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March 19, 2008

Tonight: Folkies and rockers can head to Providence

Folkies can head to one Providence spot tonight and rockers can go to another. Those who want to drive farther should head to Boston.

Allysen Callery plays folk at Tazza Caffe and Lounge, 250 Westminster St., Providence. 421-3300, www.tazzacaffe.com. 9 p.m.

The Chumps, Josh Nyberg and Nick Hurley will each play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 9:30 p.m. $4. All ages.

In Boston, the Pogues play rock at the Orpheum Theatre, 1 Hamilton Place. (401) 331-2211, www.ticketmaster.com. 7:30 pm. $41-$61.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment

Pawtucket's new water treatment plant is operational

PAWTUCKET -- Two years after it was scheduled to be finished, the much-delayed new water treatment plant came on line today.

The plant, which is pumping at a rate of 8.5 million gallons a day, went on line around noon, according to Pawtucker Water Supply Board officials. Built by Earth Tech behind the water supply headquarters on Branch Street, it has a maximum daily capacity of 25 million gallons.

James L. DeCelles, the water supply board chief engineer, said the only hitch that occurred was a brief spike in water pressure that dislodged rust from some of the pipes in the water system, causing some customers' water to turn brown. There was a flurry of complaints, he said, but they abated as water supply board officials dealt with the problem.

Allen Champagne, the supply board's source water manager, said the pressure spike happened because the board continued to operate the old plant while bringing the new plant on line. And the pressure valve in the new plant malfunctioned, causing the spike.

The old plant, on Mill Street in Cumberland, is now off line. But it is being kept operational as backup in the event of a problem at the new plant.

The new plant cost more than $40 million and took roughly three years to build. It was supposed to be finished in March 2006 but a series of issues, including shortage of stainless steel and difficulty in scheduling a contractor on a small construction site, delayed completion of the plant until about a month ago.

DeCelles said the new plant, which supplies water to all of Pawtucket and Central Falls and to the Valley Falls section of Cumberland, got final state Department of Health approval yesterday. As a result, the decision was to begin operation today

-- With reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:49 PM | Comment

McWalters: Let me help select Providence school chief

PROVIDENCE -- The state commissioner of education met with Mayor David N. Cicilline today and told him that he wants to play a role in the selection of a new superintendent.

Cicilline contacted Commissioner Peter McWalters after Supt. Donnie Evans announced his resignation on Monday, shortly before the School Board was prepared to vote on whether to renew his contract. Evans promised to remain in Providence until his contract expires on Sept. 19, which should give the city time to hire a new school leader.

“They talked in general terms about the process of recruiting a new superintendent and Peter made it clear that he wants to play a role in the recruiting and hiring process,” said Elliot Krieger, a spokesman for the state Department of Education. “The state has a huge investment in Providence. The selection of a leader is part of RIDE’s engagement.”

Exactly what role McWalters will play in the selection of a new superintendent remains to be seen, Krieger said. The theme of today’s meeting was that the state Department of Education remains committed to working closely with Providence to make sure that there is a smooth transition from one superintendent to another.

“Providence is in its sixth year of intervention and this is the fourth superintendent in a short period of time,” Krieger said. “Both Peter and the mayor are concerned about stability and transition issues. There are many good people in the central office. Peter wants to make sure that they are encouraged to stay.”

-- Journal staff writer Linda Borg

McWalters reassured the mayor that the Providence schools are on the right track, pointing to the recent improvement in elementary and middle school test scores. According to Krieger, the commissioner pledged to work with Providence to help remove some of the barriers that get in the way of student performance.

“There are contract issues that need to be resolved, finance issues, data issues,” Krieger said, adding that McWalters wants to review the results of several studies of the district’s curriculum and the central office.

The state Department of Education has a history of involvement with the city’s schools. Three years ago, McWalters intervened in an effort to turn around Hope High School, breaking the school into three smaller schools. Under his guidance, the school brought in a new leadership team, hired new staff and restored order.

Last January, the state placed the entire district under corrective action and ordered Evans to develop a plan to improve the city’s lowest-performing schools or face possible state intervention. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, a school district is classified as one in need of corrective action when two of the three grade levels (for example, elementary and middle school) have large numbers of under-performing schools.

In response, Evans introduced a new math curriculum for struggling elementary and middle school students, offered additional reading programs, hired 20 reading teachers and conducted a review of the central office, led by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. At the middle schools, Evans also promised to create student advisories and offer teachers common planning time.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:50 PM | Comment

Three teens charged with Molotov cocktail incident

PROVIDENCE -- Three teenage boys were charged today in connection with throwing a Molotov cocktail explosive device on to a Glenham Street synagogue's lawn early this morning, according to the police.

The case is apparently not connected to last weekend's incident involving a Molotov cocktail thrown at the apartment of an Israeli student at 122 Camp St. on the city's East Side.

A 17-year-old and a 15-year-old, both of Providence, and a 17-year-old of Central Falls appeared in Family Court this afternoon in connection with today's incident and are being held at the state Training School until Monday, according to the police.

A Providence police officer on routine patrol on Broad Street saw three males running from Glenham Street and noticed a small fire on the synagogue's lawn. The officer used an extinguisher to put out the fire. The lawn was charred but the building was not damaged, the police said.

The police said they learned through interviews that the teenagers were in South Providence and broke into a house under renovation at 88 Bogman St. The teens spray-painted walls and spread a floor sealer on floors and walls, the police said. A fourth youth stayed outside and was seen by a police officer, who came to investigate. The three boys inside fled out a front window, taking a can of 3M adhesive cleaner, which is flammable liquid, the police said.

The boys found a glass bottle on Glenham Street and filled it with liquid and a liquid-soaked newspaper wick. The police said the boys intended to throw the bottle into a vacant lot across Glenham Street. The wick had been lighted, but the boys saw a police officer and tossed the bottle behind them onto the synagogue lawn.Then they ran.

The police said the boys are each charged with: fifth-degree arson; conspiracy to commit fifth-degree arson; possession or carrying of explosives or noxious substances; breaking and entering without the consent of the owner; and malicious injury to the property of another.

A news release says the investigation of today's incident is being done with support from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco, the U.S. Attorney's office, the state Attorney General's office, and others.

The Camp Street Molotov incident occurred early Saturday morning at the apartment of Joseph Knafo, 25, an Israeli citizen who shared the space with two roommates. The device did not ignite. Knafo was moved to another home after concern emerged that the incident might have been a hate crime. Three Jewish organizations at a public safety headquarters news conference yesterday offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to arrest of those responsible for the Camp Street incident.
-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:17 PM | Comment

Update: Hearing for escaped art dealer is continued

PROVIDENCE -- Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond this afternoon continued a hearing that had been scheduled for a Johnston art dealer who had escaped over the weekend from a federal correctional facility in New Jersey and had surrendered to U.S. Marshals this morning in Providence.

Rocco DeSimone, 55, of 103 Hopkins Ave., surrendered at 9 a.m. – with his lawyer – at the Pastore Building, off Kennedy Plaza, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshal's office. His lawyer, Kevin Bristow, could not appear because of a scheduling conflict.
Substitute counsel represented DeSimone this afternoon. Almond ordered DeSimone held as a flight risk until the removal hearing can be scheduled. The government wants to have DeSimone moved to federal custody in New Jersey, where he is charged with escape.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey has charged DeSimone with escape, according to the U.S. Marshal's office. The maximum penalty for escape is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Officials believe DeSimone fled the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, N.J., Saturday. The institution has a prison camp housing minimum-security male offenders.

DeSimone, a high-powered art dealer from Johnston, was sentenced in 2005 to serve 27 months in federal prison for tax fraud in connection with the sale of a Claude Monet painting.

“He didn’t just escape from Attica,” U.S. Marshal C.J. Wyant said yesterday. “It’s federal camp. I always equate it to a college dorm. He basically walked out.”

DeSimone escaped just two days after FBI agents searched his home as part of an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering, federal authorities said. The agents seized numerous items, including a $180,000 Ford GT sports car, Japanese swords and artifacts, Wyant said.

Authorities suspect DeSimone’s wife, Gail DeSimone, picked him up in a rental car after flying from Rhode Island to Philadelphia on Saturday, Wyant said. Authorities suspect that she drove him to Putnam, Conn., and that someone else later drove him to Warwick, Wyant said.

Gail DeSimone surrendered to federal agents on Monday after a complaint was issued charging her with harboring an escaped prisoner.

The maximum for harboring an escapee is three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In August 2005, Rocco DeSimone 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 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. Federal authorities estimate that he was to be released in about nine months.

During a five-day trial in March 2005, the government presented evidence that in 1999, DeSimone had brokered the sale of three paintings for $8.3 million: Canal at Zaandam, by Claude Monet, for $4.65 million; Les Mouettes, by Henri Matisse, for $650,000; and Jeune Fille Blonde, by Pierre Auguste Renoir, for $3 million.

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.

-- With Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:55 PM | Comment

50 protesters mark the start of sixth year in Iraq

PROVIDENCE -- A group of 50 protesters marked the start of the sixth year of the War on Iraq today with a march through the rainy streets of downtown Providence that ended with a rally on the State House lawn.

The anti-war activists snaked past the Westminster Street headquarters of Textron Inc., the weapons manufacturer, and continued past two military recruiting offices on Weybosset Street.

"The cost of just one day of the occupation of Iraq is obscene by any measure," said Martha Yager, director of the American Friends Services Committee. "When we consider that basic human needs are going unmet right here at home, we should all be saying, 'No more!' to five years of war and occupation."

The protesters gathered at Burnside Park, across the street from Kennedy Plaza and U.S. District Court. They wore rain gear and carried posters urging the public to end the bloodshed. Several of the participants played marching band instruments such as trombones, trumpets and tubas.

A half-dozen uniformed Providence police officers kept an eye on the peaceful gathering.
Yager distributed colorful posters called "Dreams and Nighmares," of Iraqis that the protesters carried on the march. The photographs depict joyous Iraqis and others who have suffered from living in a war-torn country.

Most Americans know that 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, but, she said, the public does not realize that a million Iraqis have perished. "We also need to worry about our brothers and sisters in Iraq," she said.

Paul Hubbard, of the Rhode Island Mobilization Committee to End the War and Occupation, said he just returned from Washington, D.C., where 300 Iraqi veterans came out in force against the war.

"We’re here not only to make a moral statement," he said. "We don’t want the war to continue for one more day."

Among the other groups who participated in or supported the protest were Rhode Island Community Coalition for Peace; Workers International League; Rhode Island Unitarian-Universalists for Social Justice; Providence Branch of the International Socialist Organization; MoveOn; Operation Iraqi Freedom; Green Party of Rhode Island; Providence Students for a Democratic Society; South Kingstown Justice and Peace Advocacy; and East Bay Citizens for Peace.

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:49 PM | Comment

Mass. bill would ban sex offenders from voting near kids

BOSTON. -- A House member from Cape Cod urged his Beacon Hill colleagues today to support a bill banning the worst sex offenders from voting in schools or libraries, places where they could easily encounter children.

Rep. Demetrius Atsalis, D-Barnstable, said Level 3 sex offenders -- those considered at high risk of offending again -- should instead vote by absentee ballot to prevent a security lapse giving them unfettered access to boys and girls.

"If someone has to use a bathroom, there's an excuse to go down the hallway, and potentially, something can happen," Atsalis told his fellow members of the Joint Committee on Election Laws.

He added: "This is a bill where the Legislature is doing what doesn't happen too often: It's being proactive instead of reactive. We shouldn't wait until something happens. We should do this today so something never happens."

In late January, a Level 3 sex offender was charged with raping a 6-year-old boy in the New Bedford Public Library. Corey Saunders, 26, allegedly lured the boy into the magazine stacks as his mother worked on a computer just feet away.

A representative of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts said the voting measure is unconstitutional and impractical.

Gavi Wolfe, an ACLU legislative specialist, told the committee the constitution allows for absentee ballots only in cases of sickness or out-of-town travel. "This proposal does not fit within that framework," Wolfe said.

In addition, defining how people can vote threatens a fundamental right in a democracy, he said.

"We should not be in the business of carving that right, slicing and dicing it so some people can do it one way and other people do it another way," Wolfe said.

Wolfe also questioned how election officials would enforce such a law, since in most cases, would-be voters are already in their polling place when they check-in and receive a ballot.

-- The Associated Press

While most voting occurs in schools, some also takes place in other public buildings such as town halls, libraries and community centers.

Under existing law, police chiefs in all 351 cities and towns must "detail a sufficient number of police officers or constables for each polling place at every election therein to preserve order and to protect the election officers and supervisors from any interference with their duties."

Nonetheless, Atsalis said there's often "chaos" in polling places, which could create opportunity for a sex offender.

Convicted felons are not allowed to vote while they are in prison, but they regain that right after they are released.

Massachusetts elections are overseen by Secretary of State William F. Galvin and conducted primarily by city and town clerks.

A Galvin spokesman, Brian McNiff, had no comment on the proposal other than to say, "That's a matter for the Legislature."

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:45 PM | Comment

E. Providence police search for man who exposed himself

EAST PROVIDENCE -- The police are searching for a man they said exposed his genitals to middle school students yesterday and who was reported to have followed three middle school students to a home.

The man was not on the campus when the incidents allegedly happened, but was nearby in the Brown Street area neighborhood, according to a police news release today.

Officers "saturated the area" after receiving the report at about 2:15 p.m. yesterday but did not find the suspect, who they said was chased away by a student's adult relative before the police were notified.

There was no physical contact between the man and the students, the police said.

The police described the suspect as a white male of Hispanic descent with short dark hair and dark eyes. He is 5-foot-8 to 6-feet tall and of medium build. He was said to be in his 30s and wearing dark pants with a navy-blue zipper-type windbreaker. The windbreaker was described as gray on the inside.

The East Providence School Department has started notifying students' parents, and the police are working with other agencies to try to identify a suspect. The police said they assigned more officers to the schools' area.

The police recommended that children use a buddy system and not walk to and from school by themselves. Parents are advised to talk about safety steps with children.

The department asks people to call 911 if any suspicious person or people, incident or conditions are seen.

People with information should call the police department at (401) 435-7600.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:42 PM | Comment

House panel to hear historic-buildings credit changes

PROVIDENCE -- The House Finance Committee this afternoon is scheduled to hear a bill that would place restrictions on the kinds of buildings that qualify for Rhode Island's historic structures tax credit.

The bill, whose prime sponsor is House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, D-Providence, would in part restrict the credit to buildings with 10 or more units.

The bill would apply only to projects that have not started "substantial" construction. In other words, the changes would not be applied retroactively.

Critics have asserted that wealthy organizations, such as some country clubs, have used a measure that was meant to help renovate such things as old mills -- some of which are converted into housing -- and other properties.

Social clubs, as well, would not qualify for the credit.

The legislation also would reduce, from 30 percent to 22 percent, the reimbursement on the "qualified rehabilitation expenditure" on a property. There are exceptions that would increase the percentage from that proposed limit.

Check out the committee's full agenda.
-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:05 PM | Comment

Defense takes stage in smoke-shop trial

A Superior Court judge has upheld all except one of the charges against seven Narragansett Indians accused of fighting with the police.

After the prosecution rested its case, Judge Susan McGuirl dismissed an assault charge against Thawn Harris, a tribal conservation officer who was accused in connection with a scuffle that took place in 2003 when the state police raided a tribal smoke shop.

For its first witness, the defense plans to call state trooper Kenneth Jones. A jury hearing a civil suit in March 2005 concluded that Jones had used excessive force in arresting tribe member Adam Jennings during the raid. But five months later, a judge overturned the sentence, saying Jones had been justified in the amount of force used to subdue Jennings, whose ankle was broken during the raid.

Extra: See photos, video, and primary source documents from 2003 raid on projo.com

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:50 PM | Comment

Mass. lawmakers delay key vote on 3-casino proposal

BOSTON -- Lawmakers delayed a key committee vote today on Gov. Deval Patrick's three-casino proposal, the latest twist in the contentious debate over whether to expand gambling in Massachusetts.

The results of the vote by the 19-member Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies was scheduled to be released at noon today, one day after a marathon public hearing that stretched late into Tuesday night. The committee is trying to decide whether to recommend that lawmakers approve or reject Patrick's plan to build three resort-style casinos in Massachusetts.

Instead, committee co-chairman Rep. Daniel Bosley announced that the poll of committee members had to be done over because it combined Patrick's casino bill with other related gambling bills. Bosley said he was unaware that under joint committee rules, a bill from the governor has to be taken up separately.

"Basically I screwed up," Bosley said. "We have to call members back and let them know that all of the other bills we attached yesterday are going into a study."

Bosley wouldn't give the results of the initial poll. The second poll, which will focus solely on Patrick's bill, was expected by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

If the committee recommends the bill "ought not pass," it would make it much more difficult for House members to add amendments when they debate it, possibly beginning Thursday. Patrick has said he was open to amendments that might help the bill pass.

Advocates and critics of Patrick's plan were anxiously awaiting the results of the committee poll - hoping for an indication that the bill, which Patrick had all but conceded was heading for defeat in the House, may still have a chance.

House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, the chief critic of the casino bill, had been scheduled to attend an unrelated event this morning in the Statehouse, but canceled before Bosley delayed the vote. He also made an unannounced visit to the hearing last night.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:11 PM | Comment

Photo: Young Sage sings at St. Joseph's celebration

The Providence Journal/Kathy Borchers
Julian Sage, 12, sings during this afternoon's celebration of St. Joseph's Day in Providence City Hall. Sage has been offered the role of the young Mario Lanza in a Broadway show based on the life of the tenor and movie star.

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:41 PM | Comment

Contractors trying to collect from Twin River's owner

Subcontractors helping renovate the Twin River slot parlor in Lincoln have moved in the last week to collect about $1 million in unpaid bills from the facility's owner as that company reworks its finances.

UTGR Inc., the company that owns Twin River, missed a loan payment to its lenders earlier this month, sparking collection efforts by contractors that worked on the building's reconstruction.

Arden Engineering, of Pawtucket, seeks $635,000 from UTGR and Legere Group, of Avon, Conn., seeks about $195,000 from Twin River's owner, according to municipal filings made in the last week. Lead contractor Dimeo Construction Co. now seeks nearly $6 million from UTGR, having added liens totalling more than $285,000 to the $5.7 million it first sought.

Dimeo managed the $225-million reconstruction of the Lincoln slot parlor, overseeing its tranformation into Twin River. Overall revenue at Twin River is up sharply, but S&P is concerned about UTGR's ability to cover its loans. The new filings will do nothing to alter that opinion, according to an S&P spokesman.

"Obviously, it's a negative," said Ed Sweeney, the S&P spokesman. "We're continuing to monitor the situation."

-- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:38 PM | Comment

Red Sox will go to Japan

Journal Photo/Bob Breidenbach

Red Sox 3rd baseman Mike Lowell (right) talks with manager Terry Francona (left) before the game this afternoon. The players and coaches were concerned about the Red Sox coaches not being compensated for their trip to Japan.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A resolution has been reached between the Red Sox players, Major League Baseball and MLBPA in regards to the compensation for the coaching staff. As a result the team will travel to Japan. Red Sox player rep Kevin Youkilis will address the situation later this afternoon and we'll have more as it becomes available.

-- JOE McDONALD

Posted by Art Martone at 1:30 PM | Comment

Red Sox will play today, after all

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- An agreement has apparently been reached between the Red Sox and Major League Baseball; today's spring training game against the Blue Jays will be played about an hour late at 1:10 p.m..

-- JOE McDONALD and SEAN McADAM

Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:54 PM | Comment

Daniel Biechele walks out of prison

Journal Photo/Bill Murphy

Daniel Biechele, former tour manager for Great White, walked out of the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston today at noon.

CRANSTON -- The man who lit the pyrotechnic display that sparked the 2003 Station nightclub fire has been released from prison.

Daniel Biechele walked out of the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston today at noon, and headed directly to the car of his lawyer, Thomas Briody.

Biechele did not reply to a group of television, newspaper and radio reporters from around New England who asked how he was doing and where he was going.

Briody later released this statement:

"Today marks the completion of one part of Mr. Biechele’s sentence. Out of respect for the victims of the fire he does not wish to make any comment. He was a private citizen before this tragedy and he wishes to remain so. There will be no further comment."

Biechele was sentenced in 2006 to 4 years after being convicted of 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. He will serve the rest of his sentence on parole.

Extra: See videos and photos and hear from victims and their families on projo.com

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:17 PM | Comment

Johnston escapee turns himself in

A Johnston man who had escaped over the weekend from a federal correctional facility in New Jersey surrendered to U.S. Marshals today in Providence.

Rocco DeSimone surrendered at 9 a.m. – with his lawyer – at the Pastore Building, off Kennedy Plaza, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals office.

DeSimone was sentenced in 2005 to serve 27 months in federal prison for tax fraud in connection with the sale of a Claude Monet painting. He was being held in the Fairton Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:59 AM | Comment

Rescued seal to be released just in time for spring

Mystic Aquarium/Photo

A Harp seal with icy whiskers gets in shape for its release into the wild tomorrow.

Summer, fall, winter, or the first day of spring – Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown is always a good place for a swim if you’re a seal.

That’s because for a seal, a trip to Blue Shutters means things are looking up. It’s the beach where Mystic Aquarium’s Institute for Exploration releases rehabilitated animals.

One such lucky animal will be released tomorrow; a harp seal that had beached itself at Briggs Beach in Little Compton last month.

The animal was thin, dehydrated, and had an elevated white blood cell count. It had been in the same spot for more than 36 hours. After being cared for at the Aquarium’s Connecticut facility, the seal is ready to return to its natural habitat.

The release is set for tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Blue Shutters Beach on East Beach Road in Charlestown.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:50 AM | Comment

Japan trip: Red Sox vote to boycott today's game

By JOE McDONALD
and SEAN McADAM

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox players today voted unanimously in a closed-door meeting that they will not take the field today against the Toronto Blue Jays unless major league baseball agrees to compensate coaches for the coming trip to Japan. The game, the last before the team leaves on its season-opening trip to the Far East, is scheduled to be televised at noon on ESPN.

The controversy arose Tuesday morning when manager Terry Francona found out that the coaching staffs from both Boston and Oakland would not be paid the extra $40,000 that the players and managers will get for traveling to Japan.

There has been a lot of confusion between Major League Baseball and MLBPA in the last 24 hours, and Francona is still waiting for answers.

“I was promised some answers yesterday and I didn’t receive them,” said the manager. “We’re trying to get ready to play a game and I spent the morning apologizing to the coaches and being humiliated. The players are pretty adamant that something be done.

“This is a touchy situation for me,” added Francona. “It’s a big deal. I don’t appreciate that coaches are [viewed as] second-class citizens. That has never sat well with me. We’re over there representing Major League Baseball, and we’ve talked about doing it with class, but this is disheartening. This is hard to understand. We were told [they would be paid] and the players believed it too. I double-checked on this this winter. This isn’t something I take for granted.”

Francona said he is embarrassed by the entire situation.

The Red Sox players are, too.

“I’ve seen a lot of stuff in this game, but this is unbelievable,” said Red Sox player rep Kevin Youkilis prior to the team meeting this morning. “It was brought to my attention (Tuesday) and it was something I thought would never even be a problem. To have this as a problem is embarrassing. For what these coaches do for baseball, I mean, the players play but in order to have order and run these teams, they put all the hardest work in. They deserve as much as much as the players. . . For them not to be getting paid for this trip is a disgrace. It’s a disgrace to the game.”

No matter if the issue is resolved before the team leaves this afternoon, Youkilis said the coaches will be taken care of internally by the players.

“But for Major League Baseball not to step up . . . this is unbelievable,” added Youkilis. “It’s wrong. We all get a per diem and all that, but I thought we were all under the same thing.”

Youkilis is also under the impression that when the Yankees and Rays made a similar trip to Japan to start the 2004 season, players voted on who would be compensated and he believes everyone was, including the coaching staffs.

Joe McDonald, Journal Sports Writer

“This time around it’s not like that,” he said. “We didn’t know that, so for us it’s very tough. We had meetings about going over there, and obviously [MLB] is not living up to their word. I don’t know who exactly is not living up to their words, but the players’ association can’t intervene in matters like this.”

The MLBPA does not represent coaches other than pensions and postseason compensation.

“This is a time where we wish we could help,” said Youkilis. “Tito is going to fight and battle and that’s his personality. And, he’s doing the right thing by fighting for his coaches. It’s ridiculous because these guys are the ones who make it happen and they need to reap the benefits. There is a lot of money to be made on this trip, in a lot of different aspects, so everyone who is involved should be handled in the proper way. Hopefully we can get this resolved.”

Youkilis talked to the players this morning. If MLB doesn’t settle the situation, then the players would take care of it in house.

“This isn’t a good thing,” he said. “We’re going to Japan and we don’t want to deal with all of this. We’ll make it work because we have great players.”

Posted by Peter Phipps at 9:34 AM | Comment

Sen. Whitehouse criticizes Bush on war's anniversary

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is marking the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq by criticizing President Bush and calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

And some Rhode Islanders plan to march today to the State House and in Pawtucket to protest the war.

“Our troops have served this nation with courage and honor, and now, it’s time to start bringing them home," Whitehouse said in a statement. "President Bush took our country to war on false pretenses, without a plan to win the peace. His administration’s misjudgments and poor decisions have cost our nation trillions of dollars, sapped the strength of our armed forces, hurt our standing in the international community, and distracted us from the urgent tasks of dismantling al Qaeda and dealing with a resurgent Taliban. Meanwhile, they have done little to alleviate the human suffering of the Iraqi people.

“It’s clear this President will do nothing to end this endless war. I will continue to push, as Rhode Islanders have urged me to do, for a redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq, and I join millions of Americans working to see that our next President will seek a new direction.”

At 4 p.m. today, people will gather in Burnside Park across from the Providence Biltmore in downtown, then march to the State House for a rally to mark the beginning of the sixth year of the war in Iraq.

The event is sponsored by the Rhode Island Spring Mobilization Committee.

And in Pawtucket, two candlelight processions will mark the anniversary. One group will start at the Machines with Magnets art gallery, another from Tolman High School. Both groups will meet at the Visitor’s Center.

An art exhibit, “Experiencing the War in Iraq,” is on display at the Center’s gallery featuring 70 pieces of artwork.

Then participants will hear a Iraq veteran Scott Ewing speak, followed by a spoken-word performance by the Brown University group WORD! and a solo performance by veteran, artist, storyteller and poet Kenny Carnes.

Your turn: What have we accomplished in Iraq?

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:23 AM | Comment

Two taken to hospital after collision in Burrillville

Two people were taken to the hospital yesterday after an evening accident on Route 102 in Burrillville.

At about 8:40 last night, 56-year-old Daniel Stack, of Uxbridge, Mass., was driving north on Route 102, north of Bronoco’s Crossing, when his 2006 Ford Taurus crossed into the southbound lanes, according to Police Lt. Kevin S. SanAntonio.

Stack’s car – which is registered to the Disabled Veterans of Massachusetts -- drove head-on into a 1997 Honda Civic, driven by 18-year-old Kristopher Plante, of Pascoag.

Plante was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he is still in the trauma unit of intensive care. Stack was taken to Landmark Medical Center. His condition is unknown this morning.

The accident is still under investigation.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:56 AM | Comment

St. Joseph's event at City Hall

The Consul General of Italy to New England will join a 12-year-old opera singer at Providence City Hall today.

At noon today the city will celebrate St. Joseph’s Day in the City Council Chambers.

Consul General Liborio Stellino will be the guest speaker while 12-year-old opera signer Julian Sage will give a performance. The event is free and open to the public.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:30 AM | Comment

Defense to argue Narragansetts should be acquitted

Defense lawyers are expected to take the floor today in the state's trial against seven Narragansett Indians charged with misdemeanors after a scuffle at a 2003 raid of a tribal smoke shop.

The state rested its case yesterday after testimony from a detective who handcuffed one of the defendants.

Lawyers for the defendants are expected to argue in front of Judge Susan E. McGuirl in Superior Court, Providence, that the state did not prove its case and that tribal members should be acquitted.

More than four years after the raid, and two missed trial days due to juror illness, McGuirl has set April 4 as the last day of trial, vowing to begin early and stay late if necessary.

Extra: See photos and video of th 2003 raid on projo.com.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:46 AM | Comment

Rain, frozen rain and snow today

One word: nasty.

It's the day before spring's official start, but you can't tell by stepping outside. There's regular rain, frozen rain, and snow across the state. All precipitation should turn to rain later this morning and the National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 49 degrees with southeast winds up to 17 mph.

More rain and possibly thunderstorms late tonight with some fog thrown in for good measure. The temperature should drop a bit to 40 degrees with a south wind between 15 and 20 degrees.

The rain should continue into tomorrow morning, but skies will clear and the temperature is set to hit 50 degrees with west winds up to 24 mph.

Keep an eye on the weather at projo.com's weather page as we move into spring.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a story about Providence Superintendent Donnie Evans' resignation and explores whether anyone can manage the Providence schools.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment