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October 16, 2007

Body found in Foxboro is identified as R.I. man

PROVIDENCE -- A Rhode Island man who was shot to death and found sprawled along the eastbound lane of Route 106 in Foxboro, Mass., early Monday has been identified as Carlos Gomez, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

A passing motorist spotted Gomez lying in the eastbound lane of Route 106 near the Route 95 underpass and called 911, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Foxboro firefighters and paramedics were unable to revive him, the police said.

Gomez was found without identification. He was shot to death along Route 106 at approximately 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to the DA’s office.

Gomez, 29, was listed as a Central Falls resident but Central Falls Police Chief Joseph Moran said that Gomez’s last known address was on Benefit Street in Pawtucket. Moran said that Gomez was known to the Central Falls Police Department.

Massachusetts State Police and Foxboro police are conducting an investigation into the shooting. Anyone with information about Gomez’s whereabouts on Sunday night or information about his death should contact Foxboro police at (508) 543-4343 or Massachusetts State Police at (508) 820-2121.

-- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Comment

Tonight: Dave Matthews tribute and Newport jazz

Tonight in Bristol, there's a tribute to Dave Matthews, whose quirky rock sound was ever present in the '90s, and there's also a little jazz in Newport.

Dancing Nancy, tribute to Dave Matthews, Gillary's Tavern, 198 Thames St., Bristol. 253-2012. 9:30 pm.

Bobby Ferreira plays jazz at The Chanler, Spiced Pear Restaurant, 117 Memorial Blvd., Newport. Call 847-2244. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Half Boozed plays rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. Call 847-9460. 9 p.m.

Karl Blau and the Trolleys play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 10 p.m. $5. All ages.

The Hi-Hat Trio with Mary Ann Solivan plays pop at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. Call 453-6500. 7 to 11 p.m.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment

Coventry woman pleads no contest to DUI charges

JOHNSTON -- A tearful Coventry woman pleaded no contest to an indictment that accuses her of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs last year when she was involved in a crash that killed a 17-year-old Warwick boy.

In a Providence courtroom packed with the teen’s family and friends, 30-year-old Dawn Simas today did not contest three charges related to the crash: driving under the influence, death resulting; driving to endanger, death resulting; and possession of marijuana.

Those counts were the result of a Johnston police investigation into the head-on collision that killed Anthony Gemma as he drove home from work on Dec. 15, 2006.

The evidence, which included blood-test results and statements from numerous witnesses, showed that Simas had smoked marijuana and had been drinking at Town Hall Bowling Lanes just prior to the crash on Hartford Avenue, according to the police.

Simas, the mother of two children, appeared before Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. and made her pleas under an agreement reached with Assistant Attorney General Cindy Soccia.

Gemma’s mother, Kathleen, his grandfather, Ralpha Gemma, and other family members were present.

The maximum penalty for the first driving-under-the-influence count is a prison term of 15 years, a fine of $15,000 and the loss of a driving license for up to five years, according to Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch.

Under the plea agreement, Simas cannot serve more than 12 years in prison, but prosecutors will ask Darigan to impose a 10-year prison term, Healey said.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:25 PM | Comment

R.I. housing prices predicted to tumble till '08

House prices in Rhode Island are forecast to fall until the second quarter of next year, and are not expected to recoup their losses until the first quarter of 2009, according to a Massachusetts-based forecasting firm, Global Insight.

If the forecast proves accurate, the statewide median price of a single-family house will hit bottom during the spring of next year— ending a two-year decline that will have shaved the median price by roughly $20,200, or 7 percent. That is more than twice the average 2 percent to 3 percent decline forecast nationwide.

“In simplest terms, Rhode Island has been, and will continue to be, more significantly affected by the recent poor performance in the real-estate markets relative to the entire U.S.,’’ said Global Insight housing economist Michael Lynch.

Rhode Island’s more dramatic downturn in house prices is, in part, the flip side of the price appreciation rates here during the recent real-estate boom that ranked among the biggest in the country. The double-digit price increases — up 19 percent in the spring of 2002 — prompted economists and real-estate professionals to draw comparisons with the stock market, suggesting that real estate offered a better return than Wall Street.

