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« January 7, 2008 | Today | January 9, 2008 » January 8, 2008Tonight: Jazz and politics take the stageWhether Newport or Providence, it's jazz tonight. Bobby Ferreira plays jazz at The Chanler, Spiced Pear Restaurant, 117 Memorial Blvd., Newport. 847-2244. 6:30-9:30 p.m. The Hi-Hat Trio plays jazz atThe Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. 453-6500, www.thehihat.com. 7-11 p.m. UM with Hal Crook, Bob Gullotti, Dave Zinno and Leo Genovese play jazz at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 10 p.m. $7. All ages. Of course, you can always watch the results of the New Hampshire presidential primary. Whether it be on TV, gathering with like-minded pals, or online, results should just coming in after polls close. Some shut down at 7 tonight, and others at 8. The potential winners are still up in the air. But turnout has been described as "very, very good" by the New Hampshire secretary of state, based on reports from the polls. Projo.com will carry the latest news on the primary, as well as reports and photos from Journal staffers on the scene today. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:15 PM | Comment Update: Bill would make English R.I.'s official languageA state lawmaker is proposing to make English the official language of Rhode Island. Rep. Kenneth Carter, D-North Kingstown, said in a news release that 27 states have made it their official language. The “Rhode Island English Language Affirmation Act of 2008" would do so here. "Official English does not mean English only,” Carter, the bill's prime sponsor, said in the statement. “None of the states with official English laws prohibit government agencies from using another language when there is a compelling public interest for doing so, such as protecting public health and safety and ensuring equality before the law.” The bill acknowledges an individual's constitutional rights to communicate in a language other than English, according to a laymen's explanation at the end of the bill. But Carter added that he believes "we need to encourage every citizen of this state to become more proficient in the English language" to help them "participate more fully in the economic, political and cultural activities of the state.” The release says studies show bilingual education "actually keeps immigrant children from learning English" and that by more than 2 to 1, "immigrants themselves say the U.S. should expect new immigrants to learn English.” The bill states that except where provided under various subsections, English would be the language of government in the state. For instance, the bill's provisions would not apply to, among other things, the teaching of languages, requirements under the federal act for people with disabilities, "actions or documents" that protect the rights of victims of crimes or criminal defendeants Last fall, on a radio talk show, Governor Carcieri, a Republican, called for making English the state's official language while talking about his comments criticizing the provision of English-language interpreters in some state departments. Jeff Neal, spokesman for Governor Carcieri, said he did not believe the governor has had the opportunity to review the specific language in the current bill, but that the governor "has said in the past he was interested in at least studying the concept of English only in Rhode Island state government." At this point, key leaders in the House and Senate oppose the English-only bill. See their comments by clicking below. -- With reports from Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano, D-North Providence, said today: “It’s not a new idea. Probably every ten years it comes up. And personally I’ve always opposed it. I just don’t think it’s fair to people that …I think it unnecessarily targets people that don’t speak English and are doing the best they can to make it in this country. Just like our ancestors tried to make it in this country.’’ And House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, D-Providence, said: “This is an English-speaking country. I think to succeed in this country you need to speak English, but we’ve been a melting pot that has absorbed people from myriad different nationalities speaking different languages and this country has still managed to use that to its strength, advantage and grow.’’ More specifically, Fox sees “practical problems,’’ including impediments to teaching English as a second language (ESL) classes. “When you get into official languages and we want to have those classes available in order to have young children learn English to succeed in this world, how do you teach those children if you can’t speak in their native tongue.’’ “The other issue is whether it’s a state issue,’’ he said. “I don’t know if the floor of the House of Representatives in Rhode Island, especially in a year when we are going to have a lot of other very tough decisions to make and hard issues to discuss, whether this is the appropriate forum for it.’’ Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Update: Make that a record high of 66 degrees / Photo
The high was set at 2:36 p.m. The mercury had shot past a 77-year-old record at 12:30 p.m., reaching 65 degrees in Providence, according to the National Weather Service, then edged up one more degree by the afternoon peak. Last year, 2007, gave us the warmest January on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Before that it was 2006. Before that, it was 2005. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 11 of the warmest years since record keeping began have occurred in the past 12 years. But just five days ago, on Jan. 3, the temperature dropped to 8 degrees. Tomorrow, the thermometer starts to head back down again, but not by much. Under mostly cloudy skies, the day should start out breezy, with temperatures possibly reaching the lower 60s. But they'll start to fall into the 50s by afternoon, and continue to drop as the weekend nears. For the latest weather, go to: projo.com/weather -- projo.com staff writers Michael McKinney and Brandie Jefferson Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Update: Station victims' kin to speak on Derderian parolePROVIDENCE -- The state parole board will hear tomorrow night from relatives of the 100 people killed by a nightclub fire five years ago. Michael Derderian, the former co-owner of The Station nightclub, becomes eligible for parole after serving one-third of his four-year prison sentence. The fire began when pyrotechnics used by the rock band Great White ignited flammable foam on the club's walls. Daniel Biechele, who set off the pyrotechnics as the band's tour manager, was also sentenced to four years but is due to be released on parole in March. Some victims' families say they will urge the parole board to not release Derderian early. They continue to hold him responsible and say they're not convinced he has shown genuine remorse. The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Warwick Police Department. Family members who wish their testimony to be closed to the public will speak first. After they're done, the meeting with more testimony will be open. Derderian will not be there. The parole board is scheduled to meet with Derderian in prison next week before issuing its decision. -- The Associated Press, with reports from Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment Photo: Flocking to voting booths in N.H.
Journal reporter Scott MacKay has been feeding reports from New Hampshire today to projo.com's Politics blog. See his posts and more photos from Journal photographer Gretchen Ertl there. For results of the primary, visit projo.com's home page later tonight, where you can also add your reaction.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:34 PM | Comment 'Harsh policies of immigration' attacked in wake of arrestPROVIDENCE -- Days after the arrest of an illegal Guatemalan immigrant and apparent suicide of another tenant at that same address, a Guatemalan diplomat and the head of the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union today blamed “the harsh policies of immigration” for destroying families and “terrorizing a community.” Immigration agents arrested Mynor Montufar last Friday, two days after receiving media publicity as father of Rhode Island’s first baby of 2008. David De La Roca, one of Montufar’s housemates, was found hanging in a locked bedroom several hours later. Guatemalan Consul General Carlos Avila Sandoval and Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU, joined a host of critics against the federal Bureau of Customs and Immigration Enforcement, and immigration policy in general, at a news conference at St. Teresa Church in Olneyville. “It makes me sad to see this over and over again,” said Avila Sandoval. “Personally, it really makes me sad, how continuously this terror is being used against used against people -- mostly from Guatemala.” Roberto Gonzalez, a Rhode Island immigration lawyer, said, “What we have here is something that is happening throughout the country, and it’s happening in Rhode Island, and it will continue to happen until we have immigration reform.” Revising an earlier statement, immigration authorities said yesterday that media publicity about Montufar ledImmigration and Customs Enforcement to “prioritize his arrest” because he posed a “potential flight risk.” ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier had previously called the publicity and subsequent arrest “a coincidence.” -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:23 PM | Comment Query: How are you dealing with higher food costs?The rising cost of milk, eggs, meat and produce are contributing to the biggest jump in food prices in 17 years. Grocery bills are up and restaurant diners will likely face even higher prices on menus. How are you dealing with food costs? Are you finding creative ways to save when shopping and cooking? What’s the strategy for dining out? Do you go out less or select different restaurants based on cost. Or has nothing changed? Let’s share with each other. And if you have any cost-cutting recipes send them along, too. E-mail to food editor Gail Ciampa at gciampa@projo.com. We’ll take submissions until Monday, Jan. 21 and they’ll be posted on www.projo.com/food as they come in. A wrap of your responses and advice will run in Lifebeat Food on Jan. 30. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 4:53 PM | Comment Alert: No foul play in Providence home deaths, ME saysNo foul play is suspected in the deaths of three people found inside a South Providence house yesterday, and preliminary studies are consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, the state medical examiners office announced this afternoon. Police believe an improperly installed heating system that leaked carbon monoxide led to the deaths. A heating system expert was inspecting the system this afternoon. "Positive identification of these individuals is still pending," the medical examiners' statement said. A neighbor and a friend have identified two of the house's occupants as Sonia Maritza Flores, 46, also known as Sonia Maritza Aleman, and her son Ryan, 16, a student at the Met School. The neighbor, Jasmin Osorio, 25, said Flores’ longtime boyfriend lived with them. The state Health Department said it wants to remind Rhode Islanders that if they suspect a carbon monoxide problem in their home, they should call their local fire department. The department also recommends installing carbon monoxide detectors in home and garage. Click here for more information about carbon monoxide poisoning. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:39 PM | Comment Fire marshal: House where 3 died had new gas furnacePROVIDENCE -- State Fire Marshal Frank Sylvester said today that the South Providence house where three bodies were found yesterday had a new gas furnace installed shortly before New Year's Day. Overnight, investigators sealed the house and left the heater running in an attempt to gather additional evidence about a heater that may have been improperly installed. Police believe an improperly installed heating system that leaked carbon monoxide led to the deaths. A heating system expert is inspecting the system this afternoon. Sylvester said he recommends carbon monoxide detectors for all houses. He said carbon monoxide detectors are as important, if not more so, than smoke detectors because you can see smoke, while a carbon monoxide leak is invisible and has no odor or taste. The police initially treated the case as a homicide, but the department's deputy chief said last night that a preliminary autopsy found no evidence of trauma and that the deaths may have been accidental. Deputy Police Chief Paul Kennedy said at a community meeting that their preliminary investigation indicated that a boiler had been installed improperly in the house. A preliminary investigation, the police added later, showed that its installation was faulty and that there was an elevated level of carbon monoxide present. The decomposed bodies were discovered yesterday in the home at 345 Blackstone St. The police were called to check on them after a relative and neighbor couldn't get in touch with them. The state medical examiner's office is working to conclusively identify the victims and their cause of death. A neighbor and a friend identified two of the occupants of the house as Sonia Maritza Flores, 46, also known as Sonia Maritza Aleman, and her son Ryan, 16, a student at the Met School. The neighbor, Jasmin Osorio, 25, said Flores’ longtime boyfriend lived with them. A crew from the gas utility National Grid was at the house this morning. Campbell said tests would be taken again today to monitor the air quality and that the boiler and other parts of the system may be removed today as evidence. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Reporter's query: We’re trying to find more information about Ryan and the other people who died. If you know any of them, please call Linda Borg at 277-7823 or e-mail her at lborg@projo.com. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:00 PM | Comment Temperature hits 65, breaks record for high of the daySomething special happened this afternoon. You probably heard about it – “it’s soooo nice outside” – you may have even had a chance to enjoy it for yourself on a lunchtime walk, or caught a breeze passing by an open office window. Today at 12:30 p.m., the mercury shot past a 77-year-old record, reaching 65 degrees in Providence, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record, 62 degrees, was set in 1930. Last year, 2007, gave us the warmest January on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Before that it was 2006. Before that, it was 2005. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 11 of the warmest years since record keeping began have occurred in the past 12 years. Just five days ago, on January 3, the temperature dropped to 8 degrees. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:06 PM | Comment Photo: Some sweet new seats at the Dunk
Posted by Jack Perry at 2:41 PM | Comment Gossage makes Baseball Hall of Fame; Rice falls shortNEW YORK (AP) - Goose Gossage became only the fifth relief pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame, earning baseball's highest honor Tuesday on his ninth try on the ballot. Known for his overpowering fastball, fiery temperament and bushy mustache, the former New York Yankee received 466 of 543 votes (85.8 percent) from 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Former Red Sox slugger Jim Rice was passed over yet again, getting 392 votes (72.2 percent), up from 346 (63.5 percent) last year and 16 short of the 75 percent needed. He will appear on the writers' ballot for the 15th and final time next year, when career steals leader Rickey Henderson will be among the newcomers. Andre Dawson was third at 358 (65.9 percent), followed by Bert Blyleven at 336 (61.9 percent). Gossage, who fell short by 21 votes last year, joins Hoyt Wilhelm (1985), Rollie Fingers (1992), Dennis Eckersley (2004) and Bruce Sutter (2006) in Cooperstown's bullpen. Gossage was a nine-time All-Star who pitched for nine major league teams from 1972-94 and had 310 saves - 52 of them in which he got seven outs or more. He will be inducted July 27 in Cooperstown, joined by five men elected last month by the revamped Veterans Committee: former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, managers Dick Williams and Billy Southworth and ex-Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss. Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:23 PM | Comment Bill proposes sales tax on luxury clothing itemsPROVIDENCE -- If you drop a cool $500 on one piece of clothing, a proposal in the General Assembly would have you drop something extra into state coffers. Sen. Daniel J. Issa, D-Central Falls, is expected to introduce a bill that, according to a news release, he believes would raise up to an additional $1 million in annual revenue. The "sales tax on luxury items" would apply to one item costing at least $500, not a combination of clothes adding up to $500. Clothing with a price tag of $500 or more would be subject to sales tax for the amount over $500. The legislative session under way is expected to grapple with a budget deficit projected to be hundreds of millions of dollars, and Issa asserts the luxury clothing sales tax is one way to help with that mission. Issa said in the news release that he has been pleased to live in a state that does not impose sales tax on clothing "because most of our citizens consider clothes a basic, human necessity, like food, and not taxing such necessities is one way government can help citizens who are already taxed pretty heavily." But clothing items of the kind Issa states his bill focuses on go "beyond being about filling a basic human need" and are a luxury that should not be exempt from sales tax. "I just don't think it is right for someone to drop $10,000 on a fur coat and be exempt from taxes on that item when there are people in our society who are scraping to put clothes on their kids' backs and pay their heating bills at the same time," he stated. Issa said that in Massachusetts, sales tax is applied for an item valued at more than $175 while in Connecticut the tax is imposed on an item over $50. He also asserted a luxury clothing tax would not impact most Rhode Islanders, noting that in his city, "I would guess there aren't too many residents buying a $600 pair of shoes or a $1,000 Armani suit." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:40 PM | Comment R.I. house sales, prices continue to fallRhode Island house sales in November fell for the ninth straight month, and prices tumbled farther, too. The Warren Group, a Boston-based publisher of real estate data, reported that single-family house sales in November sank 18.7 percent from a year earlier, while the statewide median prices fell 8.7 percent, to $235,000. December data is not available yet, but the Warren Group data through November shows that house sales in the state last year declined more than 10 percent, and the median price fell nearly 5 percent, from $268,000 to $255,000. “It looks like Rhode Island’s housing market felt the crunch more than its neighbors in 2007,’’ Warren Group’s chief executive, Timothy Warren Jr., said in a statement. Providence and Bristol County showed the sharpest house price declines during the first 11 months of last year, with the median price down 6 percent and 6.25 percent, respectively. (The Warrren Group data for Bristol County, however, does not include Barrington.) Extra: Browse recent real-estate transactions in R.I. communities, as reported by The Warren Group. -- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:07 PM | Comment Traffic: New S. Main St. ramp to Rte. 195 to close brieflyPROVIDENCE -- The new South Main Street entrance ramp onto Route 195 eastbound will be closed tomorrow during the day while work continues on the new India Point Park pedestrian bridge. The Department of Transportation will close the ramp at 7 a.m. and re-open it at 3 p.m. While it's closed, traffic will be rerouted to the old Wickenden Street on-ramp that was closed in late December. When RIDOT closed the Wickenden Street ramp, the department noted it would occasionally be used to reroute traffic during the continuing Iway construction. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:52 PM | Comment They're just getting warmed up in New Hampshire
But throngs of New Hampshire residents this morning rose before sunrise and braved the crowds for a different type of contest: the first presidential primary in the country. Voters flocked to the polls at the Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester, where earlier Republican candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney had campaigned. And at the Broad Street Elementary School in Nashua, voters had to navigate a through sign holding volunteers to cast their vote at the spot John McCain had stumped earlier. McCain, who received the first vote cast, is sharing an early lead with Democrat Barack Obama. But things are just getting warmed up, as the polls are open until 8 p.m. Projo.com will continue publishing reports from the scene on our politics blog. -- 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 11:42 AM | Comment Feds give $2.5M to R.I. program for poor childrenChildren’s Friend and Service in Rhode Island is getting a federal boost in its effort to help children living in poverty. The organization’s Project Connect program has been awarded a 5-year, $2.5-million grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The program offers parents home-based treatment and referrals for substance abuse and other domestic problems that affect children. “This investment of federal resources in the Rhode Island economy, and more importantly in our child welfare system, is timely and badly needed,” David Caprio, executive director of Children’s Friend said in a statement. According to a statement released by the organization, the money will be used to expand the program throughout the state and allow 90 more families to participate. Currently six Rhode Island communities take part in Project Connect: Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, East Providence, Warwick, and West Warwick Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:13 AM | Comment ACLU set to address immigration raidA local advocacy group plans to hold a news conference this morning to discuss lthe immigration raid prompted by the publicity given to Mynor Montufar after he became the father of the first local baby born in 2008. The baby's mother and grandmother will join the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union to discuss the arrests of Montufar and another man, as well as the apparent suicide of a third man. All three were illegal immigrants and were living in the house together when Immigration and Customs Enforcement made the arrests Friday. Montufar is set to be deported to Guatemala, according to ICE officials. The other man arrested is awaiting a hearing. Based on the information that family members have, "it seems pretty clear to us at this point that the suicide appeared to take place during or after the raid,” Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU said this morning. The meeting, set to begin at 10 a.m. at St. Teresa’s Church at 8 Pope St., in the city's Olneyville neighborhood, will also be attended by representatives of different community groups, according to a statement released by the ACLU. Brown would not say whether the meeting would be a precursor to action on the organization's part. Representatives from various community groups will also be present. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:31 AM | Comment Study: ID requirement lowers voter participationStates requiring voters to present identification before casting ballots have lower political participation levels, a new Brown University study says. The study also indicates "voter I.D. policies discourage legal immigrants from becoming citizens, particularly for blacks and Hispanics, reducing odds of naturalization by more than 15 percent," according to a university news release summarizing the study. The study was released by the American Communities Project at Brown’s Initiative in Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences. It reports that since 2000, and in part because of post Sept. 11, 2001, security concerns, state requirements for voter identification have increased. Nineteen states required some documentation of a voter’s identity by 2004, sometimes as a photo I.D. Supporters say identification is needed to prevent voting fraud, such as voting by noncitizens or people who are otherwise ineligible to register. Critics say that I.D. policies effectively suppress voter participation, particularly among minorities, the study says. The report, co-authored by director John Logan and graduate student Jennifer Darrah, concludes that voter I.D. is a factor with negative influence on civic participation in this country. “At a time when many public officials express regret that immigrants seem to lag in their participation in mainstream society, even small suppressive effects on naturalization -- the formal step to becoming an American citizen -- work in the wrong direction and should be taken into account as people evaluate the benefits and costs of more stringent identification requirements," the report states. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Among the report's findings: * In states with a voter I.D. policy in 2000, the odds of naturalization for foreign-born residents of the United States were cut by more than 5 percent, with greatest impact on Hispanics. * In election years 1996 to 2004, the odds of being a registered voter among citizens 18 and older were higher for whites by about 15 percent in states with voter I.D. requirements. But that "was more than counterbalanced" by a reduction in white voter turnout. "In 2004 alone the net effect was to reduce white turnout in these states by about 400,000 votes." * During that same period, voter I.D. policies reduced Asians’ registration and diminished voter turnout by blacks and Hispanics by about 14 percent and 20 percent respectively. Minority voting in applicable states in 2004 was down by more than 400,000 votes. * The "suppressive effect" of voter I.D. disproportionately affected not only minorities, "but also people with less than a high school education and less than $15,000 income, tenants, and recent movers." Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's warm temperature could break a recordThe fog should lift by mid morning and after that, we're looking at record breaking temperatures today. The National Weather Service is forecasting sunny skies and a high temperature of 63 degrees -- if we make it, that would beat the 62 degree record set in 1930. Tonight the clouds are set to return and the temperature will drop to the mid 40s. Look for fog after midnight and a slight chance of rain after 3 a.m. Rain could continue into tomorrow morning and may turn into thunderstorms and showers throughout the rest of the day. Skies should be cloudy all day with a high temperature in the low 50s and a southwest wind gusting as high as 36 mph. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page reports the story of three people found dead in a Providence home. There's also coverage of the New Hampshire primary. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006