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March 11, 2008

Photo: This cat's got your back

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
In a pose that might have made a model for an Andrew Wyeth painting, this cat keeps a keen watch on what's happening today from inside the barn window at the Santos farm in Westport, Mass.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:02 PM | Comment

Tonight: New or classic sounds -- just pick a city

Young and old are reflected in the music scene tonight.

In Providence, Rainbro and Young Male play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St. Call 831-9327. 10 p.m. $5. All ages.

In New Bedford, Mass., tonight, you can go back. Make that Get Back? the Beatles movie that became a theater production: the cast of the original New York and London productions of Beatlemania are at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Centerm 684 Purchase St. They'll do 30 Beatles tunes and don vintage clothes and instruments. The performance is at 8 p.m.

For more of what's happening around our area, check projo.com's calendar of events.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:59 PM | Comment

Responders at the scene of Providence building fire

PROVIDENCE -- Firefighters are on scene of a building fire in the area of Melrose Street and Potters Avenue in the city's Elmwood neighborhood at this hour, according to fire dispatch.

No other information is available at this time.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Comment

Thousands of stolen jewelry recovered in street stop

SOMERSET, Mass. -- Police said they recovered thousands of dollars in stolen jewelry after stopping a woman on the street and observing jewelry and a silver clock in her open pockets.

Beth Deyo, 31, of 846 Pleasant St., was arrested after officers checked out a report of a suspicious woman walking in the area of Pleasant and North Streets around 8:30 a.m.

One resident, who gave a description of the woman, said she had tried to break a door to get into a basement.

Police said Deyo originally gave them a fake name after they stopped her and saw the jewelry.

When they found a college ring in her purse, along with other items of jewelry, she told Chief Joseph Ferreira that the ring was her father’s.

When Ferreira asked where her father graduated from, she said she had no idea. The name of Deyo’s father also didn’t match the name on the ring, which led police to a residence that had been broken into.

She was charged with felony breaking and entering, receiving stolen property, larceny over $250, and attempted breaking and entering. Police also found warrants for her arrest on other similar charges, along with possession of a hypodermic needle and possession of a class B substance.

-- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:46 PM | Comment

Convention Center head: Little demand for naming rights

James P. McCarvill, the executive director of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, says there is probably little demand for the building's naming rights.

State Rep. Deborah A. Fellela, D-Johnston, has introduced legislation that would require the authority to solicit bids for the naming rights. The bill, backed by House Finance Committee chairman Steven M. Costantino, would use the revenue to help plug the state's budget gap.

"Every little bit will certainly help the state," House spokesman Larry Berman said last month.

A little bit is all the state should expect, McCarvill told The Providence Journal today.

Sports arenas bring in big bucks for naming rights because the company's name is mentioned on radio and TV and in newspapers whenever a big sporting event or concert is held at the arena, he said. Typical convention center events, such as the New England Saltwater Fishing Show scheduled for April, generate less publicity.

"It's not an easy sell," McCarvill said. "Convention centers are not usually prime prospects for these type of agreements."

Of the money the state brings in for naming rights, McCarvill said, a portion would be spent on changing all signs and stationary for the facility and on giving special access to events to the sponsor.

Dunkin' Donuts has been paying $425,000 a year since 2001 as part of a 10-year agreement for the naming rights to the arena formerly known as the Providence Civic Center. The company, based in Canton, Mass., also provides $100,000 annually in event sponsorship assistance, such as advertisements.

For more local breaking business news, visit the Biz Blog.

Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 6:19 PM | Comment

Bristol to pay fine, take steps to fix sewer overflows

BRISTOL -- In a settlement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the town will pay a $75,000 fine, spend another $62,800 on a water quality project and take other steps to combat sewer overflow problems.

The agreement, announced in an EPA news release today, calls for Bristol to deal with overflows "that have resulted in the release of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the environment over many years."

The settlement resulted from an EPA order that sought penalties for Clean Water Act violations, including in 2005 when "failure to maintain or replace critical aged pump equipment was found to cause the overflow of some four million gallons of untreated sewage to Bristol Harbor. The incident led to a 17-day shellfish bed closure."

The $62,800 is for doing a “supplemental environmental project” that the EPA said will better the water quality of storm water runoff at a town beach parking lot.

“This action brings us one step closer toward achieving our long-term goal of completely eliminating sanitary sewer overflows that contribute to water quality problems in Rhode Island’s treasured waterways,” Robert W. Varney, the EPA New England administrator, said in the statement. “We can no longer wait to invest in the pipes under our streets until we read about beach or shellfish bed closures in our communities.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment

Carcieri to announce transportation study panel

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri and the state Department of Transportation director tomorrow will announce a panel to study Rhode Island's transportation money needs for the coming five years.

The panel is expected to make recommendations to the governor in six months, Carcieri's office said in a news release today.

Carcieri and DOT Director Jerome Williams will hold the 1 p.m. State House news conference in the State Room.

The governor will talk about the panel’s mission and make-up, Rhode Island's challenges as it works to rebuild aging roads and bridges, and the money necessary for those challenges.

Federal officials recently have demanded that the state repay $3.1 million because the DOT didn’t adequately test concrete on major sections of its flagship project, the Route 195 relocation, which it calls the Iway.

The department is also dealing with bridge repairs, such as the Pawtucket River Bridge which carries a stretch of Route 95.

The DOT will also soon have a new boss: Michael P. Lewis, whom Governor Carcieri hired last month. Lewis is fresh from running a mega-transportation project - Boston’s Big Dig.

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

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:08 PM | Comment

URI's Carothers to be honored at education gala

University of Rhode Island President Robert L. Carothers will be honored Friday evening in Boston at the New England Board of Higher Education’s annual gala, in recognition of his 17 years at the helm of the state’s flagship university.

Carothers will receive the Eleanor M. McMahon Award for Lifetime Achievement, an honor named after the late Rhode Island higher education commissioner and educator.

In addition, Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center will receive the Rhode Island State Merit Award for its leadership in adult literacy and helping to develop a more productive and educated workforce.

Carothers will be honored for his efforts to link classroom learning to community service and the establishment of URI’s $6 million Centennial Scholarship program, which attracts top students, helping to boost the overall competitiveness of the university. The award also recognizes Carothers’ oversight of more than $200 million in new construction and rehabilitation of existing facilities on the Kingston campus.

“President Carothers is one of New England’s most respected higher education leaders,” said the interim president and chief executive officer of the regional higher education board, Michael K. Thomas, in a news release. “He has overseen the transformation of URI, expanding its physical infrastructure, reenergizing the curriculum, increasing student and faculty diversity and attracting top students.”

Carothers became URI’s 10th president in 1991 and announced late last year that he plans to step down when his current contract expires in June 2009.

For more information on New England Higher Education Excellence Awards, being held at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, visit: www.nebhe.org/excellence2008.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan

In the past several years, Carothers has received national awards for mentoring future college administrators and his initiatives to crack down on underage student drinking and substance abuse on college campuses.

During his tenure, Carothers banned alcohol from all university events, signed stricter rules punishing students for alcohol use, worked with local police to curb drunk driving and noisy off-campus house parties, and promoted research into addictive behaviors.

Dorcas Place provides adult education programs to about 1,000 low income Rhode Islanders a year, offering adult basic education, English as a Second Language, GED classes and job placement, as well as family literacy and after-school programs for elementary students.

Brenda Dann-Messier, president of Dorcas Place, serves on the state Board of Governors for Higher Education.

“For nearly three decades, Dorcas Place has contributed to the social and economic growth of Rhode Island by providing adult education, advocacy and community programs that have increased literacy and allowed individuals to reach their full potential,” Thomas said

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:47 PM | Comment

Fall River police arrest two, seize cash

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- The police have arrested two city residents on drug and gun possession charges and rounded up thousands of dollars in suspected drug-sale money, five guns, a bulletproof vest, and bags of marijuana, Vicodin and Percocet.

Jordan Lewis, 24, and Marta Amorim, 24, both of 37 Forest St. were arrested last night and each face a host of charges, the police announced today.

The police said that at about 5:30 p.m. yesterday Fall River detectives and a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent went to the Forest Street address with a search warrant. A detective saw Lewis leave the apartment, walk to Cottage and Forest streets and do what appeared to be a drug deal, the police statement said. Police confronted him as he came back and detectives used the search warrant, finding Amorim inside the apartment.

In the apartment the police said they also found a Sears & Roebuck Model 21, a 12-gauge shotgun, a Davis Industries Model D-32, a .32-caliber Derringer pistol, and an I.J. Model 1900 revolver. A "police type bullet-proof vest" was found on a closet shelf. Also found, according to police: about 12 ounces of marijuana, plastic bags and two digital scales, a small bag of marijuana in Amorin's pocketbook, a plastic bag containing 53 Percocet pills and another plastic bag containing 56 Vicodin pills.

Detectives found a book "consistent with illegal drug distribution." A shoebox held $4,360 in cash. Another $715 in cash was found on Lewis, the police said. And the police said they found several rounds of various caliber ammunition.

Their address is within 1,000 feet of the Atlantis Charter School, 37 Park St.

Lewis and Amorim are each charged with conspiracy to violate drug law, possession to distribute Class D drug, possession to distribute class D drug in a school zone, two counts of possession to distribute a Class B drug, two counts of possession to distribute Class B drug in a school zone, three counts of felony possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a license, and three counts of possession a firearm without a license -- known as an FID card.

Amorim also faces a charge of possession of Class D drug.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:57 PM | Comment

Cranston gun dealer pleads guilty to illegal sales

PROVIDENCE -- A Cranston gun dealer pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges of illegal gun sales involving falsified purchasing records.

Licensed gun dealer Anthony Mancini of Continental Gun Engraving on Park Avenue in November and December sold handguns to a man but documented that it was the buyer's female companion who purchased them, "an illegal practice known as straw-buying," U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office said in a news release.

The arrest followed an undercover operation last year involving federal agents.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

On Nov. 1, a female undercover agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a male undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent went to the shop. The DEA agent picked out a 9-millimeter pistol, but the ATF agent signed a form saying she was the buyer.

The agents came back Nov. 9 to pick up the gun, with the male agent paying Mancini $316 and the female agent again certifying she was the buyer.

The male agent also paid Mancini $202 for another gun, saying he’d been “reduced to bow hunting” because of “bad legal advice.” Mancini added that sale to the documents the female agent signed.

The undercover DEA agent went alone to the store Nov. 26 and told Mancini that he had a prior felony conviction but wanted to buy a gun that day. Federal law bans felons from buying or having guns and requires licensed dealers to document who is actually buying a gun.

The agent came back later with the female undercover agent, who signed a federal form saying she was the buyer, and the DEA agent asked Mancini to place a “sold” sticker on a .357 Magnum revolver.

In December, the agents returned again. The male agent paid Mancini $347 for the .357 Magnum he had previously picked out. Mancini gave him the gun and a receipt in the female agent’s undercover name.

Mancini was arrested in December.

Today, Mancini pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to two counts of selling firearms without documenting who the purchaser was. Maximum penalty for each count is five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Mancini is free on unsecured bond pending scheduled Aug. 1 sentencing.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:49 PM | Comment

Carcieri combining EDC and Economic Policy Council

Journal archive photo / Kathy Borchers
Governor Carcieri and Paul J. Choquette Jr., CEO of Gilbane Inc., at an Economic Policy Council meeting in 2006.

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri is combining the state's two economic development agencies, the state Economic Development Corporation and the
Economic Policy Council.

In a statement today, Carcieri said the EDC will now oversee the council, an influential advisory group made up of leading business and political figures. The council will retain a separate advisory board.

The switch, Carcieri said, "will ensure closer alignment around a single economic development strategy, sharpen the state’s focus on priority programs and will save the state money."

“EPC is an important body of the state’s business, university and government leaders and plays a key role in shaping and actively communicating a clear economic development vision for Rhode Island,” Carcieri said. “I will ask the council to lead the private sector effort to improve our business and tax climate and to accelerate our positioning as a high-wage knowledge economy.”

For more local breaking business news, visit the Biz Blog at projo.com/business.

Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 3:32 PM | Comment

Station benefit concert to be broadcast on Easter

The date and time for the broadcast of last month’s benefit concert for the Station Family Fund have been announced.

The one-hour special Aftermath: The Station Fire Five Years Later will be broadcast on VH1 on Easter Sunday, March 23, at 10 p.m. The special features highlights of the Feb. 24 concert at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, in Providence, headlined by Twisted Sister, Tesla, John Rich, Gretchen Wilson and more, as well as interviews with some of the artists and survivors of the fire.

The show will be simulcast on Channel 36, Rhode Island’s PBS station.

-- Journal staff writer Rick Massimo

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:23 PM | Comment

Lawmakers to consider bill on inmates' good behavior

PROVIDENCE -- The House Judiciary Committee this afternoon will hear a bill that would let more inmates lop time off their sentences for good behavior, a move driven in part by a search for state budget savings and also to reduce prison crowding.

The committee is slated to meet at about 4:45 p.m. at the rise of the House, in the State House's room 205.

Bill H 7751 would change the state’s good-behavior provision, which lets inmates earn up to 10 days off the end of their sentences for each month in which they have no disciplinary problems.

The change would expand the eligibility to inmates serving sentences of more than one month, so long as they are not serving life sentences. Current law says inmates must be serving at least six months to be eligible.

Sexual offenders would be specifically excluded from qualifying for the program, under the bill.

The news release says the bill will be amended to expand a program that allows patients to reduce sentences by five days for finishing a "job-training, educational, drug-abuse treatment or behavior-modification program in prison."

The state would save an estimated $1 million next year and up to $22 million over the next 10 years, the news release says.

A.T. Wall, the Department of Corrections director, has said it would allow release of about 211 prisoners next year, which would help Rhode Island to avoid reaching an inmate population cap of 4,051, according to the release. The inmate population stood at 4,000 in the fall "and is on track" to hit 4,147 next year.

“At a time when we need to look for savings, this is a reasonable place to look. Rhode Island is currently fairly conservative when it comes to letting prisoners earn reductions in their sentences for good behavior,” state Rep. John Patrick Shanley Jr., D-South Kingstown, said in the statement. “We’re not talking about opening the prison gates and turning convicts out in the street -- we’re talking about letting individuals earn time off at the end of their sentences.

Shanley stated the proposal would not only save money but give prisoners incentive to follow the rules and make the most of rehabilitation opportunities at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston.

Read Journal coverage of prison population reduction plan.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:50 PM | Comment

Cicilline to offer plan for city's foreclosure problem

PROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline tomorrow will announce a proposal to get millions of federal dollars to deal with the city's foreclosure problem, his office announced today.

The announcement is part of "an ongoing effort to protect Providence neighborhoods from the national foreclosure crisis," a news release said.

The news conference for an "aggressive proposal" will be at 10 a.m. at 72 Ford Street in the city's West End, a place particularly impacted by foreclosures, Cicilline's office said.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:48 PM | Comment

Smoke-shop case: Trooper says chief bear-hugged him

State Police Sgt. Ernest C. Quarry said he doesn’t know why Narragansett Indian Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas was not immediately arrested after allegedly trying to restrain a trooper during the 2003 raid of a tribal smoke shop.

But, Quarry testified today, he did assist in Thomas’s eventual arrest.

Now Thomas and six additional members of the tribe are on trial for misdemeanors stemming from a scuffle that took place after the raid.

Attorney General Patrick Lynch and State Police Supt. Brendan Doherty were in the courtroom as Quarry described his confrontation with Thomas.

Quarry said he was trying to help a trooper whose arm was shut in the shop's door. According to Quarry, Thomas put him in a bear hug and tribal councilman Hiawatha Brown grabbed Quarry’s throat.

Testimony is set to resume early this morning.

Extra: See photos and video of the raid on projo.com

-- with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:16 PM | Comment

Photo: Woman accused in hit-run stands before judge

Shana Lee, 26, of 63 Salmon St., Providence, accused of leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash, is arraigned this morning in District Court, Providence. At about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Lee allegedly was driving a rented 2008 Dodge Avenger on Atwells Avenue when the car struck Adolfo Gonzalez, 54, of 31 Yale Ave., the police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Read more on Lee's arrest.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:56 AM | Comment

Health is the topic for today's think tank forum

For the third year, the state’s Public Health Think Tank is bringing scientists, academics and legislators together to discuss health issues.

Rep. Elizabeth M. Dennigan and Sen. Daniel J. Issa are hosting this year’s forum: “Solving the Access to Health Care Problems” at the State House.

Officials from Rhode Island and Massachusetts -- including a representative of the Massachusetts Office of the Speaker of the House and principal author of the Bay State’s statewide health insurance program -- will give formal presentations.

The public is also invited to participate in two panel discussions.

Today’s seminar runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:34 AM | Comment

Photo: Making sure the fire is out

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
A firefighter works on the second floor of a home at 4 Manchester Farm Road near the North Providence-Lincoln line. Crews from four communities -- Lincoln, North Providence, Providence and Pawtucket -- battled the fire this morning. According to the Lincoln tax assessor's office, the house is on Lincoln's tax rolls, but has a North Providence mailing address.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:54 AM | Comment

Van Halen concert in Providence postponed

The Van Halen concert scheduled for Monday, March 24, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence has been postponed.

The concert-promotion agency Live Nation has announced that all the dates on Van Halen’s current tour through April 19 have been postponed while guitarist Edward Van Halen undergoes more tests “to determine a course of treatment” for an unspecified illness.

No new dates have been announced yet.

Tickets for the original date will be honored for any rescheduled date, or ticketholders can get refunds wherever they bought their tickets.

-- Journal staff writer Rick Massimo

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:45 AM | Comment

2 R.I. hospitals recognized for cancer treatment

Two hospitals in the state have been recognized by an insurance company for their ability to handle some of the more complex and rare types of cancer, including bone and brain cancer.

Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital have been named Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

“We’re pleased to receive this distinction for our program as it reflects our dedication to providing the highest level of cancer care even in unusual or complicated cases,” Fred J. Schiffman said in a statement. He’s the medical director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, both Lifespan hospitals.

Criteria for the distinction include facilities that offer access to clinical trials and use clinical data registries as well as multidisciplinary treatment and surgical teams.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:41 AM | Comment

Photo: Fighting a fire on the N. Providence-Lincoln line

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy

North Providence and Lincoln fire crews battle a fire this morning. The call came in just after 8 a.m. at a residence at 4 Manchester Farm Road.

According to the Lincoln tax assessor's office, the house is on Lincoln's tax rolls, but has a North Providence mailing address.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:00 AM | Comment

Providence: Morning fire in the West End/ Photo

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
Manuel DeLeon of Attleboro, Ma., cuts plywood to board up a home at 130 Willow Street in Providence, following an overnight fire this morning.

Providence firefighters were at work early this morning on a house fire in the city’s West End.

The fire broke out at about 2 a.m. at 130 Willow Street and crews on the scene reported heavy fire at the 2 ½ story wood frame house.

There were no serious injuries reported, according to Chief of Communications James Taylor, and the fire is still under investigation.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:10 AM | Comment

New bus service to offer cheap fares between NY-Boston

BOSTON — Travelers between Boston and New York will soon have another low-cost option.
Greyhound Lines is partnering with Springfield-based Peter Pan Bus Lines to launch the “Boltbus.”

The coaches will offer wireless internet, plenty of leg room and one-way fares as low as $1.

The Boltbus will compete with other low-cost carriers such as Fung Wah. Bus companies say dissatisfaction with air travel delays and traffic congestion have an increasing number of travelers turning to old-fashioned bus service as an alternative.

Greyhound plans to keep Boltbus fares low by selling most of its tickets online. Company spokesman Dustin Clark says fares will be set at market value, but he expects there to be at least some $1 fares for each trip.

The Boston-New York service is scheduled to begin in April.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:00 AM | Comment

Smoke Shop trial: Today is Day 8

The trial of seven Narragansett Indians charged with misdemeanors after a raid on a tribal smoke shop is set to resume today.

State Police Detective Timothy Sanzi testified yesterday about his recollections of the July 2003 raid in Superior Court.

State Police raided the smoke shop to stop the Narragansetts from selling tax-free cigarettes.

Extra: See photos and video of the raid at projo.com.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:16 AM | Comment

Legislators to announce "Green Jobs Alliance"

PROVIDENCE -- Labor unions are joining with environmental advocates and anti-poverty groups to form a "Green Jobs Alliance."

The alliance is a coalition that will support middle-class jobs that are good for the environment.

Legislators are scheduled to announce the formation of the coalition at a news conference at the State House this afternoon.

The alliance is expected to announce its legislative agenda.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:03 AM | Comment

Warming today but a chance of snow tonight

Slowly but surely, the temperature is rising. Today, the National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 45 degrees, sunny skies and a mild west wind.

A slight chance of snow tonight, when the temperature drops to about 30 degrees and milder, south winds.

Tomorrow may start with a few flakes, then maybe rain as the temperature rises to the mid 40s. Later in the day, the clouds should clear and west winds will pick up to about 15 mph.

To check weather throughout the day, see projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a report on the trial of Narragansett Indian tribe members facing charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault in the wake of a state police raid on a tribal smoke shop in 2003.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment