervisors took were illegal and to undo the disciplinary measures that were taken against nine button-wearing nurses who were union members. “It was never our intent to stifle union members’ free expression. We respect and value all of our employees. Our concern at the time was, as it always is, our patient’s well being,” hospital spokeswoman Louise C. Paiva said. -- Journal staff writer John Castellucci “A decision on whether to appeal the ruling has not yet been made and is under consideration with legal counsel,” she said. Chris Callaci, a field representative for the United Nurses & Allied Professionals, hailed the decision as a “complete victory,” noting that both of the unfair labor practices charges that the union brought against Memorial Hospital had been upheld. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:38 PM | Comment Secretary of State Mollis' son in trouble againNORTH PROVIDENCE -- An 18-year-old son of Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis has again run afoul of the law, this time for operating a motor vehicle in the presence of alcohol. Police said one of its officers was responding to a call that someone was throwing beer bottles out of a white Ford Explorer, when he observed an SUV matching the description at Mineral Spring and Douglas Avenues. Officer Daniel P. Williams said when he stopped the vehicle he saw Angelo Mollis, of 5 Modesto St., behind the wheel, along with three passengers -- the secretary of state’s 21-year-old son, Michael, his 19-year-old stepson Gian Piscione, and a family friend, 21-year-old William M. Mallard of Cranston. Also in the car, according to the officer, was an open box of Corona Beer with two open bottles. Angelo, who had had another run in with police in Providence last January when he was picked up for allegedly taking a $10 shirt from J.C. Penney store without paying for it, was cited by police Tuesday for driving a vehicle in the presence of alcohol. Police said that before issuing the citation they had conducted a series of sobriety tests at the scene and had determined Angelo Mollis had not been driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Nor did they find any evidence of damage to a lawn where beer bottles were allegedly thrown. -- Journal staff writer Richard C. Dujardin In another recent incident involving the Mollis children, Michael Mollis, who was a passenger in the Tuesday night episode, received a speeding ticket from North Providence police on July 13 allegedly for driving a black Lincoln on Charles Street at speeds of up to 50 miles at 9:20 in the morning. Officer Mark Mastin said when he stopped the vehicle he noticed a Fraternal Order of Police emblem on the rear license plate. When asked about it, Michael Mollis acknowledged he was not a police officer, but that his grandfather had been one and that the emblem was given to him by his father. He reluctantly relinquished the emblem after being told the emblems are for police and their immediate family only. Police issued a verbal warning for the emblem and said they would return it to the FOP. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:32 PM | Comment Man rescued from East Beach in CharlestownCHARLESTOWN -- A 72-year-old man from South Hadley, Mass., was flown by helicopter to Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., after lifeguards pulled him out of the ocean at East Beach. According to preliminary information, the man went into the water about waist-deep around 3 p.m. Then he apparently lost consciousness. Mastrati said the man was believed to be breathing when he was was flown out. His condition was not available. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:48 PM | Comment Student pilot crash lands a Cessna in MiddletownMIDDLETOWN — A student pilot making a pit stop during a solo cross-country flight lost control of a Cessna 172 aircraft while landing at the Newport State Airport this afternoon, crashing the plane. The pilot, Zachary S. Lord, 19, of Worthington, Mass., was uninjured in the accident, which aeronautics inspector James J. Warcup, of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation., attributed to wind, according to a police report. State and local police and fire personnel responded to the airport, at 211 Airport Rd., at about 1:50 p.m. for a report of an airplane on its nose, leaking fluid. Lord, who has a student pilot license, told police that he was flying from New Haven, Conn., and planned to stop at the Middletown airport before flying to New Bedford. Lord told police he was approaching the airport from the north and preparing to land when the aircraft was jostled by a gust of wind, causing Lord to hit the rudder pedal too hard and the plane to veer to the left, police said. The plane skidded onto the grass before going into a ditch and stopping on its nose on a cross runway. Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:46 PM | Comment R.I. to get $300,000 grant targeting homelessnessRhode Island will receive a $300,000 homelessness assistance grant to help people with mental illnesses or substance abuse problems to get treatment and transition to permanent housing. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed's office today announced the money, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' substance abuse administration. the money will go to a program of community-based outreach, mental health and substance-abuse treatment services. "It is estimated that nearly a quarter of homeless adults suffer from serious mental illness," Reed said in a statement. "This money will help more Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness get access to the services and treatment they need." Reed's office said more than 6,400 Rhode Islanders stayed in emergency shelters from July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2005 -- the most recent information available. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:57 PM | Comment Photo: Operator of tipped crane had minor injuries
The crane was working at the Narragansett Bay Commission's combined sewer overflow construction site. The operator has not been identified. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration -- OSHA -- will examine the situation. The accident happened around 1:12 p.m. and the Providence Fire Department responded, James Taylor, chief of communications for the Fire Department, said earlier this afternoon. Commission spokeswoman Jamie Samons said this was the first time anything like this happened. She said the project has a strong safety record. The sewer overflow project aims to keep sewer overflow from entering Narragansett Bay when there are heavy rains, said Samons. One goal of that is to reduce the overflows that cause shellfishing area closings. The first phase of the overflow construction project is scheduled to finish in October of 2008. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Kate Bramson Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:21 PM | Comment R.I. Convention Center saw record profitsPROVIDENCE -- Strong sales of food and beverages helped generate record revenue at the Rhode Island Convention Center in the last fiscal year, growing net income by 18 percent. But the operating deficit at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center worsened in its first full year under the control of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, an independent state agency that spent $28.5 million to buy the arena from the City of Providence in December 2006. The convention center brought in $14.4 million, up $1.2 million or 9 percent from the previous year. Profits jumped by $427,000, rising to $2.8 million, the highest since the building opened in 1993, according to an unaudited income statement released today. “These are phenomenal numbers,” Timothy Muldoon, the building’s general manager, said. “It has been a great year.” -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:04 PM | Comment Update: Police shoot, kill female carjacking suspectA 49-year-old woman suspected of an armed carjacking in Attleboro was shot and killed by the police early this morning after leading police from Massachusetts and Rhode Island on a chase down Route 95, the police said. This afternoon, Rhode Island State Police Maj. Steven G. O'Donnell described the carjacking as "totally random." He said the woman, whose name has not yet been released, lived near the area, a quiet, suburban neighborhood with a new housing development in an old farm field on one side, and older homes on leafy streets on the other. O'Donnell said the woman had grabbed a knife, run outside -- from where it was not clear -- and flagged down a car with two male juveniles in it. According to O'Donnell, she said to them, "Get out of the car or I'll stab you." At about 12:30 a.m. today, the Attleboro, Mass., department issued the first of two inter-city police bulletins alerting area departments to a suspect fleeing an armed carjacking in Attleboro, on the Massachusetts-Rhode Island boundary line. A motorist, riding with a male passenger, had told the police that a woman with a knife carjacked his black Honda at the intersection of Oakhill and Locust Street. A Pawtucket officer spotted the carjacked vehicle traveling south on Route 95 at 1:09 a.m., and officers from that department and the state police attempted to stop the vehicle, according to Whiting. The police say the suspect led them through parts of Providence, Cranston and Warwick before being stopped on the Jefferson Boulevard exit ramp, where the shooting occurred. In a press release issued just before noon, Rhode Island State Police said a Pawtucket police officer, who had been wedged between the carjacked vehicle and his police cruiser, shot the woman. "The officer, fearing for his life, discharged his firearm in an attempt to immobilize the operator. It appeared that the operator was struck by at least one round; the operator was immediately removed from the vehicle and transported to Rhode Island Hospital. " The woman died at about 2:19 this morning after being taken to Rhode Island Hospital, the police said. The officer was not identified. The press release said he had been treated and released from Rhode Island Hospital. -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Kate Bramson, and Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Attleboro police are investigating the initial carjacking, and multiple departments are investigating the shooting and the injury to the officer. Those agencies are the Rhode Island State Police and the police in Pawtucket, Cranston and Warwick, along with the attorney general’s office. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:50 PM | Comment Blues legend Etta James cancels Newport appearanceLOS ANGELES -- Grammy Award-winning blues singer Etta James is in stable condition after being hospitalized for complications from abdominal surgery she had last month. Her manager says the 69-year-old singer of the Jazz standard ``At Last'' had to cancel upcoming tour dates with B-B King and Al Green. She's also canceled her planned appearance next month at the JVC Jazz Festival in Newport. In her place will be blues singer and guitarist Susan Tedeschi. Tedeschi has garnered acclaim since her 1998 album Just Won't Burn. She is married to Derek Trucks, a bluesy slide guitarist who has his own band, has played with the Allman Brothers and, most recently, been on tour with Eric Clapton. James's manager says the hospitalization was caused by ``post-op complications.'' -- The Associated Press, with reports from projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:38 PM | Comment Governor signs Sudan divestment into lawPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri signed legislation this afternoon limiting Rhode Island's investment in Sudan and with companies that provide services to Sudan, where observers say government-supported militias have carried out genocide. The militias have been targeting non-Arabs in Sudan's Darfur region. The governor's news release says the four-year civil ware there has killed more than 400,000 people. Rhode Island joins 13 states in divesting from Sudan in an international effort to end the Sudanese government’s genocide in Darfur, according to a news release from the governor' s offce. “We are joining the international community’s ongoing efforts to end this brutal campaign. We are sending a strong message to the Sudanese government,” Governor Carcieri said in a statement. “By putting this legislation on the books, we’re showing the world that we care deeply about the plight of the Sudanese people.” Carcier was joined by General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio, who submitted the divestment legislation, Rep. Joseph Almeida, who sponsored the legislation in the House of Representatives, and Scott Warren, a Brown University student who was an advocate for the law. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:28 PM | Comment Rhode Island will get bonus for food stamp effortsPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island will get $801,373 from the federal government in recognition of strides the state has made in its food stamp program, Governor Carcieri's office announced today. Kate Houston, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, will present the award -- known as a food stamp program bonus -- to the governor tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the the State House. "Rhode Island is receiving the bonus because it has reduced its payment error rate by more than any other state and has made significant improvements in its customer service delivery," according to the governor's office. The news release did not specify how the bonus money would be used. The governor will also announced an online application for people and families pursuing food stamp assistance. It's designed to expand access to the food stamp program. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:04 PM | Comment Second baby giraffe born at Roger Williams ZooPROVIDENCE – A second male giraffe has been born at the Roger Williams Park Zoo and appears to be in good health and bonding well with his mother, Amber, according to the zoo. The Masai giraffe calf was born Tuesday around 7 p.m., nearly three months after his half-brother, Mtembei, was born before a crowd of visitors on a busy Saturday afternoon. He looks pretty small compared to that other new calf. Check out photos of the giraffes on the zoo’s web site. This giraffe is expected to be on exhibit this weekend, as long as he continues to bond well with his mother and the rest of the zoo’s giraffe herd, according to the zoo. Mtembei, whose name is Swahili for “one who roams,” was named in a public contest that ended on Father’s Day. This time around, the zookeepers will “have the honor” of naming the new calf, according to a press release issued this afternoon. They have not yet named him. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:02 PM | Comment Labor Department grants help to Quaker workersFALL RIVER, Mass. -- The U.S. Department of Labor has granted Trade Adjustment Assistance to former employees of the Quaker Fabric Corp. to helped displaced workers find new jobs. Trade Adjustment Assistance, a federal program that aids U.S. workers hurt by international trade, offers up to two years of unemployment payments, job training, English language education, employment advice, as well as a job search allowance and money to help an unemployed worker obtain a new position. Massachusetts unemployment assistance expires after 30 weeks. In all, 900 Quaker employees lost their jobs earlier this month when the Fall River plant closed after six decades in operation. There are at least 62 Rhode Island residents among the former employees. “I’m pleased that Department of Labor has recognized the urgent needs of the hard working employees of Quaker Fabric," U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy said in a statement today. "This needed assistance is a first step in ensuring that these families receive the benefits and training they deserve.” -- projo.com staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:50 PM | Comment ACLU: R.I. needs to address racial profilingThe Rhode Island chapter of American Civil Liberties Union said today that an organization's new report shows a need for "a broader commitment" to address racial profiling and racial disparities in the state's criminal justice system. The report, "Uneven Justice: State Rates of Incarceration by Race and Ethnicity," by The Sentencing Project, which advocates changes to the justice system, examined imprisonment rates nationally. The ACLU issued a news release saying that although Rhode Island's overall imprisonment rate for all races is lower than in most states, "the report documents that the ratio of incarceration for blacks and Hispanics within the state, when compared to whites, was well above the national average." The 2005 statistics, when comparing incarceration rates per population of 100,000 in Rhode Island, showed "great disparities exist between these rates for whites, blacks and Hispanics," the ACLU said. The incarceration rate for Hispanics was 631 per 100,000, and 1,838 per 100,000 for blacks, while the rate for whites in Rhode Island was 191. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:52 PM | Comment Barrington man sentenced for stealing from companyPROVIDENCE -- A Barrington man was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for stealing more than $700,000 from his employer in unauthorized salary bonuses and in charging to the company personal expenses such as family vacations to Nantucket and Florida. U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi today sentenced Samuel Sacco, 52, who was Spectra Systems' chief financial officer between 2000 and 2006, and ordered him to report to prison on Aug. 17, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clarke Corrente's office. Sacco has admitted that he used a company charge account and company checks to pay for expenses and ordered unauthorized annual bonuses for himself, the U.S. Attorney's office says. A Rhode Island company, Spectra Systems develops marking and authentication applications, including currency authentication techniques used by the Federal Reserve. Sacco, who had been in charge of payroll and accounts payable, pleaded guilty in April to one count each of mail fraud and wire fraud. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Prosecutor Lee H. Vilker said at the plea hearing that the government could show Sacco charged approximately $394,515 in personal expenses to a corporate charge account. He also directed the corporate controller to pay for about $52,525 of Sacco’s personal expenses with corporate checks, the U.S. Attorney's office says. Along with the family vacations, Sacco charged to the company gift cards, jewelry, insurance premiums, country club fees, liquor products, and fees for a sporting club. Sacco also falsely told the company controller that the compensation committee had authorized annual bonuses. But corporate directors said no bonuses other than an initial signing bonus were ever allowed for Sacco, the news release says. He directed that a combined $266,325 in bonuses be paid to himself between 2002 and 2005. The thefts addressed by the fraud charges came to $713,366. Sacco already made partial restitution, so Judge Lisi ordered Sacco to make restitution of approximately $640,000. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:43 PM | Comment Paralyzed man, treatment volunteer, diesBROCKTON, Mass. -- Matthew Nagle, who volunteered for a groundbreaking treatment for the paralyzed that allowed him to use his brain signals to work a computer, has died. He was 27. Nagle fell into a coma on July 17 and was diagnosed with sepsis, an infection of the blood. He died Monday at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton. Nagle lived at New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Stoughton. (Read Journal Medical Writer Felice J. Freyer's November, 2004, story on Nagle and the research.) Nagle was paralyzed from the shoulders down in July 2001 after he tried to help friends in a brawl at an Independence Day celebration in Weymouth and was stabbed in the neck. He was left unable to breathe without a ventilator and nearly unable to talk after scar tissue grew over his vocal cords. Nicholas Cirignano, who stabbed Nagle, is serving a 10-year prison sentence. In 2004, Nagle volunteered for a Brown University experiment with a device called BrainGate, which used a tiny sensor implanted in his head to read his electrical brain signals. The signals were read by computer software that allowed him to move a computer cursor. The BrainGate chip was later removed, and electrodes were implanted to stimulate the diaphragm, which allowed Nagle to breathe without a ventilator and control his wheelchair with his breath. His father, Patrick Nagle, said his son volunteered for the treatments because he wanted to do his part to help the paralyzed. "He used to say: 'You know what, there's a lot of us in chairs. If we all do a little, maybe we can make it a lot,'" his father said. Nagle was born in Cambridge and grew up in Weymouth. Besides his father, he leaves his mother, Ellen, and brother, Michael. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 12:16 PM | Comment Gov. Patrick to meet with former Quaker employeesFALL RIVER, Mass. -- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is scheduled to meet with former Quaker Fabric Corp. employees at 2 p.m. today at the site of a planned training center to be established specifically for the displaced textile workers. Massachusetts has provided $250,000 for the City of Fall River to open a training facility at 139 South Main St. in Fall River. Patrick plans to tour that site today, along with Suzanne M. Bump, secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and Fall River Mayor Edward Lambert. Massachusetts has asked the U.S. Department of Labor to provide a $2.2-million National Emergency Grant to support the facility, according to Linnea Walsh, a spokeswoman for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. There were at least 62 Rhode Island residents among the 900 Quaker employees who lost their jobs when the Fall River plant closed earlier this month. --Journal Staff Writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:14 PM | Comment Patriots' summer camp schedule is right hereHere it is, the schedule for the New England Patriots' summer camp, which kicks off this weekend and runs through Aug. 3. Practices are open to the public Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The pro-shop is open all day. Nothing is open to the public Saturday. An afternoon practice is closed to the public and the pro-shop is closed. But on Sunday, practice, from the 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5:30 pm. to 7:30 pm. is open as it the pro-shop -- from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Monday, there is no scheduled morning practice, but there is an open 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. practice. The pro-shop opens at 10 a.m., and closes at 6 p.m. Parking and admission are free. There is also the first Patriots Experience. The Patriots Experience is a theme park "designed to provide football fans with a first hand NFL experience," according to the Patriots Web site. "The interactive games allow fans to test their kicking, passing, and tackling skills on a variety of obstacle courses, football tosses, and other similar challenges.'' It's also free. Patriots Experience will be held next to the West Suite/Clubhouse lot on the way to the practice fields. There will be open practices Tuesday from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The pro-shop returns to a 7:30 a.m. opening. On Thursday, there are the open 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. practices. The pro-shop opens at 7:30 a.m. but closes earlier, at 5:45 p.m. And on Friday, there is one open practice, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. There's a 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Patriots Experience" and the pro shop will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There's also a long list of concessions, from the First Down Franks to the Pats Brats to the popcorn. Visit the team's official site or call the training camp hotline at (508) 549-0001. Starting tomorrow, projo.com's Patriots page will be the place to go for live blog reports and photos from camp. You'll also be able to post your own photos Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:07 PM | Comment Update: Family, friends recall Barrington teen / Photo
Murphy, 17, was killed last week in a kneeboarding accident on the Barrington River. He would have been starting his senior year at Barrington High School this fall. His father, John Murphy, spoke fondly of the family’s recent trip to England, Wales and Ireland. Murphy and his wife, Phoebe, coach women’s crew at Brown University and took their three children with them as the Brown crew team competed in the Henley Regatta on the River Thames near London, one of the world’s oldest rowing events. Their oldest child, Jack, middle son, Patrick, and younger daughter, Penelope, were forced to interact with each other and their parents, as they had no computers and no friends with them, their father recalled. What a wonderful trip it was, he said. “It became very clear to us that he was becoming an adult,” he said of his middle child. Everyone attending this morning’s memorial service – including more than 100 in the overflow room alone at St. John’s Episcopal Church – had a glimpse of that trip on the memorial pamphlet handed out. On the cover is a photo of Patrick Murphy taken by his older brother atop a mountain they had climbed together in Wales on July 9. The accident that took Patrick’s life happened on July 17, the day the family returned from their monthlong trip. Patrick had been eager to see his friends and reconnect, his father said. Read more about the accident ... -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims John Murphy said the family is dealing with conflicting emotions, one of which is the “anger we feel for what was done to him,” he said. “We trust justice will be done.” The police say alcohol contributed to Murphy's death, which occurred while he was on his kneeboard being towed by a boat driven by classmate Ryan A. Greenberg. The medical examiner ruled that Murphy was killed by blunt-force trauma and his body had been slashed by something sharp. Investigators believe it was a propeller. Greenberg, 17, refused to be tested for alcohol, and he failed a field sobriety test. He is due to be arraigned tomorrow on felony charges of reckless operation, death resulting. The owner of the boat, Andrew Davis, told The Journal last week that he didn't know how the teens obtained the craft. “We’ll save our anger for another day,” Patrick’s father said this morning. The other emotions, he said, are grief and “great and lasting love.” The father reminisced about his little boy with the big smile. He recalled strollers, wagons and tricycles. Patrick, he said, was a loyal and good companion, one who had begun borrowing his father’s clothes without his dad even knowing it. During the memorial service, Patrick’s history teacher, Pat Sullivan, recalled a boy who always wore wrinkled shirts and the jokes he told about how Murphy needed an iron. On a serious note, Sullivan said that when he complained to his class about not having a podium, Patrick Murphy built him one. Crying, the Barrington teacher said, “There won’t be a day when I don’t think about Patrick, especially when I lean on that podium to give a lesson.” As bagpipes started playing at the end of the memorial service, John Murphy’s words echoed in the air – please don’t play a mournful song, he had asked the bagpiper. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:02 PM | Comment Traffic: Lane closed on Route 146, ProvidenceA section of Route 146 north, Providence, near Route 95 is closed for construction work, according to the state Transportation Management Center. The lane will stay closed until 2 p.m. For other traffic needs, check out the state roadways, via the Department of Transportation's online traffic offerings. 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 Jack Perry at 11:29 AM | Comment Scituate police ID man killed in industrial accidentSCITUATE – The police this morning identified the Fall River man who was killed yesterday at the Scituate Reservoir as 37-year-old Roger G. Coe of Fall River, Mass. Coe, of Lonsdale St., was an employee of a contractor doing work for Providence Water’s purification plant at the Scituate Reservoir. A fellow employee who witnessed the accident was working his first day on the job, Police Capt. David M. Randall said. The heavy steel device that toppled off a concrete platform four feet off the ground and landed on Coe weighed somewhere between 800 and 1,000 pounds, Randall said this morning. “He took the whole weight of that thing on his body,” Randall said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:52 AM | Comment Memorial today for teen killed while kneeboardingBARRINGTON – Friends and family of the 17-year-old Barrington student killed last week in a kneeboarding accident on the Barrington River are gathering this morning for a 10 a.m. memorial service. The service for Patrick Murphy will be at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 191 County Rd., opposite the Barrington Center shopping plaza. Dozens of mourners, most of them teenage boys in white shirts, are filing into the church under a bright blue sky. The sanctuary holds about 300, said the Rev. Jennifer K. West. More than 150 can also be accommodated in an adjacent hall. The church is expected to need the space. The incoming senior class at the high school, of which Murphy would have been a member, has roughly 275 members, and the Murphy family is active in the community. His parents, John and Phoebe, coach women's crew at Brown University. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims. Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:31 AM | Comment Sunny, high near 87Look for a mostly sunny day today with a high near 87 degrees in the Providence area, according to the National Weather Service. Tonight will bring patchy fog after 9 p.m. and partly cloudy skies with a high near 69 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:04 AM | Comment Carcieri to sign Sudan divestment billPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri this afternoon plans to sign into law the requirement that Rhode Island divest state funds from companies that do business with Sudan, where government-supported militias have carried out what observers say is genocide. The signing, in the State House's State Room, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The militias have been targeting non-Arabs in Sudan's Darfur region. Rhode Island joins 13 states in divesting from Sudan in an international effort to end the Sudanese government’s genocide in Darfur, according to a news release from the governor' s offce. According to a news release, Carcieri will be joined by General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio, who submitted the divestment legislation, Rep. Joseph Almeida, who sponsored the legislation in the House of Representatives, and Scott Warren, a Brown University student who was an advocate for the law. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story about increasing enrollment at the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 25, 2007Brown U. play opens and a blues band hits a beachTonight, a New Musical -- from the Brown/Trinity Playwrights Repertory Theatre -- opens a summer series that features Brown playwrights working with actors and directors from the Brown/Trinity Consortium. The play starts at 8 p.m. at Brown’s Leeds Theatre, 77 Waterman St., Providence. Tickets are $10. Call (401) 863-2838. There's also plenty of places to catch some tunes. The Atwater-Donnelly Duo play folk at Gazebo, Main Street, in Hope. Call 647-3366. The show is from 6:30 p.. to 8 p.m. Free. Bring seats. May be canceled if it rains. In Westerly, there's Blues on the Beach. Al Copley and His Band perform at Westerly Town Beach, 365 Atlantic Ave., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The show will be held at Windjammer Restaurant if the weather doesn't cooperate. Or go through the list of bands playing around the state tonight. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Report: State employee fired for going to second jobPROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Human Resources Department has suspended a supervisor and fired a state employee for routinely leaving work early to go to a second job. WLNE TV (Channel 6) says its two-month investigation showed Sylvia Curry, an aide at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery, leaving early three days a week to go to her second job as director of welfare in the town of Exeter. The station says Curry signed in for 40 hours a week on her state time card, even though she often worked only 33 or 34 hours. The supervisor at the cemetery who approved her time cards, Thomas Podgurski, has been put on leave until the state's investigation is complete. The human services department says it's reviewing Curry's time cards since last fall. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:31 PM | Comment Cleanup after Uxbridge fire recovers oil from riverOngoing cleanup efforts on the Mumford River, a tributary of the Blackstone River, in the aftermath Saturday's blaze that leveled the Bernat Mill complex in Uxbridge, Mass. have recovered over 700 gallons of oil from that river. But high levels of metals and organic compounds will not endanger wildlife there nor in the Blackstone, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The 400,000-square-foot mill, located along the banks of the Mumford in the center of Uxbridge, was home to 65 businesses, including a chemical maker and a polystyrene manufacturer. The eight-alarm fire destroyed 80 percent of the facility, which was built in the 1820s. The Mumford River flows east 11 miles from Douglas, Mass., and joins the Blackstone River in Uxbridge. Environmental officials watched the river closely his week for signs of major contamination since the recently renovated mill housed at least two active manufacturers and a number of small businesses, including photography studios and furniture makers, that used toxic chemicals. -- Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:08 PM | Comment Lawmakers call for grant for former Quaker workersFALL RIVER, Mass. -- Several federal lawmakers from Massachusetts today called on the U.S. Department of Labor to award a National Emergency Grant to Fall River to help the city assist hundreds of former Quaker Fabric Corp. employees who lost their jobs earlier this month. The lawmakers -- U.S. Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy and U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern and Barney Frank -- urged Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao to provide $2.2 million that was requested last week by the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Massachusetts recently provided $250,000 for the City of Fall River to open a special training facility for Quaker employees. The National Emergency Grant would support that facility, according to Linnea Walsh, a spokeswoman for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. "The goal is to get this center fully operational by mid-August," Walsh said. "There's a great need in Fall River." Tomorrow, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is scheduled to meet with former Quaker employees at the site of the planned training center. There were at least 62 Rhode Island residents among the 900 Quaker employees who lost their jobs when the Fall River plant closed. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:47 PM | Comment House committee passes submarine-spending billWASHINGTON -- A key House panel has recommended the purchase of parts for a second Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2008, a step toward doubling the production rate and potentially stabilizing the workforce at Electric Boat’s shipyards at Quonset Point and Groton. As part of a shipbuilding boost that military panels have negotiated for months, the House Appropriations committee added $588 million for advance procurement of the submarine components to its overall $459.6-billion Pentagon spending measure for the fiscal year that begins next Oct. 1. That’s on top of the $2.65 billion that President Bush requested for a single submarine and associated costs. If the Senate accepts the added spending in its still-pending defense appropriation, EB and it’s shipbuilding partner, Northrup-Grummun’s Newport News (Va) Shipbuiilding, will step up to the two-subs-per-year production rate in 2009, three years earlier than the Navy had sought. The submarine program is ``essential to the future not only of the Navy but of this country, to continue to project force’’ on the seas as a way of deterring potential foes, said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., the influential chairman of the spending panel’s defense subcommittee, told reporters in a telephone conference. -- John Mulligan of the Journal Washington Bureau Murtha and Rep. Gene Taylor, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower subcommittee, have negotiated with other key legislators and Navy officials since early this year to beef up shipbuilding and reverse the decline in the size of the fleet that has been underway since the end of the Cold War. While the full House must still consider the spending bill next week and the Senate must complete work on its version of the legislation, today's action was ``a huge milestone for building up the Navy,’’ said Rep. Joe Courtney, the freshman Democrat who represents the Groton-New London area. Hee spoke during the news conference with Murtha. Navy noted that top Navy officials were at first skittish about the proposal to accelerate the submarine construction schedule, out of fear that the service could not afford such a major budget commitment. But Murtha said Defense Department officials have not objected to the higher appropriation. Thee extra money in next year’s submarine budget will purchase the nuclear reactor and propulsion system for a second sub to becompletely financed in fiscal year 2009. Overall, the appropriators added $1.6 billion more for shipbuilding than Mr. Bush had requested, adding money for an added an amphibious transport and a cargo ship. Counting the extra fund toward a second sub, the House budget called for 10 new ships in fiscal 2008, three more than the Navy had budgeted. Rep. James R. Langevin, who represents the Quonset Point area and many constituents who work at EB, called today’s action ``extremely encouraging for the future of shipbuilding in southeastern New England.’’ Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:07 PM | Comment This cat is familiar with deathPROVIDENCE -- Oscar the cat seems to sense death approaching for the residents of Providence's Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Dr. David M. Dosa, a Rhode Island Hospital geriatrician and Brown University professor, writes in tomorrow's New England Journal of Medicine that Oscar has "presided over the deaths of more than 25 residents on the third floor" of the rehabilitation center. Since the center staff adopted him as a kitten, Oscar "has had an uncanny ability to predict when residents are about to die," Dosa writes. He adds: "His mere presence at the bedside is viewed by physicians and nursing-home staff as an absolute indicator of impending death, allowing staff members to adequately notfiy families." The article offers some anecdotes. In one, a nurse's aide comes out of a room carrying linens, sees Oscar and asks, "Are you going inside?" Oscar does go inside, where one of the patients suffers from cancer. Her daughter sits nearby reading and says, "Hello, Oscar. How are you today?" Oscar gets onto the bed. Then he gets up and leaves. He goes into another room, where another woman, surrounded by family photos, rests. This time he stays on her bed. A nurse notices and gets out the woman's chart. She begins making phone calls. The family comes and takes seats in the room. The priest arrives. One family member explains to her son that the cat is there "to help Grandma get to heaven." A half-hour later, the patient dies. Outside the door there's a plaque that says: "For his compassionate hospice care, this plaque is awarded to Oscar the Cat." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment Pawtucket man, charged with molestation, is heldPROVIDENCE -- A 21-year-old Pawtucket man charged with first degree child molestation for allegedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl he met on MySpace.com pleaded not guilty in Superior Court today. Otensi Dekargai, of 10 Anthony St., was ordered held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston until his next court date, on Oct. 25. Magistrate Joseph A. Keough issued Dekargai a no contact order with the victim. A Providence County grand jury indictment dated July 6, 2007, alleges that Dekargai committed first-degree child molestation on a victim 14 years old or younger between March 1 and April 30. -- Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo According to the police, both Dekargai and his victim, who is from Providence, lied about their age. The girl told Dekargai over the Internet that she was 16; he claimed to be 17. The police said the girl and Dekargai conversed on line for a few weeks before they met. In April, the two apparently agreed to meet on Chalkstone Avenue in Providence, the police said. Dekargai drove the girl to Pawtucket, where the two allegedly had sex, the police said. Later, he gave her cab fare home, the police said. The Pawtucket police were contacted after the girl’s mother became concerned for her daughter’s health and took her to Women & Infants Hospital in Providence on June 4. The hospital notified the police. The girl identified Dekargai through his posting on MySpace, a social networking website, the police said. Dekargai was arrested by the Pawtucket police on June 11. Because she is 11, it does not matter whether the victim consented to sex or that there is no allegation that force was used, the police said. Under the law, she cannot consent. It is also not relevant that the girl lied about her age, the police said. First degree child molestation carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Under the Jessica Lunsford Child Predator Act of 2006, convicted first degree child molesters must be electronically monitored via an active global positioning system for life. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:29 PM | Comment Zoo exhibit: 7 feet long and daily diet of 35,000 bugsPROVIDENCE -- A giant ant-eater, up to seven feet from stem to stern, will be coming to Roger Williams Park Zoo, the zoo announced today. The zoo promises ant-eater-themed activities during "Giant Anteater Weekend, Aug. 4 and 5. A Giant Anteater is the biggest anteater species and each one can weigh up to 80 pounds. "But the truly unique thing about this animal is of course, its diet," the zoo news release says. "Using its long snout and two-foot tongue (the largest in relation to its body size than any other animal), the Giant Anteater can devour up to 35,000 insects per day." The exhibit will go next to the zoo’s Tropical America building and features an outdoor habitat with a shallow pool and tropical-style plants. The exhibit also will have small buildings in the style of a South American village, including the "Anteater Cantina, which will be an education station for visitors. All activities free with regular admission. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors (62+) and $6 for children ages three to 12. Children under three and zoo members are admitted free. Call (401) 785-3510. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:08 PM | Comment Pelosi to visit Rhode IslandWASHINGTON (AP) _ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Rhode Island on Saturday at the invitation of Rep. Patrick Kennedy. Kennedy's office says he and the California Democrat will meet with a small group of residents at the Child and Family Supportive Housing Center in Newport. Pelosi will also attend a "Women in Leadership'' public reception at Newport's Belcourt Castle, then appear with Kennedy at a fundraising event for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Pelosi has been an ally of Kennedy's, supporting his push for legislation that requires equal health-insurance coverage for mental illness. She also made a public appearance with him last year as a show of support shortly after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of prescription drugs. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 2:52 PM | Comment Worker dies in Scituate industrial accidentSCITUATE -- A worker died this morning in an industrial accident at a Scituate water treatment plant. The accident happened as the employee, who worked for a contracting firm, returned to the work site to dismantle equipment that was used to complete a project for the Providence Water Supply Board. Officials say the worker was killed when a crane-like device called a gantry collapsed on him. The worker's name has not been released, but he worked for Eastern Piping and Engineering, which is based in Fall River. Representatives from the the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were in Scituate to investigate. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 2:27 PM | Comment RIPTA's RIde program to automate dispatchingAn Atlanta company has gotten the $1.6 million contract to automate the scheduling and dispatching of the Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority's of RIde program, which gives door-to-door transportation for elderly and special-needs travelers. RouteMatch Software, Inc. announced in a news release today that the contract "positions RIPTA to provide citizens with the latest transportation technologies to improve efficiencies, save operating costs and enhance customer service." The news release states that RIPTA will be able to automate coordination with state agencies, "vehicles and driver management, invoicing, reporting and communication with riders." The RIde program, which includes the para-transit vans, makes some 3,500 trips a day, five days a week. It also make some weekend trips, Karen Mensel, a RIPTA spokeswoman, said in an interview. Known as "intelligent transportation technology," the new system will allow RIPTA to automatically identify where every para-teansit van is with a global positionining satellite system, Mensel said. If plans change for a customer, Mensel said, the new technology will allow a driver to be notified in real time. That could mean not having to make a trip that turns out to have been called off or making a different trip than originally scheduled. Mensel said that in the event a vehicle had mechanical problems during a series of pickups, the system could allow quick contact with another RIde vehicle nearby that could pick up some or all of the passengers from the other one. Mensel said she did not know a firm date when the new technologies will be in place. "We had simply outgrown our software solution and realized that we needed something not only flexible, scalable and powerful, but a real turnkey transportation management system that would satisfy our paratransit and Flex service requirements," said Doug Wood, RIde program director, said in the release. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:07 PM | Comment Governor will sign Sudan divestment tomorrowPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri tomorrow afternoon will sign into law the requirement that Rhode Island divest state funds from companies that do business with Sudan, where government-supported militias have carried out what observers say is genocide. The signing, in the State House's State Room, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., the governor's office announced today. The militias have been targeting non-Arabs in Sudan's Darfur region. Rhode Island joins 13 states in divesting from Sudan in an international effort to end the Sudanese government’s genocide in Darfur, according to a news release from the governor' s offce. According to a news release, Carcieri will be joined by General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio, who submitted the divestment legislation, Rep. Joseph Almeida, who sponsored the legislation in the House of Representatives, and Scott Warren, a Brown University student who was an advocate for the law. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:50 PM | Comment Restoring some W. Warwick phones may take days
As of last night, spokeswoman Lillian McGee said in an e-mail, there were approximately 3,000 customers out of service A contractor working on Main Street in West Warwick cut four majnor Verizon cables, McGee said. Crews worked through last night in an effort to restore service. McGee said restoring the phone service after that kind of damage is a lot of work. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:21 PM | Comment Senate committee holds hearing today on DCYFThe Senate Health and Human Services Committee has scheduled a hearing for 4 p.m. today in the State House to discuss caseloads at the state Department of Children, Youth and Families and foster parent licensing. Child Advocate Jametta Alston has been invited to testify. The committee will discuss the issues brought up by Alston in the lawsuit she filed against the state on behalf of the 3,000 children in state foster care. DCYF Director Patricia Martinez, Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Jane Hayward are expected to attend. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing on DCYF issues in December, and the Senate later passed a resolution asking for monthly reports on social worker caseloads and overtime and foster parent licensure. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:51 AM | Comment URI names new AD
As expected, the University of Rhode Island today appointed Thorr D. Bjorn as its 11th director of athletics. Bjorn spent 15 years at the University of Massachusetts, where he rose to the position of senior associate athletic director. Bjorn, 39, served as the UMASS interim director of athletics from September 2003 to February 2004. Bjorn, who played football for UMASS, will oversee a department that has 22 intercollegiate sports, serving about 500 student-athletes. He has a five-year contract that will pay him $165,000 annually. His appointment is effective Aug. 8. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:20 AM | Comment Sen. Whitehouse to visit GreenlandRhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse plans this weekend to join a delegation of senators on a trip to Greenland, where they intend to take a first-hand look at the evidence of global warming The leader of the delegation is Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, of which Democrat Whitehouse is a junior member. -- John Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau Posted by Jack Perry at 10:20 AM | Comment Bruschi lives!New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is alive and well, the team reports, despite a wildfire rumor spreading across the region that Bruschi has died. The Journal last night received approximately 10 calls from readers who had heard the rumor. Patriots beat writer Shalise Manza Young contacted Stacy James, the Patriots team spokesman, who said Bruschi was healthy and that the rumors were absolutely untrue. Former Journal writer Tom Curran, now with NBC Sports, also heard the rumor from several fans, and he writes about the hysteria today on his blog. Posted by Mike McDermott at 9:28 AM | Comment Traffic report: Lane closed on Route 146The left lane is closed on Route 146, Providence, from Route 95 to Branch Avenue for bridge maintenance, according to the state Transportation Management Center. The lane will stay closed until 2 p.m. The work will continue tomorrow. For other traffic needs, check out the state roadways, via the Department of Transportation's online traffic offerings. 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 Jack Perry at 9:14 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about a home invasion in Cheshire, Conn., that left three people dead. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:02 AM | Comment RI's web-based government use ranks 30thPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island ranks 30th among states, up from 32nd the prior year, in terms of states whose government uses Web-based technology effectively, according to an annual Brown University analysis. Maine ranked third, up from 18th. Massachusetts ranked sixth, up from 22nd. And Connecticut placed 19th, up from 27th. Both Vermont and New Hampshire fell below Rhode Island. Delaware and Michigan were the best states for e-government in the United States, according to the analysis, now in its eighth year. The researchers analyzed 1,487 state Web sites -- an average of 30 sites per state -- plus 48 federal government legislative and executive sites and 13 federal court sites. Research was done last month and this month. Web sites were evaluated for whether they had various electronic features: online publications, databases, audio clips, video clips, foreign language content, translation services, advertisements, premium fees, user payments or fees, disability access, privacy policy, security policy, online services, digital signatures, credit card payments, e-mail addresses, comment forms, automatic e-mail updates, Web site personalization, PDA accessibility and readability level. Seventeen percent of sites charge visitors a fee to use online services, up from 12 percent last year. An increasing number of sites offer privacy and security policy statements. This year, 73 percent have some type of privacy policy on their site, up from 71 percent last year. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:17 AM | Comment Marine report: Looks like a day for the beachToday should be a good day to hit the beach, especially since forecasters are starting to think the weekend will bring rain. The high temperature should reach 81 degrees in Narragansett with a southwest wind up to 15 knots, according to the National Weather Service. The surf should be strong. If you’re planning on sunbathing, surfing or swimming today, check the area beach status by going to the state Department of Health’s beach-monitoring site or call (401) 222-2751 for recorded information. If you’re looking for marine weather information, check out the National Weather Service’s interactive coastal marine map for this region. Also, for all your nautical needs, boaters love the Maine Harbors site, which is packed with tide charts, marine weather news, information on fishing tournaments and links to local boat builders, charter operators, lighthouses and publications. The tide charts on this site are so well done that boaters rave about them. Check out Rhode Island’s chart. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:12 AM | Comment Mostly sunny with a high near 87The heat is back. Today should be mostly sunny with a high near 87 degrees in the Providence area, according to the National Weather Service. Tonight should be mostly clear with a low around 65 degrees, the weather service says. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 24, 2007Movie and a beach, tonight in WesterlyThe weather's right for a movie -- on the beach. Tonight, "RV" will be screened at Misquamicut Beach, part of an ongoing series of family-oriented flicks. The spot is at Atlantic Pizza, 145 Atlantic Ave., in Westerly. The movie starts at 8:45 p.m. Parking is free, and so is admission. Call (401) 596 -7761 or visit www.westerlychamber.org Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:52 PM | Comment Phone service disruption in W. Warwick, CoventryCustomers in West Warwick and Coventry were affected by a telephone service outage today, and for a time callers to the Coventry Police station were routed to West Greenwich police. The extent and cause of the phone failure was not clear. A Verizon spokeswoman had not responded to a phone message and an e-mail this evening. Coventry Police Sgt. Stephen Michailides said his understanding was the police station's lines were affected around 8 a.m. He said calls were routed to West Greenwich police, who then used other means to promptly get the information to Coventry police. Both departments are on a Nextel system, for instance. He said 911 service and other lines have since been restored to the Coventry station. Apparently some digging had been going on in West Warwick and a line or lines were damaged, which led to the phone outage. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment RISD's expansion will open in September 2008PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island School of Design Museum says its five-story addition will open in September 2008. It says the building now under construction will open with a new exhibit by noted glass sculptor Dale Chihuly. Chihuly's work has been displayed everywhere from New York to Jerusalem to the White House. The Chace Center will provide a 43,000-foot extension to the museum at the Rhode Island School of Design -- which is one of the region's premier art museums. Chihuly is a Seattle-based glassblower who received a master's degree from R.I.S.D. in 1968. He's creating an original work in a new five-thousand-square-foot exhibition space at the center. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:07 PM | Comment Jury finds against Charlie Weis in medical suitBOSTON -- A jury today found against Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis in his medical malpractice lawsuit against two doctors he claimed botched his care after he had gastric bypass surgery five years ago. The jury deliberated almost three hours before finding Massachusetts General Hospital surgeons Charles Ferguson and Richard Hodin were not negligent. Weis, 51, who won three Super Bowls as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, accused the surgeons of negligence for allowing him to bleed internally for 30 hours before performing a second surgery to correct the complication. Weis became gravely ill after the 2002 surgery and nearly died. He testified he still has numbness and pain in his feet and sometimes has to use a motorized cart. Seated next to the surgeons on the front row of a courtroom bench, he was stoic as the verdict was read and left the courtroom without comment. His lawyer, Michael Mone, did not immediately return a call. -- The Associated Press Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:36 PM | Comment South Kingstowners will get bird's eye view of townSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Residents will be able get a birds’ eye view of their property, check out local voting districts as well as location of coastal ponds and open space beginning tomorrow morning at the Town of South Kingstown Web site. At 8 a.m., the town Planning Department will link its Geographic Information System to the town Web site at www.southkingstownri.com. Visitors will have access to aerial images of the town and have the ability to zero-in on particular properties. The computerized mapping system delineates details such as zoning and voting districts as well as conservation areas and wetlands, said Carol Baker, the town’s GIS administrator. That information can then be paired with tax assessor and other town records. “The town has a wealth of GIS data,” Baker said. The project has been in the works for two years. The technology, in the meantime, has been used for projects such as developing school bus routes and emergency evacuation plans, Town Manager Stephen Alfred said. “We’re ready to go,” Baker said. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:29 PM | Comment Six Providence police officers sworn in todayPROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline today appointed six recruits to the police force in a swearing-in ceremony at the Public Safety Complex. “So it’s been a long time coming. But today is your day,” Police Chief Dean M. Esserman told the newly minted officers from a lectern in the sunny second-floor atrium. In welcoming them, he declared, “I am a happy police chief.” They are graduates of the Police Department’s 64th training academy, which concluded in January. But the 6 could not join 18 other graduates who were appointed that month because there were only 18 confirmed department vacancies available at that time. As vacancies open, appointments are made based on a graduate’s academy class rank. Even with the six appointed yesterday, another five graduates are still jobless, marking time until more vacancies arise. The job pays $823.63 a week. In a time-honored procedure, Esserman removed each man’s badge from a blue felt-covered display board, attached it to his blue uniform shirt, exchanged salutes and shook his hand. The only exception was for Patrolman Jared Stanzione, whose father, Bart, is a retired Barrington police officer. Bart Stanzione pinned the badge on his son. Besides Stanzione, 34, an East Providence resident, the other new officers are Ibrahim Yousif, 22, of Johnston; Peter Santos, 24, of Fall River; Juan Rodrigues, 30, of Dorchester, Mass.; Eric Greene, 28, of East Providence; and Jason Andrade, 25, of Brockton, Mass. -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:16 PM | Comment Buddy's back and so is Buddy, the documentaryIf you didn't catch "Buddy," Cherry Arnold's documentary of former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. when it was shown in Providence this year, you can catch it for free on Thursday. The documentary will be shown Thursday night from 9:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. after an NBC special about Cianci. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:55 PM | Comment Middletown is fined $50,000 for sewer line breaksMIDDLETOWN -- Environmental regulators have fined Middletown $50,000 for spilling sewage into Narragansett Bay. Authorities at the Department of Environmental Management fault Middletown authorities for failing to properly maintain a sewage line that ruptured in 2005 and 2006. As a result, sewage seeped into the ocean. State officials say the pipeline hadn't been inspected or cleaned since its installation in 1969. Town Council President Paul Rodrigues says he hopes the fine will be waived on appeal since Middletown is repairing its sewer system. A spokeswoman for the D.E.M. says the citation speaks for itself. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:56 PM | Comment 3 out-of-state educators are finalists in N. KingstownNORTH KINGSTOWN — School officials are considering three out-of-state candidates for school superintendent. The administrative hopefuls – a special education director and two superintendents -- will talk up their skills during back-to-back interviews beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday in the School Committee meeting room. The one-hour interviews are open to the public. The candidates were chosen from among 29 administrators who applied for the job, which pays around $130,000. A 17-person screening committee reduced the pool of candidates to seven and then three. Although school officials started late, “we’ve gotten good quality candidates,” said Bill Daly, director of human resources. “The committee has been pleasantly surprised.” The candidates are Fred Williams, superintendent at Lincoln Consolidated Schools in Ypsilanti, Mich.; Priscilla L. Feir, a superintendent with the Perkiomen Valley School District in Collegeville, Pa.; and Michael J. Singleton, special education director for the Williamstown, Mass. public school system. Singleton also worked as a superintendent at several New York schools. The new hire will replace former superintendent James M. Halley. Under pressure from School Committee members, Halley resigned last May after working 11 years in the district. During that time, the district produced top-ranking schools and award-winning teachers. Last October, Halley was named Superintendent of the Year. But Halley ran afoul of parents and union officials who called him unresponsive. Some critics charged him with mismanaging school funds. Halley agreed to a buyout plan and was replaced by former Narragansett Schools Supt. Albert E. Honnen Jr. Honnen, who came out of retirement to work for 90 days, can stay longer under his agreement with the district. But school officials hope to hire a permanent superintendent by the start of the school year, Daly said. Students go back to school Aug. 29. “We knew it was going to be a sprint to the finish line,” Daly said. “But the screening committee did a great job.” They even won compliments from some candidates for their questions and professionalism, Daly said. “We’re optimistic that we will have someone on board by the beginning of the school year.”
Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:33 PM | Comment Rhode Island gets $100,000 anti-obesity grantPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island has gotten a $100,000 grant to better children's health and nutrition and to battle obesity. Rhode Island is one of 10 states to get the National Governors Association grant, which will "support and enhance existing childhood obesity prevention efforts in schools and communities," according to a news release from Governor Carcieri's office. The grant come under the Center for Best Practices’ Healthy Kids, Healthy America Program, which encourages state programs that increase physical activity, improve nutrition and prevent childhood obesity. Carcieri said in the statement that Rhode Island is making progress in the area and noted it has new laws that ban junk food sales and sodas in public schools and creates "wellness subcommittees" in each school district. “This grant will help us build on our momentum to create a culture of health, wellness and activity among our young people,” Carcieri said. “It will improve Rhode Island’s childhood obesity prevention programs and will help make our state a healthier place for our children.” The state Department of Health will work with non-profit Kids First, school districts and individual schools to improve the nutrition and physical activities of children. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:30 PM | Comment DEM reopens Warren Town Beach to swimmingWARREN -- The state Health Department today said Warren Town Beach can reopen to swimming. Water sample results showed bacteria levels within acceptable limits, according to a news release. To check information about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or call (401) 222-2751. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:22 PM | Comment Holsteins halted traffic in HopkintonHOPKINTON – Commuters experienced a brief bovine back-up on Route 95 south this morning as several Holsteins wandered onto the highway. Troopers James Pardington and Stephen Vanner used air horns and old-fashioned shooing to urge the cows from the roadway around 8 a.m. The cows strayed onto Route 95 south near exit 2 through a hole in a fence at Brook-Knoll Farm, state police reports show. Traffic was stopped for about two minutes to prevent cars from colliding with the errant cattle, Sgt. Nicholas Tella said. “If a vehicle hits them, it could cause a serious, serious accident,” Tella said. After a bit of prodding, the cows turned and ran into the woods. “They move at their own pace,” Tella said. The state police contacted the owners of the farm, who explained that the cows had escaped through a 100-foot gap in the fence. And it’s not the first time they’ve broken free. “Last year, they were out every day,” said Dorothy Reynolds, who co-owns the farm. DOT records show that state workers erected 2,500 feet of fencing, plus another 100 feet, on Oct. 13, said Heidi Cote, DOT spokeswoman. “If there was a hole, they didn’t make us aware of it,” she said. The state will look into the complaint, she said. “We don’t want anything to hurt motorists or the animals,” Cote said. “We will certainly investigate.” -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney The Reynolds family, which owns Brook-Knoll Farm, says the state Department of Transportation has been responsible for maintaining the fence that runs along the roadway since it took the land by imminent domain. Route 95 slices through the farm's rock-studded meadows. The state installed a portion of the fence, but left about 100 feet unfinished, Reynolds said. The family has been trying to keep the cows away from that area. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:52 PM | Comment Update: Heroes ride fun bus in Providence / Photo
They’re bringing roller blades, board games and a 35-foot inflatable obstacle course to the city’s pools and water parks as the city’s Fun Bus tours the capital city. Actually, it’s employees of the city’s Recreation Department who are donning Super Hero costumes and touring the parks with their games, starting this morning at the Neutaconkanut Recreation Center, at 675 Plainfield St. Donated by the Free Wheeler Association, the city’s Fun Bus is handicapped accessible. Students from the TruSchool paired up with Straight Up Graphics to paint the colorful exterior, according to the Providence mayor’s office. The Boys & Girls Club of Providence will send two staff members to help supervise the Fun Bus activities. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Here’s the Fun Bus schedule. It expects to stop at each location at 10:30 a.m.: July 25, Zuccolo Recreation Center; Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:26 PM | Comment Providence building placed on National RegisterPROVIDENCE -- State preservation officials will announce this afternoon that Conley's Wharf building, which once was the Providence Gas Company Purifier House, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. The building, on the South Providence waterfront, has gotten the federal recognition "for its contributions to the history of architecture and industry," according to a news release from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission The National Register is the official list of properties throughout the country whose historical and architectural significance makes them worthy of preservation. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The building is on a 0.7-acre lot at Allens Avenue and Public Street on the Providence River. Built in 1900, the reinforced concrete and brick industrial building has an elliptical arched roof and a four-story stair tower. The building’s most distinguishing characteristic is its steel frame, largely exposed on the interior, consisting of columns, beams, and a series of trusses. According to the news release, the Providence Gas Company Purifier House building "is a notable example of architectural engineering and early steel construction. Built for producing coal gas and later adapted for warehouse and light industrial uses, the Purifier House represents the ongoing evolution of Providence’s industrial waterfront." Edward F. Sanderson, executive director of the state Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, said in the statement: “This unique industrial structure is an excellent example of 19th-century steel truss engineering and was one of the first steel framed buildings erected in New England.” Property owner and developer Patrick T. Conley stated: “We are privileged to own such a building and grateful that we were able to restore it to community use while retaining its historic architectural character." The Purifier House had a large amount of high, unobstructed floor space, due to use of trusses. The gas manufacturing process involved roasting coal in a furnace to release raw gas that was piped to the purifier building where it was purified before being stored in a separate tank. The former Purifier House changed hands several times. It was recently rehabilitated, with the conversion of the fourth floor to the Conley Conference Center, Patrick’s Pier One function facility and the Fabre Line Club headquarters. The first three floors provide space for 10 artists’ studios and Gail’s Gallery. The announcement of the National Register designation is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the former Providence Gas Company Purifier House. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:21 PM | Comment Rhode Island sees decline in traffic deathsWith six fewer fatalities in motor vehicle crashes last year, Rhode Island saw its toll of people killed in crashes drop by nearly seven percentage points, according to a national traffic study released today. In Massachusetts, there were 441 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2005, which dropped to 430 last year -- a decline of 2.5 percentage points. But Connecticut saw an increase from 278 people killed in 2005 to 301 last year -- a rise of 8.3 percentage points. Nationwide, the number of people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes dropped as well, from 43,510 in 2005 to 42,642 last year, says the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration assessment. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:21 PM | Comment 2 men arraigned in Cheshire, Conn., killingsMERIDEN, Conn. -- Two men described by authorities as career criminals were arraigned today in the home invasion and arson that took the lives of three members of a Cheshire, Conn., family. Joshua Komisarjevky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted, were formally charged with assault, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery and arson. They were each ordered held in lieu of $15 million bond. State police have said that additional criminal charges are likely to be filed. The two men, both in orange prison jump suits and shackles, did not enter pleas, and answered only, "Yes," when asked if they understood their rights. Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley Petit and 11-year-old Michaela, were found dead yesterday inside their burning home after the family had been held hostage for hours, the police said. -- The Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:11 PM | Comment Cumberland man found guilty of firearms crimePROVIDENCE -- A federal jury has found a Cumberland man guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm for having three rifles in his house, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced today. The jury returned the verdict yesterday against Richard Ribeiro, 59, after a one-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee presented evidence that on May 1, 2006, Cumberland Police and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) used a search warrant at Ribeiro’s home on Macondary Street. They seized a rifle in a crawl space. After interviewing Ribeiro at the Cumberland Police station, an ATF agent returned to Ribeiro’s home and seized two more long guns in another section of the crawl space: a 12-gauge shotgun and a .357 Magnum rifle., according to the news release. The agent also found .357-caliber ammunition in a dresser drawer Ribeiro has a prior felony narcotics conviction. The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Ribeiro is detained, pending a scheduled Nov. 16 sentencing. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:50 PM | Comment Carcieri holds private retreat over state budgetWEST GREENWICH -- Governor Carcieri holds a closed-door retreat today with his directors about next year's budget and a plan to eliminate 1,000 state jobs. A Carcieri spokesman say they're trying to identify 1,000 state positions this summer that can be eliminated through attrition, privatization and layoffs. That plan came after the General Assembly passed a $7 billion budget last month. It closed a $450 million dollar deficit but left the door open to similar shortfalls in coming years. The retreat is being held at a University of Rhode Island campus in West Greenwich. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 11:54 AM | Comment Three Charlestown councilors' appeal is dismissedPROVIDENCE -- Providence County Superior Court Judge Patricia Hurst dismissed Charlestown's appeal of a finding by the Attorney General’s Office that it had violated the Open Meetings Act. “The only way I can review something the Attorney General’s Office did if it’s brought under the APA (Administrative Procedures Act),” Hurst said. For that to happen, the plaintiff must prove there is a controversy “within the meaning of the APA” and that the decision being appealed is the agency’s final decision. That was not the case in that Charlestown appeal, Hurst said. The attorney general’s office concluded in March the Charlestown Town Council violated the Open Meetings Law when three council members-elect -- James M. Mageau, John O. Craig Jr. and Bruce W. Picard -- met “outside the public purview to discuss and plan public business.” Namely, three council members-elect agreed to appoint former town administrator Edward M. Barrett “town administrator at the Town Council meeting after we were sworn into office.” The three appointed Barrett acting administrator in December, and administrator later that month, on a 3-to-2 vote. -- Journal staff writer Maria Armental Mageau, Craig, and Picard appealed the attorney general’s decision, arguing the Open Meetings Law did not apply to them because the election results were yet to be certified. Town Solicitor Robert E. Craven -- who had advised the three on the matter prior to his appointment as town solicitor and continued to represent them on that issue after his appointment on a private basis -- said his clients will likely ask the state legislature to amend the statute that governs open meetings and clarify if the intention of the act was to “empower the attorney general to issue advisory opinions.” Last month, the attorney general’s office issued a separate Open Meetings Law violation notice against the Town Council. Read more about that. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:36 AM | Comment Update: Rte. 95 crashes -- both now clearedBoth accidents that blocked lanes on Route 95 this morning have been cleared up, according to the state Transportation Management Center. A 10 a.m. rollover that may have involved three vehicles on Route 95 south at exit 24 has been cleared. Although it blocked two lanes of traffic for a short while, it didn't affect traffic too much, TMC operator Robert Cahill said this morning. A three-vehicle accident on Route 95 north about 20 minutes later was cleared around 11 a.m. It had closed the right lane at exit 22, Cahill said. Traffic was backed up to about Broad Street and Route 195, but it wasn't too bad, Cahill said. 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. -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Kate Bramson For other traffic needs, check out the state roadways, via the Department of Transportation's online traffic offerings. 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 Jack Perry at 11:15 AM | Comment EMC 2Q profit rises 19.8 percent on sales gainsBOSTON -- EMC Corp. today said its second-quarter profit rose 19.8 percent as the data storage vendor recorded double-digit sales gains at its biggest businesses and posted its biggest revenue gain in more than two years. Hopkinton-based EMC said net income rose to $334.4 million, or 16 cents per share, for the April-through-June period, up from a profit of $279.1 million, or 12 cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago. -- The Associated Press Revenue rose 21 percent to $3.12 billion from $2.57 billion a year ago, the biggest quarterly gain since a 27 percent increase in 2004's fourth quarter. The latest quarter's per-share profit matched the consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. EMC's revenue beat analysts' consensus forecast of $3.07 billion. Unlike the previous quarter, when EMC's overseas operations posted far stronger sales gains than domestic operations, the company's North American business posted a 20 percent sales gain in the latest quarter, nearly matching 23 percent growth overseas. For the second straight quarter, EMC's fastest-growing area was a region encompassing, Asia, Japan and the Pacific, with a 32 percent gain. EMC's second-quarter revenue from software licenses jumped 27 percent, outpacing the 18 percent growth in the storage systems business at EMC, whose rivals include IBM Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., and Network Appliance Inc. Revenue from professional services and systems maintenance grew by 18 percent. VMware, an EMC subsidiary whose "virtualization" software helps make computing more efficient, continued to show strong growth with an 89 percent increase in revenue to $298 million. Joe Tucci, EMC's chairman, president and chief executive, said the quarter was highlighted by "solid revenue growth that was well balanced across our systems, software and services businesses and all major geographies. "Add to this the explosion of digital information and the positive 2007 IT (information technology) spending outlook we see in all major geographies, and it is clear that we are in a sweet spot of the IT industry." EMC gave a slightly more optimistic forecast of its performance for the full year, compared with expectations it gave in January for 2007 revenue of at least $12.7 billion and a per-share profit of 64 cents. On Tuesday, EMC said it expects "to exceed" those targets, but didn't offer specifics. Analysts expect EMC to post a full-year profit of 68 cents per share on $12.78 billion in revenue. The latest quarter marked the 16th consecutive period in which EMC posted double-digit revenue growth. Its shares rose 9 cents to $19.60 in premarket trading. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:50 AM | Comment Firefighter injured in Providence firePROVIDENCE – A firefighter was treated and released early this morning from Rhode Island Hospital after suffering neck and back injuries from falling debris as he battled a fire in a vacant building in the Wanskuck neighborhood. The fire on the second-floor of a 2 ½-story building, at 190 Veazie St., was reported at 2:43 a.m. and was under control at 3:28 a.m., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:51 AM | Comment Accidents prompt Boston tunnel design reviewBOSTON -- The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is investigating the geometry of the Tip O'Neill Tunnel after an activist citizen proved to state officials, using their own data, that there have been significantly more car accidents in the new tunnel compared to nearby tunnels. There were 614 crashes in the new O'Neill tunnel in a two-year period ending in February, compared with 28 crashes in the same period in the aging Callahan and Sumner tunnels, according to statistics Boston activist Vincent Zarrilli obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request which he supplied to The Associated Press. The O'Neill tunnel, part of Interstate 93, is about 1.5 miles long, the older tunnels, which link downtown to Logan airport, are about a mile long. -- Read the full Associated Press report Posted by Jack Perry at 8:25 AM | Comment Marine report: Seas still roughIt looks like a decent day for the beach, but a rough day on the water. The clouds should clear out of Narragansett by mid morning, and the temperature should reach 77 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The wind will blow from the southwest between 8 and 11 mph. After a low pressure area moved into the region yesterday and kicked up the waves, seas from Montauk to Nantucket won't drop below five feet until early tonight. The dense fog from Boston Harbor to Merrimack River will slowly lift this morning. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Clouds clearing awayThe National Weather Service says clouds will clear out today, and the temperature in the Providence area will reach about 84 degrees. Tonight should be clear with a low around 64 degrees, the weather service says. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the story of a Barrington priest's claiming in his Sunday homily that the town is in denial about its substance-abuse problems and that alleged witnesses were being urged to keep silent about the death of 17-year-old Patrick Murphy. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 23, 2007It's Monday: Pols on YouTube or jazz at True Brew?If you don't plan on watching the CNN/YouTube presidential candidates debate beginning at 7 tonight, there's still some jazz and rock out there. Joe Parillo and Friends play jazz at True Brew Cafe, 213 Robinson St., Wakefield. Call 284-1850. The show is from 6:30-9:30 pm. The cost is $5. Bruce Jacques will rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. Call 847-9460. Or, you can always just stay in and finish reading that Harry Potter book. For more events around Rhode Island, check projo.com's listing page. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment Warwick joins EPA energy-savings initiativeWarwick is among 30 New England cities and towns -- and the only one in Rhode Island -- to join a federal initiative to assess their energy use, improve energy efficiency and aim to save money in doing so. Warwick has joined the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Community Energy Challenge, according to an EPA news release today. “Energy use is the largest source of air pollution in the region and the country. Through the Community Energy Challenge, municipalities can identify simple and cost-effective measures to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources,” Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office, said in the statement. The New England Community Energy Challenge is part of a campaign to better energy efficiency in commercial and industrial buildings across the United States by 10 percent or more, according to the EPA. The communities are from all six New England states and represent nearly 2 million people. Up to 30 percent of energy consumed by buildings is wasted, offering program participants a significant opportunity to "strategically reduce unnecessary consumption in buildings, while reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions," the EPA said. Challenge participants will be measuring building energy use in schools, municipal buildings or wastewater facilities. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:42 PM | Comment Quaker Fabrics moving to sell property to pay loansFALL RIVER, Mass. -- The Quaker Fabric Corp. is moving to sell its real estate and all of its equipment to pay back $34.2 million in loans, according to a federal filing submitted this afternoon. Quaker has hired RAS Management Advisors Inc. to manage “the liquidation of the assets of the company,” according to the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Cynthia L. Gordan, Quaker’s general counsel, did not return a call for comment. A spokesman for RAS Management was not available. Earlier today, several federal lawmakers who represent Massachusetts said former Quaker employees might be eligible for back pay and health care coverage as a result, they say, of the company’s failure to warn workers at least 60 days before the plant closed. The lawmakers -- U.S. Sens. John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern -- asked Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao to investigate whether Quaker had violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act, known as WARN. "They are out in the cold,” Kerry said in a statement. “I strongly urge Secretary Chao to take a good, hard look at the way this closing was handled.” -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:37 PM | Comment 4-car accident in N. Smithfield leaves 6 hurt / Photo
The accident, involving a chain of four cars and reported about 1:41 p.m., happened on the stretch of 146A called Eddie Dowling Highway, near the intersection where the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island and the Dowling Village construction site are located. According to North Smithfield Fire and Rescue Service, the cars were heading north. Details of how the crash happened were not immediately known. Nine people were in the four cars, Six were taken to Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, complaining of pains but not serious injuries. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Hill Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:13 PM | Comment Teen found dead in crashed car in S. KingstownSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- An 18-year-old resident of Matunuck Schoolhouse Road was found dead in his car after it apparently left that road and crashed into several trees early Sunday morning. Matthew Babcock, 18, of 1230 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, was found after a walker noticed a car in the woods near 990 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, near the entrance to Trustom National Wildlife Refuge. Evidence indicated that the 2003 white Pontiac Sunfire, registered to the victim’s father, Jerry Babcock of 1217 Matunuck Schoolhouse Rd., was going west when it left the road on the eastbound side and hit several trees between 2:30 a.m. and 5:24 a.m., according to police. There was no evidence of braking. An extrication device was used to remove the body, which was taken to the state medical examiner’s office. Autopsy results were not available. There was no evidence of alcohol use, police said. -- Journal staff writer Donita Naylor Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:18 PM | Comment Update: SBA loans OK'd for Uxbridge mill fire victimsBOSTON, Mass. -- The Small Business Administration today declared a disaster at the site of a massive mill fire in Uxbridge, allowing the 135 business- and homeowners affected to apply for low-interest loans through the federal government. The declaration came just hours after Gov. Deval Patrick toured the site, pledging to work to find interim assistance between the victims’ applications and the federal government’s delivery of the requested money. “What you really notice is the devastation on people’s faces,” said Patrick, who returned to Massachusetts after cutting short his visit to a three-day National Governors Association meeting in Michigan. An eight-alarm fire early Saturday destroyed much of the 400,000 square-foot Bernat Mill complex in Uxbridge, which borders the R.I. communities of Burrillville and North Smithfield. More than 300 firefighters, including some from Rhode Island, battled the blaze. Seven firefighters were injured — mostly from smoke inhalation and exhaustion. The mill on Depot Road was built in the 1820s. During World War II, it made fabric for Army uniforms. Most recently, it hosted a variety of businesses, including wood shops and art galleries. The disaster declaration was cheered by U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry, as well as Rep. Richard E. Neal, after the Democrats requested swift action from the SBA. -- The Associated Press “This help and assistance is a first step in rebuilding after this devastating fire destroyed so many businesses, and I’m pleased that the SBA has acted so quickly on behalf of those impacted in the commonwealth,” Kennedy said in a joint statement. Kerry, who toured the site and spearheaded the federal appeal, added: “I will continue to work with the SBA, state officials, and my colleagues to get these Uxbridge entrepreneurs back in business.” Kerry is chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and supports the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act. It would increase the size of low-interest loans, provide short-term relief while businesses wait for insurance payments or other assistance and speed the loan-processing process. “I am certain that with the combined efforts of those in the public and private sector, we can bring this success story in central Massachusetts back to life,” said Neal, who represents the area in Congress. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:14 PM | Comment Iraq vet demos new ankle-foot prosthesis / Photo
PROVIDENCE – An Iraq War veteran whose lower leg has been amputated today demonstrated a new ankle-foot prosthesis that uses tendon-like springs powered by an electric motor. The combination promises to restore an amputee’s natural gait. The prototype ankle-foot was created by the Providence VA Medical Center, Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Hugh Herr and a team of researchers at the MIT Media Lab created the prosthesis with funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Find out more about the project, including videos, here. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:29 PM | Comment Congressmen tour proposed LNG tanker route / Photo
Nash was showing the two where the proposed LNG storage facility at Weavers Cove on the Taunton River would be before leaving today for a tour of the area on the Coast Guard boat. Rhode Island Democrat Kennedy invited Cummings to view the route that LNG tankers would take along Narragansett Bay, Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River, should the proposed LNG facility in Fall River, Mass., get final approval. Right now, the proposal rests in the hands of the Coast Guard, which is expected to issue a final recommendation this summer about whether the tankers can safely traverse these waterways. -- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:23 PM | Comment Update: Woman accused of smothering man / Photo
Journal photo / Kathy Borchers Heather M. Catterall goes before Judge Stephen Erickson today.
Catterall is accused of suffocating Albert Dubois with a garbage bag. Dubois, of 41 Overbrook Ave., was found dead in his home Friday. Catterall is being held without bail. She was also charged with one count of larceny. Catterall was arrested Friday in connection with the murder. Michael J. Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, said Catterall also faces probation and bail violations. She was expected to be brought to Kent County Superior Court to answer those after the murder arraignment in District Court. In September 2005, Catterall pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: two counts of larceny under $500 and one count of receiving stolen goods under $500, according to the Attorney General's Office. Catterall received one year's probation on each of those charges, to run consecutively, for a total of three years. In September 2006, Catterall admitted to being a violator, so the court gave her bail at that point and set a November 2006 date for sentencing on the probation violation. She failed to appear for the sentencing, according to the Attorney General's Office, putting her in violation of her bail. Warwick Sgt. Robert Bentsen said this morning that the state Medical Examiner’s Office was scheduled to conduct an autopsy this morning on Dubois. -- Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham and projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:05 PM | Comment Bail hearing under way for drug-ring suspectPROVIDENCE -- A bail hearing is under way today for one of the defendants accused in an alleged drug ring, which authorities said included ring leaders on welfare who at the same time owned a Porsche, a Cadillac Escalade and a BMW. Henry Grullon, 36, is charged with possession with intent to deliver heroin and with soliciting another person to commit a felony, according to Michael Healey, a spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. The bail hearing before Judge Gilbert V. Indeglia in Providence County Superior Court began this morning, broke for lunch and is due to resume. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:25 PM | Comment R.I. preservation group is looking for honoreesPreserve Rhode Island, which honors historic preservation projects, programs and individuals each year, is looking for more to honor. It's seeking nominations for 2007 preservation merit awards. The organization lauds "individuals and groups who exemplify sound historic preservation practices and support Preserve Rhode Island’s mission to protect Rhode Island’s historic structures and unique places for present and future generations," according to a news release. The awards will be announced at Preserve Rhode Island’s Oct. 23 annual meeting in four categories: * Preservation education and advocacy: Recognizes individuals, cities/towns and/or nonprofit groups who have sought to "save historic treasures, educate citizens about heritage preservation, or otherwise helped to further the cause of historic preservation and maintain the beauty and quality of life in Rhode Island." * Landscape preservation: Recognizes work that restores historic landscapes, creates new landscapes "in keeping with and highlighting the historic character of a place," or efforts to maintain significant historic landscapes. * Residential restoration and rehabilitation: Recognizes projects by owners of historic houses that make "exceptional efforts" to restore or preserve the house's historic character and contribute to the neighborhood's vitality. * Commercial restoration and rehabilitation: Recognizes projects that rehabilitate or otherwise improve commercial or public historic sites and structures and "positively impact the surrounding communities." To get a nomination form and guidelines, call Susanna E. Prull, preservation services coordinator for Preserve Rhode Island, at (401) 272-5101 to request a copy. The nomination deadline is Aug. 31. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:45 PM | Comment Two survivors of Attleboro crash in fair conditionPROVIDENCE -- Two people involved in a fatal multi-vehicle accident in Attleboro, Mass., Saturday morning were listed in fair condition at Rhode Island Hospital today, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The five-vehicle crash left two people dead. Twenty-one-year-old Isaac Souza of Leominster, Mass., slammed his vehicle into another sedan in the breakdown lane on Route 95, before swinging into the traveling lane and triggering the multiple-car collision. State Police say Souza and 36-year-old Michael Doble of North Attleboro were declared dead on the scene of the pre-dawn crash. Jose Gouveia, 21, of Somerville, Mass., and Claudia DeLeone, 22, a front-seat passenger in Souza's vehicle, suffered serious injuries, according to the Associated Press report, and were taken to Rhode Island Hospital. A front-seat passenger in Souza's vehicle suffered serious injuries and were taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment. State Police say there may have been two other vehicles involved in the crash that left the scene. -- The Associated Press, with reports from projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report incorrectly spelled the name of Jose Gouveia. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:34 PM | Comment After 2 weeks of hikes, gas prices down 2 centsGasoline prices have dropped 2 cents over last week, after rising the two previous weeks, according to AAA Southern New England. Today’s AAA survey of prices throughout the state found self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline averaging $2.95 per gallon. That puts Rhode Island prices 5 cents below the national average for regular unleaded gasoline. At this time a year ago, the average local price for gas was $3.08. Gas prices in the AAA survey range 21 cents for regular unleaded gasoline, from a low of $2.86 to a high of $3.07. The average price for mid-grade unleaded gasoline in this week’s survey was $3.09, for premium unleaded was $3.21 and for diesel was $2.97. On AAA’s Gas Savings Tips & Tools Web page, find the most up-to-date gas prices around New England. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:16 AM | Comment Hasbro prospers with Spider-Man, TransformersPAWTUCKET – Hasbro Inc., the world’s second-largest toymaker, reported an unexpected profit on sales of Spider-Man and Transformers toys. Excluding a $36.5 million charge to end part of a contract with Star Wars movie director George Lucas, earnings exceeded analysts’ estimates by 6 cents a share. Overall, neet income fell 82 percent to $4.8 million, or 3 cents a share, from $27.1 million, or 7 cents, a year earlier, Hasbro said today in a statement. Sales climbed 31 percent to $691.4 million. Purchases of action figures, games and vehicles tied to the Spider-Man 3 and Transformers films helped lift revenue. Sales of Littlest Pet Shop animals, Nerf sporting goods and board games also boosted profit. -- Bloomberg News Shares of Hasbro fell 15 cents to $32.56 on July 20 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They have climbed 19 percent this year through last week. Other Hasbro products include My Little Pony and Monopoly. Excluding the Lucas costs, analysts projected profit of 18 cents a share, the average of seven estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Five analysts estimated sales of $640 million. Spider-Man and Transformers toys may account for more than $600 million, or 20 percent, of Hasbro’s revenue this year, estimated Sean McGowan, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities in New York. He rates Hasbro stock “hold” and doesn’t own any. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:11 AM | Comment Download today's front pageUrban birds of prey and hot-air balloons in Sputh County lead today's Journal. Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:12 AM | Comment Rainy Monday; Tuesday will be almost as badExpect a rainy Monday in southern New England, according to the National Weather Service. Otherwise, it will be cloudy with a high near 88 in the Providence area. There's a 70 percent chance of rain. Tomorrow, the National Weather Service expects a cloudy day with fog and drizzle in the morning with a 20 percent chance of rain later on.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:10 AM | Comment Mass. seeks aid for businesses hurt in mill fireUXBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Patrick administration and Senator John Kerry are pressing the federal government to provide financial assistance to businesses affected by a fire that engulfed an Uxbridge mill complex. The administration sent a letter to the Small Business Administration, requesting a disaster declaration. The SBA has begun a disaster assessment to determine the scope of the damage. Kerry visited the site of the fire late yesterday and he was confident that federal help will be forthcoming because of the number of businesses involved, the magnitute of the destruction and the under-insurance situation. Investigators continue looking for the cause of the eight-alarm blaze that damaged or destroyed 65 small businesses inside the Bernat Mill complex. State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said that there are ``no red flags'' to indicate it's a suspicious fire. Hot spots were still being extinguished yesterday afternoon. More than 300 firefighters, including some from Rhode Island, battled the fire on Saturday. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Marine report: No day for the beachWith showers moving into the area, today won't be a day for beaching or boating. As low pressure moves toward southern New England today, seas and winds should approach small craft advisory range, the National Weather Service says. Rough sea conditions are expected to continue through tonight. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment July 20, 2007Potter avoidance? Watch a play or get soulful / Photo
There's the Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep, which is staging its second production of the season, Jennifer Haley’s Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, at Brown’s Leeds Theatre, 77 Waterman St., Providence. Performances are at 8 tonight and Saturday. Call (401) 863-2838 for information and tickets. Or get some '70s soul. The Spinners sing at the Providence Performing Arts Center tonight at 8 as part of the Providence SoundSession ’07 Festival. Tickets are $38, $23 and $13; call (401) 421-2787 or go to www.ppacri.org. Read more about the group. For a younger set, an older Hanson -- remember them? -- performs at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. Ca;; 331-5876, 272-5876, or go to www.etix.com. 8:30 pm. $30 advance; $35 day of show and reserved. For more on what's happening on the local music scene this weekend, check out projo.com's Music page and guest blogger Jamie Millmather's Nightlife by Jamie. And tomorrow at 3 p.m., you can head over to a ceremony and art opening at Providence City Hall celebrating 197 years of Columbian independence. Slated to speak are the consul general from the Columbian Consulate in Boston, the Honorable Bibiana Gomez. There will be traditional dances performed by the Columbian American Cultural Society Folk Dancers and the Sporting Columbia Folk Dancers. The art opening will showcase an exhibit that includes paintings, sculptures and photographs by Columbian artists. The exhibit runs through Aug. 8 on the second floor of City Hall. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment projo.com wins 'best local blog' awardPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island Monthly handed out its annual Best of Rhode Island awards last night, and we here at projo.com are proud to say that we were among the 277 recipients. Projo.com won in the category of "best local blog" for this 7to7 breaking news blog, as voted by the readers of Rhode Island Monthly. The "Best of Rhode Island" issue will be available on newstands tomorrow. Rhode Island Monthly, and projo.com, the Web site of The Providence Journal, are both owned by Belo Corp. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:30 PM | Comment Bonnet Shore voters defeat community center planNARRAGANSETT -- Bonnet Shores Fire District taxpayers voted 436 to 153 to reject a plan to expand and renovate the district community center, according to unofficial results. The $1.035-million project was going to be paid with a 20-year bond, but most taxpayers said the cost was too high and questioned the need for the expansion. More than 500 people crammed into the Narragansett Pier School gymnasium last night to vote on the project. The expanded center would have held up to 200 people and would have served as a place for events such as wedding receptions and graduation parties, supporters said. -- Journal staff writer Randal Edgar Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:52 PM | Comment Court: Parcel can be put into trust for NarragansettsIn a decision some state officials fear could pave the way for the Narragansett Indian tribe to build a casino, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the federal government could hold 31 acres into trust for the tribe. A divided appeals court decided that the U.S. Department of Interior could hold the land in trust for the Narragansetts, exempting it from state and local laws and property taxes and placing it solely under tribal and federal authority. The property sits across Kings Factory Road from the tribe’s other 1,800 acres in Charlestown. Located on a hillside just north of Route 1, it is the site of a troubled housing project for the tribe’s poor elders. More to come ... Extra: Read the court's entire 80-page decision.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:47 PM | Comment One beach re-opens and one is closedGovernor Notte Park Beach in North Providence has been reopened to swimming, the state Health Department announced today. But health officials recommended closing the Kent County YMCA in Warwick. The recommendation for the North Providence beach follows water-sample results that show bacteria levels within acceptable limits. In Warwick, results showed high bacteria counts. Health officials will watch the water quality and recommend re-opening when the water is deemed safe for swimming. Also, one beach remains closed: Oakland Beach in Warwick. Tpo check the status of swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or call (401) 222-2751. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:38 PM | Comment Update: Tribe, Middleboro, Mass., reach casino pactThe Mashpee Wampanoags and town of Middleboro, Mass., have reached an agreement on a casino, according to a tribe spokesman. The tentative contract has to be voted on by town selectmen tonight. If approved, it will be presented to town voters on Saturday, July 28, in a outdoor meeting at the town high school, according to tribe spokesman Scott Ferson. The agreement calls for the tribe to give $250 million to the southeastern Massachusetts town for infrastructure improvements, personnel hiring and other programs. The total includes an $11 million annual payment, which comes in the form of $7 million outright and then $4 million tied to room taxes at the resort's hotel. According to Ferson, it is the richest argeement ever reached between a tribe and a host community. “Rather than negotiating a lifeless contract, we have formed a long lasting living document," Selectman Adam Bond said in a news release from the Liberty Square group public relations firm later this afternoon. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi According to the news release, here's a look at the agreement: -- $172 million in transportation upgrades -- $13 million in electric upgrades -- $12.4 million in natural gas upgrades -- $22.5 million in water upgrades -- $26.3 million in sewer and wastewater upgrades -- $7 million annual base payment to the town, with an annual increase of 3.1% or the increase in the CPI, whichever is higher -- A 4 percent lodging tax, collected by the tribe and given to the town, estimated in the first year to be $4 million. -- The tribe will buy two police cruisers and two advanced life support ambulances and cover hiring and trainings costs of eight police officers and 16 firefighters -- at a cost of more than $2 million. The Wampanoags have options to buy up to 500 acres in the town, where they hope to build a casino, a 1,500-room hotel, golf course and other resort amenities. The tentative agreement does not include a percentage payment based on slot revenues, something the town officials had been pushing for, Ferson said. However, the tribe has agreed to support the town on that point in negotiations with the state. If voters approve the agreement next week, the tribe can then use that as a basis for a compact with the state of Massachusetts, Ferson said. “Through this agreement we have made good our commitment to offset the impacts of the destination resort, but we have also shown our commitment to the financial security of the Town of Middleborough”, said Glenn Marshall, Mashpee Tribal Council chairman. Marshall will address the media at 4 p.m. today in Middleboro. The project would be the first Indian casino in Massachusetts. Two highly lucrative casinos operated by different tribes, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, are in Connecticut, while the Narragansetts in Rhode Island have been trying for years to get approval for a casino there.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:07 PM | Comment R.I. EDC promotes new tax incentive for companiesPROVIDENCE -- The state Economic Development Corporation is promoting a new tax incentive for companies in several high-wage industries, including information technology and biotechnology. Rhode Island has seen steady employment growth, adding 800 jobs last month and reducing unemployment to 4.7 percent. But the average salary remains below the national average. The new tax credit offers up-to $100,000 to reward investments in so-called innovation-based industries. In addition to biotechnology and IT, those sectors include: financial services, marine and defense manufacturing, professional, technical and educational services, and industrial and consumer product manufacturing and design. "We're trying to attract and keep serial entrepreneurs in the state," Saul Kaplan, the executive director of the EDC, said in an interview today. "We need more of them in Rhode Island." The tax credit was first proposed by the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council. It was approved by the General Assembly last year. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:42 PM | Comment Jersey man pleads guilty her to 50 steroid chargesPROVIDENCE -- A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today in federal court here to 50 charges in connection with a conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. Daniel McGlone, 54, entered the plea before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, the office of U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced today. McGlone pleaded guilty to: conspiracy to distribute HGH and anabolic steroids, six counts of distributing HGH, 11 counts of distributing anabolic steroids, two counts of health care fraud, and 30 counts of money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. The health care fraud involved helping customers obtain reimbursement for the prescriptions from health care insurers. McGlone advertised in magazines and on the Internet, recommended drug regimens to prospective customers, and then had illegal prescriptions written, filled and shipped to the customers, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. A New York physician and a former one have pleaded guilty to writing illegal prescriptions at McGlone’s request. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adi Goldstein said at the plea hearing that the government could prove that in 2004 McGlone created American Pharmaceutical Group, "which catered to customers interested in procuring steroids, HGH, and other prescription medications." Working out of his North Brunswick, N.J.,apartment, McGlone "acted, in essence, as a broker between customers and compounding pharmacies that packaged and shipped the drugs," the news release says. McGlone advised customers what to order and provided them with physician services, obtaining prescriptions from doctors in New York and elsewhere. One was Ana Maria Santi, a former doctor whose license to practice in New York was revoked in 1999. She wrote prescriptions at McGlone’s request, using the identity of another doctor, Abdul Almarashi, with whom she once had a professional relationship, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Another was Victor Mariani, a physician practicing in Queens, New York. McGlone faxed requests for prescriptions to Santi and Mariani, who wrote prescriptions without" examining or even meeting the prospective users," according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Santi and Mariani, who have both pleaded guilty to participating, faxed prescriptions to McGlone, who sent them to pharmacies in Florida and elsewhere to be filled. McGlone paid Santi and Mariani $25 for each prescription. All three defendants are forfeiting proceeds of the scheme: Mariani, $34,845; Santi, $24,340; and, McGlone, $833,000. McGlone, 54, and Mariani are free on bond, pending sentencing. McGlone and Santi are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 2, and Mariani on Sept. 7. Santi, 68, is in state custody in Albany County, New York, awaiting sentencing for similar conduct. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:33 PM | Comment Update: Fire at elderly complex sends 9 to hospitalNORTH PROVIDENCE – Nine residents of the Brook Village elderly complex have been taken to local hospitals for heat exhaustion or smoke inhalation after a fire on the third floor forced the evacuation this afternoon of 140 people. Another 30 residents were taken to the North Providence Senior Center for shelter from the afternoon heat, Mayor Charles A. Lombardi said at the scene. By 2:30 p.m. today, the fire reported an hour earlier was out. It was brought under control very quickly, the chief said. The fire began in a couch in a third-floor apartment and spread within that apartment. Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke on the third floor and smoke throughout the eleven-story building. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Richard Dujardin Fire investigators are inside working to determine the cause of the fire. Residents have not been let back in, although nearly all who didn’t go to a hospital or the senior center have scattered, either leaving on their own or with relatives or friends. Of those taken to hospitals, five went to Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence and four went to Roger Williams Medical Center, Lombardi said. Emergency crews didn’t want to overload either hospital, Fire Chief Albert Bertoncini said. Some may not need treatment but went to the hospitals as a precaution, Bertoncini said. The apartment where the fire started and both apartments below it suffered enough water damage that the residents may not be able to return to their apartments today, fire officials said. Fire officials hope the rest of the residents can return to their apartments today. The Red Cross helped those evacuated in the blaze. This is the fourth time this week the agency has responded to residential fires, according to spokeswoman Marisa Albanese. Since Sunday, the Red Cross has responded to fires in Pawtucket, Cranston and Providence and has provided food, clothing and shelter to 15 adults and 7 children, she said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:05 PM | Comment Group calls for boycott of New England Pest ControlLINCOLN -- Defenders of Animals is calling for a boycott of New England Pest Control, saying the company has killed several sparrows that had been nesting at a National Grid facility in Lincoln. The animal rights group said New England Pest Control should have found non-lethal methods to evict the birds, which National Grid says were fouling equipment and bothering employees. "There are alternatives," Dennis Tabella, the Defenders of Animals director, said in an interview today. "You just make it uncomfortable to use that area." Tony DeJesus, the service and technical manager for New England Pest Control, said the company killed the birds as a last resort. "The last course of action is the poison," DeJesus said in an interview. "It's an unfortunate situation." -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:04 PM | Comment Charge upgraded in fatal kneeboarding accidentPROVIDENCE -- Ryan A. Greenberg, 17, the operator of a boat that was towing Barrington teenager Patrick Murphy when Murphy, also 17, died in a kneeboarding accident, now faces a felony charge of reckless operation, death resulting. The Department of Environmental Managerment had originally charged Greenberg with reckless operation of a motorboat, a misdemeanor. He has been free on $5,000 personal recognizance. But today, following the discovery of Murphy’s body Wednesday afternoon, the charge was upgraded. Greenberg, of Barrington, continues to face a misdemeanor charge of refusing to submit to a chemical test as requested by DEM after he failed a field sobriety test Tuesday night, when Murphy’s body disappeared beneath the waves on the Barrington River. He is to be arraigned in 6th Division District Court at 9 a.m. next Friday. Barrington police are continuing their own investigation and could level their own charges against the Barrington High School student. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:31 PM | Comment Biechele fighting against questioning in fire civil suitsPROVIDENCE – Daniel M. Biechele admitted his guilt to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and is serving a prison sentence in connection with The Station nightclub fire, but his lawyer says he could be charged with other criminal offenses related to the deadly blaze. Based on his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Biechele is now fighting attempts by lawyers representing the fire victims to question him under oath in preparation for the federal trial of their lawsuits for money damages. U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Martin has set a hearing on the matter for Aug. 1. Now that that criminal case is over, lawyers for those injured in the fire and survivors of those who perished want to question Biechele and other members of Great White for the civil lawsuits now pending in U.S. District Court. But one of Biechele’s lawyers, Donald J. Maroney, is trying to block them from asking Biechele any questions about events surrounding his use of pyrotechnics at the West Warwick nightclub. In court papers, Maroney says that while Biechele “has resolved all pending criminal charges in the State of Rhode Island, his potential exposure to additional criminal liability is unclear. Mr. Biechele has never received immunity from further prosecution here in Rhode Island, nor in any other jurisdiction. While Mr. Biechele is unaware of any pending federal investigation, the possibility of a federal prosecution remains open.” -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton Maroney notes that based on materials furnished in Biechele’s state prosecution, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms participated in the fire investigation. Maroney says that even though the state case has ended –with guilty pleas by Biechele and the co-owners of the nightclub, brothers Jeffrey and Michael Derderian -- Biechele maintains his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. If Biechele were to be charged with other offenses in the future, any testimony he gives to the civil lawyers could be used against him. No trial date has been set for the victims’ lawsuits. Lawyers say it won’t be anytime soon. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:24 PM | Comment Barrington teen died of 'blunt and sharp force injuries'BARRINGTON -- The 17-year-old Barrington boy who died in a kneeboarding accident Tuesday night died from "blunt and sharp force injuries," a state Health Department spokeswoman said this afternoon. Patrick Murphy, of 15 Noble Ave., was not wearing a life vest while riding the kneeboard Tuesday evening, authorities said. The Health Department is releasing the information it received from the state Medical Examiner's office, spokeswoman Andrea Bagnall Degos said. Police have been interviewing people linked to the death of Murphy, and the police chief said Thursday night that most witnesses were being very cooperative in a probe he described as “methodical.” Murphy's body was recovered in the Barrington River, just north of the bike path bridge Wednesday afternoon. The driver of the boat that was towing Murphy, 17-year-old Ryan A. Greenberg, was cited by the state Department of Environmental Management with reckless boating and refusing to submit to a chemical test. Alcohol was found in the boat and Greenberg failed a field sobriety test that night. The police are weighing whether to file other charges against him. LaCross has said that alcohol “definitely” contributed to the death. A large search mobilized Tuesday night. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:16 PM | Comment Man to serve 5 years for role in mob extortion ringPROVIDENCE -- A federal judge cited a North Providence man's criminal record and propensity for violence when she sentenced him today to a maximum of five years in prison for his role in a mob extortion ring. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi had no sympathy for Ricky Silva, 48, and she referred to a motion from his defense lawyer seeking a lesser sentence of 48 months as "laughable." Lisi said that she was sorry she could not send Silva to prison for more than five years, the maximum allowed under the federal guidelines for extortion "to protect the public from further crimes." "He is either unable or unwilling to control his behavior," she said. In April 2006, Silva was one of four men arrested and charged with participating in a $200,000 shakedown of a pizza parlor owner and bookmaker/drug dealer in the Taunton, Mass., area. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski In earlier hearings, where the defendants entered guilty pleas, government prosecutors said that Anthony M. ``The Saint’’ St. Laurent, a capo regime in the Patriarca crime family, directed the extortion plot from his home at 2 Rotary Dr., in Johnston. The prosecutors said that St. Laurent directed Silva and James G. Manning, 64, of Cranston, to travel to Massachusetts and get the money from the two intended victims. St. Laurent instructed Silva and Manning to ``bash’’ the two targets if they failed to pay. Manning has pleaded guilty to extortion and is awaiting sentencing. On April 6, 2006, Silva, Manning and an FBI informant traveled to Massachusetts to search for the men. Once there, they teamed up with Lawrence Crites, of Taunton, Mass., who was supposed to help them find the extortion victims. The informant wore a hidden microphone and recorded conversations between St. Laurent, Silva, Manning and Crites. This week, Crites pleaded guilty to extortion. He will be sentenced on Oct. 12. At today’s hearing, the informant was identified as Silva’s brother-in-law. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Madden told the court that Silva deserved the maximum penalty based on his criminal history and his willingness to cross state lines and violently attack two strangers for money. He pointed out that Silva has 31 criminal convictions including several involving firearms. ``Rehabilitation has passed Mr. Silva by,’’ Madden said. Silva’s lawyer, Charles Tamulevicz, argued that it would be unfair to sentence Silva to a term longer than the 56 months St. Laurent received last winter. He said that St. Laurent directed the extortion ring and should, therefore, receive the toughest punishment. Tamulevicz also said that the extortion scheme was ``not a sophisticated undertaking’’ and that they never found the two men they were supposed to shakedown anyway. Before imposing the sentence, Silva rose from his seat at the defense table to address the court. He wore a pair of khaki prison-issued johnnies that are worn by the prisoners at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls. ``I would just like to apologize to the courts and the government,’’ he said. ``This has hurt me and my family. The fact of the matter is that I don’t want to put them through this anymore. That’s all I’ve got to say.’’ Lisi was not swayed. She told Silva that he could have decided against participating in the plot. Instead, she said, he was a willing participant. ``It was simply another job. Go out and beat somebody up.’’ She also said that she was not the sentencing judge in the St. Laurent case and it had no impact on his case. At the end of the sentencing, federal marshals cranked a set of handcuffs on Silva’s wrists. As he was led from the courtroom, he yelled to a group of high school students attending a summer program at Brown University. ``Stay in school!’’ Posted by Jack Perry at 2:07 PM | Comment Theatre by the Sea goes nonprofitTheatre By The Sea in Matunuck, the previously for-profit theater, will become a nonprofit entity, according to Bill Hanney, new owner and producer. Becoming a non-profit allows the newly created Ocean State Theatre Company to accept contributions from corporations, foundations and governmental organizations, as well as private donors. Long-term benefits would include keeping ticket prices below market value, fully exploring educational programming and allowing corporate and individual donors to enjoy recognition for many years to come. “The public reaction to the reopening of the theatre has been overwhelming,” Hanney said in a news release. “Everyone with whom I have come in contact has been quick to express how grateful they are to have ‘their’ theater back. With the public’s support, I have no doubt that we will be able to produce live theater of the highest quality for many years to come.” Theatre By The Sea also plans to produce a diverse assortment of productions during the summer months and perhaps off-season, including star vehicles, classic musicals, non-musicals and more recent Broadway pieces. The development of new works is being considered, as well, the theater company said. “We are also interested in exploring an educational component. This might include a main stage children’s series, conducting various workshops and hopefully offering a children’s thearte camp,” said Producing Artistic Director, Amiee Turner. “With arts education dwindling in our public schools, we feel it is our responsibility to offer meaningful arts programs that will teach life skills, help children discover creativity and assist in the further development of their imaginations.” As for its current schedule, Theatre By The Sea’s sneak-preview summer event of Stephen Sondheim’s nine-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will be presented from Aug. 10 to 26, with special preview performances on Aug. 8 and 9.