Nobody is saying that now.

-- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi

“Housing is not like the stock market,” said Cecile Cohen, president of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, “and people who try to time the stock market also get into trouble.’’

The trouble in Rhode Island began to emerge last year, after the median price of a single-family house peaked in the second quarter at $282,644, and then began to slide.
This year, the statewide median price had fallen 4.4 percent, to $270,067. By the second quarter of next year, Global Insight forecasts, the median house price will fall to $262,450. (All prices are for existing single-family houses. They do not include new construction.)

Rhode Island’s house price declines are expected be less dramatic and shorter in duration than during the 1990s recession, when prices plummeted 13 percent over 7 years.

Asked what she would tell first-time buyers who are considering a house now when prices are forecast to decline, she replied, “You’re gambling that prices are going to go down. What if interest rates go up? It’s going have the same effect. You have low interest rates now that make housing affordable…You find your dream house, I say, buy it now. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen next year…There’s always risk.’’

Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 6:15 PM | Comment

Charges filed against student with 'hit list'

DIGHTON -- The police have filed felony charges against a freshman at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School who created what investigators described as a “hit list” of classmates he wanted to harm.

“He was going to take care of these students somehow,” said Chief Robert MacDonald. “He had issues with these 15 students. He didn’t say why.”

A classmate of the 14-year-old student brought the list to school administrators on Monday, who then notified the police and the youth’s parents. The boy was brought to the school office. He was searched and his locker was searched, MacDonald said. No weapons were found on him.

“There was no reason for a lockdown because they knew who the note came from” and because he was brought into the principal’s office almost immediately, MacDonald said.

The police took the boy into custody and then brought him to Taunton Juvenile Court for arraignment. He faces multiple counts of threatening to commit a crime and a felony charge of disturbing the peace that falls under terrorism statutes. The police did not identify him because he is a juvenile.

He was held without bail and will attend a hearing today to determine whether he is a danger, the chief said.

The chief said that officers were continuing to investigate the incident today.

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:36 PM | Comment

Police release name of girl killed in Lincoln crash

LINCOLN -- The Lincoln police have released the name of the Lincoln High School student who was killed and the two students who were hurt in an accident yesterday afternoon.

The police say Marissa Lorea, 15, of Lincoln, a passenger in the car, was killed.

The driver, Andrew Bessette, 17, of Lincoln, and passenger Amanda Coderre, 16, of Lincoln, were injured.

The police said the car struck a tree on Wilbur Road around 2:30 p.m.

Counselors were available to students at the high school today, according to the police.

An earlier police news release gave an incorrect spelling of the victim's name.

Read an earlier story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 5:01 PM | Comment

Carcieri to Southern Union: Clean up Tiverton soil

Following a grand jury's indictment today of Southern Union Company in a Pawtucket mercury spill case, Governor Carcieri this afternoon issued a statement calling on the company to start a long-delayed cleanup of contaminated soil in a Tiverton neighborhood.

Texas-based Southern Union remains owner of the Massachusetts division of New England Gas Company and is the former owner of the Rhode Island division of New England Gas Company.

“These indictments charge New England Gas, which is owned by Southern Union, with inappropriately storing mercury at a site in Pawtucket and with failing to report a mercury spill,” Carcieri said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this is not the first concern that has been raised with Southern Union in Rhode Island.”

Carcieri said his administration has worked for several years to force Southern Union to clean up the pollution in the Bay Street-area neighborhood in northern Tiverton.

Blueish soil, laced with cyanide, arsenic, lead and contaminants was identified as waste left by a coal-burning process to produce gas at the former Fall River Gas Co. decades ago. People in the neighborhood have sought for years to get the matter addressed, forming the Environmental Neighborhood Awareness Committee (ENACT) to draw attention to it.

The state Department of Environmental Management has assigned responsibility for the remediation to the gas company’s successor, Southern Union.

“Unfortunately, Southern Union has done everything in its power to avoid fulfilling the company’s responsibilities, including tying the case up in a hugely expensive and seemingly endless court process. In the meantime, the people of Tiverton have been made to suffer," Carcieri stated. “I hope that Southern Union will now be willing to immediately clean up all the pollution in Tiverton, so that the town’s residents can move on with their lives."

Southern Union Company has been indicted on charges it illegally stored mercury at a Pawtucket site and failed to report a mercury spill.

The alleged illegal storage drew attention in October 2004 when three young people broke into the building and took several containers of liquid mercury.

They broke some of the containers, spilling mercury around the facility’s grounds, the indictment alleges. They also took some mercury to a nearby apartment complex, spreading it around the grounds, For about three weeks, mercury puddles remained on the ground at the Tidewater facility.

A federal grand jury returned the three-count indictment in U.S. District Court, Providence.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:45 PM | Comment

Newport drivers urged to avoid intersection

NEWPORT -- The police are urging motorists to avoid the intersection of Bellevue Avenue and Memorial Boulevard during roadwork that is expected to last at least through Oct. 28.

Traffic flow will be “extremely limited” while workers repair the concrete road surface at the busy intersection, the police announced in a news release. Detours will be marked with signs since westbound traffic on Memorial Boulevard and traffic on Bellevue Avenue will be interrupted, the police said.

As a result of the construction, no parking will be allowed on Chapel Street from Memorial to Old Beach Road. Parking along any of the detours will be closely monitored for violations.

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:58 PM | Comment

Defense casts suspicion on accused murderer's boyfriend

WARWICK – The boyfriend of a woman accused of murdering her 19-month-old daughter gave conflicting accounts to the police and children’s services representatives of what happened the night she died, according to Kimberly Mawson’s lawyer.

In his opening statements today, Kevin Bristow tried to cast doubt on Mawson’s boyfriend, while the 37-year-old blotted her eyes with a tissue.

Prosecutors for the state then called two witnesses – Suzette Works and Amy Rapaport – both nurses at Vernon Pediatrics in Connecticut, who treated the baby, Jade, before she was fatally injured. The jury is set to return at 3:30.

On Dec. 2, 2002, the child, Jade, was taken to the hospital after Mawson's boyfriend called. The boyfriend was at home with the child while Mawson was out shopping, the man later told the police. Officers arrived to find the child unconscious in the third-floor apartment at 1730 B Elmwood Ave. She died two days later at Hasbro Children's Hospital of blunt force trauma injuries to her head and body.

Mawson moved to Connecticut after the death of her daughter. Mawson waived her right to an extradition hearing when she was arrested in May 2005 after a grand jury handed up a secret indictment.

Jade Mawson died of “injuries of the head and torso due to blunt-force trauma,” according to the medical examiner.

-- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney, Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:35 PM | Comment

Cicilline in Israel

Mayor David N. Cicilline thinks he may have found the place from which to import bioengineering technology: Israel.

That’s where he’ll be for the next few days, meeting with mayors from around the world at the 25th annual Jerusalem Conference of Mayors.

Speaking from Israel, Cicilline explained: “The purpose is really to introduce people to Jerusalem and to Israel, and for the mayors, this is an opportunity to share best practices.”

After a visit to the Hadassah Medical Center and its related Hadasit Ltd, a business incubator for the hospital’s biotechnology and life sciences research, Cicilline said his gears are turning.

Phase two trials for many of the developing technologies are shipped out to laboratories across the world; Ohio and Nevada even have field offices in Israel to help lure trials to their state.

“That part was really great, especially as we try to cultivate that industry in Providence,” he said.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Yesterday the mayors also visited Yad Sarah, a Non-governmental organization that provides social services.

“It’s a very interesting, really comprehensive human services organization,” he said. “People can go there whether they’re Muslim or Christian or Jewish for a variety of services.”

And the mayor from Providence even shared something with his fellow mayors.

He gave a presentation yesterday – to municipal leaders from Kiev, Ukraine; Bangkok, Thailand; Lima, Peru; and dozens more from around the world, including five other American cities – about the benefits of diversity.

“As an American city with a diverse population,” he said, “I shared the ways the city has promoted multiculturism.”

So far, the governors have had lunch with former Prime Minister and leader of the Likud party, Benjamin Netanyahu; talked global warming with President Shimon Peres, at his home; and will meet with current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tomorrow.

The group is also visiting the Holocaust Memorial and Old City, where the shared histories of three major Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Christianity and Judaism – as well as Armenians are all represented.

The meeting, sponsored by the American Jewish Congress-Council for World Jewry and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, runs from Oct. 14 through Oct. 18.

Some of the mayors will stay for an extra day or two to visit religious sites. “But I’m coming back,” Cicilline said. “I’ve got a lot to do.”

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:25 PM | Comment

Photo: Injured seal heads back to the sea

Journal photo/ Gretchen Ertl
After spending two months in veterinary care for a gunshot wound to the eye, an adult male harbor seal makes his exit from a kennel to begin the journey back to the water from Blue Shutters Town Beach in Charlestown. The adult male sea, found stranded at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn., in July, has been under the care of the Mystic Aquarium veterinary staff. The seal will never have use of its left eye because of the wound. But it will still be able to hunt and survive in the wild despite its handicap, the aquarium said.

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:46 PM | Comment

Southern Union indicted in Pawtucket mercury case

Southern Union Company, the Texas-based former owner of New England Gas Company, was indicted today on charges it illegally stored mercury at a Pawtucket site and failed to report a mercury spill.

The alleged illegal storage drew attention in September 2004 when three young people broke into the building and took several containers of liquid mercury.

They broke some of the containers, spilling mercury around the facility’s grounds, the indictment alleges. They also took some mercury to a nearby apartment complex, spreading it around the grounds, For about three weeks, mercury puddles remained on the ground at the Tidewater facility.

A federal grand jury returned the three-count indictment in U.S. District Court, Providence, today.

If convicted on all the charges, the company could face a maximum penalty of more than $67 million, according to a joint news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente and other officials.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

In 2001, Southern Union began a program to remove from customers’ homes gas regulators that contained mercury. Southern Union initially had a contract with an environmental services company to safely remove the mercury from the regulators, which had been used in homes built before the 1960s to control the flow of gas.

Southern Union employees brought the regulators to a facility at the end of Tidewater Street in Pawtucket, on the edge of the Seekonk River. The contractor removed the mercury from the regulators, and Southern Union’s environmental coordinator shipped it to a facility for distillation.

The indictment alleges that the removal contract expired at the end of 2001 but that New England Gas technicians continued to remove the regulators from customers’ homes. The company allegedly stored the mercury-containing regulators in a vacant building at the Tidewater facility, some of them in plastic kiddie pools.

The company also stored liquid mercury in various containers in the building, the indictment alleges, and that mercury came from a variety of sources, including the locker of a company employee who had died.

In 2002 through 2004, a local company official wrote requests for proposals -- RFPs -- for removing the mercury that was collecting at the Tidewater facility. But the company allegedly never finalized the RFPs or sought bids.

By July 2004, about 165 mercury-containing regulators were stored at the Tidewater facility, as were other containers such as glass jars and a plastic jug, containing a total of more than a gallon of mercury, according to the indictment.

The Tidewater facility was in disrepair and there were gaps in the perimeter fencing, extensive graffiti on vacant buildings, broken windows, and broken doors. In May 2004, the company’s environmental coordinator documented evidence of attempted break-ins at the facility.

At three company safety committee meetings in 2004, maintenance employees expressed concern about the facility’s safety, but Southern Union took no action, according to the indictment.

In September 2004, the three young people broke into the mercury storage building, took several containers of liquid mercury and spilled mercury.

In October 2004, shortly after a company employee found the mercury spill, Southern Union arranged for an environmental services company to remove the mercury from Tidewater. But Southern Union allegedly failed to notify Pawtucket Fire Department and the state Fire Marshal about the spill, as required by federal law.

The indictment charges Southern Union with two counts of storing hazardous waste without a permit and one count of failing to notify the appropriate local emergency officials of a hazardous waste spill.

If convicted, knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit carries a maximum fine of $50,000 for each day of violation.

The indictment alleges the span of the illegal storage in count one, was from Sept. 19, 2002, to Oct. 19, 2004, or 762 days. The alleged duration of count three, which alleges illegal storage of regulators that contained mercury, was from March 25, 2003, to Oct. 19, 2004, or 575 days.

At $50,000 per day, the maximum fine for those counts would be $66.85-million. The maximum fine for failing to report a hazardous waste spill is $500,000.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:43 PM | Comment

Occupants safely escape Providence fire/ Photo

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
A Providence firefighter breaks-up the siding while fighting a fire at this home at 146 Courtland Street in the city’s Federal Hill neighborhood this morning.

PROVIDENCE -- The five occupants of a three-story building in the city’s Federal Hill neighborhood escaped unhurt from a fire this morning.

A call came in at 11:19 a.m. for a fire at 146 Courtland St. The fire was under control by 11:47, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived, they saw found the second floor of a three-story multifamily wood-framed house engulfed in flames.

Unlike yesterday’s fire, however, no one was injured today.

Taylor says the building was occupied, when the call came in, but everyone got out safely. The Red Cross was called, but he is not sure how many people were displaced.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

An earlier version of the story incorrectly reported the fire as being on the third floor.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:27 PM | Comment

Prosecution will call at least 14 witnesses

WARWICK -- The prosecution will call at least 14 witnesses to testify in the murder trial of a woman accused of killing her 19-month-old daughter in Warwick, a prosecutor said during opening statements today.

Former Warwick resident Kimberly Mawson, 37, is accused of killing her daughter, Jade, in 2002.

Thomas O'Brien, a prosecutor for the attorney general's office, said in Kent County Superior Court that witnesses will include Mawson's boyfriend, who initially called the police\rescue personnel, Hasbro Children Hospital doctors and nurses, the medical examiner, and police.

The defense will make its opening statement at 1:30 p.m.

Seven men and seven women were picked this morning for the jury. Judge Edwin J. Gale directed them not to take notes, but instead focus on the testimony.

On Dec. 2, 2002, the child, Jade, was taken to the hospital after Mawson's boyfriend called. The boyfriend was at home with the child while Mawson was out shopping, the man later told the police. Officers arrived to find the child unconscious in the third-floor apartment at 1730 B Elmwood Ave. She died two days later at Hasbro Children's Hospital of blunt force trauma injuries to her head and body.

Mawson moved to Connecticut after the death of her daughter. Mawson waived her right to an extradition hearing when she was arrested in May 2005 after a grand jury handed up a secret indictment.

Jade Mawson died of “injuries of the head and torso due to blunt-force trauma,” according to the medical examiner.

On Monday, the judge told potential jurors that the trial could go for a couple of weeks.

-- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:13 PM | Comment

Carcieri tries to drum up support for layoff plan

PROVIDENCE -- A day after unveiling a broad plan to lay off 414 state workers and cut another 115 temporary employees, Governor Carcieri this morning continued an effort to drum up political support for the plan.

He conducted a radio interview just past 8 a.m. and spent nearly an hour on talk radio. Speaking to reporters later in the morning at an unrelated event in the State House, the governor said public reaction to his cost-cutting plan is “what you’d expect.”

“People out there, what I call the real world…understand this is a necessary thing,” Carcieri said.

Asked why he’s waiting until Nov. 15 to notify the affected state employees, the governor responded: “I appreciate the anxiety. People are concerned as to who’s going to be impacted. We’re trying to do this as fast as possible,” he said. “I would like to do it sooner, but I want it to be done properly. I want those people to hear from their supervisors, their directors. I don’t want them to read about it or hear about it somewhere else. I think that’s a common courtesy that anybody would expect and I want to do that for our employees.”

The governor also blasted state Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., who criticized the governor’s press conference yesterday as “a dog and pony show.” In addition to being an elected leader, Tassoni is a paid employee for Council 94, the largest state employee union.

“They’re not helping but just attacking me. If they’ve got a better solution, say it. I don’t hear any solutions. All I hear is that the governor doesn’t have a plan. Well, we’ve got a plan. I find it insulting to say it’s a dog and pony show,” Carcieri said. “Part of the problem is exactly that conflict. Here you have a sitting senator who is paid by council 94 that I’m negotiating with. And that they’re going to have to approve or pass some things that affect those people. Those are the kinds of conflicts that have been permeating this building for too long.”

Tassoni, reached early this afternoon, took offense to the governor’s comments. He said he never votes on Senate bills directly affecting labor unions.

“Shame on him for bringing that up,” Tassoni said. “I’m careful on what I vote on. I don’t want to have an issue with the ethics commission… I’m not up there to cause problems. I have to defend the workers. I have to defend my constituents. And I think I do a damn good job because they voted me in for a fourth straight time.”

-- Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:51 PM | Comment

Firefighters to be recognized

Six Cranston firefighters will be commended at a ceremony this afternoon.

The firefighters, from the Scituate Avenue Fire Station 6, will each be awarded with the Liberty Mutual Heroic Firemark Award, and have their names affixed to a larger plaque in the Liberty Mutual office in Smithfield.

The ceremony begins at 3:30 this afternoon at Cranston City Hall Council Chambers.

The award is designed to recognize firefighters who have helped save a life without regard for their own safety.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:30 PM | Comment

Lt. Gov. Roberts outlines state health-care initiative

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, center, shares her vision for the future of health care in Rhode Island as part of URI's 2007 Distinguished Lecture Series, this afternoon at the the Feinstein Providence Campus. Listening are URI President Robert L. Carothers, left, and John H. McCray, Jr., URI Vice Provost for Urban Programs, right.

Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts this afternoon is outlining a "four-part framework" to improve Rhode Island's health-care system but without cost estimates or a timeline for doing it.

"We must cover every single Rhode Islander. We must insist that an insurance card is in each of their hands and we must ensure that access to high quality care is our main focus and attainable goal," Roberts said in remarks prepared for delivery as part of the distinguished lecture series at the University of Rhode Island.

The four parts are:

* Maintain and strengthen what works in the current system.
"Help employers find a way to offer the health insurance we know they want to provide their workers" in a state that has some of the best doctors and hospitals, Roberts said. Make sure employers "do not have financial pressures to drop employees who are currently covered." And enroll those eligible for RIte Care who are not currently in the program.

* Give every Rhode Islander access to health care "through a variety of means."
Allow a person to buy "affordable and portable" health insurance, regardless of health or job status. Allow small business owners to buy employee insurance on "a level playing field with large employers." Give Rhode Islanders the chance to shop on-line, over the phone or in person for the plan that best suits them. Allow families with low incomes to access health-care plans based on a sliding-scale payment system.

* Contain health-care costs and increase the value of care.
The state should work with medical providers to ensure they have access to electronic medical records systems that are compatible with each other. The state would work with insurance companies to make sure doctors get paid to treat patients "using the best evidence-based proven treatments, and prevention-focused medical practices available." It would also require hospitals and providers to release quality and cost data to the public. The state would collect, track, and report those statistics to ensure quality health care.

* Maintain a system that strengthens hospitals and supports primary care providers and helps patients find the best, most affordable coverage.
The state could lower the health-care cost for those without insurance, the costs of uncompensated care for community hospitals and end "hidden costs" people pay.

Roberts said people in state subsidized plans should be asked to choose a primary care physician, and make sure the plans emphasize wellness and chronic care management, which would pass along the savings in the form of more affordable premiums. Providers and hospitals would get a boost through a "more rational system for delivering care." Community hospitals need to deliver services communities need, not services tailored to insurance companies' reimbursement rates.

"This is the basic framework for what I believe comprehensive health-care reform could look like if we have broad community participation," Roberts said. "It is only a beginning. I do not claim to have all the answers, but I know one thing -- we have to start somewhere. We need to engage the debate and move forward."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:20 PM | Comment

Jury picked, opening statements next in murder trial

Opening statements are set to begin this morning in the trial of a woman accused of killing her 19-month old daughter.

Seven men and seven women were picked this morning for the jury in Superior Court, Warwick. Presiding Associate Justice Edwin J. Gale directed them not to take notes, but instead focus on the testimony.

Former Warwick resident Kimberly Mawson, 37, is accused of killing her daughter, Jade, in 2002.

She moved to Connecticut after the death of her daughter. Mawson waived her right to an extradition hearing when she was arrested in May 2005 after a grand jury handed up a secret indictment.

Jade Mawson died of “injuries of the head and torso due to blunt-force trauma,” according to the medical examiner.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:29 AM | Comment

Seekonk still looking for hit-and-run driver

The Seekonk police are still looking for the driver of the vehicle suspected in the hit-and-run accident Sunday that killed Maria Aguiar, 38, of 155 Chestnut St., as she was walking with her daughter that evening.

The car, described by the police as a white sport-utility vehicle, did not stop after striking Aguiar on Chestnut Street at about 6:22 p.m. The vehicle is likely damaged on the front of the passenger side and possibly the windshield.

The police have received a number of tips prompted by media coverage of the accident, and the police are pursuing those leads, Chief Ronald R. Charron said this morning.

Aguiar’s 10-year old daughter, who was riding a bicycle, witnessed the crash, but was uninjured.

“I emphasize that the person responsible for this needs to do the right thing, as least for the sake of the daughter and the family, and come forward,” Charron said. “I’m hopeful someone will finally decide to take responsibility. It’s a tragic situation for the poor girl and her family.”

The police are asking anyone with information to call the Seekonk police at (508) 336-8123.

-- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:27 AM | Comment

Feds make sure local hotels comply with ADA

The federal government is reviewing hotels in Rhode Island to make sure they are accessible to people with disabilities.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has sent surveys to 16 hotels in Providence and Warwick to determine if they are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“This is a review process, not an enforcement action,” U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said in a statement. “We will work with hotel owners and operators in an effort to secure voluntary compliance with the law’s requirements. The Americans with Disabilities Act is vitally important to Rhode Island residents and visitors alike, and it is imperative that hotels and other public accommodations comply with their obligations under federal law. “

The Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by private companies that own or operate public spaces, including hotels.

After the surveys are returned, Corrente said his office may also conduct on-site inspections to confirm the answers given by hotel management.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:41 AM | Comment

Act to help those with paralysis moves to Senate

An act aimed at improving medical research and the quality of life for people with paralysis moves to the Senate after passing last night in the House of Representatives.

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act was co-authored by Rep. Jim Langevin, D-RI, the first quadriplegic person to serve in the House of Representatives.

“I commend all those who worked so tirelessly to pass this bill which will help people with disabilities achieve and maintain their independence and ensure that we are using the best research and technology to help improve their quality of life,” Langevin said in a statement.

The legislation is named after the actor -- best known for his role as Superman -- who was paralyzed in a riding accident, and his wife, Dana. Christopher Reeve was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident in 1995 and died in 2002. Dana Reeve became an activist working to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities before her death last year. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation was founded by the couple in 1996.

Read the full text of the bill, or click below to read a summary of the bill’s text.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Paralysis Research - Expands research on paralysis at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This will encourage collaborative research by connecting scientists conducting similar work to enhance understanding and speed discovery of better treatments and cures.

Paralysis Rehabilitation and Care - Builds on research to enhance daily function for people with paralysis, including a Clinical Trials Network to measure effectiveness of certain rehabilitation tactics and encouraging shared findings on paralysis to improve rehabilitation.

Improving Quality of Life for Persons with Paralysis and Other Physical Disabilities - Works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of persons with paralysis and other physical disabilities.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:36 AM | Comment

Living wage discussion continues

Most Providence residents are in favor of a “living wage”, which would require companies with city contracts pay their workers at least $12.50 per hour and provide money for health care.

That could be one solution to poverty; a panel of poverty experts will discuss other anti-poverty initiatives today at the 8th annual Thomas Anton/Fred Lippitt Conference.

Panelists include Paul Sonn of New York University’s School of Law, James Sherk of the Heritage Foundation; and Oren Levin-Waldman of the Metropolitan College of New York.

The conference begins at 4 p.m. at the Leung Gallery, Faunce House, on the Brown University Green.

To see the full survey, see Inside Politics.
To read some of the questions from the survey, click below.

Do you believe the national minimum wage should be increased from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour?
90 percent yes, 6 percent no, 4 percent don’t know or no answer

Do you support a so-called “living wage” in which companies receiving contracts from the city pay their workers at least $12.30 an hour plus $1.25 an hour for health-care benefits?
70 percent support, 15 percent oppose, 15 percent don’t know or no answer

Do you think the government should increase cash assistance for people who are poor?
69 percent yes, 18 percent no, 13 percent don’t know or no answer

Do you believe the government should expand subsidized daycare for people who are poor?
83 percent yes, 11 percent no, 6 percent don’t know or no answer

Do you think able-bodied recipients on public assistance should be required to work as a condition of the aid?
82 percent yes, 9 percent no, 9 percent don’t know or no answer

Do you believe there should be a lifetime limit of five years on federal benefits for poor people?
34 percent yes, 50 percent no, 16 percent don’t know or no answer

In your view, are most people who receive public assistance genuinely in need of help or are they taking advantage of the system?
52 percent genuinely need help, 28 percent taking advantage of system, 20 percent don’t know or no answer.

Do you think that most poor people could get along without public assistance if they tried?
28 percent yes, 59 percent no, 13 percent don’t know or no answer.

Do you think that most poor people are lazy?
15 percent yes, 77 percent no, 8 percent don’t know or no answer.

How big a problem is poverty in our society today?
74 percent a big problem, 19 percent somewhat of a problem, 3 percent not much of a problem, 4 percent don’t know or no answer.

Would you say that you and your family living there are: 31 percent better off, 38 percent the same, 28 percent worse off financially than you were a year ago, 3 percent don’t know or no answer.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:10 AM | Comment

Seal on its way back home

A harbor seal that was shot is preparing to reenter the water.

The adult male sea, found stranded at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn., in July, is scheduled to be released at Blue Shutters Town Beach in Charlestown today at 9 a.m.

Mystic Aquarium veterinary staff has been helping the animal recover. After two months, the staff had given the seal the OK to go. That was on Sept. 26.

But the seal developed a problem with its right eye, the one that wasn't damaged by the shooting.

“Because the animal has vision in only one eye, the veterinary staff at Mystic Aquarium was reluctant to have the animal released until a temporary condition called corneal edema was fully resolved,” Lawrence Dunn, staff veterinarian at Mystic Aquarium, said in a news release.

The seal will never have use of its left eye because of the wound. But it will still be able to hunt and survive in the wild despite its handicap, the aquarium said.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:03 AM | Comment

Lt. Governor to speak about changing health care

Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts is speaking about the state’s health care system today at the University of Rhode Island.

Roberts will give the keynote speech, “Life Liberty, and the pursuit of Health Care: Why You Should Care (If You Don’t Already),” at the school’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

She'll discuss what roles she thinks business, families and government should play to change the health care system.

The speech, set to begin at noon, will be held at the URI Providence Campus Paff Auditorium, 80 Washington St.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a story about Governor Carcieri's plan to lay off 414 state employees, and there's a photograph of a frustrated Manny Ramirez in the Red Sox' losing ALCS playoff game in Cleveland.

Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment

Today is going to be a wonderful day

Today is going to be great, sunny and warm with a soft wind from the north.

But then, there's rain in the forecast for every day this week through Saturday.

So get out and take a walk. The Weather Service says it's going to hit a high of 66 today with a low tonight of 42.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:52 AM | Comment