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January 4, 2008

Providence youth, 16, charged with shooting man

PROVIDENCE -- The police have charged a 16-year-old South Providence youth who has a lengthy juvenile court record in the shooting of a man outside an Asian restaurant Thursday afternoon.

The alleged victim was identified today as Donique Dupree Jordon of 21 Laban St., which is in the Silver Lake area of the city. Maj. Stephen Campbell said his condition at Rhode Island Hospital had been upgraded from critical to serious.

Campbell said the police found the suspect at a house at 23 Rodman St., Elmwood, as he was hurriedly undoing his cornrow braids in an attempt to alter his appearance. When his mug shot was taken at police headquarters, half of his head was still in cornrows.

The major lauded two detectives, Angelo A’Vant and Detective Sgt. William Dwyer Jr., for “a pretty good piece of work,” identifying the suspect and having him apprehended so quickly that he could not disguise himself.

The suspect was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and was taken to Family Court, where a judge ordered that he be held at the Rhode Island Training School.

According to the police, Jordon and the youth had fought recently. The youth spotted Jordon inside Yang’s restaurant, at 924 Broad St., South Providence, where Jordon was waiting for a takeout order, rapped on the window and beckoned Jordon to come outside.

Jordon did, and the youth shot him at least twice. Jordon collapsed on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, according to Campbell.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:18 PM | Comment

Tonight: Catch a club show or the boat show

There's still an hour to catch the 15th annual Providence Boat Show tonight, in which 240 exhibitors and 300 boats are expected at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Hours today are until 8 p.m. (If you have plans tonight, you can also catch it tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Tickets are $12 for adults but free for children age 12 and under when accompanied by an adult. Call (401) 846-1115 or go to Providenceboatshow.com.

There's plenty of time to see a show tonight.

Lolita Black play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call (401) 831-9327. 9 p.m. $6. All ages.

Brickpark play rock at Olives, 108 North Main St., Providence. 751-1200. 10 p.m to 2 a.m. Cover varies.

Steve Burke plays jazz at Li'l Bear Lounge, 983 Main Rd., Tiverton. Call (401) 624-9164. 5 to 9 p.m.

Debbie Davies plays the blues at Chan's Restaurant, 267 Main St., Woonsocket. Call (401) 765-1900. 8, 10 p.m. $12 early show; $10 late show; $15 both shows.

Mean Carlene plays blues at Newport Blues Cafe, 286 Thames St., Newport. Call (401) 841-5510, www.newportblues.com. 9 p.m.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Comment

Two-alarm fire burns in three-story building in Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Firefighters have been at the scene of a blaze on the second and third floors of a three-story building at 102 Laura St. this evening.

The fire --- in the Elmwood section of the city -- escalated to a second alarm, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

No further details were available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:59 PM | Comment

Update: Bill calls for monitoring drunken drivers' sweat

If a bill in the General Assembly becomes Rhode Island law, judges would have discretion to see that someone who drinks and drives could not simply sweat off a conviction.

Instead, the sentencing judge would have the option of requiring a person to wear a monitoring device that randomly tests the person's sweat for alcohol content. The proposal would apply to a person who is found guilty, pleads guilty or pleads no contest to driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated.

"The device shall have the capability of sending the results in real time to the monitor of the device regardless of the wearer's location," the legislation says. The device would alert the probation office that the person is drinking alcohol while under the provisions of a court sentence.

Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, D-Warwick, who is the bill's prime sponsor, said in an interview his main motivation for introducing the bill is to improve highway safety. It would also give judges another tool to use, at their discretion, in sentencing someone. And, he said, it could help people struggling with substance abuse, allowing them "to be able to regain their licensing" after suspension.

Currently, McNamara said, a law on the books says a judge can order someone to use an ignition interlock device, in which a person blows into it to prove he or she hasn't been drinking. But the problem with that is a person can conceivably ask a family member or other person to breathe into it for him or her, McNamara said.

The bill was introduced yesterday, day three of the legislative session, and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The person wearing the device would be responsible for costs associated with wearing and monitoring it.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:30 PM | Comment

Woman accused of severing parrot's foot is found dead

WARWICK -- Pamela Worden, the woman accused of stealing a baby parrot and cutting off its foot to remove an identification band in May, was found dead on Dec. 23 at her home. She was 57.

