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March 21, 2008

Tomorrow: Egg hunts, rabbit rescues, Globetrotters

Anywhere you hop, it seems, there's an Easter event tomorrow.

The nonprofit rabbit rescue group Sweet Binks will host a free education seminar tomorrow for those who are thinking about adopting a rabbit. The event is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Rhode Island SPCA, 186 Amaral St., East Providence. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Organizers ask that no children younger than 10 attend. For information, call (401) 623-1340 or go to www.sweetbinks.org.

There are Easter egg hunts slated around the state as well:

* A Children’s Egg Hunt is at the Pardon Gray Reserve on Main Road, Tiverton, at 10 a.m. Call 401-625-1300 or go to www.tivertonlandtrust.org for information.

* An Easter Egg Hunt is at the American Legion Post, 2 Legion Way, West Warwick, from 1 to 4 p.m. for children up to age 10. For information, call (401) 821-9855.

* There will will be Easter Egg Hunts for children of different ages at Johnston Memorial Park on Hartford Avenue in Johnston. Ages 3 and younger at 9:30 a.m.; 4 and 5, 11 a.m.; 6 and 7, 12:30 p.m.; 8 and 9, 2 p.m. For information, visit www.johnstonrec.com or call (401) 272-3460.

* An Easter Egg Hunt will take place at the Courthouse Center for the Arts, 3841 Kingstown Rd., West Kingston. Children and pets can get photos taken with the Easter Bunny. The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. For information, call (401) 782-1018 or visit www.courthousearts.org.

* An East Egg Hunt will be at the Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $5 per family. Call (401) 294-4109.

Meanwhile, tomorrow the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team plays two exhibition games in Rhode Island. One will be at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Sabin Street in Providence at 1 p.m. and at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island, Route 138 in Kingston at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Providence game are $18 to $113. For the Kingston game, they are $17 to $94. Call (401) 331-2211 or visit www.ticketmaster.com for both.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment

Federal grand jury probes DOT's materials section

PROVIDENCE — A federal grand jury is looking into the part of the state Department of Transportation that is responsible for constructions materials, including testing concrete, a lawyer confirmed yesterday.

The DOT is already the subject of a federal administrative investigation that will cost the state more than $3.1 million in penalties.

Frederic A. Marzilli, a lawyer for the union representing employees in the DOT’s materials section, said that he and union officials know of one subpoena, issued to an engineer in that section. Marzilli said the investigation apparently concerns concrete.

The DOT’s practices for assuring the quality of the concrete used in state highway and bridge projects was investigated by the Federal Highway Administration. That agency concluded that the DOT did an inadequate job of testing — or failed to test at all — numerous batches of concrete that went into 74 structural elements of the state’s $610-million Route 195 relocation project.

Marzilli, who represents Local 400 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, said the union leaders were trying yesterday to understand the scope and direction of the grand jury investigation and were seeking meetings with top DOT officials and officials at the highway administration to learn how it affects the union’s members.


-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Governor Carcieri’s press secretary, Jeff Neal, said yesterday that “We are aware of the investigation. Unfortunately, we cannot comment further at this time.”

Carcieri had said last week that there has been no indication of wrongdoing associated with the testing failures, and that “People just weren’t doing their jobs.” If that’s the case, Marzilli said, it should be handled as a civil case, not a criminal one.

The materials section, part of the DOT’s construction management apparatus, is responsible for the sampling, testing and acceptance of the numerous materials used in the DOT’s construction projects, from concrete to steel reinforcing to gravel and dirt for fill. The highway administration investigation focused on strength testing of concrete, where test cylinders are crushed to see whether they meet contract specifications. But it also found fault with other aspects of the DOT’s testing and quality control.

Marzilli said that Haytham F. Awad, a principal civil engineer in the materials section, is the DOT worker who was subpoenaed. DOT spokeswoman Heidi Cote said that the agency knows of no other subpoenas.

Awad and his lawyer, Thomas B. Briody, declined to comment. However, being called to testify before a grand jury does not imply wrongdoing. In fact, the federal courts’ suggested instructions to members of a grand jury state that the person being investigated ordinarily does not appear before the grand jury.

Awad’s signature and initials appeared regularly in concrete test reports The Journal reviewed last year from the DOT’s $130-million Route 403 bridge and highway project at Quonset Point in North Kingstown. The newspaper reported in October that the DOT had for four decades been building projects — including the Route 195 project — while ignoring its own rules for ensuring high-quality concrete.

When it penalized the state $3.1 million last month, the highway administration said it had found numerous problems, including some similar to what The Journal reported in October, in the Route 195 project records. A major highway administration finding, however, was that the DOT failed to test numerous batches of concrete for the Route 195 project.

Although Awad was involved in concrete testing, having signed numerous test reports on the Route 403 project, those reports and related documents also show that a number of other DOT officials were kept informed about the testing process. Officials well above Awad in the DOT hierarchy received copies of testing reports. They include Mark Felag, the engineer in charge of the materials section, and, one level above him, Frank Corrao III, deputy chief engineer and head of the DOT’s construction management section.

As the federal highway investigation came to light last week, the DOT said that Felag had been transferred from the materials section to the DOT’s research section. Felag and Corrao could not be reached yesterday.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:06 PM | Comment

Court papers spell out tentative Station fire payments

PROVIDENCE -- Lawyers representing victims of The Station nightclub fire and some of the parties they have sued have filed court papers giving more details of some of the proposed settlements being offered in the civil cases now pending in U.S. District Court.

So far, there is a pool of settlement money totaling $71.5 million being offered to those who lost loved ones in the fire and others who were injured.

Last September, lawyers for the victims said that several parties had together agreed to pay $13.5 million of that total. Now, in newly filed court papers, the amounts each of those parties has tentatively agreed to pay is being disclosed.

Celotex Corp., which manufactured the SoundStop board that the owners of The Station -- Michael and Jeffrey Derderian -- installed in the ceiling of the drummer’s alcove and elsewhere in the nightclub, is offering $1.5 million to the victims.

Luna Tech Inc., of Alabama -- and two of its European subsidiaries -- which according to the lawsuits, manufactured the fireworks used by the band Great White the night of the fire, and High Tech Special Effects Inc., a Tennessee company that allegedly sold the fireworks to Great White, have together offered $6 million.

Sparks from the fireworks that were set off by Great White’s manager, Daniel Biechele, ignited highly flammable polyurethane foam that the Derderians installed as soundproofing in the West Warwick club the night of Feb. 20, 2003. One hundred people died as a result of the fire; more than 200 others were injured.

The newly filed court papers also show that Joseph LaFontaine, of Warwick, owner of New England Custom Alarm, the company that installed the fire-alarm system at the club before the Derderians purchased it, has offered $1 million.

Also, Triton Realty and Raymond Villanova, owners of building where The Station was located, together with several related entities have offered $5 million.

These settlement agreements are tentative at this point and no money will be distributed to the victims anytime soon. They are contingent upon the plaintiffs and Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux agreeing to them. The judge must make a determination that each settlement offered is being made in good faith before disbursement of any funds.

-- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton

Each settlement offer is also subject to Lagueux’s approval of an allocation plan currently being devised by a court-appointed special master, Duke University law Prof. Francis E. McGovern. McGovern has been authorized to come up with a formula for disbursement of settlement proceeds. Not every plaintiff will share equally in whatever proceeds are given out. The matrix being devised by McGovern takes into account such things as severity of injury and number of dependent survivors.

There’s also another condition: Before any money is put into the pot, the lawyers representing those who want to settle want some assurance that if they pay up now, they won’t be on the hook for more money later if the case goes to trial and other defendants who don’t settle are found liable and then try to come after them for part of the verdict.

In 2006, the General Assembly enacted a law aimed at facilitating out-of-court settlements in mass tort cases. Legal experts have predicted that the legislation could result in monetary settlements with some of the seemingly most culpable defendants who have little insurance and few assets to reach settlements with The Station fire victims. The law was modeled after one that was enacted to pay back credit-union depositors during the state’s banking crisis in 1991.

Those parties that have offered tentative settlement agreements want to make sure that they will not be forced to honor them if any of the non-settling defendants seeks to challenge this newly-enacted Rhode Island law and an appellate court rules the new law unconstitutional.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:05 PM | Comment

Update: Disk with some state personnel info missing

A computer disk with the Social Security numbers of about 1,250 state workers and another 150 state job applicants is missing from the state Department of Administration.

Administration officials believe the disk disappeared on March 13 while department workers were transferring information files from a computer in Providence to one in an office in Cranston, said Melanie Marcaccio, deputy personal administrator in the Department of Administration.

The state police have been helping search for the disk since it went lost but there is "absolutely no evidence that the disk has been acquired by an unauthorized part or that the information has been misused,’’ the department said in a statement today.

On Thursday, administration officials sent precautionary letters to the 1,393 people whose Social Security numbers were on the disk. The department recommended they all place a fraud alert on their credit files and obtain copies of their credit report.

The 1,250 or so state workers were all employed by the Department of Children, Youth and Families and were on this particular list of employees because they were receiving some kind of payroll adjustment, such as overtime, said Marcaccio. The other 150 people were DCYF job applicants.

"We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern that this incident has caused affected individuals, the administration department said in its statement. "Once we decided it was unlikely we would be able to locate the missing computer disk, we wanted to inform the individuals directly by mail and also through the media so they could take the proper precautions.’’

-- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:34 PM | Comment

RISD's outgoing Mandle to move on to Qatar

His days in Providence may be numbered, but don’t look for Rhode Island School of Design President Roger Mandle in the unemployment line just yet.

According to an item in today’s New York Times, Mandle has been hired as executive director of the Qatar Museums Authority, a newly created administrative body charged with overseeing museums in the oil-rich Persian Gulf nation of Qatar.

Among the authority’s current projects: A new Museum of Islamic Art designed by famed Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei.

Last fall, Mandle stunned the Rhode Island arts community by announcing that he would end his 15-year tenure as RISD president after the school’s graduation ceremonies on May 31. His replacement, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and digital arts pioneer John Maeda, is due to take over as president on June 2.

Mandle was traveling today and could not be reached for comment.

-- Journal staff

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:12 PM | Comment

Twin River debt rating drops again

The company that owns the Twin River gambling facility in Lincoln got another week from its lenders to work out its financial problems, but that wasn't enough to prevent its credit rating from being downgraded for the second time this month.

UTGR Inc., which owns Twin River, missed a loan payment earlier this month, prompting negotiations with its lenders and collection efforts by contractors that worked on the building’s $225-million reconstruction.

UTGR and its lenders entered into a pact, known as a forbearance agreement, which allows the company to work out payment plans with its lenders and creditors. That agreement was set to expire today. The two sides agreed to extend the pact for a week, according to Twin River spokeswoman Patty Doyle.

"Credit ratings by their very nature are very conservative," Doyle said. "We've made tremendous progress with our lenders this week. We're quite hopeful we will reach a long-term agreement with [them]."

The missed payment had already triggered one ratings downgrade on UTGR Inc. by the Standard & Poor’s Corp. ratings unit, The Providence Journal reported. On March 4, S&P lowered UTGR's rating to B- from B+, and placed the ratings on its "CreditWatch" list with negative implications.

S&P went further today, lowering UTGR's rating to CCC-, or "junk" status.

"The downgrade reflects our ongoing concerns about a potential bankruptcy filing as the company reportedly continues to negotiate a forbearance agreement with its lenders. While we believe that incentives exist for the company and its lenders to reach an extended agreement, the new ratings better reflect the near-term risk factors for a potential bankruptcy filing if the parties are not able to come to an agreement."

The facility, which includes video slots, a dog-racing track and restaurant and entertainment offerings, is operating normally at this point.

Beyond serving its customers, Twin Rivers contributes to gambling revenues in the state's budget, and revenues have been up this year.

Altogether, the state expects to take in about $243 million from Twin River’s video slot machines for the year that will end June 30, and about $256 million for the year that will start July 1.


-- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi


Posted by Paul Grimaldi at 3:41 PM | Comment

R.I. fishing season opens in three weeks

Fishing season in Rhode Island opens Saturday, April 12.

The 2008 trout and general freshwater fishing season will begin at 6 a.m. More than 20,000 fishermen are expected to turn out, the Department of Environmental Management's fish and wildlife division announced today.
About 70,000 trout -- brook, brown and rainbow -- are being stocked in more than 100 ponds and streams for the opening day. The trout have individual weight of one and a half pounds.

Along with six regular ponds that are restricted to people age 14 and younger, Cass Pond in Woonsocket and Slater Park Pond in Pawtucket will be open only to children for the season's first two days.

A fishing derby for children in Woonsocket will be held at Cass Pond on April 12.

Anglers who are age 15 or older are required to have a 2008 fishing license. A Trout Conservation Stamp is required for anyone who wants to keep trout or fish in a catch-and-release or "fly-fishing only" area. A person can get licenses and the $5.50 Trout Conservation Stamp at city or town clerk's offices or from an authorized agent including most bait and tackle shops, Wal-Mart, and Benny's.

Licenses can also be obtained at the Department of Environmental Management's Boat Registration and Licensing Office at 235 Promenade St., Providence.

Anglers may also buy fishing licenses online at www.ri.gov.

License fees remain at $18 for Rhode Island residents and current members of the Armed Forces, $33 for a combination hunting and fishing license, $35 for non-residents, and $16 for a non-resident tourist three-consecutive-day license.

Anglers over 65 must have a license, which for them is free, but they do not need a trout stamp. The license is also free for anyone with a 100 percent disability.

A list of stocked ponds and other information of interest to anglers is at www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "fish and wildlife" under "offices and divisions," then choosing "freshwater fisheries," then "trout stocked waters."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:35 PM | Comment

Doctor has TB; state says doctor is not highly contagious

A Rhode Island doctor with a private practice and privileges in local hospitals has been diagnosed with tuberculosis.

The state Department of Health in a statement today says the doctor has been sick for about six weeks, and does not appear to be highly contagious.

The Health Department did not identify the doctor or where he or she practiced because of medical privacy laws.

"The director of health can legally release information if there is a direct public health threat," said department spokeswoman Andrea Bagnall Degos. But since the department is able to contact the patients personally, the doctor's name will not be released.

“This case, like the recent case of TB in Central Falls, shows us that TB is an ongoing illness in our state," Gifford said in the statement.

As we did in Central Falls, we are conducting an extensive investigation, that typically takes two to three months, to make sure no one was infected.”

The Health Department is working with the doctor’s family and co-workers, the hospitals that the doctor works with, and the RISE TB Clinic to determine whether further testing is necessary.

If the department determines that any of the doctor’s patients need to be tested, the department will mail and call in notifications.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that spreads through the air, causing disease in the lungs and other parts of the body.

Some symptoms include weight loss, night sweats, weakness or fatigue, loss of appetite, and more than three weeks of coughing.

There are about 50 cases a year in Rhode Island, which are investigated by the Department of Health.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:41 PM | Comment

Photo: This duo bundles up for Good Friday walk

walkers.jpg
Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
Abigail Caraballo, 10, of Providence, and Lilly -- both dressed to cope with a chilly west wind -- stand outside the State House today after the annual Good Friday Walk for Hunger through Providence concluded. Good Friday marks the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus Christ, observed by Protestants and Catholics. A somber day on the Christian calendar, it precedes Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection of Christ.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:31 PM | Comment

Teenage woman charged with killing another teen

WEST WARWICK -- An 18-year-old West Warwick woman pulled a knife from her waistband and stabbed to death another 18-year-old woman during a confrontation last night, the West Warwick police say.

The stabbing may be linked to an ongoing argument over a man, police said, although not a man that the victim was involved with.

In a statement released by the West Warwick Police Department, detectives say the victim, who has been identified in court records as Natasha Gonsalves, was with two friends yesterday evening who followed Abimbola O. Johnson home from work.

According to Det. Mark Bennett, Gonsalves, a friend of the girl who had been involved in the ongoing dispute with Johnson, got out of a car and began arguing with Johnson.

Johnson went into her house, at 114 Pepin St., according to the police, and came back outside with a kitchen knife in her waistband.

After she returned, according to police, the two women argued, and Gonsalves charged Johnson. Johnson allegedly pulled the knife from the back of her waistband, stabbing Gonsalves.

Officers received two calls in connection with the incident – one reporting a disturbance and another reporting a stabbing. The police arrived to find neighbors tending to Gonsalves, who was on the ground in front of Johnson's house.

Rescue crews brought her to Kent County Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Johnson was ordered held without bail following arraignment this morning in Kent County District Court. The case was referred to a grand jury, and a bail hearing was scheduled for April 7, according to court records.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford and projo.com staff writer Mike McKinney

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:09 PM | Comment

State: Disc with Social Security numbers is missing

The state Department of Administration has lost a computer disc containing the Social Security numbers of 1393 people.

The department says there is no evidence that the disk has been acquired by an unauthorized party or that the information has been misused, but it has sent letters to all 1393 people, advising them to place a fraud alert on their credit file.

The department is working with the Rhode Island State Police to investigate and try to find the missing disc, according to a press release from the department.

The March 20th letter to the affected people said the disc could not be located "within the last two weeks."

“We are committed to maintaining the privacy of individuals’ information and will continue to modify our protocols to enhance the security of sensitive information,” the department's executive director, Stephen Johnston, said in the press release.

The department provides a variety of services, including budgeting, accounting, and purchasing, to customers that include the state's executive and legislative branches and local governments.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:41 PM | Comment

Update: Strong-wind warning issued for R.I. airports

If you've been outside today, you know it's windy out there.

So much so that that the National Weather Service has issued a weather warning for strong winds at Rhode Island airports through 6 p.m. today.

The service says that sustained 2-minute west winds at many of the airports will average about 27 knots at times today, with gusts of around 40 knots.

There is a 30-percent chance of an isolated gust reaching 45 knots between 1 and 5 p.m., the service says.

For those of you on the ground, a wind advisory remains in effect until 8 tonight. Strongest winds are likely to occur between 1 and 6 p.m. The advisory covers most of southern New England.

West-northwest winds will increase to 25 to 35 mph this afternoon with gusts of 45 to 55 mph.

These winds are likely to cause difficulty for travelers, especially those in high-profile vehicles, especially on north-south highways such as Interstates 91, 93, 95 and 495.

Tree limbs may also break, and power could be knocked out in places.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:58 AM | Comment

Governor's spokesman Neal to leave by end of June

Governor Carcieri announced today that his press secretary and chief spokesman Jeff Neal will step down by the end of June.

In a press release, Neal said "it was time to begin seeking new challenges and opportunities."

He said he first approached Carcieri about leaving in September, but that the governor asked him to stay on, first through January, then through the end of the legislative session.

During that time, the office will conduct a search for Neal's replacement, a press release said.

The announcement follows a shift at the top of the governor's communications staff.

Earlier this month, Carcieri sent his director of communications, Steve Kass, "on loan" to the state's Emergency Management Agency, replacing its current spokeswoman.

Kass's position as communications director for the governor is being taken over by John Robitaille.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:21 AM | Comment

Power out for thousands in Providence, N. Providence

About 8,300 Providence and North Providence residents are in the dark this morning after a problem with infrastructure in Johnston.

National Grid spokesman David Graves says crews are on their way to the site now, off Killingly Street, to find the problem.

Apparently, he said, the power outages stem from a “recloser,” a device similar to a circuit breaker in a home. The recloser is designed to open when there is a disruption – such as a fallen limb on a power line – as a circuit breaker would.

It is also designed to close again – hence the name – when the problem ends, restoring power. It will open and close several times, sometimes making lights flicker, until a problem has fixed itself, for instance, a tree branch has blown away.

But if the problem remains, the circuit remains open and the lights go out.

The problem has affected the Fruit Hill, Smith Hill, and Academy Avenue areas in Providence, and bordering neighborhoods in North Providence.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:47 AM | Comment

Photos: Red Sox work out, tour base in Japan

sox03211.jpg
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz work out with the Red Sox today in the Tokyo Dome.

sox003212.jpg
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Red Sox pitcher and former Japanese league star Daisuke Matsuzaka bows to photographers at the Dome.

sox03213.jpg
AP photo / Itsuo Inouye
Red Sox pitchers, from left, Tim Wakefield, Mike Timlin, Bryan Corey and Curt Schilling present team jerseys to U.S. Army Japan Commanding Gen. Elbert Perkins and Garrison Japan Commander Robert Waltemeyer. The four Sox players were visiting Camp Zama, west of Tokyo.

While we're getting our days started here in Rhode Island, the Red Sox are finished with the first full day of their weeklong trip to Japan. Above are a few photos from the day, which included an official welcoming ceremony, a tour by four Red Sox pitchers of a U.S. military base, and a team workout in the Tokyo Dome.

At 11 tonight our time (noon tomorrow Tokyo time), the Red Sox will play an exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers, a Japanese professional team. Projo sports writer Sean McAdam and photographer Bob Breidenbach are accompanying the team on the trip, and you can stories and photos on our Red Sox page and our SoxBlog.

We'll also have pitch-by-pitch coverage of next week's regular-season games in Tokyo against the Oakland Athletics on the Red Sox page.

Click here to see a slideshow of Bob Breidenbach's photos from today in Tokyo.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 8:01 AM | Comment

Warwick police ask for help with fatal accident

A 46-year-old woman is dead after a late night crash near the Kent County Courthouse in Warwick.

According to the police, just before 11:30 p.m. yesterday, a 17-year-old male was driving a Volkswagen Jetta south on Route 2/Quaker Lane, approaching the intersection with Quaker Way.

West Warwick resident Luisa Avila, driving north on Route 2/Quaker Lane, was making a left turn onto Quaker Way when her car, a 1990 Toyota Camry, was broadsided by the Jetta, according to Warwick Police Col. Steve McCartney.

Avila was pronounced dead on the scene by rescue personnel; the 17-year-old driver and his 16-year-old male passenger were taken to Kent County Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries that aren't considered life threatening.

McCartney said the cause of the crash is under investigation by the city's accident reconstruction team. There is a traffic light at the intersection of Route 2/Quaker Lane and Quaker Way; police do not know if either of the drivers ran a red light.

The police are asking that any witnesses contact the department at 463-4374 or on the department’s tip line, 732-8477.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:31 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features the story of a Narragansett fisherman who is calling it quits after decades of making his living fromthe sea.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Clear, sunny and windy

The good news: We can expect clear, sunny skies today.

The bad news: Talk about wind!

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory, forecasting sustained west winds up to 39 mph. and gusts up to 57 mph. Look out for downed trees and power lines. The temperature should reach about 44 degrees, but thanks to the winds, it will feel cooler all day.

Skies should remain clear tonight, when the temperature drops to about 23 degrees. Winds should die down some, but still gust up to 34 mph.

Saturday looks good, with sunny skies, temperatures in the high 40s and a west wind up to 13 mph. Tomorrow night will be partly cloudy, and in the low 20s with a mild, northwest wind.

Easter Sunday should be another sunny one, with a high temperature in the low 40s and a low northwest wind. Sunday night will get a little cloudy, and temperatures should drop to the mid 20s.

To check the weather through the weekend, see projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

A time for religious observances by almost every faith

This is a sacred time for people of many faiths with the celebrations of Purim, Good Friday, Easter and Mawlid al-Nabi.

Catholics commemorated Jesus Christ instituting the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper in Holy Thursday services.

Protestants and Anglicans refer to the day as Maundy Thursday, recalling the mandate -- or mandatum -- that Jesus gave while washing the feet of his disciples that they should be servants.

The Jewish festival of Purim, or Feast of Lots, began at sundown (6:58 p.m.) Thursday. The holiday celebrates the rescue of the Jews of ancient Persia from a plot to destroy them. It is associated with reading the Megillah, or Scroll of Esther, noise-makers, exchanging gifts and partaking of special pastries known as hamantashen.

For Muslims, Thursday was Mawlid al-Nabi, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. For followers of Baha’i, it was Spring O-Higan, which celebrates the symbolic crossing from the shore of illusion to the shore of enlightenment to overcome one’s ignorance and to honor the six paramitas of generosity, morality, patience, endeavor, meditation and wisdom.

For followers of American Indian religion, Thursday marked the Spring Feast, celebrating the coming and going of the seasons through prayer, song and storytelling.

For Christians, today is Good Friday. It marks the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus, observed by Protestants and Catholics. It is also the Feast of Naw-Ruz, the Baha’i New Year, and Norooz, the start of the Zoroastrian New Year. It is the most somber day of the Christian calendar, preceding Easter Sunday.

Locally, the annual Good Friday Walk will be held Friday morning, with several stepping-off locations. Registration is at 8 a.m. in each locations except for the the Coventry site.

Here are the locations:

* Calvary Baptist Church, 747 Broad St., Providence. Call 461-7509.
* St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, 239 Oxford St., Providence. Call 781-7210.
* People's Baptist Church, 1275 Elmwood Ave., Cranston. Call 467-8220.
* Haven United Methodist Church, 200 Taunton Ave., East Providence.
* St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 50 Orchard Ave., Providence. Call 751-2141.
* St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church, 275 Manton Ave., Providence. Call 831-7714.
* St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, 549 Plainfield St., Providence. Call 943-2300.
* SS. John and Paul Roman Catholic Church, 341 South Main St., Coventry. Call 821-4780.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 AM | Comment

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