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August 20, 2007

Update: Overpass work under way after concrete falls

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Pieces of concrete are scattered on the far-left lanes of Route 295 today after falling from the Mendon Road overpass.

CUMBERLAND -- A state transportation spokeswoman said concrete that fell this afternoon from the Mendon Road overpass that crosses Route 295 caused no "structural impact" to the bridge.

The concrete that fell was "purely decorative," said DOT spokeswoman Dana Nolfe. She described the falling concrete as a 20-foot-long, 3- to 4-inch wide piece that had apparently broken off from the edge of a support beam near the concrete haunches that hold up the overpass.

Three northbound cars were damaged after they drove over chunks of concrete in the roadway, but no car was hit directly by the falling concrete and no one was hurt in the incident, according to state police.

The falling pieces led officials to close two northbound lanes on I-295 between Exits 10 and 11. All four lanes of Mendon Road were closed.

The state Department of Transportation said an inspection of the overpass late today found it to be structurally sound and that crews were working into the night to remove any loose material from the structure.

The DOT hoped to reopen the lanes later today. Traffic on Mendon Road, also known as Route 122, was diverted from the overpass area while DOT crews inspect the structure. See a map of the area

DOT's Nolfe said the crumbling concrete could be attributed to the contraction and expansion of the concrete during the recent weather changes. Corrosion from road salt may also be a factor, she said. Department inspectors will have a better idea what may have caused the collapse in the coming days, said Nolfe.

The state DOT issued an alert for "emergency road work" at the location and noted throughout the afternoon and early evening that traffic was heavier than normal in the area.

Check here for status updates.

The falling concrete came weeks after a Minneapolis bridge collapse put national attention on bridge safety. That was a large span crossing water, and several people died as a result of its collapse.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson andf Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:43 PM | Comment

Paz, facing assault charge, proclaims innocence

WARWICK -- Former boxer Vinny Paz gave a statement to the media today, decrying the latest charges he faces and proclaiming his innocence.

Paz turned himself in to police last month and was charged with domestic simple assault and domestic disorderly conduct against his girlfriend, Ashley P. Spencer, 25, of Eliot, Maine. On July 27, police found Spencer, bloody-nosed and crying, on Cowesett Road, not far from Paz’s home at 54 Tivoli Court.

He is set to appear in Kent County Court for a Sept 10 trial.

Speaking via e-mail through his publicist, Nick Cordasco of Prince Marketing GroupNew Jersey, Paz expressed disdain for domestic violence.

“Domestic abuse, I don’t like it,” the statement said. “I am against it and I don’t do it. I never have and I never will ... This has been the worst month of my life because of this accusation. I am known for beating up world champion fighters, never women.”

Paz went on to state that he maintains friendships with all of his former girlfriends.

The a five-time boxing world champ has had run-ins with the law a few times in recent years.

-- Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Most recently, he pleaded no contest to a drunken-driving charge last month stemming from a February incident when he refused to take a chemical breath test when Warwick police found his yellow Jeep parked with its engine running at a gas station. He was asleep behind the wheel.

For his plea, Paz was sentenced to substance-abuse treatment and 60 hours of community service, and prosecutors dismissed the charge of refusing an alcohol test. Paz was also fined $600 and his driver’s license was revoked for 18 months.

The Cranston native and current Warwick resident changed his legal name from Vincent E. Pazienza to Vinny Paz four years ago. Paz has worked as a TV sports commentator and endorsed a number of products since his retirement from the boxing world in 2004. He is currently playing the lead role in the movie Thunder Doyle, which is being filmed in Rhode Island.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:22 PM | Comment

Report: Deaths involving drunk drivers in R.I. decline

The number of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving at least one drunk driver/motorcyle operator in Rhode Island dropped by nearly 15 percent last year from 2005, according to national data out today.

There were 34 such crashes in 2005 and 29 in 2006 in which at least one driver or operator had a blood alcohol account of 0.08 or above, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration's annual assessment found.

Massachusetts saw a 7.4 percent drop. New Hampshire saw a 13 percent decrease. But Connecticut saw an 11.2 percent increase.

In another category -- crashes found to be "alcohol related'' -- Rhode Island's numbers dropped by 12.5 percent, the reports says, from 48 to 42. These crashes involved at least one driver, a passenger, pedestrian, cyclist with a blood alcohol content of 0.01 or above. (Those numbers include the fatal accidents in which at least one driver had at least a 0.08 blood alcohol content in the first category).

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:35 PM | Comment

8 school districts without contracts; no strikes loom

With Rhode Island schools scheduled to start opening next week, teacher unions in eight districts have not signed new contracts -- including Providence, the state’s largest district, with 26,000 students and 2,100 teachers.

Contracts in Burrillville, East Greenwich, Exeter-West Greenwich, New Shoreham, Providence and Tiverton are due to expire Aug. 31. Teacher contracts in Jamestown and the Ponaganset regional district shared by Foster and Glocester expired June 30.

The first day of school is as early as Aug. 28 in some districts and as late as Sept. 5 in others, including Providence.

So far, no district is threatening to strike. Representatives of the state’s two teacher unions, the National Education Association of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Federation of Teachers, say they think teachers will report to work as usual, even if a new contract is not in place by the time school starts, although they emphasized that decision is up to individual districts.

Union officials say Jamestown, New Shoreham and Tiverton have tentative agreements in place and are close to signing new contracts. Burrillville, East Greenwich and Ponaganset are in mediation.

The union in Exeter-West Greenwich is waiting for a mediator, said Robert A. Walsh Jr., executive director of NEARI, which represents the seven suburban districts with unsigned contracts.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:33 PM | Comment

Union won't take to street on demonstrator's behalf

NORTH PROVIDENCE -- Town officials and union members agreed today that a rally on behalf of a protester hurt when she was taken into custody here by police will be held at the high school parking lot, and not as a street march.

Members of the Industrial Workers of the World met with the mayor and representatives of the police department this morning, more than a week after Alexandra Svoboda, 22, sustained a broken leg while being arrested.

Conflicting accounts of the incident have surfaced, as well as calls for investigations into the police's behavior. Svoboda remains hospitalized; she was listed in good condition today at Rhode Island Hospital.

IWW members initially said they would march down Mineral Spring Avenue again this Sunday -- and was calling in members from around the Northeast -- to bring attention to the Svoboda incident.

The group initially had said that it intended to defy the town and parade without a permit. But today, labor representative Mark Bray said, “An agreement has been reached between police, the town and the Industrial Workers of the World."

Instead of a march down the center of town, the group will hold a rally at the high school parking lot.

“We don’t need to have anyone encourage any further confrontation,” Mayor Charles Lombardi said.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Lombardi says he has seen flyers on the streets for counter-protests.

"We don’t need this at that time," he said. “The mere fact that there will not be a march… I want to say it’s a win-win for everyone.”

The confrontation with police occurred on Saturday, Aug. 11, on Mineral Spring Avenue as the group marched to protest against Jacky’s Galaxie restaurant, which the union said was doing business with a distributor that did not abide by fair labor practices.

The restaurant's owner, Kin Wah “Jacky” Ko, has since said he stopped doing business with the company after hearing the union's allegations.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:22 PM | Comment

Update: Charges dropped for 1 who alleged conspiracy

PROVIDENCE -- The U.S. Attorney's Office has dropped drug charges against one of the two men who alleged that the Providence police and their former defense lawyer, the brother of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, conspired to set them up and then make the case against them disappear for $200,000.

The decision to drop the charges against Khalid Mason came after police surveillance dating back to 2004 was discovered in the attic of the case's lead investigator, Sgt. Scott Partridge.

Partridge testified in July that he had little-to-no notes or recorded records of the investigation.

The finding “irreparably damaged the procedural aspects of this case,” U.S. Assistant Attorney Stephen Dambruch said this morning.

Last month, Mason testified that the Providence police had planted drugs in his apartment at 214 Pavilion Ave. in Providence. He also claimed that his former defense lawyer, John Cicilline, offered to have the charges dropped if Mason and Isom each paid him $100,000.

Co-defendant Derek W. Isom has pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing next month.

Mason was set to go to trial today. The U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion to dismiss charges last week. Isom, formerly of 85 Dunnell Ave, Pawtucket, has pleaded guilty to crack cocaine charges and was awaiting sentencing.

Mason, who testified at a hearing last month before U.S. District Judge William E. Smith, charged that Cicilline and his paralegal/interpreter, Lisa Torres, conspired to shake down the drug dealers.

Cicilline and Torres, subpoenaed to testify by Mason’s lawyer, Michael J. Connolly, of Boston, both took the stand last month and invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to answer questions.

CORRECTION: The initial version of this report incorrectly said that charges had been dropped against both Mason and Isom.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reporting from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith and archival reports.

Cicilline was indicted on federal charges in Boston in January, along with lawyer Joseph A. Bevilacqua Jr., of a similar scheme to collect $150,000 from two drug-dealer clients to manipulate the criminal-justice system. Juan A. Giraldo, a paralegal and interpreter for the two lawyers, was also charged.

Providence Police Chief Dean M. Esserman today said he agreed with the U.S. attorney's decision to drop the charges. He also said there would be an internal investigation – aided by the U.S. Attorney – of the conduct of Partridge.

When asked whether Partridge committed perjury when he said he did not have written records of the investigation, Esserman said he'd look into it.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:24 PM | Comment

Alert: Concrete falls onto Rt. 295 in Cumberland

CUMBERLAND -- State Police say concrete from an overpass has fallen into the northbound high-speed lane of Interstate 295.

Capt. James Swanberg says he believes some vehicles were hit by the concrete, which fell off the Mendon Road, or Route 122, overpass near Exit 10. He said he has not been informed of any injuries.

The state Department of Transportation has issued an alert for "emergency road work" at the location. Check here for status updates.