Worden, of 911 Toll Gate Rd., was scheduled to be in Kent County District Court today for a trial calendar call. She was charged with a felony charge of possession of stolen goods and a misdemeanor count of cruelty to an animal.

Worden went to her room to lay down around 10 a.m. on Dec. 22, and never woke up. Her roommate, Robert Patton, 80, found her the next morning, fully clothed and still wearing her make-up, lying in her bed, he told the police.

The state medical examiner listed her cause of death as acute intoxication due to the combined effects of opiates and benzodiazepines (depressants). According to the police, Worden was prescribed a number of medications, an opiate -- Avinza, a pain medication that releases continuous doses of morphine -- and the depressants Flurazapam and Alprazolam. It did not appear that Worden overused the drugs, the police said.

The number listed to Worden’s Warwick home is disconnected.

David A. Holden, director of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, heard about Worden’s death yesterday when he went to observe the court proceedings.

“We were prepared to assist in any way in the trial,” Holden said. “I’m sorry that the defendant died and for her family. We were still willing to go forward in any way we could.”

The attorney general’s office got the news last week, said spokeswoman Beryl Kenyon. The charges against Worden will be dismissed once a death certificate is issued.

“This has been an unusual case all along,” Kenyon said. “But usually we have some sort of resolution.”

In May, the police said Worden walked into the Petco store on Bald Hill Road and asked about buying a parrot. She held the bird and told employees about a similar bird she bought at another store. Worden reportedly continued shopping, according to the police, and the clerk noticed the bird was missing minutes later. Employees traced the purchase Worden made at the other store and gave her contact information to the police.

Officers found two birds when they entered Worden’s apartment this summer. One was missing a foot a bleeding; the amputated limb, the bird’s identification band and a pair of scissors sat on the counter nearby.

The bird was taken to an avian specialist in East Greenwich has since been adopted to a good home, said Scott W. Brady, manager at Petco. After the bird’s surgery, it came back to the store for observation. More than 1,000 people expressed interest in adopting the bird, Brady said. The bird was placed in a home three weeks after the operation.

“We just did a few interviews to see who had birds before and took the best person from that,” Brady said. “It worked out well.”

-- Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:25 PM | Comment

Update: Firefighters at building fire in Providence / Photo

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Providence firefighters work to put out a fire at 598 Charles St., Providence, this afternoon in a three-story, wood-frame building.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:18 PM | Comment

Update: Car goes into water; woman gets out on own

EAST PROVIDENCE -- Fire department rescuers pulled a car out of water off Veterans Memorial Parkway this afternoon, and a woman, who had gotten out of the car on her own, was treated on scene and taken to a hospital, according to a Fire Department spokesman.

The car had gone off the road into water at the bottom of South Broadway, in the area of the Metacomet Country Club on the city's west side.

The woman's identity, condition and why the car went off the road are not yet available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:03 PM | Comment

Man arraigned in New Year's stabbing in Somerset

SOMERSET, Mass. -- A Massachusetts man has been charged with stabbing another man in Somerset early New Year's Day, the Somerset police said today.

Derick Allen Mahoney, 21, of Center Street in Abington, Mass., was arraigned this afternoon in Fall River District Court on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

A 20-year-old man was the stabbing victim; he was treated and released at Rhode Island Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

The police went to 328 Wood St. at 1:05 a.m. Jan. 1 for a report for 30 youths fighting in front of that address, where police learned of the stabbing.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:27 PM | Comment

Suspect questioned in stabbing/robbery of delivery driver

PROVIDENCE -- The police are questioning a suspect in an incident this morning in which a delivery truck driver was punched, stabbed in the stomach, robbed of his wallet and saw the group that allegedly jumped him drive off with his delivery truck.

The driver, Juan Castro, 33, of Pawtucket told the police he had gone into the Stop & Shop at 850 Manton Ave. to take a coffee order, then returned to his truck to finish the order invoice. A person described as a black male in his 20s, wearing a hoodie, approached Castro and asked for money. Castro said he did not have any.

