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August 15, 2007

In Warren, ' State of the Union' takes center stage

Tonight could be a nice one to catch some theater.

In Warren, 2nd Story Theatre puts on "State of the Union," which its describes as a Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy that "waltzes between back room and bedroom, between affairs of state and affairs of the heart."

The play starts at 8 p.m. Admission is $25. Performances run through Sept. 1.

Looking for more going-out ideas? Check projo.com's calendar of events.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:08 PM | Comment

Airport Corp. backs lease for yacht yard at Quonset

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- The Rhode Island Airport Corporation gave preliminary approval today to lease 32 acres of land at the Quonset Airport to a Florida developer seeking to construct a shipbuilding and repair yard for giant yachts at the Quonset Business Park.

The state agency that controls the business park, the Quonset Development Corporation, has already indicated its support for the project, setting aside 43 acres along Narragansett Bay south of the southern pier at Davisville.

But the airport property is considered critical to that project, and the initial approval today gave a promising signal to Island Global.

“This was a crucial piece for Island Global Yachting to move forward,” Dyana Koelsch, a QDC spokeswoman, said. “Without it, the deal would not have gone through.”

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment

Fox tests positive for rabies in Hopkinton

HOPKINTON -- Police shot a fox over the weekend that tested positive for rabies. A man, who was previously bitten by a fox, is being treated for rabies as a precaution.

Philip Scalise, 49, of 16 Esta’s Way, told police he was bitten by a fox twice Sunday afternoon, first as he took out his trash and then as he showed an officer where the original incident occurred.

The fox ran away before the officer could do anything. Minutes later, another patrol officer shot a wandering fox on nearby Collins Road.

The state Department of Health tested that fox and found it had rabies. Scalise, a former town councilman and member of the Zoning Board of Review, will be treated for rabies as a precaution.

The DOH regularly tests for rabies wildlife when there is human or pet contact, said a spokeswoman for the department, Andrea Bagnall Degos.

-- Journal staff writer Maria Armental

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:03 PM | Comment

Alert: Shooting in Burger King parking lot in Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Police and other emergency personnel are at the scene of a shooting reported in the parking lot of the Burger King at 280 Broad St.

The call came in at 6:26 p.m., according to Jim Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

Early indications are that one person was shot. The person's condition was not yet known.

No other information is available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Comment

N. Kingstown government hits the little screen

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- If you missed last week’s Town Council meeting, don’t worry.

You can always catch it on the town’s Web site, at www.northkingstown.org.

It’s no big-screen experience. The image is about 3 by 3 ½ inches. But you can watch the entire meeting – public hearings , the town manager’s report and liquor license approvals -- on your computer screen.

You can even find past meetings, agendas, reports and minutes.

The municipal Web portal is the first in New England powered by the San Francisco-based company Granicus, says Jason Albuquerque, the town’s director of information technology.

Most meetings in the area are viewed on cable television rather than on computer screens.

Granicus began recording local meetings on June 11. Five are archived on the site.

“The need for a more streamlined and open government is apparent,” Albuquerque said today. Providing Webcasts of meetings “allows our government to communicate that much more effectively.”

The Town Council has considered the move for several years. This year it acted, said Council President Edward J. Cooney, and the service was announced today.

-- Journal staff writer Paul Davis

By taking the first step in the region, the council was able to strike a deal with the company – about $1,000 a month for the service, Cooney said.

“Being first is nice, but economically it was a good deal for the town,” he said.

Town officials signed a three-year contract for the service, which will include planning, zoning and school board meetings in the future, Cooney said.

Granicus provides video streaming to more than 200 communities, counties and clients, from Anaheim, Calif. to Tallahassee, Fl.

“The benefits to residents are two-fold,” Cooney said. “It’s often tough for people to get out, and meetings can go on for three or four hours. Now, you can watch the meetings from home.”

Also, after 48 hours, the meetings are archived, which means residents can search videos by agenda item rather than watch an entire recording (the longest archived meeting is 4 hours and 22 minutes).

“It’s a significant way to bring government to the citizens without requiring the citizens to come to the government,” Cooney said. “It makes government friendlier.”

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment

DOT finishes latest phase of Rte. 95 closures

The state Department of Transportation announced today it's finished the latest phase of overnight highway closures on Route 95 in Providence.

The DOT had shut down part of the highway over the past two weeks to allow for safe installation of steel beams on the Interstate 195 relocation project, called the Iway. The recent steel assembly will carry future traffic from Route 95 south to Route 195 east.

