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July 13, 2007

This summer weekend brings bands and butterflies

With 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 trip

COLUMBUS, 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,' picket

PROVIDENCE -- 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 guilty

PROVIDENCE -- 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 chief

State 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

Journal photo / John Freidah
Cars were lined up to pay at the non-pass parking lot across from Narragansett Town Beach today, as the sun shone on the Ocean State. Partly sunny skies are expected throughout the weekend. But state Department of Transporation and local officials say they don't expect a repeat of last weekend's beach traffic jams. The reason -- the forecast is not calling for the same kind of stifling hot weather. Instead, temperatures should be in the 80s, with south to southwest winds gusting up to 25 mph.

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 outages

CRANSTON -- 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.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:15 PM | Comment

Update: No signs yet of cause of fatal Burrillville crash

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
A section of Route 102 in Burrillville was closed as rescue crews worked at the scene of the fatal accident this morning in the Oakland-Mapleville part of town, near Bella's restaurant.

BURRILLVILLE – An accident reconstruction team has found no signs of excessive speed or driver impairment contributing to the early-morning crash on Route 102 that took the life of a 22-year-old Burrillville woman today.

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.

Daniel Pelletier’s other passenger, Lee, and the driver of the SUV, Jeremy Stevens of Burrillville, were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, also with injuries that don’t appear life-threatening, Gannon said. Stevens was the only occupant of the SUV.

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 outages

CRANSTON -- 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.

The department is inventorying "collateral damage" caused by the power outages. No medical equipment has been damaged.

* 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 years

NORTH 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 him

The 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 case

PROVIDENCE -- 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 delays

NORTH 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. Kingstown

NORTH 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 Providence

PROVIDENCE – 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 degrees

The 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 currents

The 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 page

Today'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