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August 21, 2007

Photo: Beach blanket required

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
The weather wasn't perfect, but Kathy Powers, of North Dighton, Mass., brought her two children, Mitchell, 13, and Kelsey, 16, to Sachuset Beach in Middletown today, a Tuesday, her one day off. "We better go, at least we can sit on the beach and relax," Kathy said. But with temperatures in the 60s, Kelsey said, "We should have brought mittens." Tomorrow may not be much better, with cloudy skies and temperatures again predicted to be in the 60s.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:58 PM | Comment

A story before bed tonight for the young -- at heart

Would you like someone to tell you a story before you go to bed -- 30-year-old, 40-year-old, 65-year-old you?

"IDs Required: Storytelling and Fun for Grownups" is tonight at 7:30 at The Towers in Narragansett.

Bill Harley and Keith Munslow with Marty Ballou will be telling stories and performing tunes for grownups. Admission is $15; the address is 35 Ocean Drive. For more information, call (401) 782-2597 or go to www.thetowersri.com.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:47 PM | Comment

Blackstone River bridge, bikeway opening next week

A special ceremony next Tuesday will mark the opening of the Martin Street Bridge and the portion of the Blackstone River Bikeway that runs underneath it, the state Department of Transportation announced today.

The opening of the link between the Berkeley section of Cumberland and the Quinnville section of Lincoln comes after a 10-month delay and a $1.1-million cost overrun.

The completed project will provide suitable passage for tractor-trailers and emergency vehicles over the Blackstone River and allow pedestrians and cyclists to ride along the Blackstone River Bike Path via a passage underneath the bridge.

The new bridge replaces a more-than-100-year-old span that serves as a vital link between Route 122, or Mendon Road, in Cumberland, and Route 126, or Old River Road, in Lincoln.

The 10 a.m. ceremony will be held on the bikeway below the bridges. Speakers will include representatives from the state Department of Transportation, the state Department of Environmental Management, the Federal Highway Administration, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, and the state Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission.

The bridge and the bikeway will reopen to the public at the close of the ceremony.

-- Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment

Cranston to Hollywood: A star on the Walk of Fame

Cranston, Newport and the Hollywood Walk of Fame are about to have something in common: Vin di Bona.

Di Bona, who introduced America's Funniest Home Videos in 1989, is slated to get the star in a ceremony Thursday, according to the list of upcoming Hollywood Walk ceremonies.

It will be the 2,346th star on the walk of fame. The ceremony will be at 1559 Vine St., Hollywood, at 11:30 a.m.

Di Bona, who grew up in Cranston and is a part-time resident of Newport, has won Emmy and Peabody awards. He has many credits to his name , including the cable program Sherman Oaks on Showtime.

-- projo.com staff and wire reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:17 PM | Comment

Update: Renaissance Hotel wraps up opening / Photo

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
Housekeeper Lori Marshall, of Providence, waves to friends from a gilded frame used in the grand opening ceremony for the Renaisssance Providence Hotel today.

PROVIDENCE -- The Renaissance Providence Hotel sure knows how to open ... and open ... and open.

It took more than 80 years, but the Masonic Temple finally got its ribbon ceremony today, as it officially opened as the Renaissance Providence Hotel.

Ground was broken on the building site in 1926. Financial mishaps and unfinished proposals kept the building mostly empty until 2004, when Denver-based Sage Hospitality began work on the 272-room hotel.

The hotel has actually renting rooms and holding events for more than a couple of months. And it had an "opening of the hotel doors" ceremony in early June, which was preceded by "soft" opening.

The proceeds from today's room rentals will be donated to the The VMA Arts and Cultural Center, the Rhode Island State House Restoration Society and the Music School of the Rhode Island Philarmonic.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 5:57 PM | Comment

Update: After concrete falls, other spans to get a look

CUMBERLAND -- After falling concrete from a Route 295 overpass damaged cars yesterday afternoon, the State Department of Transportation said today that engineers are currently looking at other bridges in the state’s inventory that may have the potential for similar problems.

Transportation officials said a 20-foot-long, 4-inch wide piece of concrete edging apparently broke off from the Mendon Road overpass and fell into the roadway.

The concrete damaged three northbound cars, forcing the partial closure of both sides of the interstate and all four lanes of Mendon Road that cross over the highway. (See a map of the area.) The closures caused traffic delays into the evening commute.

Baker said all loose concrete has been removed from the parts of the overpass that span the roadway, assuring that there is no danger to motorists. An inspection of the overpass late yesterday found it to be structurally sound.

The department is determining how many overpasses were built similar to the Mendon Road overpass, which is classified as a steel-stringer type bridge.

If deemed necessary, the department will send crews to the bridges, according to Joseph Baker, senior civil engineer for the department. Baker was unsure how many of the state’s 1, 014 bridges were built in this design.

“We have a few hundred different designs for overpasses,” he said. “Design selection is based on what is appropriate for a given area.”

State DOT maintenance crews were expected to return to the overpass tomorrow from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in order to check areas of the bridge around the grass median, but not over the roadway.

