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January 30, 2008

Tonight: Learn to dance or feel the blues

You can learn to dance in Narragansett tonight, hear some blues music in Woonsocket or hit the clubs in Providence.

New York City-based dance teacher Kana Kubota gives weekly dance lessons at The Towers in Narragansett, and tonight she offers salsa style dance at 7. She'll teach beginners Argentine tango at 8 and intermediate tango at 9. It's $12 for one class and $20 for two or more the same evening. Go to www.thetowersri.com for information.

An Open Mike Blues Jam is at Chan's Restaurant, 267 Main St., Woonsocket. Call 765-1900. 7 to 10 p.m. No cover.

Manbeard, Pwrfl! Power, Green Bean, The Vonneguts and That Goes That play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 9 p.m. $6. All ages.

John Worsley plays jazz at Capriccio, 2 Pine St., Providence. Call 421-1320. 7 to 11 pm.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment

Update: Endowment will help preserve R.I. open space

Rhode Island has more than 100,000 acres of land protected from developers and, thanks to an endowment today, will have more resources and a new coordinated effort to care for the protected open space.

The Rhode Island Foundation today announced it will be receiving an endowment of $1 million from Peggy and Henry Sharpe to support the Conservation Stewardship Collaborative.

And an anonymous donor offered the CSC more help; for every contribution of $1,000 or more made to the endowment, the donor will make a matching contribution to an environmental organization up to $1 million or until December 2010.

Julie Sharpe this morning said her in-laws had the insight to create the endowment.

"There is a long-standing interest in the Sharpe family in conservation and land stewardship," Sharpe said in a statement. "We worked very had with these seven organizations to find a meaningful way to advance stewardship of protected areas."

Click below for a list of organizations that make up the Conservation Stewardship Collaborative.

Correction: An earlier version of this item put the acreage at 1,000 and described the endowment as giving the state the ability to continue buying the rights to open space around the state.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Peter B. Lord

Audubon Society of Rhode Island

Rhode Island Chapter of The Nature Conservancy

Rhode Island Land Trust Council

University of Rhode Island Department of Natural Resources Science

Rhode Island Natural History Survey

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:31 PM | Comment

Clinton, Obama supporters lobby for Tavares' nod

Providence lawyer Angel Tavares’ phone did not stop ringing this afternoon in the wake of John Edwards' departure from the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Tavares, Edwards Rhode Island campaign chairman, took calls from supporters of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the last two major candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

Despite the personal lobbying from such pols as former Providence Mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr., a major Clinton supporter in the state, and Joseph Fernandez, the Providence city solicitor and a key Obama backer, Tavares said that he is not going to endorse either candidate until he has chance to speak personally with Edwards.

``I am very proud of the campaign John Edwards ran,’’ said Tavares. ``Poverty is something not very many people talked about. John made it a part of the national campaign and the national conversation.’’

``I haven’t had chance to speak to John yet,’’ said Tavares. ``After I speak with him we’ll see where we go from there.’’

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:30 PM | Comment

Lawmakers work for bll to stop LNG in Fall River

BOSTON -- SouthCoast lawmakers are testifying in favor of a bill that would prevent construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal in Fall River, Mass.

The measure would mandate that a new LNG terminal be built nearly one mile away from residential areas.

If passed into law, it would kill an LNG terminal proposed by Weaver’s Cove Energy.

Various government studies have found that fire from a terrorism attack against a tanker carrying LNG could ignite so fiercely it would burn people one mile away.

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee took testimony at a hearing today

As is, Weaver’s Cove Energy faces a tough battle. The Coast Guard has already ruled that the Taunton River approaching the would-be site of the terminal is unsafe for navigation by massive LNG tankers.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:34 PM | Comment

Oster trial: Prosecution plays a tape

PROVIDENCE -- The prosecution in ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster's bribery trial this afternoon played a tape in which Lincoln Town Council in 2001 talked about whether to settle a tax case involving the home of Robert R. Picerno, a former town planning official who is linked to allegations against Oster.

Among other things on the 40-minute tape of the Nov. 20, 2001, closed session, then-assistant Town Solicitor William Dickie recommended settling the suit for $15,000, even though $22,000 was owed on the Picernos' Preakness Drive home.

Dickie testified in Providence County Superior Court today that Picerno's wife filed the tax appeal in 2001 contesting the $22,000 in taxes assessed on the Picerno's house from 1998 to 2000.

On the tape, among reasons Dickie offered for settling at that time was that the $7,000 difference between what was owed and what was being offered, when looked at in terms of cost of litigating the case, was not worth fighting over.

Dickie testified he was subsequently advised the Picernos had not filed legally required appeals to justify such a suit and that he later recommended the council reverse its decision.

In earlier testimony today, Dickie explained circumstances of the filing of the complaint and the town's response. Dickie said that Oster told him he had talked about the matter with Picerno and that the town could settle the $22,000 claim for $15,000. Oster had agreed to reduce $7,000 off the delinquent tax bill.

Dickie also testified that Picerno never contested the tax bill with the assessor's office or the board of tax review. He also noted that if someone wished to appeal a tax bill, they had to pay it first. Picerno, Dickie said, had not paid taxes on the property since 1998.

Today’s testimony wrapped up with Oster's defense lawyer, C. Leonard O’Brien, cross-examining Dickie, particularly on how the town developed its response to the Picerno tax appeal. Dickie testified he relied on then assessor Emerson Johnston for most of the information on the Picernos’ tax status.

He said Johston told him the Picernos had filed an appeal of their tax bill, when in fact they hadn’t. He also said he never asked whether they had actually paid the taxes or not, another requirement for the suit to be legal, assuming Johnston would have told him that if it was relevant.

Yesterday, prosecutors sought to establish that Oster and Picerno, a former Planning Board member who was convicted in 2004 on his own bribery charges, had a close financial and political relationship.

The state's case alleges Picerno collected the bribes and Oster manipulated town government to favor ones who paid.

Allegations in part concern six acres on Route 116 in Lincoln known as the H&H Screw property. Oster, the state's case alleges, conspired with Picerno in two instances to solicit bribes to sell the property, which the town controlled.

Oster faces two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy in the trial.

Read about today's earlier testimony here.
-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:57 PM | Comment

Crews respond to house fire in Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Crews have responded to a fire in a single-family house at 75 Ashmont St., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

It's believed there was an occupant or occupants in the house but that they got out.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:53 PM | Comment

Carcieris address antiabortion rally

Governor and Mrs. Carcieri speak to participants at an antiabortion rally today at the State House. Dozens of people attended the rally, which was sponsored by the Rhode Island State Right to Life Committee.

Journal photo / M. Charles Bakst

Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 4:16 PM | Comment

Carcieri wants to cut money for elderly, nursing homes

Governor Carcieri today unveiled a broad plan to save millions of dollars by moving the elderly and the disabled from nursing homes into less-expensive options in the community.

He also suggested, as part of a proposal to change that state's welfare system, steps to encourage two-parent families. He acknowledged these changes would not realize savings next year.

The governor said the plan can save $67 million in state funds for fiscal 2009, which begins July 1, and is part of Carcieri's overall budget plan slated to be unveiled Friday. The administration plans to divert $7 million into community programs to ensure there are sufficient resources to allow the elderly to be cared for at home.

Under the plan, the state hopes to divert around 10 percent of the patients referred to nursing homes each year into alternatives such as adult daycare, assisted living, or in-home care.

The governor's proposal is expected to face opposition from the nursing home industry, as the administration estimates 100 patients would leave the institutions in the coming months and that nursing home populations would decrease by as much as 600 next year as vacancies are not filled.

"We’re not in the business of trying to make somebody close their business," said Department of Human Services Director Gary Alexander. "If they happen to close as part of the market forces, I don’t think we’re saying that we’re going to bail them out."

Carcieri's plan to curtail welfare benefits also contains a provision to encourage two-parent families. A goal is to "prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies" and "encourage the foundation and maintenance of families." It relies on faith-based institutions to promote marriage and offer programs that promote marriage and oppose out-of-wedlock births.

It is not forecast to provide deficit-closing savings next fiscal year.

Carcieri said at this morning's State House news conference that "we can disagree, but a family is a father and a mother, nurturing their children and building a future for themselves."

The governor acknowledged the state can't force people to marry or stay together, but he said, "You can set a tone and you try to teach people as to what's best."

-- With reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:50 PM | Comment

Crossroads needs help, cold days are ahead

With temperatures in the high 40s, it may seem like forever ago, but we've had some very cold days and nights in Rhode Island this winter.

Crossroads Rhode Island is running low on heavy gloves and warm mens socks for homeless people who spend their nights at the Providence shelter.

The facility closes early in the morning, meaning most of its clients spend their days outside.

A statement from the shelter says it has received requests from people for gloves and socks, as we move toward the middle of winter.

If you're interested in donating, contact Sara Perry at 277-4325.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:09 PM | Comment

Update: Witness says Oster agreed to reduce tax bill

Former Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster agreed to shave $7,000 off a delinquent tax bill for an alleged business partner, according to testimony by the town's former assistant solicitor

During questioning by Assistant Attorney General William Ferland, William Dickie testified about an appeal that the wife of former Lincoln planning official Robert Picerno filed in 2001. She contested $22,000 in taxes that were assessed on the Picerno's house from 1998 to 2000, according to Dickie.

He explained the circumstances of the filing of the complaint and the town's response. Dickie said that Oster told him he had talked about the matter with Picerno and that the town could settle the $22,000 claim for $15,000.

Dickie also testified that Picerno never contested the tax bill with the assessor's office or the board of tax review. He also noted that if someone wished to appeal a tax bill, they had to pay it first. Picerno, Dickie said, had not paid taxes on the property since 1998.

Read about today's earlier testimony here.

Dickie is expected to continue testimony after the lunch break.

-- with reports from Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:32 PM | Comment

Update: Man shot in Providence ID'd as cab driver

PROVIDENCE -- A driver for Gonzalez Cab was shot and wounded shortly after 10 last night as he waited outside a house. The police also said today that a 17-year-old Providence resident is in custody as a suspect.

Carlos Villalona of Providence, 38, had been called to 37 Seabury St.

The cab he was driving was outside the address when two people approached him. One of them fired into the cab and a bullet struck Villalona's right thigh, according to the police. It's not clear why it happened.

Villalona was treated at Rhode Island Hospital for the non-life threatening wound.

The police later detained two suspects, each 17, who were walking on Huntington Avenue. One remains in custody and is to be charged -- it was not clear in which agency's custody and what the charge or charges would be -- while the other was let go.

Last July 16, another cabdriver for Gonzalez Cab Inc., Jose Rodriguez, 42, was shot as he drove three men from Providence to Central Falls in the middle of the day. The police found him in his cab on Fuller Avenue between Sumner and Garfield streets in Central Falls. He died the following day.

Six months have passed, and no one has come forward with information that might help police find the person or persons who killed him. A reward is now being offered.

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

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:19 PM | Comment

Oster trial: Ex-detective asked about playground project

PROVIDENCE -- In testimony today in the bribery and conspiracy trial of ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster, a former Lincoln police detective spoke about allegations that Robert Picerno, a former planning official linked with charges against Oster, extorted $5,000 from a town playground renovation contractor.

Oster's defense lawyer, C. Leonard O'Brien, this morning questioned Albert A. Martell, former Lincoln detective lieutenant, on complaints police received from contractor Robert Gelfuso, who told Martell that Picerno, a former Lincoln Planning Board member, and another Lincoln official pressured Gelfuso to inflate his bills on the playground project.

Under O'Brien's persistent questioning in Providence County Superior Court, Martell said Gelfuso never implicated Oster, who served as town administrator from 2000 to 2002, in any of those efforts.

Martell also testified to seeing Picerno on a rear deck of Lincoln Town Hall, a deck that has a door to a large conference room that was next to Oster's office.

O'Brien sought to play down the significance of Picerno being seen at the back of Town Hall near the door by getting Martell to describe how the conference room also opened to the town public works and engineering departments -- places that Picerno, as a Planning Board member, could be expected to visit.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Hill

Oster is facing two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy in the trial. The state’s case alleges that Picerno collected the bribes and Oster manipulated town government to favor the ones who paid.

Yesterday, prosecutors used Oster’s ex-campaign treasurer and a former town consultant to seek to show a Superior Court jury that Oster and Picerno, convicted in 2004 on his own bribery charges, had a close financial and political relationship.

The case in part focuses on six Route 116 acres known as the H&H Screw property. Oster is accused of conspiring with Picerno in two instances to solicit bribes to sell the property, which the town controlled.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:59 AM | Comment

Saturday is deadline to register to vote in primary

If you haven’t registered to vote, you’ve just got a few days left.

Saturday is the deadline for Rhode Islanders to have a say in deciding who runs for president in the presidential primary, which will be held March 4.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are the Democratic candidates – John Edwards’s name will appear on the ballot, although he dropped out of the race today.

On the Republican ballot, voters can choose between Hugh Cort, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

Voters will also get to cast their ballots for delegates to their party’s National Conventions – in all, 184 Rhode Islanders are vying for 13 spots in the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August and 17 Republicans are looking for a seat at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. in September.

Register to vote with your city or town's board of canvassers or town clerk. Municipal offices will be open Sat., Feb. 2. To find out exactly where you can vote and what you'll need, visit the Secretary of State's Web site.

“I encourage everyone to take advantage of their right to vote,” Secretary of State Ralph A. Mollis said in a statement. “The upcoming presidential election may set America’s course for the next eight years. Get registered, turn out and make your voice heard.”

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:56 AM | Comment

Mukasey refuses to judge waterboarding

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee accused Attorney General Michael Mukasey of ducking questions today on whether waterboarding is torture despite his promise last year to study whether it is illegal.

The issue briefly stalled Mukasey's confirmation last fall until he assured Senate Democrats he would review the legality of the harsh interrogation tactic and report back.

Waterboarding involves strapping a person down and pouring water over his cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning.

Ultimately, however, Mukasey said today he would not rule on whether waterboarding is a form of illegal torture because it is not part of the current interrogation methods used by the CIA on terror suspects. His non-answer angered Democrats who said the attorney general should be able to address a legal question.

"It is not enough to say that waterboarding is not currently authorized," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee's chairman. "Torture and illegality have no place in America."

U.S. Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, should have a chance today to question Mukasey during the hearing.

At a Judiciary Committee hearing on Mukasey's nomination for attorney general, Whitehouse questioned him aggressively on his views of torture, particularly waterboarding.

Watch Mukasey explain why he will not judge the legality of waterboarding.

-- The Associated Press

"Tragically, this administration has so twisted America's role, law and values that our own State Department, our military officers and, apparently, America's top law enforcement officer, are now instructed by the White House not to say that waterboarding is torture and illegal," Leahy said.

Mukasey, in his trademark monotone, did not appear rattled. He said he has concluded that current methods used by the CIA to interrogate terror suspects are lawful and that the spy agency is not using waterboarding on its prisoners.

Beyond that, Mukasey said he would not discuss whether waterboarding is illegal.

"Given that waterboarding is not part of the current program, and may never be added to the program, I do not think it would be appropriate for me to pass definitive judgment on the technique's legality," Mukasey said in his first appearance before the committee since being sworn in Nov. 9.

At his confirmation hearings in October, Mukasey refused to define waterboarding as torture because he was unfamiliar with the classified Justice Department memos describing the process and legal arguments surrounding it.

The CIA and the Pentagon banned waterboarding in 2006. Critics want the Justice Department to join other nations and outlaw waterboarding as illegal. But U.S. intelligence officials fear that doing so could make government interrogators - including those from the CIA - vulnerable to retroactive criminal charges or civil lawsuits.

Waterboarding is at the heart of a Justice Department criminal investigation over whether the CIA illegally or otherwise improperly destroyed videotapes in 2005 of two terror suspects being interrogated. The tapes showed harsh interrogations, including possible waterboarding, of suspected terrorists Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri in 2002, when both suspects were held in secret CIA prisons overseas. The tapes were destroyed as intelligence officials debated whether waterboarding should be declared illegal.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:25 AM | Comment

Query: Seeking person for Blizzard of '78 story

The Providence Journal is preparing a story on the 30th anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978, and we’re looking for a woman named Tara who was born in January 1978 and lived then with her family in Woonsocket.

If you are Tara or know how to find her, please contact reporter Tom Mooney at 277-7359 or tmooney@projo.com.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:26 AM | Comment

Former detective returns to the stand in Oster trial

Testimony is set to resume this morning in the case of former Lincoln town administrator Jonathan F. Oster, accused of conspiracy and bribery when he held the position from 2000 to 2002.

On the stand yesterday, a former Lincoln police detective testified that the man who prosecutors say collected bribes for Jonathan F. Oster had some shady real estate dealings in town.

Former police detective Lt. Albert Martell is expected to return to the stand in Superior Court, Providence, this morning for cross-examination.

He ended yesterday’s testimony telling a jury that he noticed former planning board member Robert R. Picerno had his home transferred into his son’s name, even though liens for unpaid taxes shouldn’t have allowed a transfer.

-- with reports from Journal staff wirter John Hill

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:57 AM | Comment

Feds may again cut rates

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve is likely to follow its bold action last week to battle an economic downturn with further interest rate reductions, although analysts are split on just what size the future cuts will be.

Some believe the Fed will settle into a series of quarter-point moves, especially if upcoming economic reports show the economy is slowing but not toppling into an actual recession.

That would mean the Fed will cut its federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other, by a quarter point at the conclusion of today's meeting. It would be the fifth rate cut since last September.

Last week, the Fed announced a surprise three-quarter-point cut which drove the funds rate down to 3.5 percent. It was the largest reduction in this rate in more than two decades and the first change in the funds rate between meetings since the immediate aftermath of the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:51 AM | Comment

Talking about our immigration

If reader comments to the 7-to-7 Breaking News Blog are any indication, Rhode Islanders are, to put it mildly, concerned about immigration.

Today at Roger Williams University School of Law, four speakers are taking up the topic at a mid-day forum, “The Challenges of Immigration Reform in Rhode Island.”

Scheduled speakers are Sen. Juan Pichardo, D-Providence; Col. Ramon Martinez, president and CEO of Progreso Latino; Immigration attorneys Alison Foley and Roberto Gonzalez; and Ivette Luna, community organizer at Ocean State Action.

The forum, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. today, will be held at the RWU Law School, Room 30, is sponsored by the American Constitution Society, the ACLU, and a host of attorney and law student organizations.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:44 AM | Comment

1 in 3 don't take advantage of food stamps

About 30 percent of the people who qualify for food stamps are not using them. A University of Rhode Island study reports that a majority of that group are from working families or elderly households.

A group of advocates will meet today with Gary Alexander, the director of the state’s Department of Human Services today to discus ways to increase participation in the program.

Representatives from the George Wiley Center and an advocacy group started by its members, RI Campaign to Eliminate Childhood Poverty, have suggested extending hours that the state accepts applications and recertification for food stamps; adding staff to process the applications, and requiring recertification every year instead of every six months.

The advocates will meet with Alexander at 3:00 this afternoon at the Department’s headquarters, 57 Howard Ave. in Cranston.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:15 AM | Comment

Tankers may be allowed back on Rt. 195, Fall River

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- For the first time in years, gasoline tankers and other trucks carrying hazardous cargo may soon be able to travel through downtown Fall River on Interstate 195.

The trucks have been diverted on to city streets since 1999, when concrete slabs fell from the ceiling of the Government Center underpass and injured seven motorists.

Mayor Robert Correia has asked the state highway department to allow tankers to remain on I-195 during the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. The detours would remain in place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Correia says the detours bring hazardous cargo into local neighborhoods, posing a danger to residents. He says he decided to act after a tanker fire in December that destroyed two multifamily homes and more than 20 vehicles in Everett.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:02 AM | Comment

Cause of fire at Foxwoods hotel under investigation

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. -- A spokesman for the Foxwoods Resort Casino says the Great Cedar Hotel, where fire broke out on the roof yesterday, will remain closed for a few days.

Saverio Mancini says there has been water damage to the upper floors of the hotel, although nobody was injured in the blaze.

Mancini says guests who had been evacuated were allowed to retrieve personal belongings this morning.

Mancini says the state fire marshal and the chief of the Mashantucket tribal fire department will be inspecting the damage.

Officials evacuated the entire 312-room building. As a precaution, officials also evacuated the Great Cedar Casino, located on the ground floor of the hotel and one of Foxwoods' six casinos.

Mancini says the casino has been reopened.

Last Friday, a blaze on exterior foam-based sculpting at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas caused employees and guests in some 2,400 occupied rooms to be evacuated. A cause of that fire has not been determined.

VIDEO: Watch the smoky fire in the corner of the hotel's roof yesterday.

-- Associated Press

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 8:02 AM | Comment

Shooting in Providence sends one to hospital

A shooting in Providence last night sent one person at the hospital.

The shooting was near 32 Seabury St. just after 10 p.m., according to Providence Fire Department Chief of Communications James Taylor.

No more information was available at this time.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:41 AM | Comment

Carcieri to discuss Medicaid, welfare reform plans

Governor Carcieri will discuss his plans for changing state Medicaid/Family Independence programs, which he says will produce savings that will be part of his fiscal 2009 state budget proposal.

The plans will be unveiled at 11:30 a.m. at the State House. The governor expects to submit the 2009 spending plan to the General Assembly this week.

The federal/state Medicaid health program is for low-income individuals and families and pays for such things as long-term care for seniors, primarily nursing homes, and helps people with disabilities, often in group homes.

Carcieri's office said the state departments of Human Services, Children, Youth and Families, Elderly Affairs, and Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals spend Medicaid money to support various state programs.

The Family Independence Program -- the state’s welfare program -- is run by the Department of Human Services.

“One example of the kind of reform I am talking about is in the area of long-term care,” Carcieri said in last week's State of the State address. “I know from experience that most seniors would prefer to stay in their homes, or be cared for by a loved one, rather than enter a nursing home. All the data shows that not only does it result in greater longevity and improved quality of life -- in fact it is less costly.”

Carcieri said he intends to change the state’s Medicaid program “from one centered on institutions and agencies to a system that focuses on the people who use it: our children, elderly, and those with disabilities.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

Warm, windy and rainy

You could be forgiven for thinking it's fall when you first go outside this morning. But rest assured, it's still winter, just a little warm with temperatures already near 40 at 6:30 a.m. and headed toward the high 40s later in the day.

The forecast isn't perfect, though. The National Weather Service is forecasting high west winds gusting as much as 46 mph and a 90 percent chance of rain.

Skies should clear up tonight, when the temperature drops nearly 30 degrees to about 19 and winds continue, gusting up to 40 mph from the west.

We can expect sunny skies and temperatures near 40 tomorrow with milder, northwest winds between 5 and 7 mph.

For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page reports on Arizona Sen. John McCain's victory in the Florida primary and also features a local story reporting that housing programs could suffer if Governor Carcieri's proposal for revising this year's budget is adopted.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment