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July 9, 2007

Update: Reed key player in Senate debate on Iraq

WASHINGTON -- 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 buses

The 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 plans

Pension 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 tonight

Drivers 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 fire

It 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 outage

CRANSTON -- 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 Iraq

WASHINGTON -- 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

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Anderson J. Ramos (center) is taken into custody by a Superior Court Sheriff after pleading guilty.

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 Pastore

CRANSTON -- 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 Fabric

FALL 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

Trooper Brendan R. Doyle leaves Rhode Island Hospital today.
--Journal photo Bill Murphy

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.

Doyle’s mother, Maureen Adams, who had to fight back tears, thanked everyone -- the first responders, the hospital staff, the state police and the general public -- who supported the trooper and his family for the past three weeks and two days.

“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.

When the car was penned in by traffic, Doyle went up to the driver and began to make a phone call. The state charges that the driver, James Proulx, punched the trooper in the face, driving him to the pavement.

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, phones

CRANSTON -- 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.

"While many of the departments cannot currently be reached by telephone or email, they all remain open with power from backup generators," the news release said.

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 toddler

PROVIDENCE – 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.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes

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 residents

PROVIDENCE -- 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.

The fire went to a second alarm at 12:05 p.m. and was brought under control at 12:23 p.m., said James Taylor, chief of communications for the Fire Department. The Red Cross was there to help five adults and three children displaced by the fire.

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 leak

PROVIDENCE -- 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 penny

PROVIDENCE – 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 crash

GLOCESTER – 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 today

All 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

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
This is the area -- nicknamed "The Lion's Head" -- where the woman fell.

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 congestion

If 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 grants

PROVIDENCE -- 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 luck

Every 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 page

Today'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