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« March 17, 2008 | Today | March 19, 2008 » March 18, 2008Tonight: The music's playing in ProvidenceSt. Patrick's Day is past and the weekend still feels distant, but those who want some revelry tonight can still find some in Providence. Chevelle, Finger 11, and God or Julie play rock at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. 331-5876, 272-5876, www.etix.com. 8 p.m. $25; $30 reserved. Matthias Muller & Christina Marien and Joseph Grimm play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 10 p.m. $5. All ages. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment State rests case in trial of seven Narragansett IndiansPROVIDENCE -- The state rested its case today in the trial of seven Narragansett Indians arrested in the state police raid on a tribal smoke shop after hearing testimony from a detective who helped handcuff a defendant. Detective Shari Russell was the last of 12 state police officers to take the stand for prosecutors over as many days in Superior Court. Jurors have heard from sergeants, lieutenants, detectives and troopers. At Governor Carcieri’s orders, the state police executed a search and seizure warrant July 14, 2003, to stop the tribe from selling tax-free cigarettes on tribal land in Charlestown. The raid turned into a violent confrontation. Seven adult Narragansetts, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:49 PM | Comment Nonprofit unveils plan to preserve affordable housingNORTH KINGSTOWN -- A nonprofit organization today unveiled a plan to preserve 204 affordable apartments for the next 40 years. The $23 million deal -- financed in part by state and federal money -- will enable the Boston-based Preservation of Affordable Housing to renovate the Heritage Village apartments on Union Drive. The apartments are rented by families with low incomes and seniors who pay only a portion of their income for rent. The rest is paid through a program subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. Officials celebrated the deal during a morning news conference. But a faltering economy and increasing foreclosures portend a dark future for residents looking for other affordable housing, they said. “All around us people are losing their homes,” said Richard Godfrey, executive director of Rhode Island Housing. Many of the foreclosed properties tied to risky loans are multi-family houses full of tenants who have “three days to get out,” Godfrey said. “There’s a huge disruption going on.” U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said he would ask Congress to expand the HUD program and provide more money to local communities through block grants. A family earning less than $50,000 a year can’t afford a single-family home in Rhode Island, Reed said. And workers who are earning a minimum wage “can’t afford the rent” for a typical apartment, he added. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis “The first thing we have to do is preserve what we have,” said Reed, who urged President Bush and his administration to spend “as much time on saving affordable housing as they do on saving investment banks.” Since 2004, Preservation of Affordable Housing, or POAH, has purchased similar housing projects in Narragansett, Providence and Johnston. The nonprofit organization owns more than 4,800 affordable rental homes in eight states and the District of Columbia. In the Heritage Village deal, POAH received $15.1 million in tax-exempt financing from Rhode Island Housing and $8 million in federal tax credits. The apartments, built in 1980 and 1981, include 100 units for seniors and 104 apartments for families. All of the apartments are subsidized by HUD. If the subsidy contracts had not been renewed, the units would have likely been converted to market-rate apartments and condominiums, which would have made it difficult for the current tenants to afford them, said POAH President Amy S. Anthony. “With these purchases, POAH and its partners in Rhode Island are ensuring that seniors and families can count on a home which is safe, well-managed and -- most importantly -- affordable,” Anthony said. Anthony said her organization has already begun work on the seven, three-story buildings on Union Drive. Before the end of the year, tenants will have new roofs and windows, renovated kitchens and bathrooms, and more energy-efficient apartments, she said. Although the nonprofit organization will spend $4 million, renovating existing apartments is much cheaper than building new ones, Anthony said. The project is needed because South County residents spend more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing, she said. “That’s called a housing burden, and it falls especially hard on those with the fewest resources.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:10 PM | Comment Road is closed in South Kingstown following damageSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The Church Street eastbound travel lane between Railroad and Columbia streets will be closed to the traffic until further notice, according to the town’s Public Services Department. The southerly stone parapet wall of the Church Street bridge was struck and damaged by a vehicle today, prompting the town to close the eastbound lane for safety reasons. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:10 PM | Comment Johnston art dealer escapes from New Jersey prisonPROVIDENCE -- A convicted tax fraud and high-powered art dealer from Johnston, Rocco P. DeSimone, escaped from a federal prison camp in New Jersey on Saturday, and his wife has been charged with helping him, federal authorities said today. DeSimone, 55, of 103 Hopkins Ave., was believed to have been dropped off in Warwick on Monday, and he was still on the lam today, Deputy U.S. Marshal C.J. Wyant said. DeSimone fled the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, N.J., between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and his absence was noted at a 7 p.m. inmate count. “He didn’t just escape from Attica,” Wyant said. “It’s a camp. He basically walked out.” Authorities suspect that DeSimone’s wife, Gail DeSimone, picked him up in a rented car after flying in from Rhode Island, Wyant said. Authorities suspect she drove him up to the home of friends in Putnam, Conn., and that the friends later drove him to Warwick, Wyant said. “I don’t know why he would escape from a prison and come to Rhode Island,” Wyant said. “But we have charged his wife, and we are trying to figure out where else he could go.” Gail DeSimone surrendered to federal agents Monday after a complaint was issued charging her with harboring an escaped prisoner. Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond of U.S. District Court released her, but ordered that she be confined to her house. Rocco DeSimone escaped just two days after FBI agents searched his Hopkins Avenue home as part of an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering, federal authorities said. The agents seized a bunch of items, including a $180,000 Ford GT sports car, Japanese swords and artifacts, Wyant said. -- Journal staff writers Thomas J. Morgan and Edward Fitzpatrick On Saturday, Gail DeSimone took a 6 a.m. US Airways flight from Rhode Island to Philadelphia, according to prison officials, Gail DeSimone called Rocco DeSimone. According to a federal affidavit, she flew to Philadelphia the same day and rented a car at the Philadelphia airport at about 5 p.m. On Sunday agents checked the DeSimone residence to see if Rocco DeSimone was there. While at the house, the agents noticed the Pennsylvania rental car in the driveway. After Gail DeSimone returned the car to a rental agency in Warwick, agents charged her with harboring her husband after his escape. In August 2005 DeSimone, then 52, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for filing a false tax return. A federal jury had found him guilty of fraudulently claiming income from the sale of art as a long-term capital gain rather than ordinary income, to avoid paying higher taxes. DeSimone also was fined $100,000 and ordered him to pay all income taxes due. U.S. District Judge William E. Smith determined that DeSimone had avoided paying between $200,000 and $325,000 through the false tax return. DeSimone served about six months of his sentence before being released on bail pending the outcome of an appeal. But the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal in June of last year. DeSimone’s bail was then revoked, and he was returned to federal custody to serve the balance of his sentence. Prosecutors said that DeSimone told Janet Traeger Salz, the New York owner of Canal at Zaandam, that he had instead sold the painting for $2.7 million, pocketing most of the difference. Yet on his 1999 tax return, DeSimone reported only $1 million of that income. The government also said DeSimone falsely claimed the $1 million as a long-term capital gain rather than ordinary income, which is taxed at a higher rate. After DeSimone was found guilty, Judge Smith allowed him to remain free pending sentencing. Smith turned down a request by the prosecution that $100,000 bail be imposed, saying, “To flee would be colossally stupid. He’s too intelligent for that.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment Carcieri seeks court opinion on 'anti-privatization' lawArguing the "anti-privatization" law should be declared unconstitutional, Governor Carcieri today asked the state Supreme Court for an advisory opinion on the state law passed last year that in effect bans the governor from replacing state workers with private contractors. The governor's office characterized the law in a news release today as "a last-minute, late-night amendment" to the current year's state budget. Carcieri asserts in a letter to Chief Justice Frank Williams that the law could disrupt many state services and result in the executive branch being unable to cut state spending at a perilous financial time, which the news release calls the worst "since the credit union crisis" of the early 1990s. Carcieri argues the law "unconstitutionally interferes with the responsibility of the executive branch to administer state government," his statement says, and would "grind to a halt the operation of state government and the delivery of many critical services, while costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in additional costs each year." The Journal reported in November that the General Assembly might reconsider the law. State Rep. Douglas W. Gablinske, D-Bristol, pre-filed legislation at the time that would weaken the law -- a law Republicans have criticized as a gift to labor unions. Last year, Carcieri announced plans to cut 536 state workers in coming months, a move he said at the time would save taxpayers $41.6 million. Nearly a third of those layoffs, the Journal reported, depend on the governor privatizing government services. The law “makes it virtually impossible to privatize any governmental services or renew contracts of existing services being rendered by private vendors,” Carcieri's letter argues, according to an excerpt in today's news release. He wrote to Williams that the law "impermissibly interferes with the official duties and function of the executive branch, which includes fundamentally the administration of appropriations and faithful execution of all laws requiring executive implementation from the legislative branch.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:20 PM | Comment Johnston zone change OK'd for Wal-Mart SuperstoreJOHNSTON -- The Town Council voted 4-1 last night to rezone a hillside Atwood Avenue parcel to accommodate a Wal-Mart Superstore, Sam’s Club and other businesses. The developer promised that the arrival of the two box stores and other businesses, perhaps even a hotel, would bring hundreds of new jobs to Stonehill Marketplace and as much as $3 million in tax revenue to the town. Kelly Coates, of Carpionato Properties, also detailed an accompanying project to widen Atwood Avenue and ease the flow of traffic into the complex, which already includes The Home Depot, Burlington Coat Factory and other retailers. The new “B-3” zoning designation makes it easier for the developers to pursue the major components of the project simultaneously, according to the town’s planner, Merrick Cook Jr. “It just speeds up and simplifies the whole process,” Cook said. The company still needs planning approval for individual buildings, but it won’t need to carry out a complicated and carefully coordinated campaign to secure different variances from the Zoning Board. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Under the previous, “B-2” designation, such variances would have been necessary for certain setback requirements and for the property’s entrances, Cook said. “B-3 is more of an interchange district,” said the developer’s law- At present, the proposal calls for a 134,723-square-foot Sam’s Club and a 176,305-square-foot Wal-Mart Superstore. The parking lots for the two box stores would have the capacity for more than 2,000 parking spaces. The plans also call for two other substantial buildings that would offer more than 220,000 square feet of retail space. Without giving any names, Coates also told officials about the potential for a hotel at the rear of the property. The council’s vote followed a public hearing attended by a large group of residents from the surrounding neighborhood. Many were worried about light pollution, noise and traffic. Councilman Ernest F. Pitochelli, who lives in the area himself, voted against the rezoning. Pitochelli was unswayed by Coates’s suggestion on property values. The developer said the project would elevate the figures. This morning, Mayor Joseph M. Polisena, a project supporter, promised that he and Pitochelli would work together to control the effects of the project. “I’m going to make sure as the mayor it has a limited impact on the neighbors,” said Polisena, who sees an opportunity to bring in tax dollars. Also, unlike some residents, Polisena believes the widening and redesign of the traffic pattern between Route 6 and Central Avenue will alleviate traffic congestion in the area. The main entrance and exit for the complex will be constructed a little farther south. A new entrance, positioned quite close to Route 6, will accept southbound traffic. The entire area will boast double traffic lanes in either direction as well as a fifth turning lane in some stretches. Also, a barrier will divide northbound and southbound traffic between Route 6 and the entrance to the expanded plaza. Both the Stonehill development firm, 195 Associates, and FM Global are paying the bill for the road project. “For the first time in history, the traffic is going to be sorted out at no cost to the taxpayers,” Polisena said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:16 PM | Comment URI takes Social Security numbers off time cardsBeginning today, the University of Rhode Island will stop putting employees’ full Social Security numbers on their time cards. By summer, according to a statement released by URI, Social Security numbers will be eliminated from all time cards and replaced with employee identification numbers. According to the statement, some University employees have recently been targets of identity theft. "In the past several months we have taken major steps to improve the safety and security of our campus community," said Robert Weygand, vice president for administration. Two employees last summer, and one in January, were victims of identity theft; another victim came forward during the investigations. Before today, time cards include employees’ full Social Security numbers. After the complaints, the university stopped mailing time cards and began delivering them. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:10 PM | Comment Millions secured for affordable housing in N. KingstownNORTH KINGSTOWN — A nonprofit organization today unveiled a plan to preserve 204 affordable apartments for the next 40 years. The $23 million deal – financed in part by state and federal money – will enable the Boston-based Preservation of Affordable Housing to renovate the Heritage Village apartments on Union Drive. The apartments are rented by seniors or low-income families who pay up to roughly a third of their income under a program subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. Officials celebrated the deal during a morning news conference. But a sputtering economy and increasing foreclosures portend a dark future for residents looking for affordable housing, they said. “All around us people are losing their homes,” said Richard Godfrey, executive director of Rhode Island Housing. Many of the foreclosed properties tied to risky loans are multi-family houses full of tenants who have “three days to get out,” Godfrey said. “There’s a huge disruption going on.” -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Sen. Jack Reed said he would ask Congress to expand the HUD program and provide more money to local communities. A family earning less than $50,000 a year can’t afford a single-family home in Rhode Island, Reed said. If workers are earning a minimum wage, “they can’t afford the rent” for a typical apartment either, he said. Since 2004, Preservation of Affordable Housing, or POAH, has purchased similar housing projects in Narragansett, Providence and Johnston. In the Heritage Village deal, the Boston nonprofit received $15.1 million in tax-exempt financing from Rhode Island Housing and $8 million in federal tax credits. The apartments, built in 1980 and 1981, include 100 units for seniors and 104 apartments for families. All of the apartments are subsidized by HUD. If the subsidy contracts had not been renewed, the units would have likely been converted to market-rate apartments and condominiums, which would have made it difficult for the current tenants to afford them, said POAH President Amy S. Anthony. “With these purchases, POAH and its partners in Rhode Island are ensuring that seniors and families can count on a home which is safe, well-managed and – more importantly – affordable,” Anthony said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:41 PM | Comment 2 killed, 2 injured in accidentsTwo men are dead and two were injured in separate accidents -- one of them late last night on Route 95 in East Greenwich and the other early this morning on a side street in Central Falls. “It was a clear, dry night,” state police trooper Scott Hemingway said. But for some reason, the state police responded to a handful of accidents, including two fatal crashes. The first accident was on Route 95 just north of Exit 7 in East Greenwich, at about 11:15 p.m. The witness followed the vehicle and saw the crash. Twenty-two-year-old David Roy, of Warwick, was killed. William Chapman, 40, of Coventry, was seriously injured and is in critical condition today at Rhode Island Hospital. Swanberg said that the police "have a suspicion" as to who was driving the car that the witness reported seeing. But, he said they are waiting for another witness to give a statement. About two hours later, Central Falls police and rescue responded to an accident in front of 84 Hedley Ave, according to Central Falls Fire Chief Rene Coutu. Excessive speed was likely a factor in that accident, Coutu said; witnesses reported seeing the vehicle, a Cadillac SUV, speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road earlier in the night. The SUV smashed into a parked car on Hedley Ave and flipped, killing the driver, Kevin Cesario, whose age and town of residence were unavailable. The passenger, Lewis Haduk, was able to get himself out of the vehicle after it came to a rest. He was taken to the hospital, treated, and released, according to Rhode Island Hospital. The state police are investigating both accidents. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:40 PM | Comment Cicilline backs call for stronger public transitProvidence Mayor David N. Cicilline stopped by the city’s train station in downtown this morning to support the findings of a new report outlining the need to develop stronger public transit systems in Providence and across the state. Improving bus service, extending rail lines and adding new modes of transportation such as a citywide street car network would add to the benefits mass transit already brings to Providence and the state, transit advocates said. According to the report released by the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority in 2006 saved one million gallons of oil, avoided 4,874 metric tons of global warming emissions and saved rush hour commuters in the greater Providence area 976,000 hours of time spent struck in traffic. “Rhode Island’s dependence on gasoline and automobiles is choking our health and environment,” said Chris Wilhite, Rhode Island director of the Sierra Club . “By transforming our car-driven transportation system into a system with clean, affordable transportation alternatives, we can significantly reduce our dependence on imported oil and reduce traffic.” Cicilline said the city’s Transit 2020 plan is continuing to go forward. RIPTA recently sent out a Request for Proposal to solicit a transit expert to help the state formulate a more specific plan. That plan will ultimately be sent to the federal government to apply for money for the projects. -- Journal environmental writer Natalie Garcia Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Comment Gov. Patrick concedes he faces defeat on casinosBOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick conceded today that his proposal to build three resort-style casinos in Massachusetts faces likely defeat in the House, but he pressed lawmakers to allow for a full and open debate. “I have no illusions about the plans in the House for this legislation,” he said at a legislative hearing on his bill. “I’m simply asking that an open debate begin, rather than end, today.” The hearing could determine the fate of Patrick’s bill, which he says would generate new jobs and revenue for the state. Opponents warn the proposal exaggerates the economic benefits and would bring increased crime and poverty. If lawmakers choose not to support it, the bill could come up for a vote as early as Thursday in the full House, where Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has strongly lobbied for its defeat. Patrick has said the casinos would create tens of thousands of construction jobs and 20,000 full-time permanent jobs and bring in $200 million in fees per license plus an estimated $400 million a year in new revenues. -- The Associated Press “Casinos in Massachusetts will be neither a cure-all for all of our fiscal needs nor an end of civilization as we know it,” he said to an overflowing crowd of mostly casino supporters in Gardner Auditorium. Earlier in the day, though, DiMasi told a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast he could not support the governor’s plan because it would ultimately harm residents. “We will absolutely and no question have increased bankruptcies, foreclosures, divorce, broken families, increased property crimes, domestic violence and on and on and on,” DiMasi said. “The cost of cleaning up the human devastation brought by casino gambling is too great.” “After six months of debate on this bill, I believe the evidence is not there, the case has not been made and time is running out,” DiMasi said. “Right now, my answer is no.” Before the hearing, hundreds of casino supporters rallied on the Boston Common to urge lawmakers to support Patrick’s plan. Many of the union members at the rally wore hard hats and carried signs saying “Casinos equal 20,000 jobs for Massachusetts and I need one of them.” Robert Haynes, Massachusetts president of the AFL-CIO, urged his members to attend the hearing and push their state lawmakers to back Patrick’s proposal. “I want to know which legislator is going to deny you a job, who’s going to pay your mortgage when you can’t pay, who’s going to leave 20,000 workers in an unemployment line,” Haynes said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:53 AM | Comment CVS Caremark agrees to settle Medicaid fraud claimsCHICAGO — Pharmacy chain CVS Caremark Corporation has agreed to pay almost $37 million to the federal government, Massachusetts, 22 other states and the District of Columbia to settle claims it billed Medicaid programs for a more expensive formulation of an antacid. The investigation began more than five years ago after a suburban Chicago pharmacist alerted authorities. Attorneys say Rhode Island-based CVS gave Medicaid patients Ranitidine capsules instead of less expensive tablets. The drug is a generic version of the heartburn medication Zantac. Authorities say the switch is illegal and allowed the company to charge state Medicaid programs more and reap a bigger profit. Lawyers say CVS admits no wrongdoing in the case. The settlement was announced today. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:45 AM | Comment Biechele to be released from prison tomorrowThe man who set off pyrotechnics at a concert that sparked the 2003 Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people is set to be released from prison tomorrow. Daniel Biechele, former tour manager for the band Great White, has been in prison since May 2006 after pleading guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to four years, and is being released on parole. According to the state Department of Corrections, Biechele will be released at an out-of-state location. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:50 AM | Comment Special Senate primary in Woonsocket-CumberlandResidents in Senate District 20 today can vote in a special election that will ultimately decide who fills the seat of the late Sen. Roger Badeau. The 71-year-old senator died Jan. 25. Since there is no Republican or third party candidates, the winner of today's Democratic primary election will go on to fill Badeau's seat for the district, which includes parts of Cumberland and parts of Woonsocket. The following candidates are in the running:
Thomas J. Scully, 60, of Cumberland, a Spanish and French teacher at Western Hills Middle School in Cranston. Scully served 12 years on the Town Council and 2 years on the School Committee. Find out on projo.com when and where to vote. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:25 AM | Comment Seniors, have a rebate question? Ask the expertsSeniors who want to know more about the economic stimulus package – including what’s required to be eligible for a rebate check – can ask the experts. Representatives from the IRS and the AARP are joining Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on a series of meetings to answer questions and clarify what senior citizens need to do to ensure they receive checks. Among other things, seniors who don’t typically file a tax return will have to do so this year to qualify for rebates. The first of several meetings is today at 10:15 a.m. at the Leon Mathieu Senior Center, 420 Main St. in Pawtucket. More events are scheduled, including Wed., March 26 in Westerly and Fri., March 28 in Cranston. Extra: Find out now when you'll receive your rebate check. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:20 AM | Comment States’ first CO2 allowance auction set for Sept. 10MONTPELIER, Vt. — Ten northeastern states hoping to crack down on power plants and other large-scale greenhouse gas emitters announced plans for a carbon dioxide allowance auction, to be held Sept. 10. The participating states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont — want to sell allowances as part of a cap-and-trade program to take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2009. Some legislative approvals are still pending in the states before the first-of-its-kind auction — on behalf of all 10 — is held, officials said. Under RGGI, governments would cap the amount of carbon dioxide that factories and plants are allowed to discharge annually and then the companies would have to buy enough allowances to cover their emissions, with excess allowances sold at a profit on the secondary market. The states have set a cap — effectively a CO2 emissions budget — of about 188 million tons, which is the amount of carbon dioxide power plants expect to discharge in 2009. Starting in 2015, the cap would be reduced by 2.5 percent annually, ultimately resulting in a 16 percent emissions reduction from projected “business as usual” amounts, according to RGGI. -- The Associated Press “It’s the first time states have gotten together and sold credits like this,” said George Crombie, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. “It’s noteworthy because what the eastern states are doing is setting the foundation for a national cap-and-trade system for the United States.” Utility companies are expected to be the prime audience. “If they want to use our air to dispose of their wastes, they’ll need pollution allowances,” said RGGI chairman Pete Grannis, who is New York state’s environmental conservation commissioner. Some actually like the idea, he said. “Some companies that now produce power through clean energy see this as a way to equalize things. They’ll be able to produce their power without having to buy as many pollution allowances to do it. There’ll be winners and losers. The whole purpose of this is to encourage companies to clean up their act and produce their energy with fewer greenhouse gases,” said Grannis. Steve Costello, a spokesman for Central Vermont Public Service, said that utility supports the goals of the greenhouse gas-reduction effort. “In our view, market-based cap-and-trade programs ... have proven to be very efficient and cost-effective mechanisms for securing reductions of pollutants while causing a minimum of economic dislocation,” said Costello. “We enthusiastically support the goals of RGGI, and believe it will have a significant impact on all of these gases.” Grannis called the auctions pioneering events. “It’s probably the first anywhere in the world where pollution allowances are auctioned up front, as opposed to being traded on the open market,” he said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:27 AM | Comment Cianci speaks at Brown: Politics, prison and ProvidenceFormer Providence mayor and convicted felon Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr. is speaking heading to the east side today to speak at Brown University. Cianci, Providence’s mayor from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002, was indicted on federal racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, witness tampering and mail fraud charges. He was released from prison in May 2007 after serving a nearly 5-years sentence for conspiracy. Since his release from prison, Cianci has been hosting a radio show. Tonight, as a guest of the Brown Lecture Board, he’ll talk about his political career, his time in prison and the future of Providence. The lecture is at the Salomon Center, room 101. It's set to begin at 8 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:22 AM | Comment Irish police officers to visit Providence todayPROVIDENCE -- Fourteen police officers from Ireland and Northern Ireland are coming to the city today to check out its community policing efforts. Chief Dean M. Esserman, who traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, two years ago extended the invitation, according to a news release from Mayor David N. Cicilline's office. Cicilline will meet with the them in his City Hall office tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. The delegation is in the country for a 10-day seminar at Boston College’s Irish Institute with emphasis on "establishing an effective channel of communication between law enforcement and the community," the release says. The Irish police officers will also look at community policing efforts in Boston and Miami. The delegation is expected to visit Providence neighborhoods and learn more about the police department's efforts to "build relationships with its community partners," the release said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Two days of winter left, and still snow to comeAnother sunny, brisk day, with the National Weather Service forecasting a high temperature near 48 degrees and milder, south winds around 7 mph. We may see a last-ditch winter snow shower late tonight, then turning to a mix after 3 a.m. Expect cloudy skies and a low temperature just around freezing with mild south winds. The wintry mix should continue tomorrow, turning to rain after 9 a.m. with south winds of about 10 mph and a high temperature near 45 degrees. Check projo.com's weather page for updates on the coming snow. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on the resignation of Providence Schools Superintendent Donnie Evans. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006