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February 19, 2008

Tonight: Multiculturalism lecture at URI

Anna Everett gives the University of Rhode Island's 13th annual multiculturalism lecture tonight. She has studied and written about the impact of race, ethnicity and digital media on young people.

The free lecture is open to the public and begins at 7:30 in Room 271, Chafee Social Science Center, on the university's Kingston campus. For information, go to www.uri.edu/news.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment

Satellite debris unlikely, but EMA ready just in case

Remember that damaged satellite the government plans to shoot down? If debris starts falling in Rhode Island, the state Emergency Management Agency says it's got a plan.

It's an "unlikely event" that debris would fall here, the state EMA said in a news release today, but the agency has received guidance from the federal Emergency Management Agency on the potential for such debris landing on Earth. The state EMA has met with the National Guard.

The Associated Press reports a Navy heat-seeking missile may be used, possibly tomorrow night.
“While it is premature to think anything will land here in Rhode Island, it is not premature to plan for the possibility," Diana Arcand, the state EMA deputy director, said in the statement.

So the department has disseminated information to all Ocean State cities and towns, HazMat teams, and various state agencies "on how they are to deal with any satellite debris if it lands in Rhode Island," the release says.

“The National Guard’s 13th Civil Support Team is ready to respond if necessary," Major General Robert T. Bray, who heads up the state EMA, stated. “They are specialized in response to nuclear, biological, chemical, and hazardous materials.”

Out of an abundance of caution, the EMA said, it is putting out the word to the public if anyone suspects satellite debris has landed.

The state EMA said people should do this:

* Keep informed about the satellite destruction.

* Any debris should be considered possibly hazardous -- don't touch, handle or move it.

* People who see or encounter falling debris should notify the local public safety agency
(9-1-1) and stay away from it.

First Responders are being told:

* Any debris should be considered potentially hazardous, and first responders should not pick it up or move it.

* First responders should create a perimeter and not allow access around debris. Don't pick up any debris. Notify your local emergency manager of its location immediately.

* Cities/towns and emergency managers should inform the state Emergency Management Agency of any debris reported.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment

Demolition making room for mid-price downtown hotel

PROVIDENCE -- Demolition is underway downtown at the future site of a Hotel Sierra, a mid-price hotel whose Kansas developers are banking can fill a gap in Providence’s stratified hotel market.

The hotel, formerly known as a Sierra Suites, would be erected between Washington Street and Fountain Street downtown, tying in with the parking garage next door. It is one of several moderately-priced hotel projects now in various stages of completion or development in Providence, where luxury hotels dominate the marketplace.

To build the 11-story, 162-room hotel, the developer, Kansas’ Lodgeworks, needs to knock down two buildings: 149-157 Washington St., a three-story building that once housed the restaurants Cuban Revolution and New Japan, and the bar Talk of the Town, and 132-134 Fountain St., the former site of a McDonald’s restaurant.

The demolition contractor, Coventry Wrecking Co., began tearing the back out of the Washington Street building Monday, and continued today. Demolition is expected to take roughly a month, said Matthew T. Marcello, one of the partners in the deal.

The project is a partnership between Lodgeworks and Civic Center Parking Associates, a consortium of several local developers and lawyers which owns the site and the Civic Center Parking Garage next door.

The project was first proposed two full years ago, but it has taken several redesigns and the granting of a series of zoning variances to get the project to this point. Now, it has all its approvals, and the project is ready to obtain a building permit and go forward, said atty. David Barricelli of Providence’s Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, representing Lodgeworks.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

The developers are still pricing the project, Barricelli said, and looking to hire a general contractor to oversee it.

“We’re ready to go,” Barricelli said. “We anticipate starting this construction season,” meaning this spring or summer.

LodgeWorks is the owner of more than a dozen Hotel Sierras and Summerfield Suites Hotels along the East and West coasts. Their Sierra Suites sites were rebranded to Hotel Sierras last year.

They envision that the Hotel Sierra will be a good fit for extended-stay travelers because of its proximity to business and convention center activity. Extended-stay travelers are defined as hotel guests who stay longer than four days.

The Civic Center Parking Associates own the property that the proposed hotel would be built on. The company has operated the parking garage for 20 years, in addition to developing other properties in the city.

Civic Center Associates also owns the Mercantile Block next door, and plans to sell that to local arts collaborative AS220, which will renovate the building into artists space and lease to commercial sites on the first floor, according to Matthew T. Marcello III, one of the principals in the Civic Center Associates.

The principals of the Parking Associates are Joseph DiBattista, Marcello, Ed Ritchie, and the Bliss family, which owns Warwick Mall.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:20 PM | Comment

Janitors at Providence College ratify new contract

Fifty janitors who work at Providence College have ratified a new contract with Hurley of America, the college-hired subcontractor for cleaning services, after going on strike for several days at the beginning of the month.

The janitors, who are part of the Service Employees International Union Local 615, ratified the contract on Saturday, the union announced today.

The union news release said the janitors launched a week-long strike on Feb. 1 after the previous contract expired the day before. The strike, the union said, was against unfair labor practices by the company.

The strike happened as the college held Family Weekend for upperclass students, when hundreds of families were expected.

"Many students were active in showing their support for the contracted janitors' efforts to secure a just contract," the statement said. Several teachers also cancelled classes or took classes off the campus in support of the janitors, a union spokeswoman told the Journal early this month.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:12 PM | Comment

Oster trial: Jury begins deliberations tomorrow

PROVIDENCE -- The jury in the bribery and conspiracy trial of ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster will begin deliberating tomorrow morning in Providence County Superior Court.

The jury finished for today after hearing closing arguments from the sides and receiving jury instructions from Judge William V. Indeglia.

Prosecutor Bethany Macktaz today repeatedly called the jury's attention to a tape of a Feb. 16, 2001, meeting between Oster and Robert R. Picerno, a former Lincoln Planning Board member and Oster political ally, which she said showed not a law-abiding town administrator being tricked by a friend but a knowing co-conspirator accepting a bribe.

Oster, the town adminstrator from 2000 to 2002, has been on trial for two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with what the state says were two efforts to get bribes from potential buyers of town-controlled land on Route 116 known as the H&H Screw Co. property. The state alleges Oster and Picerno conspired to sell the land for $105,000, an amount far lower than what the state said it was worth.

In her closing arguments, Macktaz today told the jury to consider a point on the tape where Oster and Picerno stand outside Oster's law office near the building mailboxes. At that point, Picerno put an envelope with $10,000 in cash inside Oster's office mailbox and said, "This is from Wayne, this is for that H & H bull-[expletive]."

State police found that envelope during a search of Oster's office later in the day.

But Oster's defense lawyer, C. Leonard O'Brien, argued in court today that his client was guilty of poor judgment in choice of friends but not of bribery and conspiracy. O'Brien repeatedly pointed out places where he said the state had failed to connect with Oster the efforts of Picerno, to solicit bribes.

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

Oster trial: Defense finishes closing arguments
Posted 12 p.m.

PROVIDENCE -- The defense made its closing arguments this morning in the bribery and conspiracy trial of former Lincoln Town Adminstrator Jonathan F. Oster.

Defense lawyer C. Leonard O'Brien, in a slightly more than hour-long presentation in Providence County Superior Court, argued today that his client was guilty of poor judgment in choice of friends but not of bribery and conspiracy.

O'Brien repeatedly pointed out places where he said the state had failed to connect with Oster the efforts of Robert R. Picerno, a former Lincoln Planning Board member and Oster political ally, to solicit bribes.

Picerno pleaded no contest into 2004 to bribery and conspiracy.

Oster, who served as town administrator from 2000 to 2002, has been on trial for two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with what the state says were two efforts to extort bribes from potential buyers of town-controlled land on Route 116 known as the H&H Screw Co. property. The state's accusations are that Oster and Picerno conspired to sell the land for $105,000, an amount far lower than what the state said it was worth.

O'Brien claimed in court today that the state failed to keep the promises it made in its opening statements in the case. O'Brien pointed out testimony that indicated that because of hazardous waste dumped on the property, the land was worth far less than $105,000. And rather than being a favor to buyer, a $105,000 price would have been a bargain for the town, the argument goes.

O'Brien hammered away at what he called the state's reliance on recordings of Picerno and the targets of the bribe efforts. He told the jury that the state police were so focused on indicating his client they were willing to overlook Picerno's untrustworthiness.

"They trusted Picerno," said O'Brien, "you can't trust Picerno."

Read about the final day of case testimony.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:24 PM | Comment

Report aims to up awareness of possible toxic threats

With the aim to create greater public awareness about potential toxic threats in Rhode Island’s cities and towns, the non-profit group Toxics Action Center released a report today called “Toxic in Rhode Island: A town by town profile,” which lists the presence of possible environmental and health risks from former landfills to chemical manufacturers.

Predominantly using information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Management, the report provides a comprehensive inventory of contaminated sites, power plants and leaking underground storage tanks, which the group said will provide local communities the information they need to demand tougher regulations and enforcement from responsible parties to clean up harmful chemicals that pose dangers to human health and the environment.

“Rhode Island citizens are often left in the dark when it comes to toxic threats in their communities,” said Toxics Action Center community organizer Amelia Rose, who is also the report’s author. “This report reveals a legacy of pollution in the state that may surprise most residents.”

The report, which is posted on the group’s Web site, also contains maps detailing the prevalence of different types of cancer in the state and the locations of potential dangers like Superfund sites, textile manufacturers and hazardous waste sites.

The report did not rank the toxicity of cities and towns or explain the acute risks of individual sites, but it does make recommendations to state and federal governments, such as phasing out the use of persistent toxic chemicals like lawn pesticides and adequately funding the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

-- Journal environment writer Natalie Garcia

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:03 PM | Comment

Mayors, unions join to support Mass. casino effort

BOSTON — A coalition of politicians, labor and business leaders is forming to support the development of resort-style casinos in Massachusetts.

The group, which includes Boston Mayor Tom Menino, officially launched its effort today.

The Massachusetts Coalition for Jobs and Growth includes the state AFL-CIO and the mayors of other cities, including Salem and Chicopee.

They’re coming together to support Gov. Deval Patrick’s efforts to build three casinos in the state.
Supporters say casinos would create thousands of jobs and bring in millions of dollars of revenue to Massachusetts.

Chelsea City Manager Jay Ask says he recently got a flyer for a Chelsea Chamber of Commerce trip to Foxwoods.

Menino says approving casinos in Massachusetts is about economic survival.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:05 PM | Comment

Police dismantle indoor marijuana garden in Newport

NEWPORT -- The Newport police this weekend dismantled an indoor marijuana garden -- a total of 162 plants growing under fluorescent lights -- and arrested the proprietor on felony drug charges, according to the police.

Benjamin Benigno, 28, of 120 Carroll Ave., was arraigned yesterday in District Court, Newport, and ordered held without bail by Judge Stephen Erickson, the police said today.

The police vice and narcotics unit confiscated 3.85 pounds of cultivated marijuana in a raid on Benigno’s home Sunday, according to the police.

Benigno was charged with felony counts of possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, and manufacturing marijuana with intent to deliver, according to police Lt. William Fitzgerald.

The presence of Benigno’s two children -- aged 3 and nine months -- in the home-based marijuana garden gave rise to additional charges of neglect of a child, a felony; and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor, according to Fitzgerald.

He said the police received confidential information over the last month that marijuana was being sold out of the Benigno home and sent officers to check on the welfare of the children late Sunday afternoon.

When Benigno allowed them to enter, the police noticed the odor of burning marijuana and saw a glass pipe packed with marijuana, according to a statement issued by Fitzgerald.

After Benigno was arrested, the police discovered the marijuana garden in a second-floor room, the police said. The size of the plants ranged from about 12 inches to 3 feet, according to Fitzgerald’s statement.

-- Journal staff writer Gina Macris

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:02 PM | Comment

Smoke closes Ocean State Power briefly

Firefighters responded to the Ocean State Power plant in Burrillville this morning, after an oil leak led to smoke in one of the gas turbines.

The situation was handled by plant personnel, according to Shela Shapiro, spokeswoman for TransCanada, which operates the station. She said employees were not in danger, and there was no equipment damage.

The cause is under investigation.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:51 PM | Comment

State police lieutenant to run N. Providence police

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
State Police Lt. David Palmer, left, will temporarily assume command of the North Providence Police Department. The announcement was made by Mayor Charles Lombardi, second from left, at a press conference attended by Deputy Police Chief Paul Marino, third from left, and State Police Col. Brendan Doherty, far right.

NORTH PROVIDENCE -- A Rhode Island State Police lieutenant will lead the North Providence Police Department in the wake of the police chief's abrupt retirement last week.

Mayor Charles Lombardi this afternoon announced that state police Lt. David Palmer will head the department.

Lombardi had turned to the state police for help after Ernest Spaziano, the town's chief for the last six years, told him he was stepping down. Lombardi did not say how long Palmer would be in charge.

Spaziano had testified as a witness for the defense in the trial of North Providence Police Sgt. Michael Ciresi, who was convicted last Monday on 9 of 10 counts, including two counts of burglary, receiving stolen goods and attempted larceny.

The chief testified he always viewed Ciresi as an exemplary officer and told of instances in which Ciresi came in even on his days off to undertake dangerous assignments. He said that because of Ciresi’s ability to bring in arrests, he was given more “leeway” when it came to bending the rules.

Lombardi had earlier said he "a little surprised” by Spaziano's retirement.

“I know that he mentioned before that he was thinking about retiring, but said he wanted to get the Ciresi trial behind him first. I didn’t think he would go until the end of the fiscal year,” Lombardi said.

-- With reports from Journal staff photographer Andrew Dickerman

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:38 PM | Comment

Oster trial: In the jury's hands

PROVIDENCE -- Was ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster being tricked, or was he actively involved in soliciting bribes?

It's for a jury to decide now; they went into deliberation this afternoon.

Prosecutor Bethany Macktaz today repeatedly called the jury's attention to a tape of a Feb. 16, 2001, meeting between Oster and Robert R. Picerno, which she said showed not a law-abiding town administrator being tricked by a duplicitous friend but a knowing co-conspirator accepting a bribe.

In her closing arguments, Macktaz told the jury to consider a point on the tape where Oster and Picerno stand outside Oster's law office near the building mailboxes. At that point, Picerno put an envelope with $10,000 in cash inside Oster's office mailbox and said, "This is from Wayne, this is for that H & H bull-[expletive]."

State police found that envelope during a search of Oster's office later in the day.

Oster, who served as town administrator from 2000 to 2002, has been on trial in Providence County Superior Court for two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with what the state says were two efforts to extort bribes from potential buyers of town-controlled land on Route 116 known as the H&H Screw Co. property. The state's case alleges Oster and Picerno conspired to sell the land for $105,000, an amount far below what the state said it was worth.

Picerno, a former Lincoln Planning Board member and former Oster political ally, pleaded no contest in 2004 to bribery and conspiracy.

Read about the final day of case testimony.

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

Macktaz today also pointed out to the jury that Oster had moved the meeting outside after telling Picerno that lawyers' offices could be bugged.

"What admininstrator who is doing the lawful business of the town is going to worry about that?" Macktaz said in court. " ... A criminal, that's who does that."

Because Oster is charged with conspiracy, the state does not have to prove he had specific knowledge of Picerno's specific actions as part of the state's allegation that Oster was involved in a bribery scheme. Under conspiracy law, if the state can prove a conspiracy existed and then prove that Oster was part of it, Macktaz said, it does not matter if Oster knew what Picerno was doing.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:43 PM | Comment

Healthcare career fair this afternoon in Warwick

WARWICK -- More than 10 healthcare companies are conducting on-the-spot interviews at projoJob’s Nursing & Allied Healthcare Career Fair, going on now through 5 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza, Route 5, in Warwick.

Plus, there are free seminars on improving your interview presentation at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Click here to see the full list of exhibitors and events.

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:24 PM | Comment

Clinton to open R.I. headquarters with rally today

PROVIDENCE-- The Hillary Clinton campaign will officially open its headquarters here this afternoon.

Supporters of the Democratic presidential contender are expected to be joined by some of the state's top Democratic politicians, including U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Rep. James Langevin, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and Providence Mayor David n. Cicilline.

The opening and rally at 175 Broad St. is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

Clinton will visit Rhode Island herself this Sunday. Details have not yet been announced.

A local headquarters for fellow Democratic contender Barack Obama was opened last Wednesday at 235 Westminster St. in downtown Providence.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:51 PM | Comment

Photo: An extreme trim before the extreme makeover

Journal Photo/Bill Murphy
Workers clearing tree branches in preparation for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project here. The Silva family of Warwick was taken to Disney World for the week. When they return, Doreen and Kenny Silva, and their five children, will have a new home.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:39 PM | Comment

Play, documentary recall youngest Station fire victim

PROVIDENCE -- A documentary about the youngest person killed in The Station nightclub fire will be screened in Providence next month.

The movie, "41,'' will be shown March 3 at the Cable Car Cinema and Cafe.

It's about Nicholas O'Neill, who was 18 years old when he and 99 other people were killed in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick.

The film is co-directed by O'Neill's older brother, Christian, and includes family members reminiscing about the teenager's life.

In addition, "They Walk Among Us,'' a play written by O'Neill about teenagers who die and return as guardian angels will air on statewide television tomorrow, the fifth anniversary of the fire.

The production will be broadcast on Cox Cable Channel 71 at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, several hundred people attended a memorial service for the victims of the fire at the former site of the club in West Warwick.

Read more about The Station fire and its aftermath.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:19 PM | Comment

Michelle Obama to campaign in R.I. tomorrow

Michelle Obama is coming to Rhode Island tomorrow to talk about her husband, Sen. Barack Obama, and his run for the presidency.

First, she’ll be meeting at a private get-together for a “Women for Obama” launch event at 1:30 p.m. The gathering is by invitation only, the campaign said.

Tomorrow evening she’ll join her brother, Brown University basketball coach Craig Robinson at Community College Rhode Island’s Knight Campus in Warwick for a rally.

The 5:45 p.m. event is open to the public but it’s at the Student Dining Commons, so there’s limited space; you can secure tickets online.

Fellow Democratic presidential contender Sen. Hillary Clinton is set to visit the Ocean State on Sunday, though she hasn't yet announced where. GOP frontrunner Sen. John McCain stopped here for a campaign rally last week.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:05 PM | Comment

Oster trial: Defense finishes closing arguments

PROVIDENCE -- The defense made its closing arguments this morning in the bribery and conspiracy trial of former Lincoln Town Adminstrator Jonathan F. Oster.

Defense lawyer C. Leonard O'Brien, in a slightly more than hour-long presentation in Providence County Superior Court, argued today that his client was guilty of poor judgment in choice of friends but not of bribery and conspiracy.

O'Brien repeatedly pointed out places where he said the state had failed to connect with Oster the efforts of Robert R. Picerno, a former Lincoln Planning Board member and Oster political ally, to solicit bribes.

Picerno pleaded no contest into 2004 to bribery and conspiracy.

Oster, who served as town administrator from 2000 to 2002, has been on trial for two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with what the state says were two efforts to extort bribes from potential buyers of town-controlled land on Route 116 known as the H&H Screw Co. property. The state's accusations are that Oster and Picerno conspired to sell the land for $105,000, an amount far lower than what the state said it was worth.

O'Brien claimed in court today that the state failed to keep the promises it made in its opening statements in the case. O'Brien pointed out testimony that indicated that because of hazardous waste dumped on the property, the land was worth far less than $105,000. And rather than being a favor to buyer, a $105,000 price would have been a bargain for the town, the argument goes.

O'Brien hammered away at what he called the state's reliance on recordings of Picerno and the targets of the bribe efforts. He told the jury that the state police were so focused on indicating his client they were willing to overlook Picerno's untrustworthiness.

"They trusted Picerno," said O'Brien, "you can't trust Picerno."

Read about the final day of case testimony.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:00 PM | Comment

Update: New trial rejected in Pawtucket murder case

PROVIDENCE -- The judge who presided over the murder trial of Barry Offley rejected Offley's motion for a new trial this morning, characterizing the testimony Offley offered in his own defense before he was found guilty in December as "wholly unworthy of belief."

Offley is the nephew and, the jury found, the accomplice of Alonzo P. Shelton, who was found guilty last spring of murdering one woman and wounding another.

They were convicted in separate trials of shooting and wounding 28-year-old Julie Lang and shooting and killing her friend, 24-year-old Jessica Imran, after entering Imran’s Pawtucket apartment during the early morning of July 27, 2006.

A jury on Dec. 5 found Offley guilty of murder, conspiracy to murder, assault with intent to murder and discharging a firearm during an act of violence, death resulting.

Judge Robert D. Krause set Offley's sentencing for tomorrow in Providence County Superior Court.

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

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:51 AM | Comment

R.I. home construction slows further

Rhode Island home construction slowed last year, with the number of single-family building permits falling 9 percent for the second straight year, according to a report from the Rhode Island Builders Association.

There were 1,458 single-family building permits issued last year, compared with 1,606 permits in 2006.

Home construction in the state as measured by single-family building permits has been falling every year since 2000, with the overall number of permits during the last seven years down 35.4 percent, according to the Builders Association data.

The steepest one-year drop recorded by the Builders Association was in 1995, when single-family building permits fell 11 percent.

During the next four years, home construction activity picked up, with building permits from 1995 through 1999 climbing nearly 28 percent. Of the 39 cities and towns, building permits last year declined in 24 communities, increased in 14, and remained unchanged in one, according to the report.

-- John Kostrzewa

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:29 AM | Comment

Author to discuss 'Omnivore's Dilemma' at Brown

We’ve recently been bombarded with images of sick animals that should have been euthanized instead being forced into the food supply.

And though there’s no indication that any of the cows from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Co. were carrying illnesses that could be transferred to people, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sunday ordered the recall of more than 140 million pounds of beef -- some of which were destined for schools across the country, including in Rhode Island.

Just in time comes Michael Pollan, the author who’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, takes a shot at answering the questions “What should we eat? … How did we ever get to a point where we need investigative journalists to tell us where our food comes from and nutritionists to determine the dinner menu."

Pollan is set to speak at Brown University’s Salomon Center Thursday. His talk, "In Defense of Food: The Omnivore's Solution,” is set to begin at 6 p.m.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:02 AM | Comment

Be on the lookout for lunar eclipse tomorrow night

AP/Photo
The full moon reddens and darkens during the total lunar eclipse shown in this Jan, 20, 2000, file photo, made with an amateur astronomer's telescope. Lunar eclipses can happen only at full moon as the moon passes into the shadow cast by the earth.

PROVIDENCE -- We’ve just got one shot until 2010, so don’t blow it.

Take a midday nap, drink some coffee, set an alarm...

Tomorrow night – weather permitting, though it's not looking too good – there’s going to be a great, prime-time sky show: a total lunar eclipse visible throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa and, if you miss it, you'll have to wait more almost three years for the next one, in December 2010.

At about 8:25 p.m., the moon will begin moving into the edge of the earth’s shadow, the penumbra. About 20 minutes later, the real show begins when the moon moves into the darker part of the shadow, the umbra.

At about 10 p.m. the moon will be fully within the shadow as it lines up opposite the sun, on the other side of the earth.

For about 50 minutes, the moon will be in this shadow – if may be dark gray, but it’s more likely to be a striking reddish color. The effect is created by the light from the sun that is bent through the earth’s atmosphere, scattering the shorter wavelengths and leaving the longer, red light waves to hit the moon.

The moon then makes its way through the southeastern edge of the umbra and penumbra, slipping out of the shadow entirely at about 12:30 a.m.

Watch this eclipse preview video so you can explain to all your friends what's going on tomorrow night.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:27 AM | Comment

Closing arguments to begin in ex-Lincoln head's trial

Closing arguments are set to begin today in Providence Superior Court in the bribery and conspiracy case against ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster.

Both sides have been arguing over admissibility of evidence not directly related to the four counts against Oster, who served as town administrator from 2000 to 2002.

He faces two counts of bribery and two counts of conspiracy in the case. The state alleges that he and Robert R. Picerno -- the former Lincoln Planning Board member who has since pleaded no contest to bribery and conspiracy -- attempted to extort bribes from would-be buyers of town-controlled land known as the H&H Screw Co. site on Route 116.

The state says Picerno collected the payoffs while Oster was to get the town to sell the land for $105,000.

Read about yesterday's testimony.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:44 AM | Comment

Carcieri to present award honoring Station victims

Governor Carcieri tonight will announce the winners of an award that honors the victims, survivors and affected family members of The Station nightclub fire, which killed 100 people and injured more than 200 on Feb. 20, 2003.

Rhode Island's Hope Award is being given to citizens who distinguish themselves as good Samaritans during an emergency or tragedy.

The ceremony, marking the fire's fifth anniversary, will be at 7 p.m. at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet. The public is invited.

The honorees were selected by the Rhode Island’s Hope Award Committee, comprised of Dr. Joseph Amaral, Jane Hayward, Frank McGonagle, Kathy Sullivan and Sue Stenhouse.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

Second man to be sentenced for Pawtucket murder

Three days before his 21st birthday, a man found guilty of murdering a woman and injuring another is set to be sentenced today.

Barry Offley was convicted in December; his accomplice -- his uncle Alonzo P. Shelton -- was convicted and sentenced to 72 years last spring.

Both men were found guilty in the shooting and wounding of 28-year-old Julie Lang and the shooting death of Lang's friend, 24-year-old Jessica Irman in July of last year.

In September 2007, U.S. Marshals found the men in Ocala, Fla., hiding out in a windowless room.

During Offley's trial, Lang testified that Offley shot and killed Irmam, then pointed the gun at her.

Shelton seized it from Offley and shot her four times, Lang testified, allegedly because she told the Woonsocket police that crack cocaine found in her pocketbook was Shelton's.

It took a jury just two hours to find Offley guilty.

He's set for sentencing in Superior Court, Providence today for murder, conspiracy, assault, and firearms charges.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:02 AM | Comment

The good news: sunnier; the bad news: colder

We'll see more sun today than yesterday, but there's a price -- the temperature is only set to hit 45 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

That's quite a bit cooler than yesterday, which reached 61 degrees in the Providence area, but still not bad for this time of year.

The weather service is also forecasting a breezy day, with west winds gusting as high as 34 mph.

Skies should remain clear tonight, and the temperature is set to drop to 23 degrees. Winds will keep up, gusting as high as 30 mph.

Tomorrow afternoon may bring snow, with a high temperature near 36 and a milder, west wind.

For weather updates, visit projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a story that one third of the state's judges could decide to retire if the General Assembly adopts Governor Carcieri's plan to cut judicial pensions.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment