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« October 24, 2007 | Today | October 26, 2007 » October 25, 2007Tonight: Touching all the basesOnce again, there's no sense us telling you there's a baseball game tonight, as the Sox meet the Rox for Game 2 of the World Series at 8:29 in Boston. Stay home. Unless you’re not interested. In which case, there are other things to do tonight. The Colonel is spinning records at Local 121 -- there will be '50s rock'n'roll, '60s soul and maybe some '70s punk. And probably a cowboy hat. And a local champion returns to Providence. Laura Moran was the 1992 Providence Poetry Grand Slam champ and the 1996 Seattle champ. Catch her at AS220 tonight at Free Speech Thursday. And if you've got something to say, step up to the open mike. To see what else is going on, visit projo.com's club calendar. Or just come back to projo.com later tonight as Journal sportswriters and photographers blog their reports before, during and after the game. Add your reactions, too. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:58 PM | Comment Advocates protest plan to merge their officesPROVIDENCE – It its final days last June, the General Assembly inserted language into the state budget that required the governor to propose merging the state’s five advocacy offices – including office of the child advocate and the mental health advocate – under one new Department of Advocacy. This afternoon, the advocates spoke out against the plan, which child advocate Jametta O. Alston fears would essentially kill her ability to protect Rhode Island’s children by stripping her office of its autonomy. The measure would make it extremely difficult, she said, to file lawsuits against the same government leaders who would ultimately create her budgets. Alston filed a sweeping lawsuit against the governor and other state officials in June alleging systemic failures that led to physical and mental child abuse. “We have to really fight and tell people what’s happening,” she said before the meeting. “I think this is on a train that’s pulled into the station and I’m afraid it’s going to take off and destroy our advocacy.” Alston was among representatives from six advocacy offices invited to the basement of the Department of Health building by the governor’s budget office, as it begins to shape the reorganization efforts. The ultimate plan will be presented in the governor’s budget proposal due to be released in February. The motivation, according to the House leadership, was simply to cut costs by streamlining services as the state struggles to close multi-million-dollar budget deficits. State mental-health advocate H. Reed Cosper had sent out an alert urging supporters to go to today’s meeting to defend what he described as a direct threat to his office’s autonomy. Between 40 and 50 people attended the afternoon meeting in all. -- Steve Peoples, of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:52 PM | Comment Photo: Making a point of being in tune
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:42 PM | Comment A last-minute pitch to abolish minimum drug sentencesPROVIDENCE -- Civil rights leaders and politicians made a last-ditch effort today to get the General Assembly to override Governor Carcieri’s veto and abolish the state’s minimum mandatory drug sentencing laws. The big question remains: Will the issue be presented for an override at Tuesday’s special session of the General Assembly? House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, said that the leadership had not committed to an agenda for the special session. Translation: It’s anyone’s guess whether the issue of minimum mandatory drug sentencing will be heard next week. Rep. Joseph S. Almeida, the Providence Democrat who sponsored the House version of the bill, said that Carcieri was not listening to the wants of the people when he vetoed the General Assembly’s decision to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for drug crimes. Almeida, Sen. Harold Metts, D-Providence, and other supporters of the override, including representatives from Direct Action for Rights and Equality, DARE, held a low-key rally on the Smith Street side of the State House late this afternoon. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowsli “Why doesn’t he listen to the people,’’ Almeida said. ``Isn’t this the house of the people?” Steven Brown, executive director of the Providence chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, called the nation’s war on drugs ”a fiasco” and that Rhode Island should follow the lead of many other states that have repealed tough mandatory drug laws that were adopted in the 1980s. Brown said that every public official, ``but our governor,’’ has seen the light. He said the drug laws have lead to overcrowding at the Adult Correctional Institutions and placed a strain on the state budget. Since 1988, the state’s prison population has more than doubled from about 1,500 prisoners to more than 3,500. Metts, the Providence senator, emphasized that Rhode Island residents need better schools and property tax relief instead of locking more teenagers up with Draconian minimum mandatory drug sentences. Metts, who is a minister and assistant principal at Central High School in Providence, said that teenagers make mistakes and should be given second chances -- not long-term prison sentences. “As a society, we have to give people a chance to redeem themselves,” he said. “Instead of more punishment, we need more love.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:14 PM | Comment Gasification plant headed to Brayton PointSOMERSET, Mass. -- A Massachusetts company is building a $25 million facility at the Brayton Point Station to research and test a process for turning coal and other biomass into clean natural gas. The town’s other power plant, Somerset Power LLC, is also planning to install a state-of-the-art gasification system, but it uses a different process to create a synthetic gas. The GreatPoint plant will use a catalyst to create pure methane and, as byproducts, carbon dioxide – a major contributor to global warming – and a small amount of solid “char,” which can be recovered. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery The process can be designed to trap the carbon dioxide, although nobody is sure what to do with it. Dominion is sponsoring research to see if the pollutant can be taken out of the environment by pumping it into coal seams in Southwest Virginia. If the technology is perfected, it could be widely embraced in an era of concern over global warming, high energy prices, and dramatic economic expansion in countries such as China. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said he and his staff want to make the Bay State a leader in clean energy technology. “If we get this right, and I believe we can because we have all the capabilities to do so,” he said, “then we can be a supplier to companies and industries all over the world.” The facility is expected to employ about 100 people, according to GreatPoint Energy, Inc., and take about one year to build. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:04 PM | Comment No verdict yet in case of mom accused of killing babyJurors did not reach a verdict today, their first day of deliberations in the murder trial of Kimberly A. Mawson. A former Warwick resident, Mawson, 37, is accused of killing her 19-month-old daughter, Jade, in 2002. Her trial began Oct. 16 in Superior Court, Warwick. Closing arguments were presented to the jury earlier today. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:33 PM | Comment Local business forum at RIC SaturdayLocal entrepreneurs looking for advice on how to grow their businesses may find some of what they need at Rhode Island College Saturday. Information on tax credits, loans, marketing and other tools for business will be available at Tools to Grow: The Mayor’s Small Business Resource Forum, hosted by Mayor David Cicilline. The forum is free and will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., at Rhode Island College in Alger Hall. For a list of agencies and departments who will be represented, click below. Experts from public, private and non-profit agencies will be on hand to answer questions and will include: The Small Business Administration Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:32 PM | Comment Skills you can use: Surviving a zombie attackIn the entirely imaginable event that the dead are reanimated and determined to eat your brains, what can you do to help ensure humanity lives on? Haven’t a clue, do you? That’s OK, Max Brooks does, and he’s willing to share his tips for surviving a possible zombie epidemic. Brooks, the author of The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead, is speaking tomorrow evening at Brown University. He’ll talk about the zombies place in contemporary media and pop culture in the first event of the Providence Zombie Film Festival. Brooks’ lecture, at Macmillan 117, on the corner of Thayer and George Streets, will likely be the most academic event of the festival, which will showcase zombie movies – such as Graveyard Alive: a Zombie Nurse in Love – Friday through Halloween at the Cable Car Cinema. In case you can’t make it, just a few tips from Brooks’ survival guide: 1. Organize before they rise! Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:58 PM | Comment Case of mom accused of killing child in jury's handsPROVIDENCE -- It may be counterintuitive to believe a mother would kill her daughter, Assistant Attorney General William Ferland told a jury today, but the day that 19-month-old Jade Mawson was fatally injured, “she needed her mother to be there for her,” he said. And when Kimberly Mawson’s former boyfriend called her to say her baby had collapsed and needed help, Ferland said, “She said, ‘Wait.'" Ferland presented the state’s closing arguments against Mawson, 37, who faces second-degree murder charges for the 2002 death of her daughter, Jade. The child died of blunt force trauma on Dec. 4, 2002, two days after arriving at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. He also addressed the defense’s assertions that Daniel Fusco, Mawson’s ex-boyfriend, killed the girl. Fusco, Ferland said, was not smart enough to get away with such a crime. In court last week, Fusco testified that he had initially lied to police about his whereabouts the day Jade was fatally injured because he was selling marijuana. The state offered him immunity from prosecution for that offense for his cooperation with the investigation. This Tuesday, Fusco was arrested at his home in West Warwick and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of cocaine after a search at his house, Det. Sgt. Mark Bennett said today. He is being held at the Adult Correction Institutions pending a bail hearing, Bennett said. After hearing closing arguments today, Mawson’s case is now in the hands of a jury in Superior Court, Warwick. They had been listening to testimony since last Wednesday. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson and Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:46 PM | Comment State gets $3 million to upgrade healthcareRhode Island has been awarded nearly $3 million in federal grants to help update its healthcare systems. More than $2.7 million will be used to strengthen the Medicaid system and reduce patient error rates using electronic health records, prescribing programs and other support tools. A second grant of $150,000, will help fund a study on the feasibility of creating a way to identify patients who can’t afford or get health insurance because of preexisting health conditions. In a statement today, Rep. Patrick Kennedy said health information technology was the key to making the healthcare system deliver the right care to the right people. “Not only does health IT provide affordable, quality care by streamlining health information and communication,” he said, “it helps save lives and save money while working to ensure that quality health care is available for everyone.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:32 PM | Comment NBC 10 announces new anchor/reporterChannel 10 WJAR announced today that Dan Jaehnig, who spent five years at Fox 25 in Boston, is returning to Channel 10 to co-anchor the 5 p.m. news with Patrice Wood and to report live weeknights for the 11 p.m. news anchored by Gene Valicenti and Wood. Jaehnig starts Oct. 29. The announcement, on the Channel 10 Web site, said Jaehnig worked at NBC 10 from 1998 to 2002 covering such stories as the Operation Plunder Dome investigation. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:03 PM | Comment Pawtucket man's child sex-assault conviction upheldThe state Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Pawtucket man sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison for first- and second-degree sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl. Armando Merced, 72, was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court in January 2006. In his appeal to the high court, Merced argued the trial judge erred by allowing certain testimony from a doctor that he claimed improperly bolstered the victim's testimony, according to the Supreme Court opinion's description. He also complained that the prosecution was allowed to ask leading questions. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:50 PM | Comment R.I. man to face sexual assault charge in Conn.NEW LONDON, Conn. -- A Rhode Island man who's a suspect in a sexual assault case in Connecticut has been extradited from Australia after three years on the run. State police say 42-year-old Ronald Whitewolf was brought back to the country by U.S. marshals, then picked up Wednesday by state troopers. Whitewolf was a resident of Rhode Island. He is facing charges in New London of failing to show up for court in 2004 and second-degree sexual assault. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:40 PM | Comment Drought advisory issued for Ocean StateThe state is issuing a drought advisory after months of below-average rainfall leaves Rhode Island at higher risk for forest fires and water shortages. An advisory is one step beyond normal on a five-step drought scale. After three months of below average rainfall, the Water Resources Board’s Drought Steering Committee is asking municipal officials and residents to closely track water use. “Although fall and winter months are not peak water use periods,” Juan Mariscal, general manager of the board said, “our concern is that this is the period of time when reservoirs and groundwater are recharged.” Over-use could lead to more severe droughts in the spring. He said this may be a good time for homeowners to assess their water systems and for cities and towns to "increase vigilance" regarding water use. More efficient plumbing fixtures can reduce waste and increase efficiency. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Rhode Island is ranked this week as D1, for "Drought - Moderate" on a scale that ranges from D0 for "abnormally dry" to D4 for "Drought - Exceptional." Click here to see a drought map for the state and to get to drought conditions around the country. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:33 PM | Comment Celts to play exhibition game at the DunkPROVIDENCE -- The Celtics will hold an exhibition game in Providence next fall for the first time in more than a decade, according to Lawrence J. Lepore, the executive director of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The arena managers are reserving several dates in October for the Celtics, Lepore said in an interview this morning. "It'd be great," he said said. "We'd sell out." The exhibition games are typically held in Worcester at the DCU Center. But last Friday, a game between the Celtics and New Jersey Nets was canceled at halftime because of condensation on the floor. That decision left some of the 10,625 fans in attendance booing and cursing, according to The Boston Globe. The next day, Leopore said, the Celtics called the Dunkin' Donuts Center to schedule a game for next year. --Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:20 PM | Comment Dancing with the Stars returns to Rhode IslandPROVIDENCE -- The ABC show Dancing with the Stars returns to Providence next year, and tickets are scheduled to go on sale next month. The program's road show is scheduled to come to the Dunkin' Donuts Center on February 9, 2008, Lawrence J. Lepore, the arena's executive director, said this morning at the monthly meeting of the arena's owner, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority. Tickets go on sale Nov. 5, nine days before the arena reopens after the most recent phase of a three-year renovation. "All in all, bookings are looking strong," Lepore said. Dancing with the Stars last came to Providence in February, giving ten local couples the chance to dance before a large audience. The next episode of the popular ballroom dancing show airs on ABC next Tuesday. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:17 PM | Comment Weather postpones opening of Iway portionPROVIDENCE -- The opening of a portion of the Iway to cars and trucks, which was slated for this Sunday afternoon, will be postponed a week because of this weekend's rain forecast, the state Department of Transportation announced today. The section is from Route 95 north to Route 195 east, and the new Providence River bridge. The Iway is also known as the Route 195 relocation project. “Aside from opening up the Iway to motorists, our main goal in this process is to minimize the impact to commuters,” Jerome F. Williams, the DOT director, said in the statement. “The only way to do this is to prepare with time and weather in mind and see if nature cooperates with us next weekend so we can open the road on Saturday or Sunday morning.” The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project, however, is still on for tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the Providence River Bridge.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Comment Defense rests in mom accused of baby's deathKimberly Mawson gave inconsistent testimony to the police and a grand jury which later indicted her for second-degree murder in the death of her baby daughter, her lawyer acknowledged. But lawyer Kevin Bristow said during closing arguments, years went by between 19-month-old Jade’s death, in 2002, and that testimony in 2005. The inconsistencies, he said, were immaterial. “What’s important is that when Kim learned about the 911 call, she doesn’t stop running to her daughter,” he told the jury at Superior Court, Warwick. “She doesn’t run away. She doesn’t run and get a lawyer. She doesn’t run to Boston or Connecticut.” And, as a rescue worker testified earlier, she ran out into the street to get them, “She was pointing at the house.” That was on Dec. 2, 2002. Two days later, Jade died. The official cause of death was blunt force trauma. Bristow returned to the theme of his opening statement last Tuesday, casting Mawson’s former boyfriend, Daniel Fusco, as the culprit. He told different stories to different people, Bristow said, and won’t be prosecuted for drug offenses he admitted to. The prosecution is set to give closing arguments next, and then the case will be handed to the jury. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:07 PM | Comment Papelbon's post-game steps impress the expert
We're talking about Papelbon's dancing, of course. Papelbon has delighted Red Sox fans with his pitching all season, and more recently, with his version of an Irish step dance to celebrate big victories, such as winning the American League pennant. So we requested a review of Papelbon's post-game moves from Terry Songini, a Sox fan and Irish dance expert who teaches at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland. "I was very impressed with his timing. It was spot on. Timing is very important in Irish step dancing," Songini wrote in an e-mail after watching Papelbon on videotape uploaded to YouTube. "He also appears to be light on his feet, making it easy for him to prance around doing heel to toe movements. He really did not do an actual traditional Irish step. I think if he took a class or two, he could pick it up very quickly. Go SOX." Posted by Jack Perry at 12:01 PM | Comment Mass. company to open plant in SomersetGreat Point Energy, of Cambridge, Mass., this morning announced its plan to build a $25 million coal gasification plant and research center at Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset. The plant will demonstrate for companies the technique for converting materials like coal and petroleum byproducts into natural gas. It is expected to create 100 jobs. Governor Deval Patrick was on hand for this morning's announcement. -- With reports from Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:23 AM | Comment Attorney: Judge denies Skakel's bid for a new trialNEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A judge denied Michael Skakel's bid for a new trial today, rejecting the latest startling claim that two other men committed a 1975 killing that sent the Kennedy cousin to prison, his attorney said. Stamford Superior Court Judge Edward R. Karazin Jr. ruled against Skakel based on a week of testimony in April. The ruling was to be released at 11 a.m. today. Attorney Hope Seeley said she was extremely disappointed, citing the quality of the evidence. "We believe Michael Skakel was wrongly convicted, and we will continue to pursue every legal avenue available to us," Seeley said. Those avenues include arguing that Skakel was ineffectively represented by his trial attorney, Michael "Mickey" Sherman. Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, is serving 20 years to life in prison after he was convicted in 2002 of fatally beating his 15-year-old neighbor Martha Moxley in Greenwich in 1975 with a golf club. -- The Associated Press To win a new trial, Skakel's attorneys had to prove that new evidence not available before his conviction could have changed the verdict. Prosecutor Susann Gill said she was pleased with the judge's decision. "The state is grateful to see that the judge didn't find anything in the petition that undermined the reliability of the jury's verdict," she said. Skakel sought a new trial based on Gitano "Tony" Bryant's claim that his two friends told him they got Moxley "caveman style." Bryant gave a videotaped statement to a Skakel investigator in 2003, but has since invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The two men he implicated have done the same. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Skakel's cousin, played a central role in investigating Bryant's claim and telling Skakel's attorneys about it. Prosecutors have said Bryant's claim is fabricated and that nobody saw him and his friends in the predominantly white, gated neighborhood the night of the murder. Bryant, who attended the same private school as Skakel, and one of the men he implicated are black; the other has been described as mixed race. But Skakel's attorneys said key parts of the claim were corroborated by others and that Skakel deserved a new trial. Bryant's claim was the latest twist in a case that was improbable from the start, with an unusual murder weapon in a wealthy New York City suburb where violent crime was rare. Skakel's family once owned Great Lakes Carbon, one of the world's largest privately held companies, but the family also had a history of troubled behavior. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:06 AM | Comment 3Q profits down for Journal parent Co.DALLAS -- Belo Corp., owner of The Providence Journal and projo.com, said today its third-quarter profit fell 2 percent on lower advertising sales and costs related to the spinoff of its newspaper group. The media company reported earnings slipped to $18.8 million, or 18 cents per share, from $19.2 million, or 19 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected net income of 20 cents per share. The current period's results included about $2.3 million, or a penny per share, in transaction costs related to the recently announced spinoff of its newspaper group. Revenue fell 3 percent to $364.3 million, from $376.4 million in the previous year. Analysts were looking for sales of $367.7 million. Newspaper group revenue fell 7.8 percent in the quarter, while television group revenue climbed 1.8 percent. The company said it expects to spin off the newspaper group in the first quarter of 2008. Belo expects fourth-quarter television group revenue to be down in the mid-single digits due to the absence of strong revenue achieved in the year-ago period in a political season. Newspaper group revenue is expected to be down consistent with the first nine months of the year, adjusting for one less Sunday in the quarter. Operating costs are anticipated to fall below the prior year after adjusting for charges related to the spinoff. Shares fell 32 cents to $18.21 at the open of trading. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 10:55 AM | Comment Did Rudy G. make a deal before backing the Sox?Comments by presidential candidate/Yankee fan/American League fan Rudolph W. Giuliani to the Providence Journal in June, in contrast to his recent words in New Hampshire that he will support the Red Sox in this World Series, have made a New York Times article today about less-than-pleased Yankees fans. While campaigning in the state just north of Massachusetts, Giuliani told reporters that he backs the American League, qualifying his support for the Sox in this series. "I'm an American League fan and I go with the American League team," he was quoted as saying. The Times article today said that Giuliani's "most revealing comment" on the subject of being a Yankee loyalist "was perhaps the answer he provided to The Providence Journal." Giuliani's comments, during a campaign fundraising stop in Providence, were in a piece by Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst, who asked about baseball among other topics. Giuliani was asked: If the devil said you can be president if you become a Red Sox fan, would you do it? "I'm a Yankee fan. My father made me a Yankee fan probably before I was born. I always believe it's a sign of my being straight with people, about not wanting to fool them, that I was one of the first mayors to be willing to say I was a Yankee fan. Most mayors pretended they rooted for both sides. I have great respect for Mets fans, Red Sox fans. I have great respect for people who really are fans of the team they say they are fans of. But probably that's a deal I could not make." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:30 AM | Comment Craig Price disciplined for incidents in Fla. prisonCraig C. Price, who was first locked up at age 15 for four Warwick murders in the 1980s, has been disciplined for two May incidents in a Florida prison in which he was accused of using a homemade weapon to assault another inmate. Price, who was moved to the Florida prison after requesting an out-of-state transfer, has had 50 days of "good time'' -- time that could be lopped off his prison time -- taken away as a result, according to Tracey Poole, spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. By law, inmates can accrue days of good time each month for good behavior or participation in certain programs. Loss of good time is calculated using a formula, Poole said. The incidents happened on May 21 and 22, Poole said. The other inmate was not seriously injured. Price may be in Florida but he came under Rhode Island corrections rules in determining what his discipline would be. Poole said Rhode Island has been told that Florida authorities are not at this time pressing charges. Price is now 32. In 1987, at age 13, he stabbed to death his Warwick neighbor, Rebecca Spencer. That crime was unsolved two years later when he killed Joan Heaton and her daughters, Jennifer and Melissa.
Two weeks later, the police arrested Price. He admitted to the killings and was sentenced to juvenile detention until his 21st birthday, the harshest penalty allowed at the time. But the state investigated ways to keep Price locked up. After screaming at a correctional officer in 1993, he was found guilty of making threats. The state also charged him with criminal contempt for refusing to take a court-ordered psychiatric exam. Those charges, and three fights in prison, have pushed his projected release date into 2022. Extra: Read the Journal's 2004 in-depth series about Craig C. Price. Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:15 AM | Comment Group pushes for end to mandatory drug sentencesA group will gather outside the State House this afternoon to push for a General Assembly override of Governor Carcieri's veto of legislation that would reduce mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes. The legislature passed H-5127 and S-207. The governor vetoed the bills on July 3. "House bill 5127 and its Senate companion bill 207 restores discretion to judges in drug releated cases so that judges can match people with a sentence that makes sense to their individual situation, and paves the way for more effective solutions like treatment and rehabilitation," said the news release from Direct Action for Rights & Equality. Supporters also argue the changes would bring down prison costs by freeing judges to divert people into drug treatment, which costs less than imprisonment and reduce what they say is prison crowding that strains the state budget. Carcieri's veto message, as described in a Journal article about a spate of vetoed bills the legislature may try to override, said state law currently allows judges so much discretion that minimums "exist more in theory than in reality." One section of the legislation would change the prison term of 10 to 50 years to a term that says up to 20 years. While the language of current law saying a person can also fined up to $500,000 would remain, the language saying not less than $10,000 would be removed, according to the bill. In another section, a sentence ranging from 20 years to life would be changed to up to 30 years. The fine of not more than $1 million would remain, but the not less than $25,000 would be removed. The different sections of the bills referred to the manufacturing, selling, possession, or intent to do those three things, for various quantities of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Direct Action for Rights & Equality said bill sponsors state Rep. Joseph S. Almeida, D-Providence, and Sen. Harold M. Metts, D-Providence, will join the community leaders at 4 p.m. on the Smith Street side of the State House. The DARE news release asserted that Rhode Island "is the only state in New England where an offender can receive a life sentence for possession and selling marijauana" and that the state's shortest mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years is twice that of other New England states. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 8:58 AM | Comment Vinny Paz's ex-fiancee scheduled for court todayThe ex-fiancee of former boxer Vinny Paz is scheduled to be in court today on a trespassing charge. The police have said Ashley P. Spencer, 26, of Elliot, Maine, -- who had previously accused Paz of assaulting her but then did not move ahead with the case -- threw a rock through a sliding glass door at Paz’s Tivoli Court home in Warwick on Oct. 16 while he was out of town. Neighbors called the police. Spencer was told not to return to the house, according to the police, but that night police and rescue personnel found her in a locked room in the house. She was charged with violating a no-trespassing order and released on $200 cash bail, the police have said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:47 AM | Comment New campsite reservation option, with fee, to beginA new online camp site reservation system will be available to campers beginning Nov. 14 at 9 a.m., the state Department of Environmental Management announced. A $9 fee per reservation will be required for online reservations and reservations made through the toll-free phone line will be charged a $10 service fee. People will be able to reserve sites at the state's five campgrounds online and by calling the reservation line, with the idea being campers can plan vacations in advance. Campsites may be reserved up to a year ahead at Fishermen's Memorial State Park Campground, Charlestown Breachway, East Beach, Burlingame State Park Campground, and George Washington Management Area Campground. Reservations may be made at www.riparks.com, or by calling toll-free 1-877-RICAMP5, the DEM news release said. Walk-in registration will still be accepted at the campgrounds for the day of arrival so long as sites available. There will be no service fee charged for walk-in registrations on the day of arrival at the campgrounds. There will be no increase in fees for renting a campground, which begins at $14 a night for state residents and $20 for non-residents. Campgrounds are open from April 15 through Oct. 31. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:41 AM | Comment Closing arguments in child-murder trial set for todayWARWICK -- Closing arguments are set for today in the child-murder trial of Kimberly A. Mawson after the defense called six witnesses to the stand yesterday following days of testimony from prosecution witnesses. Mawson, 37, formerly of Warwick, is accused of second-degree murder of her 19-month-old daughter Jade, who died on Dec. 4, 2002, two days after an ambulance took her to Hasbro Children's Hospital with a serious head injury. Judge Edwin Gale told Mawson in Kent Count Superior Court that she has the right to testify should she decide to this morning. The proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:02 AM | Comment Chance of rain during the day, with a high in the 50s
The unusual warmth of recent days gives way to something more like October today, with highs in the 50s in the forecast. The low is expected to be in the 40s. The forecast says there's an 80 percent chance of rain for the day, though you may already see the drops out there as you head for the morning commute. The National Weather Service said people should expected periods of showers, mainly before 9 a.m., and it put the high near 55 degrees. Northeast wind between 9 and 11 mph. Overall new rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible. Tonight should be mostly clear with a low around 42 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of the Red Sox' Game One World Series win and a photograph of winning pitcher Josh Beckett. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006