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Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:42 PM | Comment Smoke-shop verdict: Chief says: 'I did what I had to do'
Thomas was found guilty of assaulting a state trooper, but cleared of two other charges, and his tribal members were cleared of most other charges. "I think what happens, happens and we'll see what happens on the 28th," Thomas said, referring to the date Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl set to hear motions. Asked if he fears punishment, Thomas said, "No, no. I did what I had to do..." About an hour later, the office of Governor Carcieri -- who had ordered the raid -- issued this statement: “Governor Carcieri respects the jury's verdict in this case. While the governor had no role in the prosecution or trial, he is satisfied that the rule of law has been affirmed. He also wants to reiterate once again his support for the State Police and the great job they do for the people of Rhode Island.” Another court found that Carcieri did not have to testify in the case. “With the conclusion of this trial, Governor Carcieri hopes that the Narragansett Indian Tribe and the State of Rhode Island can put the smoke shop incident behind us and move forward into a more cooperative future,” his spokesman said in the statement. Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, whose office prosecuted the case, said, "These were cases that needed to be tried, and we accept the jury's verdict." "We did did our job, just as the state police did their job that day," he said. "Now the jury has done its job." Lynch added: "Whatever has been said -- and too much has been said -- our prosecution has never been about trying to force the defendants to plead to crimes they didn't commit. Our prosecution has simply and solely been about adhering to the process that our criminal-justice system afford us." State Police Col. Brendan Doherty, asked about Thomas's conviction for simple assault, said, "We're obviously interested in people being held accountable." "We believe and felt all along that we were there legally...and the troopers showed great restraint," Doherty said. Full story on the verdict .... -- With reports from projo.com staff writer Mike McKinney Although he was found guilty of simple assault, Thomas was cleared of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges. Defendant Hiawatha Brown was found guilty of simple assault and disorderly conduct, but cleared of resisting arrest. Randy Noka was found guilty of disorderly conduct, but cleared of resisting arrest. All others were acquitted of all charges against them. No sentencing date has been set. Posted by Jack Perry at 5:57 PM | Comment Smoke-shop verdict mixed; chief sachem guilty of assault
Two others were found guilty on a total of three counts. All others were acquitted of all charges against them. Jurors had mulled a total of 16 misdemeanor counts since deliberations began Tuesday afternoon in the high-profile case pitted the state and tribe against each other. Defendant Hiawatha Brown was found guilty of simple assault and disorderly conduct, but cleared of resisting arrest; while Randy Noka was found guilty of disorderly conduct, but cleared of resisting arrest. No date has been set for sentencing. Motions for a new trial will be heard April 28. Sighs of relief were heard in the packed courtroom when the jury returned three not-guilty verdicts against the first defendant, Bella Noka, on charges of disorderly conduct, obstruction and simple assault. But there was a different tone to the sighs when the jury announced that it had found the next defendant, Hiawatha Brown, guilty on two counts. After the verdict was read at 3:20 p.m., each juror was polled to affirm the four guilty counts. For some, emotion seeped into the procedural step. A woman juror cried as she was polled, saying. "Sorry," as she did so, wiping tears. A sheriff in the courtroom handed tissues to another juror. The verdicts came more than four years and eight months after a clash between Narragansetts and state police who raided the smoke shop on tribal land in Charlestown, on July 14, 2003, two days after the Narragansetts started selling tax-free cigarettes. During 16 days of testimony, jurors heard 25 witnesses on topics ranging from allegedly missing state police e-mails to the relevance of federal recognition of the tribe as a sovereign nation in 1983. They saw hours of videos plus photos -- some taken by news cameras and photographers at the scene -- showing police arrive at the Route 2 shop to execute a search warrant and the violent scuffle with tribal members that ensued. But before the defendants were brought to trial, the case went to court in other ways. -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Michael McKinney and Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney It took more than three years for a federal court to rule that state police had the right to carry out the search and seizure warrant. And Governor Carcieri, who ordered the raid after objecting to the tax-free cigarette sales, successfully fought defense efforts in state Supreme Court to make him testify at trial. In closing arguments Monday, the defense contended that the raid's timing and manner were driven by money and intended to humiliate the tribe. The prosecution argued tribal members willfully violated state law and orchestrated the scene to embarrass the police in the media. On Tuesday morning, Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl instructed the jury to decide based on the evidence and facts. She said race should not be a factor. And her instructions regarding resisting-arrest charges said that a defendant has a right to use reasonable force in an arrest in which an officer uses excessive force. The resulting verdicts for each defendant are listed below: * Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, who has served on the tribal council since 1990 and was elected the tribe’s youngest chief sachem since Colonial times: - Not guilty: Disorderly conduct * Hiawatha Brown, who works as a stonemason and has served on the tribal council for much of the past three decades: - Guilty: Disorderly conduct * John Brown, the tribe’s medicine-man-in-training and historic preservation officer who's been on the tribal council for 25 years: - Not guilty: Disorderly conduct * Thawn Harris, a federally trained conservation officer for the tribe: - Not guilty: Resisting arrest * Adam Jennings, a dealer at Foxwoods Resort Casino in eastern Connecticut: * Randy Noka, tribal first councilman and a federally trained law enforcement officer who works at the Mohegan Sun casino in eastern Connecticut: - Guilty: Disorderly conduct * Bella Noka, Randy Noka’s wife, who was on the tribal council at the time of the raid: - Not guilty: Disorderly conduct Six tribal members were defended by lawyer William P. Devereaux, a former Rhode Island assistant attorney general who handled mob prosecutions and environmental cases and who has lobbied for casino interests, including the most recent backer of the Narragansett tribe’s gambling plans. Kevin J. Bristow, who began at the Brooklyn, N.Y., district attorney’s office prosecuting homicide cases and later worked as a Rhode Island state prosecutor, defended Harris, the tribal conservation officer. The state's prosecutors were Special Assistant Attorney General Pamela E. Chin, the lead prosecutor who joined the Attorney General’s Office in 1998 after working in private practice, and Special Assistant Attorney General Maria Ferro Deaton, who joined the attorney general’s office in 2006 after working as a Cape Cod prosecutor and in private practice in Yuma, Ariz. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:40 PM | Comment Smoke-shop verdict: Findings against each defendantPROVIDENCE -- The verdicts returned this afternoon by a Superior Court jury in the Narragansett Indian smoke-shop raid case are as follows: * Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, who has served on the tribal council since 1990 and was elected the tribe’s youngest chief sachem since Colonial times: - Not guilty: Disorderly conduct * Hiawatha Brown, who works as a stonemason and has served on the tribal council for much of the past three decades: - Guilty: Disorderly conduct * John Brown, the tribe’s medicine-man-in-training and historic preservation officer who's been on the tribal council for 25 years: - Not guilty: Disorderly conduct * Thawn Harris, a federally trained conservation officer for the tribe: - Not guilty: Resisting arrest * Adam Jennings, a dealer at Foxwoods Resort Casino in eastern Connecticut: * Randy Noka, tribal first councilman and a federally trained law enforcement officer who works at the Mohegan Sun casino in eastern Connecticut: - Guilty: Disorderly conduct * Bella Noka, Randy Noka’s wife, who was on the tribal council at the time of the raid: - Not guilty: Disorderly conduct Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:44 PM | Comment Saltwater fishing show lands in ProvidenceThe New England Saltwater Fishing Show runs today through Sunday at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. The show draws exhibitors from all over New England and offers dozens of seminars, as well as boat simulator test drives and a virtual fishing simulator. Attendees can enter drawings to win a free Block Island fishing charter, a weekend for two at Foxwood Resort casino and a 13-foot canoe. Admission is $10, and free for children 12 and under. Sunday is family day. Women and children get in for free. There's also a coupon available at the show's Web site for $1 off admission. The show runs from noon until 9 p.m. today; 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. tomorrow and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:12 PM | Comment Matching fund set up in memory of Coventry father of 11Two days after a Coventry father of 11 died in a head-on collision, local philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein says he will match up to $10,000 in gifts to a memorial fund set up for his widow and children. Joseph Fogarty, a truck driver who was out of work with a back injury, crossed a double-line in his pick-up truck on Arnold Road at about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday night and hit a tractor-trailer carrying 10,500 gallons of home heating oil, according to a preliminary investigation by police. He left behind his wife, Kathleen Fogarty, and 11 children, eight of them adopted and seven of them under age 18. Kathleen has been a stay-at-home mother for years, and family members say they are unsure how they will manage financially. Feinstein runs a program called Feinstein Junior Scholars, which provides students in 116 Rhode Island schools with passes to cultural institutions and consideration for college scholarships. He said several of the Fogarty children have been part of that program. Feinstein, who called Fogarty a “loving father,” said donors interested in participating in his challenge grant program could send checks made out to the Joseph Fogarty Memorial Fund to The Feinstein Foundation, 37 Alhambra Circle, Cranston, RI 02905. A memorial fund has also been set up by a family cousin. Checks can be made out to the Joseph Fogarty Memorial Fund and mailed to Citizens Bank, 1220 Main St., West Warwick, RI 02893. -- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:07 PM | Comment Torch relay to highlight China's human rights recordPROVIDENCE — Roger Williams Park will be the site tomorrow of an event intended to heighten awareness of what organizers say is China’s dismal human rights record. The Rhode Island Human Rights Torch Relay is part of a worldwide campaign by the Coalition to Investigate Persecution of the Falun Gong, a 15-year-old religious movement banned by the Chinese government in 1999. It will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning with a 5K walk and race and culminating in a rally featuring musical performances and a roster of speakers expected to include prominent Chinese dissident Xu Wenli. Organizer Al Iannotti, a practitioner of Falun Gong, says the event is being staged to highlight China’s failure to improve its human rights record since the decision to hold the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing in August. For more information about the Human Rights Torch Relay, call Iannotti at (401) 829-1382, or at al@HumanRightsTorchUSA.org. -- From a Journal staff report Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:57 PM | Comment Warren woman, 98, died from smoke inhalationWARREN -- The state Office of the Medical Examiners has concluded that 98-year-old Stacy W. Delekta died from smoke inhalation in a fire at her Seymour Street home Wednesday morning, according to the Warren Police Department. The body of Delekta was found in the basement of her one-and-a-half story bungalow at 91 Seymour St. after firefighters were called there at about 10 a.m. It took them 45 minutes to get the blaze under control, by which time the house had sustained heavy damage. In a statement today, Warren Police Chief Thomas D. Gordon said the fire originated in the kitchen of Delekta’s house. He said that a preliminary investigation conducted by the state fire marshal’s office in conjunction with Warren Fire Capt. Vincent Calenda “tend[s] to infer a nonsuspicious origin.” The investigation is continuing, said Gordon. Delekta was the widow of Ignatius F. Delekta, the founder of Delekta’s Pharmacy, a landmark on Main Street in Warren. The old-fashioned drug store is now operated by the couple’s grandson and is famous for its soda fountain and coffee cabinets. -- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:50 PM | Comment A chance to try your hand at 'Deal or No Deal'LINCOLN -- Think you've got what it takes to make a fortune under pressure? Then you might consider trying out for "Deal or No Deal" when it holds a casting call tomorrow at Twin River. Would-be contestants on the popular NBC show can audition at the gaming facility between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. They'll be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Contestants are being warned they should be prepared to wait in long lines. Each will have 20 seconds to tell the casting director why he/she should be a contestant. The show offers contestants the chance to win up to a $1 million dollars by choosing to open briefcases with varying amounts of cash. The audition tomorrow is being hosted by the local NBC affilate, WJAR/NBC10. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:40 PM | Comment State expects to issue more air quality alert daysPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Islanders can expect more free bus rides this year because the state anticipates increases in the number of air quality alert days. All regular state bus and trolley routes offer free transportation on air quality alert days, which state officials say will increase under stringent new federal ozone standards. Air quality alerts are issued on days when high levels of ozone reach unhealthy levels. The state says that under the new standards, air quality alert days could be designated earlier and later in the year than usual. State environmental officials are urging residents to limit driving as well as their use of small engines and lawn mowers. High ozone levels can cause coughing, chest pain, throat irritation and shortness of breath. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 1:57 PM | Comment Judge rejects new trial for man in Cape Cod killingBARNSTABLE, Mass. -- A judge has denied a new trial for a black garbage man convicted in the murder of a white fashion writer, rejecting the defense's claim that the jury's verdict was tainted by racism. Christopher McCowen was convicted in the 2002 rape and fatal stabbing of Christa Worthington, a writer who had covered fashion in New York and Paris before moving to the small Cape Cod town of Truro. After McCowen's conviction in November 2006, three jurors complained that several other jurors made disparaging racial remarks about McCowen and blacks in general during deliberations. But Judge Gary Nickerson ruled today that McCowen's conviction should stand. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 1:48 PM | Comment Exploration of Asian food on menu at Brown, J&WThere's serious scholarship on the menu today and tomorrow as Brown University and Johnson & Wales University sponsor a series of discussions and exhibitions exploring the topics of Asian food, food memories and ethnic identities. “Eating Chinese: Global and Local Perspectives on Memory and Identity” is the two-day event in Providence. Today’s events will be at the John Nicholas Brown Center, 357 Benefit St., while tomorrow’s are headquartered at J&W’s Culinary Arts Museum, 315 Harborside Blvd. At 4 p.m. today the session is Restaurants, Food and Memory. The participants will include Ellen Leong Blonder, illustrator and author of Every Grain of Rice, and John Chan, restaurant owner of Chan’s Fine Dining, Woonsocket. At 6 p.m., chow mein sandwiches will be served and discussed for a local perspective. These events are free and open to the public, but attendance is first-come, first-served. Tomorrow, two exhibits open at 1 p.m. at the Culinary Arts Museum. One is “Culinary Beginnings — Asia” which provides an introduction to ancient Chinese food, with menus, recipes, images and artifacts. The show features 14 Chinese and Korean antiquities, including objects from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-221 AD). The second is “Illustrations from Ellen Leong Blonder’s Every Grain of Rice. At 2 p.m., Globalizing Chinese Cuisine will be discussed with a panel including Kenny Lao, co-founder of the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar in New York; Jacqueline M. Newman, the author of Food Culture in China and editor of Flavor and Fortune, a quarterly publication about Chinese food; and filmmaker Cheuk Kwan. At 4 p.m., there will be a talk with celebrity chef Martin Yan as well as a cooking demonstration in the Tyson Amphitheater at the Harborside Academic Center at J&W. The first two events are open to the public. The talk by Yan is by reservation only, and as of today, is completely booked, according to a spokeswoman at the Culinary Arts Museum. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:45 PM | Comment Fall River man convicted on gun, drug chargesA Fall River, Mass., man has been convicted of gun and drug charges in New Bedford Superior Court this week, Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter's office announced today. Gonzalez was arrested after police stopped his vehicle near Rivet and County streets, New Bedford. The police said they found a loaded 9-millimeter Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun with an attached high capacity magazine. Police said they also found about 11 grams of crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia and $100 in cash. He was sentenced today by Superior Court Judge Robert Kane to serve four to five years in a state prison, followed by 18 months of probation. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:42 PM | Comment Cicilline order protects against 'hasty' demolitionsPROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline signed an executive order that puts in force a "demolition delay" policy his office says requires "thoughtful deliberation" before historic buildings become victims of the wrecking ball. The order, which took effect March 31, adopts recommendations "to protect against the hasty demolition of historic homes and buildings," the mayor's office said today. The Working Group for the Review of City of Providence Demolition Policy made the recommendations, which include procedures that "require careful deliberation by city officials, boards, and commissions" when someone proposes knocking down locally-designated historic buildings. The group has started a process that will inventory endangered historic properties in Providence, and is drafting policies to ensure that owners maintain historic properties and avoid “demolition by neglect.” The announcement comes as an annual statewide historic preservation conference is slated to convene in Providence one week from tomorrow. The conference will mark the 40th anniversary fo the state's Historic Preservation Act and the state commission concerned with such matters. “As we work to grow our economy and create jobs, this is about protecting and preserving Providence’s unique character,” Cicilline said in the statement. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The procedures include requiring the city's building official to, in most instances, refer any proposed demolition of a locally-designated historic building to the Historic District Commission or Downcity Design Review Commission. No proposed demolition could take place until after the appropriate review board acts on the proposal. When the building official finds a building poses a safety hazard, a committee made up of building inspector, fire marshal, planning and development director, structural engineer, and the chairman or designee from the appropriate review boards will convene immediately. The committee will figure out whether the building should be demolished. The building official will order partial or full demolition based on committee consensus. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:33 PM | Comment Wyatt passes audit, gets reaccreditedThe Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls has passed a three-day audit and examination by the American Correctional Association Commission on Accreditation, according to the corporation that operates the facility. The facility, which houses federal detainees, passed with a 99.7 percent rating and was given a three-year reaccreditation status for the fourth time in its 15-year history, according to the Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation. Wyatt was tested on 384 standards, including security, physical plant, use of force, medical programs and food services. The one area where it fell short related to the number of shower heads in a new living area. The facility is installing more shower heads and will appeal the finding in the hope of getting a 100 percent rating. There are about 8,500 correctional facilities in the country and Wyatt is one of only 1,500 facilities that are totally accredited, according to the Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation. Wyatt Detention Facility was built in 1993. It has a capacity of 700. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:31 PM | Comment Providence man charged in killing of peacemaker/ Photo
Byron Zepeda, of Detroit Avenue, Providence, turned himself in to the police last night in connection with the slaying Friday of Richard Robinson in a family disturbance at 652 Douglas Avenue. The incident started as fistfight between two of Robinson's stepsons. The police allege that Zepeda got involved and shot Robinson, who was trying to stop the fight. The police had obtained an arrest warrant for Zepeda. He knew that the police were looking for him and turned himself in last night. Zepeda was arraigned before Magistrate Joseph Ippolito in District Court, Providence, on a first-degree murder charge. He did not enter a plea. James Callaghan, special assistant attorney general, told the magistrate that Zepeda is on a 10-year suspended sentence for carrying a pistol without a license and would be brought into Superior Court as a probation violator. Zepeda, whose hands were manacled in front, appeared in court with his head bowed. -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Jack Perry at 12:07 PM | Comment Update: Back inside the State House after alarmPROVIDENCE -- Everyone is back in the State House. Fire crews had evacuated the building this morning after an alarm was tripped, leaving staff and others in the rain. According to a Journal reporter on scene, people were outside for roughly a half hour. James Taylor, Providence Fire Department chief of communications, said a box alarm was tripped at about 9:50 a.m. by people doing work on the building. People had been back inside for about 45 minutes by 11:30 a.m. -- projo.com staff, with reports from Steve Peoples, Journal State House bureau Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:47 AM | Comment Roger Williams law students to get lesson from ScaliaBRISTOL -- Students at Roger Williams University School of Law will get a lesson from an expert –– and controversial figure –– in their field. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin G. Scalia will spend Monday at the school to meet with faculty, alumni, members of the state bar and judiciary and students, the university said today. In addition to the meet-and-greets, Scalia will teach a Constitutional law class and take part in a Q&A with 175 students who won a lottery drawing. Scalia’s visit comes after both Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. visited to honor the 100th anniversary of Providence's federal courthouse, and just ahead of a scheduled visit from Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. Extra: Take a look at brief biographies of all the U.S. Supreme Court justices. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:16 AM | Comment A man of many names in U.S. District Court todayA man who faces fraud charges in Rhode Island has been known by many names in many cities. He’s been Michael Ballard and David Anthony, and even “Slade Austin.” But in U.S. District Court this afternoon, David Whitaker is set for an initial appearance on mail fraud charges. Prosecutors say the company Whitaker co-founded –– Mixitforme.com-- failed to deliver thousands of pieces of electronic equipment that it promised to send. Five alleged victims charge that they lost about $13 million to Mixitforme. Whitaker was arrested in Los Angeles International Airport after being kicked out of Mexico, according to the prosecutors. He was brought back to Rhode Island yesterday Two others have entered pleas in connection with the case. David Carpenter, of Cranston, pleaded guilty in November, and Cory Johnson, of Warwick, pleaded guilty in December. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:35 AM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Jury returns to deliberationsPROVIDENCE -- Jurors have returned to the task at hand today, returning at 9:50 a.m. to the case against seven Narragansett Indians who were arrested during a state police raid on a tribal smoke shop. The jury began deliberating Tuesday and was dismissed at 4 p.m. yesterday. The seven defendants, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, face 17 misdemeanor charges among, including resisting arrest and simple assault after a scuffle broke out during the 2003 raid on the tax-free shop on tribal land. The seven defendants face up to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both. No one has been charged with selling untaxed cigarettes. Yesterday, the judge and lawyers in the trial met in chambers for much of the morning, delaying the start of a third day of jury deliberations. McGuirl then gave the jurors instructions and urged them to listen and talk to each other, saying, "You need to keep your minds open." -- with reports from Journal staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:31 AM | Comment School bus accident in Providence; no apparent injuriesPROVIDENCE -- Police and rescue responded to the intersection of North Main Street and Olney Street, involving a school bus. It is not clear if there were any children on the bus at the time of the accident. But James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department, said everyone involved refused treatment for any injuries. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:22 AM | Comment Hasbro to use Acropolis on Monopoly gamePawtucket-based Hasbro Inc. won approval from Greece's archaeological council to use images of the Acropolis on Monopoly board games, according to Kathimerini, a newspaper in Greece. Hasbro will pay Greece $11,700 for the right to use images of the Acropolis and other archaeological items on a collector's edition of the game, the newspaper reported, citing a decision by the Central Archaeological Council. Some members of the council opposed the proposal, objecting to the use of the Acropolis in a game that is based on the concept of commercial transactions, the newspaper said. The Culture Ministry allows the use of Greek archaeological images only with approval of the country's central archaeological council and a fee paid to a fund that provides for the upkeep of archeological sites. The main attraction on the Acropolis archaeological site, in the center of the Greek capital of Athens, is the Parthenon Temple, built between 447 B.C. and 432 B.C., and considered a supreme example of Doric architecture. -- Journal Business editor John Kostrzewa Posted by Jack Perry at 9:01 AM | Comment Four-car crash on Route 195 WestOne accident has been cleared from Route 195, but another, four-car crash this morning means traffic will continue to crawl along the highway. The accident is on the westbound side of the roadway on the Washington Bridge and has two lanes blocked. See updated footage of the state's highways on the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:51 AM | Comment Photo: Under the umbrella
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:38 AM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Jury due back for fourth dayPROVIDENCE -- The jurors deliberating the case against seven Narragansett Indians arrested during a state police raid on a tribal smoke shop are set to return to their duties today at 9:15 a.m. Judge Susan E. McGuirl dismissed the jurors at 4 p.m. yesterday. The jury began deliberating Tuesday. The seven defendants, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, face 17 misdemeanor charges between them, including resisting arrest and simple assault after a scuffle broke out during the 2003 raid on their tribal, tax-free smoke shop. The seven defendants face up to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both. No one has been charged with selling untaxed cigarettes. The judge and lawyers in the trial met in chambers for much of the morning, delaying the start of a third day of jury deliberations. McGuirl then gave the jurors instructions and urged them to listen and talk to each other, saying, "You need to keep your minds open." Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:22 AM | Comment Bioengineering in Providence, ink-jet organsIf the idea of printing human organs out of an ink jet gets you excited –– and who wouldn’t be excited? –– you’re in luck. Today marks the first day of the 34th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference. And for the first time, it’s bringing experts from around the world to Brown University. If producing organs (OK, really, stem cells and proteins) in your office isn’t enough, there will be other presentations on medicine and nanotechnology, new ways to ease back pain and a discussion on implantable brain sensors, and a host of innovations in bioengineering. The conference begins today with a presentation at 1 p.m. covering the past, present and future uses of nanomaterials –– materials on a scale of less than 100 nanometers –– in different fields, particularly in medicine. Workshops and panel discussions led by students, academics and scientists who work in the field will run through Sunday. Find late-registration information and a schedule of events online. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:05 AM | Comment April showers: Today, tomorrow and SundayIf what they say is true, Rhode Island may look like a botanical garden come May. It’s been raining through much of the night, and the National Weather Service is forecasting rain through the day with fog rolling in after noon and a high temperature near 45 degrees. It should be breezy, too, with southeast winds between 7 and 11 mph. More rain is expected tonight (and tomorrow, and Saturday and Sunday) when the temperature drops slightly, to about 39 degrees. Tomorrow morning we’ll see more rain with cloudy skies all day and a high temperature near 53 degrees. We should have a short dry spell early tomorrow evening, but more rain is expected late with clouds and a low temperature near 37 degrees. Even more rain Sunday afternoon. We’ll see cloudy skies through the day with a high temperature near 46 degrees and a northeast wind between 10 and 15 mph. Sunday night will bring not only rain, but possibly sleet later with temperatures just hitting the freezing mark. And just in time for Monday, partly sunny skies with temperatures in the high 40s. Check for changes in the forecast during the weekend online at projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination and the traffic crash death of a Coventry man who leaves behind 11 children. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment They're 72 to 88 and sing Clash songsComing to Newport: A documentary film and a performance by the film's subject, a chorus of 72-to 88-year-olds whose act is more likely to include 'Rock the Casbah" than rocking-chairs. Their selections span soul god James Brown and punk deities the Clash. The documentary Young @ Heart -- described in a news release as a "smash-hit" documentary from the Sundance Film Festival, will be screened at the spring money-raiser for the Newport International Film Festival. After the documentary showing, the Young@Heart Chorus will perform live. It will happen Sunday, April 27, at 2 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theater and Event Center, 49 Touro St., Newport. Tickets are $50 for the Newport International Film Festival, $60 for the public and $100 for reserved seating and a post-performance reception. The tickets will go on sale online at www.newportfilmfestival.com Their ages may be 72 to 88, but the Young@Heart Chorus also performs collected works of Sonic Youth, Coldplay to The Clash and, the band with the heavy Rhode Island connection: the Talking Heads. The spring money-raiser raiser is sponsored by The Vanderbilt Hall Hotel, Stella Artois, The Art League of Rhode Island, The Carnegie Abbey Club and PDQ Printing. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006