Work continues tonight with lane restrictions only. Beginning at 8 p.m., workers will start shutting down lanes on one or both sides of the highway between Exits 18 and 20, with the maximum lane closures taking place after 11 p.m.

A minimum of one lane in each direction will be maintained. All lanes will be reopened by 5:30 a.m. for the commute.

The DOT advises drivers to use Route 295 or Route 10 as alternate routes during overnight closings.

Steel beam setting will resume in about six weeks over Eddy Street and Allens Avenue. Local road closures may be needed during that time.

The DOT said it expects to resume overnight full highway closures sometime toward year's end to allow the pouring of a concrete deck on top of the steel assemblies.

More information on lane restrictions will be posted daily at: www.dot.state.ri.us/traffic.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:41 PM | Comment

Update: Barrington, Bristol, Warren beaches open

The state Health Department late today recommended re-opening to swimming Barrington Town Beach, Bristol Town Beach and Warren Town Beach

Earlier today, the department re-opened Atlantic Beach Club Beach in Middletown.

Re-opened on Sunday was Easton's Beach in Newport, just down the shore from the Atlantic Beach Club.

To check information about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to the beach closings page on the Health Department's Web site or call (401) 222-2751.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:56 PM | Comment

Brazil wants investigation of immigrant's death in R.I.

The Brazilian government today asked the U.S. government to “investigate deeply” the death of Edmar Alves De Araujo, a 34-year-old illegal immigrant who died last Tuesday while in federal custody here.

Araujo was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital after he suffered an apparent seizure while at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Providence. Araujo was taken into federal custody on an outstanding deportation warrant, after Woonsocket police arrested him on a traffic violation and learned he was in the country illegally.

His death drew public outcry from community advocates and family, who called his death “senseless” and “tragic.”

“Our government is pushing our consulate (in Boston) to follow carefully the investigation, because it is something not so usual – especially when somebody is under the custody of police,” said a spokesman for Celso Amorim, Brazil’s Minister of External Relations. “Our minister director our consulate in Boston to follow all the investigations carried out” by federal authorities, the spokesman said.

Araujo’s death is under investigation by the Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General; the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Rhode Island Office of State Medical Examiners.

Meanwhile, Providence lawyer Randy Olen said today the family is making preparations to return Araujo’s body to Brazil.

-- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:09 PM | Comment

Group asks AG to probe N. Providence protest incident

The organization whose protest in North Providence Saturday saw a member sustain a serious leg injury today issued a "list of demands" to Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch.

The demands include a "full investigation into the actions of the North Providence Police Department" and that all police charges be droppped against Alexandra Svoboda, whose leg was broken, and Jason Friedmutter. The group also wants "financial enumerations" to "compensate for physical and mental anguish."

The Industrial Workers of the World said in a news release it has set a noon deadline tomorrow for Lynch to respond.

And the union said members and supporters will be at the the attorney general's office in Providence tomorrow at 2 p.m. to follow up on their demands.

"We are also requesting that the attorney general have an audience with an IWW delegation," the statement said.

A spokesman for the attorney general could not be immediately reached.

The police are probing whether officers used excessive force against 22-year-old Svoboda, whose leg was twisted and broken during the protest against an Asian restaurant on Mineral Spring Avenue.

Both Deputy Police Chief Paul Marino and Mayor Charles Lombardi both reiterated yesterday they don’t believe local officers did anything wrong.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:36 PM | Comment

Sales slump spurs staff cuts at Amgen

WEST GREENWICH -- Pharmaceutical giant Amgen Inc. has announced plans to reduce its staff by 12 to 14 percent in response to slumping sales of its anemia drugs.

Amgen employs 1,700 people at its manufacturing plant in West Greenwich.

In a statement today, the company said it plans to close several production operations. It did not mention any by name.

A call to Amgen spokesman Larry Bernard was not immediately returned.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:12 PM | Comment

Rhode Islander held after tossing liquid in whale tank

MYSTIC, Conn. -- A Rhode Island man has been taken into custody at the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration in Connecticut after throwing liquid into a whale tank.

Stonington police say Paul Watkins of East Providence is charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. He was ordered held on $25,000 bond.

He's accused of tossing a mixture of iodine and a substance used for soldering into a 750,000-gallon tank that is home to three whales.

A spokesman for the aquarium says the whales were not hurt and tests have determined that the water is fine.

Police say the 54-year-old Watkins said he threw the liquid into the tank to keep the fish warm and protect them from Agent Orange.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:09 PM | Comment

Man accused of hitting ex-girlfriend's pit bull with pipe

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- A 35-year-old man is charged with felony cruelty to animals after the police said he pulled up in a truck to his ex-girlfriend and struck her pet pit bull in the head with a metal pipe.

