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« February 27, 2008 | Today | February 29, 2008 » February 28, 2008Update: Man dies after struggle with E. Providence policeEAST PROVIDENCE -- A knife-wielding man who fell unconscious during a struggle with police yesterday and who later died has been identified by his family as Leonel Farias, 40, of 153 James St. The family, who spoke to a Journal reporter this evening, said they had called police to their home yesterday evening for help after Farias turned violent. Family members said he had been diagnosed some time ago as a schizophrenic and, more recently, as a diabetic. Two sisters, Genoveva Porto, 46, and Gabriela Farias, 45, said they witnessed the incident. Both allege that police in subduing their brother used "excessive force" which the two believe caused his death. City police, in their account first provided this afternoon, would not disclose the name of the man involved or the location of the disturbance. The man, later identified as Farias, was described by police as 6 feet tall and weighing 300 pounds. According to the family, the knife he held was a small, serrated steak knife. Earlier this afternoon, Police Chief Hubert J. Paquette issued a statement which said the suspect, armed with a knife, confronted two police officers outside his home when they initially responded to the report of the domestic assault. The statement said the man later identified as Farias told police to “come and get him” and said they “would have to shoot him,” according to the statement. When the man turned and tried to get back inside, police used pepper spray and struck him in an effort to subdue him, “but the subject continued to act completely unreasonable,” the statement said. -- Journal staff writers Gina Macris and John Castellucci, with reports from Journal staff writer Alisha Pina and projo.com In the statement, Paquette said “a violent struggle ensued” between the man and several officers, who eventually put him in handcuffs. The man, lying on the ground, continued to kick at the officers until he fell unconscious, Paquette’s statement said. The man was taken by rescue workers to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived, Paquette said. He could not say what time the man was pronounced dead. Paquette also declined to release additional details of the incident, which he said is under investigation. He said the identity of the dead man will be made public once all his family members are notified. Several police officers at the scene received treatment from rescue workers for injuries they sustained in the struggle, according to the statement. No injuries were reported from the knife the man had been carrying. The Attorney General’s Office was not notified of the death until 8:30 a.m. today, a delay which “is troubling and does not inspire confidence” in the East Providence police department, said a spokesman for Atty. Gen. Patrick C. Lynch said late this afternoon. Michael J. Healey said, “You can’t reconstruct a scene 15 hours after the fact. That’s the salient issue here.” Earlier this month, Pawtucket police shot and killed a man at his home after responding to a 911 call there of a 6' 5", 300-pound man wielding a "Samurai-style sword.". It was the third fatal shooting involving that city's police in seven months. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:56 PM | Comment Tonight: Hip-hop showcase comes to AS220Over at AS220 in Providence, you can catch a local hip-hop showcase -- and there's an open-mike component. The club's Web site says the show will feature Charles ExSavior, Left Over Wine, Big City, and more acts. The club is at 115 Empire St. (401) 831-9327. 9 p.m. $6. All ages. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment Group seeks to end 'climate of fear' for immigrants
PROVIDENCE -- Proponents of a new legislative platform promoting “racial and economic equality for every Rhode Islander” said today they want to end a “climate of fear” against immigrants, no matter their legal status. Five legislators unveiled a legislative platform called “Campaign for Fairness, Respect and Civil Rights,” on behalf of the Immigrants United advocacy group, which marks a counterpoint to numerous bills aimed at curbing illegal immigration. “These bills all come down to the fact that community safety, civil rights and economic opportunity must apply to all Rhode Islanders, regardless of immigration status,” said Ellen Gallagher, community outreach coordinator for the International Institute of Rhode Island. -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:14 PM | Comment Obama will hold rally at Rhode Island College SaturdayPROVIDENCE -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will make a campaign stop at Rhode Island College on Saturday, as the March 4 primary here and in three more states could prove crucial in picking the Democratic nominee. Doors open at noon for the "stand for change" rally, which is free and open to the public, the campaign just announced. He will be at the college's recreation center, 600 Mount Pleasant Ave. Delegate-rich Texas and Ohio hold primaries the same day as Rhode Island, as does Vermont. Former President Bill Clinton visited Rhode Island today, speaking to a crowd at Bryant University in Smithfield, on behalf of his wife, Obama's opponent for the nomination, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Obama's wife, Michelle, visited last week, and Hillary Rodham Clinton was here last weekend, making her campaign stop at Rhode Island College as well. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:56 PM | Comment Photo: Jury tours Narragansetts' smoke shop
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:43 PM | Comment Kennedy duo to stump in R.I. on Obama's behalfPROVIDENCE -- U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts will be at University of Rhode Island's Feinstein Providence Campus tomorrow to lead a "get out the vote" rally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign. Before the rally, Kennedy will be joined by his son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, for an 11:15 a.m. visit to the Woonsocket Senior Center, 84 Social St. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. for the rally at the 80 Washington St. campus in the Paff Auditorium, the Obama campaign announced today. Both Kennedys and Lynch will attend. Obama is slated to visit Rhode Island on Saturday, through the campaign has not yet said where and when. His wife has already come to the state on his campaign's behalf. Obama, the Illinois senator, and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are battling for the Democratic presidential nomination, and this coming Tuesday's primaries in Rhode Island, Vermont and delegate-rich Texas and Ohio could go a long way to settling things. Today, Former President Bill Clinton was campaigning for his wife at Bryant University in Smithfield. Hillary Clinton came to Rhode Island last Sunday for a campaign rally at Rhode Island College. Another member of the Kennedy political clan, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, appeared on her behalf in Providence yesterday. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:22 PM | Comment Clinton to Bryant crowd: Hillary needs your vote / Photo
SMITHFIELD -- Former President Bill Clinton told a crowd at Bryant University that his wife needs them to swing the vote in the presidential primary on Tuesday. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination. The next big contest is Tuesday, when voters go to the polls in Rhode Island, Vermont, Ohio and Texas. Speaking to a crowd of more than 2,000, Clinton said that if his wife can get a victory here, along with victories in Ohio and Texas, then she is on her way to the White House. Clinton said to the crowd if they were having trouble deciding who to vote for -- or somebody they knew was -- they should perform a simple exercise. Don't ask how you feel right now or how you will feel on Inauguration Day, but, when it's over, how will you if the next president has done a good job, Clinton said. He said he asked his wife that months ago. " ...After a while she said, 'I believe, if I'm luck enough to be elected, I believe I will think I did a good job if I could say, at the end, these things: Number one, the American people are better off when I quit than when I started. Nmber two, our children and grandchildren have a brighter future. And number three, this troubled but fascinating world is coming together instead of being driven apart," Bill Clinton said. He added: "If you want the next president to say, yes, yes, yes, I urge you to vote for her. I hope you will volunteer to help her in the closing days." The former president was in Philadelphia earlier today and was scheduled to hit Ohio later in the day. Hillary Clinton was campaigning in Ohio and Texas. Her opponent for the Democratic nomination, Obama, the Illinois senator, is slated to campaign in Rhode Island this Saturday. Wwhen and where had not been determined, his campaign said yesterday, but it's probably an early-afternoon visit. Obama’s wife, Michelle, made a campaign stop in the state last week. Republican candidates John McCain, the Arizona senator and presumptive GOP nominee, and Mike Huckabee, who distantly trails McCain in the delegate tally ahead of the party convention, have also made stops here this month. -- The Associated Press and projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:03 PM | Comment Lincoln man wins $1 million-plus in game at Twin RiverA Lincoln man today decided to take a $1 million-plus payout in cash after hitting the jackpot playing the multi-state game called Ca$hola at Twin River in Lincoln, Rhode Island Lottery announced. Michael Goudreau hit a jackpot of $1,936,695.28, the largest Ca$hola prize won awarded in the state and the third biggest in the game's history. By taking the cash option, he will get $1,094,139.66, according to the news release. The game debuted in Rhode Island, Delaware and West Virginia in 2006, the lottery news release said, and Ca$hola has a "starting cash value jackpot" of $250,000. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:58 PM | Comment Photo: Young and old gather to hear Bill Clinton
Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:41 PM | Comment Early-morning fire damages Providence homePROVIDENCE -- A fire that apparently began in a third-floor ceiling light fixture routed five adults and four children from their tenement house at 70-72 Spicer St., Washington Park, early this morning, the Fire Department reported. Assistant Fire Chief Michael J. Dillon said the apparent electrical fire resulted in smoke and water damage to the third-floor apartment, leaving that unit uninhabitable. But firefighters spread out salvage covers on the furniture and appliances in the second-floor apartment, and if the house’s electrical service is maintained, the first- and second-floor tenants will be able to stay there, he said. The occupants, he noted, declined assistance with temporary shelter. The fire was called in at 3:50 a.m. and firefighters were on the scene for about one hour. -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:28 PM | Comment Traffic Alert: Lane closed on Route 10An accident has a lane closed on Route 10 this afternoon. The right land on the southbound side of the roadway is blocked at Reservoir Avenue in Providence. For updated traffic information, see the Transportation Management Center's Web site. See updated pictures of the roadways on the site's traffic cameras. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:35 PM | Comment State environmental agency improving its own recyclingThe state Department of Environmental Management is launching a new recycling program tomorrow for its own employees. It turns out, much of the paper that DEM employees were setting aside to be recycled was actually finding its way into the general trash. Now, thanks to a grant from the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities, the Department will be able to safely recycle some of its sensitive information. The grant will also help Better Shred, a wing of Cranston Arc, which employs adults with developmental disabilities. Tomorrow at 9 a.m., Better Shred will deliver 17 66-gallon, secure plastic recycling containers to DEM’s offices at the Foundry Building on Promenade Street, Providence. About 320 employees use the bins to dispose sensitive or confidential information that would otherwise find its way to the landfill. When the bins are full, Better Shred employees will pick them up and take them to a facility in Cranston and have them shredded in accordance with federal regulations. The paper will be sold for reuse. Other state offices will participate, including the Department of Elderly Affairs, DCYF Juvenile Corrections and the even the Disability Commission. Recently, the DEM announced it would reinvigorate its current law regarding corporate recycling, asking 2,300 businesses to report information about their trash and recycling efforts online. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:34 PM | Comment Train hits man in New Bedford; Police say he was drinkingA former Fall River man was "run over" by a train in New Bedford, the police said today. The 29-year-old man, who police did not identify in a news release, was hit near Worcester and Lynn streets. A preliminary investigation suggests the man was trespassing on the railroad tracks, drinking with a friend, when the man tried to jump onto the train's caboose. The man, who is now from Springfield, slipped off the train and was then run over by it. The police say his injuries are "life threatening." His friend ran for help, and New Bedford and State Police and other emergency responders came. The victim was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and will likely be taken to a Boston or Providence trauma center, the police statement said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:18 PM | Comment R.I., Conn. lawmakers will push for submarine fundsWASHINGTON -- Connecticut and Rhode Island lawmakers eager to protect local jobs say they will push hard on Capitol Hill to safeguard federal funding for doubling Virginia-class submarine production to two ships a year. "Looking ahead to this year, it looks like we still got some work to do," said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., whose district includes the submarine manufacturer Electric Boat. "The competition is going to be even more intense this year with all of the challenges that our country faces." Courtney's remarks came at a breakfast gathering today of submarine industry officials who want to make sure the money for a second submarine stays in future defense spending bills. Congress is beginning work on its new budget bills. A key mission for Connecticut and Rhode Island lawmakers has been to convince the Navy to accelerate plans to double production of the 377-foot long high-tech attack sub as soon as possible. Such a move could help safeguard jobs at Electric Boat, which has facilities in both states. "I want to stress how important it is to continue this effort," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. About 7,600 people work at Electric Boat's shipyard in Groton, while about 2,000 are employed at the company's Quonset Point facility in Rhode Island. Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., said maintaining a strong shipbuilding industry is vital to the nation's security, particularly since nations such as China are bent on producing more and more submarines. "We have to do all we can to protect that base," Langevin said. -- The Associated Press Submarine supporters who had fought for funding for a second ship for several years on Capitol Hill scored a major breakthrough in the recently approved defense spending bill. The measure signed by President Bush in January allows the Navy to accelerate plans to double Virginia-class submarine production to two ships a year. The Navy had opposed moving up its plans for a second sub before 2012. But the defense bill included $588 million requested by Courtney, who spearheaded the effort along with lawmakers from both states. The $588 million allows construction of two ships a year as early as 2010 or 2011, officials said. "The amazing thing that happened last year was we succeeded in actually changing the direction of the shipbuilding budget," Courtney said. Electric Boat officials were thrilled about the boost in the military's shipbuilding budget, but they want to make sure they don't lose ground as new strains on the federal budget arise. "There's certainly some momentum that's been built," Electric Boat President John P. Casey said. "But we can't take for granted that there will not be a change in the tides. We need to keep the program sold." In addition to protecting current funding, submarine backers are seeking more money as Congress crafts a new defense spending bill for fiscal year 2009. Submarine supporters want $79 million in new funding to speed up construction on a second sub. They're also seeking an additional $53 million for design work on next-generation submarines. Electric Boat, a division of General Dynamics Corp., and Northrop Grumman Newport News in Virginia, together produce one $2.5 billion submarine a year. Electric Boat officials say doubling annual sub production would help to reduce costs, something the Navy has been pushing for. The production increase would also make it cheaper to buy materials while making it easier to keep workers and equipment in place, they say. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:38 PM | Comment Citizens operating profit drops 9%; revenue up 2%Turmoil in the real estate and credit markets is straining Citizens Financial Group, the bank's parent company, Royal Bank of Scotland, said today. In all, operating profit at Citizens dropped 9 percent last year, to $2.65 billion. The continuing devaluation of the U.S. dollar made that drop even more painful for RBS; net income was down 16 percent after the conversion to British pounds. In announcing its 2007 earnings, RBS said the sputtering U.S. economy slowed the growth of Providence-based Citizens last year. "Against a weaker economic backdrop in the U.S., Citizens, whilst performing well relative to its peers, experienced testing conditions," RBS said in its earnings report. "Market conditions remain difficult," RBS said, "and we continue to respond to challenging income prospects with tight cost control." U.S. operations were not all bad news for Scotland-based RBS. Citizens, the ninth-largest bank in the United States, grew its consumer banking customer base by 2 percent, RBS said. Boosted by higher fees, Citizens saw its revenue grow by 2 percent to $6.24 billion. Average loans increased by 4 percent in 2007, despite "close attention being paid to our risk appetite," RBS said. Average customer deposits rose by 1 percent. And Citizens increased its credit card customer base by 20 percent. But the crisis in the credit market undermined those gains. Impairment losses increased from 0.31 percent of loans to 0.60 percent. After the conversion to pounds, total revenue dropped by 6 percent. Over all, RBS reported an 18-percent rise in net income in 2007. For more local breaking business news, visit the Biz Blog at projo.com/business. As of November, Citizens had 5,400 employees in Rhode Island, more than in any other part of the country. Citizens operates in 13 states and has 24,500 U.S.-based employees. Last March, Lawrence K. Fish stepped down as Citizens' chief executive officer. In December, he relinquished his remaining operational responsibilities at the bank. Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 12:38 PM | Comment Package of bills aims for equalityFour Providence legislators are meeting this afternoon to introduce a package of 10 bills they say will promote racial and economic equality throughout the state. Rep. Grace Diaz, D-Providence; Sen. Juan M. Pichardo, D-Providence; Rep. David A. Segal, D-Providence, East Providence; and Rep. Joseph S. Almeida, D- Providence, are meeting with a number of immigrant activist groups, neighborhood associations and other activist groups . The news conference will be moderated by the Ellen Gallagher, community outreach coordinator for the International Institute of Rhode Island, which offers legal and social services to immigrants and refugees. The group is meeting at the State House today at 3 p.m. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:32 PM | Comment R.I. high court upholds conviction of motel owner's killerPROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and life-without-parole sentence of Roger Graham, who went into Founder's Brook Motel and Suites in Portsmouth six years ago and shot the owner in front of his 8-year-old son. "The cold-blooded and shocking nature of this act reveals a heart of stone and a character unconcerned with the standards of a decent and law-abiding society," Supreme Court Justice Francis X. Flaherty wrote in the court's opinion out today. "We cannot in good conscience say that the citizenry ever would be safe if again exposed to this callous criminal. Therefore, we affirm the sentence of life without parole imposed by the trial justice." Graham appealed his February 2005 conviction in Newport County Superior Court. Graham, an immigrant from Barbados who had been living illegally in New York City, became the 22nd convicted felon in Rhode Island sentenced to life without parole possibility. The prosecution said Graham had been hired by the victim's brother-in-law to kill motel manager Sanjeev Patel on New Year's Day 2002. Patel's bullet-riddled body was found by his wife, the high court opinion says. There were two consecutive hung juries before a third jury convicted Graham and concluded the crime met the conditions that is was a murder for hire, enabling the judge to consider the life-without-parole sentence. Graham's appeal argued the Superior Court judge gave improper jury instructions, incorrectly ruled on certain evidence matters, incorrectly denied the defendant’s motion for acquittal on the conspiracy charge; erred in life-without-parole proceedings and sentence, and erred in not appointing additional legal counsel for the defendant for his third trial. The Supreme Court said Graham's "troubling character, record, and propensity for criminal activity persuade us that it is unlikely that he could be rehabilitated" and that he "has been engaged in a life of crime, including selling bootleg tapes and compact discs, installing bootleg cable, selling weapons, and selling drugs." The high court adds it was "unable to find any indication" that Graham has, "to this day, shown any real remorse for what he has done." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:30 PM | Comment Providence Place sales jumped in December
PROVIDENCE -- Sales tax receipts at Providence Place mall jumped 28.4 percent in December, reaching a record of nearly $2.6 million, according to figures compiled by the state Division of Taxation. The monthly tax figure bests the previous monthly record of $2 million, set in December 2006. For the year, stores in Providence Place generated $13,981,625 in sales taxes for the state, also a new record. The financial and legislative assistance that helped make Providence Place a reality put a unique requirement on the mall: It is the only shopping center in the state that must file sales tax returns. Because of the way mall stores turn over their sales tax receipts to the state, there is a lag of more than four weeks before the totals can be made public, according to division officials. Consequently, December’s total weren't available until this month. For more local breaking business news, visit the Biz Blog at projo.com/business. Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 12:08 PM | Comment Update: Car in river unoccupied, reported stolen / Photo
Divers had entered the frigid watersr near the bottom of Manville Hill Road, near the Lincoln/Cumberland border. The car is about 40 feet offshore, according to police Lt. Stephen Duda, and was called in by a passing driver. Crews were having trouble fishing the car out of the water, Duda said, because they did not have enough cable to reach the car. Another tow truck is on its way.
Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:37 AM | Comment Jury of 10 men, 6 women picked for smoke-shop casePROVIDENCE -- A jury of 10 men and 6 women will hear the case the state makes against seven Narragansett Indians charged with resisting and fighting with State Police during the 2003 raid of a tribal smoke shop in Charlestown. Among jurors are a school principal, an elementary school clerk, a high school English teacher, a special education director, a pest-control company employee, a construction company employee, and an activities director at an assisted-living facility. This afternoon, the jury is slated to tour the smoke-shop site on tribal land on Route 2. This week, lawyers questioned each prospective juror about such things as their view on the Narragansett Indian tribe’s casino quest and whether they could accept defense arguments that state troopers might lie under oath. State police used a search warrant on July 14, 2003, to halt tax-free sale of cigarettes by the Narragansetts at the roadside store. The situation turned violent and seven adult tribal members, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, are on trial in Providence County Superior Court on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, obstruction and assault. Read more about jury selection this week. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:27 AM | Comment Executive tells R.I. conference: Green is the word
The web page of 1E, a global Windows management software and services company was on hand with software that automatically shuts down computers when not in use. Brown University is hosting a conference today to highlight "green" technology in the business world.
In just the last 120 days, Makower said: A leading manufacturer has produced a green cell phone that uses minimal energy when recharging. A major auto maker has developed a production plant that produces zero waste. A line of green cleaning products has gone to market and another company converted its fleet of 1,000 trucks to bio-diesel. However, Makower said there are still no standards for what makes a company green, activists don’t reward companies that do good, Wall Street still isn’t paying attention and the public doesn’t know who to believe. Steve Hamburg, director of the Global Environment Program at Brown, challenged everyone at the conference, sponsored by the Brown Forum for Enterprise, to come up with one idea that would make money, reduce carbon emissions and lessen energy usage. At the same time. -- Journal staff writer Peter B. Lord Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:31 AM | Comment Amtrak to spend millions on defective ties in NortheastWASHINGTON -- Amtrak says it must spend tens of millions of dollars to replace defective railroad ties on the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor. The problem could delay trains - and thus cost Amtrak business - if not addressed quickly, the railroad warned in a letter to Congress last week. The concrete ties were purchased beginning in the 1990s and have already begun to crack, Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said yesterday. Concrete ties normally last about 50 years. The total cost of fixing the problem is still unclear. But in its annual funding request to Congress, Amtrak said it expects to spend at least $23.5 million on it this year alone. Black said costs are likely to be similar next year. The ties are manufactured by Rocla Concrete Tie Inc. at a plant inside an Amtrak maintenance yard in Bear, Del. Amtrak said that under the terms of the contract, the supplier must replace the defective ties for free, but won't reimburse the railroad for the labor. -- The Associated Press "Amtrak and Rocla are working together to ensure that the replacement ties that they are providing us are top quality," Black said. "Amtrak is comfortable that the manufacturer has corrected the problem." If concrete ties fracture severely, they can't properly support the rails, Black said. However, he emphasized that the problem does not pose a danger because it was caught early and is being addressed. It's not the first time Rocla has been blamed for defects. New York's Metro-North commuter railroad sued the company in 2006 for premature cracks in ties purchased in 1997. The case was settled out of court. Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker said Rocla agreed to replace the ties as part of the settlement. That process is expected to be completed within the next three years, Brucker said. The president of Denver-based Rocla, Peter Urquhart, declined to comment Wednesday on Amtrak's concerns. Black said the cracking was first spotted in the fall. Since then, Amtrak has been implementing speed restrictions, known as slow orders, on sections of track between Washington and Boston. "This is a critical problem, since tie-related slow orders are already delaying trains on the Corridor," Amtrak Chief Executive Alex Kummant wrote in the $1.67 billion funding request. The Northeast Corridor is home to Amtrak's only high-speed service, the Acela Express. Good on-time performance has helped the railroad take business away from the airlines between Boston and Washington. In 2007, the Acela Express arrived at its destination within 10 minutes of the scheduled time 87.8 percent of the time. That has fallen to 84.2 percent in the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. However, Black said the drop for the most part is not connected to the slow orders, but stems from running more trips with the same number of trains. Still, if enough slow orders were to accumulate, it would be difficult to make up the time. The degree of the speed reduction depends on the concentration of faulty ties in a given area. In the worst cases, they force trains to drop from 135 miles per hour all the way to 60 mph. So far Amtrak has replaced about 5,000 defective ties on a spot basis, lifting slow orders as the problem spots are fixed. In the spring, the railroad plans to begin using a track-laying machine to replace ties systematically, Black said. The process may require adjusting timetables to lengthen trip times or temporarily reducing the number of trips on the corridor. It could also affect commuter lines that operate on Amtrak-owned tracks. Black said he did not know how many of the 3.4 million concrete ties on the corridor were supplied by Rocla since Amtrak began doing business with the company in the early 1990s. According to the Web site for Chatswood, Australia-based Rocla Pty Ltd., its U.S. affiliate produced 895,000 for Amtrak and Metro-North from 1996 to 1999. The U.S. company is no longer part of Rocla Pty. Ltd. Amtrak began replacing its wooden ties on the Northeast Corridor with concrete ones in 1978. Concrete ties are more expensive, but last longer and require less maintenance. They are also better for high-speed operations, Black said. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:33 AM | Comment The environment and the bottom lineCan a business grow its bottom line while at the same time working to improve environmental conditions? Could including environmental stewardship in a business model actually be better for business? Brown University is hosting a conference today focused on those questions and others concerning sustainable technologies in the business world. Today'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. The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:25 AM | Comment This is only a test, in the event of a real emergency...Don’t panic when you hear the sirens go off this afternoon. Brown University is testing its new emergency warning system between noon and 1 p.m. The sirens are atop university buildings on the East Side campus. The system will sound a loud tone and voice message. The system will be tested twice a year, according to a statement from the University. It would only be used otherwise for life-threatening emergencies during which people need to immediately seek indoor shelter. Most emergencies – forecast weather events, for example – will not trigger the system. A large chemical release, or unforeseen weather event such as a tornado would. Several other security initiatives – including the city’s reverse 911 system -- would supplement the alarm system in the event of a real emergency. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:06 AM | Comment Another Clinton comes to Rhode IslandFormer President Bill Clinton is coming to the Ocean State today, less than one week before Rhode Island's March 4 presidential primary election. Clinton has been traveling the country, campaigning on behalf of his wife, presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. He will be hosting a rally at Bryant University in Smithfield, according to a statement from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Doors open at 2:15 p.m., and the event is expected to begin at 3:15. The rally, titled “Solutions for America,” will be at the Chace Athletic Center, and is open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to carpool because of the limited parking. Sen. Clinton has already visited the state; she held a rally at Rhode Island College on Sunday. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will make a campaign stop in Rhode Island Saturday -- the March 4 primary here and in three other states could prove crucial in picking the Democratic nominee. But exactly when and where are still to be determined, his campaign said at a news conference yesterday. His wife visited the state last week. Sen. John McCain spoke to an audience of more than 1,000 at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Feb. 14. Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee was on the radio, and visited a school and this newspaper Monday in a day-long campaigning tour of Rhode Island. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:05 AM | Comment Sunny but coldThe clouds should clear later in the day and the National Weather Service is forecasting a sunny, albeit cold day with a high temperature near 30 degrees. Skies should remain clear tonight when the temperature drops down to about 11 degrees. Clouds are expected to return tomorrow, and they may bring snow in the afternoon. The temperature should only reach the high 20s with a northwest wind becoming south later in the day. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about the state's poor showing on high school math tests and a story about three stolen paintings worth about $1 million turning up in a Rhode Islander's home. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006