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« February 22, 2008 | Today | February 26, 2008 » February 25, 2008Update: Huckabee, in several R.I. stops, remains hopeful
PROVIDENCE -- Republican Mike Huckabee says he's hoping for a win in Rhode Island, although he acknowledges he's not as well known here as his rival, Sen. John McCain. Despite McCain's big lead, Huckabee insisted he could still win the Republican presidential nomination – if the contest goes to the GOP convention in Minneapolis during the fall. “I’ve said at times that we may end up going to the convention this time,” the former Arkansas governor said at a meeting with the editorial board of The Providence Journal, where he came this afternoon seeking the paper’s endorsement. “You can’t say I can’t be. John McCain might have an implosive moment tomorrow,” Huckabee said. Huckabee also spoke on WPRO-AM this afternoon before heading to a visit at the Community Preparatory School in Providence. This evening, he was drawing an estimated 500 people at a rally at the Crowne Plaze Hotel in Warwick. McCain has won the backing of most of the prominent Republicans in the state, including Governor Carcieri, House Minority Leader Robert Watson and Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian. Huckabee also told WPRO that he's remaining in the race because McCain had not yet secured the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. He says he won't rule out running for president again in four years. -- The Associated Press and Journal staff writers John Castellucci and Linda Borg Huckabee, who spent about 40 minutes answering questions put to him by The Journal's editorial board, was critical of the primary process. “It almost becomes more of a chase of money and name identification than it does about leadership qualities to be president,” he said. “One of the problems that I’ve had with this entire process, if you listen to the first 12 debates, we spent most all of the time arguing over thee issues of Iraq that frankly can’t define the Republicans because there’s not a dime’s difference with all the Republicans with the exception of Ron Paul. He was scathing about McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, complaining it takes money out of the hands of the individual candidate, and puts it in the hands of the special interests, who can “hide in the trees and aim cheap shots” at people running for office. “It’s true guerrilla warfare,” he said. Huckabee came to the editorial board meeting accompanied by his daughter, Sarah, and a local campaign volunteer, Dave Talan. Asked what he had learned from running for president, Huckabee quipped, “That a person can live on very little sleep and still function.” Asked whether he would appoint a Supreme Court justice who would vote to overturn Roe Vs. Wade, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion, Huckabee replied: “Personally, I think Roe vs. Wade overturning is not the goal;. I think it’s the Human Life Amendment.” What about privacy? Huckabee was asked. “This isn’t about privacy. It’s about the life of a child. It’s a human life,” he answered. “Biologically, it’s not a piece of broccoli. It’s a human life. And of all the scientific arguments that people can have, there’s no argument that once you have a 46-chromosome DNA that is 23 of a male, 23 of a female, you have a unique DNA schedule that has never been typed like that before. And the only kind of life it can be is a human life.” At another stop, Huckabee wowed a pint-sized crowd today with a soulful rendition of a 1960s favorite, "The House of the Rising Sun." Wisely, Huckabee left out the lyrics, which refer to a New Orleans whorehouse. Huckabee toured Community Prep School, a private school on the city's South Side where most students are members of minority groups and where 90 percent receive full scholarships. After a quick tour of grades 3-8 schools, Huckabee went into the music room where students were clapping and drumming to an Indian folk song. When the teacher asked if Huckabee could play acoustic guitar, he obliged. Fortunately, he said later, the students didn't know the lyrics to the song. Afterward, the candidate engaged the students in a discussion about the value of the arts in education and the different roles played by the right and left sides of the brain. "When you learn music, you learn how to learn," Huckabee told them. "The creative side of your brain is natural to you. The worst thing that can happen is when someone tries to take that away from you." Later, Huckabee told reporters that he began playing the guitar at age 11 and that he belonged to a rock band called Capitol Offense. Earlier, he asked three students how old they thought he was. "Twenty-five," one girl said. "You just got another scholarship," joked Huckabee. He's 52. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:59 PM | Comment Tonight: Bands perform in Station Fire charity eventsFive years after the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, the Phoenix Rising concert begins at 7 tonight at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence. Proceeds from the event will benefit the nonprofit Station Family Fund. The fund was founded by survivors of the Station fire. Tom Scholz of the group Boston, Aaron Lewis, Tesla, Twisted Sister, Kevin Max, and Stryper are slated to perform as well as Emmy-nominated composer and musician Marc Bonilla, who will be the concert's music director. Other performers include famed drummer Carmine Appice’s SLAM! as well as Gary Pihl of the band Boston, Eric Martin of the group Mr. Big, and more. It won't be all musicians of the hard-rocker variety. John Rich of Big & Rich, Alabama’s Randy Owen, Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler and Gretchen Wilson are also slated to perform. The Station Family Fund is committed to providing survivor relief, including costs of ongoing treatment and rehabilitation. Check out ticket prices and other information. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment Westerly school board member gets 6 months' probationSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Westerly School Committee member Dominic DiFazio avoided a jury trial today when the state dropped two felony fraud charges and he entered a plea to a third charge that resulted in 6 months’ probation. Westerly police charged DiFazio with two counts of obtaining money under false pretenses when he took two deposit checks in June totaling $2,761.72 to replace an elderly couple’s windows and hadn’t started the work by September. To a charge of unlawful appropriation of more than $1,000, DiFazio, the owner of Dom DiFazio Contracting, entered an Alford plea, in which he did not admit guilt but conceded that a jury might find him guilty if the case went to trial. Superior Court Judge Stephen P. Nugent said the plea, which comes from the case North Carolina vs. Alford, is treated like a nolo contendere plea. “I guess the distinction is in the so-called Alford plea, you admit that the facts that the prosecutor puts on the record to prove the charge would be enough if believed by the jury to result in a guilty verdict.” In a nolo plea, a defendant does not contest the facts. In both cases the defendant gives up his right to appeal the decision. “It’s an empty victory,” DiFazio said today. “I wanted a jury to prove me not guilty.” He said he accepted the agreement partly because his mother is ill and because “I didn’t want to cause the state any more expense than I have already.” The couple who ordered the windows are in Florida, and “the state would have had to fly them up here,” DiFazio said. Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's spokesman, Michael Healey, who called the plea a nolo Alford, said “What he admitted was the fact that he took $2761.72 from the victims to install windows and he further admitted that he gave them the runaround.” Judge Nugent told DiFazio to report to the probation office and make full restitution. He said the money is already in the account of DiFazio lawyer Michael P. Lynch, who must get it to the Central Registry in a bank check or money order by Friday. The registry distributes restitution to victims. Healey said that special assistant attorney general Mark Trovato, who prosecuted the case, agreed to drop the fraud charges because “the victims simply wanted their money back. They’re in Florida,” Healey said. “They’re not in the best of health.” -- Journal staff writer Donita Naylor Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:12 PM | Comment R.I. lawmakers propose medical-error tracking systemPROVIDENCE -- Lawmakers are proposing a system to investigate and track medical mistakes and so-called ``near misses'' after brain surgeons at Rhode Island Hospital operated on the wrong side of patients' heads last year on three separate occasions. Bills introduced in the House and Senate would create a Rhode Island Patient Safety Organization. The Department of Health already requires hospitals and nursing homes to report medical mistakes, but they don't have to report near misses. Health Director David Gifford says that information is crucial to preventing similar mistakes in the future. As a way to encourage people to come forward, the system would be voluntary and people could not be punished for reporting to the organization, according to Gifford. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:05 PM | Comment Medical examiner: Oster died from gunshot to headThe cause of death of former Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster was a shotgun wound to the head, and there was no evidence of foul play, the Office of State Medical Examiners said this afternoon. Oster was found dead at his law office Friday morning in what investigators called an apparent suicide. A jury had declared him guilty of bribery and conspiracy the day before. The police said on Friday that they were summoned to the office by a 911 call. Services for Oster will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Sugarman-Sinai Memorial Chapel, 458 Hope St., Providence. Oster, 56, was the husband of Joan (Chabot) Oster and leaves two daughters, according to obituary information. The notice says that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to The Cove Center, 610 Manton Ave., Providence, RI 02909. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:29 PM | Comment The Silvas are in their new homeWARWICK -- The Silvas are in their new house. Unlike the spontaneous image one gets watching the moment during the ABC episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, it is a more choreographed sight in person. Between 3:30 and 4 pm, Kenny and Doreen Silva and their children arrived at their new three-times-as-big house on the site where the Extreme Makeover crew knocked the old one down last week. The Silvas walked up to the house, with the show's cameras capturing them, but could not go in at first. Then cameramen went around to the back of the house and got inside and positioned. The Silvas stepped back from the house and then approached the door again and went inside where cameras were now ready to capture that image. A man in a black cowboy hat and with red earphones led the large crowd amassed outside the home in cheers. While at the doorway to their new home, the Silvas spokes with show host Ty Pennington, but you could not hear what they were saying. Before the big reveal, as it's known, the Silva family had been sitting in a limousine for a half-hour or more, just around the corner from where finishing touches were being put on their new, three-times-as-big home. That's the word from an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew member to media gathered outside the home on Yucatan Drive -- in the same spot where the Extreme Makeover crew knocked the old one down last week -- around 2 p.m. But in the half-hour or so leading up to about 3:15 p.m., a mattress was delivered for a race car-shaped bed that had been brought in. The Silvas returned from Florida yesterday, then were put up in a hotel room so that today's surprising sight would be preserved. A needy family is selected for each episode of the ABC program. As the big moment neared, the show's host, Ty Pennington, worked the crowd outside the new home. Read about the dismantling of the house. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:59 PM | Comment Photo: Waiting for the Silvas to come home
Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:57 PM | Comment Extreme Makeover family awaiting big revealWARWICK -- The Silva family has been sitting in a limousine for a half-hour or more, just around the corner from where finishing touches have been put on their new, three-times-as-big home. That's the word from an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew member to media gathered outside the home on Yucatan Drive -- in the same spot where the Extreme Makeover crew knocked the old one down last week -- around 2 p.m. But in the half-hour or so leading up to about 3:15 p.m., a mattress was delivered for a race car-shaped bed that had been brought in. Kenny and Doreen Silva and their family returned from Florida yesterday, then were put up in a hotel room so that today's surprising sight would be preserved. A needy family is selected for each episode of the ABC program. As the big moment awaits, the show's host Ty Pennington has been working the crowd outside the new home. Read about the dismantling of the old house. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:25 PM | Comment Update: High court hearing on tribal land welcomedWASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court agreed today to take up the state of Rhode Island’s dispute with the Narragansett Indians over the tribe’s effort to remove tribal lands from the reach of state law. The governor, the state's attorney general and the Narragansett chief said today that they welcomed the court's decision to consider the issue. Specifically, the case deals with the question of the federal government’s right to take in trust land granted to tribes, a key issue not just for Rhode Island and the Narragansetts but for Indian land claims disputes around the nation. At issue is whether a 31-acre lot in Charlestown purchased by the Narragansetts should be subject to Rhode Island law, including a prohibition on casino gambling, or whether the parcel should be governed by tribal and federal law. The dispute dates to 1991, when the Narragansetts purchased the land to build an elderly housing complex, which remains incomplete. The state has argued that federal law prevents the federal government from taking land into trust, or largely removing land from state and local control, for tribes recognized after the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, unless Congress specifically authorized it. The Narragansetts became a federally recognized tribe in 1983. Read Rhode Island's petition for a Supreme Court hearing. -- With reports from Journal Washington bureau chief John E. Mulligan, Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney and the Associated Press The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected the state’s claim in July. Read the ruling in Attorney Joseph Larisa Jr., who represents the town of Charlestown, said he welcomed the Supreme Court’s involvement. State leaders fear the Narragansetts want to build a casino on the site. Casino are banned under state law. “The paramount issue of state sovereignty is the potential that this could open the door to a casino, at least a crack, over the objections of Rhode Island voters,” Larisa said. The Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on the case, known as Carcieri v. Kempthorne, during the term that begins next fall. Dirk Kempthorne is the Secretary of the Interior, the federal cabinet agency that oversees Indian affairs. The governor said, “This is great news for the people of Rhode Island and an important step for every state facing similar issues. For too long, the legitimate concerns of states in the federal land-to-trust process have been ignored. It is simply not acceptable for any state to be stripped of its sovereignty over land within its borders by mid-level bureaucrats in Washington.” A statement from Attorney General Patrick Lynch's Office calls the case one of national interest and significance. "With the stroke of a pen," the statement reads, "the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior can unilaterally strip a state of its sovereign jurisdiction by taking land into trust -- even where there are currently no federally recognized Indian tribes. There is something fundamentally wrong with this principle. We look forward to representing Rhode Island’s interests to the very best of our abilities when the case is reviewed in the fall." Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas welcomed the high court's review, saying it would give the tribe an opportunity to demonstrate that it never agreed to give up its rights to acquire land or to self government. "There is no language to abrogate our current or future rights," Thomas said between sessions today of another key case for the tribe – the state Superior Court trial of charges stemming from the state police raid of the Narragansetts’ smoke shop in 2003. In the land trust case before the Supreme Court, he said, "Our rights are clear. At the end of the day our rights should be upheld," Thomas said. He said the land would be used for housing, but he has previously left the door open for some type of economic development on the 32 acres. He said he couldn't predict how the court might rule. "As of late, I don't exactly think they're friendly to Indian tribes," he said. Thomas has said his tribe intends to complete the unfinished elderly housing complex on the property, but could also consider other economic development options. He has not ruled out building a casino on the land. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:15 PM | Comment Green businesses come to Rhode IslandBrown University is hosting a conference later this week to highlight "green" technology in the business world. Thursday's event will bring together "the region's top business leaders to address cutting edge topics in this emerging field, from environmentally friendly building to 'green ventures' in business," according to a statement released by the school. "It is said that the field of green technology innovation could well become the largest economic opportunity of the coming century." The daylong conference, "Green Technology: Science, Innovation and Enterprise in the Region," is being organized by the Brown Forum for Enterprise. It's set to take place at the Rhode Island Convention Center and will feature 25 speakers discussing renewable energy, environmentally friendly building, financing "green ventures" and other themes. "People are showing a much greater awareness of our impact on the environment and how we can minimize it," Charles Kingdon, director of the Brown Forum for Enterprise, said in a statement. "This is a fantastic opportunity for the business community to gather and explore this new challenge. Together we can identify ways to meet it in Rhode Island and beyond." Speakers include: J. Patrick Adcock, a senior vice president of World Energy, which operates leading online exchanges for energy and green commodities; Clyde Briant, vice president for research at Brown; and Kathy Loftus, who focuses on sustainable engineering, maintenance and energy management for Whole Foods. The conference is open to the public with advance registration. Organizers expect 300 people to attend. For more information on the conference, visit: http://brownenterpriseforum.org. -- Journal business writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:34 PM | Comment Smoke-shop trial: Nearly all potential jurors know of raidPROVIDENCE — Jury selection in the Narragansett Indian tribe smoke-shop case is slow going today in Providence County Superior Court. Seven Narragansett Indians, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, face charges that they resisted and fought with state police executing a search warrant on a tribal smoke-shop in July 2003. Troopers raided the roadside store in Charlestown to stop the tribe from selling cigarettes without charging taxes. Of the 120 prospective jurors called, almost all raised their hand when asked if they had heard or read about the raid. Dozens, too, said that the trial’s expected month-long time frame poses a hardship. Judge Susan E. McGuirl is questioning each about their concerns as she tries to winnow the pool with prosecutors and defense attorneys. She released more than a dozen from consideration this morning, saying the four-week trial would represent a significant financial burden to them. The selection continues this afternoon. The trial is expected to last about a month. Earlier today, the state Supreme Court turned down a request from the defendants to delay the trial. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney But the high court said today it will take up tribe members' appeal later this week to allow a computer expert to scour State Police computers for e-mails about the raid that might have been deleted. Judge McGuirl earlier denied that request, saying it's unlikely the e-mails can be recovered. -- With Associated Press reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:20 PM | Comment New airport director starts today
WARWICK -- Kevin A. Dillon, the new director of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, moved into his office at T.F. Green Airport today. Dillon arrives at a time of declining passenger traffic at Green Airport and financial strain for many air carriers, which are struggling with rising jet fuel prices. Green Airport started 2008 by recording its lowest January passenger tally in the past four years. The airport moved 5.02 million passengers last year, down 3.5 percent from 2006. That decline followed a 9-percent drop the year before. Dillon has promised to quickly begin an effort to reverse those trends. In an interview with The Providence Journal last month, he said he would push for the speedy lengthening of the runway, compete for new carriers and solicit support from Rhode Island businesses. In other states, businesses have committed to buying a minimum of tickets to encourage an airline to begin service. "The business community has to support the airport in order for it to be successful," Dillon said at the time. "People start to take success for granted. They need to be reminded that the success can only continue if they continue to support the airport." -- Journal business writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:04 PM | Comment Wachovia sues to get out of Clear Channel dealWachovia Corp. has sued Providence Equity Partners to get out of providing financing for the Providence-based buyout firm’s revised $1.1 billion purchase of television stations from Clear Channel Communications Inc. Wachovia, the fourth-largest U.S. bank, said Providence officials changed the terms of the accord without consent from the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank and voided the agreement, according to a lawsuit filed in state court in North Carolina Friday. Providence and two of its investment banks, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and UBS AG, agreed over the weekend to drop the price from $1.2 billion for the Clear Channel unit, a person briefed on the negotiations said. The bank “is no longer obliged to provide any financing contemplated” for the acquisition, Wachovia’s lawyers said in the 15-page complaint against Providence and its Newport Television LLC unit. -- Bloomberg News San Antonio-based Clear Channel, the largest U.S. broadcaster, has been in talks with Providence about changing the terms of the sale of the 56 TV stations, located in cities such as Memphis, Tennessee, and Syracuse, New York. Julie Fisher, a spokeswoman for Providence Equity Partners, wasn’t immediately available for comment. “Providence told us it had renegotiated key terms of its deal with Clear Channel but then demanded that the lenders be held to the terms of the deal it had rejected,” Wachovia spokeswoman Christy Phillips-Brown said today in an interview. “Our efforts to resolve the issue were unsuccessful and we felt it was in the best interest of our shareholders to ask a court to confirm that the prior commitment is no longer in effect,” she said. Wachovia fell 39 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $33.94 at 10:13 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Clear Channel fell $1.24, or 3.8 percent, to 31.14 on the NYSE. The case is Wachovia Bank v. Newport Television LLC, 08-CVS- 4056, Superior Court of North Carolina (Charlotte). Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:11 PM | Comment Retired Marine to head Providence emergency agency
Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski Marine Lt. Col. Peter T. Gaynor, left, with Mayor David N. Cicilline today. PROVIDENCE -- A retired Marine Corps colonel has been appointed to head the city’s Emergency Management Agency and office of Homeland Security. In a statement released today, Mayor David N. Cicilline said Lt. Col. Peter T. Gaynor wasn’t someone who had just planned for a crisis. “He’s actually experienced them and proven himself to be ready and capable," Cicilline said. The appointment comes two months after Cicilline fired Leo Messier from the position, citing mismanagement of the Dec. 13 snowstorm that left children stranded on school buses and caused gridlock on the highways. Gaynor worked as a manager for operations during the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and worked security for the president at Camp David. Gaynor, who steps into the job today, said in the statement that his crisis management and leadership skills “were honed under that pressure of real-world events,” and that the would “help to ensure that Providence is prepared to rapidly respond in a coordinated and strategic manner to extraordinary incidents that may threaten the safety of residents, commuters and visitors to the City of Providence.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:21 AM | Comment R.I. high court won't delay trial, but will take up appealPROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court has turned down a request from seven Narragansett Indians to delay a trial for fighting with State Police during a 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop. But the high court said today it will take up tribe members' appeal later this week to allow a computer expert to scour State Police computers for e-mails about the raid that might have been deleted. A Superior Court judge earlier denied that request, saying it's unlikely the e-mails can be recovered. Also today, jury selection began for the trial. Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and six others are charged with misdemeanor crimes ranging from disorderly conduct to assault. The trial is expected to last about a month. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:12 AM | Comment Gas prices up 9 centsGasoline prices jumped an average of nine cents per gallon in Rhode Island last week, according to AAA Southern New England. It's the second week of price increases after five weeks of falling prices. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $3.109 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. The price has climbed 12 cents over the past two weeks. The national average is about three cents higher than what Rhode Islanders are paying. AAA attributes the increase to the jump in oil prices, now about $100 per barrel. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:06 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit to Rhode Island and a story on speculation that Sen. Jack Reed is a candidate for vice president or a cabinet post. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:48 AM | Comment Alleged flim-flam man in court todayA former lobsterman accused of scamming people out of more than $25,000 is set to appear in court today to argue that the charges against him should be dropped. John Kluth is accused of scamming money from at least 40 people – including several prominent Rhode Islanders – by feeding them sob stories about disabled trucks and broken refrigerators that put his cargo of lobsters at risk. Kluth filed motions asking for most of the charges against him to be dropped, because alleged victims’ identifications were too far removed from the alleged crimes to be reliable. This process is expected to take a week in Superior Court, Providence. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:32 AM | Comment Photo/ Before and after the Extreme Makeover
Posted by Jack Perry at 9:59 AM | Comment Photo: Finishing touches on Extreme Makeover home
Posted by Jack Perry at 9:04 AM | Comment Concert tonight will benefit Station survivorsThe Station Family Fund has been supporting survivors of the 2003 fire who are still paying medical bills. The Phoenix Rising concert is the latest benefit event for the fund. Tonight, it's bringing rock bands -- including Tesla and Twisted Sister -- and country bands to the Dunk. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $12 to $61. If you buy them at the Dunkin' Donuts box office, you can get two-for-one. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:28 AM | Comment Fire at restaurant supply business in ProvidenceFirefighters are on the scene of a morning fire. A call came in at about 7:40 this morning, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The fire broke out on the second floor of A-1 Restaurant Supply, at 221 Admiral St. The building appeared to be unoccupied, Taylor said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:08 AM | Comment 2 brothers shot dead in TauntonTAUNTON, Mass. -- The police are looking for suspects after two brothers were shot to death in Taunton. The men were found yesterday after officers responded to reports of gunshots coming from a Somerset Avenue apartment. Police say a 4-year-old child and a 2-year-old child were also found at the scene - physically uninjured - and are now in the care of family members. The brothers were not immediately identified but are reportedly in their 20s. Taunton Police Chief Raymond O'Berg says it appears the victims were targeted, but would not comment on whether investigators had a motive. Neighbors said the men had lived in the apartment for about a year. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 8:06 AM | Comment Cicilline, directors to meet with residents tonightMunicipal issues on your mind? Meet with the mayor tonight at the Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School for Mayor’s Night Out. Mayor David Cicilline and city department directors are set to meet at the school to give residents a chance to ask questions and share concerns. Residents and groups can get 10 minutes of face time with Cicilline; meetings are on a first-come first-serve basis. The meetings are held every month in a different neighborhood. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:00 AM | Comment Trial in alleged gang killing starts todayA trial is set to begin today for three alleged gang members who are accused of beating to death a member of a rival gang last year on a street in the Elmwood section of Providence. Sarith Chith, 20, Thomas Havey, 20 and Tavarez Moralez, 18, face murder and conspiracy charges for the January 2007 death of Vicheth Klakratok, 23. The police say the three are members of the Hanover Boyz street gang. Klakratok was said to be a member of a rival gang. Prosecutors say he died of blunt force trauma after being hit in the head with pipes in the middle of Cranston Street, in West End. The three pleaded innocent in July. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:40 AM | Comment Smoke shop trial scheduled to begin todayPROVIDENCE -- Jury selection is scheduled to start today in the trial of seven Narragansett Indians accused of scuffling with State Police who raided a tribal smoke shop in 2003. But jury selection could be delayed if the state's highest court acts on a last-minute appeal to delay the trial. Defense lawyers filed the request with the state Supreme Court late Friday afternoon. They are asking the top court to delay the criminal trial so a computer expert can scour State Police computers looking for police e-mails about the raid that might have been deleted. Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl earlier denied their request, saying it's unlikely the e-mails can be recovered. A court spokesman says the Supreme Court has not decided whether to hear the appeal. Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said Friday that the state expects to be in front of McGuirl on today at 9:30 a.m. ready for the trial. The defendants, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, were arrested in July 2003 when state police raided the tribe's recently opened smoke shop, which was not collecting state taxes, on tribal land in Charlestown. -- The Associated Press and projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Presidential Huckabee to visit Rhode Island todayPROVIDENCE -- Republican Mike Huckabee brings his presidential campaign to Rhode Island today, one of the states holding primaries on March 4. The former Arkansas governor is scheduled to visit the Community Preparatory School in Providence this afternoon before holding an evening rally in Warwick. Huckabee continues to wage his campaign despite long odds of overcoming GOP front-runner John McCain. During a tongue-in-cheek appearance on Saturday Night Live, Huckabee was asked whether it's even mathematically possible for him to beat McCain. He said he's not a ``math guy'' but ``more of a miracle guy.'' But he also added that he would not ``overstay his welcome.'' -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Clearing with a high near 44The few clouds in the sky are expected to clear as the morning goes on, and the National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 44 degrees. The clouds should return tonight, when the temperature drops to about 24 degrees. Rain returns tomorrow, starting in the afternoon with a half inch possible in all. The temperature should reach 43 degrees and high south wilds could gust as high as 29 degrees. For weather updates through the day, visit projo.com's weather page. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006