Brentwood Knowles, with a last known address in New Bedford, was slated for arraignment today in New Bedford District Court.

On Tuesday, a woman whom police did not name, was walking the pet pit bull on a leash on Mill Street in the city's west end. The news release said the pit bull was friendly and appropriately licensed.

The dog fell to the ground and "had obviously serious injuries bleeding from its head and mouth," the police said in a news release.

Knowles got back into the truck and fled, the police said. The woman called the police, and officers and animal control arrived on scene. A broadcast was sent out, and Officer Nelson Goncalves found Knowles and took him into custody without incident, according to the police.

The dog was treated at a veterinary clinic for lacerations, contusions and a concussion but is expected to make a full recovery.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:37 PM | Comment

Update: Excavator tips at station demolition site / Photo

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
A construction worker races to look for the operator of the excavator after it tipped this afternoon. The excavator rolled over after sinking into the basement of the old police and fire station at LaSalle Square.

PROVIDENCE -- Firefighters, who have been reminiscing since demolition began on the old police-fire headquarters at LaSalle Square, were called to a demolition emergency today.

An equipment operator working on the demolition suffered an ankle injury when his excavator tipped over just before 1 p.m., said Deputy Assistant Fire Chief Henry Cochrane.

As the unidentified operator was piling up debris, his tracked excavator ran over the void of the building’s open basement and turned onto its side, Cochrane related. The operator was thrown out of the cab and into the basement.

“In a way he lucked out because he landed in the cellar and the machine stayed up on top” and did not fall on him, Cochrane said.

There was no obvious way to safely get into the basement, the sides of which are bristling with exposed metal rods, Cochrane explained. But because the building used to be their home, firefighters knew right away that they could get into the basement by using a door on the Fountain Street side that used to lead to the bays where the chiefs’ vehicles were parked.

Once in the basement, rescue workers unfolded what they call a stair chair and sat the victim in it so he could be safely and comfortably carried up the staircase and then transferred to a gurney. The operator suffered a sprained or broken ankle, he said.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

The police notified the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which sent two inspectors to the work site at 209 Fountain St. downtown.

Firefighters, whose main station is now housed in the Public Safety Complex several blocks away, have been interested observers of the progress of demolition. When the emergency call came in, Cochrane said, some of them were chatting about how they wished they could have a brick as a memento.

Cranston developer The Procaccianti Group began demolishing the building this month to clear the area for a parking lot.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
A worker spreads water to minimize dust as demolition continued this morning -- before the machinery incident -- of the former Providence police and fire headquarters in LaSalle Square. The building had opened in 1938 and closed after a new police safety complex was opened in 2002.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:50 PM | Comment

ACLU wants governor to withdraw brief on gay divorce

The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union announced today it's called on Governor Carcieri to withdraw a legal brief submitted for a state Supreme Court case that could decide if a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts could divorce in Rhode Island.

The ACLU said it and three other organizations sent a letter to the governor because the "strong opposition to same-sex marriage contained in the governor's brief -- written by an out-of-state private attorney -- has been widely noted."

In a news release, the ACLU specifically says it's focusing on the governor's "inexplicable attack" on Rhode Island's "no-fault divorce laws." The ACLU quotes the brief asserting that no-fault divorce has resulted in "more children ill equipped to cope in a world already fraught with problems" and even that it's led women to take "steps to protect their human capital by entering the work force and pursuing education."

In response to that, the ACLU news release said it knows there are "some people out there who long for a return to the 'idyllic' 1950s when women knew their place was in the kitchen, but we do not expect to hear echoes of it emanating from a gubernatorial court brief."

If the brief is not withdrawn, the ACLU says, then "we request that [the governor] formally clarify your position on these issues."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Today's announcement follows one issued by the state Democratic Party chairman last week. The chairman, William Lynch, announced he was pursuing under the Freedom of Information Act whether taxpayers have paid for the out-of-state lawyer's services. Lynch characterized the lawyer, James Bopp Jr., as "right wing," saying he "has made a living representing the narrow-minded ideology of people like Tom DeLay."

Lynch -- the brother of state Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, who filed a brief with the court on gay divorce that comes to different conclusions than the governor's -- asserted that the brief filed for the governor pushed the governor's personal views and should therefore have been paid for with personal money.

Carcieri is a Catholic and Republican. The Democrat Lynch brothers, who hail from an Irish-Catholic family, have a sister who married a woman in Massachusetts

Carcieri's office signed a $15,000 contract with Indiana lawyer Bopp to submit a friend-of-the-court brief by a court deadline.

