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« August 22, 2007 | Today | August 24, 2007 » August 23, 2007$1.25M settlement in suit alleging abuse by priestPROVIDENCE -- A national group today announced a $1.25-million settlement of a lawsuit that alleged a teenage boy was sexually molested in Maryland and Washington, D.C., by a Roman Catholic priest who was later transferred to Providence to be a youth minister at St. Pius V Church. No one has alleged that the Rev. Aaron J. Cote molested anyone in Providence, but the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said Father Cote should never have been allowed to continue parish ministry, much less be placed in regular contact with youths. “This is the type of behavior and actions that allowed the sexual abuse scandal to fester for decades,” the group’s president, Barbara Blaine, said during a news conference in the shadow of the Cathedral of SS. Peter & Paul, near diocesan headquarters. “Our perpetrators were abusing people and church officials knew it and left them out there without warning parents,” Blaine said. “That’s why there were thousands and thousands of children abused, and what we see here is a continuation of that same old policy.” Brandon Rains, who is now 20, filed the suit in 2005 against the order of Dominicans, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and Father Cote. The suit alleged that in 2001 and 2002 Father Cote “engaged in unpermitted and harmful sexual conduct” with Rains, who was 14 and 15 in that time frame and was involved in the youth ministry at Mother Seton Church in Germantown, Md. The suit says Rains reported the incidents to the police and church officials in 2003. But Father Cote was not charged criminally. In 2005, the police in Montgomery County, Md., told The Providence Journal that the case remained open but the investigation had been suspended pending further information. In 2003, Dominican officials transferred Father Cote to St. Pius V Church, on Elmhurst Avenue. In 2005, the Providence Diocese suspended Father Coted when Rains filed the civil lawsuit in Washington, D.C. Blaine said Father Cote is now living at a Dominican provincial house in Manhattan, and Rains is working in construction on the Gulf Coast, helping to rebuild the hurricane-damaged city. -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick The Dominican provincial, the Rev. Dominic Izzo, also wrote to the diocese at the time about Father Cote’s “good character and reputation” and assured Bishop Mulvee that an allegation against Father Cote had “been closed as unfounded.” Also, the diocese said, a background check conducted by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office revealed no criminal background for Father Cote. “Upon hearing of an allegation in November of 2005, officials on behalf of the Bishop of Providence immediately contacted the Dominican Provincial instructing that he be removed from public ministry and recalled to the Dominican Provincial house in New York,” the diocese stated. Father Cote was dismissed from the diocese and returned to the provincial house in New York shortly thereafter. The statement concluded saying: “The diocese remains committed to the protection of children and young people as it has for many years.” The Dominican Fathers and Brothers, Province of St. Joseph, based in New York City, issued a written statement confirming that it had entered into a settlement with Rains “regarding his allegations of sexual abuse by one of our brothers.” “We are awaiting confirmation that this settlement has been accepted by the court and the suit has been dismissed with prejudice to the plaintiff,” the statement said. “It is our sincere hope that this settlement will be a source of healing and reconciliation for all involved in these allegations.” The statement encouraged people with allegations to contact a victims assistance coordinator, Teresa Rodriguez, at (518) 573-8254. Blaine said that while she knows of no allegations of Cote molesting youth in Rhode Island, most children are reluctant to talk about such incidents “until well into adulthood.” She said if any parishioners have information about abuse, “they should report that to the police, not the church.” -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:18 PM | Comment American Idol hopeful heading to Philly / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- A friendly send-off was held today for an American Idol contestant from Providence. Alexis Brown is winner of this year's New England competition. She leaves for Philadelphia on Sunday to prepare for an audition before the hit show's judges. The farewell party was hosted by Providence Mayor David Cicilline and Donald King, the executive artistic director of the Providence Black Repertory Company. The event was held this afternoon at the Black Rep theater in downtown Providence. Posted by Jack Perry at 6:45 PM | Comment Donations sought for Peru earthquake victimsPROVIDENCE -- Hispanic leaders plan to hold a fundraiser next month to benefit victims of an earthquake in Peru that killed hundreds of people last week. The fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 8 at the Providence office of the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy. It will take place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. People are being encouraged to bring cash donations, food, blankets and linens. The Latin Solidarity Committee, which helps people affected by disasters in Latino countries, announced the fundraiser at a press conference today. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:37 PM | Comment Man gets 6 years in prison for meth possessionPROVIDENCE -- A Providence man today was sentenced to 15 years, with 6 to serve in prison, for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Francisco Sanchez Torres, 23, with a last known address of 30 Hollis St., pleaded no contest to the charges in Providence County Superior Court, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office said in a news release. Torres was arrested on July 12 when the Providence police said they saw him on Congress Avenue holding a white plastic bag, and Torres fled into an apartment building. The authorities said Torres discarded the bag behind an abandoned refrigerator in the hallway. He was later arrested driving a stolen car, the news release says. Police found about 6 ounces of crystal methamphetamine -- a potent stimulant also known as "crank" and "ice" -- in the bag. “Although Rhode Island has largely been spared from the proliferation of meth manufacturing and abuse that has wreaked devastation and spiked crime in many sections of our country, we must, and do, recognize the presence of meth in our state,” Lynch said in the statement. “It’s incumbent on us to heighten public awareness, and especially the awareness of young people, about the extraordinarily harmful effects of methamphetamine.” The news release noted that Lynch introduced a bill in the recent legislative session that would stiffen penalties on methamphetamine manufacturing and use.
Judge Daniel A. Procaccini sentenced Torres to 15 years, with 6 to serve and 9 suspended with probation, on the drug count and to 10 years, with 6 to serve and 4 suspended with probation, on the stolen-motor vehicle count. The sentences will run concurrently. Torres had been held without bail as a probation violator since his arrest. He pleaded no contest to two counts of breaking and entering in January 2005 and got a 10-year sentence, with 18 months to serve and 8½ years suspended with probation. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:36 PM | Comment Voyage to the Black Sea, without leaving Smithfield
SMITHFIELD -- Teachers from districts throughout northern Rhode Island gathered at Smithfield High School library today to use high-tech equipment to confer with ocean explorer Robert Ballard, who is on a voyage of discovery to the bottom of the Black Sea. Ballard was broadcasting from the Mystic Aquarium. Scientists were broadcasting live from the Black Sea. The scientists are excavating the wrecks of two sunken ships from the Byzantine era. Extra: You, too, can watch video reports live from the expedition, via the Mystic Aquarium's Web site, here. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Sandwich-eating Providence man, 18, shot in legPROVIDENCE -- An 18-year-old city man who said he'd been sitting on a sidewalk eating a sandwich was shot in the leg before noon today. The police went to 2 Carver Court, which is off Pleasant Street, for a report of shots fired. James Goddard stated he was eating on the Pleasant Street sidewalk when he saw a navy blue or black car heading west on Pleasant, according to the police report. He said he started to run after seeing the car and, as he did, shots were fired at him. Goddard's mother, Jeanne Wilson of Pawtucket, stated that she had just made a sandwich for her son when he ran back into the house saying, "Mom, I got shot in my leg," the police report says. Detectives collected shell casings from the scene. A witness recalled for the police hearing approximately eight shots fired and seeing a black car, possibly a Honda or Hyundai, driving off with a male in it. Goddard was initially taken to Miriam Hospital. The injuries were apparently not life-threatening according to the police report, but his condition could not be immediately determined. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:48 PM | Comment Projo launches new high school site, HSGameTime.comHSGameTime.com, a new Web site dedicated to local high school sports, launched today on projo.com, the Web site of The Providence Journal. HSGameTime.com will bring a new Web experience to the local southeastern New England high school sports scene with specific pages for every sport and every school. HSGameTime.com's emphasis on interactivity allows athletes, coaches and fans the opportunity to blog, post photos and videos, create their own Web pages and form their own sports networks. "This site will build interest and participation in high school sports in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts," said Thomas E. Heslin, managing editor for new media for The Providence Journal. "Its development reflects the importance we attach to this content, and our recognition that high school sports is central to the lives of an important local audience," added Heslin. The site will track player and team stats, team scores, standings, schedules and rosters. Along with breaking news, up-to-date scores and game reports, HSGameTime also will feature the complete, enhanced content from the sports pages of The Providence Journal. HSGameTime.com is a Belo Corp. initiative. Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:19 PM | Comment Report: A WaterFire draws Secret Service eyesThe Kansas City Star reports that WaterFire creator Barnaby Evans and volunteers were setting up a WaterFire Tuesday when they got a visit from the Secret Service, a canine unit and a bomb squad. President Bush was coming to a nearby hotel, the paper reports. The paper quotes Evans as saying the visitors were friendly and "just doing their job." WaterFire has been a Providence nighttime fixture for years. The next one here is scheduled for Sept. 1, kicking off at the 7:20 p.m. sunset. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:37 PM | Comment Burrillville gets $150,000 grant for 'rail-trail' landBURRILLVILLE -- The town is getting a $150,000 grant toward the purchase of a 60-foot-wide former railroad bed for a project that would enable residents a way to walk and ride bikes between the villages of Harrisville and Pascoag. The Department of Environmental Management grant, for the Harrisville-Pascoag rail trail project, was announced at 11 a.m. today at Levy Elementary School, the DEM said in a news release. The plan is to revive an old railroad track in Burrillville not for trains, but as a trail for pedestrians, bikers or cross-country skiers. The idea is also for people to be able to quickly get to undeveloped open space around Duck Pond, which is south of the land in question. "Burrillville has taken a number of steps to identify and protect its character-defining features. Restoration and revitalization of its villages is taking development pressure off farms and forests, capitalizing on its public investment in infrastraucture, and strengthening its local tax base," W. Michael Sullivan, the DEM director, said in a news release. Nancy Binns, the Burrillville Town Council president, stated: "It affirms our ongoing commitment to a smart-growth comprehensive development plan and rehabilitation of village centers. Regulating growth and preserving green spaces are two major components of any town's continued vitality." -- With Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:16 PM | Comment Suspect arrested in Providence killing in MayPROVIDENCE -- Police have arrested a suspect in the May murder of 21-year-old Aneuris Caceres. No additional details about the arrest of Kelbyn Ramirez were available. Deputy Chief Paul J. Kennedy says the police department will release more information later today. Police say Ramirez, 26, of Providence, shot Caceres to death after an argument. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:29 PM | Comment Small businesses learn about health insurance planSmall business owners, employees and insurance brokers – about 125 people in all – attended an informational session this morning at the Providence Marriott on new, low-cost health insurance plans for small businesses. The plans will be offered to all Rhode Island-based business with 50 or fewer employees, for enrollment beginning Oct. 1. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island and UnitedHealthcare of New England will each offer a version of the plan, dubbed HealthPact. Each insurer will limit enrollment to 5,000 people. Those at the info session said they don’t know how high demand will be and urged employers to consider enrolling right away. Paperwork would be due in mid-September for Oct. 1 enrollment. -- Journal Staff Writer Elizabeth Gudrais The United plan will cost an average of $310 a month for individual coverage. An individual plan with Blue Cross will cost an average of $321 a month. Specific companies’ rates will vary from that average based on factors including the average age of the company’s work force. Officials said the insurers would use the same small-group rating system they currently used for small employers. The relatively low premiums depend on employees to take steps to improve and maintain their own health, including regular checkups with a primary-care doctor, maintaining or working toward a healthy weight, and quitting smoking or refraining from smoking. People who do not comply with the plan requirements could be switched into a plan with higher out-of-pocket costs. The General Assembly, in cooperation with the governor’s office, approved the framework for the new plans last year, and asked the insurers and the state Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner to work with representatives of small business and other community members to work out the plan details. This morning’s information session was organized by the Cornerstone Group, a West Warwick-based benefits advisory firm that counts among its clients more than 700 small businesses based in Rhode Island. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:16 PM | Comment Portsmouth session on big-box stores is tonightPORTSMOUTH -- The brainstorming session to discuss the proper location of big box stores in town, involving municipal officials and the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, will be held tonight at 6:30 at the Senior Center on Bristol Ferry Road. It was incorrectly reported in today’s Journal and on projo.com that the session would be held tomorrow night. The event grew out of the controversy over a recent proposal by the Target Corp. to build a 146,500-square-foot department store on West Main Road at Union Street. Town Administrator Robert G. Driscoll said the workshop will be a “critical opportunity” for residents to voice opinions on “where the town should head, so everyone with an idea should definitely plan to be there.” -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:36 PM | Comment 1 of 2 suspects nabbed in Fall River man's murderDavid Mello, a suspect in the murder of a Fall River man in what police described as a drug deal gone bad in Providence, has been arrested by the state police. The police have not released any additional information about the arrest. Mello, 20, has a criminal history and has lived at several addresses in Providence. Police said yesterday they are also looking for Sylvester Moses, 20, last known address 519A Dexter St., in the West End of Providence. Authorities believe 20-year-old Marc Quintal came to Providence to buy drugs but was instead robbed, then fatally shot. Police have not said which man -- Moses or Mello -- they believe pulled the trigger. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:12 PM | Comment Textron agrees to fines in Iraq oil-for-food kickbacksProvidence-based Textron Inc. has agreed to pay a $1.15-million fine, acknowledging responsibility for several French subsidiaries' employees' making $600,000 in kickbacks to the Iraqi government in order to get contracts. The U.S. Department of Justice has entered into the agreement with Textron, according to a news release today. It's part of the Justice Department's continuing probe into the United Nations oil-for-food program. Subsidiary employees made "improper payment" to obtain contracts with Iraqi ministries to provide equipment, including industrial pumps and gears. Between 2000 and 2003, three of Textron’s David Brown French subsidiaries in its fluid and power business unit paid a total of about $600,000 to the Iraqi government by inflating the price of contracts by 10 percent before submitting the contracts to the United Nations for approval. "The subsidiaries concealed from the United Nations the fact that the price contained a kickback to the Iraqi government," the Department of Justice says. The oil-for-food program aimed to allow Iraq to sell its oil for humanitarian purposes and required that oil-sale proceeds be deposited in a United Nations bank account and that those proceeds be used by Iraq only to buy United Nations-approved humanitarian goods and services, such as food and medicine. In 2000, the Iraqi government started requiring companies wanting to sell humanitarian goods to government ministries to pay a kickback, "often mischaracterized as an after-sales services fee, in order to be granted a contract," the Justice Department said. The fee was usually 10 percent of the contract price. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Under the agreement, Textron is required to cooperate with the oil for food investigation. The Justice Department agreed not to file criminal charges against the company or subsidiaries given Textron’s "early discovery and reporting of the improper payments" and the company's thorough review of payments and discovery and review of improper payments made in other countries, including India, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Also, the Justice Department says the company’s carried out "enhanced" compliance policies and procedures. In a related matter filed earlier today, Textron agreed to pay about $3.5 million in penalties under a Securities and Exchange Commission civil injunctive action. The Justice Department and FBI are investigating Textron and other humanitarian goods suppliers involved with oil for food. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:56 AM | Comment Newport Grand to start on $20-million renovationNewport Grand is looking to grow. At a groundbreaking ceremony this afternoon, the 31-year-old business is expected to begin work on a $20-million investment that will transform its former jai alai fronton into two floors, housing an additional 835 slot machines. The work is scheduled for completion next summer. When it's done, Newport Grand will offer more than 2,000 slot machines and simulcast wagering to tracks around the country. Newport Grand pledged this investment, which officials say will create 200 additional jobs, in 2005 after entering into a long-term tax stabilization contract with the state. All facilities should be up and running during the construction. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:38 AM | Comment Could you be the winning ticket holder?No one hit the $251.1 million jackpot in last night's Powerball drawing, but two Rhode Island players still came out on top. The tickets, both purchased in Pawtucket, matched four of the six numbers drawn. One ticket is worth $10,000, the other worth $40,000. Neither of the winners has claimed their winning, according to a press release. Check your numbers here. After 16 drawings in this game, there has not been a winner. If someone wins the jackpot Saturday, the $300 million prize will be the 4th largest in the history of the Powerball. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:11 AM | Comment Police dashboard redesigned for safety
All of this struck Jr. Neville Songwe, a former graduate student in industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design, as unsafe, especially in the confined space of the modern police cruiser. So he designed something that he thought was better. And today, the Providence police, along with Mayor David N. Cicilline, will unveil Songwe's design, the "Brijo" at the Public Safety Complex. The department will begin road testing vehicles with the new dashboard design soon. After he decided the police cruisers' cluttered dashes had to go, Songwe started his own business, Joneso Design, based in Central Falls. He has shown off his designs -- which include large buttons, dashboard cameras and retractable keyboards -- to police chiefs from around the world at the International Association of Chief of Police conference in Boston. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:43 AM | Comment Bryant ranks high in job placementBryant University students are in a good position to find work after graduation, according to the Princeton Review. Its 2008 book, “Best 366 Colleges” ranks the Smithfield-based university’s Amica Center for Career Education number nine among college and university career and job placement services. The center’s services help put “future executives … on a career fast track,” according to the book, which notes that 98.5 percent of the surveyed 2006 graduating class was employed or enrolled in a graduate program six months after commencement. The school recently ranked 17th in the U. S. News & World Report for schools in the northern United States granting master's degrees. The center, formerly the Office of Career Services, has more than 450 companies affiliated with its corporate recruitment program, according to director Judith Clare. The Princeton Review's other top-10 schools for career services are University of Texas at Austin; University of Notre Dame; Pennsylvania State University-University Park; Clemson University, Sweet Briar College; Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Southwestern University; Smith College and Cornell University. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:34 AM | Comment Fundraiser planned for Peru earthquake victimsPROVIDENCE -- Hispanic leaders plan to hold a fundraiser to help the victims of last week's deadly earthquake in Peru. The disaster ravaged parts of the country and killed hundreds of people. The Latin Solidarity Committee says it plans to announce details of the fundraiser at a press conference in Providence this afternoon. The group -- which was formed to aid those affected by disasters in Latino countries -- says it expects Providence Mayor David Cicilline and other elected officials to attend the announcement -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 8:02 AM | Comment Wrong-sided-surgery patient, 86, diesDoctors are waiting for the results of an examination by a brain specialist before releasing a cause of death for the 86-year-old man who has died less than a month after a neurosurgeon performed surgery on the wrong side of his head, according to state Health Department spokeswoman Andrea Bagnall. Bagnall says she believes the patient, whose name has not been released, died about five days ago. The man went to the emergency room because of increasing lethargy three days after taking a fall. Doctors discovered blood between his brain and skull on the left side, but "failed to make an accurate assessment of the correct location," according to the Health Department, and on July 31, operated on the wrong side. Dr. J. Frederick Harrington, who performed the surgery, was suspended from the hospital and ordered not to perform surgery by the Health Department. This was the third wrong-site surgery at Rhode Island Hospital in six years. The Health Department has ordered the hospital to hire an independent consultant to review and monitor neurosurgery practices. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:04 AM | Comment The sun will be a stranger todayDon't expect too much sun today. There may be some sprinkles this morning. The National Weather Service is predicting cloudy skies with a high temperature near 74 degrees. Tonight expect a low of 66 degrees, and patchy fog that may last into tomorrow when the temperature should rise to about 84 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story on the difficulty some Rhode Islanders have in getting to the supermarket, because there aren't any nearby. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006