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July 31, 2007

What's happening tonight: Songs by the sea

Head 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

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Mike Dunn, a Narragansett lifeguard, finished in first place in the Run, Row, Run competition today at the 31st Annual Invitational Lifeguard Tournament at Easton's Beach, Newport. The event, which continues tomorrow, includes teams from Rhode Island, New York and Massachusetts.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:50 PM | Comment

Motorcyclist killed in crash ID'd as Bristol man, 59

BRISTOL -- 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 delayed

PAWTUCKET -- 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 rollover

PROVIDENCE -- 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

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
After weeks of being held in custody on a parole violation charge, Alfred "Freddie" Bishop, center, was arraigned today on charges linked to a triple shooting -- one of them fatal -- in Warwick last month.

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

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 levels

WOONSOCKET -- 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

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and Michael M. Tikoian, chairman of the Coastal Resources Management Council, chat before a press conference this morning to unveil new signs that will adorn the Woonasquatucket Greenway, a bike/walking path about to be built along the Woonsquatucket River, at the American Locomotive Works mill project on Valley Street in Providence. Struever Bros., the Baltimore-based developers doing the American Locomotive Works, is about to start its section behind their mill.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:01 PM | Comment

Submariner is new commander at NUWC in Newport

NEWPORT -- 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 September

PROVIDENCE -- 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 outage

LINCOLN -- 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 raid

PROVIDENCE – 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 today

Convicted 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

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Investigators examine the scene of an accident where a pedestrian was hit by a train near the Clay Street overpass in Central Falls, this morning.

Providence to Boston train travel has resumed this morning – with the 8:10 a.m. MBTA train from Providence departing on time – after the 6:33 a.m. train from Providence struck and killed a man on the tracks near the Clay Street overpass in Central Falls.

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

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
A statue of Roger Williams, at Prospect Park on the East Side, appears to be looking over a city obscured by fog. The fog is supposed to lift this morning, and the day should turn sunny, according to the National Weather Service.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:04 AM | Comment

Patchy fog then sunny

Patchy 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 page

Today'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 closure

PROVIDENCE – 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