Last week, a spokesman for the governor said that Bopp was one of at least two nationally known lawyers who contacted the governor's office about writing the brief. Bopp was picked for the no-bid contract and spent about two weeks writing the brief.

Spokesman Michael Maynard said last week the governor “wanted to get someone who had expertise on this issue who could file a brief that would get to the core of the issue. That was Bopp." Maynard said that the office found Bopp's rate was the best available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:44 PM | Comment

5-day Washington County Fair opens gates / Photo

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Brianna O'Connor, 19, of Charlestown puts polish on the hooves of Suzy, a 2-year-old Brown Swiss, as she helps Alex Huling, 11, of North Kingstown, get the cow ready for judging during the first morning of the Washington County Fair.

RICHMOND -- Rhode Island celebrates its agrarian roots this week, with the opening tonight of the 41st annual Washington County Fair.

The fair, sponsored by the Washington County Pomona Grange, runs through Sunday at the fairgrounds off Route 112.

From freshly-harvested produce and classic New England foods, to prize farm animals to amusement rides and country music stars, the fair has something to delight just about all ages and interests.

The grounds opened today at 9 a.m. Today is also $1 day at the food booths, and senior citizens day with a $1 reduction in price for seniors.

Special events are planned throughout the fairgrounds each day, including the Washington County Fair Queen and Princess announcement tonight at 7.

To find a complete listing of fair events, check the fair’s Web site, www.washingtoncountyfair-ri.com.

To find out what it takes to put on the fair, read Journal staff writer Arline Fleming's story today.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:15 AM | Comment

Middletown beach re-opened to swimming

The state Department of Health today recommended re-opening the Atlantic Beach Club Beach in Middletown to swimming, after finding bacteria levels within acceptable limits.

Still closed to swimming are Barrington Town Beach, Bristol Town Beach and Warren Town Beach, all East Bay-area beaches.

Re-opened on Sunday was Easton's Beach in Newport, just down the shore from the Atlantic Beach Club.

Beach status could change at any time, the Health Department reminds, as it continues its testing. For up-to-date information about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to the beach closings page on the department's Web site, or for recorded information, call (401) 222-2751.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:53 AM | Comment

No teacher contract in Providence and other districts

A number of Rhode Island school districts have yet to settle contracts with teachers.

The largest is Providence with 26,000 students. Other districts without labor agreements include Burrillville, East Greenwich, Exeter-West Greenwich, Jamestown, Foster-Glocester, New Shoreham, North Kingstown and Tiverton.

Teachers union officials say they're optimistic that contracts will be reached without any job actions.

But Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals President Marcia Reback says the state's refusal to provide new funding for education has been a ``death blow'' for Providence schools.

-- The Associated Press and Journal reports

Posted by Peter Phipps at 9:26 AM | Comment

Route 95 open again today ahead of schedule

PROVIDENCE -- Route 95 northbound lanes between exits 18 and 20 reopened this morning around 4:45 a.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

The highway closed at 11 p.m. to complete a span connecting Route 95 south to the new Route 195 bridge.

This is the third week of this second round of closures for the highway project.

Last night was to have been the last full closure of Route 95 that will be needed in this phase.
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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.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:15 AM | Comment

Sunny today; a bit dangerous off shore

Today looks like a good day to hit the beach, except for one thing.

The National Weather Service has issued a small craft warning and a hazardous weather outlook for southern Rhode Island.

The weather service forecasts a moderate risk of rip currents today and tonight at beaches facing the south.

Out in the ocean, the weather service warns that gusts could hit 25 kts this afternoon with 1 to 2-foot swells.

Otherwise, the day will be grand with sunny skies and a high temperature of around 82.

Watch out for thunderstorms tomorrow.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:52 AM | Comment

Download today's front page

The latest installment of Green Power, this one on biodiesel, and the official reaction from North Providence police about an injured demonstrator lead today's Journal.
Download file

Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:49 AM | Comment

Gas prices drop again in Rhode Island

Gas prices fell again in Rhode Island, shedding 5 cents in the last week and 16 cents from last month, AAA Southern New England reports.

Self-serve regular unleaded averaged $2.819 per gallon, the AAA's latest survey found.

A year ago at this time, the average price locally was $3.089. A month ago, on July 16, the average price was $2.979.

The current price is also 27 cents below the highest price recorded in Rhode Island by AAA this year -- $3.089 on May 28.

But the state is still 5 cents above the national average of $2.769 for regular unleaded.

The prices in the latest survey of regular-unleaded self serve ranged from $2.699 to $2.909.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:47 AM | Comment