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« November 23, 2007 | Today | November 27, 2007 » November 26, 2007Tonight: The dish on Julia Child, in East ProvidenceHurry over, if you're interested, to hear author/chef Nancy Verde Barr tonight when she will sign copies of her book on Julia Child, who popularized the television chef and brought French cooking to so many. The discussion and book signing is free and will be held at Weaver Library in East Providence at 7 p.m. The book is "Backstage with Julia." Barr, who was a longtime executive chef to Child, will talk about what it was like to work with her on her shows. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Comment Update: Solid start to holiday shopping seasonA lot of Americans spent money shopping during the four-day Thanksgiving period but they each spent a little less than last year, according to data compiled by market researchers, giving retailers a solid yet unconvincing start to the holiday season. While more people were out shopping, they spent less this year than last, an average of $347.55 versus $360.15 each last year, according to a joint survey by BIGresearch and the National Retail Federation. BIGresearch said 44.1 percent of those surveyed shopped over the four-day Thanksgiving period, up from 42.9 percent last year and 41.8 percent in 2005 and the NRF said 147 million people visited stores over the four-day period. The weekend activity was followed by a Monday expected to be one of the busiest online shopping days on record, though final tallies won’t be ready until later this week. “If there was any doubt that the consumers would be out there,” the weekend may have eased those worries, said Paul T. DeRoche, vice president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. “People were out there shopping.” Sales on the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, rose 8.3 percent to an estimated $10.3 billion, according to ShopperTrak RCT Corp. Americans still have a lot of spending to do if they are to eclipse predictions for a conservative retailing holiday, an outlook emphasized by a number of observers. The months of November and December are critical for retailers because, combined, they represent 20 percent of stores’ annual revenue. Today will be just as critical for retailers as the day after Thanksgiving, as one market research firm predicted it would be the largest online shopping day ever. The Monday after Thanksgiving even has its own marketing shorthand -- Cyber Monday -- because online sales spike after the long weekend. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi “Though Black Friday was a complete success for many retailers, the results of the holiday season won’t be determined until the last two weeks of December,” said NRF President Tracy Mullin in a statement. At least one Wall Street stock analyst agrees with Mullin. “We are at the beginning of the 32 days of up-and-down data with [profit] margins at the end of the key pre-Christmas selling days being as or more important than this first weekend,” Gary Balter, a Credit Suisse analyst wrote in a note to investors. While online sales were $531 million on Black Friday, according to ComScore Networks, sales today could surpass $700 million, making it the heaviest online spending day on record. (Actual sales figures won’t be available to later in the week at the earliest.) Spending preferences online are getting more and more like those people exhibit in stores, according to the analysts, as clothing becomes a popular item to hunt and purchase. Nearly half of all who shopped over Thanksgiving, 46.8 percent bought clothing or clothing accessories, while 41.7 percent said they bought books, CDs or other media products, according to the BIGresearch/National Retail Federation survey. Nearly, 26 percent bought consumer electronics or computer-related accessories. Electronics for years had reigned as the top Web search term during the holidays, but no more, according to an analyst with Yahoo! “Apparel is actually our top [search] category the last few years electronics has been a top category,” said Fiona Lake Waslander, director or Yahoo! Shopping, the Web portal. “It points to a broader audience shopping online.” “A lot of retailers are giving 60 to 65 percent off on clothes” sold online, said Kyle Langley, one reason electronics and toys may slip out of the top purchasing categories, Langley said. About 30 percent of consumers will shop today, according to Langley, senior research manager in the retail research group at Maritz. "Online retailers stepped up their promotions on Cyber Monday this year, and millions of consumers responded,” said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, the organization that coined the term. “If there was any doubt before, this year it is certain: Cyber Monday is a permanent fixture on the retail calendar,” Silverman said. Regardless of how much people spend online today, analysts expect the next two Mondays -- Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 -- to be bigger shopping days on the Web, as Americans take advantage of increasing price discounts and speedier shipping systems. Americans will spend about $637 each on holiday shopping, in all, online and elsewhere, according to St. Louis-based Maritz. The National Retail Federation expects Americans to spend $470.10 each on gifts this year and forecasts holiday shopping sales will rise 4 percent overall, to $474.4 billion. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:57 PM | Comment Traffic alert: Two accidents causing delaysIn Providence, an accident on Route 146 north in the area where it meets Branch Avenue this evening is causing traffic delays, the state Transportation Management Center cautions. In Pawtucket, an accident in the area of exit 29 on Route 95 north is causing delays as well, the TMC reports. That is the Broadway/Cottage Street exit. Check the status of the accidents and browse Webcam views of area highways at the TMC's Web site. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:34 PM | Comment Man who died after truck rollover in Exeter is identifiedThe Connecticut man who died Tuesday after his pickup truck rolled over in Exeter has been identified as George A. White, 53, of Andover, Conn., and the cause of death was a heart problem, authorities said. A spokeswoman at the Medical Examiner’s office said today that the cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia complicating arterial sclerotic hypertensive cardiovascular disease. State Police Capt. James Swanberg said today that alcohol was not a factor in the accident last Tuesday on Exeter Road, about half a mile from Route 2. He was not wearing a seatbelt. Rescue workers freed the unconscious man from the truck and took him to South County Hospital, where he was declared dead. He is survived by his parents, Frank Allen and Marion Theresa (Gagne) White of East Hartford, three sisters in Connecticut and six nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be tomorrow at 8:45 a.m. from the Newkirk & Whitney Funeral Home, 318 East Hartford, Conn., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Rose Church, 33 Church St., East Hartford and burial in Silver Lane Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made in his name to the Arthritis Foundation, Connecticut Chapter, 35 Cold Springs Road, Suite 411, Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3611 or Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center, c/o Hartford Hospital, Fund Development Office, 80 Seymour St. P.O. Box 5037, Hartford, CT, 06102-5037. -- Journal staff writer Donita Naylor Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:55 PM | Comment Providence taking a break on OT parking violationsPROVIDENCE -- In parts of the city this holiday season, people will catch a break from the bain of the parking meter: Overtime violations. Starting tomorrow and running through Jan. 1, no tickets for violations will be given at metered parking spaces or parking spaces with time limits, Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in these areas: * Downtown Providence -- bounded by Steeple Street, west to Route 95; Route 95 south to Route 195; Route 195 east to Point Street; Point Street to Wickenden Street; north on South Main to North Main Street at Steeple Street. Cars busting the time limits before the 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. cycle will be subject to ticketing. Mayor David N. Cicilline's office today announced the easing of ticketing for the holidays "aimed at making it easier for people to enjoy the excitement of Providence." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:52 PM | Comment Another R.I. Hospital doctor operates on the wrong sideA doctor at Rhode Island Hospital operated on the wrong side of a patient’s head on Friday, barely four months after a similar incident at the same hospital. The Health Department today fined the hospital $50,000, noting that this was third wrong-site surgery at the hospital this year, and the fourth in six years -- all involving neurosurgery. Friday’s surgery occurred at a patient’s bedside. The chief resident performed a procedure to remove blood that had pooled between the patient’s brain and skull on the left side. The resident, a doctor-in-training, began drilling a hole on the wrong side, realized the error, and completed the procedure on the correct side, the left. The hospital notified the Health Department on Friday, and a Health Department investigation determined that no staff member present during the procedure verified the site as dictated by hospital policy. “The repeated nature of these events suggests a system and culture problem with patient safety that needs to be addressed,” said a Health Department statement. The department ordered the hospital to have a fully licensed physician attend every neurosurgical procedure from beginning to end, and to require the operating physician to complete a checklist before starting. Read the Health Department's compliance order stemming from the incident. The previous incident, which occurred July 30, involved an emergency procedure in an operating room. An 86-year-old patient arrived at the hospital emergency room three days after a fall, and was found to have blood between his brain and skull. Neurosurgeon J. Frederick Harrington didn’t check the CT scans to see which side to work on, and instead relied on his memory. Harrington drilled into the wrong side of the patient’s head, realized his error, and immediately operated on the correct side. The patient died a week later. Read the Health Department's compliance order stemming from this incident. -- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:47 PM | Comment Suspect sought in afternoon Pawtucket bank robberyPAWTUCKET -- The police are seeking a man who robbed a Sovereign Bank on Main Street this afternoon after handing a teller a note that referred to a weapon and demanded money. The suspect is described as a white male, about 25 to 30 years old, 5-foot-8 to 6-feet tall, wearing a baseball cap with a logo on the front, glasses, and a dark jacket, according to a Pawtucket police news release. The suspect went into the the bank at 215 Main St. at about 2:40 p.m. and gave the teller a note. The police ask that anyone with information related to the robbery or identification of the suspect call Detective Donti Rosciti at (401) 727-9100, ext. 737. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:30 PM | Comment Three lead paint makers object to $2.4 billion cleanupPROVIDENCE -- Three former lead paint manufacturers are objecting to a proposal by the state that would force them to pay an estimated $2.4 billion to clean up roughly 240,000 homes contaminated with lead paint. The companies last year lost a public nuisance lawsuit brought by the state. But they say the state's proposal has serious legal problems and are asking a judge to strike it down. For instance, the companies say they don't have the authority to access properties contaminated with lead paint. They also say the clean-up plan can't cover individual homes since no evidence on specific properties was presented at trial. Jack McConnell, an attorney for the state, says the companies' arguments have already been rejected. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:24 PM | Comment Ex-bank manager faces sentencing in electronics scamA former Bank Rhode Island branch manager faces prison time for his part in a 2005 scam that put the Providence-based bank on the hook for more than $3 million in losses and left electronics distributors and others out millions more. A federal judge will sentence David Carpenter, 34, of Cranston, in April as a result of a guilty plea the former bank official made last week in federal court in Providence. During a hearing Wednesday before Judge William E. Smith in U.S. District Court, acknowledged that he accepted a bribe in exchange for helping defraud the bank of nearly $1 million -- the amount the bank lost before the fraud was discovered. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Providence called the job "significant motivation" for Carpenter's actions, while Carpenter's lawyer described him as being conned himself in a scheme that bilked nearly $15 million from people nationwide. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi The deposit letters assured other companies that Mixitforme.com had enough money in its accounts to pay for the goods it ordered from them. Banks issue letters of credit that serve as guarantees for payment to a specified person under pre-set conditions. With those documents in hand, the people who headed Mixitforme persuaded a California firm to ship consumer electronics products worth nearly $1.5 million either to the Providence company or directly to its customers. Carpenter went to work for Mixitforme in early November 2005 as its chief financial officer, a job that was to pay him $120,000 a year. The salary was about twice what he made as a bank branch manager, according to Jeffrey Pine, Carpenter’s lawyer. Bank Rhode Island officials learned of the unauthorized documents within days of Carpenter’s departure when eCost.com., of Torrance, Calif., wanted to get paid for the electronic gadgets it had shipped out, said Tom Connell, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney here. “A significant motivation was his desire to work for Mixitforme,” Connell said. The bank was forced to pay $1.5 million to eCost because of the financial commitments, though Bank Rhode Island later recovered $545,000 from Mixitforme. In a statement e-mailed to The Journal last week, the bank said it recovered $800,000 from an insurer, enough to cover some of the loss resulting from the incident. Carpenter has greed to pay the bank $945,605 as a result of a deal he made with federal authorities, according to federal court documents. He was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond and ordered him to remain in Rhode Island or Southeastern New England, unless he’s granted permission to travel elsewhere by a probation officer. Pine, his lawyer, portrayed Carpenter as an unwitting participant in a scheme that bilked nearly $15 million from people across the country. “His situation is very different from the other two individuals,” Pine said today, a reference to the two men who created Mixitforme.com. “He himself was conned. Carpenter, a husband and father of two, has another job, Pine said, but the lawyer refused to disclose where his client is employed. Carpenter is cooperating with federal authorities, Pine said, in their investigation into Mixitforme and the related activity of two men, Cory Johnson, of Warwick, and a second man, whose identity law enforcement officials have yet to clearly identify. Johnson was the owner of Mixitforme.com, which had an office at 275 Westminster St. The company imploded in early 2006 after law-enforcement officials raided its offices at 275 Westminster St. Agents from the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Service, state and Providence police seized business records and computer equipment during the raid in March 2006. A related business, Biggles Toys, also shut down as a result of the raid. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:54 PM | Comment Providence second-grader contracts MRSAPROVIDENCE -- A second-grade student at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School has contracted a drug-resistant staph bacteria called MRSA. Two weeks ago, a city school bus monitor was stricken with the so-called “superbug.” School spokeswoman Kim Rose said today that a parent informed the school this morning that her daughter had contracted the infection, known as methicillin-resistent staphylococcus aureus. The child was in class for less than 10 minutes before her parents took her home, and the Wickenden Street school temporarily moved her classmates while the original classroom was disinfected. Rose said that Vartan Gregorian parents are being sent a letter from the school department today, informing them of the incident. An automated phone message will inform parents of the situation tonight. Rose said that the child will be allowed back in the classroom as long as the wound is covered and her doctor has indicated that it is OK for her to return to school. No additional precautions are necessary, Rose said, because MRSA is transmitted primarily through skin-to-skin contact and contact with infected surfaces. Covering the cuts or lesions greatly reduces the risks of surfaces becoming contaminated with the infection. No one knows how many cases of MRSA have occurred in Rhode Island’s public schools because the state Department of Health does not require that the infection be reported. But Andrea Bagnall Degoss, a health department spokeswoman, said the infection is so common that this is probably not the first case in the state’s public school system. “It is serious,” she said today, “but it also can be treated and it can be prevented by using good personal hygiene. Students don’t need to stay out of school.” -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg The health department is working with the state Department of Education to educate school maintenance staff about what procedures should be followed when a case of MRSA is reported. The Providence School Department asks that parents contact the school if their child has contracted the infection. On Nov. 10, a bus monitor, who had a rash on her leg, notified the school department that she had become infected with MRSA, and the bus was sanitized. And last month, seven inmates from the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston, contracted the infection. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:41 PM | Comment TPI Composites, in R.I., plans Iowa wind turbine factoryNEWTON, Iowa -- A Rhode Island company has announced plans to build a factory in Newton, Iowa, and employ 500 workers over the next three years. TPI Composites Inc. will begin construction next week on a 316,000-square-foot wind turbine blade factory. The plant will make blades for General Electric Energy's 15-megawatt wind turbines. GE Energy says it has 6,500 of the turbines installed, making it 1 of the most popular units used today. TPI chief executive Steven Lockard says the company's facility on 33 acres near a new biodiesel plant in Newton will make turbine blades up to 150 feet long and weighing up to 20,000 pounds. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:57 PM | Comment Holiday shopping, the old-fashioned way / Photo
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:54 PM | Comment Coast Guard tows Fall River boat out of storm's pathThe Coast Guard is towing a disabled Fall River, Mass., fishing boat with six people aboard to get it out of the path of an approaching storm. The McKinley, a 94-foot lobster boat, was about 125 miles southeast of Nantucket, Mass., a Coast Guard news release said this afternoon. The vessel contacted Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England around 10:20 last night -- after the vessel's engines failed -- and asked for assistance because of the upcoming storm. The Coast Guard sent a request by marine radio for vessels in the area to assist the McKinley, but none responded. With a gale warning in effect, the National Weather Service forecasts 30 to 40-knot winds with seas reaching 14 to 19 feet tonight. Coast Guard shore units are issuing safety broadcasts via VHF/FM radio to inform mariners of the approaching storm. Additionally, an HU-25 Falcon jet from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod is providing storm information to off-shore mariners. A Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma boarding team, out of Kittery, Maine, boarded the McKinley to do a safety inspection and to help the crew with repairs. The cutter's crew was unable to quickly repair the engines, and the cutter is now towing the McKinley. "With the upcoming severe weather, the McKinley did the best thing by calling the Coast Guard for assistance," Lt. Andrew Madjeska, a search and rescue controller with the Coast Guard in Boston, said in the statement. "The ocean can be a very unforgiving place when the weather gets that severe." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:47 PM | Comment Student arrested after handgun found at Hope highPROVIDENCE — The police arrested a Hope High School student last week after school officials found a loaded handgun in his locker. According to the police, the officer on duty at the high school received information from an anonymous source that several students had brought handguns to school. After finding out the names of the students involved, the police contacted Principal Arthur Petrosinelli, one of three principals at the school, and asked him if the students were in school. Petronsinelli told the police that two of the youths were present and that one of the vice principals would conduct a search of the lockers of the students in question. During the search, Vice Principal Robert Dimuccio found a fully loaded silver handgun and a small silver pocket knife in the pocket of the suspect’s coat. The police, accompanied by high school administrators, went to the student’s classroom, handcuffed him and escorted him to the student referral office. After informing the student of his rights, the student confirmed that the gun was his and said he brought it to school for protection from a fellow Hope student. The suspect was taken to the police station and charged with possession of a handgun and possession of a handgun on school grounds. He was held at the Rhode Island Training Center until the next session of Family Court. The student’s name was not released by the police because he is a minor. -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:12 PM | Comment Man charged with buying booze for teens at Bristol partyA 21-year-old Warren man was arrested and charged with buying alcohol for a minor after a teenager at a Bristol house party identified him to police. Kevin Toste on Friday pleaded not guilty in Providence District Court and was released on $1,000 personal recognizance. More than two dozen La Salle Academy students were suspended for attending the party. According to a Warren police report, the 17-year-old host of the party, who turned 18 at midnight, told the Bristol police that she had asked Toste to buy alcohol for the party. -- Brandie M. Jefferson with Journal archive reports She went to Toste’s house, according to the report, gave him $85 and waited at his house until he returned with the alcohol. According to the report, when Toste returned, he put the alcohol in the teenager's car. Police arrived at the party, on Nov. 11, at 11 p.m. after neighbors complained of noise at the house. When they arrived at the house on Mulberry Road, in Bristol, officers said they found teenagers with alcohol. The 17-year-old who lived in the house was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol before she turned 21. That’s when, according to the Warren police report, she told authorities that Toste bought the alcohol. Bristol police contacted Warren police, who contacted Toste. According to the report, Toste said he knew 17-year-old was under age. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 3. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:53 PM | Comment 2nd trial set for January in murder of teacher's aideWARWICK -- A new trial date of Jan. 7 has been set for James Richardson, the 40-year-old Cranston man accused of murdering Margaret Duffy-Stephenson in her Warwick home in November 2005. Richardson's first trial for first-degree murder, which lasted a month, ended on June 27 in a mistrial when a Superior Court jury was unable to reach a verdict. The new trial will be in the Kent County Court House, Superior Court, as was the first trial. Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. will again hear the case. Lawyers from the public defender's office and the attorney general's office have been meeting for the past few months at Kent County Court House for status conferences to decide upon a new trial date, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the attorney general’s office. Richardson is accused of fatally stabbing Duffy-Stephenson, 37, in her home and stealing $11,000 from a locked safe. She was a teacher's aide in East Greenwich for special-needs students. Richardson worked for a landscaping business operated by Duffy-Stephenson's husband, James O. Stephenson III. In Richardson's first trial, the jury deliberated for 3½ days, considering testimony by more than 20 witnesses and scores of evidence. On June 27, they told Darigan that they could not agree on a verdict on the charges of first-degree murder and burglary. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:37 PM | Comment Update: Stabbing-death case sent to Superior CourtWARWICK -- A Superior Court judge will hear the case of a man charged earlier this month with the stabbing death of a 66-year-old man over a debt. Judge Elaine T. Bucci decided this morning in District Court, Warwick, to transfer the matter to Superior Court. Robert E. Payette, 45, of West Warwick, arrested on Nov. 11 on a charge of first-degree murder, was scheduled for a bail hearing today in District Court. Payette did not appear this morning. He remains at the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston, without bail. Police said they found the body of Ronald Dufour, allegedly stabbed by Payette, in a ravine that leads to the Pawtuxet River. Police say Dufour was stabbed several times after a dispute concerning a small debt that he owed Payette. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:17 PM | Comment Downed wire causing outages on East SidePROVIDENCE -- About 210 National Grid customers on the city's East Side are currently without power, down from about 2,180 customers at 11:30 a.m., after a wire came down from a pole on Gano Street, National Grid spokesman David Graves said. The downed wire had knocked out service to portions of Fox Point and the East Side. It looks as though 60 to 70 customers in the immediate area of the affected pole/wire are expected to be without service for about three hours. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:11 PM | Comment State EDC will name first recipients of new tax creditPROVIDENCE -- The state Economic Development Corporation will name the first recipients of a new tax credit today, giving out as much as $600,000 in credits to companies that have promised to create high-wage jobs. The initiative, announced in June, offers up to $100,000 to investors who bet on small companies in so-called innovation-based industries. Those include biotech, information technology, financial services, marine and defense manufacturing and several others. The first six applicants are Bionica Corporation, Lighthouse Security Group, Ocean State Solutions, Providence Health Solutions, Public Display and Tizra, according to state records. The EDC board will review the applications today at 4 p.m. at 315 Iron Horse Way, off Valley Street. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:28 PM | Comment Reed: Checks and balances needed on presidentPROVIDENCE -- This morning, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed decried President Bush’s attempts to “disrupt the balance of powers” between the three branches of government, telling a lawyers' group that the president is using “dubious constitutional theories” to exert his authority unchecked by Congress. Bush “has taken the notion of separation of powers, which I think is an idea that has proved its worth over several centuries, and tried to eviscerate it,” Reed said as he and fellow Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse spoke to the Federal Bar Association’s Rhode Island chapter during a breakfast meeting at the Providence Biltmore Hotel. After three administrations and 16 years in Washington, D.C., Reed said he is struck by the various means that Bush, a Republican, has used to extend his authority. Since 2001, Bush has used 152 “signing statements” to reserve the right to ignore or reinterpret measures that he has signed into law, Reed said. Also, Bush has used executive orders and legal opinions to assert his power, and he has ignored “bona fide” requests from Congress for information, he said. “All of these I think raise the serious question of where is the executive going,” Reed said. “I believe that we need serious checks and balances on the president. I think it’s not only just to demonstrate the prerogative of the Congress, but also it provides, I think, for much better government.” Reed said he hopes that members of the administration are beginning to realize that congressional oversight can be a help and not a hindrance. “One of the sad facts of the whole operation in Iraq is that there was no serious congressional review of the any of the plans for occupation,” Reed said. “The Congress -- the Republican Congress -- was simply supine. And as a result, there was no plan.” -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:17 PM | Comment Shopping this CyberMonday? Wait until laterWhile CyberMonday may be more of a marketing term than a reality, there's no doubt that some will take to the keyboard today for holiday shopping. If you're among those planning to do so, you might want to wait until after lunch. Research shows that the online sales spike at midday, when many workers are on break. Heavy traffic to a site could slow service. Or not. But this writer finds the best bet for any online work requiring responses could be the middle of the night, when, with luck, at least the East Coast is asleep. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:05 PM | Comment Free flu clinics will test emergency systemLincoln, North Kingstown and West Warwick will hold influenza clinics this week and next to test methods for administering vaccinations in an emergency. The clinics are designed as tests of the Emergency Vaccination Dispensing Systems, while offering free vaccinations to the public. Each town has developed a “Point of Dispensing” plan that involves security, staffing, communications and accommodations for people with special needs while at the same time efficiently dispensing vaccines. “These clinics provide an excellent opportunity,” state Director of Health David Gifford said in a statement, “not only to vaccinate people against flu this season, but to test how things might run if we needed to vaccinate many people quickly, in their own city or town, during a flu pandemic or other public health emergency.” The North Kingstown clinic will run Wednesday at North Kingstown High School from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Lincoln clinic will run Sat., Dec. 1 at Lincoln High School from 9 a.m. to noon. The West Warwick clinic will run Dec. 4 at the West Warwick Teen Center from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Participants need a photo ID and health insurance information if applicable. Participants younger than 18 will need to bring a guardian. For more information, click below. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson If you cannot make one of the clinics, visit your primary care physician or call the Department of Health’s flu hot line at 800-555-7858. An operator will help callers find a place to get a vaccination. The Department of Health also has these recommendations to prevent the spread of the flu virus; they are good practice all year long: Wash your hands often with soap and water. Teach children the same healthy habits. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze. Use a tissue or your arm -- not your hands. Throw away used tissues right away. If you are sick, stay home from work, school, childcare and errands. Stay away from people who are sick. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:07 AM | Comment Smooth holiday travel? Not todayATLANTA -- Articles last week about painless holiday travel seemed too good to be true; and maybe they were. Rain and fog in the East have been delaying some passengers today as they head home following a Thanksgiving weekend of turkey, football and holiday shopping. The longest delays have been at New York's LaGuardia airport, where AirTran Airways has had delays of up to three hours for departing flights. At T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, a few flights are listed as canceled as of 11 a.m. today. An AirTran spokesman says flights out of Philadelphia have been backed up by nearly two hours. And Delta Air Lines is expecting delays in the Northeast, especially in Boston and New York. Delays were also being reported in Atlanta, where last night rain and fog delayed some incoming flights more than two hours. In Chicago, rain and fog have been causing minor delays at O'Hare Airport, threatening to cause problems for travelers during one of the airport's busiest days of the season. -- The Associated Press with projo.com reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:57 AM | Comment Man accused of setting his house afire due in courtA Charlestown man accused of setting his house on fire, fleeing the scene, and resisting arrest upon returning to his burning home is due to be arraigned today in Washington County Superior Court. More than 50 firefighters responded to the July 3 fire where they find the single-story brick house engulfed. Police Lt. Jack Shippee said witnesses reported hearing arguing before the fire, and possibly "a threat to burn the house down." As firefighters worked on the blaze, Shippee said, Perkins drove back to the house and appeared intoxicated. When officers tried to get him out of the car, Shippee said, Perkins allegedly put it into reverse, striking an officer. He faces two felony charges: first degree arson and assault. Perkins was also charged with resisting arrest. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:53 AM | Comment Gas prices unchanged after five-week riseAfter increasing for five straight weeks, gasoline prices in Rhode Island were unchanged last week, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is still $3.079 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. That's 40 cents more than drivers were paying six weeks ago. Rhode Islanders are paying one cent less than the national average of $3.089. AAA found a range of 16 cents between the lowest and highest prices, $3.039 to $3.199, in its survey. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:40 AM | Comment 2nd man faces murder charge in double shootingThe second of two men accused of killing a woman and shooting another who threatened to implicate one of them in a drug case is due in court today. In the summer of 2006, 24-year-old Jessica Imran was killed in her Pawtucket apartment. Police say Alonzo P. Shelton and his nephew, Barry Offley, of Woonsocket, killed her while looking for Julie Lang. Shelton, of Central Falls, was convicted in May of this year in Imran’s murder. He was sentenced to 72 years. Offley’s trial is scheduled to begin this morning in Superior Court, Providence. -- With Journal archive reports Both men were arrested in Florida last year. Lang was also shot, but she survived and testified that the two men wanted to kill her because she would not take the blame for a drug possession charge. In Shelton’s trial, Lang testified that she wanted Shelton to confess that the crack cocaine found in her bag when her car was stopped by police belonged to him. Shelton, who was on probation, refused to do so. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:28 AM | Comment Suspect in West End murder goes to courtThe trial for a 28-year-old Elmhurst-area man accused of murder is scheduled to begin today in Superior Court, Providence. Police say Tracey Barros killed Deivy Jose Felipe, a West End man who was found dead at the wheel of his car in April 2005. Felipe had been shot several times, according to a police report. At the time of Barros’ arrest in late December, 2005, Providence police Maj. Stephen Campbell said Felipe and Barros were involved in “a drug transaction that had gone bad.” Barros faces the murder charge, as well as a charge of carrying an unlicensed pistol, and two counts of violating the terms of previous suspended sentenced. -- with Journal staff reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:04 AM | Comment Another excuse to shop?NEW YORK -- Online retailers expect that people booting up their work computers after a long weekend might be doing some Internet shopping. The National Retail Federation labels the Monday after Thanksgiving "Cyber Monday" and a number of e-tailers are hosting one-day sales or making special offers for the occasion. More are offering free shipping this year with no conditions, such as a minimum purchase. According to a press release, the retail organization coined the term after noticing a trend in online shopping that begins the Monday after Thanksgiving. Early estimates are that online sales got off to a rousing start on Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Forrester Research expects Americans to spend $33 billion dollars online during the holidays this year. Another research firm, ShopperTrak, says overall retail sales Friday and Saturday combined were up more than seven percent from the same two-day period a year ago. -- The Associated Press, with Journal archive reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:40 AM | Comment Connecticut going high-tech with dam safetyHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- If a major rain storm soaks Connecticut, Wes Marsh will soon know with a click of a mouse or a text message on his cell phone whether any of the 234 dams owned by the Department of Environmental Protection are in trouble. After spending 26 years with the state's dam safety division, often trekking through the woods and climbing around dams to look for problems, Marsh will be able to use a new high-tech system to help him quickly identify which dams pose the greatest public safety threat. "There's actual alarms that will be tripped when rainfall amounts or stream fall are exceeded," Marsh said. "You will know what dams will not need to be looked at." Connecticut is the first state in the country to use DamWatch, a system invented by USEngineering Solutions Corp. in Hartford, to monitor the DEP-owned dams. The system is expected to be fully operation by early 2008. A 2005 investigation by The Associated Press found many dams in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut were not inspected as often as they should have been, and some went years without repairs. In many cases, private owners were reluctant to shoulder repair costs or couldn't afford to. In others, the government was unable to act or unwilling to spend the money. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:03 AM | Comment New gun-tracing technology demo todayPROVIDENCE -- It sounds like something out of Blade Runner. But a new technology that allows the police to link a bullet casing to the exact gun from which it was fired will be demonstrated to the media today. Known as microstamping, it can trace a bullet casing to the make, model and serial number of the weapon, Mayor David N. Cicilline's office said in a news release. Cicilline, Rhode Island congressmen, state lawmakers, Providence Police Chief Dean M. Esserman and other law enforcement representatives will join forensic experts for the demonstration scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Providence Public Safety Complex, 325 Washington St. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 AM | Comment Guard members to leave for AfghanistanCRANSTON -- Sixteen members of the Rhode Island Army National Guard will be deploying to Afghanistan to help train Afghani soldiers on combat infantry tactics. They'll be honored in a ceremony tonight at Camp Fogarty in East Greenwich and will head out tomorrow. Nearly 140 members of a military police company are currently in Iraq. An additional 175 members of an artillery brigade are training in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and are preparing to deploy for Iraq. Most of the Guardsmen deploying to Afghanistan next week have been previously sent to either that country or to Iraq. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Heavy rain with a chance for floodingThe weather's not just gloomy, it could be hazardous. That's according to the National Weather Service, which has issued a hazardous weather watch, warning of heavy rains and spot flooding throughout the day. Temperatures should reach the high 40s, and in all, we could see two inches of rain. The temperature should hold in the high 40s overnight; rain is expected to continue accompanied by fog and southwest winds that may gust up to 35 mph. Tomorrow will bring cloudy skies and a chance of rain in the morning, but the clouds may roll out, giving way to a sunny afternoon with a high temperature in the mid 50s. The temperature will drop in the afternoon, however, into the 40s with west winds gusting up to 30 mph. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Download today's front pageThe 14-year-old who died at a Providence Bruins hockey game and a story about the long drive home are featured on today's front page. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006