State DOT spokeswoman Dana Nolfe said the department may close one lane on either side of the overpass, depending on what crews find. (All lanes of Route 295 were re-opened at 5:10 a.m. Tuesday).

-- Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo

“We don’t expect many more areas of concern,” said Baker.

Concrete edging from the Mendon Road overpass, located just before Exit 10 heading northbound on Route 295, fell sometime before 2 p.m. on Monday.

State and local police closed two northbound lanes on I-295 and the portion of Mendon Road (also known as Route 122) while state Department of Transportation workers removed loose concrete material from the underside of the overpass.

The 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 the state police. The operators were able to drive their vehicles off the roadway.

The concrete was not reinforced since it was not a structural component of the bridge, said Baker.

“It’s not typical of every overpass,” said Baker, who described the concrete as residue from when the deck of the bridge was poured.

The state DOT says there is likely no one cause for the crumbling concrete, but rather said a number of factors contributed to its deterioration.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:22 PM | Comment

State replaces Smart Staffing after reviewing bids

PROVIDENCE -- Smart Staffing is out of a job.

The temporary hiring firm that received an emergency no-bid contract last fall worth up to $11 million will be replaced by the New York company Adil Business Systems, Inc. in the coming weeks.

Foxboro-based Smart Staffing currently employs 276 people in state government -- dentists at the state prison, homeland security specialists, health data analysts -- and became the face of a contentious inquiry into Governor Carcieri’s use of contract employees last legislative session.

Smart Staffing’s contract expired July 1 and was extended 90 days while a committee reviewed bids from nine staffing firms, including Smart Staffing.

Adil edged Smart Staffing out by just a few points based on the committee scoring system, which was weighted heavily toward each company’s overhead rate. Smart Staffing currently charges the state 22.5 percent overhead, but had proposed dropping the rate to 19.75 percent in its bid.

Adil, which has come to a tentative three-year agreement with the state, will charge 16.7 percent, a number so low that government officials initially worried it may force the company into bankruptcy, like Smart Staffing’s predecessor Data Logic, according to Dan Majchercq, supervisor of fiscal services for the Department of Administration.

“We were all surprised that the rate came in as low as it did, but we’re comfortable that the new vendor can meet the requirements,” Majcher said.

-- Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:39 PM | Comment

Rollover delaying traffic at Exit 9 on Rte. 95S

Drivers should expect delays if they are heading south on Route 95 near Exit 9, where there has been an accident, the state Transportation Management Center reported at 4:05 p.m.

The location is the exit for Route 4 south in East Greenwich. A vehicle is reported to have rolled over into the grass median.

It's not yet known if emergency vehicles have blocked any lanes. Check here for the status of the traffic incident.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:35 PM | Comment

Attorneys general fight 'misleading' drink ads

Rhode Island's Patrick C. Lynch is one of 29 attorneys general urging the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to stop alcoholic energy drink-makers from running what the officials called misleading advertising.

In a letter to John Manfreda, the trade bureau administator, the attorneys general said energy drinks containing alcohol mimic non-alcoholic energy beverages that are popular with young people. And the officials say alcoholic energy drinks pose serious health and safety risks.

“Beverage companies are unconscionably and deliberately targeting young drinkers in touting their claims about the stimulating properties of alcoholic energy drinks,” Lynch said in the news release. “The advertising and marketing of these drinks -- with claims that the alcoholic energy beverages increase stamina or can have an energizing effect -- appeal to teenagers as well, heightening our level of concern.

Lynch's office states that medical researchers and public health professional say stimulants in alcoholic energy drinks "may cause an intoxicated person to falsely believe that he or she can continue to drink and function normally, even behind the wheel of a car."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:27 PM | Comment

Lots of lottery players pick the lucky numbers

A lot of people have lucky numbers, and apparently, a lot of people have the same lucky number.

The lucky number? 1954.

On a single game, the Lottery typically brings in more revenue than it pays in prizes. Last night’s drawing paid out $198,000 -- nearly three-times as much as it brought in.

Jennafer Rampone, a lottery spokeswoman, says she can't say for sure how many people bought tickets, but total revenues were $68,345 and tickets cost either 50 cents or one dollar.

In the past year and a half, the machines have stopped accepting certain numbers because of their popularity twice. It didn't happen last night, but it happened in December 2006, when the lucky number was 12-26 ; and in May, when a winning player talked his family into buying dozens of tickets after, he said, the numbers came to him in a dream.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:54 PM | Comment

Crews will take another look at Cumberland bridge

Maintenance crews will return to the highway overpass in Cumberland where falling concrete damaged three cars and backed up the evening commute yesterday.

Officials had originally planned to do the inspection tonight at midnight, but will wait until tomorrow morning.

The department does not expect that any traffic lanes will be closed for the inspection.

Joseph Baker, a senior civil engineer with the state Department of Transportation, says a maintenance crew will return to the Mendon Road overpass of Interstate 295 to look at additional sections of the bridge that are not directly over the interstate. See a map of the area.

Officials are also looking at other bridges around the state that may have a similar problem – loose, non-structural concrete.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:46 PM | Comment

Ethics panel doesn't drop charges against Montalbano

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
Max Wistow, center, lawyer for Senate President Joseph Montalbano, said after the Ethic Commissions vote that he’ll seek a court order blocking the senate president’s prosecution before the commission.

PROVIDENCE -- The state Ethics Commission has refused to dismiss charges against Senate President Joseph Montalbano.

It rejected a request today from Montalbano's attorney to dismiss charges or to allow him a jury trial.

Montalbano is accused of violating state ethics rules by supporting a referendum for a casino in West Warwick at the same time he was doing legal work for the town. He failed to report that work on mandatory financial disclosure forms.

His attorney, Max Wistow, says he'll appeal the decision through the courts.

Wistow claims there was no conflict of interest. He says the state constitution allows General Assembly members to vote however they choose without fearing criminal prosecution or other penalties.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:38 PM | Comment

Carcieri appoints King executive counsel

Governor Carcieri has appointed a former candidate for lieutenant governor as his new executive counsel, the governor's office announced today.

Kernan "Kerry" King, of Saunderstown, replaces Andrew Hodgkin, who recently left his position, according to the governor's office. King will join the governor's office late next month.

King lost in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor last September.

King, a 1965 graduate of Providence College, spent most of his career, from 1969 to 1996, with New England Mutual Life Insurance Co., where he was the company’s general counsel for nine years, according to Carcieri's office. He eventually became president and director.

King earned his law degree from Boston University Law School in 1968. He also earned a legal master’s degree in taxation from the school in 1971.

Carcieri also announced that Claire Richards, who has served as his special counsel since 2003, will also be leaving state service.

Richards served former Governor Almond as executive counsel from 2001 to 2003 and as deputy executive counsel from 1995 to 2001.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:01 PM | Comment

Providence ranked as likely tourism 'hot spot'

PROVIDENCE -- What do Providence; Almaty, Kazakhstan; and Newfoundland, Canada have in common?

The Wall Street Journal says they're contenders for the next "Hot Spot" in the world of tourism.

An interactive map says travel industry experts think Providence is poised to become a major tourist destination thanks to the city's varied restaurants and an art scene that visitors can explore by "gallery hopping."

Other destinations to watch out for, according to the article: Honduras; Montenegro; Rwanda; Seychelles; Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi; Sanya, Hainan Island, China; and Boracay, Phillipines.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:56 AM | Comment

Swansea police see increase in heroin, make arrest

SWANSEA —The police announced today that they apprehended a suspected drug dealer after a car and foot chase that resulted in the seizure of $10,000 in heroin and more than $100,000 from the man’s car.

The arrest of Matthew K. Langevin, 25, of 226 Swansom Road, followed a chase that took place Tuesday. The incident was the result of an investigation by local police and the Southcoast Anti-Crime Team (SCAT) into what the authorities described as an “increase in heroin sales and availability in the Swansea/Somerset/Rehoboth area.”

The investigation led the narcotics investigators to set up a sting last Tuesday. Around 5:15 p.m., an undercover officer purchased an undisclosed amount of heroin from Langevin, according to police. When officers attempted to take him into custody, he fled.

Det. Marc Haslam, Somerset Det. Tracy Costa and Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Nunes pursued Langevin down Route 6 and through a residential neighborhood off Maple Avenue, where he blew out a tire. Langevin jumped out of the car and ran. But the officers caught up to him and took him into custody.

A search of Langevin’s car led to the seizure of 2,442 bags of heroin, $110,000 in cash, a small amount of marijuana, suspected drug ledgers, and two double-edged knives, according to the police. The car and a cell phone were also seized.

Langevin was charged with trafficking in heroin, heroin possession, reckless driving, resisting arrest, possession of a dangerous weapon, using a motor vehicle during the commission of a felony, failure to stop for police and possession of marijuana. His bail was set at $5,000 cash at his arraignment.

-- By Richard Salit, Journal staff writer

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:18 AM | Comment

Accident on Route 6, Providence, slows commute

An accident on Route 6 Eastbound in Providence has put a snag in morning traffic. Check out the road conditions online on the Department of Transportation's traffic cameras.

Fire apparatus are at the scene.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:21 AM | Comment

Arguments today in Montalbano ethics case

PROVIDENCE -- The state Ethics Commission takes up its case against Senate President Joseph Montalbano this morning.

Montalbano's attorney is expected to ask the commission to dismiss charges against his client -- or grant his request for a jury trial.

Montalbano is accused of violating state ethics rules by supporting a referendum for a casino in West Warwick at the same time he was doing legal work for the town.

Montalbano's attorney, Max Wistow, says there was no conflict-of-interest. He also says the state constitution allows General Assembly members to vote however they choose without fearing criminal prosecution or other penalties.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

Mild and cloudy

Mild and cloudy. That's what the National Weather Service is predicting for Providence today.

We'll see a high temperature of about 70 degrees and a low of 53. There's a 20 percent chance of rain.

More of the same is expected tomorrow.

For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's Providence Journal features a story reporting that charges were dropped against a drug suspect in U.S. District Court, because Providence police investigators withheld records of their investigation.

Download a copy of today's front page.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment