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« March 24, 2008 | Today | March 26, 2008 » March 25, 2008Update: Dozens hurt in commuter train crash in CantonCANTON, Mass. -- Dozens of people were taken to hospitals, most with non-life-threatening injuries, after a freight train box car struck a stationary commuter train locomotive late this afternoon. Stacy Wilbur, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail, which operates the service for the MBTA, said today that preliminary reports indicate the most of the injuries are minor. It was not immediately known how many were aboard the rush-hour train heading south from Boston to Stoughton. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said a box car from the CSX freight line rolled off the Stoughton branch onto the main line and struck the locomotive of the commuter train just before 5:30 p.m. He said the commuter train was not moving at the time. Wilbur said the train was Number 917. It left Boston's South Station at about 4:40 p.m. Train 917, coming outbound from Boston, ends its trip in Stoughton, and does not come into Providence, according to the schedule posted on the MBTA Web site. However, Wilbur said the crash was affecting service on the Stoughton-Providence line. Amtrak service in the area is also being disrupted by the crash. According to Amtrak's Web site, the status of arrival and departure times for trains between Boston and Providence currently cannot be determined. At about 7:15 p.m. at the train station in Providence, an announcement was made that no northbound trains were leaving anytime soon. Shortly before 7 p.m., were being told it was going to be 7:45 or 8 p.m. before trains arrive there from Boston. Three Amtrak trains, including two Acela express trains, were being held at the Providence station, with their passengers aboard. About 60 people were inside the station, waiting and not appearing to be upset by the delays. For additional assistance, Amtrak says to call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). -- The Associated Press and projo.com reports and Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:24 PM | Comment Blue Cross building rising in Capital CenterThe steel frame of the new Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island headquarters is rising in Capital Center, one of three major building projects under way in the district. The 13-story headquarters building will consolidate the health insurer’s 1,100 employees -- now scattered in six buildings throughout Providence -- under one roof in Capital Center. When it is complete in the first quarter of 2010, the building will rise 237 feet above Waterplace Park, at the corner of Finance Way and Exchange Place. The 325,000 square-foot building will cost $114 million. The project is receiving a tax break worth $25 million over 20 years. Next to the Blue Cross building, the two towers of Intercontinental Real Estate’s Waterplace Park residential project are nearing completion, and along Canal Street, the frame is rising on Massachusetts developer Robert Roth’s Capital Cove apartment project, which could open its first building in roughly a year. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:20 PM | Comment Beacon Mutual to refund $7 million to policyholdersBeacon Mutual Insurance Co. announced today that it will distribute an estimated $7 million in refunds to its policyholders by April 30. The refunds are part of a consent agreement that the state's dominant workers' compensation insurer signed with state regulators last July. The refund is designed to compensate policyholders who paid inflated premiums during a period when Beacon was using an outdated formula for assessing losses. Beacon has since adopted new rate guidelines and adjusted its pricing. Beacon estimates that 10,000 of its 14,000 policyholders will be eligible for the refund, which the company will begin distributing by the middle of next month, said Beacon spokesman Bill Fischer. To be eligible, policyholders must have commenced coverage from Oct.1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006, and have been insured for at least six months. Not all policyholders who have coverage during this period, however, are eligible for a distribution payment, the company said in a statement. -- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment Tentative agreement on Tiverton teachers' contractAfter seven months without a contract, Tiverton teachers and the School Department have reached a tentative agreement on a one-year pact. The agreement was announced today by Amy Mullen, president of the union, The National Education Association-Tiverton. Late last week, teachers in the Portsmouth school district also tentatively agreed to a one-year pact. The current contract has not yet expired. -- With reports from Journal East Bay staff Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:39 PM | Comment Candidates are distant relatives to the stars, presidentsBOSTON -- This could make for one odd family reunion: Barack Obama is a distant cousin of actor Brad Pitt, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society found some remarkable family connections for the three presidential candidates -- Democratic rivals Obama and Clinton, and Republican John McCain. Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, can call six U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, his cousins. McCain is a sixth cousin of first lady Laura Bush. Genealogist Christopher Child said that while the candidates often focus on pointing out differences between them, their ancestry shows they are more alike than they think. "It shows that lots of different people can be related, people you wouldn't necessarily expect," Child said. -- The Associated Press Obama has a prolific presidential lineage that features Democrats and Republicans. His distant cousins include President George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman and James Madison. Other Obama cousins include Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Civil War General Robert E. Lee. "His kinships are across the political spectrum," Child said. Child has spent the last three years tracing the candidates' genealogy, along with senior research scholar Gary Boyd Roberts, author of the 1989 book, "Ancestors of American Presidents." Clinton's distant cousins include beatnik author Jack Kerouac and Camilla Parker-Bowles, wife of Prince Charles of England. McCain's ancestry was more difficult to trace because records on his relatives were not as complete as records for the families of Obama and Clinton, Child said. Obama and President Bush are 10th cousins, once removed, linked by Samuel Hinkley of Cape Cod, who died in 1662. Pitt and Obama are ninth cousins, linked by Edwin Hickman, who died in Virginia in 1769. Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, declined to comment on the senator's ancestry. Clinton and Jolie are ninth cousins, twice removed, both related to Jean Cusson who died in St. Sulpice, Quebec, in 1718. The New England Historic Genealogical Society, founded in 1845, is the oldest and largest nonprofit genealogical organization in the country. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:35 PM | Comment Carcieri, McWalters to talk grad rules at charter schoolPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri and state Education Commissioner Peter McWalters tomorrow will go to Times² Academy, a Providence charter high school, to talk about new Rhode Island graduation requirements. Carcieri will meet behind closed doors with teachers. He will then meet with students, a session open to the press. The new high school diploma system, which is being put into effect in phases over the next few years, requires that students show they are proficient in several ways in order to graduate. Students will be expected to score proficient or better in statewide English and math tests given in the eleventh grade. They must also pass at least 20 courses and finish two of these three things: a portfolio, a senior project and end-of-course exams. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:26 PM | Comment Photo: Going with the flow
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:34 PM | Comment Technical problems affect NESN, ESPN2's Sox coverageBOSTON -- Some fans who got up early to watch the Red Sox season opener against Oakland ended up seeing nothing at all because of problems at DirecTV. Technical difficulties at DirecTV blanked out NESN, the cable network that carries the Red Sox, and ESPN2. The problem did not affect those with high definition TV. A spokesman for El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV would not specify what the problem was, or how many people were affected. He said NESN was back up by the seventh inning, enough time to see Boston rally for a 6-5 victory in 10 innings. But ESPN2 wasn't back until after the game ended. Comcast cable company also said it had a problem at its Rehoboth facility that affected "a small percentage" of subscribers for much of the game. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:24 PM | Comment Not quite winter, not quite springIt may not be as bad as we first thought. Earlier today the National Weather Service was predicting light snow overnight with perhaps a little bit of slushy accumulation. But things are looking up. So is there going to be snow? “There’s snow," Bill Simpson at the National Weather Service in Taunton said. "And then there’s snow." Providence may see a few snowflakes tonight, but not, as Simpson put it, snow. Later in the week, he said, we’re likely to get some mixed sleet, maybe a little snow, and possibly some frozen rain. But no accumulation. The real story, he said, is the temperature. “It continues to be unseasonably cool,” he said. By early afternoon, Providence temperatures had just broken into the 40s; but the average for this time of year is low 50s. Tomorrow may bring us closer to average, with forecast temperatures rising well beyond the average, to the mid 50s. But it comes at a price: clouds and/or rain all day long. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:08 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Tribal lawyer OK'd tax-free storePROVIDENCE -- Counsel for the Narragansett Indian Tribe testified today that he told tribal members that they had the sovereign right to open a tax-free smoke shop. Without giving a specific date, John Killoy said in court today that he advised the tribe on the smoke-shop matter sometime between April and July 2003. The tribe opened its tax-free smoke shop on tribal land in Charlestown on July 12. Two days later the state police raided the store. Now seven Narragansett Indians are on trial for misdemeanors stemming from the scuffle that ensued during the raid. The state rested its case on March 18. Defense attorneys have been at the helm since March 19. Today is the 15th day of the trial, which Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl has said will end by April 4. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:18 PM | Comment Alert: Ex-Army officer to head Providence Schools
Journal photo/Bill MurphyThomas Brady, the new superintendent of Providence achools, in an interview with a Journal reporter this morning at Shula's 347 Steak House, in Providence. PROVIDENCE -- Thomas M. Brady, the interim superintendent of the Philadelphia school system, has been chosen as the new Providence superintendent of schools. His selection was being announced at a press conference in the mayor’s office today at 1 p.m. Brady will replace Schools Superintendent Donnie Evans, who announced only a week ago that he would not seek another term. He withdrew his candidacy hours before the School Board was to decide whether to renew the embattled superintendent’s contract for another three years. Evans had faced a barrage of criticism from the City Council and the teachers' union, most recently over his actions during the crippling Dec. 13 snowstorm, which left more than 100 students stranded on school buses late into the night. Brady, 57, is a retired Army colonel with more than seven years experience in school administration, including top positions with the Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Va., school systems. Brady spent 25 years in the Army, landing his first school administrative school position in 1999 in Fairfax County. He is married with five grown children and five grandchildren. Brady will take over the state's largest school system, whose officials say is teetering on the edge of a financial crisis. At a meeting last night, the district's financial officer Mark Dunham said that the $322.9 million proposed budget for 2008-9 includes a shortfall of $9.7 million -- which Dunham said he did not know how would be made up. Dunham told the school board that the district was “close to not being able to run the schools. We’re close to being in peril.” More to come ... -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:00 PM | Comment About 125 more R.I. Guard members to deployAbout 125 more Rhode Island National Guard members will deploy for various assignments beginning this week and over the ensuing 60 days under a normal troop rotation schedule, the Guard announced today. Most will be from 143rd Airlift Wing units at Quonset Air National Guard Base in North Kingstown. And a new Special Operations Detachment-Global unit -- a "unique special operations organization" based in Coventry -- will deploy this week for Operation Enduring Freedom-Caribbean and Central America. The detachment works with U.S. Special Operations Command to plan and carry out special operations in the war on terrorism, the Guard said. The unit will be stationed at Homestead Air National Guard Base in Miami, Fla. As part of an Air Force rotation, the 143rd Airlift Wing in May will deploy to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar some 60 airmen from operations, maintenance and support. Two of the unit’s C-130J transport planes with air, maintenance and support crews will deploy for 120 days. Also, the 143rd Civil Engineering Squadron will deploy 25 people to Iraq in mid-April while the 143rd Aerial Port Squadron will deploy another 25 to locations in May. Both units will deploy for six months. All told, the Rhode Island National Guard will have just more than 500 members deployed for the war on terrorism, the Guard said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Also: There are eight members of the 65th Press Camp, 136 members of the 169th Military Police Company, and 175 members of C Battery, 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery, in Iraq. Another six members of D Company, 126th Theater Aviation Company, are stationed in Kuwait, 16 members of the 56th Troop Command Mobil Training Team are deployed in Afghanistan and 26 from the Air National Guard’s Security Forces Squadron are in Saudi Arabia. About 20 more soldiers and airmen are deployed in various assignments. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:20 PM | Comment Ethics board votes to investigate Woonsocket mayorPROVIDENCE -- The state Ethics Commission voted this morning to investigate whether Woonsocket Mayor Susan D. Menard leased four motorcycles for the city Police Department from her son-in-law's business. The commission decision was the first step in determining whether Menard violated the state Code of Ethics. The commission found that if the accusations in the complaint are proven, it would amount to a knowing and willful violation of the code. The complaint, filed March 3, came from a retired city police officer, Edward M. Roy, who said the mayor leased the motorcycles for $10,000 from Paramount Harley Davidson of Framingham, Mass., and that an owner of the company is the mayor's son-in-law, James Pilavin. Roy gave the commission a number of city financial documents he said supported his accusations. Roy also said in his complaint that Menard acknowledged the leasing arrangement during a program in February on the local radio station, WNRI 1380. Roy's complaint came four days before Menard announced that she will resign in June after 12½ years as mayor. Her announcement, in turn, followed the resignations of Police Chief Michael L.A. Houle and Deputy Chief Richard Dubois earlier that week after Marsha Bish, Houle's ex-wife, accused Houle and Dubois of fixing test scores to get her on the police force. Both men denied the allegations.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Comment More tax help for seniorsSeniors 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. It's the second of several meetings and is tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Westerly Senior Center, 39 State Street. More events are scheduled, including this Friday, 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 11:51 AM | Comment Red Sox win opener in Japan, 6-5 / Photo
A quick list of all Sean McAdam's stories from Tuesday's 6-5 Red Sox victory over the A's: -- Manny Ramirez gets off to his quickest start in years with a pair of two-run doubles, including a two-out shot in the 10th that breaks a 4-4 tie, and leads the Red Sox to a season-opening win over the A's. -- Daisuke Matsuzaka overcomes a rocky start to pitch five solid innings and leaves the game with a 3-2 lead. -- The red-hot J.D. Drew can't answer the bell, as a bad back forces him to the sidelines. -- A complete list of postgame notes. -- Commissioner Bud Selig attends the game and is non-committal on whether or not punishment will be meted out to players named in the Mitchell Report. He also has little to say about the Sox' threatened boycott of the Japanese trip, concluding, "All's well that ends well." -- Prior to the game, Sean accompanies representatives of the Red Sox and A's to a reception at the home of Thomas Schieffer, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. "They'll let anyone in here, I guess,'' jokes A's general manager Billy Beane when he spots Sean. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:51 AM | Comment Providence to name new schools superintendent todayProvidence Mayor David N. Cicilline and School Board President Mary McClure plan to announce the school board's appointment of a new superintendent today. A statement sent from the mayor's office says the new superintendent's name will be announced at a 1 p.m. news conference in Cicilline's office. The new superintendent will replace Supt. Donnie Evans, who announced on March 17 that he would not seek another term. He had faced a barrage of criticism from the City Council and the teachers' union, most recently over his actions during the Dec. 13 snowstorm, which left more than 100 students stranded on school buses late into the night. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:47 AM | Comment Fans in Boston and Oakland started early tooBOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics may be in the land of the rising sun, but it was their fans who had to rise before the sun to catch the season opener. Bars around Fenway Park and elsewhere catered to big breakfast crowds as the season officially began Tuesday about 6:05 a.m. Eastern time. The area around the park was packed with cars and fans in Red Sox caps and jerseys. Just like a normal game day, the cheers began with the opening pitch, and the "Let's Go Red Sox!" chants followed a few innings after. But some things were different. "Coffee and breakfast instead of beer, kind of unusual," observed Tony Massarotti, 48, of Watertown, who joined a large crowd who watched the game on the 90 HDTV screens at Game On, a sports bar attached to Fenway Park. The bar opened earlier than usual, but had no plans to serve alcohol during the game. State law bans alcohol sales before 8 a.m. McFadden's in Providence was full of Sox fans at 7 a.m. -- The Associated Press Oakland fans had it a bit tougher, as the game started at 3 a.m. there. Christy Hofmann, an editor of the fan Web site AthleticsNation.com, said she planned to visit a friend who owns a big screen television and watch the game with popcorn and pizza. "I took a preliminary poll, and at least 392 people will be up at the same time, watching the games," Hofmann wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press. Terry Boccelli, 47, of Stoneham said she would have made the trip to Boston to watch the defending World Series champions, no matter what time of day or night. "I could not wait for the Red Sox," said Boccelli, who was at the Cask'n Flagon, across the street from Fenway. "I have withdrawal all winter long." Mark Gillis, 41, an attorney from Reading, said he thought he was going to be in court first thing in the morning, but the judge moved the case. "I was like, 'yes!' " said Gillis, who packed his two sons and daughter into the car and headed for Game On. "I figured, what the heck, the opportunity to watch the Red Sox on opening day and still make it to school on time doesn't come around very much." Some fans at the bars had taken the day off, but others were dressed and headed for work, even if they weren't optimistic about how much they'd get done. "Productivity is going to be nil this morning," said Leslie Murphy, of Somerville. "I'm not going to do a damn thing." Once the game started, the clock and a look on TV at the Japanese ads behind home plate were some of the giveaways something was unusual about this opening day. It's still just baseball, said Matt Mozzone, 26 of Taunton, who added he was happy to be watching the game with people across the globe. "We're sharing something of ours and the Red Sox get to appreciate something of theirs," he said. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:18 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Route 95 ProvidenceAn accident on Route 95 has traffic snarled in Providence. The accident, in the southbound side of the roadway, is near Exit 22B/Route6 West/Route 10 South in the left and right center lanes. To see how bad it really is, see the Transportation Management Center's Web cams.
Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:41 AM | Comment Red Sox opener in Japan: The tavern was full at 7 a.m.
In fact, Kyle Bosworth, 25, said he was upset because he didn’t get to the bar until 6:30 a.m. “The opening pitch was at 6:15.” “Six-oh-six,” a friend chimed in. The Red Sox played their opening game in Japan today, a reason for many Rhode Islanders to roll out of bed hours early. They wore suits and jerseys and, I think, pajamas. They ate doughnuts and muffins. They drank juice and coffee and – yes, at 7 a.m. – a spectrum of booze and spirits. “I’m not the only one drinking,” Bosworth said, when told that his bottle of Bud Light was what drew this reporter to his table. And he wasn’t, not by a stretch. But hey, it's a special occasion. “Only because it’s in Japan,” he said. Bosworth and some friends and coworkers had been planning the excursion for a week. They probably wouldn’t have sacrificed the sleep if the opening game was at 6 a.m. at Fenway. The low rumble of conversation burst into a brief, unified cheer when Sox got the third out in the fifth. But for all the excitement, things weren’t looking too good for the Sox, with Oakland leading 2-0 at 7 a.m. “Diasuke could be doing better," Bosworth said, “but it’s still early.” Matt Flaxington, 22, also made a sacrifice for the Sox, sleeping just an hour before making the trip across the river from East Providence see the game. Flaxington’s friend, 23-year-old David Raposa, was also upset that they got in “late,” at about 6:15. “I had to hit the snooze button a couple of times,” he said. But that they would wake up hours early to go to a bar on a Tuesday morning to watch a baseball game seemed almost self-evident to Raposa. “There’s nothing like opening day.” Read: Fans in Boston and Oakland started early, too. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:07 AM | Comment Fire at former Taunton factory under investigationTAUNTON, Mass. -- Fire investigators are seeking the cause of a multiple-alarm blaze that destroyed a former industrial building in Taunton. The fire broke out shortly before 6 p.m. yesterday and burned for several hours, sending thick black smoke wafting over the city's downtown area. The former Stone Station building off Arlington Street was used to store granite and marble. Officials said no one was inside when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported. The property manager of the building, Henry Vargas, says he believes the fire may have been intentionally set. He says there have been several thefts of material from the building in recent weeks and those thefts had been reported to police. The company that operated the plant moved out of Taunton about a year ago. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:54 AM | Comment Ethics to consider complaint vs. Woonsocket mayorThe Rhode Island Ethics Commission this morning will consider an ethics complaint alleging that Woonsocket Mayor Susan Menard was involved in the Police Department’s lease of four Harley Davidsons from her son-in-law’s business in Framingham, Mass. The complaint was filed by Edward M. Roy, a retired policeman who ran unsuccessfully for the Woonsocket City Council in November, who alleges that such involvement by Menard is an “egregious” ethics violation. The complaint comes during the midst of major changes in city government, including Menard's design to resign in June.
Houle said that the lease was $10,000 a year for all four motorcycles. He said they were being paid for from a Community Development Block Grant. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Sunny, high near 46 today, but snow possible tonightWe can look forward to another sunny day today with the National Weather Service forecasting clear skies and a high temperature near 46 degrees. There's a chance of rain tonight, and maybe even some early spring snow, although no accumulation is expected. The temperature is set to drop to about 33 degrees with a southwest wind gusting as high as 29 mph. Rain could continue into tomorrow morning, ending by early afternoon. We'll have clouds all day, but with a mild 56-degree high temperature and breezy west winds. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the third in an eight-part series on Officer Candidate School in Newport. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006