Posted by Pam Cotter at 1:33 PM | Comment Test results negative for West Nile, EEEStill no sign of West Nile Virus in Rhode Island. Results from 57 mosquito pools and 37 traps that were set statewide during the week of July 9, 2007 all returned negative for both West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalitis. That's according to state environmental officials, who also say that pending results from an earlier test came back negative too. So far this year in Rhode Island, no mosquito has tested positive for EEE. Still, state officials are advising residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites and to eliminate potential mosquito breeding grounds. --By the Associated Press Posted by Pam Cotter at 1:17 PM | Comment Providence Roller Derby bout tonightDo you need to blow off some steam in this heat? The Providence Roller Derby will present "Summer Shovin' " tonight, pitting the Providence Mob Squad against the Sakonnet River Roller Rats. Doors open at the Bank of America skating center in Kennedy Plaza at 7 p.m. and the action starts at 8. According to the Web site, the Providence Roller Derby was founded in 2004, and is currently ranked 10th in the country. The league has four teams: The Mob Squad, The Old Money Honeys, The Sakonnet River Roller Rats, and our All Star Travel Team: The Rhode Island Riveters. For tickets, check the Providence Roller Derby Web site at www.providencerollerderby.com. For information, contact Anna WrecksYa at annawrecksya@gmail.com Posted by maria caporizzo at 12:52 PM | Comment Whitehouse named to National Council on the ArtsWashington, D.C. -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has been appointed to serve as an ex-officio member of the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body to the National Endowment for the Arts. He was named to the Council by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. “I’m honored to represent the Ocean State on this distinguished panel,” Whitehouse said. “The NEA supports Rhode Island artists, performances, and educational opportunities that make our communities richer, our economy stronger, and our lives more meaningful, " Whitehouse said in a news release. "Our great senator, Claiborne Pell, championed the NEA, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to assist this organization in its important work.” The NEA was created in 1965 with the enactment of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, signed into law by then-President Lyndon Johnson. The bill was originally sponsored by former Sen. Pell. The agency has repeatedly recognized Rhode Island’s contribution to the arts through grants to some of the state’s artistic institutions, including the Trinity Repertory Company, the Everett Dance Theater, and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Posted by Pam Cotter at 12:22 PM | Comment Coming soon: free beach day, tunes, sand castlesYou'll have to wait a little bit, but it'll probably still be hot then too. Governor Carcieri's office today announced that annual Governor's Bay Day will be Sunday, July 29 -- it means free entrance to all state beaches and parks. And it will include music from American Idol Justin Guarini and the classic rock of Eric Burdon and the Animals. During the late 60s, Burdon sometimes jammed with the likes of Jimi Hendrix. Carcieri has issued an executive order waiving entrance/parking fees at all state parks and beaches for that day. Parking will be free beginning at 4 p.m. on the Saturday, July 28. Bay Day events are slated for Colt State Park in Bristol, Goddard Memorial Park in Warwick and Brenton Point Park in Newport. There are also events slated for Roger Wheeler, Scarborough, and Misquamicut State Beaches. That Saturday night, at Misquamicut State Beach, is the Misquamicut Business Association’s music festival and fireworks. The concert begins at 6 p.m. and features five musical acts. Fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m. A new event this year is sand carving from “Sandtasia Sand Sculptures of the Ocean State.” This company of professional sand sculptors will give lessons and demonstrations. Save the Bay will again offer free island boat tours and there will be water safety and naturalist programs and music -- from rock to soul to sea chanties. See below for the list of events: Saturday, July 28: *Misquamicut State Beach, Westerly: Misquamicut Business Association's Music Festival and Fireworks: -- 6 p.m., Beach Bums -- 6:30 p.m., Al Copley -- 7 p.m., Denny Laine & Special Guest Ian Mitchell -- 7:45 p.m. American Idol Justin Guarini -- 8:30 p.m. Eric Burdon and the Animals -- 10 p.m. Fireworks
* Colt State Park, Bristol: -- 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Neighborhood Barbecue -- Noon to 2 p.m. Rockin’ Soul Horns Concert -- Save the Bay Island Boat Tours Tickets available for 12, 1, 2, 3 p.m. tours: -- Noon to 4 p.m.: DEM’s Kids Fishing Derby -- Noon to 4 p.m.: DEM’s Naturalist Program -- Noon to 4 p.m.: DEM’s Boat Safety Demo -- Noon to 4 p.m,:Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Produce Demonstration -- Noon to 4 p.m.: Radio station 630/WPRO, Family Fun Activities -- 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Sandtasia Sand Sculptures of the Ocean State -- 11 a.m. to noon: Sandtasia Sand Sculptures of the Ocean State of Rhode Island -- sculpting techniques -- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Radio station Lite Rock 105 features Mystic Aquarium help for sea creatures -- Noon to 4 p.m.: Department of Children, Youth and Families' "Fishing for Families" -- outreach for foster families -- Noon to 4 p.m.: Department of Environmental Managemenbt's naturalist program -- 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Compass Rose Sea Chanties -- Rhode Island State Council on the Arts -- 3 p.m.: Lite Rock 105’s sand castle competition awards
-- 9 a.m. to noonL 92 PRO-FM’s dig for treasure -- Noon to 3 p.m.: RING’s rock climbing wall inflatables/ Humvee -- Noon to 3 p.m.: Hot 106’s dig for treasure -- Noon to 4 p.m. Verizon’s interactive video games
-- Noon to 4 p.m.: Coast 93.3’s kidz and family activities: Chalk Board Sidewalk Mold & Color Clay Hemp necklace creations Fishing for Prizes -- 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Don Culp’s drumming workshop -- 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Don Culp’s drumming workshop -- Noon to 4 p.m. Sound Box Studio’s record your own music -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: REI kayaking demos
* Misquamicut State Beach, Westerly: -- Noon to 4 p.m.: DEM’s naturalist’s program -- Noon to 4 p.m.: Treats from “Tim Hortons” -- 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Vini Ames and Band -- Noon to 4 p.m.: Jamestown Kites -- ocean-themed kite flying demonstrations Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:52 AM | Comment Hot air balloons take to the skies in South CountyThere’s nothing quite like watching colorful hot air balloons hovering overhead. If you’ve never seen that – or never grow tired of such a sight -- this weekend is your chance to take it all in. For a breathtaking vision of hot air balloons in the sky, check out this weekend’s annual South County Hot Air Balloon Festival, which kicks off at 4 p.m. today and at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow and Sunday at the URI athletic fields, off Route 138. Also, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band performs tonight, there are fireworks tomorrow and there’s a Revolutionary War encampment on Sunday. The festival also has carnival rides and games, a crafts show, antique cars, para-gliders and radio-controlled planes. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:59 AM | Comment Derderians decided which brother would go to jailAs the plea deal that halted the trials of Jeffrey and Michael Derderian was coming together, the families of the brothers who owned The Station nightclub talked about which brother would serve time in jail, Michael Derderian’s wife said this morning on WPRO 630 AM in an interview with John DePetro. Through all the angst following the February 2003 fire at the club that killed 100 people and injured 200, the families of the brothers who owned the club have stuck together, said Kristina Derderian, whose husband is now serving time at the Adult Correctional Institutions while his brother, Jeffrey, is fulfilling a suspended jail sentence that requires him to perform 500 hours of community service. “We all made a choice,” Kristina Derderian said. “It was presented to us that one of them would have to go. Jeff has two young children and between us, [Michael and me], we have four teenagers.” Having Michael be the brother to serve jail time, she said, was the “better way to handle the situation.” “There’s no animosity,” she said. “We all stick together.” Jeffrey’s wife, Linda Derderian, said it was “difficult” as the families discussed the option of one brother serving. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson “The fact that my brother-in-law was willing to do that [was] such a sacrifice, and my children understand that,” she said. “They already understand at eight years old what true sacrifice is.’ Jeffrey Derderian and his wife and sister-in-law joined DePetro in nearly an hourlong interview on the day after the Derderian brothers launched a new charity to defray costs for the children who lost parents in the nightclub fire. Also in the interview was Jody King, a childhood friend of the Derderians. His brother Tracy King was a bouncer at the club who died the night of the fire. The Derderian brothers and their wives have launched the Station Education Fund with King and his wife, Liana King. On the fund’s Web site, the Derderians refer to themselves as the “renters of the building where their nightclub was located,” a point that DePetro brought up since media reports traditionally call the Derderians the owners of the nightclub. They owned the business that burned down that fateful night. “It’s a point of clarification,” Jeffrey said on the air this morning. “That’s by no means to say we skirt the mistakes that we made. We made mistakes. We did, and we’re sorry for those mistakes and, you know, sorry doesn’t really cut it. … Me and my brother, we made mistakes.” Linda Derderian said the families have wanted to do so much to make a difference since the fire, but they were unable to do so because of pending court cases. “How difficult it was for us not to be able to do something,” she said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:53 AM | Comment Police ID men found dead in SUVThe Providence police have released the names of the two men found dead of apparent drug overdoses in an SUV Wednesday night on Manton Ave. They were Michael Richard, 54, of 993 Manton Ave., Providence, and Gary Correia, 50, also of 993 Manton Ave., Providence, according to the Providence police. The police had withheld the names pending notification of next of kin. A Johnston woman has been charged with two felonies for failing to report the deaths of the men, who were found in her SUV. -- With reports from Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:24 AM | Comment Photo: Slow going in Providence
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:45 AM | Comment Harry Potter and the fate of the midnight readersIt's almost here, Harry Potter: the end. The final book in J.K. Rowling’s series is to be released at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow. How will it all end? Go here to give your predictions and read others. Read a critic's review here. These stores are among the places you can buy the book: * All Booked Up, 34 Nooseneck Hill Rd., West Greenwich, is having a Harry Potter Party beginning at 10 p.m. with a costume contest and games. * Barnes & Noble, 1311 West Main Rd., Middletown, has its Midnight Magic Costume Party, which includes performances by storytellers, beginning at 7:30 p.m. * Barrington Books, in the Barrington Shopping Center, 184 County Rd., is having a Harry Potter Event beginning at 10:45 p.m. There will be 15 youth actors in costume from the town’s summer theater program portraying characters. * Books on the Square, 471 Angell St., Providence, is having a Harry Potter Party beginning at 11:30 p.m. There will be cookies and milk, and Potter games. * Borders Books, Music and Café at Providence Place, Garden City and the Swansea Mall is having a Grand Hallows Ball, with games and activities, beginning at 9:30 p.m. Costumes are encouraged. * Island Books, 575 East Main Rd., Middletown, is having a Harry Potter Party beginning at 9 p.m., with games, events and trivia. * Brown University Bookstore, 244 Thayer St., Providence, conducts what it calls “a magical midnight romp.” The party begins at 10 p.m. Not only are costumes encouraged, but so too are pajamas. * Novel Idea, 450 Hope St., Bristol, has its Harry Potter Party beginning at 10 p.m. with various Potter-related activities. * Waldenbooks, at the Wakefield and the Warwick malls, will conduct a Grand Hallows’ Ball with activities, special events and prizes. Warwick’s party begins at 9; Wakefield’s at 9:45 p.m. * A group of 22 people, mostly children, have been meeting once a week for three weeks in preparation for this moment. They’ve gathered at the Rochambeau Branch of the Providence Public Library. And after the book’s release, they’ll gather again, four more times over four more weeks. After all, they are the Harry Potter Support Group. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a photograph and story about Jeffrey and Michael Derderian starting a charity to help the children of people who died in The Station fire. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment Pack the beach bag, you'll need it this weekendAre you ready for a little sunshine? Not today, probably. The National Weather Service says there is still a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms with a west wind and a high of 83. But tomorrow and Sunday will be beach days of the first order. The forecast for both days calls for mostly sunny skies with highs in the low 80s. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:54 AM | Comment July 19, 2007Providence firefighters at scene of Potters Ave. firePROVIDENCE -- The Fire Department has brought under control a fire at 831 Potters Ave., said James Taylor, chief of communications for the Fire Department. Firefighters went to the scene described as a two-story, occupied building with fire in the basement. The Fire Department has requested Red Cross assistance for two adults and four children. The call came in shortly before 5 p.m. and the fire was under control by 5:20 p.m. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:35 PM | Comment New law requires life vests for those towed by boatsLess than a month before a 17-year-old Barrington boy died while skimming along the Barrington River on a boat-towed kneeboard, a new state law took effect requiring anyone riding a device towed behind a boat to wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Patrick Murphy, 17, of 15 Noble Ave., was not wearing a life vest while riding the kneeboard Tuesday evening, authorities said. It's unclear yet whether wearing a life jacket could have saved his life. Searchers recovered Murphy's body about 2:45 p.m. yesterday in the water in the vicinity of Barrington Town Hall. The driver of the boat that was towing him, Ryan A. Greenberg, also 17, of 33 Lamson Rd., was cited by the Department of Environmental Management with reckless boating and refusing to submit to a chemical test. Rep. Lawrence W. Ehrhardt, R-North Kingstown, the prime sponsor of the bill in the House, said in an interview today that the state Department of Environmental Management had approached him to see if the change could be made to the law. "When DEM first brought it to my attention back in January, we found two things: One is that a good number of neighboring states already required a flotation device on someone being towed," Ehrhardt said. The other, he said, was "most everyone we spoke to in Rhode Island had just assumed we had already required that. So people were actually surprised to find out that it was not law in Rhode Island." Ehrhardt's co-sponsor for the bill was Rep. Susan Story, R-Barrington. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Before the law change took effect, people in Rhode Island riding water skis, a surfboard, a tube or other device towed behind a boat did not have to wear a flotation device. The law said at the time that a flotation device needed to be aboard the boat doing the towing. The legislation cleared the General Assembly without opposition and took effect on June 22 when Governor Carcieri signed it -- with matching Senate legislation by Sen. Leo R. Blais, R-Coventry -- into law. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:11 PM | Comment On really hot days, two Prov. libraries may closePROVIDENCE -- Patrons of two city public library branches have been advised the branches could shut down on "exceedingly hot or high ozone alert days." According to a news release, library officials alerted patrons of Knight Memorial, at 275 Elmwood Ave., and Smith Hill Branch, 31 Candace St., "of the potential for incidental closings." “These facilities lack air conditioning and the closings occur when the temperature exceeds or is expected to exceed safe levels for operation,” Tonia Mason, communications director, said in the statement. Library officals encourage people to call the branches before going to determine the status. Knight Memorial can be reached at 455-8102. Smith Hill Branch is at 455-8104. Closure announcements will also be posted on the library's Web site. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:05 PM | Comment Boa's owner getting squeezed by the lawNORTH KINGSTOWN — A West Warwick man who allegedly tried to pawn his boa constrictor off on police faces two misdemeanor charges for lying to the department. You might say he’s been snakebit. Michael A. Medeiros, of 127 Gough Ave., was arrested Tuesday night for abandoning his 6-foot-long boa constrictor at the Post Road police station. On Monday, the pet owner drove to the police station with the snake in his car. He told officers he found the snake – native to Mexico and South America -- slithering along Ten Rod Road shortly after 10 p.m. But police – after babysitting the snake overnight – on Tuesday discovered Medeiros had tried to sell the same snake to a North Kingstown pet store the day before. The store declined to buy the snake, and Medeiros bought a smaller snake – a python – instead, Capt. Charles Brennan said yesterday. After talking to workers at Critter Hut Aquarium & Pets in North Kingstown, a police officer later questioned Medeiros, who admitted he owned the snake, but could no longer care for it because it was too big, Brennan said. “He ended up buying a second snake and abandoning the first one -- on us,” Brennan said. Medeiros, also charged with obstructing a police officer, is scheduled to appear in Washington County District Court on July 31. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis The abandoned boa, which spent the night in a police lieutenant’s office, is now on display in a large cement and glass cage at Regal Reptiles, a reptile exhibit in Providence. The snake, however, yesterday showed little interest in its mid-afternoon snack – a frozen rat. “It has a respiratory infection,” said Shawn Fay, an owner of the exhibit. “We’ll ask our vet to look at it. It may need a shot.” Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:00 PM | Comment 2 teens stabbed when sleepover turns into brawlCHARLESTOWN – Two teenagers suffered stab wounds after a sleepover on Pasture Lane turned into a brawl involving at least 16 Chariho High School students early yesterday, the police said. Parents alerted police last night that their child had attended a co-ed gathering at the 50 Pasture Lane that erupted into violence, Sgt. Patrick McMahon said today. The teenagers were camping outside the home of Steven and Beth Wallander, when they began exchanging antagonizing cell phone calls and text messages with other teens, he said. The second faction showed up around 2 a.m. yesterday, and the group took their fight out onto the cul de sac, he said. He described the teenagers as “gangster wannabes,” who were largely sophomores, juniors and seniors at Chariho High School. He said the boys might have been trying to impress girls. Two boys, 15 and 17, were stabbed by knives estimated at 4” to 6” inches long during the fight, McMahon said. The 17-year-old, Bryan Bailey, of 18 Niantic Highway, suffered a “deep and penetrating” laceration to his wrist that required at least 12 stitches. The 15-year-old, who police declined to name because he is a juvenile, sustained six puncture wounds to his upper shoulder area, McMahon said. “He’s very, very lucky,” McMahon said. If the wounds had been slightly deeper, it could have punctured his lung or heart, he said. That student sought medical treatment after speaking with police yesterday. The police charged Bailey; a 15-year-old male from Hope Valley; and a 16-year-old male from Hopkinton with disorderly conduct for fighting. He expected more charges to be filed. The police were still piecing the incident together yesterday as more teenagers came in for questioning. The two knives used had not been recovered. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:54 PM | Comment Woman accused of failing to report 2 deaths in SUVPROVIDENCE -- Two men found dead in an SUV on Manton Avenue apparently overdosed on prescription drugs, and a Johnston woman who owned the vehicle has been charged with two felonies for failing to report their deaths. Tina Marie Venticinque, 31, of 40 Pezzullo St., 2nd floor, was charged with two counts of failure to report a death after the Providence police reported to a parking lot at 981 Manton Ave. and found the dead men -- one in the front, the other in the back seat -- of her SUV. “It wasn’t murder,” said Police Chief Dean Esserman at a news conference today. Police Maj. Stephen Campbell, head of the detective division, said the names of the victims, 54 and 49, were being withheld pending notification of kin. Both men lived on Manton Avenue. The police said that one of the victims was a double-amputee who had a prescription for the drug that was the source of the apparent overdoses. Campbell said that Venticinque left the men in the SUV for several hours before she returned about 10:30 last night. Once she realized both men were dead, she called the police. The state medical examiner’s office is performing autopsies to determine the exact cause of death, the police said. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:32 PM | Comment Carcieri vetoes fertility insurance for unmarried womenPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri has vetoed a bill that would mandate increased health insurance coverage for diagnosing and treating infertility for unmarried women. "This legislation, by removing the requirement that women be married, forces health insurance companies to subsidize out-of-wedlock births," Carcieri wrote in his veto message. "As a matter of public policy, the state should be encouraging the birth of children in two-parent families, not the reverse." The governor expressed two criticisms in his veto message. One is that the legislature already approved legislation that required additional coverage by expanding infertility benefits to women up to age 42 and redefining the meaning of infertility to be the inability to sustain a pregnancy for one year. Previously, it was two years. The governor's other concern was that law "specifically limited this benefit to married women having a legitimate medical concern regarding infertility." That was to ensure that health insurance coverage was required for married couples, "a narrow and appropriate state policy," the veto message says. The message adds: "Any further tinkering with this benefit is unnecessary and unwarranted, and allows for even further creeping of cost in our healthcare system." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:27 PM | Comment Great White dedicates new album to fire victimsGreat White released a new record this week, the group’s first disc of new material since The Station nightclub fire. The band's pyrotechnics ignited soundproofing installation at the West Warwick club, starting the Feb. 20, 2003, blaze that killed 100 people and left more than 200 injured. One of its members, guitarist Ty Longley, died in the fire. Back to the Rhythm came out Tuesday on Shrapnel Records, a northern California label better known for progressive and thrash metal than the hard rock that Great White has purveyed since the ‘80s. According to a statement at www.blabbermouth.net, Back to the Rhythm, Great White’s first new record in eight years, also reunites the original Great White lineup. “It’s just like old times,” lead singer Jack Russell says on the Web site. “There’s a bond that forms between people that is very special. I’ve missed my friends.” In a statement issued through their publicist, the band said, “The band dedicated the new CD to those who lost their lives and those who were injured that tragic night of February 20th, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island. You are forever in our prayers and in our hearts. May God bless you and yours.The composition ‘How Far From Heaven’ was inspired by the tragedy.” -- Journal pop music writer Rick Massimo Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:46 PM | Comment Severe thunderstorm watch on for region until 10 p.m.The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for portions of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and coastal waters from now until 10 o'clock tonight. The affected area is approximately along and 30 statute miles north and south of a line from 30 miles north of Bridgeport, Conn., to 35 miles east northeast of New Bedford, Mass. Hail up to 2 inches in diameter, thunderstorm wind gusts to 70 mph and dangerous lightning are possible in these areas, the weather service advises. Aviators could experience a few severe thunderstorms with hail and extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. Check the location of the storms via projo.com's live radar. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:44 PM | Comment Update: 18-year-old charged in July 4th murderPROVIDENCE – The police have a suspect in custody in connection with the July Fourth murder of Darren Reagans, who was stabbed to death outside a local club. Bruce Moten, 18, of 99 Bowdoin St. in Providence turned himself in to police headquarters last night with his attorney, police said. 
Darren Reagans
Detectives had obtained an arrest warrant for Moten on Monday, after three witnesses had identified him as the killer in interviews with detectives beginning Sunday night, Cmdr. Paul J. Kennedy said. He was ordered held without bail at his arraignment this afternoon in Sixth District Court, Providence. Reagans’ girlfriend, Candease Harris, with whom he had a daughter, attended the press conference this afternoon. The couple, who had known each other since they attended Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, were expecting their second child in five months. Harris said that the arrest of Moten brings no solace. “My two daughters are still without a father,” she said. Moten is charged with one count of murder and has been held at the police station. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Richard Dujardin Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:26 PM | Comment Smart car makes appearance on city streets / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- Here’s your chance to check out the smart car, which is in town as part of smart USA’s “street smart” road show, a national tour to introduce the iconic two-seater to U.S. consumers. Mercedes-Benz’s smart car, which has sold 750,000 models in 36 countries since it was launched in Europe in 1998, is stopping in Warwick today and near Waterplace Park in Providence tomorrow and Saturday. I took a short test drive in one this morning with smart rep Kia Goddard and found the car fun to drive and comfortable, even on the highway where it more than held its own. It did not feel unsafe – it has a host of safety features – and, boy, does it attract a crowd. Top speed is about 90 mph, while fuel consumption is more than 40 miles per gallon. And it is so short - just over 8-3/4 feet long by about 5 feet wide - that it can be parked perpendicular to the sidewalk! The road show features 4 smart fortwo cars for test-drives on a closed course, a mobile smart exhibit with interactive displays and virtual safety demonstrations and a safety display – safety is the No. 1 question this side of the Atlantic, according to smart reps – featuring the “Tridion cell” (reinforced steel cage), dual and side airbags, electronic stability program and anti-lock brakes. The display is open today at the Mercedes-Benz dealership at Inskip in Warwick and at 5 Moshassuck Street near Stillman Street and Exchange Street tomorrow, 12 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m. - Journal auto writer Peter C.T. Elsworth, projoCarsBlog Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:58 PM | Comment Roger Williams law school to drop Papitto's nameBRISTOL -- The dean of Roger Williams University's law school said today that "in the coming weeks, all references to the Ralph R. Papitto School of Law will be removed in an appropriate and orderly way." In a statement, David A. Logan, the dean, said the school is returning to its original name, the Roger Williams University School of Law. Yesterday, Richard Bready, the chairman of the university's board of trustees, accepted Papitto's request that Papitto's name be taken off the law school -- following controversy over Papitto's use of a racial slur during a trustees meeting. Logan's statement today said he joins with university President Roy J. Nirschel in "thanking Mr. Papitto for making a difficult personal decision, but one that is clearly in the best interests of the law school he helped establish." Papitto, who was apologetic about the slur, also said in his statement that "a continued public discussion and debate over the name of the law school serves only to further damage the university." So he asked that his name be removed from the law school. "While we have now returned to our original name," Logan said, "the law school has always been committed to the core values that animated the life and work of our namesake, Roger Williams: an independence of mind, and a deep respect for all, regardless of race, creed, color, or religion." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Logan also said: "Recent events have been difficult for everyone associated with Roger Williams University, especially the law school community. I have been impressed with the candor and civility with which these sensitive issues have been discussed, and with the respect that has been given to the many opinions that have been expressed. " Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:29 PM | Comment Update: Derderians launch charity / Photo
WARWICK – Jeffrey A. Derderian said he and his brother, Michael, faced two choices in the wake of The Station nightclub fire: they could have moved out of the area and pretended that the fire never happened, or they could have stayed and tried to help. This morning, Derderian, who co-owned the nightclub with his brother, formally launched their effort to help. The brothers hope The Station Education Fund charity will help the nearly 80 children who lost parents in the 2003 nightclub blaze that killed 100 people and injured 200. Jeffrey and Michael Derderian formed the nonprofit along with Jody King, whose brother, Tracy, was one of those killed in the fire. "Michael and I are acutely aware that no matter what we do, no matter how much money we raise, it's not going to erase the loss and heartache that people have," Jeffrey Derderian said today at the Warwick Public Library, 600 Sandy Lane in Warwick. The fund's Web site is now operating and accepting donations, he said. Jeffrey Derderian declined to say how much he and his family contributed to start the fund, except to say there are currently thousands of dollars in it. Announcing the charity earlier this month, Jeffrey Derderian said the Station Education Fund is the first of several planned efforts to “provide some measure of solace to all those affected.” He declined to say what else the brothers have in mind. The fund will raise money through a variety of events, he said, listing carnivals, golf tournaments and letter-writing campaigns as possible examples. The fund’s first event, a motorcycle ride and stunt show called “Revving up for Kids,” has been scheduled for Sept. 30. Both Derderians pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter last September. Michael was sentenced to serve four years in prison. Jeffrey was sentenced to perform 500 hours of community service. Work on the fund will not count toward the community service, he said. -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:56 AM | Comment Easy Bake toy ovens recalled for 2nd time this yearWASHINGTON -- The Easy Bake oven, an iconic toy with a four-decade history, has been recalled for the second time in less than a year, government safety advocates announced today. In February Easy Bake's parent company, Pawtucket-based Hasbro Inc, recalled 985,000 of the toys because children were getting their hands and fingers trapped in the front opening, and some were burned. At that time, Hasbro offered a free repair kit to improve the oven's safety. Since the February announcement, the company has received an additional 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the ovens, including 16 reports of second- and third-degree burns. One burn required partial amputation of a 5-year-old girl's finger. As a result, Hasbro is recalling all front-loading Easy Bake ovens sold since May 2006, even those that were repaired with the free kit distributed after the February recall. -- The Associated Press CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese said they do not know how many, if any, of the additional 249 injuries occurred in repaired ovens. The ovens should already be off store shelves, according to Hasbro spokesman Wayne Charness. The company is urging all owners to contact Easy Bake and exchange their ovens for a Hasbro product voucher. For more information, oven owners can call 800-601-8418 or visit the Hasbro Web site's Easy Bake page where recall information is published. But this isn't the end of the Easy Bake oven, Charness insisted. "It does have a 40-year history, so we're trying to get it back out there," he said. "We are working on bringing a new model into the marketplace as soon as we can." Read about the February recall. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:00 AM | Comment Video: House panels' hearing on hurricane trackingWASHINGTON -- The House Science/Energy Subcommittee and Investigations & Oversight Subcommittee are holding a joint hearing this morning on storm tracking at National Hurricane Center. Witnesses include: Bill Proenza, former director, National Hurricane Center; Robert M. Atlas, director, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory; Don McKinnon, director, Jones County Emergency Management Agency; and Conrad C. Lautenbacher, undersecretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator, NOAA. Proenza was temporarily reassigned earlier this month after about half of his staff called for his ouster, saying they're afraid the public has lost confidence in the center's forecasting. He had only been on the job since January. Watch the hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., live. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:23 AM | Comment Police following leads in fatal cab driver shootingCENTRAL FALLS – The police continue to investigate the Monday shooting in broad daylight that took the life of Providence cab driver Jose Rodriguez. Detectives are “actively pursuing leads,” but have no suspects in custody, Police Chief Joseph Moran III said this morning. “It’s not tolerable,” he said of the 12:30 p.m. shooting in the city. “It’s obviously a heinous crime to begin with, but at 12:30 in the afternoon – it’s not going to be tolerated around here.” Moran encouraged anyone who may have seen something suspicious to call the police, at (401) 727-7411, and ask to speak with detectives. The police found Rodriguez shot in his cab on Fuller Avenue in Central Falls Monday at midday. The manager of Gonzalez Cab had alerted the police after Rodriguez’s wife told her she had been talking to him while he gave three men a ride and suddenly was disconnected. Rodriguez died Tuesday afternoon after being shot in the head. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:49 AM | Comment The real Tom Brady doesn't have to stand up in court"Tom Brady" is a bespectacled, 39-year-old attorney who dreams of being the two-time Super Bowl MVP. To the disappointment of court watchers in Boston, the real Tom Brady, who dates super model Giselle Bundchen, will not testify during the retrial of former Patriots' offensive coordinator Charlie Weis's medical malpractice case. 
AP photo
The real Tom Brady
AP photo
Attorney Mike Mone Jr.
The Patriots quarterback testified during the first attempt to try the case, but that case ended in a mistrial in February. The retrial is now under way in Suffolk Superior Court, and rather than hauling Brady back to the courthouse, lawyers decided to have his testimony from the first trial read to the jurors. Playing the role of Brady was Mike Mone Jr., whose father is the lead attorney on Weis's team. "Like many men, I dream of being Tom Brady," he said after the court recessed for the day. "But I don't know if this would be the 15 minutes I'd choose." Weis is suing Charles Ferguson, director of Massachusetts General Hospital's surgical residency program, and Richard Hodin, a surgeon and professor at Harvard Medical School, accusing them of botching the surgery commonly known as stomach stapling. The trial is continuing. Read more from The Associated Press. -- From Associated Press reports Posted by Jack Perry at 8:47 AM | Comment Textron reports strong 2Q results, OKs stock splitPROVIDENCE -- Textron Inc. today reported strong second-quarter results, adding up to a 26-percent increase in earnings per share from continuing operations on a 15-percent revenue increase. “We experienced another strong quarter of solid revenue growth and improved profitability,” said Textron Chairman, President and CEO Lewis B. Campbell. “Demand for our products and further improvements from our Enterprise Management initiatives continue to drive enhanced results,” hel added. Textron’s Board of Directors announced that it has approved a two-for-one split of its common stock, an increase in the common stock dividend and a new share repurchase program. Second-quarter revenue was $3.2 billion, up 15 percent from last year. Second-quarter income from continuing operations was $1.69 per share, compared to $1.34 in the second quarter of 2006. Including discontinued operations, second quarter 2007 net income was $1.66 per share compared to $0.53 a year ago. The results include a $48 million, or $0.25 per share charge at its Bell segment related to the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program based on plans contained in a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding signed with the customer in the quarter. Year-to-date manufacturing cash flow from continuing operations was $280 million, resulting in free cash flow of $123 million. The stock split will be effected through a 100-percent stock dividend, payable on Aug. 24 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 3. Textron’s common stock will begin trading at the split-adjusted price on Aug. 27. In addition, Textron’s Board of Directors has approved a 19-percent increase in the company's annualized common stock dividend rate from $0.775 per share to $0.92 per share, stated on a post-split basis. Related to this action, Textron’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per common share to holders of record as of the close of business on Sept. 14. Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company operates a global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 8:29 AM | Comment 3 hospitalized after Lincoln crashLINCOLN – Three people were hospitalized early this morning with injuries that don’t appear life-threatening after a three-car crash around 12:30 a.m. in a construction zone on Route 295 north. Two cars, traveling in the left and middle lanes near exit 9, slowed down in the construction-zone traffic and a car traveling behind them struck the car on the left, spun 180 degrees and then struck the car in the middle lane, State Police Lt. Eric LaRiviere said this morning. The driver of the rear car was the most seriously injured, potentially with one or two broken legs, LaRiviere said. Sean Goncalves, 20, of 36 French St. in Pawtucket, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital. The driver and passenger of the first car he struck were also taken to Rhode Island Hospital, with complaints of pain, LaRiviere said. They are Michael Berard and Pauline Berard, both 62, of 25 Shirley Drive in Cumberland. The driver of the second car Goncalves struck -- Denise Hernandez, 55, of 66 Forest Drive in Waltham, Mass. – was not taken to the hospital, LaRiviere said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:10 AM | Comment Showers likely, thunderstorms possibleShowers are likely again today, primarily after 3 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Showers are likely tonight, and a thunderstorm is possible. The storms could produce strong winds and hail in parts of New England.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about former Roger Williams University Chairman Ralph R. Papitto's request that university officials remove his name from the law school after it was revealed that Papitto had used a racial slur during a trustees meeting. It also reports on the discovery of a teenager's body in the Barrington River. Patrick Murphy, 17, of Nobel Ave., Barrington, disappeared Tuesday while he was being pulled on a kneeboard off the back of a motorboat. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 18, 2007Update: Cranston girl who fell in N.H. is home safeA Cranston girl who fell while rock climbing in New Hampshire yesterday is home safe with a few bumps and bruises, according to her mother and grandfather. Hannah Meharg, 12, fell more than 40 feet from a cliff in the White Mountains yesterday while participating in a weeklong rock-climbing camp operated by the Rhode Island Rock Gym of Lincoln. Meharg, an avid rock climber who attends the Jewish Community Day School in Providence, had reached the top of a cliff at Rumney Rocks and fell while preparing to descend, landing partially on another child, according to Lt. Todd Bogardus of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The other child was not seriously injured. Rescuers believe Meharg, one of 10 children on the expedition, fell after mistakenly unclipping herself from her safety gear. Crews passed her stretcher over steep boulders through rugged terrain to get her to the hospital. John Meharg, Hannah’s grandfather, said X-rays revealed no fractures. But he said she has scrapes and bruises on her head, face and legs and some pain in her back. Hannah’s mother Ronni Meharg, who drove to New Hampshire last night to pick up her daughter, said she did not blame the camp operators for Hannah’s fall, calling it a “total, total fluke accident.” She said her daughter loves rock climbing and does not plan to give it up. Hannah’s grandfather did not seem so sure about the wisdom of that decision, but was unwilling to intervene. “I’m her grandfather,” he said, with a chuckle. “I don’t think I get to have an opinion.” -- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg, with reports from The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment Beer, wine to be sold at Newport jazz, folk festsNEWPORT -- George Wein and The Festival Network, the producers of the Dunkin’ Donuts Newport Folk Festival and the JVC Jazz Festival-Newport, announced today that for the first time since returning to the City by the Sea in 1981, beer and wine will be sold at the concerts at Fort Adams State Park. The Open Air Café will serve the beverages along with “a classic New England coastal menu,” the producers said in a statement, on the west end of the boat basin at Fort Adams, where festival-goers will be able to drink while seeing the main stage as well as the fort and the harbor. “Why should people be denied when at every public event, every ball game, they can get a beer?” Wein said today. “In the hot sun, it’s nice.” Up until now, alcohol was unavailable at Fort Adams, and festival-goers’ bags and coolers were checked for alcohol, Wein said. He added that people have complained about the lack of opportunity to have a drink at the Newport festivals in the past, and he needs to use everything he can to bring people back. “We have to work to get people there. Our festival is not what they call a hot festival,” Wein said, comparing the fort to rock venues such as the Tweeter Center. “We don’t play the people who draw the biggest crowds. … “It’s just time that we did this.” The café will be supplied by Constellation Brands, which handles Corona beer and several brands of wine. “We won’t make money off the beer itself,” Wein said -- the festival gets the sponsorship money, and Constellation gets the alcohol proceeds. Newport Councilwoman Kate Leonard said today that alcohol sales will be restricted to the tented café, and that festival patrons will still not be allowed to bring in their own alcohol. She said that the city and the state Department of Environmental Management, which runs Fort Adams, are still working on the details of policy. More about the two festivals ... -- Journal pop music writer Rick Massimo Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:28 PM | Comment ALERT: Body of teen found in Barrington RiverBARRINGTON -- The body of the 17-year-old boy who fell from a kneeboard while being pulled by a motorboat into the Barrington River last night was found this afternoon. Fire Chief Gerald Bessette announced that the body was recovered at about 2:45 p.m. in the water in an area in the vicinity of Town Hall on County Road after a search that began last night. Authorities are not yet releasing the boy's name because family is being notified and the family requested time to notify other family. He has been identified as a Barrington High School student. The state Department of Environmental Management has charged the teen driver of the boat, Ryan A. Greenberg, 17, of 33 Lamson Rd., Barrington, with reckless boating and refusal to submit to a chemical test. Police say alcohol was involved in the incident. Another 17-year-old was also on board the boat at the time. Bessette credited the search efforts, which he said involved as many as 100 people, including state police and search dogs. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:49 PM | Comment Westerly Democrat under investigation for missing laptopWESTERLY -- A prominent Westerly Democrat is under scrutiny after a laptop computer he reported missing from his state office turned up in his car trunk. Robert Ritacco leads the Westerly Democratic Town Committee and worked for the state Division of Taxation. Court documents allege that Ritacco told police that someone stole a state-issued laptop from his office in March. A few weeks later, Ritacco told police he found the computer in the trunk of his vehicle. He said he was trying to fix it. Prosecutors charged Ritacco with filing a false police report, but later dismissed the case. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch says an investigation is ongoing. Ritacco says he voluntarily left his state job and that the dismissal of charges speaks for itself. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:19 PM | Comment RWU chair 'accepts' Papitto's request to drop nameThe Roger Williams University Board of Trustees chairman said this afternoon he "accepts" former chairman Ralph R. Papitto's request that Papitto's name be removed from the university's law school. “On behalf of the board of trustees and the university administration, I accept Mr. Papitto’s request that we remove his name from the University’s law school," said Richard Bready, who recently replaced Papitto as board chairman, said in a statement. "While we are deeply grateful that Mr. Papitto has chosen a course of action that is unquestionably in the best interest of the school and its community of faculty, students and alumni, there exists a measure of sadness that his long association with the school comes to this end," Bready added. Bready's statement follows Papitto's apology early this afternoon for a racial slur he made at a Board of Trustees meeting. The remark led to his recent resignation as chairman of that board and calls for his name to be removed from RWU's law school. Papitto, 80, the board's chairman for 20 years, who has given $2.8 million to the school over the years, stepped down July 9, citing his age and desire to spend more time with his family. On Saturday, The Journal reported that Papitto had been forced off the board after using a racial slur during a May 2 meeting while discussing the need to add more women and minorities to the board. (Of the board's 16 members, 14 were white men.) Papitto "has served this university for nearly 35 years and has helped to position Roger Williams to be the outstanding institution for higher education that it is today," Bready said. "We specifically appreciate his efforts to amend relations with the minority community. Bready stated that the new board of trustees will continue to move forward with its plans to ensure a more diverse board and will shortly adopt new by-laws that provide greater transparency of board activities.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:05 PM | Comment No arrests yet in killing of cab driver, police sayNo arrests had been made yet in connection with the shooting death of Providence cab driver Jose Rodriguez, according to Central Falls Police. Rodriguez was shot Monday, on his birthday, around midday while he was driving three men from Providence to Central Falls. He died the following day. Evelyn Gonzalez, the manager at Gonzalez Cab Inc. of Providence, where Rodriguez worked, said today that another cabbie just missed a confrontation with two men he had gone to pick up on Nebraska Street in Providence at 9:15 p.m. Gonzalez said they had requested to go to Central Falls. The cabbie saw one man come through an alley and another man approaching from the other side. He took off in his cab after that man dropped a gun, she said. Gonzalez said she told him to report it to police but did not know if he did or not. She said sometimes cabbies do not report crimes or potential crimes because police do not respond for hours. She said she is planning to talk with Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman. At the home of Jose Rodriguez, his widow Ana (Yvelisse) Rosario Rodriguez and her family made preparations to send his body back to the Dominican Republic, his native country. -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:00 PM | Comment A North Providence beach closed due to bacteriaNORTH PROVIDENCE -- The state Health Department today recommended closing Notte Park Beach here to swimming because of high bacteria counts. Officials will monitor water quality and recommend re-opening when the areas are safe for swimming. "We urge the public to avoid feeding waterfowl at the beach and remind you to remove garbage to help reduce contamination contributed by waterfowl," the Health Department news release said. To check information about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or call (401) 222-2751. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:57 PM | Comment Update: Cranston girl, injured in N.H. fall, releasedRUMNEY, N.H. -- A 12-year-old girl was treated and released after falling more than 40 feet while rock climbing in New Hampshire's White Mountains with a Rhode Island group. Hannah Meharg of Cranston, R.I., suffered head and possible back injuries Tuesday when she fell from a cliff at the Rumney Rocks, Fish and Game said. Lt. Todd Bogardus said Meharg had reached the top of the cliff and fell while preparing to come down, landing at the bottom, partially on another child. The other child was not seriously hurt. He said rescuers believe the youngster fell after mistakenly unclipping herself from her safety gear. She was among 10 children, ages 11 to 13, who are part of a weeklong rock-climbing camp operated by the Rhode Island Rock Gym of Lincoln. Rescuers passed her stretcher over steep boulders through rugged terrain to get her to the hospital. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:51 PM | Comment Family literacy initative gets $145,000 grantA literacy collaboration of Providence, Cranston, East Providence, and Pawtucket public libraries is getting a $145,000 grant that will allow classes to continue in English as a second language, citizenship preparation, computer and family literacy. The state Department of Education grant goes to the Rhode Island Familiy Literacy Initiative, which is based at Providence Public Library. The initiatives is one of 38 community-based agencies in the state that provide adult education programs adn received a Department of Educatipn grant this year. The grant, to be used during the 2007-08 academic year, is an increase of $54,000 over what the program got from thew state last year, according to a news release from the Providence Public Library. In 2006-07, the literacy initiative served 376 adult learners and 137 children. Adult learners in the program come from 54 countries and speak more than eight different languages, accordong to the library. Nineteen students of the initiative earned U.S. citizenship during the past year. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:24 PM | Comment Update: Papitto apologizes for racial slur / Photo
"I deeply regret the pain that this remark has caused those in the African American community and other minorities," Papitto said in the statement. "This remark in no way reflects my deep respect for the African American community and for the many contributions African Americans have made to our society." Papitto himself did not attend the press conference called for the purpose of delivering the statement. Instead, it was read by his representative, Mike Trainor. Papitto's lawyer, Joseph Cavanagh, also attended on Papitto's behalf. Trainor explained that Papitto, 80, is still in recovery from quadruple bypass surgery and is not able to take part in "very stressful situations." A group of 179 law students, a Roger Williams University professor and, today, the Rhode Island Minority Leadership/Legislative Caucus, have all asked that Papitto's name be removed from the university's law school -- the state's only law school. In the statement, Papitto says, "A continued public discussion and debate over the name of the law school serves only to further damage the university. Therefore, and as a reflection of the sincerity of my regret and of my deep commitment to Roger Williams University, I have today asked the Board of Trustees to remove my name from the law school." Papitto's statement also says: "I also wish to state that this is a truly isolated incident. I flatly repudiate allegations that this sort of comment in any way characterizes my conversational traits or behavior." He added that over the past several days, "I have done much soul searching and reflection. As I have indicated repeatedly, I take full responsibility for this matter and ask for understanding from the community." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney
Audio: Hear Trainor and Papitto's lawyer, Joseph Cavanagh, answer questions at today's news conference PDF: Read Papitto's statement saying his name should be removed from the law school Your Turn: React to Papitto's apology Extra: For more on the embattled former RWU chairman and for related links, go to www.projo.com/education The Journal reported Saturday that Papitto had been forced off the board after using a racial slur during a May 2 meeting while discussing the need to add more women and minorities to the board. Three trustees who called for Papitto to resign after he uttered the racial slur, including the board’s only two women, say they were wrongfully removed from the board in retaliation. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:54 PM | Comment North Smithfield couple pleads guilty to tax evasionPROVIDENCE -- A North Smithfield couple have pleaded guilty to tax evasion, admitting they failed to report $266,861 in income over three years. Robert Portman and his wife, Candy Portman, made the guilty pleas during separate hearings yesterday in U.S. District Court, Providence, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Reich said at the hearings that the government could prove that for tax years 2000 through 2002, Robert Portman failed to report all of the business receipts of his firm, Reliable Builders. Portan "asked many customers to pay with checks made out to him personally rather than to the business, and deposited those checks into a personal account rather than the business account," a news release states. Candy Portman maintained the company's books, the U.S. Attorney's office stated. The couple failed to report $42,239 worth of income in 2000, $82,237 in 2001 and $142,385 in 2002. The net tax loss to the government is $74,721. The Portmans, of Victory Highway, North Smithfield, each pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion, the news release states. The maximum penalty is five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The defendants are free on bond pending a scheduled Oct. 19 sentencing. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:37 PM | Comment Cranston girl injured from fall in New HampshireRUMNEY, N.H. -- An 11-year-old girl is in the hospital after falling while rock climbing in New Hampshire's White Mountains with a Rhode Island group. Officials say Hannah Megard, of Cranston, suffered head and possible back injuries yesterday when she fell more than 40 feet from a cliff at the Rumney Rocks. Rescuers passed her stretcher over steep boulders through rugged terrain to get her to the hospital. She was among ten children, ages 11 to 13, who are part of a weeklong rock-climbing camp operated by the Rhode Island Rock Gym of Lincoln. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:31 PM | Comment Minority caucus: Take Papitto's name off law schoolPROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Minority Leadership/Legislative Caucus today condemned former Roger Williams University Board of Trustees Chairman Ralph R. Papitto’s use of a racial slur during a recent trustees meeting. The caucus called on the university to distance itself from Papitto and make diversity on its board the top priority. The caucus is also calling on the university to remove Papitto’s name from its law school and to reinstate the three now-ousted board members who asked Papitto to step down. The leaders want a reconfiguration of the board of trustees that would reflect more diversity. Speaking inside the State House in front of the bust of Martin Luther King Jr., caucus chairman Rep. Joseph S. Almeida asked Roger Williams University President Roy Nirschel to be more outspoken about the issue and the importance of diversity on the board. About 40 people attended, including members of the legislative caucus, various minority groups and NAACP President Clifford R. Montiero. Montiero said if Papitto wants to do something great, he ought to fund an annual diversity program at the school. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Your Turn: React to this story Extra: For more on the embattled former RWU chairman and for related links, go to www.projo.com/education Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:54 AM | Comment Senate blocks Reed push to remove troops from IraqWASHINGTON -- The Senate has again blocked an effort, led in part by Sen. Jack Reed, to force President Bush to begin removing troops from Iraq this fall and to complete a sharp contraction of the American war mission by next spring. By a vote of 52 to 47, Democratic leadership failed to muster the super majority needed to limit debate on the Reed measure. The parliamentary test vote appeared to suggest that Democrat Reed, of Rhode Island, and his allies have scored a marginal gain in the bipartisan support for legislation that carries legal deadlines for the U.S. force reductions. But the vote underscored a reluctance to legislate a change of course in Iraq -- even among Republicans who have grown skeptical of President Bush's war strategy. -- John Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:49 AM | Comment Whitehouse to push for war contracts probeWASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse will join other freshmen Democratic senators this afternoon in announcing new legislation to create a commission to investigate wartime contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to a news release, Whitehouse and the other senators describe it as an independent commission. The announcement came just before senators voted on an amendment that would begin pulling troops pout of Iraq 120 days after it became law. The amendment, co-sponsored by fellow Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed, failed to pass at about 11:30 a.m. Whitehouse spoke on the Senate floor about 7 a.m. today on the troop-reduction amendment. The news conference on the commission is scheduled for 2 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:43 AM | Comment Workforce official to speak to Quaker Fabric workersFALL RIVER, Mass. -- Suzanne M. Bump, the secretary of Labor and Workforce Development in Massachusetts, will speak to former employees of Quaker Fabric Corp. on Friday. Quaker, a former textile juggernaut, laid off its 900 employees two weeks ago after defaulting on more than $30 million in loans. At least 62 Rhode Island residents lost their jobs when the plant suspended operations. Bump is scheduled to speak to hundreds of those workers at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at a special job fair at Bristol Community College, organized by the Fall River Career Center. More than 100 companies and social service organizations will attend the job fair for the displaced workers, many of whom speak limited English and worked at Quaker for decades. Bump, a former state representative, was appointed to her cabinet post in January. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:22 AM | Comment Man escapes burning fishing boat south of NewportThe lone man aboard Jamestown-based fishing boat Lucy, which burst into flames about four miles south of Newport, escaped in a life raft today and called Coast Guard Station Castle Hill by cell phone. Chris Lutyens was taken aboard a 25-foot Coast Guard response boat from Castle Hill to the Jamestown pier and then to Newport Hospital for follow-up treatment, according to a Coast Guard news release. The Jamestown Fire Department arrived around 7:30 a.m. and fought the fire until the ship sank in about 100 feet of water after Lutyens reported the Lucy was on fire around 6:20 a.m. Crew of another fishing boat, the Odyssey, had seen the fire and took Lutyens aboard. A 25-foot Coast Guard response-boat and a 41-foot utility boat arrived on-scene around 6:35 a.m. "Since Mr. Lutyens had a life raft aboard and the knowledge of how to use it, he was able to safely evacuate the vessel and call for help," said Petty Officer Jason Ronin of Station Castle Hill in a statement. "We strongly urge all boaters to ensure they have operable emergency equipment when planning to be at sea." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:12 AM | Comment Providence to get anti-terror aidWASHINGTON -- A new round of federal anti-terror grants to cities will send $5.2 million to Providence -- after it was cut out of anti-terror funding last year. The anti-terror aid is expected to be announced today by the Department of Homeland Security. An early copy of the national list of grant amounts to the 46 recipient cities was obtained by The Associated Press. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said cities should not compare one year's award to the next. He says the program is designed to provide aid where the need is greatest in order to make the entire country safer from terrorist attacks. The money can be spent to train, equip, and better protect police, fire, and emergency personnel. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 11:06 AM | Comment Search for teen continues, boat operator charged
The 17-year-old boy fell from a kneeboard that was being pulled by a motorboat around 7:30 p.m. He has not been identified by officials. Four boats were in the water at about 9:30 this morning and a fifth was to soon join the search, according to public safety officials. Trained state police dogs were on two of the boats in the hope that they would pick up the scent of the missing boy. 
Barrington Police Chief John M. LaCross said alcohol had been found on the boat, which was occupied by two other 17-year-olds when the teen disappeared. The operator of the boat, Ryan A. Greenberg, 17, of 33 Lamson Road, Barrington, has been charged by the state Department of Environmental Management with reckless driving of a motor vessel and refusal to submit to a chemical test, according to LaCross. He was arraigned before a justice of the peace last night and released to his parents. All of the teens are students at Barrington High School. School Principal John Gray was at the scene this morning. Anat Cunha, who lives nearby and is the mother of a teenager, was watching the search near a command post officials have set up north of the White Church bridge. She said the currents can be deceptively strong in the river, especially to the south of the bridge. Read a fuller, continually updated version of this story here. -- By Kate Bramson, projo.com staff writer, with reports from Journal staff photographer Mary Murphy and staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski.
Searchers limited the number of boats used this morning because the trained dogs can work more effectively in a calm environment. Authorities are asking pleasure boaters to stay out of the area. The town’s fire and police departments searched last night until about midnight and resumed their search this morning. They were assisted yesterday by area law enforcers and fire crews, the Coast Guard and state police. Residents in their boats also joined in the search. The police are asking anyone with information to call detectives at 437-3933. See the initial report from today's Journal. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:16 AM | Comment Up early, Whitehouse addresses Senate on IraqWASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse addressed his colleagues around 7 a.m. today during their all-night session, which can be viewed on C-Span 2 (Channel 32 locally). Whitehouse outlined ways in which the Iraqi government “has not made satisfactory progress” on issues such as establishing provincial council authorities and preparing for elections. “It is clear that the Iraqis have not made that progress,” he said. “We must announce that we will re-deploy our troops,” Whitehouse continued. “This is a necessary step.” Whitehouse said the United States has “an enormously complex problem, a problem that we have tried to solve by military efforts alone.” But the country’s efforts have failed, he said, “not because anything was lacking in our troops.” The failure has come because the “strategy was wrong,” he said, and it is up to the Senate to challenge that strategy. “The Levin-Reed amendment is the new direction Americans have called for,” he said of the amendment co-sponsored by his fellow Rhode Island senator, Jack Reed, which calls for the United States to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq 120 days after enactment of the bill. “I urge my colleagues to let us vote. Let us vote up or down.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:24 AM | Comment Showers likelyShowers are likely and a thunderstorm is possible after 3 p.m. today in the Providence area, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy downpours are possible, which could result in flooding in urban areas. The temperature should reach 76 degrees, the weather service says. Tonight should also bring periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about the search for a missing 17-year-old boy in the Barrington River. It also includes photographs and a story about a national campaign to motivate legal immigrants to become citizens. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment Voter fraud charges fly in East ProvidenceEAST PROVIDENCE -- The chairwoman of the city’s Canvassing Authority wants the state to send every registered voter in East Providence a mailing to confirm where live. Dorothy O’Gara’s announcement came today, the morning The Journal reported that Republican Party members have accused O’Gara of aiding and abetting voter fraud. They say she stalled scheduling meetings so the city couldn’t prosecute residents who illegally voted in the 2006 primary and general election. The three-member board has not had a meeting since January and by state law, local officials have 12 months to press charges. The Republicans say the one year expires next month, which is when O’Gara said she will begin her campaign. The chairman of the state Republican Party, Giovanni Cicione, said East Providence has “one of the most embarrassing records on fair elections” in the state. During the 2004 election, 13 people were charged with voter fraud after they cast ballots in East Providence. “There is a small core group of people who have, on the one hand complained about the accuracy of the list and accused me of delaying a meeting of the authority, and all the while have carefully orchestrated a series of situations that have made it difficult for me to carry on with the business of the board,” O’Gara said. -- Journal staff writer Alisha A. Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:30 AM | Comment July 17, 2007Update: Cab driver who was shot in head diesCENTRAL FALLS -- Jose Rodriguez, the cab driver shot in the head while transporting three men to Central Falls, died today at Rhode Island Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Nancy Cawley said. Rodriguez, a father of two children, died at about 2 p.m. He had been in critical condition. Central Falls police continued its investigation today working with Providence police to find suspects in the shooting. The manager of Gonzalez Cab Inc. where Rodriguez worked, Evelyn Gonzalez, said that Rodriguez had picked up three men on Spruce St. in Providence to bring them to Central Falls. Gonzalez, who was working dispatch when the midday shooting occurred, said Rodriguez’s wife called frantically because she had been talking on the phone with her husband, and he had intimated that the three men he had picked up were acting suspiciously. She asked him where he was and he said Exit 27 on Route 95 and then the line went dead, according to Gonzalez. Mrs. Rodriguez called Gonzalez and told them her to try to reach her husband. When Gonzalez could not, she said she immediately called Central Falls Police. Rodriguez has worked with the cab company since 2004, according to Gonzalez. “It is difficult because we are all like family here,” she said. The company shut down after the shooting but was opened for business today at 6 a.m. Gonzalez said she is planning to join with other cab companies to ask Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline to help cabbies get partitions in their cars to protect them from their riders. “The cabbies are fearful,” Gonzalez said. “There is not much protection for them.” -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Whitehouse to join Reed in Senate debate / Photo
WASHINGTON -- The Senate could take on the atmosphere of a sleepover camp tonight, as it prepares an all-night debate on legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Carl Levin. Rhode Island Democrat Reed will be joined by his fellow Democrat, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who is scheduled to take to the floor early tomorrow morning. Reed joined other Senators earlier today for a press conference on the issue. The amendment offered by Reed and Levin would begin redeploying American troops out of Iraq within four months, with a target ending date of April 30, 2008. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced that he and the Senate’s Democratic leadership will hold the body in session overnight to force senators who oppose the Levin-Reed amendment to explain to the American people why they do not support bringing troops home. Iraq War veterans, military families, and members of Americans United for Change, Moveon.org and Vote Vets will join members of Congress to remember soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:49 PM | Comment Make tracks to Westerly for 'Happy Feet' at beachWESTERLY -- Want to bring the movie to the beach? Tonight you can. At 8:45 p.m., the Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce conducts its “Movies on the Beach” series. The movie is Happy Feet, an animation film about dancing penguins. It's certainly for all ages. (A certain projo.com reporter's 2 1/2-year-old niece couldn't get enough of the movie recently, at times breaking into a Happy Feet dance at will during a family get-together). The movie viewing will be at Misquamicut Beach. You’ll find a transportable screen near the Sandy Shore Motel, 149 Atlantic Ave., Westerly. Admission and parking are free. If it rains, the showing is tomorrow. For more information, go to www.westerlychamber.org. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Man accused of flashing women at Chafee preserveNorth Kingstown police arrested a 28-year-old man whom they believe has been flashing girls and women at the John H. Chafee Nature Preserve. Police allege that Mark Boyajian, of East Greenwich, approached a Philadelphia woman walking the trails at the waterfront park last Tuesday evening and dropped his pants, exposing himself. She called 911 and followed the man as he fled to the parking lot. When she told police details of what had happened, Capt. Charles Brennan said the story sounded familiar. He turned up three similar complaints logged in the past 11 months. “It seemed like too much to be a coincidence,” Brennan said. Last month a woman complained that a man at the park approached her and a group of Girl Scouts, asking where the beach was. He then dropped his pants, Brennan said. Boyajian was arrested Saturday, charged with one count of disorderly conduct and released on bail. Brennan says he’ll be back in District Court at the end of the month to face additional charges related to the June incident. The women from the park both picked Boyajian out of a photo lineup, and the Philadelphia woman identified his car. Brennan said the department will continue to investigate the other incidents. Sgt. John Murphy thought of Boyajian as a suspect because of his previous convictions in 2000 and 2001 for exposing himself to women at a clothing store and a shopping plaza parking lot. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:09 PM | Comment Woonsocket city official resigns in wake of e-mailsWOONSOCKET -- Hours into an investigation launched after Council President Leo T. Fontaine informed the city of harassing e-mails being sent from City Hall in his name, Human Services director and longtime city employee John R. Dionne has resigned. Mayor Susan D. Menard, who Monday night asked Director of Administration Michael Annarummo to look into the bizarre matter after Fontaine addressed his concerns earlier that evening, announced in a news release today that “the responsible party offered his resignation immediately. The resignation of John Dionne was accepted.” Menard said that Annarummo and City Solicitor Christopher Lambert will investigate how much Dionne cost the city by using his work computer for non-city-related activities and that she will “demand restitution.” “This type of behavior has not and will not be tolerated. Any city employee who misuses their office will be swiftly and similarly treated,” Menard said. Dionne, who previously served as chairman of the Board of Canvassers and before that as public safety director, was forced from his public safety job in 1995 after the Rhode Island Ethics Commission said that he used improper influence when he unsuccessfully tried to have his son made a police officer. Dionne, who did not return calls for comment, also served on the City Council from 1977 to 1987, and was council president for six years. -- Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes The mayor also said in the release that she hopes to express her “deepest regrets and apology on behalf of the city,” to Fontaine, who on Monday said that he became aware of the bizarre issue after local radio host Dave Kane received e-mails from "Leo Fontaine" during a show two months ago. Kane began reading the e-mail on the air, but stopped after the message became increasingly profane and notified Fontaine. Todd Brien, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor last year, said he also received e-mails that he believes were from Dionne. The council president said another city employee has also received e-mails that were signed Fontaine. All were sent from City Hall, using taxpayer dollars, Fontaine said Monday. The council president said during the meeting that he will consider pursuing legal action on behalf of the city. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:00 PM | Comment Probation-violation hearing set for dual murder suspectPROVIDENCE -- The probation violation hearing for a man charged in connection with the double homicide of two women found inside a Providence apartment after a fire has been scheduled for Aug. 1, according to attorney general's spokeswoman Beryl Kenyon. Raymond Clements, 23, is facing murder and first-degree arson charges in connection with the June 14 slaying of Heather Jesus, 20, of 375 Plainfield St., Providence, and her 17-year-old cousin, Amanda Sousa, at Jesus' Silver Lake apartment. Clements received a court-appointed lawyer today, Chris Millea, ahead of the hearing. Kenyon said the Attorney General's Office will pursue the probation violation based on a first-degree robbery charge. That charge is for an incident authorities say Clements committed some 11 hours before he is accused of commiting the murders and arson. Authorities have said Clements had two prior convictions. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Clements is one of two men arrested for allegedly committing the slayings. Anthony J. Carter, 22, of Pawtucket was arrested in Polk County, Fla., last month and faces robbery charges in Florida. Dr. Thomas Gilson, Rhode Island chief state medical examiner, said Jesus died of "sharp-force injuries and asphyxia due to neck and chest compression," and that Sousa died of "multiple blunt-impact and sharp-force injuries." Police Maj. Stephen Campbell has said the fire was set deliberately to destroy evidence, and that the blaze began in the living room, where the bodies were found. Both victims were attacked before the fire, he has said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:53 PM | Comment Update: Man charged with assault was on FBI listSMITHFIELD -- A man arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend turned up on an FBI wanted list, the police said today. Richard J. Joseph, 34, of 179 Pleasant View Ave., was taken into custody after a search in which officers enlisted a K-9 dog from the North Providence police, said Capt. Robert W. VanNieuwenhuyze, spokesman for the Smithfield police. VanNieuwenhuyze said that officers were dispatched about 9:45 p.m. on Monday after a man was reported to be assaulting a woman near Mac’s Liquor Mart on Pleasant View Avenue. When officers arrived, they were told by witnesses that the pair had left in a white vehicle. Patrol Officer Jeffrey Scott located the vehicle and began following it, VanNieuwenhuyze said, but the vehicle then turned abruptly onto Riverview Avenue, where the suspect took off by foot. The woman, whom VanNieuwenhuyze declined to identify other than to say that she was Joseph’s live-in girlfriend, told officers who her boyfriend was and said he was intoxicated. The FBI connection then showed up when the officers checked his name against computer records. Patrol Officer Michael Zachannini brought in his K-9 dog and soon found Joseph, who was caught after a brief chase. -- Journal staff writer Thomas J. Morgan Special Agent Gail Marcincavage of the Boston office of the FBI said that the charges against Joseph were lodged by the state Department of Revenue and involved abandonment and failure to pay child support. Marcincavage said state officials had requested that the suspect’s name on the national wanted list so that his name would pop up no matter where in the country he might be arrested. When Joseph was arraigned before Judge Frank J. Cenerini of District Court this morning, he pleaded no contest to Smithfield police charges of domestic assault, domestic vandalism and domestic disorderly conduct. He received a one-year suspended sentence on the first two charges, and a six-month suspended sentence on the third. Cenerini also ordered him to serve a year of probation. Cenerini also ordered Joseph held without bail on the FBI warrant. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:49 PM | Comment Citizenship campaign for legal immigrants gets pushPROVIDENCE -- A collection of church, union and community organizations today promoted a national campaign to motivate legal immigrants to become citizens and use the power of their vote. The International Institute of Rhode Island estimates that about 150,000 people in the Ocean State are foreign born, says its executive director William Shuey. About 50,000 are already U.S. citizens. Of the remaining 100,000, at least 70,000 are here legally and eligible for citizenship, he says. On Saturday, the International Institute, the Diocese of Providence, Progresso Latino and Project Hope will offer citizen application advice at four locations in Providence and Central Falls. Rocio Saenz, president of Local 615 of the Service Employees International Union, says there are 8 million legal immigrants nationally eligible for U.S. citizenship. The national movement -- "ya es hora’’, or, now’s the time -- has a goal to naturalize more than 1 million new citizens this year and in time for next year’s elections. Saenz says the push has been motivated by a 69 percent increase in naturalization fees (from $400 to $675) set to go into effect on Aug. 1 and the "ugly tone of the immigration debate’’ which cast aspersion on all hard-working immigrants, no matter their legal status. President Bush’s effort to overhaul the nation’s immigration policy failed last month when the Senate could not unite on the proposal which offered legal status to millions of illegal immigrants while trying to tighten the nation’s borders. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Those wishing to apply for citizenship can do so Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations: International Institute of Rhode Island, 645 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Phone: 784-8615. Progreso Latino, 626 Broad St., Central Falls, 728-5920, ext. 310. Diocese of Providence, 184 Broad St., Providence, 421-7833, ext. 129 Project Hope, 400 Dexter St., Central Falls Extra. More on applying for U.S. citizenship Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:37 PM | Comment Update: Owner of boa constrictor foundNORTH KINGSTOWN -- The tale of the boa constrictor dropped off at the police station last night has taken another twist. At first, Capt. Charles Brennan said police were told that the 5-foot-long snake had been spotted on Ten Rod Road by by West Warwick resident Michael Medeiros around 10:30 p.m. He then dropped it off at the police station. A shift lieutenant called in Animal Control Officer Mary MacLaughlin to handle the snake, who put it in a plastic tote with a lid. The snake spent the night in a lieutenant’s office at the police station, and MacLaughlin took it to the dog pound this morning. “It was very mild-mannered and relaxed,” said MacLaughlin. The snake, about as thick as a soda can, “is very healthy and looks well-cared for,” she added. Boa constrictors, found in Mexico and South America, feed at night on lizards, birds, bats and squirrels. Today, McLaughlin called several pet stores and Roger Williams Park Zoo to find a temporary home for the reptile, which can grow as long as 13 feet. In the meantime, the police were looking for the owner. Said MacLaughlin, “We get a lot of missing cat and dog calls, but not too many calls for snakes.” In the course of checking with pet stores, however, police were told at one place that the boa constrictor sounded familiar, Brennan said later today. A man had been in, trying to sell such a snake. Turns out that it was Medeiros, who had brought in the boa constrictor the night before. He'd just bought a python, Brennan said, and had been trying to sell the boa constrictor. Apparently when he couldn't, he decided to drop it off at the police station instead. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:14 PM | Comment Motorcyclist seriously hurt in Rehoboth collisionREHOBOTH, Mass. -- A motorcyclist seriously injured when he collided with a car on Route 44 was undergoing surgery today, hospital and police officials said. Robert A. King, 36, of the Riverside section of East Providence, was thrown from his bike and taken to Rhode Island Hospital on Monday around 11 p.m. King was undergoing unspecified surgery this afternoon, according to a hospital spokeswoman. King was westbound on Winthrop Street (Route 44) while Jesse Aparicio, 18, of Rehoboth was in the oncoming lane and turning left into a parking lot, the police said. The vehicles collided just east of the junction of Route 118. The police said in a press release that an investigation into the accident is continuing. The release did not indicate whether the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet or provide addresses for either driver. No one from the Police Department could provide further details this afternoon. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:38 PM | Comment Update: Reed's troop plan comes at 'critical juncture'
The Rhode Island Democrat, during a midday news conference, said the Bush administration's Iraq policy is "diminishing our standing" in the international community and is "rapidly losing the support of the American public." Senate Democrats are preparing to stage an all-night debate to dramatize their efforts to force President Bush to begin bringing troops home from Iraq and to change what Reed called “a policy that cannot be sustained.” Tonight's session is an attempt to draw attention to a Republican tactic to require the Democrats to muster 60 votes for their legislation to force troop withdrawals and a new, reduced mission in Iraq. Opponents joined a group of Iraq war veterans at their own press conference today. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., said: "The sad truth is that too many of our colleagues are asleep when it comes to Iraq." Lieberman and Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate from Arizona, went on to support the president's surge strategy in Iraq. The two senators said the strategy needed the time and resources to succeed. Reed and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., his partner in the legislation, acknowledge that they are short of the votes necessary to force an up or down vote. The Senate is now slated to vote tomorrow on whether to limit debate on the Levin-Reed amendment to the overall defense authorization for fiscal year 2008. The amendment is a plan offering "the Iraqi people the best chance to move forward," Reed said in remarks, which were available via streaming video on projo.com. -- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington Bureau, and projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The measure at hand is a tougher version of legislation that Reed and Levin have offered several times before. It would require the United States to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq 120 days after enactment of the bill. By next May 1, it would require the United States to complete its transition to a more modest mission in Iraq, encompassing continued anti-terrorism efforts, training of Iraqi forces and protection of the American forces. Reed has heretofore resisted placing a hard deadline on the completion of such a mission change. He explained in an interview today that he now supports a deadline for accomplishing the mission shift. Reed reasons that troop rotation schedules and other such factors make it impossible for the U.S. military to sustain the current level of about 160,000 troops in Iraq. Therefore, Reed said today, it is now time to begin to force the administration to plan for the troop reductions that will become necessary next spring. Reed said he continues to believe that tens of thousands of troops will have to remain in Iraq for an indefinite period of time. President Bush and Republican Senate leaders have lobbied hard in recent days to resist change of strategy in Iraq, at least until next month, when U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus plan to issue a report on the effectiveness of the so-called surge in U.S. troops. Mr. Bush ordered the surge last winter in order to improve security in and around Baghdad as a way of promoting the Iraqi government’s efforts to reconcile that nation’s competing ethnic and religious groups. Besides the start of troop reductions in Iraq, Reed said the amendment calls for: * Transitioning to special missions next spring for such things as counter-terrorism operations. * A "comprehensive diplomatic effort" -- Reed said "one of the dramatic failings" of the Bush administration has been a one-dimensional policy of military force alone. "We have bipartisan support based on the reality in Iraq, the needs of our military and the best interests of the United States in the world," said Reed, who completed his 10th wartime visit to Iraq last week. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:20 PM | Comment TPI Composites, in Warren, may build Iowa factoryRhode Island's TPI Composities Inc., based in Warren, may build a factory in Iowa that would employ more than 700 workers. TPI Composites could begin operations as early as next year, local officials said Monday. The company -- which manufactures wind turbines, airport buses and military Humvee cabs -- has not confirmed which product would be made in Newton, Iowa. The operation would help offset Whirlpool Corp.'s decision to eliminate 1,800 jobs at its former Maytag factory and corporate headquarters in Newton. Whirlpool, which bought Maytag last year, will phase out the jobs by October. "I think this is just an example of everybody pulling up their bootstraps and saying we're going to continue to thrive and move on," Bev Price, chairwoman for the Newton Development Corp., said Monday after local officials pledged support for the TPI project. TPI -- which has four factories in China, Mexico and the U.S. -- is considering Newton and three other candidates to host its fifth factory. Company officials have not announced other possible sites. TPI would pledge to create 723 jobs over three years, paying workers between $12.25 to $13.40 an hour, plus benefits, officials said. The company is awaiting approval of more than $6 million in state and local incentives and could take up to three months to consider the deal, said Wayne Monie, TPI's chief operating officer. -- The Associated Press "Iowa economic development folks have shared with us the vision of Iowa," Monie said. "They are interested in long-term stable manufacturing and high technologies and providing opportunities of support for companies who are expanding, as we are." The state incentives plan includes a request for a $2 million forgivable loan, which the Iowa Department of Economic Development will consider Thursday. The agency will also consider tax credits under the High-Quality Job Creation program. The local plan, worth as much as $4.4 million, could include the purchase of land and local tax breaks. A local nonprofit group also may agree to own the new building and lease it to the company. The package is still being negotiated by local and Jasper County groups. The company is considering several sites in the Newton area for the operation. It is seeking about 40 acres to lease. The building could add as much as $18 million to property tax valuations for the county and city, which could be used to finance the local incentives. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:52 PM | Comment Update: 'Cabbies are fearful,' says victim's managerCENTRAL FALLS -- Jose Rodriguez, the cab driver shot in the head while transporting three men to Central Falls remained in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital today. The manager of Gonzalez Cab Inc. where Rodriguez works, Evelyn Gonzalez, said that Rodriguez picked up three men on Spruce St. in Providence to bring them to Central Falls. She said those same men had assaulted a cabbie a few months earlier. Gonzalez said she is planning to join with other cab companies to ask Providence Mayor David Cicilline to help cabbies get partitions in their cars to protect them from their riders. “Our cab drivers are vulnerable. There have been other assaults on them and police have not done anything,” Gonzalez said. “Maybe with this people will take action.” Central Falls police continued its investigation today working with Providence police to find the people involved in the shooting. Gonzalez, who was working dispatch Monday when the shooting occurred, said Rodriguez’s wife called frantically because she had been talking on the phone with her husband, and he had intimated that the three men he had picked up were acting suspiciously. She asked him where he was and he said exit 27 on 95 and then the line went dead, according to Gonzalez. Mrs. Rodriguez called Gonzalez and told them her to try to reach her husband. When Gonzalez could not, she said she immediately called Central Falls Police. Rodriguez has worked with the cab company since 2004, according to Gonzalez. “It is difficult because we are all like family here,” she said. Word of his shooting spread like fire yesterday and about eight cabbies went to Central Falls Police headquarters to find our how he was. The company shut down after the shooting which occurred around midday but was opened for business yesterday again at 6 a.m. “The cabbies are fearful,” Gonzalez said. “There is not much protection for them.” -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:32 PM | Comment RWU professor calls for law school name changeA longtime writing professor at Roger Williams University who is also a graduate of the university’s law school is calling for the removal of Ralph R. Papitto’s name from the law school. Mel Topf, who has taught at Roger Williams since 1969, when the Bristol campus opened, has written to University President Roy J. Nirschel, asking him to introduce a Board of Trustees resolution to remove Papitto’s name from the law school. Read his letter. “In both capacities I am frankly embarrassed to have any building or school named after such a person as Mr. Papitto,” Topf wrote to Nirschel. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan He also suggests that Nirschel arrange for any former law school graduate to be allowed – for a reasonable fee -- to replace his or her diploma with one that does not carry Papitto’s name. Topf is the only Roger Williams professor who has spoken publicly with a personal plea to strip the law school of Papitto’s name in the wake of Papitto’s use of a racial slur at a board of trustees meeting. Papitto stepped down recently as chairman of the board of trustees, following the demands by other trustees for his resignation. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:26 PM | Comment Gerber's organic rice and oatmeal cereals recalledThe state Health Department is warning parents of young children of a recall of Gerber Organic Rice and Organic Oatmeal cereals because of a potential choking risk. A limited quantity of the baby food may contain lumps of cereal that won’t dissolve in water or milk and pose a potential choking hazard. Gerber has received complaints about children choking, but not reports of injury. Consumers with either cereal product should not use it and should call the Gerber Parents Resource Center 1-800-443-7237 or 1-231-928-3000 to return the product and receive a full refund. For more details about the recall, see the announcement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:21 PM | Comment Update: Fire at former Grove St. School under controlPROVIDENCE -- A late-morning fire has been brought under control at the two-story brick building that is the former Grove Street School. City firefighters responded at 11:42 a.m. to 113 Grove St., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Fire Department. The fire, which was in the basement and first floor, was under control at 12:32 p.m. Preliminary indications were the fire may have started in the basement. The building inspector is headed to the location. The former school has been the subject of debate over whether to tear it down. The former school was damaged when a demolition contractor began ripping it apart without a building permit on Feb. 3. The demolition was partially complete when residents told police and city officials, and the work was stopped. In May, a trial pitting the city against the family, which now owns the building and began to tear it down, was postponed, after a defendant in the case died. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal photographer Mary Murphy Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:22 PM | Comment Former Celtic pleads not guilty to alcohol chargeNORWICH, Conn. -- Former NBA All-Star Vin Baker, whose 14-year career was marred by bouts of depression and alcoholism, pleaded not guilty today to drunken driving. Baker, 35, appeared briefly in Norwich Superior Court, then ducked out a back entrance to avoid photographers. He is due back in court Aug. 9. Baker, who lives in Durham, was spotted driving erratically after leaving Foxwoods Resort Casino on June 19, according to a state police report. He failed a sobriety test and was charged with driving while impaired, police said. State police described Baker's demeanor as cooperative. A four-time All-Star forward who attended the University of Hartford, Baker averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds. The 6-foot-11 forward was a member of the gold medal-winning Olympic team in 2000 and enjoyed his best seasons with Milwaukee and Seattle. Baker's alcoholism forced the Boston Celtics to cut him midway through the 2003-04 season. He later admitted drinking in his hotel room after playing poorly and showing up to practice with alcohol on his breath. He also played for New York, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers before being released by Minnesota six games into the 2006-07 season. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 12:32 PM | Comment R.I. legislative caucus jumps into Papitto discussionPROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Minority Leadership/Legislative Caucus plans to respond during a news conference tomorrow to the use of a racial slur by Roger Williams University’s former Board of Trustees chairman Ralph R. Papitto. Papitto, for whom the Roger Williams law school is named, used the slur during a May Board of Trustees meeting. The news conference will take place tomorrow at 11 a.m. near the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. bust on the second floor of the State House. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:18 PM | Comment Some resisted naming law school after PapittoBack in 1996 when the Roger Williams University Board of Trustees decided to change the name of the law school to honor Ralph R. Papitto, many students at the law school were angry and hoped to convince the board to reverse its decision. The students said they were grateful to Papitto – who at that time had been a member of the university's board of trustees for the 27 years, the last eight as chairman - for the years he put in lobbying for and creating Rhode Island's first and only law school. However, they thought it would be more appropriate for the university to name the law school building, or another building on campus, after him - and leave the name of the law school alone. Papitto has come under fire in recent days since his use of a racial epithet during a May meeting of the University Board of Trustees became public with a Providence Journal report on Saturday. In 1996, some students said they were upset with the name change because Papitto was not a lawyer, was still alive, and at one point had a civil problem with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Read the full story from 1996. Within two hours yesterday, a group of 75 students signed a petition demanding that university officials immediately change the name of the law school. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:13 PM | Comment Live video: Reed holding press conference on IraqWASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I. and Carl Levin, D-Mich., are holding a noontime news conference on Capitol Hill to discuss Iraq, as the Senate prepares to hold an all-nighter debating the war. Reed and Levin have co-sponsored an amendment on withdrawing from Iraq. Watch a live video broadcast of the press conference now. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:07 PM | Comment Mass. man pleads guilty to extortion in mob casePROVIDENCE -- A Taunton, Mass., man implicated in a Rhode Island-based mob extortion ring pleaded guilty to a felony extortion charge this morning in U. S. District Court. Lawrence Crites, no age available, appeared before Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi and changed his innocent plea to guilty. She scheduled a sentencing date of Oct. 12. On Friday, a co-defendant, Ricky E. Silva, 47, of North Providence, will face sentencing. Three months ago, Silva signed a plea agreement that noted he will receive no less than four years and no more than five years in prison. The authorities say that Anthony M. ``The Saint’’ St. Laurent, a capo regime in the Patriarca crime family, directed the extortion plot from his home at 2 Rotary Dr. in Johnston. In January, St. Laurent was sentenced to five years in prison. At the sentencing, federal prosecutors said that had the case gone to trial, the government could prove that in April 2006, St. Laurent directed Silva and James G. Manning, 64, of Cranston, to collect $100,000 from a pizza parlor owner and bookmaker/drug dealer in Taunton, Mass., area. If the two targets failed to pay, St. Laurent instructed Manning and Silva to ``bash’’ them. On April 6, 2006, Manning, Silva and an unnamed FBI informant traveled to Massachusetts to look for the intended victims. Once there, Crites met them. He was supposed to help them find the extortion targets. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski The next day, Manning, Silva, St. Laurent and Crites were charged with extortion. But Lisi said Crites could leave his home at 6 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m. so he can report to work sites for his job as a roofer. She emphasized that he was only to leave early for work ``with prior approval with probation.’’ Posted by Jack Perry at 12:00 PM | Comment Smithfield police nab man wanted by FBISMITHFIELD – A man wanted by the Boston office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on felony charges has been arrested here and additionally charged with domestic simple assault, domestic malicious damage to property and domestic disorderly conduct. After being called around 9:45 p.m. last night to Mac’s Liquor Mart on Pleasant View Avenue for a report of a woman being assaulted by a man, Smithfield patrol officers learned both people had left the area in a mid-sized white vehicle. Officer Jeffrey Scott found a vehicle matching the description traveling south on Pleasant View Avenue and followed it as it turned abruptly onto Riverview Avenue, where a man ran from the vehicle, according to Smithfield Capt. Robert W. Van Nieuwenhuyze. Smithfield police requested assistance from the North Providence Department and their K-9 unit. After a brief chase, the police arrested Richard J. Joseph, age 34, of 179 Pleasant View Ave., Smithfield. He was to be arraigned in District Court this morning. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:02 AM | Comment 2 injured in Smithfield motorcycle crashSMITHFIELD – A Massachusetts motorcyclist is undergoing emergency surgery this morning at Rhode Island Hospital and his passenger is in fair condition after a two-vehicle crash shortly after 11 p.m. last night. James Rempelakis, 42, of Agorista Lane in Norton, Mass., was traveling south in the area of 970 Douglas Pike last night with passenger Theresa Goddard, 34, of Reservoir Street in Norton. A Pawtucket resident – Kayla Cummings, 20, of Knowles Street – was driving a small car north on the road and attempted a left turn into adjacent plaza. The vehicles collided, according to Smithfield Capt. Robert W. Van Nieuwenhuyze. An accident reconstruction team is still investigating the crash. It appears that alcohol was not a factor, according to the police. Both people on the motorcycle appear to have been wearing helmets, the police said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:48 AM | Comment Photo: Worker injured in concrete collapse at PC
Posted by Jack Perry at 10:02 AM | Comment Photo: Carrying on a life on the street
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:55 AM | Comment Narragansett Police ID Scarborough drowning victimNARRAGANSETT – The police this morning identified the 43-year-old Providence man who drowned last evening at Scarborough Beach as Jose A. Orellana, of 140 Willow St. The medical examiner’s office will likely examine the body and may conduct an autopsy, Police Lt. William McGovern said this morning. Orellana was apparently swimming with a friend’s two children – ages 11 and 14 – and all three had trouble in the water, according to the police report on the incident, McGovern said. There were no lifeguards on duty at the time – rescue crews were called at 6:24 p.m. A year ago today, a man drowned in Narragansett along a scenic but treacherous stretch of cliffs and rocks near Newton Avenue. He was working to rescue the granddaughter of his girlfriend. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:38 AM | Comment Mass. woman sues IRS over sex-change deductionBOSTON -- After a tormented existence as a father, a husband, a Coast Guardsman and a construction worker, a 57-year-old suburban Boston man underwent a sex-change operation. Then she wrote off the $25,000 in medical expenses on her taxes. But the IRS disallowed the deduction - ruling the procedure was cosmetic, not a medical necessity - in a potentially precedent-setting dispute now before the U.S. Tax Court. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Mostly sunny, high near 86The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny day with a high near 86 degrees in the Providence area. The wind will be calm and from the southwest. Isolated thunderstorms are a possibility at any time, the weather service says. There's a slight chance of showers tonight after midnight. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on a call to remove former Roger Williams University chairman Ralph R. Papitto's name from the law school because he used a racial epithet during a trustees meeting. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 16, 2007Rhode Island man killed in Cape Cod crashFALMOUTH, Mass., -- A driver killed in a multi-car crash that killed two people in this Cape Cod town Saturday has been identified by the police as Edward Kipp, 48, of Providence. The crash happened Saturday night at the intersection of Route 151 and Sandwich Road. Kipp was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 PM | Comment Update: Papitto incident generates e-mail reactionsE-mails representing the school president, law school dean and student activists were sent today to the Roger Williams University community in the wake of a Providence Journal report that the former chairman of its Board of Trustees Ralph Papitto used the "n" word at a trustees meeting during a discussion on the board's diversity. Copies, obtained by The Journal, are as follows: From RWU President Roy Nirschel, saying in part: "There is no place in the life of this University for anyone who uses inappropriate or derogatory language toward any individual or group." From RWU's Papitto Law School Dean David A. Logan, saying in part: "I am writing to assure you that such behavior has no place in the Roger Williams educational community." Students Majessire Smith and Matt Jerzyk, asking students to sign a petition calling for RWU to rename the law school, which is named after Papitto: Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:41 PM | Comment Power back at Pastore Complex, minus AC at 1 siteCRANSTON -- With other state department buildings up and running at the Pastore Complex, crews late today were working on the damaged air conditioning system at Barry Hall. On July 8, fires broke out in underground power lines, cutting several buildings off from the complex’s power plant. Phones and Internet service also went down. Then on Wednesday, an electrical surge blew out underground power lines serving 23 buildings. On Friday, smoke and flashes of light, caused by another power surge, shut down Barry Hall, where the administrative offices are housed. The latest update on the power failures from the Department of Administration today said: Department of Administration: Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals: This morning: Department of Corrections: Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:40 PM | Comment Linking crime-victim aid to past crimes to endPROVIDENCE -- Facing a lawsuit, General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio is repealing a regulation that allowed his office to deny or reduce compensation to crime victims who were convicted of unrelated drunken-driving or drug-dealing offenses. Caprio’s predecessor, Paul J. Tavares, adopted the regulation last year after a convicted drug dealer successfully appealed a denial of crime-victim compensation. The new regulation allowed the state to deny or reduce compensation if, in the preceding five years, crime victims had been convicted of or pleaded no contest to charges of driving while intoxicated, selling or delivering drugs, or possessing drugs with the intent of selling or delivering them. The Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in Superior Court on behalf of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Association of Rhode Island, saying it was “unfortunate that the general treasurer has turned a program that is supposed to aid crime victims into one that punishes them for past misdeeds.” Caprio, who took office in January, decided to repeal the regulation within the past month or so, and the repeal takes effect on Thursday. The ACLU plans to then drop the lawsuit. Caprio’s spokesman, Peter Kerwin, said, “We looked at it and we didn’t want to be in a situation where the program was unfairly or inappropriately revictimizing victims.” -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick The state will still be able to deny or reduce compensation if a victim’s criminal record is directly related to the incident for which they are seeking compensation, Kerwin said. But, he said, “We did not want to have an overly broad policy that would impact them now for something that happened in the past.” Steven Brown, executive director of the local ACLU affiliate, said, “I am very pleased the general treasurer had an open mind about repealing this troubling regulation, which had caused a lot of concern in the alcohol and substance-abuse treatment community.” Under the regulation adopted by Tavares, “a victim of a sexual assault could find herself denied compensation simply because she was a drug addict who had been convicted of selling drugs in the past — something totally unrelated to the crime for which she was seeking compensation,” Brown said. “There was an element of cruelty to the regulation that we never really understood.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:39 PM | Comment Cab driver critical after being shot in Central FallsCENTRAL FALLS -- A cab driver is in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital after he was shot in the head at midday, according to Central Falls Police. The man was apparently shot on Fuller Avenue between Garfield and Summer Streets, according to Police Chief Joseph Moran. The cab driver is in his 40s, Moran said, but he would not name him pending notification of relatives. Central Falls Police are searching for a suspect, Moran said. It was not known if the man was shot by a customer or someone else. -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:23 PM | Comment One of the feuding sisters faces a contempt hearingPROVIDENCE -- A Superior Court judge today scheduled a hearing for Aug. 7 to determine whether Laurette Borduas Eifrig’s Virginia daughter will be held in contempt. The daughter, Francine Ardito, is accused of taking steps to tie up her mother’s trust funds so a court-appointed guardian can’t use the money for Eifrig’s care in Rhode Island. But Ardito, reached by telephone at her home in Reston, said “that is not a date I can make” so she will not show up for the hearing. She said she made plans a long time ago to be on vacation the first two weeks in August and that she notified Judge Alice B. Gibney weeks ago that she would not be available to come to Rhode Island until the end of next month. “But they just go ahead and do whatever they feel like doing,’’ Ardito complained. Her mother’s guardian, lawyer Paula M. Cuculo, needs money from Eifrig’s trust to pay for her 90-year-old ward’s assisted-living at Capitol Ridge on Smith Street. But Ardito wants to move her mother, who suffers from blindness and dementia, back to Virginia, where she lived for 13 years until May 2006. Last month, Ardito filed a lawsuit in Virginia to undo orders issued by Gibney -- including one that removed her as co-trustee of her mother’s trust and her power of attorney. She is asking a Virginia judge to make her sole trustee of the Eifrig trust and to block Cuculo from receiving any more disbursements. Gibney scheduled the Aug. 7 contempt hearing at the request of Providence lawyer Richard Boren who represents Eifrig. In a previous hearing, the judge rejected Ardito’s request for a nine-week postponement. Boren contends that Ardito’s legal maneuvering is harming her mother, a retired school teacher. Eifrig’s July bills at Capitol Ridge remain unpaid. Smith/Barney, the brokerage that holds most of Eifrig’s $400,000 trust fund, has told Cuculo that it plans to send the rent but Ardito has instructed it not to forward any money to Cuculo and to release all of the funds to her instead. Today, Boren received permission from Gibney to add Smith/Barney as a defendant in the case here in Rhode Island. He says he is suing the brokerage in an effort to force it to turn over all of Eifrig’s money to Cuculo -- so that neither of Eifrig’s daughters can try to assert control over the trust funds. Gibney appointed Cuculo as Eifrig’s guardian last month after finding that neither of her grown daughters -- Ardito or Suzette Gebhard, of Warren, was fit to assume that role. For more than a year now, the sisters, who don’t speak to each other, have been engaged in a bitter tug-of-war over their mother’s residence and money. -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton Gebhard, former president of the Rhode Island League of Women Voters, moved Eifrig to live with her last May without consulting her sister. She then secreted Eifrig in her house and refused to let Ardito or Cuculo visit with her. In January, the police had to knock down Gebhard’s door to remove Eifrig. Gebhard was arrested though later acquitted of an obstruction of justice charge. All of her visits with her mother must now be supervised. She is not allowed to take her mother out of her current residence. Ardito is not allowed to visit her mother at all. She could face a prison term if found in contempt at next month’s hearing. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:34 PM | Comment Is Papitto's name on the way out? Feinstein's is inA group of students at Rhode Island’s only law school, the Roger Williams University Ralph R. Papitto School of Law, want the school to drop Papitto's name. About 75 law students signed a petition this afternoon, demanding university officials remove Papitto’s name. The campaign was launched after it was reported that Papitto, the former chairman of the university's board of trustees, uttered a racial slur at a board meeting in May. “We want to immediately express our outrage and condemn the outrageous statement by former Chairman Papitto,” said Matthew Jerzyk, a third-year law student who helped start the petition. “We have a collective desire to have his name taken off our school.” Papitto, 80, admitted on talk radio that he used the "N" word at a May 2 meeting. He refused to discuss the incident with The Journal during two interviews late last week. “It just slipped out,” Papitto told John DePetro on WPRO 630 AM. Papitto also spoke this afternoon on Dan Yorke's radio show on WPRO Philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein said he will donate $1 million to start a diversity scholarship program, as a way to encourage more minority students to attend Roger Williams University. “I would like to help make Roger Williams a leader in diversity,” Feinstein said. Papitto said he was the one who called the May special meeting at which he apologized for his remark. -- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:12 PM | Comment Homicide site, La Rumba, must close for 30 daysPROVIDENCE – The nightclub La Rumba, which was the scene of the city’s seventh homicide on July Fourth, must close for 30 calendar days, the city’s Board of Licenses ruled today. Once the club reopens, management must provide a mandatory police detail, of an undetermined number, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until further order. The only other day of the week that the club is open is Sunday. The licensee must also present to the Board of Licenses a monthly report of all proposed events in advance, the board ruled today after a hearing last week in response to the police department’s request that the club be stripped of its liquor license. The board promised at the hearing to issue its ruling within five days. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith In presenting its decision today, the Board of Licenses reported that it had established the following facts, which are the basis of the board’s decision: The licensee was responsible for a lack of security and supervision on the night of the murder; At least two of La Rumba’s patrons (standing in line waiting to get into the club) participated in the assault; By state law, the club is responsible for what occurs in the vicinity of its premises, not just inside; and The misbehavior of the party’s promoter, Lowell Williams, could have incited more violence. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:17 PM | Comment Traffic Tribunal unaffected by Pastore power failuresCRANSTON -- The state Traffic Tribunal is unaffected by the electrical problems that plagued the Pastore Campus, where several state departments are based, last week. The power failures did affect the Division of Motor Vehicles' office of operators control, but the Traffic Tribunal is part of a different agency. As of last night, all but two buildings had electrial power, though some were relying on generators, according to a statement from the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. The tribunal, which opened in January at 670 New London Ave., was built with electrical and communications systems that are independent from other state buildings at Pastore Center, according to a news release from the Rhode Island Judiciary. "There has been no disruption of service to the public. It is open for business," the release states. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:40 PM | Comment Bakery owner: Thermostat may be behind fire / Photo
JOHNSTON – The owner of D. Palmieri's Bakery, which was destroyed by fire early yesterday morning, said today he believes a malfunctioning thermostat on an oven caused the fire. Stephen Palmieri, who has owned the bakery for 36 years, said the oven was getting hotter and hotter early yesterday morning and employees could not get the temperature to go down. He said an employee believes he turned the oven down or off but it still wasn’t cooling off. Palmieri said today that he plans to rebuild on the same site. He said the bakery, which was famous for its pizzas and spinach pies, was insured. Prior to the fire, a two-story blue building with blue awnings housed the popular bakery. Now, Palmieri’s is little more than a foundation with just one story of outer walls still standing, filled in with debris. A backhoe was digging through the rubble earlier today. Your Turn: What will you miss most while Palmieri's is closed? -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:37 PM | Comment Emergency crews go to Pawtucket car crashPAWTUCKET – Emergency crews have responded to the scene of a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Main and Water streets. Details aren’t yet available about how serious the crash is, according to a Pawtucket fire dispatcher. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:01 PM | Comment Sen. John Kerry to meet with employees losing jobsFALL RIVER, Mass., -- U.S. Sen. John Kerry is scheduled to meet this afternoon with Quaker Fabric Corp. employees who lost their jobs when the 62-year-old company suspended operations on July 2. The company, one of the largest surviving textile firms in New England, has been unable to pay interest on more than $32 million in loans. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:53 AM | Comment Photo: This Jack Reed is powered by twin 150s
Posted by Jack Perry at 11:47 AM | Comment NAACP leader doesn't buy Papitto's excusePROVIDENCE – The president of the Providence branch of the NAACP isn't buying former Roger Williams University Chairman Ralph R. Papitto's excuse for using a racial slur during a trustees meeting. During an interview this morning with WPRO 630 AM, Papitto said the "N" word "kind of slipped out" during a board meeting. He said he'd never used the word before. But NAACP President Clifford R. Montiero, in an interview later with projo.com, said such words don’t slip out unless they’re part of someone’s vocabulary. “If something’s in your vocabulary, you use it,” Montiero said. “It has to be in your vocabulary to use it. … It’s not the word that’s the problem. It’s the attitude of the word that’s the problem.” Montiero said he needs to do more research before issuing a formal statement from the NAACP. Montiero also said the university must use this issue as a chance for growth. “I think it’s a golden opportunity for growth,” he said. “I don’t think it’s an opportunity for failure. We can’t fail. We have to succeed.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:18 AM | Comment Gas prices increase 4 centsGas prices increased an average of four cents a gallon in Rhode Island last week, the second straight week of increases, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $2.979 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. AAA attributes the increase to stronger demand and rising crude oil prices. Rhode Island is eight cents below the national average of $3.059. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:09 AM | Comment RIPTA to exchange old RIPTIKs todayPROVIDENCE – Today marks the beginning of a two-week exchange period for public transit users with old-style RIPTIKs. As the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority works to install new, electronic “smart” fare boxes on its fixed-route buses, trolleys and “flex” vehicles, the agency is offering riders a chance to exchange their old RIPTIKs for new electronic RIPTIKs. People can go to the RIPTIK Exchange Window in Kennedy Plaza from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays this week and next. RIPTA had earlier said this week’s exchange period had to be canceled, but the vendor has since managed to get enough of the electronic RIPTIKs to allow the agency to hold the exchange this week, spokeswoman Karen Mensel said this morning. Read more about the exchange program. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:38 AM | Comment Papitto says 'N' word just 'kind of slipped out'Ralph R. Papitto is talking with John DePetro on WPRO 630 AM, about a Providence Journal story on Saturday saying that the longtime chairman of the board of trustees at Roger Williams University has stepped down. The university said the man for whom the Roger Williams law school is named retired because he is 80 and because he wanted to spend more time with his family. But a former trustee says Papitto, a board member for about 40 years and chairman for the last 18, was forced to resign after he uttered a racial slur at a May 2 trustees meeting. The trustee, along with two other trustees who demanded Papitto’s resignation, has since been removed from the board. She says they were terminated — two without explanation — as retaliation for pushing for Papitto’s removal. The Journal reported that at the May 2 meeting, the trustee said, Papitto and the trustees were discussing a sternly worded report criticizing the board’s lack of diversity — of its 16 members, 14 are white men. Papitto became agitated, trustee Dr. Barbara H. Roberts said, and used the word “n-----” while talking about diversifying the board. Papitto said to DePetro today that the word just slipped out – but it’s not something he has ever said before. “I happened to use the word … It kind of slipped out," he said. "I don’t use that word." He said the first time he heard it was on the radio – in rap music. Papitto has taken issue with the criticisms leveled by the board member in The Journal story. “This is the first time she’s ever mentioned anything like this,” he said. Papitto refused last week to comment to The Journal on the epithet and maintained that he left the board of his own accord. “This is a private institution and we consider board-meeting discussions confidential,” he said. “I stepped down because the time has come.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with Journal reports Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:29 AM | Comment Spats restaurant in Providence damaged by firePROVIDENCE – A late-night fire in a local restaurant has drawn the Health Department in for inspection of Spats Restaurant & Pub at 182 Angell St. Fire in the three-story wood-frame building was reported at 11:25 p.m. last night and was under control by 12:26 a.m., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The impact of the fire on the business is unknown at this time. The fire was mostly contained to the restaurant, but there was smoke damage throughout the building, Taylor said. Power to the second floor was shut off. Any time there’s a fire in a restaurant, the Health Department is called in to inspect. Officials were at Spats last night, Taylor said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:13 AM | Comment Rip currents pose moderate risk todayThe National Weather Service warns there’s a moderate risk of rip currents today and early tonight along south-facing beaches in southern Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts. If you’re planning on sunbathing, surfing or swimming today, check the area beach status by going to the state Department of Health’s beach-monitoring siteor call (401) 222-2751 for recorded information. If you’re looking for marine weather information, check out the National Weather Service’s interactive coastal marine map for this region. Also, for all your nautical needs, boaters love the Maine Harbors site, which is packed with tide charts, marine weather news, information on fishing tournaments and links to local boat builders, charter operators, lighthouses and publications. The tide charts on this site are so well done that boaters rave about them. Check out Rhode Island’s chart. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:11 AM | Comment Partly cloudy with a high near 85Today should bring partly cloudy skies with a high near 85 degrees in the Providence area, according to the National Weather Service. There's a slight chance of showers tonight after midnight. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment R.I. mosquito tests find no signs of West Nile VirusAnother summer week gone, and another round of testing with no mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus. Results from 52 mosquito pools from 32 traps around Rhode Island during the week of July 2 came up negative for the virus. Results from one sample are pending. But the state Department of Environmental Management encourages residents to protect themselves by getting rid of mosquito breeding grounds and avoiding mosquito bites. Remove anything that holds standing water, where mosquitoes breed. Put screens on windows and doors and cover up at dawn and dusk. Place mosquito netting over baby carriages and playpens when children are outside. Officials also recommend using mosquito repellent. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 AM | Comment Download today's front pageThe Puerto Rican festival in Providence and a story on ospreys are the lead local stories in today's Journal. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:47 AM | Comment July 13, 2007This summer weekend brings bands and butterfliesWith a warm weekend ahead, there'll be plenty to do. At AS220, on Empire Street in Providence, bands play at the Foo Fest tomorrow from noon to 1 a.m. Here's the lineup: Chris Moore and Sons, Aa, Japanther, Stinking Lizaveta, Pwrfl Power, Avarus, Neptune, Spires That in the Sunset Rise, Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores, Lazy Magnet, Teenage Waistband, Battlesnake, Get Killed, The Empire Revue, Miss Fairchild, The ’Mericans, Route 44, Tiger Face, Rhode Show, Cloudsplitter and Between the Pine. Call 831-9327. No cover. All ages. Street party. Or maybe it's a good weekend for something more mellow. Try butterflies. The Butterfly Zoo, 409 Bulgarmarsh Rd., Tiverton, will have guided tours of its screened-in greenhouse filled with hundreds of living butterflies from Africa, South America, China, and the South Pacific Islands. Go to www.butterflyzoo.com. Photography is encouraged. Tours are daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed rainy days. Fees are $6 for adults, $4 for children. Groups need to make advance reservations. And there's a WaterFire in Providence tomorrow night, scheduled for the 8:20 p.m. sunset. As part of the festivities, there's a swing dance lesson at 7 p.m. with instructors from the Brown University Swing Club. There'll be a band from 8 p.m. to midnight and a special candle-lighting ceremony that is, in part, in honor of Rhode Island's 2007 high school valedictorians. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:49 PM | Comment Cyclists leave Providence, build houses on tripCOLUMBUS, Ohio, -- Groups of 30 volunteers are bicycling their way across the country this summer, building affordable housing along the way. Members of Bike and Build recently made a stop in Columbus, Ohio, where they assembled trusses and interior walls for two Habitat for Humanity houses. That trip allowed 20-year-old cyclist Logan Rhyne to sleep in his own bed for a change, since his family lives in the Columbus suburb of New Albany. Normally, Bike and Build riders sleep on the floor at a church or YMCA. The cyclists can ride up to 50 miles per day between cities. Rhyne's group left Providence on June 7 and plans to wrap up work for the summer in Seattle on Aug 13. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:25 PM | Comment Union members, protesting 'traveling nurses,' picketPROVIDENCE -- Dozens of union members picketed outside Women & Infants Hospital today to protest the hiring of three “traveling nurses” to fill any empty shifts that may occur in the neonatal intensive-care unit. The traveling nurses work for an agency that provides temporary nurses to hospitals. The hospital hired the three nurses for 12 weeks starting June 18, but so far only one was needed to fill a single, 12-hour shift in the NICU, according to Paula Gillette, senior vice president for patient care services. Otherwise they have been standing by, working administrative duties. Gillette said that the hospital did not have serious staffing problems, but feared that some shifts would be hard to fill in the NICU. She said she hired the travelers to make sure there would be no mandatory overtime. But Wendy Laprade, a labor room nurse and union leader, said the hospital has avoided hiring travelers until now, and the decision hit a nerve. “The only time there were travelers in this building was when they were scabs,” she said, recalling the bitter contract dispute in the winter of 1998-99. In that dispute, the union staged a 1-day walkout, the hospital refused to let them return for 29 more days, and traveling nurses were brought into replace them. Wearing signs that said “Be Fair to Those Who Care,” members of District 1199 of the New England Health Care Employees Union marched around the building and handed out leaflets that said, “Would you want to be cared for by a nurse with one foot out the door?” The union represents about 1,700 hospital employees, including 700 nurses. -- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:46 PM | Comment Fourth defendant in PIN-pad case pleads guiltyPROVIDENCE -- A fourth defendant pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiracy and identity theft in connection with stealing credit and debit card account information using altered PIN-pad terminals in some Rhode Island Stop & Shop supermarkets. Mikael Stepanian, Studio City, Calif., admitted to conspiracy and identity theft. He initially had entered an innocent plea before changing his plea today. Stepanian and three other defendants placed the altered terminals in Stop & Shop supermarkets in February to get customers’ account information and allow for fraudulent transactions, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office. Last month, Arutyun Shatarevyan, Gevork Baltadjian, and Arman Ter-Esayan, all of the Los Angeles area, pleaded guilty to the same charges: conspiracy to traffic in unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft, which is identity theft in furtherance of another felony. They are detained for sentencing. Ter-Esayan and Baltadjian are scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 7, Shatarevyan on Sept. 21, and Stepanian on Nov. 2. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the amount of gain or loss. Aggravated identity theft carries a minimum two-year sentence, consecutive to any sentence for conspiracy. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker said at the plea hearings that the government could prove that, during overnight hours at 24-hour Stop & Shop stores, the defendants replaced PIN-pad terminals with nearly identical devices that had been electronically chnaged to capture customers’ account numbers and PINs. Entering a store, one of the defendants would distract a clerk while others swapped terminals, "which took as little as 12 seconds," the U.S. Attorney's office said. Several days later, they returned to the store, replaced the original terminal, and made off with the altered one holding customers’ account information. The defendants captured account numbers from at least four Stop & Shop stores: Tiogue Avenue in Coventry; 200 Atwood Ave., Cranston; Quaker Lane in Warwick; and Branch Avenue in Providence. Authorities said they confirmed fraudulent transactions using accounts captured at the Coventry and Cranston stores. U.S. Secret Service agents have confirmed that unidentified people in California and Arizona fraudulently used at least 238 compromised account numbers captured at the Coventry and Cranston stores. As a result, $132,018 in fraudulent charges have been made against accounts at several financial institutions, the U.S. Attorney's office said. A search of Manchester, Conn., hotel rooms where the men were staying found materials used in skimming credit- and debit-card information, including credit-card readers. A laptop computer seized from Stepanian’s room had thousands of credit- and debit-card account numbers and PINs, stored in folders labeled “Stop & Shop.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:08 PM | Comment Chief justice appoints Traffic Tribunal interim chiefState Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams today announced the appointment of state Traffic Tribunal Judge Edward C. Parker to be interim chief magistrate of the Traffic Tribunal. The move comes after the General Assembly amended law to require that the chief justice appoint an administrative head of the tribunal. According to the executive order from Williams, the appointment is necessary to "ensure continued administrative supervision of the Traffic Tribunal" as the General Assembly is not in session. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment Lining up traffic expectations at the beaches / Photo
Get the latest weather and traffic links at: http://projo.com/weather -- With reports from Journal staff writer Randal Edgar Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:36 PM | Comment Update: Smoke disrupts update on Pastore outagesCRANSTON -- As state officials were preparing for the latest briefing on power outages at the Pastore Complex here, smoke began coming out of the second floor of the Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals administration building on the campus. About 100 people were then evacuated from the building, and the Cranston Fire Department was called. By 4 p.m., the smoke was no longer coming out, but because of the time of the day, workers were being sent home. No one was hurt, and patients were not affected. However, all telecommunications are now out on the campus, which has been plagued by power outages since Tuesday afternoon. The smoke this afternoon was attributed to power surges on a line. James Jerue, utility manager for the Department of Administration, said this afternoon that "one thing affects another," indicating that problems could create a domino effect. Several state department and the Eleanor Slater Hospital are located at the complex, which has experienced two power failures this week.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:15 PM | Comment Update: No signs yet of cause of fatal Burrillville crash
It also does not appear that either driver involved in the head-on collision at 5:43 a.m. was using a cell phone at the time of the crash, Police Chief Col. Bernard E. Gannon said. Investigators continue to probe the cause of the collision just north of Bella’s restaurant. Crash victim Valerie Pelletier, of Pascoag, was the front-seat passenger in a Chevrolet driven by her 19-year-old brother, Daniel Pelletier, that collided with an SUV, Gannon said. The Pelletier siblings and a third occupant in the car, Jennifer Lee, also of Burrillville, were headed to a shift at the IGA supermarket in Pascoag, Gannon said. The chief was uncertain about Lee’s age and address. All three were extricated from the vehicle, which was totaled in the crash, Gannon said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Gannon said that to the best of his knowledge, Daniel Pelletier was flown by helicopter to University of Massachusetts Hospital in Worcester. His injuries did not appear life-threatening, Gannon said this morning. Later today, Gannon said it appears Daniel Pelletier was wearing a seat-belt. Investigators are being careful about making any conclusive determination on seatbelt use due to the level of wreckage, Gannon said. It is unclear if Pelletier’s sister was wearing a seatbelt, he said. Stevens was also heading to work, Gannon said. A stretch of the highway from north of Route 107 to Route 7 remained closed for some time this morning after the crash, Gannon said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:42 PM | Comment Update this afternoon on Pastore power outagesCRANSTON -- Officials will hold another news conference this afternoon to update the status of efforts to restore power at the Pastore Complex, where several state departments and the Eleanor Slater Hospital are located. A power failure Wednesday night, the second power failure of the week, caused disruptions at the Pastore Complex. An electrical surge had caused underground power lines to fail. Here's where things stand now, according to a news release from the the state Department of Administration: * Department of Administration: All campus buildings have grid or generator power. A few administrative buildings have limited power and are subjected to limited operations. Line repairs will continue through the weekend, and buildings will begin to go back back on the grid next week. * Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals: All patient care areas are "stable." The power outage continues to impact the work environment in administrative buildings. Most buildings have partial power but are not yet fully running. Auxiliary generators are on site and are being connected. * Department of Corrections: As of this morning, all Department of Corrections facilities are running normally. The High Security Center, Dorothea Dix Women's Minimum Security Facility and the Pinel Building (community confinement) continue to be powered by generators, but are fully functional. Regularly scheduled weekend activities within the corrections department will happen as planned. The media briefing is at 3:30 p.m. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:48 PM | Comment Update: Quonset Point CEO departs after 4 yearsNORTH KINGSTOWN -- Saul Kaplan, the head of the state Economic Development Corporation, has announced the departure of the top official at the Quonset Development Corporation, the division of the EDC that runs Quonset Point. Geoff Grout was appointed chief executive officer of the QDC in April 2003. Yesterday was his last day in the position, according to Melissa L. Withers, an EDC spokeswoman. In a statement this morning, Kaplan called Grout a "real estate professional," and he said Grout had made an "important contribution" to the development of the 3,000-acre former Navy base. But Quonset has struggled to attract major new tenants in recent years. The $120-million Quonset Gateway proposal, which would have brought a retail, hotel and office complex to the entrance of the business park, was rejected in March by the State Planning Council. In announcing the personnel change, Kaplan cited the need "to strengthen the QDC's relationships with key stakeholders," including the legislature. “I am pleased that the Quonset Development Corporation is reaching out to improve relationships with the General Assembly," House speaker William J. Murphy said in a statement this morning. "Quonset Point is our state’s number one asset and offers the greatest potential to attract good-paying jobs. The Assembly is ready and willing to work with all parties involved to develop a brighter vision for moving Quonset Point forward.” -- Journal staff writer Benjamin Gedan. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:36 PM | Comment Family of injured trooper creates Web site for himThe family of a state trooper who nearly died after a confrontation with an alleged reckless driver in Providence has set up a Web site to update all who are watching Brendan R. Doyle’s recovery. Still under construction, “The progress of Trooper #47” site has a place where people can sign a guestbook for Doyle and allows visitors to look at his favorite Web links. (He’s a Red Sox fan.) The site also promises photos and updates about his recovery efforts will be posted soon. Doyle left Rhode Island Hospital Monday to travel to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. Shortly before noon today, 12 people had posted comments to Doyle. The site went live last night. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with a report from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:25 PM | Comment Former N.Y. doctor pleads guilty in steroid casePROVIDENCE -- A former New York doctor has pleaded guilty to writing illegal steroid prescriptions. Ana Maria Santi admitted in federal court today that she wrote about 100 prescriptions per month for customers she had never met or examined. Santi used the name of a retired doctor in California since she had lost her medical license several years earlier. Prosecutors say Santi was paid for the prescriptions by Daniel McGlone, a New Jersey businessman whose company catered to bodybuilders and other customers seeking steroids or human growth hormone. McGlone has also agreed to plead guilty. Prosecutors have said Santi and other doctors were enlisted by the McGlone, president of New Jersey-based American Pharmaceutical Group, to write prescriptions for bodybuilders and other customers, including some in Rhode Island. McGlone sent the prescriptions to numerous pharmacies, including Florida-based Signature Pharmacy, which has been implicated in a larger steroid investigation. -- The Associated Press, with archival A.P. reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:20 PM | Comment N. Kingstown truck rollover causes beach-traffic delaysNORTH KINGSTOWN – On this beautiful sunny Friday, as people are heading to the beaches of South County, a tractor trailer that was hauling trash and tipped over onto the median barriers of Route 1 is causing traffic delays. State Department of Transportation officials plan to set up alternate routes for motorists, according to the state police. The accident occurred at the Route 138 east interchange. Shortly after 9 a.m. today, at least one worker was seen climbing out of the truck, which lay perpendicular to the northbound and southbound lanes at that time. No other vehicles appeared to be involved. Shortly after 10 a.m., traffic was backed up nearly to the Route 2 interchange. The man driving the truck suffered no serious injuries, the state police said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Randal Edgar and Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:49 AM | Comment Garbage truck tips over on Route 1 in N. KingstownNORTH KINGSTOWN – A garbage truck tipped over sometime around 9 a.m. today and landed on its side on the median barriers of Route 1. Workers were seen climbing out of the truck, which lay perpendicular to the northbound and southbound lanes just after 9 a.m. No other vehicles appeared to be involved. As plenty of people head to the beaches on this road, the accident could hold up traffic. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:34 AM | Comment Freaky Friday or just another day for you?This is the last Friday the 13th of the year. Long considered an unlucky day, Friday the 13th is steeped in history and mythology. Many Christians saw it as an unlucky day because Friday was the day Jesus was crucified and 13 was the number of people at The Last Supper. In Norse Mythology, the evil god Loki caused the death of Balder – the god of light, joy and reconciliation – after Loki was not invited to a party for 12 at Valhalla, the banquet hall of the gods. What about you? Do you have any hang-ups about Friday the 13th? Or are you curled up with your black cat today? Check out this online phobia quiz that kicks off with a Friday the 13th question. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:40 AM | Comment Female stabbed in ProvidencePROVIDENCE – A woman who was stabbed last night at 244 Chad Brown St. was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. More details about the 10:30 p.m. stabbing in the Wanskuck neighborhood are not yet available. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:25 AM | Comment Sunny with a high near 85 degreesThe National Weather Service forecasts a sunny day with a high near 85 degrees in the Providence area. If you're heading for beach, look for The Providence Journal's "Beach Patrol." The Journal crew will hand out free sunglasses from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Salty Brine State Beach in Galilee and Roger Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett. They'll be wearing T-shirts with the projoJobs, projoHomes and projoCars logos. It should turn partly cloudy tonight with a low around 62 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Swimmers, keep watching for rip currentsThe National Weather Service is again warning that there's a moderate chance for rip currents on south facing beaches. If you are heading for beach, look for The Providence Journal's "Beach Patrol." The Journal crew will hand out free sunglasses from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Salty Brine State Beach in Galilee and Roger Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett. They'll be the ones wearing T-shirts with the projoJobs, projoHomes and projoCars logos. If you’re looking for marine weather information, check out the National Weather Service’s interactive coastal marine map for this region. Also, for all your nautical needs, the Maine Harbors site is packed with tide charts, marine weather news, information on fishing tournaments and links to local boat builders, charter operators, lighthouses and publications. Check out Rhode Island’s chart. To check the status of any beach for swimming, go to the state Department of Health’s beach-monitoring siteor call (401) 222-2751 for recorded information. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features more coverage of the Providence drug bust that netted several welfare recipients who were driving fancy cars at the same time they were allegedly dealing drugs. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 12, 2007E. Providence canvasser dispute drawing GOP chiefEAST PROVIDENCE -- State Republican Party Chairman Giovanni Cicione will attend tonight's meeting of the City Council, which is considering disciplinary action against Thomas C. Riley, the lone Republican on the Canvassing Board. “I want to put the East Providence City Council on notice that the state Republican Party is monitoring their actions and will demand fair treatment of Tom Riley, the sole Republican on their Canvassing Board,” Cicione said in a news release today. “They can’t find time to do their job, but they make time for this witch hunt. This is why East Providence has one of the most embarrassing records on fair elections and why the state police have had to take action in past years.” Other state GOP leaders may also attend. But City Canvassing Authority Chairwoman Dorothy O’Gara made clear she had enough of remarks made about her by Riley in e-mails. She asked the council to do something. In a June 20 certified letter to Riley, the city Law Department said O’Gara described Riley’s correspondence as “hateful and incorrect.” She also called it “vulgar, insulting, slanderous slurs” that were “reprehensible and unacceptable,” the letter said. The state GOP news release says Riley asserts O'Gara has ignored his repeated requests for the Canvassing Authority to hold a hearing on allegations of voter fraud in East Providence in the 2006 primary and general elections. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in City Hall. Riley requested the hearing be open to the public. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:54 PM | Comment R.I. lawmakers rebuff Bush's call back war strategyWASHINGTON – Rhode Island's four Democratic lawmakers today rebuffed President Bush’s call for Congress to stand behind his war strategy. Reps. Patrick J. Kennedy and James R. Langevin also joined a House majority that voted to force troop withdrawals from Iraq to begin within four months. During public events over the Fourth of July congressional recess, Langevin said, "Iraq was on everyone’s minds’’ in Rhode Island. "The overwhelming consensus was that we need a new strategy,’’ he said, explaining his vote for the bill, which would downshift the U.S. mission in Iraq to fighting terrorism, continued training of Iraqi forces, and protection off the remaining American force. Langevin and Kennedy both noted the finding in a new report by the White House that Iraq’s government has made satisfactory progress in fewer than half of its measurements of military and political progress toward stabilizing the war-torn nation. "The time for talking has ended. We must act, without delay, to redeploy our brave troops out of Iraq,‘’ Kennedy told his colleagues during the House debate. Video: President Bush defends progress in Iraq at press conference today. The successful House bill is similar to the Senate measure – co-sponsored by Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. – that has become the centerpiece of the latest Democratic effort to impose a war policy change on Mr. Bush. -- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Ill., the deputy Democratic leader, said next week’s Senate vote on the Levin-Reed measure will provide "a moment for Republican senators who question the policy of this administration to demonstrate that they really want change. If they vote for Levin-Reed it’s a vote for change,’’ Durbin said. The Levin-Reed measure triggers mandatory – though unspecified – U.S. force reductions. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Levin-Reed amendment might permit between 20,000 and 70,000 U.S. troops to remain in Iraq next spring after the new, reduced mission takes effect. "But it won’t be 160,000 troops. We won’t be surging anymore,’’ Reid said. He referred to Mr. Bush’s strategic surge of new troops this year in an effort to improve security around Baghdad. Despite the new strategy, Rhode Island's junior senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, said in a Senate floor speech, "little has changed on the ground. Violence has worsened. Sectarian fighting goes on virtually unabated, with deadly attacks taking a severe and relentless toll. While courageous Americans die, Iraqi politicians argue and stall’’ over legislation to reconcile the nation’s warring ethnic and religious groups. Reed pointed to the news of a new intelligence report that the al-Qaeda terrorist network has reconstituted itself in a remote part of western Pakistan. Reed interpreted the report as meaning that the U.S. effort in Iraq – and in particular the loss of thousands of American troops -- "has had no tangible effect against al-Qaeda." That "underscores the failure’’ of the administration’s strategy, he said. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:47 PM | Comment Update: HHS probing drug-ring suspects' welfare links
What's better than driving a 2004 Porsche Cayenne SUV? Driving a 2004 Porsche Cayenne SUV and not having any car payments. Joanna "Rosa" Gonzalez, a pregnant welfare recipient accused of heading a Providence drug ring, isn't straddled with big monthly payments on her $42,000 Porsche, according to the police. The SUV, which was seized by the police during a bust last week, is registered to Gonzalez, who has paid it off, according to Lt. Thomas Verdi, head of the Providence Police Department's narcotics unit. The police say that Gonzalez, a 28-year-old mother of two in Wanskuck, was employing dozens of people including her mother, her sister, their boyfriends, and their children in a crack-cocaine enterprise that covered the city from the North End to the West Side. She also owns a 2002 Kawasaki motorcycle and a Nissan Maxima, according to the police. The state Department of Human Services is investigating whether the accused were receiving state assistance, acting director Gary Alexander said today. The Providence police say that eight people – including alleged CEO Gonzalez, her mother, her aunt, her sister and her boyfriend, and Gonzalez’s boyfriend – were receiving some welfare benefits. During a news conference yesterday, Atty. Gen. Patrick Lynch referred to them when he talked about them “dealing poison, claiming welfare, and driving expensive vehicles.” All of the luxury vehicles, from the Porsche to a BMW and Mercedes-Benz, were owned by the alleged top operators, according to the police. -- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Posted by Jack Perry at 6:28 PM | Comment A.G. drops case alleging sex assault 32 years agoAttorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office announced today it has dismissed a sexual assault case against a Narragansett man dating to 1975, saying the witness's testimony based on repressed memory would have difficulty clearing a legal hurdle in court. A Washington County grand jury had charged Harold Allen, of 30 Riverview Road in Narragansett, with one count of first-degree sexual assault by way of secret indictment on May 25. However, a prosecutor filed the dismissal form in Washington County Superior Court today. "After meeting with the victim and assessing her grand jury testimony in light of the holding in State v. Quattrocchi, the State dismisses this case," the dismissal form states. The form goes onto say that "the victim indicated she understood and accepted the state's dismissal. The state dismisses despite its belief that the allegation made by the victim and corroborated by independent evidence established probable cause. "However, the high burden for admissibility, at trial, of testimony based on repressed memory as set forth by the court in Quattrocchi provides a legal impediment that the State is unlikely to overcome." The victim made a complaint to the North Kingstown Police, which referred it to the Attorney General's Office on June 15, 2006. Lynch's office presented the case to the grand jury in May. Allen voluntarily appeared in court May 31 and pleaded not guilty to the charge. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with archival reports Allen had been accused of raping someone when both he and the alleged victim were 16 years old, between April 1 and Oct. 31, 1975, court record showed.The indictment had not been announced, but the Attorney General’s Office confirmed it when contacted by The Journal in mid-June. Last month, Walter R. Stone, Allen's lawyer, said Allen is married, has children who are high school age or older, and never faced any criminal charges before. “He was shocked,” Stone said. “He says they never had intercourse — willing, unwilling or otherwise.” Stone has said Allen and the woman grew up in the same neighborhood and their families knew each other, but they were never boyfriend and girlfriend. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:20 PM | Comment Mass. governor signs budget based on 'collaboration'BOSTON -- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed his first budget today, vetoing just $41 million in spending. Patrick, a Democrat, described the $26.8 billion spending plan for the new fiscal year as the result of teamwork between his office and the Democrat-controlled state Legislature - a marked departure from recent years when Republican governors routinely clashed with Democratic lawmakers. "For the first time in a very long time we have built a budget on real collaboration between the Legislature and the administration and based on shared goals," Patrick said, adding that the 4.2 percent spending increase is the smallest in the past three years. The budget includes additional money for a number of key areas, including local aid to cities and towns, public schools, affordable housing, expanded kindergarten and community policing. It also includes $1.8 billion for the state's landmark health care reform effort. There are no new taxes or fee increases in the budget, he said. -- Associated Press One of the items vetoed in the massive document would have provided health insurance to a single person in Massachusetts - the mother of former Bristol District Attorney Paul Walsh. Patrick said the item shouldn't have been included in the budget and would have set a bad precedent. He said he agreed with some of the other items he ended up vetoing, but "the timing isn't right or the money isn't there." Patrick also said he was concerned about dipping into state savings to fund some items in the budget, but was hopeful that the state could make up the money with increased revenue. State lawmakers have the option to override the vetoes, or allow them to stand. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:51 PM | Comment Update: Brothers arrested in E. Providence stabbingsEAST PROVIDENCE -- Brothers Frank and Glenn Miller were arraigned this afternoon in District Court, Providence, on charges stemming from accusations that they stabbed two men early this morning. Frank Miller, 47, from Ohio and formerly from East Providence, and Glenn Miller, 53, of Pawtucket Avenue, East Providence, were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit felony assault. The two Miller brothers were at a local bar around 10 last night in the city's Riverside section when Glenn Miller's ex-girlfriend walked in with another woman and two men. According to police Capt. Walter Barlow, words were exchanged and Frank Miller went outside with one of the men. A fight broke out outside. It was quickly broken up. However, shortly after 1:30 a.m. today, police said the Miller brothers arrived at 22 Bluff St. in the Riverside section where they allegedly stabbed both men. The man who lived in the Riverside home is 39 and the other man, who lives in Cranston, is 38. The men were taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence with non-life threatening injuries. Police would not release their names. The ex-girlfriend identified the Miller brothers and told the police where their mother lives. The police learned the men were driving a car with an out-of-state license plate. At about 2:30 a.m., four officers arrested the Miller brothers near the mother's home. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Alisha A. Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:32 PM | Comment Update: Several Pastore buildings still without A.C.
When the power failure struck last night, however, backup generators kicked in instantly, so people in some instances would not have seen that much of a change, the officials said. But some of the backup generators do not have enough power to provide all the services in the buildings. So external generators have been brought in, with two more on the way tonight, which do have the juice to reactivate air conditioning in the eight buildings. Some of the still-affected buildings are also using dimmed lights to conserve. At the Eleanor Slater Hospital, administration buildings and one patient building -- the Adolf Meyer building -- are among those still without air conditioning because of the failure. However, the main patient-care building is not affected. Temperatures around Rhode Island reached into the low 80s today under sunny skies. They are predicted to drop into the mid-50s tonight and go back up into the 80s tomorrow. On Sunday night, two underground electrical fires were to blame for the first Pastore Complex outage. It was not an actual fire that caused the outage this time, the officials said today. There was smoke and a failure of a power line caused by a surge of current, which caused two other lines to fail, officials said at a press conference this afternoon. Officials today would not give an estimate for when power will be fully restored, saying only that it could be a while. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner All state employees who work at the complex were told to report to work today. Attending the news conference were Marco Sciappa, of the Department of Administration, Ellen Nelson, director of the Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals, and A.T. Wall, director of the Department of Corrections. Earlier today, workers were seen bringing in a 180-kilowatt generator for Harrington Hall, location of Division of Motor Vehicles operator control office, where one employee said things had been "a mess" because of the power failure. The operator control office handles all driving record requests. The workers are from Lightship Group in North Kingstown and said there will be quite a few generators in the area. Corinne Russo, director of the state Department of Elderly Affairs, said central air conditioning in a building housing the Department of Elderly Affairs office had been described as "spotty." Individual air conditioners are working. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:11 PM | Comment Update: Power back on at RIC, after 2 daysPROVIDENCE -- Power is back on at Rhode Island College this afternoon, two days after it first failed. The power was restored at 3:18 p.m., and classes scheduled for 4 p.m. and after will be held, according to college spokeswoman Jane Fusco. College classes were canceled yesterday. A bushing that is part of the transformer failed in some way and was replaced in order to restore power, Fusco said. She said it has not been determined why it failed. The replacement part arrived from South Carolina. Thanks in part to generators, the college did hold many of the other planned activities for this week, including freshmen orientation and the parents’ luncheon set for today, Fusco said. Even some art and music classes for the elementary through high school students on campus for summer camps have gone on as scheduled, she said. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Kate Bramson “We had art students outside drawing, using the natural light and the natural environment,” she said. And a marching band class played on -- practicing outside as most marching bands do. "Given the conditions, everything went very smoothy with a lot of the moving people around or outdoors," said Fusco. The attitude on campus toward the unusual loss of electricity has been “great,” though, Fusco said. Many employees were taking this time away from computers to clean their desks, clean out files and otherwise do the kind of work they have set aside for when they have a slow period, she said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:45 PM | Comment Cranston man nabbed in credit-card theft and spreeSOMERSET, Mass. -- A Cranston man has been arrested and accused of taking a co-worker's credit card at the Brayton Point power plant and charging more than $3,400 on it at restaurants, liquor and convenience stores, and gas stations. Shawn Kiernan, 35, of 26 Lake Garden Drive was charged with 23 counts of forgery and with larceny under $250, the police said in a news release today. On July 3, Officer Raymond Almeida took a report of a stolen credit card at the power plant. The police said they found the card was used at several places and they got video surveillance of a man using the card. The next day, Officer Jason Matos spotted a car matching the description of the suspect's, the police said, and he charged Kiernan with operating without a license. Detective Tracey Costa helped in getting a search warrant, which police said they used to find "incriminating receipts" in the car. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:37 PM | Comment Somerset male, 17, accused of counterfeiting cashSOMERSET, Mass. -- A 17-year-old Somerset male was arrested today on charges that he used his father's computer to print and make counterfeit money that he distributed. Brayton Mentavlos, of 328 Wood St., has been charged with15 counts of forgery, possession of counterfeit money, and one count of conspiracy, the police said in a news release. The police said the charges followed an investigation into counterfeit bills being used at area stores and restaurants. "One of his friends used the counterfeit money and is being summonsed into court," the police release said. The police said they used a search warrant and seized two computer towers, two printers, paper and counterfeit bills. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:28 PM | Comment Some RI'ers eligible for Ameriquest settlement moneyMore than 1,000 Rhode Island consumers are eligible for restitution payments from the settlement of a predatory lending lawsuit against Ameriquest Mortgage Company and related companies, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch announced today. The available restitution for Rhode Island totals more than $3 million, according to a news release. Lynch's office and the state Department of Business Regulation have authorized that letters and claim forms be sent to eligible consumers this week. The settlement resolves allegations by attorneys general and banking and finance regulators of 49 states and the District of Columbia that Ameriquest and its affiliates, among other things, misrepresented and did not adequately disclose the terms of home loans To receive restitution, consumers must mail completed and signed forms to the settlement administrator by Sept. 10. The forms going out to each consumer will indicate the minimum payment the consumer can expect to get. The precise amount could be larger, depending on how many eligible Rhode Islanders choose to participate in the settlement, according to Lynch's office. For more information, Lynch's office said, go to www.ameriquestmultistatesettlement.com. Consumers also may call the settlement administrator at (800) 420-5875.For hearing-impaired individuals, call (866) 494-8274. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney "I encourage all wronged consumers in our state who are part of this sweeping settlement agreement to carefully review the claim forms and accompanying information," Lynch said in the statement. "Those who choose to participate should reply as soon as possible, keeping in mind that the deadline is less than two months away." Consumers who decide to received restitution payments give up their rights to file lawsuits against Ameriquest related to the loans covered by the settlement. Therefore, Lynch's office encouraged consumers to consult with a private attorney or, if they qualify, with a legal services attorney before deciding whether to participate in the settlement. Consumers who participate in the settlement do not give up any claim that might be raised if their homes go into foreclosure, Lynch said. Under the settlement, more than 481,000 borrowers who were customers of Ameriquest Mortgage Company, Town and Country Credit Corporation, and AMC Mortgage Services Inc. (formerly known as Bedford Home Loans) between Jan. 1, 1999, and Dec. 31, 2005, are eligible for restitution.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:51 PM | Comment Ex-FBI agent gets 2 1/2 years for assault on marshalA federal judge today sentenced retired FBI special agent Gary L. John to 2 ½ years in prison for assaulting a U.S. marshal trying to place him under arrest. John, formerly of 110 Post Rd., Westerly, had been on the lam for two months, when U.S. marshals working with Rhode Island Sheriffs Department, tracked him to Stratford, Conn., in December 2005. He was wanted in Rhode Island at the time for allegedly violating orders barring him from contacting his ex-wife and for failing to appear in court. The marshals were acting on a tip that John was living with a woman and supporting himself through odd jobs, such as splitting wood and driving a limousine, said Charles J. Wyant, of the Rhode Island U.S. Marshal’s office. John, 58, swung at a deputy marshal trying to take him into custody, court records show. He was arrested after a struggle and charged with felony assault on a federal marshal, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A federal jury found him guilty of the charge in January. Judge Janet C. Hall additionally sentenced John to three years’ supervised release and fined him $4,000 today in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Conn., said Thomas Carson, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut. He had faced up to 8 years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000. “This sentence should send an appropriate message that assaults on federal law enforcement officers will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O’Connor said in a release. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney The sentencing marks yet another chapter in John’s troubled path since he and his wife of 20 years separated six years ago. John has been charged with an array of offenses, including domestic disorderly conduct and repeatedly violating orders prohibiting him from contacting his ex-wife. He has been held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls since his arrest in 2005. The court ruled he posed a flight risk and a danger to his ex-wife and the community, Carson said. John worked as a surveillance specialist in the FBI’s Boston office until he retired in 2002 after a 29-year career. His lawyer, Robert Mann, could not be reached for comment. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:39 PM | Comment RIC classes should resume at 4 p.m. todayPROVIDENCE – College classes at Rhode Island College are expected to resume at 4 p.m. today, and the power that has been out on campus since Tuesday afternoon should be coming back on throughout the afternoon. The necessary part to fix the college’s main transformer, which failed Tuesday afternoon, has arrived from South Carolina and is being installed, college spokeswoman Jane Fusco said at noon today. The power is likely to be restored gradually, one section of the grid at a time, Fusco said. Other than the college classes that were all canceled yesterday, RIC has managed to hold many of the other planned activities for this week, including freshmen orientation and the parents’ luncheon set for today, Fusco said. Even some art and music classes for the elementary through high school students on campus for summer camps have gone on as scheduled, she said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson “We had art students outside drawing, using the natural light and the natural environment,” she said. And a marching band class played on – practicing outside as most marching bands do. The college’s main dining hall and the residence hall where much of the freshmen orientation activities are taking place are being powered by generators, Fusco said. Otherwise, most of RIC’s buildings are “still in the dark,” she said – with no power, no computers, no lights. The attitude on campus toward the unusual loss of electricity has been “great,” though, Fusco said. Many employees are taking this time away from computers to clean their desks, clean out files and otherwise do the kind of work they have set aside for when they have a slow period, she said. RIC students and professors can continue to check the college Web site or call the information line at (401) 456-9500 for updates throughout the afternoon. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:30 PM | Comment State employees working at Pastore despite 3rd fireCRANSTON – Despite the power failures caused by fires this week at the Pastore Complex, including one last night that negated some repairs that had been done earlier in the week, all state employees who work at the complex were told to report to work today. Administrators are planning a “coordinated media briefing” for 3:30 p.m. today at the state Department of Corrections, according to Laurie Petrone, communications director for the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. Petrone declined to answer questions about whether power has been restored to the complex or if the affected state departments are still operating on generators, saying she needed to focus on this afternoon’s press conference. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:17 AM | Comment 2 stabbed, 2 in custody in East ProvidenceEAST PROVIDENCE – Two people are being treated this morning for stab wounds, and the police have already taken two others into custody in connection with the crime. By 4 a.m., the two people were already in custody following the stabbing, which happened sometime overnight, Lt. Bruce Kidman said this morning. Detectives are busy investigating at this time, and Kidman said he doesn’t know details such as the precise time or location of the stabbing, the nature of the wounds and what hospital the people have been taken to. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:15 AM | Comment Swimmers, watch out for rip currentsThe National Weather Service warns there's a moderate chance of rip currents today off Rhode Island, Block Island and the south coast of Massachusetts. As usual, it will be cooler along the coast, with a high of 78 degrees expected in the Westerly area. It should be mostly cloudy through mid morning before gradually clearing. If you’re looking for marine weather information, check out the National Weather Service’s interactive coastal marine map for this region. Also, for all your nautical needs, the Maine Harbors site is packed with tide charts, marine weather news, information on fishing tournaments and links to local boat builders, charter operators, lighthouses and publications. Check out Rhode Island’s chart. To check the status of any beach for swimming, go to the state Department of Health’s beach-monitoring siteor call (401) 222-2751 for recorded information. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:05 AM | Comment A high near 83 degrees, drier airThe National Weather Service says drier air moves into the region today with a high of 83 degrees in the Providence. There's a slight chance of showers before 9 a.m. It should be mostly cloudy through mid morning before clearing. Tonight will be clear with a low around 63 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a photograph and story about Narragansett's Camp Varnum, where children can enjoy the outdoor life with a military slant. There's also a story about the bust of a drug ring allegedly run by a pregnant woman who collected welfare and drove a Porsche SUV. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 11, 2007Update: No decision yet on La Rumba's licensePROVIDENCE -- There was no decision today about the fate of La Rumba by the city Board of Licenses, which is considering a police request to revoke the nightclub's liquor license after an 18-year-old man was killed there. Board Chairman Andrew J. Annaldo said the board will make a decision on the license within five days. Darren Reagans, the 18-year-old who was killed, was stabbed to death outside La Rumba on the Fourth of July. A police officer testified at the licensing hearing today that Reagans was the victim of an apparent retaliation. Patrolman Joseph A. Mignano Jr. testified that an eyewitness who was a cousin of Reagans told him that a man who attacked Reagans said at the outset of the attack, "You got my boy" or "You did something to my boy." The remark indicated that the attack was "some sort of retaliation" for something that occurred at a previous time, Mignano said. No arrests have been made in the slaying. Yesterday, the mothers of six young people who lost their lives held a news conference in South Providence to advocate nonviolence. -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment A play, some blues and, everywhere, that wizardTo catch some theater, head over to the Dexter Training Grounds Park in Providence tonight, where beginning at 6:30 p.m. ECAS Theatre will present "Feeling Lunatic." It is by local playwright Marlene Luna, according to a news release from city Department of Art, Culture and Tourism. If music's your thing, in Westerly, bluesman Duke Robillard and his band play at the town beach from 6 to 8 p.m. Every Wednesday, the town hosts Blues on the Beach. The concert moves inside the Windjammer Lounge if it rains. Westerly Town Beach is at 337 Atlantic Ave., Misquamicut. Call (401) 322-9298. And for movies, well, there's that Harry Potter thing. It's playing pretty much anywhere. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment Photo: Lett-uce keep it clean at Warwick beach
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:23 PM | Comment Amtrak exec: Only so much speed for the bucksWASHINGTON -- Amtrak's president says a $7 billion track upgrade would only reduce travel time between Washington and New York by 25 minutes. The comments by Alex Kummant came during a presentation on the federally funded railroad's capital needs. During the hearing, members of the House transportation committee expressed frustration about the lack of truly high-speed rail service in the U-S. The closest thing Amtrak has to high-speed service is the Acela Express, the railroad's premier Boston-to-Washington train, which includes a stop in Providence. The line travels at an average speed of 82 miles per hour and reaches 150 miles per hour in parts of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The current run from New York to Washington takes just under three hours. Kummant says building a dedicated line for high-speed service like France's TGV would cost $10 billion -- not including land acquisition costs. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:17 PM | Comment Pension reforms have not yet cut taxpayer costsDid the so-called reforms of two years ago actually cut taxpayer costs for public employee pensions? Not yet. State officials were shocked to learn that the unfunded liability actually grew by nearly $500 million based on numbers presented today at the state Retirement Board meeting. Cities and towns alone will be forced to pay an additional $20 million to the state system in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008. State taxpayers will make up an additional $25 million. The contributions were not expected to grow following the pension reforms passed by the General Assembly in 2005. State officials attribute the higher costs to retirees living longer than actuaries believed. -- Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:43 PM | Comment Report: A forecast without lobster, snow or beachesCan you imagine Rhode Island with no lobsters in its waters? With winters dominated by much more rain and much less snow? With fruit crops unable to flourish and beaches being washed away? Those were some of the predictions in a new report issued today by scientists working to localize the predicted consequences of global climate change. The Cambridge-based Union of Concerned Scientists, which describes itself as the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and safer world, issued a 145-page report called “Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast – Science, Impacts, and Solutions.” Read the full story by Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord about the report tomorrow in The Providence Journal and on projo.com. Find the complete report now at www.climatechoices.org. Read a summary of predicted impact on Rhode Island here. -- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:50 PM | Comment Block Island shootings suspect to undergo 2nd examSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- A Washington County Superior Court judge today ordered another competency review for the man accused of shooting at police last summer on Block Island. Ernesto A. Lacayo, 20, of Fairfield, Conn., was declared unfit to stand trial shortly after his arrest more than a year ago. He was discharged from Eleanor Slater Hospital, where he was treated for bipolar disorder, in April after state psychiatrists found he was competent, court records show. He has been held since at the intake center at Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, said Kenneth Findlay, acting ACI spokeswoman. Judge Stephen Nugent today ordered another examination of his mental state at the request of his lawyer, Anthony M. Traini. Nugent continued bail at $400,000 cash. His next court date is Aug. 15. The police say a state trooper spotted Lacayo walking into the Block Island police station with a shotgun around 7:45 p.m. on June 25 of last year. Lacayo allegedly aimed the gun at the officer and ran to his car, beginning a 15-mph pursuit down Beach Avenue and onto Corn Neck Road. He fired three shots at the trooper before running into the dunes near Scotch Beach, the police said. As he crouched in the dunes, reports say, he fired two more shots at two Block Island officers with a Remington Express magnum 12-gauge shotgun. -- Journal Staff Writer Katie Mulvaney He is also accused of trying to pull a knife before being taken into custody. The police did not fire any shots and were not injured. Lacayo was living at the Overlook hotel off West Side Road for the summer and had worked as a bumper boat attendant at Aldo’s Boat Basin Rentals for about a week before his arrest. He was charged with five counts of assault with the intent to murder, four counts of felony assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm while committing a crime of violence, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and resisting arrest. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:44 PM | Comment Bust of crack cocaine ring yields 17 arrests so farPROVIDENCE -- Seventeen people have been arrested, and 12 others are still being sought, in one of the biggest drug busts in the city in recent years. After an 18-month investigation, the Providence police and the Drug Enforcement Agency say they have cracked open a drug ring supplying crack cocaine throughout the north and west neighborhoods in the city. And, they allege, the ring was headed by Joanna Gonzalez, 28, of Providence, who police contend involved several family members in the drug business. "It was the largest street-level organization operating in the city since I've been in charge of narcotics," said Providence Lt. Thomas Verdi, head of the narcotics unit for the last four years. A wiretap investigation over the last three months logged over 2,000 drug sales in 74 days, the police said. Police seized luxury cars, SUVs and motorcycles owned by Gonzalez and the alleged middle-managers in the ring, as well as $52,000 cash. -- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Gonzalez has been charged with the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), conspiracy to commit RICO, possession of over one ounce to one kilo of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, and conspiracy. Arrested with Gonzalez was John Delarosa, 33, accused of being her supplier. Delarosa was previously arrested on federal drug trafficking charges in 1996 and served 7 years in Allenwood Federal Correctional Institution, according to the police. Delarosa faces RICO and drug trafficking charges. The police announced the bust this afternoon at the Providence Public Safety Complex and said the investigation is ongoing. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:32 PM | Comment Update: Rte. 95 stretch closing again for night work
PROVIDENCE – The state Department of Transportation is again preparing to close a stretch of Route 95 as it works to install tub girders over the highway as part of the Route 95-Route 195 interchange project. Closures are slated to begin on Sunday night, July 29, with lane restrictions starting at 8 p.m. and all lanes closed by 11. The roadway is expected to reopen by 5:30 a.m. at the latest for the morning rush hour, according to DOT officials who made the announcement this morning on the Point Street Overpass. The plan is similar to one followed this spring as DOT crews worked in the overnight hours to install another stretch of the new roadway. The lane closures between Exits 18 and 20 will vary daily, with one or both sides of Route 95 closed on various days. DOT expects the road closures to run through Aug. 12, but that date could change depending on weather. In addition to the Route 95 closures, Eddy Street in Providence will be closed for three evenings beginning next Wednesday, July 18, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and again on three nights beginning Aug. 7 so crews can install girders over the roadway, the DOT said. Schedule and detour information, plus maps, are available on the DOT Web site here. Phone information will be available by dialing 511, [(888) 401-4511 for out-of-state callers], at the DOT’s advisory radio at 1630 AM, and through the DOT’s customer service line at (401) 222-2450. Officials said they will use five overhead message signs and another 12 portable message signs to notify drivers of the detours. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson and Journal staff writer Bruce Landis Eddy Street will be closed between its intersection with Allens Avenue to Crary Street just south of Route 95.The DOT said detours will be arranged and will not affect traffic to the hospital. As the agency did for the springtime closures, the DOT has laid out an elaborate system of detours. This one provides for the diversion of traffic north and southbound on Route 95 and westbound on Route 195 at various times and in various combinations, plus detours for rescue vehicles headed for Rhode Island Hospital. The plan is complicated enough to require three maps with eight colors and three kinds of dotted lines to show the detours. The closures are to allow the contractor, Cardi Corp., to install tub girders, long, box-like steel beams that will support the highway deck. The DOT said this phase of the project will involve placing 61 of the girders, weighing between 13 and 47 tons, on concrete piers already built along Route 95. Cranes today were lifting some of the girders into place along the highway near Rhode Island Hospital. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:23 PM | Comment Mashpee Wampanoag casino plans still up in air
Journal photo / Bill Murphy Mashpee Wampanoag tribal chairman Glenn Marshall answers questions this morning about plans for a tribal casino in southeastern Massachusetts. LAKEVILLE, Mass. – Businesspeople gained little insight today into the Mashpee Wampanoags' plans for a casino in southeastern Massachusetts during a meeting with the tribe’s council chairman. More than 100 people turned out to meet Glenn Marshall, the Wampanoag chairman, and to learn more about a casino proposed for neighboring Middleboro, just across Route 495 from Lakeville and the LeBaron Hills Country Club where the meeting took place. The tribe and its backers want to spend more than $1 billion to open a casino in Middleboro by 2010, with slot machines, table games, a 1,500-room hotel, golf courses and other attractions similar to the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun complexes in Connecticut. But Marshall offered few details about the tribe’s plans during a rambling speech at a breakfast hosted by the Cranberry County Chamber of Commerce, which represents nine towns around Fall River. The speech followed a lengthy video about the Mashpee Wampanoags that was part documentary, part marketing pitch. Marshall did say a casino project would generate about 2,000 to 2,700 temporary construction jobs and 5,000 to 7,500 permanent jobs. The latter work would split fairly evenly between gaming-related tasks and other resort-type service jobs. Who’ll do the construction work isn’t set. Where all that work will take place is also not set, a point Marshall noted during a short question-and-answer session following his speech. The primary focus of the tribe and its backers appears to remain on Middleboro, where they’ve pulled together about 500 acres through various land deals. How long would it be before a casino opens? “The process is probably going to be longer than people think,” Marshall said. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Expecting an economics workshop, they got a history lesson instead, complained one speaker. “The question that we all came here [for] today is: ‘How does this huge business . . . affect the small businesses?’ ” asked Elaine Santos, of AMS Entertainment in Middleboro. “We’re not being dealt with [by] a straight-forward, cut-to-the chase, honest businessperson.” Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:07 PM | Comment Update: Derderians to launch Station education fundBrothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, owners of the former Station nightclub, have created a nonprofit group to help the nearly 80 children who lost a parent or guardian in the 2003 fire at the nightclub. The Derderians are being joined in the effort by Jody King, whose brother worked as a bouncer at the club and was among the 100 people who died. The Station Education Fund expects to hold a public launch about the project next Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Warwick Public Library, 600 Sandy Lane in Warwick, according to a statement issued today by Jeffrey Derderian and King. The fund’s Web site, www.stationeducationfund.org, expects to go live that morning, at 6 a.m. King is the brother of bouncer Tracy King, who died in the fire, which began when the band Great White set off pyrotechnics that ignited highly flammable foam that lined the walls of the club as soundproofing material. In September, the Derderian brothers pleaded no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter for their part in the deadly blaze. In exchange, Michael Derderian is serving a four-year term at the Adult Correctional Institutions. Jeffrey received a suspended sentence and was ordered to perform 500 hours of community service and serve three years' probation. This fundraising effort is not part of his required community service. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson The Station Education Fund is not affiliated with The Station Family Fund. Jeffrey Derderian said in today’s statement: “Michael and I and our families are committed to trying to do all we can to help these children. This tragedy happened on our doorstep, and we hope this effort and other initiatives we are planning will provide some measure of solace to all those affected.” SEF will focus solely on the educational needs of the children affected by the fire, including fundraising for K-12 expenses that may include activity fees, social events, books, sports equipment, field trips and special tutoring. Also, the fund announces it is trying to secure college scholarship consideration for the children at all of Rhode Island’s public and private higher education institutions. The organization’s first fundraising event will be a motorcycle adventure charity ride, called “Revving up for Kids,” on Sept. 30 at 9 a.m. The event will leave Tollgate High School in Warwick and conclude at Excalibur Powersports in Plainfield, Conn. Diane Mattera, 55, of Warwick, was the mother of Tammy Mattera-Housa, who died in the fire. She said this today about the new fund: “I don't think I want to get involved with anything the Derderians have to offer. To me, it's like blood money ...They took my daughter's life, so I don't want anything from them... “They killed her, and if it makes them sleep easier at night to buy somebody a notebook and a pencil, so be it. They can take their guilt money and keep it." -- With reports from Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:26 PM | Comment Update: Power failure at RIC cancels today's classesPROVIDENCE – All day and evening classes for today at Rhode Island College have been canceled because of a major power failure. The college’s main transformer – its main power source – failed late yesterday afternoon, cutting power on the 180-acre campus in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, college spokeswoman Jane Fusco said this morning. National Grid spokesman David Graves said the transformer belongs to RIC, and once the college fixes that – work that’s expected to be done today or tomorrow – the electric company can turn the power supply back on for the campus. None of the nearby residential National Grid customers lost their power when the transformer failed, Graves said. However, they may have noticed a momentary reduction in power – like a dimming of their lights and other electrical appliances – yesterday afternoon, he said. The college has some generators in use for various purposes, such as in the main dining hall, Fusco said. Anyone seeking more information can call the college information line, at (401) 456-9500, Fusco said. Also, the college’s Web site carries a message about the canceled classes and reporting that RIConnect and WebCT are temporarily unavailable. More than 3,000 students are on campus this summer, in the midst of RIC's second summer session, Fusco said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:17 PM | Comment Filming Brotherhood: Some guy named 'A. Capone'PROVIDENCE -- A silvery trailer parked downtown for folks associated with Showtime's Brotherhood drama series carries a little intrigue. The trailer has various doors next to one another. On the doors are names. One is "Lucy" while another door bears the name "Desi." On still another door: "A. Capone." Wondering who's who? Well, Lucy and Desi were the nicknames of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the husband-and-wife stars of the iconic TV comedy show, I Love Lucy. And A. Capone? Well, who else could it be but mobster Al Capone? Later today, the mystery deepened. Another name sign appeared -- this time, for J. Hoffa. Could it stand for long-missing labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, whose chopped-up remains some have always contended reside in the pine cone in the arch on Federal Hill? The series, filmed entirely in Rhode Island, is slated to film next week at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:15 PM | Comment Struggling Quaker Fabric owes $34M to 3 lendersFALL RIVER, Mass. -- The struggling Quaker Fabric Corp. in Fall River owes $34.2 million to three lenders, including $14.7 million to Bank of America, according to a federal filing the company made this week. On Monday, July 2, Quaker announced that it was failing to repay its lenders and that it might be forced to close operations. The company employs 900 people, including at least 62 Rhode Island residents. The next day, Bank of America and two other lenders formally declared the company in default, according to the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In the filing, Quaker also announced that it had fired three top executives: James A. Dulude, vice president of manufacturing, Thomas Muzekari, vice president of sales, and Michael E. Costa, the principal accounting officer. Company executives were not available for comment today. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:59 PM | Comment Update: Man killed in Exeter crash took URI classesEXETER -- The state police have identified the man who died Tuesday when his car crashed into a tree on Slocum Road as Aram Adlparvar, a 21-year-old from California who was taking summer classes at the University of Rhode Island. Adlparvar, who was living at 25 Quarry Road, Kingston, was returning home from URI’s Providence campus around 7:10 p.m., when his car struck a tree about 15 feet off Slocum Road, State Police Capt. James Swanberg said. He was heading south on Slocum, which borders Exeter and North Kingstown, when his car left the road at a curve in the road. Adlparvar died instantly, Swanberg said. He was not wearing a seatbelt. “He was definitely going at a high rate of speed,” Swanberg said. Swanberg could not provide an estimated speed, but said the road was posted at 25 mph. Weather and road conditions at the time of the crash were dry, according to the state police. Adlparvar was the only one in the 1996 Subaru station wagon. There were no witnesses to the crash, Swanberg said. Adlparvar, of Lake Forest, Calif., was taking two literature classes at URI this summer, but was not enrolled as a student, according to a university spokesman. His family, also from Lake Forest, has been notified. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:34 PM | Comment Hearing on La Rumba's license in wake of slayingPROVIDENCE -- A hearing on whether to revoke the liquor license of La Rumba, the nightclub where a man was stabbed to death last week, is on the agenda of today's 1 p.m. city Board of Licenses meeting. Darren Reagans, 18, was killed last Wednesday night as he waited to enter the club at 1206 Broad St. in the Washington Park neighborhood, the police have said. An all-ages Fourth of July party was being held that night. The police are asking the board to revoke the license. Read more here. Yesterday, the mothers of six young people who lost their lives held a news conference in South Providence to advocate nonviolence. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:20 PM | Comment Providence police to announce major drug sweepPROVIDENCE – The Providence police, the Attorney General’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration expect to announce details this afternoon about a “major drug sweep.” The results of a joint investigation are to be the subject of a 1 p.m. press conference at the Providence Public Safety Complex, according to a statement issued this morning by the Providence police. Mayor David N. Cicilline, Police Chief Col. Dean M. Esserman and Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch expect to be there, along with Lt. Thomas Verdi of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Bureau within the capital police department and Brian Kroll, assistant special agent in charge of the Providence field office of the DEA. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:26 PM | Comment Tenant withdraws complaint against boxer ManfredoJOHNSTON – The tenant who accused boxer Peter Manfredo Jr. of throwing a rock through his truck window has withdrawn his vandalism complaint with the local police. Gary Burley did so on Monday, and Manfredo has written a personal check for $125 to Altieri Glass in Johnston to fix the window, Deputy Police Chief Gary W. Maddocks Jr. said today. The incident, in which Manfredo was charged with misdemeanor vandalism/malicious injury to property, must still proceed through the court system since the police have already formally charged Manfredo, Maddocks said. The next court date is set for July 18 in third division district court, Warwick. “Officially, we have to wait until it goes through the court system, but typically in the past, the court will accept a complaint withdrawal – and as long as he made restitution and the parties have resolved the incident, I can’t see why the case would not be dismissed by a District Court judge,” Maddocks said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Manfredo, the boxer from Providence who was runner-up in the first season of the reality show The Contender, was arrested July 2 after a dispute at the home he owns over unpaid rent by Burley, according to the Johnston police. Maddocks said today that he doesn’t know if the rent has been paid – or if a window broken at the home has been repaired yet. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:21 PM | Comment More unhealthy air today, free RIPTA ridesIt's another unhealthy air day. The Department of Environmental Management predicts air quality will approach unhealthy levels, the same prediction over the past couple of days. That means RIPTA will offer free rides, except on special service routes. The poor air is due to high levels of fine particles in the ambient air, the DEM said in a news release. Fine particles are produced by many natural and manmade sources, including factories, power plants, motor vehicles, fires and windblown dust. Get the latest weather here... -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story about the comeback of the piping plover, once threatened but now thriving on Rhode Island shores. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment South County, East Bay are socked inA thick fog covered South County and much of the East Bay this morning. The National Weather Service forecasts that the fog, which limited visibility to less than a quarter of a mile, will start to lift around 8 a.m. At 7 a.m. in downtown Providence, only the tops of the tallest buildings were hidden by the clouds. The Weather Service says there will be a slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. A high of 82 is forecast. Tomorrow will be another muggy day with thunderstorms possible in the morning. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:56 AM | Comment July 10, 2007Harry Potter and the saga of the midnight showingsFor those who can't wait one night's sleep for it, the latest installment of the Harry Potter series hits several Rhode Island movie theaters at midnight. Or a little after midnight. Special advanced screenings of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix are scheduled to be shown at Providence Place Cinemas 16 at 12:05 a.m., 12:15 a.m., 12:20 a.m., and 12:25 a.m. At Showcase Cinemas in Warwick, 12:05 a.m. and 12:10 a.m. showings are scheduled. Showcase Cinemas Warwick Mall has two 12:05 a.m. showings. South Kingstown Cinema 8 offers a midnight showing. Island Cinemas 10, in Middletown, has a midnight showing. Tickets to some of the showings can be purchased online through movietickets.com. Need some advice on whether you should go? Click here to read Journal arts writer Michael Janusonis's review of the movie. Need to catch up on young wizard Potter and his pals? Click here for an interactive trivia refresher. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:52 PM | Comment Unhealthy air redux: You know the routineUnhealthy air quality's coming -- one more time. That's the recipe for tomorrow as we get ready to stew again, though overall temperatures are forecast to be lower and there's a chance of thunderstorms. The likelihood of thunderstorms increases tomorrow night. For tonight, fog is in the forecast and there could be areas of fog before 9 a.m. tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. The Department of Environmental Management predicts air quality will approach unhealthy levels, the same prediction over the past couple of days. It means tomorrow will bring more free RIPTA routes, aside from special services. The poor air expected tomorrow is due to high levels of fine particles in the ambient air, the DEM said in a news release. Fine particles are produced by many natural and manmade sources, including factories, power plants, motor vehicles, fires and windblown dust. Get the latest weather here... -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The state Department of Health warns that short-term exposure to elevated levels of fine particles can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Short-term exposures also can aggravate symptoms of asthma and bronchitis and can increase susceptibility to respiratory infections. For people with heart disease, short-term exposure to elevated levels raises risk of heart attacks and arrhythmias, DEM said. "Long-term exposures can cause decreased lung function, chronic respiratory disease and even premature death," the DEM said. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are more sensitive to the effects of breathing this stuff. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:33 PM | Comment Update: Rte. 195W lane closings tonight for repairPROVIDENCE -- The center and right lanes in the area of Exit 1 (downtown Providence) on Route 195 west will be closed beginning at 8 tonight for a permanent emergency repair to correct a hole in the pavement, the state Department of Transportation announced. Also, the on-ramp from Wickenden Street to Route 195 west will be closed. There will be detour signs in place. Heavy trucks, such as tractor-trailers, will be banned from using the center lane. Earlier today, the Department of Transportation reopened the center lane by Exit 1 that it closed earlier when road crews assessed the pavement hole and made a temporary repair. To get the work out to large trucks, the Rhode Island Trucking Association has been notified and is putting the word out about the prohibition on large trucks in the center lane, said DOT spokesman Charles E. St. Martin III. Drivers should tune into 1630 AM, 511 and electronic message boards for updated information. The DOT said it expects to finish in time for the morning commute on Wednesday. Go to the DOT's system of cameras and list of current traffic incidents for updates on the travel situation out there. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:30 PM | Comment Averting sea-lettuce stink at Conimicut BeachWARWICK -- Today comes word that state environmental staffers will go on P.U.! patrol at Conimicut Beach tomorrow. Actually, it's more like a preemptive P.U.! strike. Department of Environmental officials will remove and get rid of of sea lettuce that has washed ashore on the beach -- before it has time to decompose and emit a foul smell. As long as the sea lettuce is green, as it is now, the DEM says the stink can be avoided if the stuff is taken away. It all starts at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Symonds and Shawoment Avenues in what the DEM in governmental parlance calls "part of an ongoing operation to prevent hydrogen sulfide odors in the Conimicut area." Staff from DEM's Office of Emergency Response will drive a beach cleaner along the shore and remove the sea lettuce. The Warwick Department of Public Works will dispose of the material. Sea lettuce, or Ulva lactuca, is green algae that lives near and below the low tide mark. When it becomes stranded on the shore, it can form large mats. As these mats decay they can produce a foul, rotten egg odor. Once the sea lettuce begins to decompose, it becomes gelatinous and is nearly impossible to remove. There is little that can be done to eliminate the foul odors. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney "The cooperative agreement between DEM and the City of Warwick is an example of how agencies can work together to avert a potential odor problem from occurring", the DEM news release said. A similar cleanup was scheduled last summer. The DEM encourages other waterfront communities to take similar steps. Waterfront property owners, neighborhood associations and civic groups can also help keep the waterfront "fresh and odor-free" by removing sea lettuce in areas that DEM and the City of Warwick cannot get to with its equipment. When the tides leave sea lettuce along the waterfront, Warwick residents can use a rake and gloves to gather it up and deposit it in yard waste bags. Homeowners should put the filled bags out with the trash for pick up. For larger pickups, call the Warwick Department of Public Works at 738-2000, ext. 6517, in advance. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:26 PM | Comment Update: Fire marshal investigating Slater Hospital fireCRANSTON -- The state fire marshal's office is investigating this morning's fire at the Eleanor Slater Hospital. Ninety-five adult psychiatric patients have since returned to the Adolf Meyer building where the fire broke out. The fire was confined to Adolf Meyer 10, a unit in the back of the building, according to a news release from the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. David Curran, an investigator in the state fire marshal's office, would not comment as to whether the fire is being investigated as suspicious. "We are not allowed to comment during an open investigation," he said. The fire marshal's office investigates fires routinely. Cranston firefighers went to the building, at 54 Howard Ave., at about 10 a.m. after a fire alarm came in. Ninety-five adult psychiatric patients and 45 staff were evacuated from the building without incident. Adolf Meyer 10 and Adolf Meyer 7 -- which was unoccupied at the time of the fire -- took damage. Cleanup of those units has begun. The fire at the hospital -- in the Pastore Complex where several state departments are based -- appears “unrelated to the electrical problems” that resulted from two underground electrical fires Sunday night at the complex that temporarily knocked out power to six state departments yesterday, Jeff Neal, the governor’s spokesman, said earlier today. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson and Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg “We are thankful for the prompt response of the Cranston Fire Department and for the assistance provided by the Cranston Police and the State Police,” Ellen Nelson, director of the Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals, said in the statement. “The evacuation went smoothly in large part due to the coordinated efforts of our staff and that of the Fire Department.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:08 PM | Comment Photo: Before there were headphones, there were ...
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:48 PM | Comment Health Dept. clears 2 beaches opening, shuts thirdThe state Health Deparment today cleared Warren Town Beach and the Ginny-B Campground Beach in Foster for swimming. But the department today recommended closing Oakland Beach in Warwick due to high bacteria counts. The health department said it will continue to monitor the water quality regularly to assure safe bathing throughout the summer. Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:14 PM | Comment Tides help decide who will remove dead whale / Photo
NARRAGANSETT -- The question of who is responsible for removing a dead whale that washed ashore on a private beach four days ago may have been answered today. The town has been given approval by the Coastal Resources Management Council to bury the whale in the dunes at the nearby Roger W. Wheeler State Beach, according to Gail Mastrati, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Management. Nearby residents said they first noticed the 14-foot minke whale on Friday afternoon but were unable to get a clear answer as to who was responsible for moving it. The carcass lies a little east of the Wheeler beach, behind Stanton Avenue. -- Journal staff writer Randal Edgar Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:34 PM | Comment No sweat, electric use is under controlThe New England power system is running comfortably today -- well below record levels. Last summer's heat wave pushed electricity use on Aug. 2 to 28,138 megawatts, a record. Power use today is only expected to reach 24,000 megawatts, said Ellen Foley, a spokeswoman for ISO New England. It's very hot in western New England, but it's cooler in the east keeping power use in check, Foley said. The ISO, a cooperative that manages the region's electric grid, estimates that 1 megawatt of electricity can power 750 to 1,000 homes. Posted by Peter Phipps at 2:08 PM | Comment Crews will try to raise a sloop that sank SaturdayJAMESTOWN -- Crews will try to raise an antique sloop today that sank off Jamestown Saturday after a collision during a boat race. The Amorita was built in 1905 and was racing in the Robert H. Tiedemann Memorial Regatta against 30 other boats. It collided with two boats near a course marker at the southern tip of Jamestown. The boat's owner, William Doyle, says the hull was significantly damaged and it went down quickly. Crew members were rescued by nearby boats. Doyle and co-owner Jed Pearsall of Newport say they're optimistic the sloop can be salvaged. Doyle says they'll use whatever means are needed to bring the boat up. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:05 PM | Comment Computer fire at Memorial Hospital shuts MRI suitePAWTUCKET -- Staff in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging suite at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island saw smoke come from a control room computer this morning, prompting them to carry out emergency procedures, call Pawtucket firefighters and reschedule today's MRI appointments. Power to the computer was turned off and the company responsible for the computer has been contacted to analyze what happened, according to a news release from the hospital. Staff members in the control room saw the smoke at about 10 a.m. and followed emergency procedures, according to the hospital. Hospital spokeswoman Louise C. Paiva said staff, escorting a patient, evacuated the two-room facility -- the control room and a room for patients. No one was injured. What caused the smoke was not yet clear. It did not affect other areas of the hospital. Paiva said the on-hospital-campus MRI facility is in the outer edge of the campus. The hospital also has an off-campus MRI facility on Prospect Street. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:12 PM | Comment DEM: State beach traffic back to normal / Photo
Beach traffic in Rhode Island today is what you’d expect on an ordinary summer Tuesday. “It’s a typical summer weekday,” said Gail Mastrati, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Management, which manages the state beaches. “Parking lots are moderately full. It varies from beach to beach. Some are about half full.” Two days after the busiest beach day those at the DEM can recall, there’s “nothing out of the ordinary,” Mastrati said. The DEM took the unprecedented move mid-afternoon on Sunday to close the parking lots for all state beaches. In all the years DEM has been managing the state’s beaches, they’ve never before seen all the state beach lots filled to capacity, Mastrati said. Like today, yesterday was uneventful, also, with not nearly enough people flocking to the beach to cause any problems. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:59 AM | Comment Sen. Reed discusses Iraq efforts / VideoSen. Jack Reed and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., this morning discussed the details of a measure they will offer this week to prod the Bush administration toward a strategic change of course in Iraq. Watch video of the press conference. Levin and Reed plan as early as tomorrow to debate the latest version of an amendment they first crafted more than a year ago. If the measure becomes law, it would force the administration to begin troop withdrawals from Iraq within 120 days of its enactment. Another provision of the Reed-Levin plan has been to set a non-binding goal of completing by next spring a shift to a more modest U.S. mission in Iraq, with large but unspecified troop reductions. "I believe we have to make a change. I believe we have to begin that change very quickly," Reed said at the press conference, adding that the legislation would "start that process." By next spring, the military's ability to dedicate 160,000 soldiers and Marines to Iraq "virtually comes to an end," unless the administration takes extraordinary measures, Reed said. He added that the public is "deeply concerned" about the administration's Iraq policy. "Without the confidence of the public and willingness to support it," the strategy cannot be supported over time, he said. In an effort to draw Republican support for their measure, Reed and Levin have discussed possible changes in its text. Armed Services Committee member Reed and Levin, the panel's chairman, are members of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's ad hoc council of Democrats who meet periodically to help formulate the party's war policy. Another member of the group, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, will offer today the Democratic leadership's first Iraq-related amendment to the 2008 defense authorization bill. Webb seeks to require the armed forces to assign troops to minimum lengths of duty back in the United States between deployments in the war zone. The measure would complicate the administration's efforts to sustain high force levels in Iraq. -- John Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau Posted by Jack Perry at 11:58 AM | Comment Report released on Big Dig ceiling collapseWASHINGTON -- The fatal Big Dig tunnel ceiling collapse could have been avoided if designers and construction crews had considered the possibility that the epoxy securing tons of ceiling panels could slowly pull away, federal investigators concluded today. The "epoxy creep" factor was among the major findings released at a hearing of the National Transportation Safety Board, which conducted a year-long investigation into the collapse that killed a Boston woman. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:40 AM | Comment Guard to practice helicopter jumps off NewportThe Rhode Island Army National Guard's Special Force's unit will practice jumping out of helicopters this morning off Newport's Easton Beach. The event is open to the public. The exercise is designed to sharpen the unit's ability to conduct "clandestine insertion operations" from the water, according to the Rhode Island National Guard. Soldiers from the unit -- Company A, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group -- have deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq. The unit has 83 members. For this morning's exercise, 40 unit members in small teams will jump with parachutes from the helicopter into the water, picked up and brought to shore via Zodiac boats. The exercise will be from 10 a.m. until noon. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:55 AM | Comment Cool morning won't lastPROVIDENCE – It’s a pleasantly cool 66 degrees at this point – but with 88 percent humidity already and temps expected to rise to 91, the cool morning won’t last. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook because if scattered thunderstorms develop this afternoon, they could produce damaging wind, hail and brief flooding from rain in poor drainage areas. We could get up to 2 inches of rain in an hour. We could have frequent lightning strikes with the more powerful storms. Expect the morning to be foggy across eastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island, with visibility along the immediate coast limited to less than one-half a mile. Expect widespread haze today and tonight. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:07 AM | Comment Ozone alert, RIPTA is free again todayAir quality will again approach unhealthy levels today because of higher amounts of ground-level ozone, the state Department of Environmental Management predicts. RIPTA bus routes will be free, aside from various special Routes. Click here for more details. Unhealthy ozone levels can cause throat irritation, coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, increased susceptibility to respiratory infection and aggravation of asthma and other respiratory problems, the state Health Department said. Such symptoms are worsened by exercise and heavy activity. Children, the elderly and people who have lung diseases, such as asthma, are at particular risk. People should limit outdoor exercise and strenuous activity and stay in an air-conditioned environment if possible during the afternoon and early evening hours, when ozone levels are highest. Other tips: Reduce idling. Avoid congested traffic and lines at drive-through windows. Drive your lowest-emission vehicle. Use the most fuel-efficient, usually the newest, car you have whenever possible. Refuel at stations, which have vapor recovery. Fill your tank at a station equipped with a Stage II vapor recovery system. Don't top off. Maintain your vehicle. Get a tune-up at the beginning of each summer. Limit use of solvent-based household products. Use water-based or low solvent paints, varnishes, cleaners and personal care products. Limit barbecue emissions. Use an electric starter instead of lighter fluid to start charcoal fires, or use an electric, natural gas or propane grill. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a photograph and story about the improving health of State Trooper Brendan Doyle, who was moved to a rehabilitation hospital yesterday after suffering a head injury during a confrontation with an alleged reckless driver. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 9, 2007Update: Reed key player in Senate debate on IraqWASHINGTON -- The Senate reopened the emotional debate on the war in Iraq today in an atmosphere of suspense about whether the rising tide of bipartisan discontent has grown strong enough to force a strategic change of course on President Bush. Key Senate Republicans, including some longtime supporters of the war, have indicated in recent days that they may support legislation to shift to a more modest mission in Iraq -- even before U.S. commanders report next month on the effectiveness of the surge strategy that Mr. Bush ordered early this year. It’s not clear, however, that any measure mandating troop withdrawals can win enough votes to become law over the president’s veto. "The tide is turning," Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, told reporters as debate began on the 2008 defense authorization bill, a budget and policy blueprint that Democratic leadership will use as a vehicle for amendments to impose troop withdrawals and other changes on the White House. "I think the president needs to recognize it and heed the call," Snowe added. "Obviously, the surge has not worked." Snowe said it is "very possible" that she and other Republicans will support a centerpiece of this week’s Democratic push for a new war policy, an amendment requiring troop withdrawals to begin within 120 days, with the goal of sharp force reductions by next spring. The authors of that plan are Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. Reed, just back from a weekend tour of Iraq, said he and Levin are negotiating with leading Republican skeptics of the surge to settle on language that might muster a veto-proof majority of 60 votes. "People across the country off all political persuasions want to change the policy now," said Reed. This afternoon in Washington, Reed gave a press briefing on his findings from his 10th war-time trip to Iraq. See a video report here. But White House press secretary Tony Snow said Mr. Bush will continue to resist legislation that would force troop withdrawals. Snow criticized Senate Democrats for taking steps to change course before the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, reports in September on the results thus far from the surge strategy of adding U.S. troops in order to improve the security of Baghdad. -- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:22 PM | Comment Full lots didn't stop RIPTA beach busesThe mid-afternoon closing of all state beaches yesterday to additional comers because of heavy car traffic did not stop RIPTA express buses running morning-only beach routes. And it did not halt RIPTA's Route #66, which runs through the day and was still able to stop at beaches after the halt on additional parked cars took effect, according to Karen Mensel, spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. The morning express buses left too early -- 8:45 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. -- to be affected by the closings. Those buses leave from Central Falls, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and North Providence and run from June 30 to Aug. 13. Find more on RIPTA's summer bus schedules here. Despite the full parking lots yesterday, don't expect new RIPTA bus beach routes. "RIPTA does not have the resources to add" routes, Mensel said. "I think there are people who would probably appreciate it if we could" but without additional resources it isn't possible. Yesterday, the Department of Transportation message initially flashed on the Amber Alert signs over highways stated: ALL RHODE ISLAND STATE BEACHES CLOSED. Callers to the DEM asked if the closure was due to pollution. The DEM updated its message within a half-hour to say lack of parking was the problem. Traffic on a hot and humid day had cars filling up lots at state beaches, Shortly before 2 p.m., DEM decided to close the beaches to additional comers. Larry Mouradjian, DEM's associate director of natural resources, said today he thinks the signs were effective, once they clarified that the parking lots were full, not that there was a problem with the water. He doesn’t think there will be a similar problem for a while. On yesterday’s closures, he said: “It’s a culmination of a lot of issues,” including the fact that the first week of July is a traditional vacation week and that Sunday is a traditional beach day. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson The degree of traffic, however, was unprecedented. “It’s the first time we can recall that all of our facilities were all full at the same time.” Usually, when beachgoers call because one lot is closed, “We typically say ‘Scarborough’s closed, but go down to Wheeler. By 1:30 or so, I couldn’t even refer them to other beaches.” Indications were that RIPTA buses were carrying plenty of passengers as more hot and humid air enveloped the state. "I gather that they were pretty full. I saw the driver who came out of Woonsocket [express bus to the beach]. He said he had 47 people on that bus," said Mensel. "That's a lot." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:12 PM | Comment Auditor general: Reconsider locally-run pension plansPension plans for municipal employees that are run by some cities and towns are in risky — even perilous — condition, and the state’s auditor general recommends doing away with them in a report released today. Of 37 pension plans run by municipalities, 21 are at risk because they do not have enough money to begin with, because the city or town is not putting enough in each year or both, according to the report by Auditor General Ernest A. Almonte. “Locally-administered plans can be problematic and their continued existence should be strongly reconsidered,” Almonte’s report says. The 37 plans are run by 25 different cities and towns. Several of those communities have more than one plan, such as Coventry, which has separate plans for police employees, school employees and municipal employees. Additionally, all teachers are part of the state retirement system, into which each city and town must pay a contribution. Municipalities that do not have their own plans participate in the state-run Municipal Employees’ Retirement System. Almonte suggested that communities with their own pension systems consider joining the state-run plan. Even well run local plans would benefit, Almonte said, by pooling their resources. That would reduce administrative costs of running the plans and open up investment opportunities that are only available to plans with larger pools of money. The state plan also has the advantage that, under state law, communities are required to contribute enough money each year to cover the costs of the plan. If they do not, the amount that they are short can be deducted from their state aid. While this may tighten already stretched municipal budgets, it avoids huge expenses down the road that can result from pension plans being underfunded. Almonte grouped the at-risk pension plans into three risk categories. Category 1 is for plans that have significantly less money than they should, and the city or town is contributing significantly less than it should each year. Category 2 is for plans that have significantly less money than they should, but the city or town is contributing about what it should each year, which will allow it to eventually catch up. Category 3 is for plans that have about as much money as they should, but the city or town is not putting in enough each year and its contributions are decreasing. Five communities have one or more plans that fall into Category 1: Central Falls, Coventry, Narragansett, Pawtucket and West Warwick. All three local plans in Coventry were rated in Category 1. Extra: For details, read the auditor general's report here. -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:01 PM | Comment Traffic alert: Part of Rte. 4 south will close tonightDrivers heading onto Route 4 this evening, take note: Part of Route 4 south will be closed tonight starting at 9. The same holds for tomorrow night and Wednesday night. All lanes will be restored for the morning commute, the state Department of Transportation said. The southbound side is being closed in order to do work on the Frenchtown Road overpass in East Greenwich, and is part of the Route 403 Relocation Project. Specifically, the closing will be from Exit 8 on Route 4(Division Street/Rte. 401) to Exit 6 (South County Trail/Rte. 2) and will last until 6 a.m. Monday through Wednesday. Here's the detour: All traffic must take Exit 8. Drivers should turn left onto Division Street and left onto Route 2 South. Traffic seeking access to Route 403 can turn left on Frenchtown Road, then right onto Route 403. Through traffic can continue on Route 2 south to the Exit 6 on-ramp. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:44 PM | Comment Phones out at DMV main office due to Pastore fireIt turns out people today could not reach by phone the main Department of Motor Vehicles office in Pawtucket, the result of an underground fire at the Pastore Complex that knocked power and phones off at six state departments today. In a news release earlier today, the state Department of Administration said the Division of Motor Vehicles' operator control office, located on the Pastore Campus, was affected but that the main office in Pawtucket and statewide branches were not. Jeff Neal, a spokesman for the Department of Administration and the governor, said later in a phone interview he had just received word that the main office in Pawtucket had been affected. The DMV Web site said the phone service to the main Pawtucket office would be out fo service today "for an undetermined length of time." The otuage did not affect the DMV's computer service or the phone service in its branch offices. However, the DMV stated the problem did affect affect computer and phone service at the Operator Control division at the Pastore Center. All state phone numbers beginning with the 462 prefix are out of service at this time because of equipment failures. The DMV suggests people check back on its Web site for updates. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:02 PM | Comment Unemployment deposits made it, despite outageCRANSTON -- Despite the disruption in operations due to a power loss, the state Department of Labor and Training managed to make sure that 8,000 people received their unemployment insurance through direct deposit today. “They’re supposed to get deposits by 2 o’clock, and it appears that they have,” said DOT spokeswoman Laura Hart. She added, “Our crew has done yeoman’s work.” The department was one of six that lost power and phone service when a fire at the Pastore Complex in Cranston destroyed underground cables and stopped power from the complex’s power plant. Ray Filippone, assistant director of income support, said the department made alternative arrangements with Citizens Bank for the unemployment insurance deposits. “We did a special process of downloading the information to a secured disk, and then transporting that to an offsite location,” and transmitting the information from there to the bank. Filippone said security measures were taken. -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner CORRECTION: An earlier version of this item incorrectly spelled Ray Filippone's last name. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:02 PM | Comment Sen. Reed shares observations on IraqWASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. to talk about his observations from his 10th war-time visit to Iraq. The Rhode Island Democrat, who just returned from a three-day tour of the country today, is also expected to preview this week's renewal of fight on Senate floor over efforts to force President Bush to change course in Iraq. The press conference comes as the Senate begins its discussion of the 2008 defense authorization bill. In a conference call from Baghdad with reporters Saturday, Reed said "time is running out'' for the tactical gains from President Bush's surge strategy to produce lasting political progress in Iraq, as one of this year's deadliest insurgent bombings hit north of the capital city. Reed said his talks with top U.S. officials and his meetings with reconstruction and fighting units have deepened his belief that U.S. troop withdrawals should begin this fall, as a starting point for a shift to a markedly smaller and more modest mission in the war by spring. With Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Reed will again offer an amendment requiring troop withdrawals from Iraq to begin, with a nonbinding goal of shifting to a more modest mission — and a far smaller force — by next spring. Reed, a former Army Ranger and a West Point graduate, is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. -- With reports from John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:13 PM | Comment Driver sentenced to 15 years in fatal crash / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- Anderson J. Ramos admitted in Superior Court today that he had been behind the wheel of a car that crashed in Smithfield last year, killing a passenger, while Ramos was trying to escape a police officer. Ramos, 21, of 48 Fairview Ave., at first told the police the passenger, Christopher P. Baptista, 21, of Lincoln, had been the driver, but detective work and some sleuthing by a lawyer hired by the Baptista family untangled the truth from the fiction. Ramos pleaded guilty today to driving under the influence of alcohol, death resulting, possession of marijuana and carrying a firearm without a license. Judge Robert D. Krause sentenced him to 15 years on the first count, with eight years to serve, the rest suspended. The other charges drew terms of probation. Before being sentenced today, Ramos apologized to a half-dozen members of the Baptista family. Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly reported one of the charges to which Ramos pleaded guilty. -- Journal staff writer Thomas J. Morgan “I wish there was something I could do to bring him back,” he said, choking up at that point. John Costa, a cousin of the victim, spoke for the family when he told Krause, “The Baptista family takes comfort that Chris’s name has finally been cleared of any wrongdoing and that justice has been served upon the defendant, Anderson Ramos.” He added, “The shock, horror and pain of parents losing a child was further magnified by [the] defendant’s malicious and self-serving plan to then finger Chris as the vehicle operator. Fortunately, Ramos’s lies could not overcome the truth told by Chris’s injuries [and] accident reconstruction evidence, as well as the courageous first responders and witnesses that stepped forward and participated in making justice happen.” Guy J. Settipane, the lawyer retained by the family to investigate, said, “This is the final chapter to this tragic incident.” Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:10 PM | Comment Update: Power should be back tonight at PastoreCRANSTON -- Thanks to the arrival this afternoon of two large generators, state officials hope that power will be fully restored by this evening to the Pastore Campus, a complex of buildings here that is home to the state hospital and six state departments. The generators each take 2 ½ hours to hook up, and that work started around 2 p.m., according Ellen R. Nelson, director the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. The new, more powerful generators will take over from the backup generators that kicked in when a fire destroyed underground cables and stopped power from the complex’s power plant. Emergency phone lines were also opened this afternoon. People seeking information about patients should 255-0910; those with inquiries about staffing at the Eleanor Slater Hospital should call 255-0904. For all other business, call 255-0912. Officials say no one has been hurt in the incident; the backup generators kept essential services running – including the ventilators of the 19 patients at the Eleanor Slater Hospital who cannot breathe on their own – but the air conditioning has not been working on one of the hottest days of this summer. The big generators should restore air conditioning. But the underlying problems may take days to resolve – including the loss of telephone and Internet service. Any phone with a 462 exchange gave off only a busy signal today. Nelson said that doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists have been told not leave at the end of their shifts, until “we get this settled.” The hospital’s normal noon-to-8 p.m. visiting hours have not changed. -- Journal staff writer Felice J. Freyer Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:02 PM | Comment The news is 'bad' from Quaker FabricFALL RIVER -- Employees at Quaker Fabric Corp., in Fall River, are being encouraged today to file for unemployment insurance with the Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development, signaling a likely end of the company's 62-year run as a leading textile manufacturer in New England. Last Monday, Quaker Fabric expressed "significant uncertainty" about its ability to meet its requirements to lenders that have kept the company afloat despite years of losses. Today, Quaker Fabric is holding meetings with employees that include presentations about state unemployment and health care offerings that would be available if it does not resume operations at the end of its annual shutdown period on Sunday. The shutdown began last Monday. "This is bad," Cynthia L. Gordan, Quaker vice president and general counsel, said in an interview today. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Peter Phipps at 2:40 PM | Comment Photo: Trooper Doyle gives thumbs-up, and speaks
PROVIDENCE – The state trooper who was punched in the face in downtown Providence was discharged this afternoon from the neuro-intensive care unit at Rhode Island Hospital. Headed to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Brendan R. Doyle was wheeled out of the hospital’s admitting entrance just after 1 p.m. today to applause from his family, his friends and some of the medical staff. He gave a thumbs-up with his left hand to the media. He wore a red State Police ball cap. When asked if he wanted to return to service, Doyle said in a whispery voice, “Yes,” and gave the thumbs-up again.
“We call him miracle boy,” she said. “Even the neurorsurgeon can’t get over it,” she said, referring to her son’s recovery thus far. Doyle could be at Spaulding for six months to a year, his mother said. The trooper’s younger brother, Brian, 14, has had Doyle’s badge number -- 47 – shaved into the back of his head. “He can get through anything now,” he said of his brother. -- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Doyle’s Providence roommate, Trooper Ernest E. Adams, was also with Doyle today. “He’s a fighter,” Adams said. “He’s the strongest kid I’ve ever known.” Trooper Adams, who graduated with Doyle from the State Police Academy in 2005, has been at the hospital each day since Doyle was injured. Doyle, 25, nearly died June 16 and when he tried to stop a man driving on and off the sidewalk of a crowded street in downtown Providence. He was off duty at the time. The attorney general's office says that Proulx then drove off, calling an ex-girlfriend to brag about the beating. Proulx, 36, of Smithfield, is being held on $1 million bail with surety. Doyle eventually regained consciousness and, on the Fourth of July, he spoke his first words. His father, Robert, said Doyle has no memory of the assault. A neurologist has told his family that Doyle could make a 100 percent recovery in six months, Robert Doyle said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:04 PM | Comment Six state departments without power, phonesCRANSTON -- An underground electrical fire early this morning has caused six state departments at the Pastore Campus in Cranston to lose power and telephone service. Those affected were the Departments of Children, Youth and Families; Corrections; Elderly Affairs; Human Services; Labor and Training; and, Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals, according to a news release from the state Department of Administration. Eleanor Slater Hospital is running on limited power. "While all medically necessary services are being provided to patients, the department’s generators are not sufficient to also provide air conditioning," the release says. MHRH is having two more generators shipped in and installed tonight to provide additional electricity. "It is expected that once these generators come online, full power (including air conditioning) will be restored. In the meantime, officials from the Department of Health are monitoring the health and safety of all hospital patients." At 2 p.m., it was 79 degrees in Cranston, according to the National Weather Service, which had forecast a high temperature of 91 degrees. State officials believe phones, Internet access and email may be restored by day's end, but primary electricity will take 72 to 96 hours to fully restore, the news release stated.
The Division of Motor Vehicles' operator control office, located on the Pastore Campus, is also affected. But the main Department of Motor Vehicles office in Pawtucket and statewide branches are not, according to the release. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:01 PM | Comment Trial delayed for woman accused of killing toddlerPROVIDENCE – The trial of a Woonsocket woman charged, along with her boyfriend, with killing 3-year-old foster child Thomas J. “T.J.” Wright has been rescheduled for Dec. 3. The trial for Katherine S. Bunnell had been scheduled to start today, after a couple past delays. The Attorney General’s Office has been prepared for the trial for close to a year, but the defense has asked for postponements on several occasions, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the AG’s office. Bunnell and her boyfriend, Gilbert Delestre, are charged with beating Wright in their home on Oct. 30, 2004. Prosecutors say the couple, who returned home from a nightclub to find that the boy had made a mess, beat him so severely that they broke his skull and leg. A recounting of Wright’s brutal killing begins the lawsuit filed late last month against Governor Carcieri and other state officials in U.S. District court by State Child Advocate Jametta O. Alston. Alston is pursuing class-action status on behalf of the 3,000 children now in state custody. Hear Alston speak with Journal staff writer Steve Peoples about the lawsuit. Bunnell's defense team is trying to find expert witnesses to bolster their case, Healey said today. The Attorney General’s Office did not object to the defense lawyer’s request for a continuance, Healey said. In talking about the lawsuit filed by Alston, the executive director of the Rhode Island Foster Parents Association said she cried when reading about the foster children in the lawsuit. “The summaries of the named plaintiffs and the types of failures they document are, to me, indicative of a systemic breakdown,” Lisa Guillette said. “While we don't usually see cases that horrible, we have seen a breakdown in staffing and oversight that could lead to those conditions." About Wright’s case, Guillette said, "I don't want to see another T.J. Wright. I don't want to see another child die, and we are in danger of that." Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:57 PM | Comment Fire in Federal Hill building displaces residentsPROVIDENCE -- The cause of a fire in a three-story building on Federal Hill today is under investigation, but it began in an apartment that contained religious shrines with burning candles, according to Deputy Assistant Fire Chief J. Curtis Varone. The multi-family, wood-frame building, at the corner of Penn and Knight streets, contained businesses on the ground floor, including Los Mocanitos market. The apartment where the fire began is part of an attached, single-floor extension. It was heavily damaged. No one was injured. There are four apartments in the main three-floor building. The three-story portion also took damage and the market took smoke and water damage. It's closed. A second alarm means the department sent additional equipment, vehicles and personnel. Ramon Jimenez, owner of the first-floor market, smelled smoke and called the fire department. Other people were in the building and got out safely. One couple carried out a kitten. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith and Journal photographer Andrew Dickerman Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:38 PM | Comment Food drive kicks off at 'hungriest time of year'PROVIDENCE – At the kickoff today for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s summer food drive, three local businesses donated a total of at least 50,000 pounds of food. Now, the Food Bank hopes to keep up the momentum and bring in 150,000 more pounds of food through Aug. 17, the end of the six-week food drive, according to Michael Cerio, the food bank’s communications coordinator. As always, the food bank has particular food items that it most needs to round out the food drive during the period it calls “the hungriest time of year because school-aged children are not getting their school meals and household food budgets are stressed.” Those include peanut butter, tuna fish, nutritious breakfast cereals, canned fruits and vegetables and pasta and pasta sauce (preferably in plastic and not glass jars), Cerio said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson The businesses that donated food today were Ocean State Job Lot, Shaw’s Supermarkets and Autocrat, Cerio said. The food bank is encouraging organizations and community groups to launch their own food drives this summer. Interested groups can get posters and other materials to help hold a drive from the food bank, Cerio said. For more information, call the food drive at (401) 942-6325. Any individuals hoping to make donations can bring food directly to the food bank, located at 200 Niantic Ave. in Providence. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:30 AM | Comment Firefighters respond to reported Providence gas leakPROVIDENCE -- The fire department went to the scene of a reported leak in a high-pressure gas main today on Park Row West in the city's Capital Center district. The reported leak was in the vicinity of the Centerplace at Avalon apartment building and the 96-unit Capitol Cove condominium construction project. Police and firefighters had Park Row West blocked off on either side of Canal Street -- you can't walk through that area, but no buildings had been evacuated. The area has since reopened and firefighters and most of the police have left the scene. National Grid workers have been digging in the area of a pile driver -- which may be where the reported problem emanated -- at the Capitol Cove site. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:20 AM | Comment Gas prices rise one pennyPROVIDENCE – Regular unleaded gasoline prices in the state have risen this week, after five consecutive weeks of decreases, but just by one penny, according to AAA Southern New England. The self-serve price is averaging $2.93 per gallon, three cents below the national average, according to AAA’s price survey conducted today. Self-serve unleaded gasoline is ranging in price from $2.81 to $3.10, AAA reports. At this time a year ago, the average price was $3.05. The average price for self-serve midgrade and premium unleaded gasoline remains the same as last week -- $3.07 per gallon and $3.19 per gallon, respectively. On AAA’s Gas Savings Tips & Tools Web page, find the most up-to-date local gas prices. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:55 AM | Comment Glocester police say who was driving in fatal crashGLOCESTER – The police have determined which of two teenagers fatally injured in a high-speed crash early yesterday morning was driving. Dylan Wood, 18, of 12 Narragansett Ave. in Glocester was the driver, Police Chief Jamie A. Hainsworth reported in a statement released this morning. Two teens injured in the crash are now in fair condition at area hospitals, spokeswoman Andrea Barbosa said this morning. The police have now identified all four Glocester teenagers in the crash. Although they would not identify the teens yesterday, relatives, friends and classmates did so. The new information released today by the police includes the home addresses of the four teens. The other boy who died was a passenger in the front seat – Lucas Warner, 17, of 429 Snake Hill Rd., according to the police. The two back-seat passengers who were injured are Jason Cormier, 16, of 225 Putnam Pike, who is now at Rhode Island Hospital, and Joanna Schiavone, 15, of 235 Putnam Pike, who is at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:35 AM | Comment Ride RIPTA buses for free todayAll RIPTA routes – excluding special services -- are free today because of Department of Environmental Management predictions that the air quality will reach unhealthy levels by this afternoon. The poor air quality is due to elevated ground-level ozone concentrations. The Department of Health warns that unhealthy levels of ozone can cause throat irritation, coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, increased susceptibility to respiratory infection and aggravation of asthma and other respiratory ailments. These symptoms are worsened by exercise and heavy activity. The children, elderly and people who have underlying lung diseases, such as asthma, are at particular risk of suffering from these effects. As ozone levels increase, the number of people affected and the severity of the health effects also increase. Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:33 AM | Comment Woman critical after fall from Jamestown cliff / Photo
A 74-year-old North Kingstown woman was in critical condition this morning after she fell from a cliff into a 25-foot-deep ravine near Beavertail Lighthouse in Jamestown yesterday afternoon. Anne Marie Miano suffered trauma after falling, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which helped rescue the woman at the noontime request of the Jamestown Fire Department. The emergency crew that first arrived could reach Miano and tend to her, but they had no safe way to get her out of the ravine, Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Pinneo said this morning. They needed a helicopter, and the Coast Guard sent a HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter out of Air Station Cape Cod, Pinneo said. Rescue crews moved Miano onto a basket lowered by the helicopter, Pinneo said. Miano was taken into the helicopter at 1 p.m. and flown to Rhode Island Hospital, where a spokeswoman this morning said she was in critical condition. "These shore cliffs are very dangerous," Lt. J.G. Ryan Tickell, the helicopter pilot, said in a statement. "Unfortunate falls like this are common. The thing we would have folks remember is to use caution." Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:59 AM | Comment Beach-goers: Go early to avoid congestionIf you’re planning to hit the beaches today, go early to avoid possible congestion. Big crowds yesterday prompted the state Department of Environmental Management to close all state beaches as of mid-afternoon. Two beaches remain closed for high bacteria counts – Warren Town Beach and Ginny-B Campground Beach in Foster. To check the status of any beach for swimming, go to the state Department of Health’s beach-monitoring siteor call (401) 222-2751 for recorded information. If you’re looking for marine weather information, check out the National Weather Service’s interactive coastal marine map for this region. Also, for all your nautical needs, boaters love the Maine Harbors site, which is packed with tide charts, marine weather news, information on fishing tournaments and links to local boat builders, charter operators, lighthouses and publications. The tide charts on this site are so well done that boaters rave about them. Check out Rhode Island’s chart. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:44 AM | Comment Carcieri to announce education grantsPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri is scheduled to announce $9 million in grants to adult education programs across the state today. That's a more than $2 million increase over the previous fiscal year. The $9 million to 38 community-based adult education agencies is expected to help more than eight-thousand people. Most of the adult education programs are for foreign language speakers or have an English-as-a-second-language component. Many of those programs have long waiting lists. Elliot Krieger, a spokesman for the state Education Department, says adult education has previously been underfunded in Rhode Island. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:09 AM | Comment If you like this weather, you're in luckEvery day this week will be like the next, National Weather Service says. It will be hot, with highs in the 80s and 90s , and there will be a chance of thunderstorms. That's the forecast for today and it carries through Friday. And it will be humid, a dripping 87 percent at 7 this morning. The greatest chance of thunderstorms today will be before 9 a.m. The weather service puts the chance of rain at 30 percent. Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:06 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about a car accident that killed two Glocester teenagers and a story about state beaches having to close Sunday because of overcrowding. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 6, 2007A lucky day for a wedding? It's up to you7/7/07. It’s coming. Tomorrow. And people have been planning: picking flowers, choosing gowns, writing vows. We're halfway through a 12-year run of chronologically repeating dates, 1/1/01 through 12/12/12, we’re approaching the second and last to occur on a Saturday. The first was 2/2/02, when most people were thinking about groundhogs, not nuptials. This time, however, for couples wanting an auspicious date for their weddings, well, this is it for some time. Still, Doris Ann Bridgehouse of Smithfield, who specializes in numerology, said in May: “There is no good day or bad day to get married. If you’re talking about numbers, no one number is better or worse than another.” The date, she says, is not as important as the people in the wedding. “Everything boils down to the spirit within the person. You have to have reflection on what your actions are and why you are doing these actions.” -- From Journal staff writer Bryan Rourke's To have and to hold on 7/07/07 Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:49 PM | Comment Photo: Art from Westerly's past on sale in Watch Hill
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:36 PM | Comment Weather update: Strong thunderstorms moving inA line of strong thunderstorms has moved in from northern Connecticut into eastern Rhode Island, the National Weather Service warns. At 4:48 p.m. Doppler radar indicated scattered storms from Exeter and Pawtucket into Attleboro, Mass., moving southeast at 25 mph. The weather service predicts the thunderstorms will be near Warwick by 5 p.m., Warren and Bristol by 5:30 p.m., and Tiverton and Prudence Island by 5:20 p.m. These storms have the potential to produce wind gusts to 40 mph, small hail, frequent lightning and heavy rain, the weather service says. See their progress via live radar, and get the latest forecast at http://projo.com/weather. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:10 PM | Comment Health Dept. closes 3 Bay beaches to swimmingWith temps in the mid-80s to low 90s predicted for this weekend, take note if you’re planning to bask in the sunlight on Rhode Island’s beaches. The state Department of Health today recommended closing Conimicut Point Beach and Oakland Beach in Warwick and Warren Town Beach to swimming because of high bacteria counts. Still closed is the Ginny-B Campground Beach in Foster, which the department closed last Thursday because of high bacteria counts. To check the status of any beach for swimming, go to the state Department of Health’s beach-monitoring siteor call (401) 222-2751 for recorded information. If you’re looking for marine weather information, check out the National Weather Service’s interactive coastal marine map for this region. Also, for all your nautical needs, visit the Maine Harbors site, which is packed with tide charts, marine weather news, information on fishing tournaments and links to local boat builders, charter operators, lighthouses and publications. The tide charts on this site are so well done that boaters rave about them. Check out Rhode Island’s chart. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:45 PM | Comment Suspect toothpaste pulled from Pawtucket Building 19A state health inspector found ``60 to 70’’ tubes of suspected tainted toothpaste at a Building 19 store in Pawtucket today, prompting the store chain to pull the product from all the shelves of its several local stores, said Andrea Bagnall Degos, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health. The state health inspector was sent out today to search discount stores in Rhode Island for tainted toothpaste after about 160 tubes of the Chinese-manufactured paste were found in Massachusetts. The questionable brands found in Rhode Island today: Dentakleen and Dentakleen Jr. Read the public health advisory issued by the Department of Health. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney The toothpaste may contain diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze, which Chinese manufacturers use as a cheap alternative to the sweetener glycerin. Inspectors from a dozen Massachusetts communities confiscated the toothpaste tubes in several discount stores. The Rhode Island inspector searched stores such as Building 19, Ocean State Job Lot and several dollar stores. Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:39 PM | Comment Little Compton teen killed in Tiverton car crashTIVERTON -- A 17-year-old Little Compton youth died when Thursday night after his car struck a cement culvert and went airborne. “At this point, it seems that excessive speed was a factor,” Deputy Police Chief Nicholas Maltais said today. The car left the road at a curve. The accident killed Jonathan S. Smith, 17, of Wordell Lane, and badly injured his passenger. Maltais declined to identify the second occupant, but said he was a 17-year-old from Portsmouth. The passenger was in stable condition today in the intensive care unit of Rhode Island Hospital. Police received a 911 call at 6:48 p.m. yesterday about the accident at 225 Stone Church Road, which is off East Road and about 1 ½ miles from the village of Adamsville. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Maltais said that Smith’s 1998 Ford Mustang left the southbound lane, crossed into the northbound lane and then left the roadway. Maltais said the vehicle left skid marks, but he couldn’t say how long they were. He couldn’t immediately say how fast the car is estimated to have been traveling. The speed limit on the road is 25 mph. There were witnesses to the accident, he said. The investigation is not yet complete, Maltais said. The road was dry and “it was a little hazy” at the time of the crash, according to Maltais. He said there is “no indication of alcohol or drugs” being a factor. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:10 PM | Comment Another fire at the 'stump dump' in RichmondA fire at an illegal "stump dump" in Richmond was extinguished shortly after 3 p.m. today some 11 hours since firefighters were called to the site, said Frederick A. Stanley, chief of the Hope Valley-Wyoming Fire District. It was the second response to the site in as many days. Yesterday, firefighters battled another fire at the site from 7 to 11 p.m. Another fire was reported at the site a week earlier. Standley said fire officials suspect the fires may have been intentionally set, noting the last fires appeared to burn from the top down. Kingston and Carolina fire departments assisted today with a Hope Valley ambulance on stanby, Stanley said. Last night, Carolina, Ashaway, and Exeter assisted. Town and state Department of Environmental Management officials have been negotiating a remediation of the site's cleanup with its owner, Richard Romanoff. The dump was also the site of a fire in 2003 that burned for several days. The dump off Skunk Hill Road, which has been operating for years, last year led the state to redefine discarded tree stumps as solid waste. Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:43 PM | Comment Update: Police detail ordered at site of slayingPROVIDENCE – The nightclub that was the scene Wednesday night of the city’s seventh homicide is now required to provide a three-member police detail each night it’s open, pending the results of a show-cause hearing before the city’s Board of Licenses that will begin July 11. La Rumba, at 1206 Broad St., did not have any police detail working the night that Darren Reagans, 18, was fatally stabbed outside the club. However, the nightclub wasn’t required to have police detail and had hired its own private security. City police asked the Board of Licenses today to require the police detail, prompting the vote to do so. After the hearing, Police Maj. Paul C. Fitzgerald said the police intend to ask the board to revoke the nightclub’s liquor license at the upcoming show-cause hearing. No new details about Reagans’ death are available at this time. Fitzgerald said the homicide remains under investigation. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson and Journal staff writer Gregory Smith The nightclub has been before the city’s Board of Licenses before, both under its current name and ownership and under its past ownership, when it was known as La Fragrancia. La Fragrancia was the site of a number of violent incidents, which led to a number of disciplinary actions. Since the club ownership and management changed in 2005, and the club became La Rumba, there has been nothing as serious as when the club was La Fragrancia. However, the city’s Board of Licenses had fined La Rumba $250 last year and ordered the club to have a mandatory police detail after some incidents, including a June 2006 incident when a man was assaulted during a disturbance that included bottles hurled at the police. The Board of Licenses canceled that mandatory police detail last October. Another violation against La Rumba came this March, when the club was caught serving alcohol after hours and was fined $500. A spokesman for the club, Mario Mancebo, said in an interview today that La Rumba runs a safe establishment and is “very sorry” about the murder. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:43 PM | Comment Update: Convicted murderer sentenced to 2 life termsPROVIDENCE – If Alonzo P. Shelton was trying to avoid being sent back to prison by attempting to a kill a woman threatening to implicate him in a drug case, the plan backfired. At his sentencing in Superior Court this morning, Shelton was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison, ordered to serve the remaining 17 years of an earlier conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon, and ruled a habitual offender, a ruling that resulted in his getting another 25 years behind bars. Judge Robert D. Krause ordered that Shelton served the four prison sentences consecutively, the Attorney General Office spokesman, Michael J. Healey, said. An ex-convict with a lengthy criminal record, Shelton was found guilty May 9 of murder, conspiracy to murder, assault with intent to murder, and discharging a firearm, death resulting. He was accused of killing 24-year-old Jessica Imran and attempting to kill her friend, 27-year-old Julie Lang, after Lang, a former girlfriend, was arrested for possession of crack cocaine and pressured Shelton to say the drugs were his. At Shelton’s trial before a jury of four men and eight women, she offered dramatic testimony, describing how Shelton and his 20-year-old nephew, Barry Offley, burst into Imran’s apartment and opened fire. Shelton and Offley were arrested in Ocala, Florida, six weeks after the shooting. Offley, who had his case severed from Shelton’s, is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston on charges of murder, conspiracy to murder, and discharging a firearm, death resulting. Healey said the case is expected to be tried during the fall. -- John Castellucci, Journal staff writer Posted by Jack Perry at 2:43 PM | Comment Update: Red Cross assisting 4 after Providence firePROVIDENCE -- The Red Cross has been called to assist three adults and one child displaced by a fire in a three-story building on Broad Street that is now under control. Occupants of the building at 1363 Broad St. have gotten out safely, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The three-story building has commercial space on the first floor and apartments on the second and third floors, according to Taylor. At 1:39 p.m., the Fire Department received a report of smoke from the third floor. Firefighters found fire between the second and third floors, Taylor said. The fire was under control by 2:01 p.m., he said. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:27 PM | Comment No sign of West Nile virus and eeeFor another week this summer, the state's tests for West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis came up negative. The state health department today announced that the samples collected June 25 did not contain mosquitos carrying the two diseases. This most recent test took samples from 96 mosquito pools and 40 traps around the state. Posted by Peter Phipps at 2:04 PM | Comment Traffic update: Crash, roadwork on 95S clearedPROVIDENCE -- A crash and emergency roadwork that combined to jam traffic on Route 95 south in the metro area have been cleared, according to the state Transportation Management Center. The TMC announced that traffic was back to normal, shortly before 2 p.m. Delays had stretched from Exit 21 at Atwells Avenue to Exit 19, for Eddy Street. Two left lanes on Route 95 south were closed at Exit 19 because of the crash. Emergency roadwork had closed two right lanes at Exit 16, for Route 10, to Exit 18, Thurbers Avenue. Route 195 heading west into Providence had also backed to the East Providence line. Check for the latest incident report, and area traffic cams, at the state TMC site. -- With reports from Journal reporters Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:50 PM | Comment New executive director of Administration Dept. namedPROVIDENCE -- Ronald N. Renaud of North Smithfield has been named executive director of the state Department of Administration, it was announced today. He fills the spot left by Governor Carcieri's decision last December to move the previous executive director, Jerry Williams, over to the position as director of the state Department of Transportation. Renaud was the director of technology solutions consulting for Sansiveri, Kimball & McNamee, LLP of Providence, a public accounting and business consulting firm. He has more than 23 years of experience in business and finance, according to the announcement by Administration Director Beverly Najarian. “Ron Renaud brings significant private and public experience to this position,” Najarian said. “He can manage projects and people, he has developed and administered complex municipal budgets, and he knows how to solve problems.” For more on Renaud, see his profile on his former company's Web site. Prior to that position, Renaud worked for Fleet Financial Group as the vice president of its business development group where he developed corporate marketing, sales, and technical initiatives to support multiple lines of business. He also worked for 10 years at Digital Equipment Corporation as an account manager and marketing and sales manager. Renaud served on the North Smithfield Town Council from 1981 to 1995, serving as president for 10 years, and again from 2001 to 2004, serving as president for one year. He also served as the town’s Public Safety Director in 1996 and 1997, managing its police and fire departments, negotiating contracts with the unions, and handling staffing issues and resident concerns. He was appointed to the State Planning Council in 1988 and served until 1992. In 2006, Renaud was appointed to the Industrial Facilities Commission. Renaud is a graduate of Mount St. Charles Academy and received a B.S. in Business Administration from Bryant College. He also attended Bryant College’s MBA Management Program. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:18 AM | Comment Boxer Peter Manfredo Jr. charged with vandalismPeter Manfredo Jr., the boxer from Providence who was runner-up in the first season of the reality show The Contender, faces a misdemeanor charge of vandalism/malicious injury to property for allegedly throwing a rock through the window of his tenant’s Chevy Blazer. Arrested by the Johnston Police for the incident that apparently began as a dispute over unpaid rent, Manfredo has been released with a summons to appear July 18 in Third District Court, in Kent County, Johnston Lt. Robert J. Voas said this morning. The incident began around 1 p.m. on Monday, when Manfredo went to a home he owns at 2800 Hartford Ave. in Johnston to collect past rent from his tenant, Gary Burley, who allegedly owed Manfredo $1,800., according to the Johnston Police arrest report. Once there, Manfredo noticed a broken window in the home, which Burley said his girlfriend broke when the two couldn’t get into their apartment. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson When Burley told Manfredo he didn’t have the rent money, Manfredo became so upset that Burley called the Johnston police. He told the police he feared the confrontation might escalate out of control, Voas said. While Burley was on the phone, he later told the police, he heard the window on his vehicle smash. When he went outside to check, he found the driver’s side window on the 1994 Blazer smashed. Burley’s 14-year-old son, Kyle, told the police he saw Manfredo pick up a rock and throw it through the window after yelling, “You want to break my window, I’m going to break yours.” Soon afterward, the police arrived on scene, observed the damage to the truck, took a witness statement from Kyle Burley and arrested Manfredo on one charge of vandalism, Voas said. Manfredo denied throwing a rock through the window and said it was already broken when he arrived at the apartment, Voas said. Manfredo, 26, is ranked 11th in the world in the super middleweight class by boxrec.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:00 AM | Comment Rower, aiming for Atlantic record, rescued off CapeA 26-year-old French rower who left Cape Cod Wednesday hoping to break a record for rowing across the Atlantic Ocean was rescued last night by the Coast Guard. Charlie Girard, who had set out alone from Orleans in a 23-foot custom-made boat, was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew about 50 miles east of Provincetown, the Coast Guard said. Girard had encountered 5- to 8-foot seas and 15-knot wind last night, and the boat had rolled over seven to eight times, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Pinneo. Girard had set out to break the record of 62 days, 19 hours for crossing the nearly 4,000-mile route, according to information on the Web site Atlantique2007.com. Girard had designed the boat himself, according to the Web site, which notes that he's an engineer, not a sailor. Girard contacted an acquaintance, Richard Williams, of Orleans, Mass., around 7:20 p.m. and said he wanted to be taken off the boat, according to the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard helicopter launched from Air Station Cape Cod at 8:15 p.m. and hoisted Girard to safety at about 9 p.m., the Coast Guard said. The rower was brought back to Air Station Cape Cod and transferred to an ambulance. "He was thrown around quite a bit and said he slammed into the side of the boat and that his lower back was bothering him," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class John Hughes, the helicopter's medical corpsman. Girard was treated at Falmouth Hospital and released early this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said. The Coast Guard issued a warning to mariners about the drifting rowboat. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:51 AM | Comment Possibly tainted toothpaste found in Mass. storesBOSTON -- The concern about tainted toothpaste imported from China has spread to Massachusetts, where public health officials issued a consumer warning yesterday after suspect products were found in stores in nearly a dozen communities. Officials urged consumers to avoid any toothpaste labeled "Made in China," any toothpaste labeled "Colgate" that is manufactured in South Africa and any toothpaste without English language labeling. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a photograph and story about a Rhode Island National Guard unit heading for Iraq. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment The Weather Service hits a trifectaThis time of the year the trifecta consists of: a hazardous-weather advisory, a high-surf advisory and a small-craft warning. Two advisories and a warning. That's a July trifecta -- all caused by a hot, muggy and unstable air mass. Specifically, the National Weather Service says there's a chance between noon and 6 p.m. for a "severe" thunderstorm with heavy rain and flooding. The high-surf advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. Rounding out today's card, the weather service warns that the swells will be running 4 to 6 feet today. (That's good news if you're a surfer, bad news for families with young children.) Tomorrow will be hot and partly cloudy with a high of 84. It will be hotter Sunday. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:57 AM | Comment July 5, 2007Photo: Two rides for the price of one
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:59 PM | Comment Update: Victim of fatal stabbing at club ID'd / Photo
PROVIDENCE – An 18-year-old South Providence man has been identified by the police this morning as the victim of a fatal stabbing last night outside La Rumba nightclub on Broad Street. 
Family photoStabbing victim Darren Reagans The police found Darren Reagans outside the club when they were called to the scene because of a stabbing. Reagans was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the police report on the incident. Reagans' brother, Marquis Brooks, was also killed at age 18, the victim of a shooting nine years ago. Brooks was the passenger in a parked car when a man on foot shot a gun at the car, striking Brooks and two others. Reagans was a student in an alternative education program, according to a spokeswoman for the Providence schools. He played for Central High School's basketball team this past year. He was the father of one child, and expecting another.
Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:20 PM | Comment Update: Severe thunderstorm watch on for regionSevere thunderstorms remain in the forecast for this afternoon. Whether the storms develop or not depends on how much sunshine breaks through the cloud cover. The National Weather Service explains it this way: "If breaks of sun can occur, it will allow the airmass to destabilize. Given sufficient destabilization, thunderstorms should develop this afternoon and evening.'' And if all of that happens, the weather service says "the storms could be severe with strong gusty winds and torrential downpours" and lightning. At this time, a "severe thunderstorm watch" is on for parts of the region until 9 p.m. tonight. They include: northern Rhode Island, much of Connecticut, most of Massachusetts, southwest Maine, southern and central New Hampshire, eastern and southeastern New York and southern Vermont. See the storm approach on live radar, and get the latest forecasts, at: http://projo.com/weather/ Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:10 PM | Comment Naked driver indicted on accident-related chargesPROVIDENCE – A man accused of taking a wild, fast ride on North Main Street that injured another driver, himself and a dog – all while the man was naked -- has been indicted by a Providence County grand jury. John Persico, 31, of 9 Beech St. in Pawtucket, has been indicted on one count of driving to endanger, serious personal injury resulting; one count of leaving the scene of an accident, serious personal injury resulting; and one count of leaving the scene of an accident, property damage resulting. On Feb. 22, 2006, the Providence police said Persico was driving his car south on North Main Street at about 50 mph, above the posted limit, when he squeezed his car between two other vehicles and sideswiped a southbound pickup truck in front of the Pep Boys automotive store at 1246 North Main St. The driver of that truck was not hurt, the police said. Then, at the intersection of Rochambeau Avenue and North Main Street, Persico’s sedan struck another pickup truck, spinning it around and causing heavy damage to both vehicles and injuring himself and the other driver, the police said. Despite his injuries, the police said Persico got out of his car and ran across the intersection in an attempt to get away. He was tackled and arrested by Sgt. Paul Zienowicz. The police did not know where or why Persico shed his clothes, Maj. Paul Fitzgerald said at the time. Persico will be arraigned in Providence County Superior Court on July 25. Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:12 PM | Comment Pawtucket man indicted for MySpace sexual encounterA Providence County grand jury has indicted a 21-year-old Pawtucket man on one count of first-degree child molestation for allegedly having sex with an 11-year-old Providence girl he met on MySpace. Otensi Dekargai, of 10 Anthony Ave., was arrested by Pawtucket Police on June 11. He will be arraigned in Providence County Superior Court July 25. The alleged encounter happened sometime between March 1 and April 30 of this year, in Pawtucket, according to the attorney general’s office. The Pawtucket police said last month that both Dekargai and the girl had lied about their ages on MySpace. He told her he was 17, and she told him she was 16, the police said. -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson The two communicated via the Internet for a while before agreeing to meet in person on Chalkstone Avenue in Providence in April, Pawtucket Det. Lt. Daniel Mullen said when Dekargai was arrested. The man picked the girl up and drove her to Pawtucket, where they allegedly had sex, Mullen said. Later, he gave the girl cab fare to go home, Mullen said. Both have said the sex was consensual. However, because she is only 11, it does not matter if she consented to sex or that there is no allegation that force was used, the police said. At her age she cannot consent. It also doesn’t matter that the girl lied about her age, the police said. It is a crime to have sexual relations with an 11-year-old child. Pawtucket Police were contacted after the girl’s mother became concerned for her daughter’s medical welfare and took her to Women & Infants Hospital on June 4. The hospital notified the police. The girl identified the man through his posting on MySpace.Com, the police said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:59 PM | Comment All-State high school athletes on deckThe Providence Journal announces its choice for Rhode Island’s best high school athletes for the 2007 spring season in tomorrow’s newspaper and tonight on projo.com. More than 80 high school athletes from 11 spring sports teams will be profiled in a special keepsake Sports section. The section also includes second-team All-State selections along with the Coaches' Association All-Division selections for every spring sport. The Dick Reynolds Girls/Boys Team Sportsmanship Awards for the spring season also will be announced. You can also view the Spring All-State selections online at http://projo.com/highschool, where you’ll also find extra All-State excitement including 50 photo galleries of the spring sports teams in action and a chance to vote on player of the year.
Since 1945, The Providence Journal has been recognizing high school students who excel at athletics with the All-State Awards.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:31 PM | Comment Man charged with biting child held without bail / Photo
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- A New Bedford man accused of biting off the lip and ear of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty at his arraignment today. Police said the attack by Bryan James, 34, left the girl so mutilated doctors could not fully repair the damage. James, 34, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in New Bedford District Court to a charge of assault and battery upon a child causing substantial bodily injuries. The child's mother, Jessica Silveria, 26, of New Bedford, pleaded not guilty today to permitting substantial injuries to a child under 14 and intimidation of a witness. She was also ordered held without bail. -- The Associated Press
A dangerousness hearing for the two suspects in scheduled for Wednesday, said Lisa Rowell, a spokeswoman for Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter's office. Sutter will handle the case himself "because of the egregious facts of the case," said Gregg Miliote, the office's director of communications. The girl suffered bites to the face in which she lost the upper part of her lip. Her ear was so mutilated that surgery could not return it to its natural state. The child also suffered other human bites on her body, said New Bedford police Capt. Richard Spirlet. Police think the biting attacks began in January, and continued until April. New Bedford police began investigating in mid-May after the girl was taken to Children's Hospital in Boston. The girl and her older brother have been taken into state custody. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:02 PM | Comment Carcieri vetoes bill easing drug sentencesGovernor Carcieri has vetoed a bill to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. Currently, a conviction for possessing more than one ounce of heroin or cocaine, or more than one kilogram of marijuana, carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years. For possessing larger quantities -- more than one kilogram of heroin or cocaine, or more than five kilograms of marijuana -- the mandatory minimum is 20 years. -- repealed the so-called “civil death” statute that restricts marriage rights, property rights and other rights of convicted criminals who receive a life sentence; -- set forth criteria for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island to resume compensating its board members; -- made it optional, rather than mandatory, for many categories of political candidates and officeholders to file their campaign finance reports electronically; and -- allowed certain state and municipal employees, including judges, to designate a domestic partner as the beneficiary of their pension, death and other retirement benefits. Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:27 PM | Comment Update: R.I. Guard MP unit going to Iraq / Photo
A father and his son are among 135 members of the Rhode Island Army National Guard heading out today for deployment to Iraq. A send-off ceremony is planned this morning in the town of Warren. The town is hosting a community cookout after the ceremony. The Guardsmen are members of the 169th Military Police Company. They leave tomorrow for Fort Dix, N.J., for several weeks of training before going to Iraq. The deployment will bring the total number of Rhode Island National Guardsmen deployed to 480. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 1:22 PM | Comment State, Providence police join forces on weekend nightsPROVIDENCE – Starting tonight, the Rhode Island State Police again team up with the Providence Police Department to patrol the capital city’s streets on weekend nights in the summer. This is the third year that Rhode Island State Police Neighborhood Response Teams will patrol the city on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, according to Governor Carcieri’s office. The state police will assign five troopers to Providence on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from tonight through Sept. 1. They will ride with Providence officers. The pairs will patrol on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 2a.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The program should cost about $49,680, mostly for overtime for troopers. Since the initiative began, the police have arrested more than 1,100 people and have issued more than 1,900 summonses, according to the governor’s office. Read more about the stepped-up patrols. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:12 PM | Comment R.I. Hospital, nurses' union agree on 4-year pactRhode Island Hospital and the union representing its nurses and technologists have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract, the union announced today. Under the agreement between the hospital and United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5098, pay increases will range from 16.5 percent to 33 percent over four years, according to the union. By the end of the contract, top pay rates will be $48.74 per hour for registered nurses, $39.14 per hour for respiratory therapists and $45.14 per hour for radiologic technologists. The union's approximately 2,200 members are scheduled to vote on the contract July 17. If it's approved, the contract will replace the current contract, which isn't due to expire until June of next year. In an interview, she added, "We really hope this will make recruitment and retention easier for Rhode Island Hospital." The agreement was reached on Monday after nine bargaining sessions. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:00 PM | Comment Coventry police ID man accused of shooting wifeCOVENTRY – The Connecticut State Police have in custody a Coventry man who allegedly shot his wife in the shoulder during a Fourth of July domestic dispute. Burke is now being held on fugitive charges. He is expected to be extradited later today, when he will be charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in a dwelling, Rickard said. Burke was arrested yesterday morning by Connecticut authorities shortly after he crashed his vehicle into a tree in Sterling, Conn. He had been traveling north on Route 49 when his vehicle veered off the road. The car burst into flames upon impact with the tree; Burke sustained serious injuries to his head and back. He was first taken to a hospital in Norwich for treatment before he was moved to the correction facility. The police are not releasing information on what type of weapon they believe was used, nor have they given any reason for the dispute. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:02 PM | Comment State hopes smokers quit at the beachPlease, don’t smoke on Rhode Island’s state beaches. That’s the message from the state Departments of Environmental Management and Health, who expect to announce the start of a voluntary no-smoking initiative at all state beaches this afternoon at Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly. Cigarettes are the No. 1 source of litter on beaches, according to the DEM. They can also sicken children and wildlife who may ingest cigarette butts left in the sand. Still-smoldering butts can burn those who step on them. The idea for a voluntary no-smoking initiative began when legislative proposals came before the General Assembly this year. Rather than pursue a statutory ban on smoking at state beaches, a number of parties agreed to pursue a voluntary initiative. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:46 AM | Comment Brown U. crew team has success in EnglandHENLEY-ON-THAMES, England -- The Henley Royal Regatta continues in England today. American crews had mixed results yesterday on the first day of racing, although Brown University was a bright spot. In the Temple Cup for student eights, Brown downed Jesus College of Cambridge, England, while Cal-Berkeley defeated First and Third Trinity, also of Cambridge, England. In the same event, Cornell won by two lengths over Durham University, England, and Colgate beat England's Oxford Brookes University. The Henley Royal Regatta is one of the world's oldest rowing events. -- The Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:44 AM | Comment Fire still smoldering at Portsmouth pierPORTSMOUTH – A fire that severely damaged the Mount Hope Marine Terminal Tuesday evening is still smoldering this morning and remains under investigation. A fire team is at the terminal 24 hours a day, ready in case hot spots flare up in the dry, old wooden structure, firefighter Kevin Jenks said this morning. It’s not uncommon for a fire at such a structure – made from heavy timber – to smolder for some time after a fire, Jenks said. The cause has not been determined yet, Jenks said. Reported at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the fire engulfed several fishing boats and sent a column of dark smoke skyward, visible across Narragansett Bay. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:31 AM | Comment Providence police still investigating fatal stabbingPROVIDENCE -- The Providence police are still investigating a fatal stabbing last night outside a nightclub on Broad Street, a police spokesman said. “Information will probably be forthcoming later on today – if not today, later on in the week,” police spokesman Gene Riccio said at 10 a.m. The police are not yet identifying the man who was killed. When asked if any suspects are in custody, Riccio only said the fatal stabbing is “still under investigation.” Earlier this morning, the police had said a press conference would be held at 11 a.m., but Riccio said that information was incorrect. He said no press conference is planned. The man was fatally stabbed while waiting to enter La Rumba nightclub on Broad Street around 11 last night, the police reported. He was identified in early reports as a male in his early 20s and was pronounced dead last night at Rhode Island Hospital, the police said. The nightclub was hosting a Fourth of July party for more than 100 partygoers. This was the city's seventh homicide this year. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:17 AM | Comment Download today's front pageThe Bristol parade and a story on bias suits lead today's Journal. Posted by Peter Phipps at 8:44 AM | Comment Dangerous rip tide threatens swimmers todayThe National Weather Service has issued a rip-tide alert for today for all Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts ocean beaches. The high risk of rip currents, the weather service says, means that "dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions" exist for anyone entering the water. The warning is in effect until 8 p.m. The weather service has also issued a small-craft and a high-surf warnings for the southern New England coast. Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:05 AM | Comment Showers likely, thunderstorms possibleShowers are likely today in the Providence area, with thunderstorms possible after 3 p.m., the National Weather Service says. It will be a cloudy day with a high temperature around 78 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms are likely tonight, the weather service says. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Get more weather information and updates at projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 3, 2007Dock and 3 boats are burning in PortsmouthA commericial dock and three boats are burning in Portsmouth near the Mount Hope Bridge. Just after 6 p.m., there was a plume of black smoke drifting 300 to 400 feet in the air. The smoke could be seen for miles. Flames could also be seen across Mount Hope Bay in Bristol. At 6:30, the Portsmouth fire department said that a wooden lobster boat, a tug boat and a barge with a crane were on fire. The dock is about a half of a mile southwest of the bridge. --- Journal staff writer Mike Szostak
Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:17 PM | Comment Johnston nursing home cited for bed soresThe Health Department is monitoring the Briarcliffe Manor nursing home after two patients were declared in “immediate jeopardy” because of severe bed sores and transferred to another nursing home. A third patient who suffered a bed sore that tunneled from the bottom of his spine through to his groin had already left the nursing home for the hospital early last month. All three patients were terminally ill and undergoing hospice care. Raymond Rusin, the Health Department’s chief of facilities regulation, said these patients did not get the level of attention that their frail conditions required. The nursing staff also failed to notify the patients’ families of the bed sores as required by state law, and the home’s director of nursing was not aware of the problems. The “immediate jeopardy” ruling, declared on June 22 and made public today, means that the nursing home’s failure to follow regulations “has caused or is likely to cause serious injury, harm, impairment or death to a resident,” according to federal law. The finding triggered a threat from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to stop paying for services there effective July 19, which could have shut the nursing home. But Rusin said because Briarcliffe submitted a preliminary plan of correction, the home is no longer in danger of losing its Medicare certification or closing down. It still must demonstrate that it has identified and corrected the problems that led to the bed sores, also called pressure ulcers. “The facility responded very quickly and has been very positive in terms wanting to identify exactly what the issue is,” Rusin said. “We’ve continued to monitor. They have done exactly what they said they were going to do.” Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:47 PM | Comment The blog will be back ThursdayThe 7to7 Breaking News blog will not be published tomorrow. It will return after the holiday at 7 a.m. Thursday. Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:25 PM | Comment Photo: Man and his parrot at Woonsocket fire
Journal photo, Bill Murphy Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:22 PM | Comment Update: Whitehouse, Reed blast Bush over LibbyRhode Island's U.S. senators were blunt today in their criticism of President Bush’s commutation of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s prison sentence. Sen. Jack Reed this afternoon called it “wrong” and said he was disappointed that Mr. Bush “dismissed the will of our criminal justice system.” Fellow Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse labeled the commutation “shocking and highly inappropriate.” Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who has been active in the panel’s inquiry into the administration’s firing of several U.S. attorneys, sought to portray the Libby commutation as part of a pattern. "From a secret program that eavesdropped on Americans without a warrant to efforts to expose a CIA agent as part of a campaign of political retaliation, at every turn this administration has shown a level of contempt for our system of justice that is Nixonian in its scope and impact,’’ Whitehouse said in a press release issued last night. Libby, Vice President Cheney’s former chief of staff, was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with his testimony to federal investigators about the leak of a CIA official’s identity to the press. Mr. Bush did not pardon Libby for those crimes but commuted his 30-month prison sentence, deeming it "excessive." The underlying investigation of the leak of the CIA agent’s identity did not lead to any criminal charges. -- John Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau, with reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson "At a time when the Bush administration's commitment to justice is in serious doubt, for the president to choose to overrule the decision of a judge in a court of law to protect a political ally is a telling statement that he and his advisors simply believe themselves to be above the law,’’ Whitehouse said in his statement. Reed is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, which oversees federal spending on the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “Just because the president has the right to commute a criminal sentence doesn’t mean he did the right thing,” Reed said in his statement. “Scooter Libby was convicted by a jury on four counts of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI investigators. These are serious crimes, and I was disappointed that President Bush dismissed the will of our criminal justice system. It was wrong for Bush Administration officials to out an undercover CIA agent, it was wrong for them to engage in a cover up, and President Bush is wrong to let Mr. Libby off the hook for breaking the law.” Posted by Jack Perry at 4:52 PM | Comment Update: Man accused of setting home on fireSOUTH KINGSTOWN – A 44-year-old Charlestown man was charged this afternoon with arson, assault and resisting arrest after being accused of lighting on fire the house he and his wife live in. Wearing shorts and no shirt today in Fourth District Court, Wakefield, Brett Perkins shook his head, laughed and interrupted the judge several times, saying it wasn’t fair that he was being held without bail. “Why am I being put through this when I’m not even guilty?” he asked. In his statement to the court, Police Lt. Jack Shippee said Perkins’ wife told the police that her husband lit the house on fire this morning and fled. The fire at the single-family home at 56 Charles Ave. was reported at about 10:15 a.m. It took firefighters about 25 minutes to get it under control. Perkins returned to the house while the fire was being put out, Shippee said. Both he and his wife were outside the house when firefighters arrived. The police said Perkins was intoxicated and tried to drive away, allegedly hitting an officer. -- Journal staff writer Brandie Jefferson In addition to first-degree arson and assault – both felonies – Perkins was charged with drunk driving and resisting arrest. His bail hearing is scheduled for July 18. The blaze injured no one but left much of the house in ashes; firefighters are still at the scene. Some 55 firefighters responded to the call. Charlestown has a volunteer department. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:28 PM | Comment Brown U. team to row in world's oldest rowing eventHENLEY-ON-THAMES, England -- A rowing team from Brown University is among 18 crews from the United States that are traveling to England for the Henley Royal Regatta. The Henley Regatta is one of the world's oldest rowing events and is held on the River Thames near London. Racing is scheduled to start tomorrow, with finals on Sunday. A total of 467 rowing crews from 18 countries will take part in the annual regatta. In the Temple Cup for student eights, Brown opens against Jesus College, Cambridge University. -- The Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:08 PM | Comment The state to ask you not to smoke at the beachThe state Departments of Environmental Management and Health hope to encourage smokers not to light up on Rhode Island’s state beaches. They’re expecting to announce the start of a voluntary no-smoking initiative at all state beaches on Thursday afternoon at Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly. Cigarettes are the No. 1 source of litter on beaches, according to the DEM. They can also sicken children and wildlife who may ingest cigarette butts left in the sand. Still-smoldering butts can burn those who step on them. The idea for a voluntary no-smoking initiative began when legislative proposals came before the General Assembly this year. Rather than pursue a statutory ban on smoking at state beaches, a number of parties agreed to pursue a voluntary initiative. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:50 PM | Comment DEM puts emergency cap on menhaden catchThe state Department of Environmental Management today filed emergency regulations stipulating the amount of menhaden that commercial fishermen in Rhode Island waters can possess. Menhaden are a bait fish for the lobster industry, attract striped bass and are valuable to recreational fishermen, who also use them as bait. They are also important because their presence contributes to the overall health of the Narragansett Bay and the ecosystem, according to the DEM. Today’s regulations limit to 75,000 pounds the amount of menhaden allowed per vessel per day, whether the fishermen are fishing in Rhode Island waters or just passing through, the DEM reports. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson “They can possess whatever [amount of menhaden] out in federal waters, but once they come into our state waters, they’re subject to our requirements,” said Steven H. Hall, chief of the DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement. This daily cap will be adjusted as necessary. It is in place now to protect the menhaden that migrated into Narragansett Bay waters through June, the DEM reports. Hall said today he can't recall a time in the past when DEM has issued emergency regulations regarding menhaden. An estimated 8 million pounds of menhaden migrated into the waters this season, and slightly more than 2 million pounds have already been landed by commercial fishing operations, according to the DEM. Because DEM scientists estimate that 4 million pounds of menhaden are necessary to maintain Bay health and an excellent feed base for other fish like striped bass, that leaves fewer than 2 million pounds available now to commercial fishermen. Read a related column by Journal outdoors writer Tom Meade on how big bass have been feeding on menhaden in the upper Bay this summer, attracting fishermen. And H. Bruce Franklin writes an op-ed piece for The Journal on menhaden -- "the most important fish in the sea" -- and the struggle over them. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:25 PM | Comment Photo: Nuns at work
Posted by Jack Perry at 1:41 PM | Comment Mayor's brother accused in conspiracy schemePROVIDENCE _ An accused drug dealer has alleged that the brother of Mayor David N. Cicilline and the Providence police conspired to set him up and grab more than $200,000 from him and his partner, Derrick Isom. During a two-day hearing in U. S. District Court, Khalid Mason, of Providence, who is being held on three felony cocaine charges, said that John M. Cicilline, a lawyer, and Lisa Torres, a paralegal in his office, vowed that they could make the criminal charges disappear if Mason and Isom each paid them $100,000. Mason also implicated Providence police Sgt. Scott Partridge in the scheme, claiming that part of a $25,000 retainer fee was used to pay for Cicilline and Partridge to attend the 2004 Super Bowl. Patridge took the stand and testified that he did not attend the Super Bowl and he vehemently denied that he planted drugs in Mason’s apartment in Providence. ``I’m insulted by the allegation,’’ he testified. The suppression hearing is scheduled to resume on July 11 with three more witnesses taking the stand. If Judge William E. Smith believes the testimony of Mason and the other defense witnesses, the drug case could fall apart. Smith will issue a ruling sometime after the testimony concludes. Ciclline, Torres and Joseph A. Bevilacqua, a disbarred Rhode Island lawyer, were indicted on federal charges in Boston last January for allegedly participating in a similar scheme with other drug dealers. They have pleaded innocent to the charges and are awaiting trial. -- W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal staff writer Posted by Peter Phipps at 12:51 PM | Comment U.S. defense attaché, of Cranston, dead in CyprusThe U.S. defense attaché in Cyprus, a Cranston native and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, was found dead in a remote rural area of the Mediterranean island Monday, four days after he disappeared with his diplomatic car. An official indicated that he committed suicide. A police statement said an autopsy showed Lt. Col. Thomas Mooney bled to death from a cut to the throat. A Cypriot official involved in the autopsy, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the diplomat “had a wound in the neck which is compatible with self-infliction.” “There is no evidence of foul play,” the official said. Former Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey, a friend of Mooney’s since childhood, said today that he cannot believe a person such as Mooney would take his own life. “There’s just no way this guy killed himself,” he said. Mooney, 45, who was married with children, had served as military attaché in Cyprus since June 2006. He disappeared with his black Chevrolet Impala on Thursday, prompting a ground and air search. -- Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault and The Associated Press Police said Mooney’s body was found near his car, which was parked on a dirt road in the Lefka region of rugged, hilly terrain about 30 miles west of the capital, Nicosia. “After the notification of next of kin, with deep sadness, I announce that Lt. Col. Thomas Mooney, who served his nation with distinction as our defense attaché, was found dead by Cypriot authorities on Monday,” U.S. Ambassador Ronald Schlicher said in a written statement. The State Department said there was no indication of terrorist involvement. “I wouldn’t point you in the direction of an act of terror,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Mooney was last seen at around midday Thursday. The embassy conducted its own search, and Cypriot officials were notified at least a day later. Police checked ports, airports and checkpoints linking the divided island’s Greek and Turkish communities. Schlicher said the embassy was canceling an Independence Day reception late Monday “in light of these sad circumstances.” Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:33 PM | Comment Woonsocket fire injures one, displaces residents
WOONSOCKET – One resident of a 2 ½ -story apartment building was taken this morning to Landmark Medical Center for evaluation after fire broke out on the second floor of the building at 118 Carrington Ave. The man was burned, but probably not severely, Deputy Chief James Vincent said. Residents in the five- to six-apartment building are now homeless, Vincent said, as power has been cut to the building and the Red Cross is determining if the residents need help with a place to stay, Vincent said. Vincent doesn’t know how many people were in the building when the fire started, but everyone else escaped safely, he said. The fire was under control within about a half hour, Vincent said, but crews are still fighting hot spots. State and local fire marshals were still there shortly before noon. The cause of the fire, which broke out in a second-floor apartment that sustained substantial damage, is unknown at this time, Vincent said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:11 PM | Comment Caravan to Cuba makes Providence stopPROVIDENCE – Three people who are part of a caravan heading to Cuba with medical and humanitarian aid have gathered this lunch hour at the downtown restaurant, Cuban Revolution, with about a dozen supporters. The Pastors for Peace Medical & Humanitarian Aid Caravan to Cuba group that has stopped in Providence is one of 14 caravans from 46 states and six Canadian provinces, according to local organizer Wallace Sillanpoa, a Rhode Islander who is not heading to Cuba on this year’s trip. The group started in Canada. “This is not an act of charity,” Sillanpoa said of the supplies the group is toting to Cuba. “The purpose is to defy the U.S. blockade [of trade, aid and other relations with Cuba], which the organization as well as the United Nations, the European Union parliament and most countries consider illegal and immoral.” Last year’s caravan stopover in Providence drew about 20 supporters to Cuban Revolution in June. One of the women on this year’s trip – from Quebec, Canada – was allowed to cross the U.S.-Canada border, but the medical and humanitarian aid she was carrying was confiscated at the border, Sillanpoa said. When that happens, the Pastors for Peace protest – including holding hunger strikes, Sillanpoa said. The interfaith organization has always been successful, eventually, in getting the U.S. government to allow the confiscated materials to move through the country, he said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:55 AM | Comment Small state, big role in our country's independenceFrom its founding, Rhode Island has had a reputation for headstrong, buck-the-trend political leaders. As we approach the Fourth of July, marking the day the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776, here are a few historical reminders of our role, courtesy of the state Legislature's Web site: - On May 17, 1774, after parliamentary passage of the Coercive Acts (Americans called them "Intolerable"), the Providence Town Meeting became the first governmental assemblage to issue a call for a general congress of colonies to resist British policy. - On June 15, 1774, the General Assembly made the colony the first to appoint delegates -- Stephen Hopkins and Samuel Ward -- to the anticipated Continental Congress. -- In April 1775, a week after the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, the colonial legislature authorized raising a 1,500-man ''army of observation'' with Nathanael Greene as its commander. - On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to renounce allegiance to King George III. - On July 4, 1776, Rhode Islanders' Hopkins and William Ellery joined their fellow delegates in signing the Declaration of Independence. (Where was Ward? He contracted smallpox while at the congress and died before he could sign the document.) -- On July 18, 1776, the Assembly ratified the Declaration of Independence. More about Rhode Island's revolutionary history here ... Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:52 AM | Comment 4 tons of illegal fireworks lead to arrests in N.J.TRENTON, N.J. -- Fifty people from states including Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware are arrested in New Jersey for illegal fireworks. State troopers say they've confiscated nearly four tons of fireworks along the border with Pennsylvania -- which allows the sale of fireworks to out-of-state residents. New Jersey state police say they confiscated 7,800 pounds of fireworks valued at $21,000. It's illegal in New Jersey to use, possess or transport fireworks. Read more about the arrests in The Star-Ledger of New Jersey and on South Jersey News Online. -- The Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:20 AM | Comment Photo: Rockets ready to glare
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:59 AM | Comment Have fun on the water, roads this 4th -- if you dareWe could make an argument for just staying home this holiday week, given the various news releases we’ve gotten naming the Fourth of July as: If that’s not scary enough to keep you from drinking and driving or drinking and boating -- or driving or boating, period -- perhaps you should think about just having a barbecue in your own backyard. Or this: The DOT is urging people who plan to drink this holiday to designate sober drivers; find an alternate ride if you end up drinking without having pre-selected a safe driver; report drunk drivers on the roads; and prevent intoxicated friends and family from getting behind the wheel. And watch out for those who start the holiday early. Even today and tomorrow follow July 4th closely as some of the most deadly days on America’s roadways, the DOT reports. The good news: The DOT is reporting that seat-belt use in the Ocean State is the highest it has ever been, with nearly 80 percent of Rhode Islanders seen wearing seat belts during an observational survey taken after Memorial Day weekend. That was the last time the state police held one of their “Click it or Ticket” campaigns to encourage seat-belt use, according to the DOT. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson That seat-belt use (by 79.1 percent of those in the survey) is up from the reported use after last November's Click it or Ticket campaign, which was 74.2 percent, according to DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin. Those DOT surveys observe drivers on a wide range of roadways and follow recommendations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, St. Martin said. The Coast Guard reports that an average of 50 people in the Northeast have died annually in recreational boating and paddling accidents over the past nine years. Those not wearing life jackets: 83 percent of those killed. “Your chance for survival usually comes down to one thing: having your life jacket on when you need it,” said Al Johnson, recreational boating safety specialist for the First Coast Guard District headquarters in Boston, in a statement issued yesterday. “The misconception persists that you can put on a life jacket once you’re in the water. It is extremely difficult to do, and unfortunately for most people immobilized by the shock of sudden immersion, it can be tragically impossible.” Alcohol use and abuse runs high at this holiday season, the Coast Guard reports. While alcohol is involved in just over a quarter of annual fatal boating accidents in the Northeast, that number jumps to 42 percent during the Fourth of July, the Guard reports. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:02 AM | Comment Mostly sunny, high of 76The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny day with a high near 76 degrees in the Providence area. For those of you catching the fireworks in Providence tonight, the temperature should drop to about 60 degrees tonight and clouds will partly obscure the stars. The Independence Day holiday tomorrow brings a slight chance of showers after 9 a.m., partly cloudy skies and a high near 80 degrees. For more weather and updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about advocates fighting the state's efforts to move four severely retarded people from the group home they have shared for 25 years. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment July 2, 2007Missing fisherman's body found off NewportNEWPORT -- Divers have discovered the body of Phillip Stevens, the Massachusetts fisherman who disappeared on Saturday off the coast of Newport, according to state Department of Environmental Management spokeswoman Gail Mastrati. Stevens, 59, of Watertown, Mass., was found at 4:47 p.m. at Prices Point, east of Brenton Reef, Mastrati said. His body was transported to Castle Hill Coast Guard station, where it was identified by the state medical examiner, she said. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:00 PM | Comment Update: New Providence firefighters graduate / Photo
The 47th Training Academy graduates are: Jason Augus, Stepany Blackwell, Derek Bishop, Timothy Bock, Steven Britto, Patrick Burke, Joseph Caffey, Richard Coughlin, Nicholas Date, Eric Estrada, Ruben Feliz, Michael Foley, Christopher Gastall, Bruno Goncalves, Dennie Guzman, Michael Kelly, Raphael Joseph, Jennifer LaBerge, Jason LaSalle, Derek Lopez, Kenneth Mangan, Jamie Medeiros, Michael Misto, Matthew Mowry, Eric Pedro, Benjamin Poirier, Derek Silva, Derek Simoneau, Christopher Stoney, Matthew Tadry, Paul Tang, Jason Thibault, Jose Vargas and Tiffany Wolff. Posted by Jack Perry at 6:53 PM | Comment Oh, Fiddlesticks: Mini-golf course is no more / Photo
NORTH KINGSTOWN -- The last remnants of the Fiddlesticks Amusement Park are facing the business end of a backhoe today. The owners of the park – which at one time included batting cages, a driving range and a mini-golf course – said a 36-hole mini-course would stay after the rest was razed for a 55,000-square-foot grocery store. But that was two years ago. The course hasn’t been used since and is too expensive to maintain, according to its owners. “We ran the numbers, and we figured it just wasn’t worth it at this juncture,” said Fred Schick, former head of Fiddlesticks Ltd. On-site, Butch Cole of Cole Construction was in charge of the demolition. He also worked on the original excavation in the late 1980s, when Fiddlesticks opened on the site of a former farm. “We did all of the excavation for the range,” Cole said. “Then I’ve came back here to tear it down.” -- Journal staff writer Brandie Jefferson Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:35 PM | Comment Update: Suspect in dual slaying violated probationPROVIDENCE -- Prosecutors say a suspect in the murder of two Providence women last month violated his probation on two prior convictions, and they will ask a magistrate to order him to serve 4 ½ years in prison, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office said today. No decision was made in a probation hearing this afternoon for Raymond Clements, 23, of 38 Comstock St., Pawtucket, who has been charged with murder and first-degree arson in connection with the June 14 slaying of Heather Jesus, 20, of 375 Plainfield St., Providence, and her 17-year-old cousin, Amanda Sousa, at Jesus' Silver Lake apartment. The bodies of the two women were found after a fire in the building. Clements made an appearance in District Court this morning and was ordered held without bail, according to Michael J. Healey, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office. Then, during this afternoon’s hearing, two new court dates were set for Clements – a hearing to determine an attorney for him on July 9 and a violation-of-probation hearing on July 17. An alleged co-defendant, Anthony J. Carter, 22, of 13 Busby St., Pawtucket, was arrested Friday in Polk County, Fla. The Attorney General's Office has started the process of having Carter brought back to Rhode Island to face charges here, according to Healey. -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Kate Bramson The Attorney General's Office alleges that Clements has violated his probation on two prior convictions. In November 2003, he pleaded no contest to forgery, counterfeiting and conspiracy in Kent County, according to Healey. He was sentenced to six years, with three years to serve and three years suspended with probation, Healey said. While serving that sentence, Clements escaped in 2004 from a work-release program, Healey said. He was later convicted of escape and sentenced to two years in prison with six months to serve and 18 months suspended with probation, Healey said. "Given the gravity of the most recent allegations," prosecutors will ask Magistrate William J. McAtee to find that Clements has violated probation on both prior convictions and order him to serve the suspended portions of the sentences for a total of 4 ½ years, Healey said. Jesus, who lived in the tenement, and Sousa, who was visiting, were both found dead on the floor of the living room of Jesus’ four-room third-floor apartment. Dr. Thomas Gilson, Rhode Island chief state medical examiner, said Jesus died of “sharp-force injuries and asphyxia due to neck and chest compression,” and that Sousa died of “multiple blunt impact and sharp-force injuries.” Police Major Stephen Campbell has said the fire was set deliberately to destroy evidence and that the blaze began in the living room, where the bodies were found. Both victims were attacked prior to the fire, he has said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:11 PM | Comment Carcieri says he was unaware of foster-care abusesPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri met today for 45 minutes with state Child Advocate Jametta Alston and then spoke publicly for the first time about Alston's charges against the state. Alston last week filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging widespread abuse of foster children in state custody and systemic failure at the Department of Children, Youth and Families. The governor said he was not aware that any abuse was taking place in the state's foster care system. "In order for me to take action, I need to be aware of these things," he said. Carcieri said his office was now investigating allegations of sexual and physical abuse detailed in the 85-page lawsuit and that his staff would brief him on the situation tomorrow. "Are any of the allegations true?" Carcieri said. "I don't know any of that right now." Meanwhile, Alston said she did not discuss the lawsuit during the meeting with the governor, which was primarily about how to maintain communication while the lawsuit plays out. Alston, a Carcieri appointee, investigates abuse among other things and works closely with the DCYF. "I didn't come here to talk about the lawsuit," she said while leaving the State House tracked by reporters.
-- Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:36 PM | Comment State child advocate meeting with the governorPROVIDENCE – State Child Advocate Jametta O. Alston is meeting now with Governor Carcieri for the first time since she filed a U.S. District Court lawsuit last Thursday against the governor and other state officials on behalf of the 3,000 children now in state custody. Alston said this morning that the goal of the meeting is to keep the lines of communication open. She will continue to need to work with the state Department of Children, Youth and Families and with the governor’s staff as the class-action lawsuit proceeds. Carcieri is expected to speak to the press after the meeting, which is expected to last about 30 minutes. It would be the first time he speaks publicly about the lawsuit. Alston was about 20 minutes late to the 1 p.m. meeting. She went into the governor’s State House office at about 1:20 p.m. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:35 PM | Comment State trooper's condition upgraded to fairPROVIDENCE – The condition of the state trooper who was critically injured after he approached a motorist while off duty in downtown Providence has been upgraded. Trooper Brendan R. Doyle has been upgraded to fair condition from serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital, spokeswoman Nancy Cawley said early this afternoon. Doyle was initially in critical condition after he was allegedly punched so hard that he fell backward, struck his head on the pavement and suffered severe head injuries that almost cost him his life. He had attempted to stop a man whom he allegedly saw driving recklessly in downtown Providence. The man accused of punching him, James D. Proulx, of Smithfield, was sentenced today in Sixth District Court, Providence, to serve five months at the Adult Correctional Institutions on a separate misdemeanor charge. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:43 PM | Comment High court upholds life sentences for carjacker DayThe state Supreme Court has upheld the murder convictions and the life without parole sentence for one of the five men convicted in the 2000 carjacking and killing of two college students. Kenneth D. Day, of Providence, was sentenced to four consecutive terms of life without parole Aug. 16, 2004, in the June 2000 murder and carjacking of college students Amy Shute and Jason Burgeson. He was the fifth and final man convicted. The court found that Day's sentence of life in prison without the eligibility for parole was appropriate, but it did overturn three charges against Day: two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit carjacking. The court upheld the convictions for two counts of murder, two counts of carjacking resulting in death and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. Shute, 21, of Coventry, and Burgeson, 20, of Lakeville, Mass., were kidnapped from downtown Providence after a night of dancing, and driven to a golf course under construction on the Providence/Johnston line. According to testimony, Gregory J. Floyd shot the students in the head as they begged for their lives while Day urged Floyd to pull the trigger. At sentencing, prosecutor Gerard B. Sullivan said, "We can empty a dictionary of adjectives and then search a thesaurus for synonyms and not come close to describing this crime." Day appealed, saying in part that the trial judge, Superior Court Justice Joseph F. Rodgers Jr., had exceeded his authority in imposing four sentences of life without parole and that his conviction for murder and the underlying carjacking charge had violated the legal system's double jeopardy clause. The four others pleaded guilty in federal court to carjacking charges. Three are serving life sentences, and one is serving a 30-year sentence. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:27 PM | Comment Update: A grand old flag for a new citizen / Photo
The park is named after the founder of Rhode Island, who established a settlement to provide refuge for those seeking religious freedom in 1636. People from more than 20 nations -- including Cambodia, Malaysia, the Ukraine, Liberia, Bolivia and Iraq -- were among taking the citizenship oath today, two days before the annual celebration of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:16 PM | Comment Lottery looking for $200,000 winnerThe Rhode Island Lottery is waiting to hear from a $200,000 winner. A ticket matching the first five numbers for Saturday's PowerBall was sold by the Sunnybrook Farms in East Greenwich. The player hit everything but the PowerBall number in the $15 million drawing. Posted by Peter Phipps at 11:47 AM | Comment Update: Man accused of assaulting trooper in courtPROVIDENCE – The man accused of critically injuring a state trooper last month was sentenced this morning in Sixth District Court, Providence, to serve five months at the Adult Correctional Institutions on a separate misdemeanor charge. James D. Proulx, of 2 Danecroft Ave. in Smithfield, pleaded no contest to failing to keep the peace and be of good behavior. Proulx's plea today was related to a prior misdemeanor charge by the North Providence Police Department for making crank and obscene phone calls. That case had been filed by the court, with the stipulation that Proulx must keep the peace and be on good behavior. If he did not do that, he was subject to court review of that charge, which is why he was in court today, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office. In court today, Proulx's defense attorney said one other misdemeanor and two felony charges are still pending against him. The other misdemeanor is for violating a no contact order against an ex-girlfriend, according to Healey. The two felony charges stem from the attack on the state trooper. Proulx has been held at the Adult Correctional Institutions on $1 million bail with surety for felony assault and reckless driving, following the incident on June 16 that left trooper Brendan R. Doyle fighting for his life. Proulx allegedly punched Doyle early that morning after Doyle, then off-duty, confronted him for alleged reckless driving. Doyle fell, struck his head and suffered a serious head injury. Today, attorneys met in the district court judge’s chambers before the public court hearing, Healey said. Meanwhile, the Attorney General's Office is moving forward with the felony assault case against Proulx, Healey said. Because the charge is not considered a capital offense, the case does not need to go before a grand jury. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:43 AM | Comment Photo: Eye the eagles at Roger Willams Park Zoo
Posted by Jack Perry at 11:02 AM | Comment Green ups security following terrorist threats in U.K.WARWICK -- There's heavier security at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick following the recent terrorist incidents in Britain. A spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation says the airport has added additional staff and is -- quote -- ``being more diligent'' about searching vehicles. At Logan Airport in Boston, canine units are patrolling terminals and state police are conducting random searches of vehicles. Attackers on Saturday rammed a Jeep Cherokee into the main terminal building at the airport in Glasgow, Scotland. On Friday, two car bombs failed to explode in central London on Friday. Seven people have been arrested in connection with the attempted attacks. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 10:45 AM | Comment Coast Guard suspends search for Mass. fishermanNEWPORT – The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 59-year-old Watertown, Mass., fisherman who disappeared Saturday afternoon while spearfishing from a kayak off Brenton Point. After receiving a 911 call Saturday around 4:30 p.m. that reported Phillip Stevens as missing, the Coast Guard searched 11 times in an area measuring more than 300 square nautical miles. Stevens’ kayak and spear were found onshore. The Coast Guard called off the search around 10:45 p.m. last night, Petty Officer Luke Pinneo said this morning. The Coast Guard has heard nothing new this morning, Pinneo said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Stevens was said to be fishing about 20 yards from the shore, in about 14 feet of water. He was last seen fishing near Brenton Reef around 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Water temperature in that area was around 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Stevens had planned to meet his wife around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. When he failed to show up, she called the Coast Guard. The Guard searched the area with Jayhawk helicopters from Air Station Cape Cod, Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft from Providence, the Coast Guard Cutter Chinook from Long Island Sound, Coast Guard Cutter Tigershark from Newport, a 25-foot response boat from station Castle Hill, a 47-foot motor life boat from station Point Judith as well as local and state agencies. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:26 AM | Comment Sen. Reed to return to Iraq for 10th timeWASHINGTON – Sen. Jack Reed will make his tenth wartime tour of Iraq this week, seeking first-hand information on the effectiveness of the ``surge’’ of U.S. forces, initiated early this year by President Bush to improve security -- especially around Baghdad -- so that the struggling Iraqi government can move toward political stability. Reed, a former Army officer, is a member of an unofficial Senate Democratic war council that is preparing a renewed effort to force the Bush administration to begin removing combat forces from Iraq. Reed and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, have announced plans to add troop withdrawal language to the 2008 defense authorization bill that the Senate will debate soon after Congress returns from this week’s Independence Day recess. Mr. Bush vetoed such language when Congress attached it to a war-spending bill in May. Mr. Bush prevailed in the resulting confrontation last month, as Congress granted him a war-funds bill free of mandatory troop withdrawal deadlines. But Democrats in both houses of Congress vowed to continue their efforts to push the president toward a timetable for winding down the commitment of American fighting forces in Iraq. In recent weeks, key Republicans have added their voices to the growing call for a change of course in Iraq strategy. Reed plans to attend the Bristol Fourth of July Parade and then depart for Iraq on July 5. As he has often done on previous trips to Iraq, Reed will travel with a single aide. Reed’s office, which has not released details of his itinerary, said he plans to return to the U.S. on July 9. -- By John Mulligan, Journal Washington Bureau Posted by Jack Perry at 10:24 AM | Comment Gas prices fall againGasoline prices in Rhode Island have dropped for the fifth straight week, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price is $2.929 for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. That's one cent less than last week. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:01 AM | Comment Dozens to become citizens in Providence todayPROVIDENCE -- More than 50 Rhode Island residents will take the Oath of Allegiance this morning to become United States citizens during a special ceremony. The event is set for the Roger Williams National Memorial Park -- where the founder of Rhode Island first established a settlement to provide refuge for those seeking religious freedom in 1636. People from more than 20 nations -- including Cambodia, Malaysia, the Ukraine, Liberia, Bolivia and Iraq -- are among those set to take American citizenship. Between half a million and 700,000 people become U.S. citizens each year. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:39 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the first in a Monday series of Creature Chronicles, which this week chronicles the ongoing war of farmers and gardeners against those persistent pests, woodchucks. It also features a story and photographs of the tall ships leaving Rhode Island and the first Sunday of car sales in Rhode Island. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment The sky will be full of wild animalsIt's going to be a good day to lie on your back and let your imagination drift. Officially, the National Weather Service is calling for partly cloudy skies, winds of 9 to 11 mph and a high of 75. But that also means -- assuming, that is, that you can still see the sky like a 5-year-old -- the sky will be full of bears, pigs and alligators. Tomorrow will be warmer with fewer clouds and, therefore, less to look at. Thunderstorms loom later in the week. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:53 AM | Comment R.I. mosquito samples come up clean againTwo weeks of testing down and no signs yet of West Nile virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis in mosquitoes in Rhode Island. That's the word today from the state Department of Environmental Management. Results from 50 mosquito pools -- from 26 traps set around the state during the week of June 18 -- came back negative for the viruses. DEM staff trap mosquitoes every week around the state and then send samples for testing at the state Health Department laboratory. Mosquitoes trapped in June will be part of results announced this week. The DEM urges people to eliminate things mosquitoes could breed in. That includes anything that holds standing water, such as old tires, buckets, junk and debris. People should also clean gutters so they drain properly and maintain swimming pools correctly. To avoid mosquito bites, use sceens on windows and doors and cover up at dawn and dusk. Put mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages when they're outside. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006