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« August 29, 2007 | Today | August 31, 2007 » August 30, 2007Tonight: Comedy improv., rock and jazzThere's comedy in Newport tonight and plenty of tunes in the clubs around the state. At the Firehouse Theater in Newport, starting at 9:09 p.m., the Bit Players comedy improv troupe goes to work. Call 849-FIRE (3473). Also in Newport, Blockhead plays rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St. Call 847-9460. The show begins at 9 pm. Copperhead plays rock at Newport Blues Cafe, 286 Thames St.. Call 841-5510. 9 pm. Mark Cutler and Friends play rock and rhythm and blues at Nick-A-Nee's, 75 South St., Providence. Call 861-7290. 9 pm. Al Deston plays some jazz at Capriccio, 2 Pine St., Providence. Call 421-1320. 7-11 pm. Also in Providence, East Side Horns and Mac Odom and Chill play rhythm and blues and Motown at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. Call 453-6500. Show goes from 8 p.m. to midnight. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:54 PM | Comment Warwick man indicted on child molestation chargesWARWICK -- A local man was indicted today by the Providence Grand Jury on child molestation charges stemming from a Pawtucket case last year. Christopher Smith, 26, of 393 Palmer Ave., Warwick, was indicted on three counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation. The charges stem from what police say was Smith’s actions between August and December 2006 when he allegedly molested a preteen girl while her mother was not at home. Smith was living in the home with the child’s mother in Pawtucket at the time. Police said they were alerted to the alleged abuse via a hot line and the Department of Children, Youth and Families. Smith was arrested in March and has been held without bail at the ACI. In April, the case was referred to the grand jury, which handed up the indictment. -- Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:43 PM | Comment FBI chasing overseas leads in Wal-Mart bomb threatPROVIDENCE -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working on evidence connecting the bomb threat against the Newport Wal-Mart and threats in 12 other states to suspects overseas, a spokesman said. Wal-Mart this week wired $10,000 to an overseas account after a caller threatened to detonate a bomb. Spokesman Jason Pack, a special agent in Washington, said today that similar threats have been phoned into businesses in 15 communities in 12 states. In most of these cases, a caller has threatened to detonate a bomb unless money was wired to him. On Tuesday, the Newport Wal-Mart complied with the demand for $10,000. Asked about reports that the calls originated in Portugal, the FBI spokesman would not confirm that. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:44 PM | Comment State campground reservations are coming, for a feePROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Department of Environmental Management plans to announce tomorrow that it has hired a company to operate a reservations system for public campgrounds for the first time in state history. Starting in November, campers will be able to reserve campsites as long as a year before their visit. In the past, it was first come, first served. “We are excited about this,” Steven T. Wright, acting chief of the DEM’s Division of Parks and Recreation, said. “It’s a long time coming.” Burlingame State Campground, in Charlestown, Fishermen’s campground, in Narragansett, East Beach, in Charlestown, and the George Washington Campground, in Glocester — will be included in the program, to be operated by ReserveAmerica Holdings Inc. The state is not increasing the cost of renting a campground, $14 a night for state residents. The out-of-state fee is $20 a night. But Reserve America, a New York-based subsidiary of Ticketmaster, will charge campers $9 to maker a reservation online or $10 by telephone. So for a Rhode Island resident the cost of a camp site with an online reservation will increase by 64 percent. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:14 PM | Comment Photo: Tiger on the prowl at Deutsche Bank Pro-Am
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:04 PM | Comment Photo: This dog looks after the vet
Posted by Jack Perry at 3:08 PM | Comment Update: Rubbish fire calls firefighters to Broad St.PROVIDENCE -- Firefighters are responding to a rubbish fire outside of a building at 1195 Broad St. According to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department, the fire originated in rubbish piled up against the garage door of the building. No other information is available at this time. The area is just east of where Route 95 crosses over Broad Street, and borders the northeast end of Roger Williams Park. See a map. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:12 PM | Comment Another push for Carcieri's plan for wind farmsPROVIDENCE – Governor Carcieri is pushing forward with his plan to build one or more wind farms off the coast of Rhode Island, even though it’s unclear how the state will go about financing the ambitious project. Today, the governor’s top energy adviser convened the first meeting of “stakeholders” -- people who represent municipalities, agencies and organizations that want a say in how the project will proceed. About 35 attended the meeting, held at Save The Bay headquarters. Their top priority is to tackle what may be the most vexing decision -- where the wind turbines should be located. Andrew Dzykewicz, chief energy adviser to the governor, said he is aiming for the group to come to a consensus at its third meeting in October. Extra: Look back at the the state's first conference on wind power last April, and read the governor's wind study on locations for wind farms.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:08 PM | Comment Providence man sentenced on gun chargeProvidence – A 22-year-old Providence man was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison today for being a previously convicted felon with a gun, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Providence. Prosecutors say Juan Cuthbert was one of four men in a car that Providence police officers pulled over for a traffic violation on New Years’ Eve. When officers told the men to get out of the car, Cuthbert got out, pushed an officer aside, and tried to escape, according to prosecutors. The police said they saw him toss a handgun, which they later retrieved. Cuthbert, who has prior convictions involving drug trafficking and gun posession, was arrested and prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal initiative against gun crimes. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:48 PM | Comment Mentor program for youth will receive federal moneyA mentoring program for at-risk children in Warwick and Woonsocket will get $187,537 from the U.S. Department of Education, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's office announced today. The money will go to the Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership for students in grades 4 through 8. The program is meant to recruit, train and help adults to be positive role models for young people "with emotional difficulties, low self-esteem, poor peer relationships, or low academic performance" statewide, according to a news release. Volunteer mentors serve at least one hour per week for a year. “When I was attorney general, I saw first-hand the enormous change that supportive, involved adults could make in students’ lives through the after-school and mentoring programs we built at Oliver Hazard Perry Middle School in Providence,” Whitehouse said in the statement. “This federal funding, combined with the tireless work of volunteer mentors, will make a real difference in these young people’s lives.” Whitehouse said he wrote to the federal education department to support the partnership’s grant application and co-signed a letter with other senators urging $100 million in federal money for mentoring programs in fiscal 2008. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:24 PM | Comment After big oil spill, new vessel rules for Buzzards BayFour years after an oil spill in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, Coast Guard rules announced today will create a bay "vessel movement reporting system" and require that single-hulled tanker barges be accompanied by escort tugs as well as the primary tug. The new regulations take effect on Nov. 28, according to a news release. "In creating this resolution, the Coast Guard aimed to strike a balance not only between the stakeholders and interest groups involved in Buzzards Bay, but also, our ultimate duties to protect the public, the environment, and the U.S. economic interests," First Coast Guard District Commander Rear Adm. Tim Sullivan said in a statement. The goal is to cut down on the likelihood of an incident that might include a collision, grounding of a vessel and a resulting spill of oil or other hazardous materials. In April 2003, a tanker barge from New York-based Bouchard Transportation Co. became damaged, and thousands of gallons of No. 6 fuel oil spilled into the bay, some of it coating birds initially and raising problems for the shellfish industry. Among the other new rules are: * A pilot, separate from the vessel's master and crew and operating under a properly endorsed federal pilot's license, must be aboard the tug towing single-hulled tank barges transiting Buzzards Bay. * A vessel movement reporting system -- VMRS -- will be monitored by Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers. Vessels that are subject to the "Vessel Bridge-to-Bridge VHF Radiotelephone regulations," including tug/barge combinations, will be required to participate in the movement reporting system. * Recommended navigation routes will remain recommended, not mandatory, "to allow maximum flexibility for masters to meet unusual or challenging situations," according to the release. The Coast Guard said the matter was published today in the Federal Register at www.archives.gov/federal-register. For full text of the regulations, go here. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:07 PM | Comment Hearing on R.I. waterfowl hunting rules is tonightThere's a public hearing tonight on proposed Rhode Island waterfowl hunting rules and proposed regulations for falconry. The state Department of Environmental Management will hold the hearing at 7 p.m. at the North Kingstown Community Center, Beach Street, off Route 1A south of Wickford. Waterfowl rules set up the hunting seasons, bag limits and methods of taking for 2007-2008. There here are some changes in the federal waterfowl regulations with which the state must comply, according to the DEM. One change increases the daily bag limit for canvasbacks from one to two birds. And the number of days open for hunting Atlantic Brant has been raised to 30 to 50 days -- Dec. 2 through Jan. 20. Check out the rules proposed at www.dem.ri.govThey cal also be seen at the Oliver Stedman Government Center, 4808 Tower Hill Rd., Wakefield, or by calling (401) 789-3094 on weekdays. Comments will be accepted at DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife through today at 4 p.m. They will also be accepted at the hearing. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife will show a video on the breeding status of waterfowl in the Canadian Provinces. No "substantial changes" to falconry regulations are proposed -- there are five falconers in Rhode Island. There will be waterfowl stamps, hats, and early goose permits (for September season) at the hearing. Exact change will be required. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:05 PM | Comment Another New England store threatened / VideoAnother store in New England has been contacted by a male caller threatening to detonate a bomb unless employees wire money. In at least 11 states, including at a Newport Wal-Mart Tuesday, a caller has threatened to blow up a bomb unless employees wired money. The Associated Press reports the most recent incident was yesterday, at a Hannaford supermarket, in Millinocket, Maine, population 5,200. See video taken at the scene here. No one has been arrested, and no bombs have been found in any of the incidents. Read a Journal story today following up on the threat at the Newport Wal-Mart and what investigators think of scam. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:25 AM | Comment RIC launches alert system using cell phones, e-mailPROVIDENCE -- After a review spurred by the Virginia Tech massacre, Rhode Island College is launching a system that sends alerts of a crisis or disaster by cell phone and e-mail to students, faculty and staff. A news release on the college's Web site today says it's something new "that the college's administrators hope they’ll never have to use." The system, offered by Apogee Telecommunications, is free to customers using Apogee technology and allows for up to 24 messages a year. The college has used Apogee technology for about three years. If there's an emergency, a campus administrator can send a text message through any registered messaging device, such as a cell phone or personal digital assistant, to all users with a cell phone number in the college’s information systems. It could also be sent to e-mail. The college says there is a one-time, $50 set-up fee for each device that is allowed to send messages through the system. The college plans to program about a dozen devices assigned to certain campus administrators to trigger messages. “People are very mobile these days, it’s the best way to communicate quickly. Cell phones and text messaging methods are the most favorable,” Richard Prull, the college's assistant vice president for information services, said in the statement. An advantage of text messaging is contacting people before they arrive on campus if needed, according to the college. The college has many commuter students. The move follows a 14-member committee's review of its emergency response after the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 people, including one Rhode Islander. A report out today found that lives could have been saved if the university had sent out warnings sooner. RIC classes begin again for the fall on Wednesday, Sept. 5. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Over the summer, the college’s began collecting cell phone numbers to use in the system. The college says it told incoming students about he service and asked for their cell phone numbers at freshman orientation. Cell phone information is recorded through the person’s on-line college administrative systems account. The system tested successfully several times over the summer, the college says. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:19 AM | Comment Ex-Mass. selectman changes plea in sex-sting casePROVIDENCE – A former Massachusetts selectman accused of trying to have sex with a minor has changed his pleato guilty today in US District Court. William J. Christensen, 60, of Southborough, Mass., pleaded not guilty to two charges in March after Prosecutors said he arranged a sexual encounter with someone he met on the internet that he thought was a 15-year-old girl. Today, Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi accepted a guilty plea in exchange for a sentence recommendation from the US District Attorney. The first charge, traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct, carries a maximum 30 year prison sentence. The second charge, using the internet to entice a minor, has a five-year minimum prison sentence and a 30-year maximum. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30. Prosecutors allege that Christensen set up a meeting with the supposed teenager-- actually an undercover police officer -- at an East Providence apartment complex last May. Christensen was arrested when he arrived at the complex. Six days later, he was arrested in a separate incident in Massachusetts under similar circumstances. In that case, he was given a 26 1/2-year suspended prison sentence with five years probation. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:15 AM | Comment Duke lacrosse prosecutor pleads innocentDURHAM, N.C. -- Disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong pleaded not guilty today to criminal contempt charges stemming from his failure to turn over complete DNA testing results during the now-discredited Duke lacrosse rape case. If found in contempt, Nifong could face up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. As Durham County district attorney, Nifong led the investigation into a woman's allegations that she was raped at a 2006 lacrosse team party where she was hired as a stripper. He won indictments against three lacrosse players, but eventually recused himself from the case, and state prosecutors dropped all remaining charges, saying the players were innocent victims of a "tragic rush to accuse." Defense attorneys for the three falsely accused young men asked a judge to punish Nifong for initially telling the court he had turned over all DNA test results when he knew, and failed to disclose, that genetic material from multiple men was found on the accuser - but none from any lacrosse player. Reade Seligmann, one of the falsely accused players, has transferred to Brown University and will play lacrosse for the Bears. The team's former coach, Mike Pressler, became the coach at Bryant University in Smithfield after he was forced to resign from Duke in April of 2006. -- The Associated Press Nifong's attorney, Jim Glover, told Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III during the hearing today that it wasn't about whether the statements were true or false but "were they willfully and intentionally false and were they also part of an effort ... to hide potentially exculpatory evidence." Nifong was disbarred in June for more than two dozen violations of the state's rules of professional conduct during his prosecution of the lacrosse case. During a hearing last month, he apologized and acknowledged there was "no credible evidence" that the three formerly charged players committed any of the crimes he accused them of. He said then: "It is my hope that all of us can learn from the mistakes in this case, that all of us can begin to move forward." Posted by Jack Perry at 10:58 AM | Comment Va. Tech report: Faster warning could have saved livesRICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Tech officials could have saved lives if they had quickly warned the campus that two students had been shot to death and their killer was on the loose, a panel that investigated the attacks said. Instead, it took administrators more than two hours to get out an e-mail warning students and staff to be cautious. The shooter had time to leave the dormitory where the first two victims were killed, mail a letter, and then enter a classroom building, chain the doors shut and kill 31 more people, including himself. Even before the killings, the university had failed to properly care for the mentally troubled student gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, the panel found. Daniel Patrick O’Neil, a 2002 graduate of Lincoln High School in Rhode Island, was among those slain. The 22-year-old O’Neil had been pursuing a graduate degree in environmental engineering. Read the full story from the Associated Press ... Extra: Read the complete report. Video: Watch a scheduled 11 a.m. report on the findings. Blog: Look back at 7to7 blog reports on the shootings and our local connections. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:48 AM | Comment R.I. inmates train dogs to help injured vetsCRANSTON – Puppies, combat veterans and inmates. They are coming together at the Rhode Island Department of Correction today, for a reunion of sorts. The inmates are participants in the Prison Pup Partnership Program, an arm of the National Education for Assistance Dog Services (NEAD). They’ve been training puppies as assistant dogs for the Canines for Combat Veterans Program. Today at 11 a.m., 27-year-old Army Specialist Sue Downes of Tennessee – who lost both of her legs in Afghanistan – and 21-year-old Army Cpl. Christopher Strickland of Connecticut – who lost both legs, half of an arm and vision in one eye – will meet their dogs’ trainers. “What a happy occasion it is when a disabled partner and adult service dog return to meet the inmate puppy raiser,” Sheila O’Brien, executive director of NEADS said in a press release. “This reunion completes the cycle of training, companionship and love.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:26 AM | Comment 20 firefighters battled trailer-park fire in PortsmouthPORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth and Bristol firefighters spent much of the overnight hours battling a fire that left extensive damage to a mobile home in the Melville Trailer Park. It took six hours for firefighters to contain the blaze at 15 Scotty Drive, which sparked at about 2:30 a.m. The residents – listed as Lorraine and Theodore Amado – were alerted to the fire by a passerby, Portsmouth Deputy Fire Chief Robert Church said this morning. The fire started in a front porch and quickly spread to the eaves and the attic, collapsing and destroying the wooden-truss roof, Church said. Portsmouth sent two engines and a ladder truck to the fire and requested an engine from the Bristol Fire Department. About 20 firefighters were on-scene until about 9:30 a.m. Firefighters were worried that the blaze might spread to nearby units in the densely-occupied mobile home park, but only the one home was burned, Church said. Officials believe the fire was accidental, though they are still investigating the cause, Church said. No one was injured. — Meaghan Wims, Journal staff writer
Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:09 AM | Comment Roger Williams University to welcome Iraqi scholarWARWICK -- An Iraqi who formerly worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army is set to return to Rhode Island today. Qussay Al-Attabi will teach Arabic at Roger Williams University while studying English literature at Brown University. Officials at Roger Williams say Al-Attabi visited the Bristol-based university in 2005 as part of a delegation of Iraqi students. They say they offered to help him when the former Army interpreter decided that Iraq had become too dangerous. Roger Williams President Roy Nirschel plans to greet Al-Attabi when he lands at T.F. Green Airport this evening. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:56 AM | Comment Update: Johnston officers on duty day after "sick-out"JOHNSTON – “Everyone is present and accounted for,” Johnston Police Chief Richard S. Tamburini said today, one day after 10 police officers called in sick across two shifts. A Superior Court judge later issued a restraining order banning police from taking part in a "sick-out." At a news conference yesterday, town officials said the officers were protesting an investigation into what Mayor Joseph Polisena called “sweetheart pension deals” for individual officers negotiated by former the former mayor’s administration. Superior Court Judge Netti Vogel said officers need to present a doctor’s note to call in sick. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:29 AM | Comment More schools re-opening around R.I. / Photo
More students around Rhode Island are headed to school today. It's the first day for kids in Central Falls, Foster, Glocester, Pawtucket and Warwick. Freshmen began school yesterday at William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School in Lincoln; the rest of the students start today. The Ponaganset regional school district, shared by Foster and Glocester, was still in mediation yesterday, but doors were open at the district's high school and middle school this morning. Get tips on heading back to school, statewide education coverage, and more information about your district and schools, on our education page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:15 AM | Comment Textron wins battle to retain internal tax documentsPROVIDENCE -- Textron, Inc., the world's biggest maker of business jets, has won a legal battle to retain internal tax documents after a U.S. federal judge ruled that the Internal Revenue Service isn't entitled to examine them. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres rejected the government's request to enforce an IRS summons and described the papers as protected by "work product" privilege, because they were prepared in anticipation of litigation with the IRS. The IRS asked Providence-based Textron for all its tax work papers for several years as part of a scrutiny of leasing-related transactions that might have yielded large tax benefits, the Journal added. -- Bloomberg Posted by Andrea Panciera at 8:01 AM | Comment Two firefighters killed in BostonBOSTON -- Two Boston firefighters were killed and two others critically injured after crews became disoriented in dense smoke and trapped in a restaurant fire in the city's West Roxbury neighborhood, officials said early today. Killed were Paul Cahill, of Scituate, and Warren Payne, of Canton, who served on Engine 30, Ladder 25, the first unit to respond to the Wednesday evening fire, said Fire Department spokesman Scott Salman. Eight other firefighters had less serious injuries, and an EMS paramedic was being evaluated for chest pains, he said. See video shot on the scene here. -- The Associated Press "Tonight is a very sad night for the city of Boston," Mayor Thomas Menino said. "Two of our bravest have lost their lives in a fire in West Roxbury. Our prayers and offers of help are extended to the families of those two firefighters and the other firefighters who were injured in the line of duty. This is a dangerous job, and these firefighters answered the call." Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:02 AM | Comment Sunny and warmerLook out for a bit of fog this morning which should clear up by about 9 a.m. Then it's another sunny day, warmer than yesterday with a high in the mid-to-high 80s and humidity rising as the day goes on. The National Weather Service predicts a slight chance of rain and areas of fog after midnight with an overnight low of 64. Enjoy the sun today; tomorrow we may see rain and thunderstorms with temperatures in the high 70s. 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 about the recent rash of shootings in Providence. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006