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« February 4, 2008 | Today | February 6, 2008 » February 5, 2008For some, just a few hours left to fill up before fasting
It's not too late to stock up on a stack of pancakes tonight. But be sure you drizzle them with sugar, syrup or honey, for the full Fat Tuesday -- also known as Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday -- affect. The idea, projo.com blogger Sheila Lennon finds, is not so much to eat pancakes but to fill up on and get rid of rich foods on the last day before Lent in the Roman Catholic calendar. According to bbc.com, that included pancake ingredients eggs and butter, which it says were among foods that used to be forbidden during Lent. Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance and fasting, is tomorrow, marking the official start of the 40 days of Lent. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:00 PM | Comment Conn. primary: McCain has been working hard to winHARTFORD, Conn. -- With the backing of Gov. M. Jodi Rell and support from independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, Arizona Sen. John McCain hoped for a win today in Connecticut's Republican presidential primary. With early victories in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, McCain emerged as the Republican front-runner and hoped to all but secure the Republican nomination today. More than 20 states, including Connecticut, held primaries. "He's got more experience and I like his stand on the major issues," said Willard Ernst, 77, of Windsor. But he has doubts about whether Republicans can win the general election. "I think Bush has screwed things up too much." McCain was the only Republican contender to campaign in Connecticut, visiting Fairfield on Sunday. His main GOP challenger, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, attended a private fundraiser in Greenwich last May. A January poll showed McCain had the support of 39 percent of Connecticut Republicans, followed by 16 percent for New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and 11 percent for Romney. Giuliani dropped out of the race and endorsed McCain. Lieberman, who was re-elected to the Senate as an independent in 2006 after losing the Democratic primary, has also campaigned for McCain. Turnout on Tuesday was expected to be heavy, despite drizzling rain and overcast skies. McCain has long been popular in moderate Connecticut. In 2000, he narrowly won the state's Republican primary over then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who was born in New Haven and went on to win the GOP nomination. McCain has returned several times since to campaign for Republicans in key congressional races. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:59 PM | Comment Conn. primary: Clinton seeks to fight of Obama surgeHARTFORD, Conn. -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, who once had a comfortable lead among Connecticut Democrats, sought to fight off a late surge from Sen. Barack Obama as voters went to the polls today for a historic presidential primary. Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, is vying to become the first black candidate to win the nomination of a major U.S. political party; Clinton is hoping to become the first woman to do so. Clinton, from neighboring New York, once held a commanding lead in polls in Connecticut, but has seen her advantage slip away as the once-crowded Democratic field narrowed to two choices. They were competing for 48 delegates to the Democratic national convention, a tiny fraction of the 2,025 needed to clinch the party's nomination. Among Connecticut's 12 super delegates, top state party officials who get an automatic vote at the national convention, Obama currently holds the advantage. Clinton campaigned twice in Connecticut during the final days of the campaign, including a visit Monday to Yale University, where she attended law school. Later Monday, Obama drew 15,000 to a rally at the XL Center in Hartford. State officials predicted record turnout that could approach 50 percent. The previous record was 43.3 percent turnout for the 2006 Democratic Senate primary between Sen. Joe Lieberman and challenger Ned Lamont. "It's a close call," said psychology professor Tony Lemieux, 32, who voted for Obama on Tuesday morning in Milford. "My wife voted for Hillary. We're splitting the delegates, at least in our house." The split was reflected at the highest levels of Connecticut government. Democratic U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson and Chris Murphy backed Obama, while Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Comptroller Nancy Wyman stumped for Clinton. Sen. Christopher Dodd, who dropped out of the campaign after a poor showing in the Iowa caucus, did not endorse a candidate. Former U.S. Rep. Sam Gejdenson, a Dodd supporter who voted in Bozrah on Tuesday, declined to say whether he picked Obama or Clinton but predicted they would split the state's delegates. "I think they're both terrific, they're both very capable, they both, I think, have very solid ideas for the country," he said. "It's a very hard decision." -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 PM | Comment 2 Cranston men charged in Bank RI robbery last JunePROVIDENCE -- Two Cranston men, accused of donning masks and robbing more than $37,000 from a Bank Rhode Island branch in Cranston, now face federal charges. The police said they caught up with one of them beneath a tree, lying over a garbage bag full of cash. Christopher M. Thibodeau, 40, and Dennis R. Evans, 58, are named in informations filed Jan. 31 and today, respectively, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente and other law enforcement officials announced today. The informations charge Thibodeau and Evans with conspiracy to commit bank robbery and armed bank robbery. Also filed was an agreement signed by the defendants to plead guilty to the charges, though they remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, or until they formally enter guilty pleas called for in the agreements. Convictions carry maximums of five years in prison for conspiracy and 25 years for armed bank robbery. Each offense also has a maximum fine of $250,000. The police said they arrested the men in woods near Route 295 last year after an officer responding to the robbery spotted two men wearing masks running across the highway. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney An affidavit says two men wearing masks entered the branch on Plainfield Pike on the morning of June 29, one holding a gun. One jumped over the teller’s counter, took money from the drawers and stuffed it into a dark plastic garbage bag. One man then ordered tellers to open the ATM, from which the robbers took cash. The men fled the bank in a stolen car, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, and a customer at the bank’s drive-up window who witnessed the robbery followed the get-away car to a nearby industrial area, where two men left the vehicle and ran across the highway. Several police departments' officers searched woods and found Evans lying beneath a tree and over a garbage bag full of money. Police arrested Thibodeau walking through the woods, several hundred yards away from Evans. A BankRI tally put the stolen money at about $37,553, and the police recovered all but $75. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment Economy top of mind for Mass. voters / Photo
BOSTON -- The nation's rocky economy is top on the minds of voters heading to the polls this primary day in Massachusetts. Preliminary exit poll results conducted for The Associated Press show close to half of all Republican and Democratic voters say the economy is the most important challenge facing the nation. For Democratic voters, the war in Iraq places a close second with nearly four of ten calling it the top issue. Health care placed a distant third. For Republican voters, immigration placed second with about one of four voters calling it the nation's top issue. The war in Iraq and terrorism placed farther down the list. Polls close across the state at 8 p.m.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:35 PM | Comment Leak, mold affecting N. Kingstown High auditoriumNORTH KINGSTOWN -- Workers at the high school are watching a leak and mold problem in the auditorium, which was closed Friday, Monday and part of today. School officials discovered “a couple of wet spots” after touring the building with an insurance agent, said Ned Draper, administrative services director. A crew cleaned the area and a contractor opened a wall near the hall entrance and found mold, Draper said. Some sheetrock and carpeting was removed and the area is “being dried out,” he said. The auditorium was scheduled to reopen this afternoon, said Principal Gerald Foley. But part of a wall near the entrance will remain open so that workers can determine how water is entering the space. An air quality test done today revealed no danger to students. “The space was always safe,” Draper said. The auditorium, which includes a large stage, is used by music and theater students and for school plays, assemblies and town and school board meetings. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis The mold is the latest in a handful of problems to beset the six-year-old school, a state-of-the-art building with a towering glass wall but also past heating and construction problems. The start of the 2001-02 school year was delayed for two weeks while a New York construction company tried to finish the $33-million building. When the school finally opened, some parts were off limits. A year later the town fired the company, claiming it left $1.4 million in unfinished work. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:32 PM | Comment Pats linebacker Andrews arrested on marijuana chargeLOWELL, Mass. -- New England Patriots defensive back Willie Andrews pleaded not guilty to drug possession today, hours after authorities said they found him with a half-pound of marijuana. Andrews was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and driving an unregistered motor vehicle, a black Crown Victoria. Prosecutors said he had $6,800 in cash, three bags of marijuana, and no means to smoke the drugs. According to authorities, Lowell police responded to an anonymous caller who reported possible drug activity in a black motor vehicle. Police later pulled over the car, and when they approached it, detectives smelled a strong odor they believed to be marijuana, District Attorney Gerry Leone said. Andrews was released on personal recognizance after entering not guilty pleas during his arraignment in Lowell District Court. Andrews' lawyer, Sean Delaney, declined to comment. The arrest came one day after the team returned from Arizona, where the New York Giants upset New England 17-14 in the Super Bowl to end the Patriots' perfect season. The Patriots declined to comment specifically on Andrews' arrest. -- Associated Press Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:29 PM | Comment Romney hopes home state will carry him to victoryBOSTON -- Former Gov. Mitt Romney looked to the loyalty of Massachusetts Republicans to carry him in his home state over surging Republican rival John McCain, while voters here had a tight race to settle between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Cold rain and sleet covered much of the state early today, but officials still expected a record number of people to vote in the primary in Massachusetts, one of more than 20 electing delegates on Super Tuesday. Romney and his wife, Ann, voted in their hometown of Belmont at 2:30 p.m. "That's pretty fun. First time I ever voted for myself for president," said Romney, leaving town hall with a souvenir - a sample ballot. Romney said he planned to take a hot bath, open a month's worth of mail, and eat dinner before heading to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center to watch election results. Video: Watch Romney and his wife cast their votes at the Belmont, Mass., poll. Full story from the Associated Press ... Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:23 PM | Comment Update: R.I. fire marshal quitting after less than 4 monthsFrank M. Sylvester, who was appointed state fire marshal at the end of October by Governor Carcieri, is leaving the post on Feb. 15, according to state Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr. Sylvester, who had served as chief of the Lime Rock Fire District in Lincoln, will become the second Rhode Island state fire marshal to resign in less than a year. “While I am not privy to the specific reasons for Chief Sylvester’s resignation, I can’t help but wonder if it is not, at least in part, because of frustration,” Tassoni, D-Smithfield, said in a news release in which he expresses a range of concerns about fire readiness. “I know from personal discussions that many firefighters and fire officials are growing very tired of the Carcieri Administration’s foot-dragging in an area of public safety that should be getting more attention.” Tassoni said in his statement he is upset with a six-year delay in creating a Rhode Island Fire Academy, for which voters approved a $6.4 million bond issue, among other concerns. And he that he planned to write to the governor to "urge action" on various fire concerns "and to ask that the fire marshal’s position be filled quickly." Jeff Neal, spokesman for Governor Carcieri, confirmed the governor's office has received Sylvester’s resignation. Neal said that Sylvester expressed interest in returning to his old job in Lincoln and did not mention the Fire Academy. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:01 PM | Comment Oster trial: Free tires and dealer's plates for a yearPROVIDENCE -- More than a year before prosecutors allege the wheels started turning on a bribery scheme for which an ex-Lincoln town administrator is standing trial, an accused co-conspirator wanted a set of tires -- free ones. Car dealer Robert Campellone testified today that in December 1999 he met Robert Picerno -- the man the state says was the partner of ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster in trying to bribe businessmen in a property deal -- when Picerno brought a car from Campellone's dealership. Picerno has since been convicted, in 2004, on bribery charges. Oster is on trial facing two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy from 2000 to 2002, when he served as town administrator. Campellone said in Providence County Superior Court today that Picerno later pressed him for a new set of tires for the car. Campellone, who owns a car dealership on George Washington Highway in Lincoln, said he provided the tires because he was intimidated by Picerno's status as a member of the land-regulating Lincoln Planning Board. Campellone said that Picerno got him to buy tickets to a campaign fundraiser for Oster, who was running for town administrator in 2000. In early 2001, Campellone testified, he was contacted by Picerno about buying the old H&H Screw Co. site on Route 116 in Lincoln, a six-acre piece the town controls. Campellone said that Picerno said the price would be $105,000 paid to the town and $25,000 in cash paid to Picerno. Campellone said he secretly taped the transaction to protect himself. Campellone testified he paid Picerno the cash, but months later no progress had been made in his purchase of the site. He said he got so frustrated that he called Oster to find out what was going on. He said that Oster told him it's going to happen and that Picerno was not lying to Campellone. Campellone was able to get a meeting with Picerno and lawyer Donald Lembo. Campellone said that Picerno told him at the meeting that Picerno and Lembo were to be his partners in a company called Campo Investments Ltd. Campellone indicated in court that he was troubled by that because he was putting up all the money for the deal, yet Picerno and Lembo were partners. "I just told him I don't need partners," Campellone testified. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Hill Campellone said he got the documents concerning the acquisition to his lawyer, Joseph DeAngelis. After talking about the matter with his lawyer, Campellone pulled out of the deal and demanded his money back. He said Picerno paid back $10,000 of the $25,000 bribe with a a check in August 2001 and paid off the $15,000 balance with a check from Major Construction Associates. Major Construction was a company working on a playground renovation in Lincoln at the time. Its owner, the state says, is Robert Gelfuso, who was the second buyer the state alleges Picerno lined up to buy the same H&H Screw property and pay the bribe. During cross-examination this afternoon, Oster's defense lawyer, C. Leonard O'Brien, questioned Campellone on his relationship with Picerno before the 2001 period covered by the case against Oster. Under O'Brien's questioning, Campellone acknowledged selling Picerno a car in December 1999 -- more than a year before Oster took office -- at $400 over invoice, and to letting Picerno use dealer plates on the car for at least a year. That allowed Picerno to avoid paying Rhode Island sales tax on the car, which Campellone estimated he sold the Planning Board member for $22,000. Campellone testified that Picerno said he planned to register the car out of state, which also would enable the then-Planning Board member to avoid paying local property taxes on the car to the town of Lincoln. Campellone testified he extended those favors to Picerno because of his position as a Planning Board member. He said he knew Picerno to know people in town government and have political power. "He knows how to put you out of business," said Campellone. O’Brien also specifically questioned Campellone on whether, when he questioned Oster about how the sale of the property was progressing, he ever mentioned that he, Campellone had paid Picerno $25,000. “You didn’t tell Mr. Oster you’d given Robert Picerno $25,000, did you?” O’Brien asked. “No,” Campellone replied. Campellone has testified that Oster told him “Bob isn’t lying” when he asked Oster about the status of his bid for the H&H Screw property in the first half of 2001. O’Brien asked if that was about the bid going before the Town Council and that was the question that Oster was answering when he said Picerno wasn’t lying. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:24 PM | Comment Report rates nursing homes on bed sores, restraintsThe federal government today identified 12 Rhode Island nursing homes that have high rates of bed sores or use physical restraints excessively, saying these homes will be targeted for improvement over the next three years. Kerry Weems, acting administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said the nursing homes on the list are not necessarily the worst ones in the state, because CMS considered only two aspects of care, and these homes may be doing well in other areas. But Dr. Stefan Gravenstein, clinical director of long-term care at Quality Partners of Rhode Island, said that difficulty with restraints and pressure ulcers often signal more widespread problems in a nursing home, such as high staff turnover. CMS listed two nursing homes as having problems with both physical restraints and pressure ulcers: Kent Regency Center, in Warwick, and Bethany Home of Rhode Island, in Providence. Haven Health Center of Coventry performed poorly on use of physical restraints. The remaining nursing homes on the list had problems with pressure ulcers only: Epoch Senior Health Care on Blackstone Boulevard, in Providence; the Friendly Home, in Woonsocket; Harris Health Center, in East Providence; Haven Health Center of Pawtucket; Hopkins Manor, in North Providence; Jeanne Jugan Residence-Little Sisters of the Poor, in Pawtucket; Morgan Health Center, in Johnston; Pine Grove Health Center, in Pascoag; and Watch Hill Care and Rehab, in Westerly. CMS released the list of low-performing nursing homes around the country this morning to add focus and accountability to the work of its quality-improvement organizations – private agencies hired in each state to improve the care of Medicare beneficiaries. These agencies will be required, over three years starting Aug. 1, to show measurable reductions in pressure ulcers (bed sores) and inappropriate use of restraints in some of the targeted nursing homes. Quality Partners is the quality-improvement organization for Medicare beneficiaries in Rhode Island. CMS also released a list of hospitals that performed poorly in measures to prevent surgical infections and that will face similar improvement efforts. But no Rhode Island hospitals made the list because hospitals in this state perform very well on those measures, said H. John Keimig, chief executive officer of quality partners. -- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer “All the hospitals performed well above the national average,” Keimig said. Keimig said that his agency would work for further improvements in Rhode Island hospitals and also focus on such issues as reducing infections with drug-resistant bacteria. “Even though none of hospitals hit the list,” he said, “there’s opportunity for further improvement.” CMS is pushing the quality-improvement organizations to bring about change in the nursing and hospitals, but nothing requires these providers to cooperate. Weems said that being publicly listed as low-performing “is incentive enough for them to improve.” And in Rhode Island, said Keimig, the Health Department gives an added push. The state health director, Dr. David R. Gifford, was previously chief medical officer of Quality Partners, and the Health Department, which controls nursing home licenses and inspections, “can put some pressure on nursing homes to work with us,” Keimig said. Although CMS came up with a list of 13 nursing homes (one of which has closed), it has not yet decided how much money it will pay for this effort. So Quality Partners is not sure how many nursing homes it will be able to work with, nor which ones, Keimig said. Additionally, very small nursing homes may not have chronic quality problems but rather an issue involving a few patients that looms large percentage-wise because of the small number of residents, said Gail Patry, director of long-term care at Quality Partners. In the case of the two smallest nursing homes on the list – Bethany Home, with 33 beds, and Harris Health Center, with 32 – Paltry said she had not analyzed the data to determine if their inclusion was a statistical fluke or a sign of trouble. Gravenstein said the work on reducing pressure ulcers would involve not just the nursing homes but the hospitals where nursing home residents are often admitted, and where their bed sores may get worse. And for the nursing homes, he added, quality-improvement efforts often end up saving money. -- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:18 PM | Comment Update: Bradford Dyeing to lay off more workersWESTERLY -- The owner of a textile-finishing mill that is one of the Westerly area's largest employers says he'll lay off about a third of the mill's work force because of problems reaching a deal with his union on work rules, as well as higher energy prices. About 53 employees at Bradford Dyeing Association, most of them members of the union, will be laid off in April. "We have made the decision to proceed with a mass layoff that will take place in 60 days. The exact number of employees who will be affected by this decision remains unclear, however it will be many," said a statement today from Bradford Dyeing Association President Michael Grills. The statement says the company was forced to outsource its bleach house operations due to the heavy blaze last May that drew dozens of fire and rescue personnel to the riverside facility on Route 91 on the Westerly-Hopkinton border. Grills said he asked workers to make concessions in the work rules provision of the contract with Unite Here! Local 431. In the statement, Grills said the benefit package costs the privately held company an average of nearly $50,000 per employee yearly. And he stated that increasing energy prices, and uncertainty regarding them, "has plagued our operations. As an example, our oil prices have almost tripled over the last two years." Union Vice President Joe Edwards says the union didn't agree to the changes because it could affect its contracts in other mills. BDA laid off 48 workers last November. At that point the workforce was down to 160. The company, which specializes in printing fabrics for the military, has operated in Westerly since 1911. -- The Associated Press and projo.com staff reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:41 PM | Comment Photo: State House rally protests housing cuts
Advocates say two such cuts proposed in the governor's supplementary budget, would have a devasting impact on affordable housing. The first plan would scoop $26 million from Rhode Island Housing, the independent state agency that lends money and provides grants for affordable-housing projects. The second eliminates all money for the $7.5-million Neighborhood Opportunities Program, the seven-year-old state fund that helps finance affordable housing for those who make less than $30,000 a year. The supplementary budget proposal seeks to offset millions in projected overspending and a shortfall in revenue by making $83.2 million in spending cuts, and bringing in $68.8 million by capping the state’s popular historic tax credit program and scooping millions of dollars from various quasi-public agencies such as Rhode Island Housing and the Resource Recovery Corporation. If approved by the General Assembly, the spending plan would reduce the state-financed portion of the budget adopted in June by $36.3 million. -- With Journal archival reports Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:26 PM | Comment Bradford Dyeing expects to lay off a third of work forceWESTERLY -- The owner of a textile mill that is one of the Westerly area's largest employers says he'll lay off about a third of the mill's work force because of problems reaching a deal with his union on work rules, as well as higher energy prices. About 53 employees at Bradford Dyeing Association, most of them members of the union, will be laid off in April. Michael Grills says he asked workers to make concessions in the work rules provision of the contract with Unite Here! Local 431. He told The Westerly Sun the proposed changes would have allowed workers to do the jobs of people who don't come to work. Union Vice President Joe Edwards says the union didn't agree to the changes because it could affect its contracts in other mills. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:54 PM | Comment Mayors announce grant to improve Broad Street
CUMBERLAND -- Broad Street runs through Central Falls, Cumberland and Pawtucket – and all three want to do something to revitalize it. Today mayors Charles Moreau, of Central Falls, Daniel McKee, of Cumberland, and James E. Doyle, of Pawtucket, announced a $50,000 grant to regenerate the street and the surrounding neighborhoods. Bob Billington, of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, joined the mayors in announcing the Preserve America Grant, which will be used to develop a sustainable community plan. The group announced the grant today at the Blackstone River Theater in Cumberland. -- Journal staff photographer Bob Thayer Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:09 PM | Comment Strong voter turnout expected in Mass. and Conn.Connecticut election officials expect a record turnout for today's presidential primary and Massachusetts officials also expect a strong turnout despite cold, rainy weather. Connecticut and Massachusetts are among the states holding primaries or caucuses today on what is being billed as "Super Tuesday." Rhode Island doesn't hold its presidential primary until March 4. Polls in Connecticut opened at 6 a.m. today and were to remain open until 8 p.m. Turnout records could be broken, according to Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz. Bysiewicz predicted voter turnout close to 50 percent - higher than the 43.3 percent turnout for the closely watched 2006 Senate Democratic matchup between Sen. Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont. In Massachusetts, a stream of early voters, braving a cold, steady rain, entered a heavily democratic precinct in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood shortly after the polls opened. Outside, supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama held signs and shouted last-minute arguments. Massachusetts state Secretary William Galvin predicted a heavy turnout in both Democratic and Republican primaries, with more than 30 percent of the electorate showing up at the polls - a number he said could climb even higher. Read a full story on the Connecticut primary. Read a full story on the Massachusetts primary. -- From Associated Press reports Posted by Jack Perry at 1:25 PM | Comment Update: Judge reconsiders delaying 'gap kids' dismissalPROVIDENCE -- A Superior Court judge now says he will hold a hearing tomorrow to determine whether he should put on hold his decision to dismiss felony charges against so-called "gap kids." Judge Daniel A. Procaccini Jr. this morning announced that he is dismissing felony charges against so-called "gap kids," defined as 17-year-olds who were charged as adults during a brief window this summer and fall when those teens were considered adults in the courts. Procaccini had also said he would put the decision on hold for 20 days, pending an appeal by the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office, but he is now reconsidering that hold at the request of the Office of the Public Defender. Procaccini has scheduled a hearing for 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. Judge Procaccini earlier announced that he is also holding in abeyance the indictment against a Barrington teen charged in the boating fatality last summer, pending a hearing in Family Court. Ryan Greenberg has been charged with second-degree murder and underage possession of alcohol in the July death of Patrick Murphy, 17, on the Barrington River. A short-lived law enacted last July treated 17-year-olds accused of crimes as adults. The move was intended to save money since it's typically less expensive to house someone at the state prison than at the Rhode Island Training School. The law was repealed in November after lawmakers realized that it wouldn't save money. The state's public defender has led efforts to return the teens to Family Court. But the attorney general's office says it would create chaos to apply the change retroactively. In the conclusion of his decision today, the judge says: "The Legislature’s short-lived decision to subject seventeen-year-olds to Superior Court jurisdiction was constitutional in all respects. The manner in which this decision was implemented, however, failed to consider the entire statutory scheme conferring jurisdiction upon the Family Court."
Posted by Jack Perry at 1:12 PM | Comment Lt. governor seeking details on long-term care changesGovernor Carcieri has said the state could save tens of millions of dollars by diverting elderly care from institutions to home care. But how, exactly, will these changes play out? Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts is planning a series of meetings to flush out the details of the potential changes to elderly care that could result from the governor's proposed budget. The meetings will be facilitated by the Long Term Care Coordinating Council, a body that aims to “develop and coordinate state policy concerning all forms of long term care for elderly and adults with chronic disabilities.” “This is one of those times when by doing things differently and in a more cost-effective manner we can also better meet the needs of our citizens,” said Roberts, who chairs the council. “We have an opportunity to make some very positive changes in these tough budget times." Roberts said she has requested presentations from the Office of Health and Human Services, Human Services, and the Department of Elderly Affairs at the first meeting, scheduled for next Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. in the State House. By statute, the department representatives are required to attend. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:35 AM | Comment Youth group wants an apology -- so does governorPROVIDENCE – An activist youth group for Southeast Asian Americans wants an apology from Governor Carcieri's wife for comparing teenagers who criticized her husband to suicide bombers. Governor Carcieri, however, thinks he’s the one entitled to an apology. During a protest two months ago, a 16-year-old boy called the governor’s decision to lay off three Southeast Asian interpreters “racist.” She compared that to terrorists convincing youths to blow up other people, such as former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in December. Staff at Providence Youth Student Movement say it was inappropriate to compare them to terrorists, and they want an apology. Jeff Neal, the governor’s spokesman, said in a statement that Sue Carcieri did not mean to imply any connection between the activists and those responsible for the death of Benazir Bhutto. And the governor wants the group to apologize to him for “calling him a racist,” according to Neal’s statement. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:50 AM | Comment Commander of Newport Coast Guard cutter suspendedThe commander of a Newport-based Coast Guard cutter has been relieved of duty after allegations that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Commander Jeffery Dow had been commander of the cutter Willow since the summer of 2005. He was temporarily relieved of duty Feb. 1. The 225-foot cutter was launched in 1996 and commissioned in April 1997. “We take these types of allegations very seriously,” said Rear Adm. Timothy Sullivan, “and we will investigate this case fully.” The case remains under investigation.
Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:20 AM | Comment It's just Regular Tuesday in Rhode IslandThis could be a defining day in the 2008 race for the White House. Millions of Americans are heading to the polls to cast primary ballots on Super Tuesday, though not here in Rhode Island. The Ocean State holds its presidential primary on March 4. Meanwhile, our New England neighbors, Connecticut and Massachusetts, are part of today's primary frenzy. In all, two-dozen contests from coast to coast are delivering 1,023 Republican and 1,681 Democratic delegates. The number needed to win the nomination: 1,191 Republican and 2,025 Democratic. The contests offer an enormous chunk of the delegates that are ultimately needed to win each party's nomination at the political conventions this summer. Party rules are stacked against a knockout for Democrats. All their primaries and caucuses award delegates proportionately, so it doesn't hurt to come in second. In the Republican field, nine contests offer all delegates to the winner. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from the Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:09 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of Super Tuesday, when voters in 23 states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut, turn out for primaries. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Rainy and warmWe're in store for another wet and relatively warm day. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature of 50 degrees -- 12 degrees higher than the average but 12 degrees lower than the record high. The rain is expected to continue, and we may see some thunderstorms in the early afternoon. A half inch of rain is expected by the end of the day. More rain is expected late tonight when the temperature drops to the mid 40s. Rain continues into tomorrow, with patchy fog, and temperatures again reaching about 50 degrees. For weather updates throughout the day, visit projo.com's weather page. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006