Castro told police the man punched him in the face/head and then two to three other people jumped him. One stabbed him with what Castro thought to be a knife, according to the police report.

His black leather wallet, containing $300 in cash, VISA and Mastercard, Social Security card and license, was taken by the group from his pants pocket, Castro said. They drove off with the red and yellow Cafe Bustelo truck, but Castro did not know in what direction, the police said.

Police also spoke to a witness and the store manager.

At about 7:59 a.m. today, police got a phone call that the truck was in the back of 550 Hartford Ave., and a police officer located it in that plaza. At 8:04 a.m., an officer saw a suspect walking on Plainfied Street who police say fit a suspect's description. The man was taken in for questioning without incident, the police said.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:22 PM | Comment

In N.H.: Obama: People are the 'change agents' / Photo

AP photo
Sen. Barack Obama takes the stage at a rally at the Concord High School gymn today.

CONCORD, N.H. -- Without mentioning any of his opponents by name, presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama continued with his theme of positivity, telling a crowd in New Hampshire today that they would bring about change.

Obama spoke in mostly generalities for about a half hour to a boisterous crowd of about 2,000.

“I believe in the power of the American people to be the change agents in this election,” he said while weaving in and out of topics including health care and tuition tax credits.

Four days ahead of the New Hampshire presidential primary, Obama has spent the day trying to sustain the momentum built after the Iowa Democratic caucus, where he emerged ahead of former Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Matching the upbeat mood of his supporters, Obama said he'd take his message all across the country, enlisting the help of the young and old, students and retirees “and even,” he said, “some of the wealthy.”

He exited the gymnasium to the beat of Stevie Wonder, telling the crowd, “This is our moment, this is our time.”

-- Journal staff writer Scott Mackay covering the campaign trail in New Hampshire, as told to projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:23 PM | Comment

Traffic Update: Accident in W. Greenwich cleared

Police and rescue crews have cleared the scene of a multi-vehicle accident at 45 Nooseneck Hill Road in West Greenwich.

The accident was just off Route 95, near Exit 6.

A rescue helicopter had been called, but that call was cancelled and West Greenwich police say there do not seem to have been serious injuries.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:11 PM | Comment

In N.H.: Full court press for Obama / Photo

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Two Concord High School students hang a flag today inside the New Hampshire school's gymnasium in anticipation of a visit from U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.

CONCORD, N.H. -- Two thousand people sheathed in fleece and down have crowded Concord High School gym for the arrival of Sen. Barack Obama, who trumped Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in yesterday's Iowa Democratic caucus and now sets sight on the New Hampshire presidential primary.

Basketball nets have been pulled up where on a normal day the school's Crimson Tide work on free throws. But it's Jan. 4, so the Democrats and Republicans who triumphed or merely survived Iowa are flooding New Hampshire today to try to keep their momentum going, or find what they couldn't in Iowa, for the primary four days away.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, triumphant in the Republican caucus in Iowa where he easily beat out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the top spot, is expected to play some bass guitar this afternoon during a stop at New England College in Henniker.

Action movie star Chuck Norris -- prominently visible on the victory speech podium with Huckabee in Iowa last night -- is expected to accompany Huckabee to to the college stop, the college says on its Web site.

Clinton, the New York senator and wife of former President Clinton, finished third just behind North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in Iowa, which has been cast as a significant setback. She started today in Nashua with an airport appearance. She said it takes experience for the leadership of being president and, without mentioning Obama by name, said voting for him would be a "leap of faith."

Obama began with a Portsmouth airport rally, then did some door-to-door meet-and-greet in Hampton, along New Hampshire's coast. He's headed to Concord, the state capitol.

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay covering the campaign trail in New Hampshire, as told to projo.com staff writer Michael McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:51 PM | Comment

Paint companies seek overturn of cleanup plan

PROVIDENCE -- Three former lead paint manufacturers have asked a judge to strike down a $2.4 billion cleanup plan requested by the state.

The proposal would force Sherwin-Williams and two other companies to pay for the inspection and cleanup of roughly a quarter-million older homes believed to contain toxic lead paint. The companies believe the state’s proposal is legally flawed and needs to be thrown out or at least altered.

But Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein appeared unlikely to grant the companies’ request during arguments today.

Silverstein says the companies’ concerns would best be addressed by two public health experts who were specially appointed to evaluate the state’s plan and make recommendations to him.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:49 PM | Comment

Bill calls for monitoring drunk driver's sweat for alcohol

If a bill in the General Assembly becomes Rhode Island law, someone who drinks and drives could not simply sweat off a conviction.

Instead, the sentencing judge may require a person to wear a monitoring device that randomly tests the person's sweat for alcohol content. The proposal would apply to a person who is found guilty, pleads guilty or pleads no contest to driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated.

"The device shall have the capability of sending the results in real time to the monitor of the device regardless of the wearer's location," the legislation says. The device would alert the probation office that the person is drinking alcohol while under the provisions of a court sentence.

The person wearing the device would be responsible for costs associated wirth wearing and monitoring it.

Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, D-Warwick, is prime sponsor of the bill introduced yesterday, day three of the legislative session. The bill has been referred to House Judiciary Committee.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:34 PM | Comment

Hasbro to buy game company

Pawtucket-based Hasbro Inc. said this morning it has agreed to buy closely held game producer Cranium Inc. for $77.5 million.

The purchase may close by the end of the first quarter, Hasbro said, and the price may change depending on Cranium's assets when the purchase is completed. Proceeds of the sale will go to shareholders and toward paying off Cranium's debt.

The company's games include Cranium, Cranium Hullabaloo and Cranium Cadoo.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:27 PM | Comment

Man wanted for attempted murder caught in Rehoboth

REHOBOTH, Mass. -- State and local police nabbed a Taunton fugitive wanted for attempted murder after he fled yesterday afternoon into woods in Rehoboth, local police said.

The Massachusetts state police notified Rehoboth authorities at about 4:30 p.m. that its violent fugitive unit was searching the Horbine Road area for Jason Furtado, 36, whose last-known address is on Weir Street in Taunton.

Furtado was wanted on three outstanding warrants and had fled from the state police when they moved to apprehend him in Swansea.

The Enterprise, of Brockton, Mass., reports that Furtado allegedly tried to strangle a man Dec. 28 in Taunton. The other outstanding warrants charge Furtado with assault to commit a felony, threats, and a Brockton police warrant charging him with driving while his license was suspended, failing to stop for police and speeding, the newspaper reports.

Rehoboth police joined state police, K-9 units and a helicopter to assist in the search. Rehoboth patrolman Thomas Ranley spotted Furtado as he left the woods on Reservoir Avenue and arrested him without incident. Furtado was turned over to the state police.

-- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:19 PM | Comment

Traffic alert: Road work on Route 295 in Cumberland

Road work has shut down several lanes of Route 295 in Cumberland.

Bridge maintenance on 295 at Exit 10/Route 122, is blocking the two right lanes on the southbound side of the Interstate.

Work is expected to clear at about 2:30 p.m. today.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:25 AM | Comment

This time, CCRI's Lincoln campus is closed

For the second day in a row, a Community College of Rhode Island campus is closed.

This time it's the Lincoln campus, which is closed because of a plumbing problem.

CCRI is on break, but students have been visiting the campuses to register for classes and conduct other business.

Yesterday, an electrical problem shut down the school's Warwick campus.

The Warwick campus has re-opened, according to spokeswoman Kristen Cyr, and the Providence and Newport campuses are also up and running.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:57 AM | Comment

North Providence man to receive Purple Heart

A North Providence Army veteran will be awarded several commendations today, including a Purple Heart Medal, for his service more than 50 years ago.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed will present the Purple Heart Medal to Peter A. Soscia, a veteran of the Korean War, this afternoon. According to the citation, Soscia was wounded in action in May 1951 while serving with the the Army’s 89th Medium Tank BN, 25th Division, Korea.

He will also be awarded a Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Korean Service Medal with one Silver Star Device; United Nations Service Medal; Presidential Unit Citation; and the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp.

Reed, a member of the Armed Services Committee, will present the Medals to Soscia at 1:30 p.m. ceremony at his office, 1000 Chapel View Blvd. in Cranston.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:42 AM | Comment

Talbots to close some kids', men's stores, restructure

Talbots Inc., the retailer with several stores in Rhode Island, said this morning it will close 78 of its kids' and mens' stores by September, eliminating 800 jobs.

Talbots, which has 1,000 stores nationwide, did not dislcose which stores would close. The stores in Rhode Island, in Barrington, Providence and Cranston, are general merchandise Talbots stores, and not the speciality men's and children's units that Talbots runs.

The company said it is restructuring to focus more on its core customer — women who are 35 years old or older, and also said its fourth-quarter sales so far were trending lower for both its Talbots and J.Jill brands.

-- Journal Business Editor John Kostrzewa

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:40 AM | Comment

Fired Mass. medical examiner sues Bay State

BOSTON -- The state’s former chief medical examiner has filed a lawsuit, claiming Governor Deval Patrick had no grounds to dismiss him after a report that said the ME’s office was on “the verge of collapse.”

Doctor Mark Flomenbaum was placed on administrative leave last May after it was revealed that the medical examiner had lost track of a body that later was found buried in the wrong grave.

He was fired in August after the scathing 36-page report that said the office could only be righted under new leadership.

Flomenbaum says he was hired in January 2005 to turn around the long-troubled office and was in the process of implementing some changes recommended in the report.

The lawsuit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court, but the Supreme Judicial Court has agreed to hear arguments on it because of important legal questions raised by the dispute.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:23 AM | Comment

Providence police investigate robbery, stabbing / Photo

Journal Photo/Mary Murphy

PROVIDENCE -- Det. Joanne Paolino, with the Police Bureau of Criminal Identification, dusts to get fingerprints from a truck that was stolen this morning from behind a Stop & Shop store on Manton Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. The driver was stabbed. The truck was found by the police behind a strip mall at 550 Hartford Avenue.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:18 AM | Comment

Street gang member set for sentencing today

A member of a violent street gang is set to be sentenced in federal court today for his part in a plot devised with a drug dealer to break into a drug supplier's house and rob him at gunpoint.

The drug dealer was actually a federal agent, and Nheat Nhim, 21, of 329 Webster Ave., Cranston, was arrested with three others.

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Nhim and three others sold drugs to an undercover agent who said he wanted to try to "set up" a drug supplier.

Nhim said he knew people who could pull off the home invasion; the group met on April 26 and were arrested in a parking lot in Cranston.

Nhim pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime, and of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In September 2001, Nihm, then 15, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for breaking into a house, tying the family with duct tape and setting the house on fire.

He is scheduled for sentencing today by Judge William E. Smith at 3 p.m. in U.S. District Court.

-- With Journal archive reports

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:29 AM | Comment

Paint companies seek overturn of cleanup plan

PROVIDENCE -- Three former lead paint manufacturers are asking a judge to strike down a 2.4 billion dollar cleanup plan requested by the state.

If the plan stands, Sherwin-Williams Company, NL Industries, Incorporated, and Millennium Holdings LLC would have to clean up roughly 240,000 homes believed to contain toxic lead paint.

A Superior Court judge has scheduled a hearing in the case for today.

The state won a landmark lawsuit last year against the companies, which were found liable for creating a public nuisance.

But the companies say the cleanup plan has major legal problems and want it eliminated or altered. For example, the companies say they shouldn't be forced to clean up individual homes when the state presented no evidence at trial identifying which properties were contaminated.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

A cold start but warming up

Today is forecast to be much warmer than yesterday, but that doesn't mean much. It's just about 9 degrees right now and the National Weather Service forecasts a high temperature near 34 degrees with partly sunny skies and a west wind up o 15 mph.

More clouds should roll in tonight, and the temperature should drop to about 20 degrees.

Tomorrow look for sunny skies and even warmer temperatures, reaching the mid 40s. Tomorrow night, more clouds and an overnight low near 29 degrees.

Sunday the clouds return, but temperatures, again, should reach the mid-to-high 40s and an overnight low near 35.

Next week looks nearly balmy as we return Monday with cloudy skies and a high temperature in the 50s.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features coverage of the Iowa caucuses and news that governor Carcieri's plan to layoff 1,000 state workers probably won't save as much money as the administration had estimated.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment