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January 2, 2008

Rescue heads to report of pedestrian hit in Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Rescue personnel have gone to Webster Avenue at Plainfield Street for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.

The call came in at 6:21 p.m. No other information was yet available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:48 PM | Comment

Tonight: Kwanzaa celebration, acoustic rock and swing

A Kwanzaa celebration is at 7 p.m. at St. Michael Church, 239 Oxford St., Providence.

The celebration is sponsored by the church and the Catholic diocese’s Office of Black Catholic Ministry. There will be music by the Diocesan Gospel Choir. Refreshments will be served.

In the clubs this evening, there is The Acoustic Outlaws, who play acoustic rock, at Olives, 108 North Main St., Providence, from 10 p.m to 1 a.m. and there is Loaded Dice and DJ Swing Daddy playing swing at the C.V. Club, 329 Grosvenor Ave., East Providence. The swing swings from 7 to 11 p.m and there is a dance lesson at 7:15 pm.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment

Robber in sunglasses, hood hits Cranston bank / Photo

CRANSTON -- A man disguised by a hat, hood, and sunglasses robbed the Citizens Bank Branch on Plainfield Pike today, getting away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police are investigating the robbery which occurred at about 2:45 p.m. According to Lt. Robert Quirk, the man did not show a weapon but demanded money from a teller. Police are not releasing the details of exactly what was said because of the pending investigation.

Quirk said the man was being in his late 20s, stocky and with a ruddy complexion and had disguised his identity with a black wig, gray hat and sunglasses. He was wearing dark sweatpants and a blue hooded sweatshirt.

After being handed a pouch with cash in it, the man was seen fleeing southbound through the bank parking lot. Police have released photos of the man captured by the bank’s security cameras and are asking anyone with any information to contact the detectives division at 477-5142 or 477-5000.

-- Journal staff writer Barbara Polichetti

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:34 PM | Comment

High court announces lead-paint appeals schedule

The state Supreme Court announced today it has scheduled oral arguments for May 15 in the various appeals stemming from the landmark lower-court decision that went against several companies that used to manufacture lead paint -- and the state's appeal of one company not being found responsible.

The high court announced the schedule of various tracks under which the appeal will be heard.

For tracks one, two and four -- liability, damages and contempt, respectively -- opening briefs and supporting information are due Jan. 31.Responsive briefs and supporting information are due March 17. Reply briefs are due April 16.

For track three -- the state's appeal of a verdict that did not fing against another paint company, ARCO -- the paintiff's opening brief is due Jan. 31.

ARCO's responsive brief/opening brief as cross-appellant is due March 17. The plaintiff's reply brief as appellant and its responsive brief as cross appellee are due April 16. ARCO's reply brief as cross appellant is due May 1.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:12 PM | Comment

Update: 3 people lose home in Woonsocket fire / Photo

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
Members of the Red Cross respond to the fire scene at 76 Larch St. in Woonsocket.

WOONSOCKET -- Three people were left homeless, but no one was hurt in a fire that severely damaged a Larch Street house today, Fire Chief Kenneth A. Finlay said.

State and local fire marshals were on the scene this evening still trying to determine the cause of the 11:30 a.m. fire at 76 Larch St.

Finlay said investigators were initially puzzled by the fire because the house had a conventional oil furnace for heat and the residents had not been using alternative heat sources, such as propane heaters, which are often the cause of house fires this time of year.

“We don’t have a specific cause yet,” Finlay said. “We’re still trying to nail it down.”

The Red Cross was helping the three residents find shelter and food, he said.

Only one person was home when the fire was reported at around 11:30 a.m. and got out safely, Finlay said. When firefighters arrived the saw “a large volume of fire and a large volume of smoke,” he said. The fire was brought under control about a half hour later.

Though the blaze was brought under control without any serious injury or incident, he said it took firefighters several hours more to be sure it was out. The two-story house is an old one that has been added on several times over the decades. It has many partitioned rooms with voids and spaces between walls that gave the fire places where it could still travel.

-- Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment

Traffic: Rte. 95S right shoulder at Exit 20 closed

PROVIDENCE -- An accident has closed the right shoulder on Route 95 south in the area of exit 20, the split for Route 195 east, the state Transportation Management Center advised at 4:45 p.m.

Check here for updates from the TMC.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:51 PM | Comment

R.I. dance instructor charged in rape of 15-year-old

A Rhode Island dance instructor was arrested at his home in Massachusetts last weekend and charged with raping a 15-year-old girl, authorities said today.

The instructor, Keith L. Sampson, 29, who had worked at Denise's Dance Studio in Johnston, was arrested soon after the police went to his home in South Easton, Mass., and found the alleged victim, said Easton Deputy Police Chief Allen R. Krajcik.

The girl, a student from a dance school in Rhode Island, was taken to Brockton Hospital where she was treated and later released, according to Krajcik. Krajcik said he was unable to specify the name of the particular Rhode Island dance school where the victim had been a student.

Sampson has worked at Denise’s Dance Studio at 80 Greenville Ave. in Johnston.

According to the police, Sampson brought the girl to his home at 34 Pinebrook Lane, in South Easton, gave her alcohol and then sexually assaulted her. The girl sent a text message to a friend in Rhode Island who reported the incident to Warwick police, Sampson said.

Easton police received word around 2:30 a.m. Saturday and immediately sent several officers to Sampson’s home, he said. Sampson was also charged with drugging an individual for the purpose of sexual intercourse.

The dance studio’s owner, Denise DiPippo, told Channel 12 that she was shocked to learn of Sampson’s involvement in the case.

“I’m a very concerned mom,” she said in a report posted on station’s Web site. “I teach each student like a mom would teach their own. Thirty years I’ve been in the business and this never happened to me. He fooled everyone. All the kids loved him and he turned out to be something he wasn’t. He put a false picture out to all these children. I hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else. I don’t ever want to see him again.”

Sampson was arraigned in Taunton District Court and held on $50,000 bail, Krajcik said.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds

Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 4:50 PM | Comment

Update: Fire strikes six-apartment house in Providence

Journal photo / Kris Craig
Providence firefighters work on the fire this afternoon at at 30 Pembroke Ave.

PROVIDENCE -- Fire heavily damaged a three-story, wood-frame apartment house on Pembroke Avenue this afternoon, destroying three of six units and leaving the building's 12 to 14 occupants without a home on a bitterly cold day.

It was not yet known how many people were in the 30 Pembroke Ave. building at the time of the fire, but no one was injured.

"I was so scared," said Anna Aguirre, 44, who lives in the building.

Aguirre said she got home from her work at AIDS Care Ocean State to find smoke and fire. She called 911 on her cell phone and started screaming at people to get out of the building. She ran to the window of her apartment, knocking on it to tell her 15-year-old son Juan to get out.

She could see an interior flashing alarm light from outside but said people seemed slow to come out.

The fire, which went to two alarms after the call came in at 3:22 p.m., began in the basement of the wood-frame with brick veneer building and shot to the roof, according to Assistant Fire Chief J. Curtis Varone. There was considerable smoke and water damage throughout, rendering the building uninhabitable.

One occupant told the fire department deputy assistant chief that he thought it was a false alarm because there had been a false alarm recently.

The Red Cross's Rhode Island chapter is helping the people who lived in the building with shelter, food and clothing.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:47 PM | Comment

Mass., R.I. have new way to track mortgage brokers

WASHINGTON -- Seven states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, today launched a standardized and mandatory process to more thoroughly license and track tens of thousands of mortgage brokers.

The effort could be expanded upon by Congressional Democrats, who are expected in 2008 to continue pushing for tighter national standards.

Mortgage brokers have come under scrutiny over the past year as home loan defaults grew and housing market troubles worsened. Experts say loose licensing standards made it easy for shady operators -- even those with criminal records -- to work in the business.

While mortgage regulations vary dramatically from one state to another, the new system creates a uniform application for mortgage brokers and a database that banking regulators, and eventually consumers, can use to track down brokers who try to work in one state after being banned from another. Consumers should have access by next year.

In addition to Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the initial states participating are Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska and New York. In total, 42 state agencies -- including those in Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico -- have committed to joining by the end of 2009,
The system is mandatory for brokers doing business in those states, and brokers can be penalized for operating without a license.

Read more about the licensing system in Rhode Island ...

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:44 PM | Comment

National Amusements buys Providence Place IMAX

Sixth-grader Malick Karmoko watches "Walking on the Moon" at the Feinstein IMAX Theatre in 2005.

PROVIDENCE -- IMAX Corp. has sold the Feinstein IMAX Theatre to National Amusements Inc., giving National Amusements control over both cinemas in the Providence Place mall.

The deal closed on Monday, according to Stephen Romanello, the theater's former director. The ownership change is expected to be announced tomorrow.

Spokesmen for both companies declined to comment today. In an e-mail, Sarah Gormley, a spokeswoman for IMAX Corp., headquartered in Toronto and New York City, said the company would not say what it was paid for the theater.

IMAX, a large-format film company, offers giant screens and 3-D experiences to movie goers. It designs and operates IMAX theatres and manufactures cameras and projectors. National
Amusements, a privately held company based in Dedham, Mass., operates more than 1,500 movie screens in the U.S., U.K., Latin America and Russia under the brands Showcase, Multiplex, Cinema de Lux and KinoStar.

National Amusements, the parent company of Viacom and CBS Corporation, also owns IMAX theaters in California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Buenos Aires.

IMAX operates more than 300 IMAX theatres in 40 countries. Half of those theaters are in movie houses, the rest are in museums, science centers and other educational facilities, according to the company.

The Feinstein IMAX Theatre is now playing "Sea Monsters 3D," "Beowulf" and "The Polar Express."

Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 4:39 PM | Comment

Ethics panel votes to prosecute Ciccone on 2 charges

PROVIDENCE -- The Ethics Commission voted today to prosecute state Sen. and union official Frank A. Ciccone III on two charges but dropped five other charges that his votes in the General Assembly amounted to an ethics violation because they benefited unions he works for.

The decision means that in at least some circumstances, union officials can support legislation that benefits their unions. But commission Chairman James Lynch Sr. said that "this is not a blanket endorsement," and that the commission will deal with future cases one at a time.

The charges the commission voted to prosecute relate to Ciccone's failure to publicly disclose his income from the Rhode Island Laborers' District Council of the Laborers International Union of North America, where he is president and a field representative, and the union's Local Union 808, where he is business manager.

The complaint also accused Ciccone, a Providence Democrat, of using his position on the Senate Government Oversight Committee to benefit his union by investigating GOP Governor Carcieri's administration's use of temporary employees to fill jobs that would otherwise go to union members.

The commission's staff report said its investigation, including watching 25 hours of videotaped committee hearings, found no indication Ciccone was working to replace temporary workers with union members, and the commission dropped that charge, too.

The main issue raised in the complaint, filed by the group Operation Clean Government, was a bill Ciccone sponsored, voted for in the Senate Labor Committee, and voted for again on the Senate floor.

The bill, which was passed by the Senate but died in the House, would have reduced the amount unions would pay toward the costs of mediation in disputes involving public employee unions, including some that Ciccone represented.

The commission ruled today that because the legislation would have affected more than 100 other bargaining units no differently than the nine Ciccone is involved with, his votes qualified for an exception that is part of the state Ethics Code. The commission has never said, and Lynch didn't say today, exactly how big a group of beneficiaries has to be to qualify for that exception.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:30 PM | Comment

Providence firefighters at fire on Pembroke Avenue

PROVIDENCE -- Firefighters and rescue personnel have gone to a two-alarm fire at 30 Pembroke Ave.

The call came in at 3:31 p.m., said James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:14 PM | Comment

Man agrees to plead to steroid charges in R.I.

A Florida man has agreed to plead guilty in U.S. District Court, Providence, to selling kits over the Internet that make anabolic steroids injectable.

Bryon Parker of Delray Beach allegedly grossed more than $900,000 in 2005 and 2006 by selling kits that convert anabolic steroids into an injectable type, federal authorities announced today.

He sold the kits to people in Rhode Island and elsewhere.

The criminal information was filed on Dec. 27 and Parker also agreed to plead guilty and to forfeit $250,000 that were proceeds of the sales, according to the announcement by U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente and Mark Dragonetti, resident agent in charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations.

Parker, 32, ran a business named Research Services LLC in West Palm Beach, Fla., the U.S. Attorney's office said. Through the business he ran a Web site, “researchlabsupply.com,” where he advertised for sale paraphernalia to be used to turn anabolic steroids from powder to an injectable liquid. The kits he sold included materials such as cottonseed or sesame oil, Ethyl Oleate, benzyl alcohol, sterile syringe filters, and glass bottles.

In 2005, according to the information, Research Services grossed $240,395. In 2006, gross sales reached $697,600.

The information calls for forfeiting the $250,000 in proceeds and identifies $219,067 seized by federal agents from accounts that Parker held. In the plea agreement, Parker concedes the forfeiture.

The maximum penalty for selling drug paraphernalia is three years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Parker is scheduled to appear for U.S. District Court arraignment on Jan. 10. He has not been arrested.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:18 PM | Comment

Ex-N. Kingstown manager named Cicilline's new top aide

PROVIDENCE -- Richard Kerbel, longtime town manager in North Kingstown, has been tapped as Providence’s newest chief of administration, filling the vacancy created by the recent departure of John Simmons.

Kerbel, 57, will take over as Mayor David N. Cicilline’s top aide immediately. Simmons left at the new year to head the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council.

Kerbel served as town manager in North Kingstown from 1993 to 2006, before leaving to serve a one-year stint as town manager in Coventry. He resigned abruptly from his Coventry position in August 2007 after butting heads with the Town Council over finances.

He lives in North Kingstown.

Kerbel, a native of Ardsley, N.Y., holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Tufts University and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado.

After a stint as an engineer for Boulder County, Colo., he enrolled at Texas A & M University, where he earned an engineering doctorate focusing on public works management. Before serving as North Kingstown's manager, Kerbel served as manager of Fallsburg, N.Y., and assistant manager of Rochester, N.Y.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:51 PM | Comment

Jury selection in smoke-shop case to begin Jan. 16

Jury selection in the trial of the seven Narragansett Indians charged when state police raided a tribal smoke shop will begin Jan. 16, with the trial to start six days later in Providence County Superior Court, according to a defense lawyer.

Jurors will tour the site of the roadside shop on tribal land on Route 2 in Charlestown at the trial’s outset. They will also see the American Legion building where state police staged the raid on July 14, 2003, said William P. Devereaux, who represents six of the Narragansetts.

In addition, Devereaux said he will submit briefs by the week’s end asking the state Supreme Court to reconsider its Dec. 21 decision that Governor Carcieri will not have to take the stand at trial.

The court found that the governor’s testimony was not relevant to the criminal cases because he was not on the scene when state police executed a court-issued search warrant on the smoke shop after the tribe began selling cigarettes without charging state taxes. The raid turned violent and Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and six other adult tribal members were arrested on a range of misdemeanor charges that include assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

The Supreme Court’s decision overturns a ruling by Judge Susan E. McGuirl that the governor must testify about the orders he gave to state police leading up to the raid.

The trial had been slated to begin Monday.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:30 PM | Comment

Nominations sought to honor emergency helpers

Nominations are being sought for the 2008 Rhode Island’s Hope Award, which was created in 2005 in honor of The Station nightclub fire victims, survivors and family members, the governor's office said today.

Nominations are being sought in two categories to recognize those who have acted above and beyond the call of duty during an emergency or tragedy. They are also open this year to Rhode Islanders who assisted in any tragedy or emergency situation, regardless of where the incident occurred.

In establishing the award, Governor Carcieri said it was a “meaningful way to annually recognize those who contributed so much during the tragedy" of The Station fire on Feb. 20, 2003, in Warwick, which killed 100 people and injured more than 200.”

This year, two awards will be presented. One is for the Outstanding Responder in a Crisis Situation, to recognize a person who responded selflessly to help others. The second is for the Outstanding Support Toward Recovery, to recognize a person who provided outstanding support to victims of tragic events and who have helped them put perspective and meaning to tragedy.

Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 25. A committee will review the nominations and determine the award winners. Governor Carcieri will present the awards at a State House ceremony in February.

A nomination form can be found www.governor.ri.gov or call Governor Carcieri’s Community Relations office at 222-2389. Nominations can be faxed to 222-8094 or mailed to Office of the Governor, State House, Room 112, Providence, RI 02903.

In past years, Governor Carcieri presented Rhode Island’s Anchor of Hope awards to James Paolucci, the owner of the Cowesett Inn in West Warwick; Victoria Potvin Eagan, the founder of the Station Family Fund; Cranston ARC employees Sam Martin, Le’Etta Jones, Johnson Omosefunmi, and Melissa Brousseau for their rescue efforts on behalf of a stranded motorists, and Friends Way Program Director Laurie Fitzgerald.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:17 PM | Comment

Web links help constituents follow Assembly's work

PROVIDENCE -- State lawmakers open day two of the legislative session later this afternoon, but the gavel falls simply to introduce bills this early in the session.

Keep score of the House and Senate bill introductions on the General Assembly Web site.

So far, among others, there's a House resolution calling for a special commission to examine the veterans home in Bristol and to come up with a plan to overhaul it. And there is an education bill named after the late Rep. Paul W. Crowley.

Not to mention a resolution proclaiming the second Tuesday in January "professional pet-assisted therapy awareness day."

Here is the House calendar for today -- one bill listed currently.

Tomorrow, the House Finance Committee is expected to focus on the governor's layoff proposal -- though the online agenda at the moment lists a court procedures bill and no other activities -- in a legislative session predicted to be consumed with a mounting budget deficit.

To scroll through the legislature's goings on, check out this link.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:49 PM | Comment

N.H. police find former Warwick girl, 14

The Nashua, N.H., police last night located a missing 14-year-old girl who had been staying at a Nashua shelter and who had lived in Warwick within the past year, the police said.

Heather S. Holmgren had been staying with her mother and siblings at the shelter for about three weeks before she was last seen at about 4 p.m. Dec. 21 in Nashua.

Today, the police said Heather had intentionally fled the shelter and had been staying with various acquaintances in the southern New Hampshire area. Heather was returned to her mother’s custody, the police said.

Before coming to Nashua, Heather had lived in Plymouth, N.H., for several months, and she had lived on Post Road in Warwick within the past year, the police said. The girl had run away in the past, the police said.

At midday yesterday, the police released a photograph of Heather, saying she might have traveled to Maine, New Jersey or Rhode Island. The police located Heather at 7 p.m. yesteday, but did not notify the Journal until today.

-- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:40 PM | Comment

Firefighters at blaze in Woonsocket neighborhood

WOONSOCKET -- Firefighters are at the scene of a fire burning at 76 Larch St., in a mostly residential neighborhood.

More details are not yet available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:56 AM | Comment

Update: Teen pleads not guilty to boating-death charges

PROVIDENCE -- Ryan Greenberg, of Barrington, pleaded not guilty this morning to four charges, including second-degree murder, in the boating death of Patrick Murphy on the Barrington River last July.

His brief Providence Superior Court arraignment came after a statewide grand jury handed up an indictment of the 17-year-old, adding the murder charge to previous allegations of operating a boat to endanger, death resulting; underage possession of alcohol; and refusing to take a breath test after he failed a field sobriety test.

He was released on $100,000 personal recognizance, ordered to undergo random drug screening, banned from operating any watercraft, and prohibited from traveling outside Rhode Island or Massachusetts.

He is due back in court on April 2 for a pre-trial hearing.

Greenberg, who remained outside the courtroom until his name was called, said little during the arraignment before Special Magistrate Joseph Keough.

Murphy's parents, John and Phoebe, watched the proceedings from the second row of Courtroom 9 and left immediately with Barrington police via a stairwell.

-- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Greenberg is one of the state's most high profile “gap kids.”

Although he is 17, Greenberg was charged as an adult after the General Assembly, in an effort to save money, changed the rules that determine which cases are handled by Family Court.

Despite reversing that decision after 131 days, youths such as Greenberg remain in the adult system.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:51 AM | Comment

State investigates death of psychiatric hospital patient

CRANSTON -- The state is investigating the death of a psychiatric patient at St. Joseph Hospital in Providence.

The patient died from injuries sustained in a fall off some furniture on Dec. 24.

The patient -- whose name has not been released -- was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and died two days later.

The Rhode Island Department of Health said it has requested all of the patient's medical records, but it said that it has not gotten all of them from St. Joseph.

A spokesman for the hospital says it reported the incident immediately to the proper agencies, including the Department of Health, and that it has launched an internal investigation.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:02 AM | Comment

Lane on Route 195 closed for construction

One lane of Route 195 will be closed until mid-afternoon today and again tomorrow for construction.

The left lane of Route 195 eastbound from Exit 3/Gano Street to Exit 4/US44 East will close until 3 p.m. today and again from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. tomorrow during road construction.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:56 AM | Comment

Parties to discuss delaying trial in smoke-shop case

Lawyers in the Narragansett Indian smoke-shop case are scheduled to meet this morning to discuss a possible delay in the trial, according to the state Attorney General's office.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 7, but Michael Healey, spokesman for the attorney general's office, last week said lawyers for the seven tribal members accused of scuffling with the state police are expected to seek a postponement.

Healey said the attorney general’s office might agree to a delay of a "week or two" but not "months and months."

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and six other defendants are charged with misdemeanor crimes ranging from assault to disorderly conduct. They were arrested four years ago when the state police raided a tribal smoke shop that was not collecting state taxes.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:50 AM | Comment

Providence men set for murder arriagnments today

Two Providence men are scheduled to be arraigned today in the murder and attempted robbery of a Fall River man.

Sylvester Moses, 20, and David Mello, 20, are accused of the Aug. 15 death of Marc Quintal, according to Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch.

The police say Quintal was in Providence looking to buy drugs, but that Moses and Mello set him up to be robbed. Quintal was shot in the back, according to the police.

Mello was arrested Aug. 24 in Providence, hiding under a bed. Moses turned himself in Aug. 30.

Each man faces one count of first-degree robbery; conspiracy to commit robbery; discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, death resulting; using a firearm while committing a crime of violence; and using a firearm while committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence. Both men also face a charge of carrying a pistol without a license.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:04 AM | Comment

Teen accused of setting off bomb outside Cape market

BARNSTABLE, Mass. -- A Cape Cod teenager faces charges after police say a homemade bomb went off outside a Barnstable supermarket.

A second, unexploded device that was found in the Shaw's parking lot last night was disabled by the state police, according to the Cape Cod Times. No injuries were reported.

Authorities described the bombs as soda bottles filled with a mixture of common household cleaning products that were purchased in the supermarket.

Hyannis Fire Department Lieutenant Thomas Kenney says the devices were made using instructions that were found on the popular Web site YouTube.

Eighteen-year-old Andrew Spalt was arrested at the scene and charged with possession of an explosive. He was due to be arraigned in Barnstable District Court today.

The police say two of Spalt's companions were questioned, but not charged.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:11 AM | Comment

Traffic Alert: Accident on Route 195

Route 195 westbound is backed up from Route 95 after an accident at about 6:30 this morning.

To check current traffic conditions, see the Transportation Management Center cameras.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:02 AM | Comment

Watch out for black ice, snow showers possible later

Yesterday's rain mixed with last night's freezing temperatures means lots of black ice on roads and sidewalks.

The state has issued an advisory warning of black ice on roads across the state.

As the day goes on, we may see snow showers with the National Weather Service forecasting a high temperature near 32 degrees and winds from the northwest gusting as high as 28 mph.

Another advisory for tonight when we can expect the temperature to drop to about 8 degrees and, wind chills, as cold as minus 10 degrees. North winds may gust as high as 32 mph.

Expect the sun to return tomorrow, but temperatures to reach just 18 degrees during the day and wind chill values in the negative single digits with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Check projo.com's closing/delays page to see which schools are giving parents extra time to get ready this morning.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a story on the Rhode Island General Assembly's first session for 2008, New Year's Day, and the big issues facing it, a projected budget deficit of $150 million this year and $450 million next year.

Download a copy of the front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment