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July 11, 2007

Update: No decision yet on La Rumba's license

PROVIDENCE -- 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 wizard

To 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

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
So, yesterday, we told you that a sea-lettuce cleanup was on for today at Conimicut Beach in Warwick, as a preventive strike against odor from the algae as it decomposes. So, today, we're showing you what that project looked like. Above, Donald Squires drives a tractor pulling a "surf rake" to do the dirty work.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:23 PM | Comment

Amtrak exec: Only so much speed for the bucks

WASHINGTON -- 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 costs

Did 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 beaches

Can 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 exam

SOUTH 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 far

PROVIDENCE -- 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

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
A workman today readies a pier about 50 yards east of Route 95 in Providence for the placement of tub girders.

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

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 fund

Brothers 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 classes

PROVIDENCE – 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 lenders

FALL 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 classes

EXETER -- 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 slaying

PROVIDENCE -- 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 sweep

PROVIDENCE – 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 Manfredo

JOHNSTON – 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 rides

It'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 page

Today'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 in

A 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