More to come ...

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:22 PM | Comment

Sunken sub giving military divers real-world training

PROVIDENCE -- For U.S. Army and Navy divers, it's not every day they work on the potential rescue of a Russian submarine. But in another only-in-Rhode-Island moment, they're getting that chance in the Providence River for the next two weeks.

Divers today are slated to continue underwater surveying of the former Soviet cruise missile submarine K-77 -- which had been reborn as a museum -- to figure out if it can be recovered and how from the river bottom, the organizers of the sub museum said in a news release.

The Juliett 484 sank during a storm on April 17. The underwater surveys were scheduled to begin yesterday and are slated to run through Sept. 4. The information they collect will be forwarded to engineers at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to determine how best to recover the ship.

Frank Lennon, the museum president, said in the statement that approximately 30 divers and an Army Landing Craft unit will be involved -- part of the Department of Defense's Innovative Readiness Training program.

Under the training program, the surveying here is a joint project of active-duty and reserve divers from the Army and Navy and, in this case, the landing craft. They get "training by taking part in real-world, community-based projects," the sub museum says.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

The landing craft unit is to serve as the diving platform for personnel at Collier Point Park, where the sub is located. The Army divers are coming from from Fort Eustis, Va., and the Navy divers are coming from Norfolk, Va.

The idea is to give the divers training that differs depending on the location and conditions in terms of underwater visibility and other factors, said Lt. Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, public affairs officers with Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, in an interview.

In Providence, Hull-Ryde said the divers will be tethered to an air source on the diving platform or land; they are not scuba divers in the sense of wearing tanks on their backs.

"Whenever possible, we want to simulate a realistic training environment," she said.

Such divers do find themselves called to all sorts of real-life situations. They've been working in Minneapolis at the site of the tragic bridge collapse. They've worked on a project to remove tires used in the creation of a reef off Florida.

"We get this training while at the same time helping to benefit a local community," said Hudd-Ryde. "So it's a win-win situation for everybody."

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:04 PM | Comment

Gas prices down for fifth week in a row

According to AAA Southern New England, we'll see cheaper prices at the pump for the fifth straight week.

The company's survey shows prices for regular, unleaded gasoline averaging $2.769 per gallon at the self-service pump. That's down five cents from last week and 19 cents from last month.

With the lowest gasoline prices since April 9 -- last year this time it was $3.049 -- the state is matching the national average, according to the AAA survey.

To compare national gas prices, AAA refers to the Oil Price Information Service. Its numbers, obtained by a different method, are available here.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:04 PM | Comment

Hurricane Dean heads for Grand Cayman

This NOAA satellite image taken today at 12:15 a.m. shows Hurricane Dean after passing south of Jamaica. Dean is expected to strengthen as it closes in on the Yucatan Peninsula. (AP PHOTO)

Grand Cayman residents are securing their homes on the small Caribbean Islands as they prepare for Hurricane Dean – a category four storm with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour – to arrive later this afternoon.

The westward moving storm is expected to gather speed before it hits the Yucatan Peninsula, a popular vacation destination spot in Mexico, tonight.

The storm’s impacts are reaching beyond the Caribbean.

Far beyond.

Astronauts on the space shuttle Endeavour had to pack up early after concerns from NASA officials that the winds might threaten mission control, located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Track the storm, which is moving westward at about 21 miles per hour, and read the latest updates and warnings at the National Hurricane Center's Web site.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:39 AM | Comment

All state beaches open for business

Sure, the sun is hidden behind gray clouds and the National Weather Service is predicting a high temperature of just 68 degrees today, but every one of the state's beaches are open for business.

After follow-up testing, the state's Department of Health says the bacteria levels were once again safe at the Bristol, Barrington and Warren Town Beaches, as well as the Atlantic Beach Club beach in Middletown.

Warren Town Beach had been closed since August 9th. The others were closed on the 15th.

All four beaches were re-opened last week.

For more information, visit the state's beach closure page at www.ribeaches.gov
Or call the beach closure hot line at 401-222-2751.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:33 AM | Comment

Is it really August?

Yes, it's still August, but temperatures are not expected to climb any higher than 68 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

In Providence, expect an overnight low of about 53 degrees. There's a slight chance of rain around 3 a.m.

Tomorrow's high temperature is also forecast to be on the chilly side of 70 degrees, and there's slightly higher chance of rain

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:02 AM | Comment

Rhode Island Hospital "tops off" new building

PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island Hospital is preparing to celebrate a milestone today in the construction of its latest expansion project.

One of the final pieces of steel for the hospital's newest buildings will be lowered into place after being signed by hospital staff, management and board members.

It's all part of a traditional ``topping off'' ceremony.

The new addition will offer more private rooms and new cardiac care and telemetry units.

It's the largest portion of a three phase project to increase the number of beds at the hospital while taking the oldest beds out of service.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features photographs and a story about a farm in Matunuck run by members of the Carpenter family since the late 1800s.

Download a copy of today's front page.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment