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« April 21, 2008 | Today | April 23, 2008 » April 22, 2008Tonight: A mix of blues, folk and rock -- or politicsHead to Fall River, Mass., tonight where Surprise Me Mr. Davis, featuring singer-songwriter Nathan Moore, will perform at 8. The performance, which mixes blues, folk and rock, is at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St. Tickets are $17 at the door. For information, go to www.ncfta.org or call (508) 324-1926. Into politics? You can always wait for the results of the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are vying for 158 delegates -- the largest prize remaining in a primary season that ends on June 3. Polls close at 8 p.m. Check for the latest news from the polls via projo.com's politics feed from the Associated Press. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:04 PM | Comment Update: Finance panel OKs little-changed budget planPROVIDENCE -- The House Finance Committee has approved a supplemental budget proposal that is little changed from the proposed budget unveiled by Governor Carcieri in January. The committee passed the revised proposal in about an hour this afternoon, voting 12-0, with three abstentions. Voting to approve were the panel's Democrats; those abstaining are Republicans. An amended version of the budget bill has been posted on the General Assembly's Web site. In a briefing with reporters this afternoon, committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino said that most of the GOP governor's recommendations -- aimed at balancing a current-year deficit of $151 million -- were left as is or only slightly changed. High among them is the plan to cut the health-care benefits of retiring state employees. The governor's plan called for instituting the cut by June 30. Despite heavy lobbying by state worker unions, the proposal going before the committee retains the cut but extends the date to Sept. 30. (Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly reported the extended date.) Dennis Grilli, leader of Council 94, the largest state employees' union, said he was disappointed by the move. But, he said, he hopes there is still time to work on it between now and votes before the full House and Senate. Three thousand state workers are eligible to retire now. Most are expected to retire before the cutoff date, to avoid losing significant health-care benefits. Also: The governor's proposal to cut non-education state aid to cities and towns by $12 million remains intact. Dropping subsidized health care for about 2,800 immigrant children stays on the table. And a proposal to end welfare benefits for adults and children after 60 months was left in. In a statement sent out just before 5:30 p.m, Carcieri said of the Democrat-led committee's decision: “While we have not had a chance to analyze it in detail, the revised budget plan presented today by the House Finance Committee appears to include many of the tough spending decisions I advocated in January. “When I introduced my supplemental budget plan several months ago, I said that we needed to make difficult spending reduction decisions in a host of areas and that tax increases were out of the question. The House Finance Committee appears to agree.” The proposal now goes to the full House for a vote, in a special session set for this Friday. -- With reports from Steve Peoples, Journal State House bureau The bill will address a budget gap in the fiscal year that ends in roughly two months -- June 30. The Assembly will consider a separate plan to balance next year's budget -- and a projected $384 million deficit -- later in the session. The House Finance Committee has been working off a supplemental budget proposed by Governor Carcieri in January. The governor's proposals included: - Cutting state aid to cities and towns in the current year by more than $12 million. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:00 PM | Comment Photo: Saving the planet at Roger Williams University
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:53 PM | Comment Trio pulls woman, toddler from car in Coventry brookCOVENTRY -- Three Good Samaritans teamed up this morning to rescue an older female driver and her toddler passenger who were trapped in a vehicle that veered off Fish Hill Road, flipped over and landed upside down in a brook, the police said today. When police arrived on the scene sometime after 10 a.m., the driver, a 66-year-old Coventry woman, was floating in the 3 ½ -foot deep water and supported by Shamus Horan, who held her head above water, according to Sgt. John Shields. Horan was aided by neighbor Bonnie Fogarty and Linda Bokorser, who held a 2-year-old girl. Police say that Horan -- who is a Station nightclub survivor -- administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the woman before rescue crews arrived, but she was not fully alert when crews transported her to Kent County Hospital. The toddler, who police believe is the woman’s granddaughter, was not hurt, but taken to Hasbro’s Children Hospital in Providence. Horan, a resident of the Fish Hill Road area, was passing by and heard the distress calls and saw the vehicle, which lay roof-side down in the brook, and waded into the water to investigate, according to a police report. He rescued the toddler from the vehicle and passed the child to Bokorser, who had pulled over in her car when she saw the vehicle in the brook. Next, Horan got the woman out of the vehicle with help from Fogarty, who was driving on Fish Hill Road and stopped. By that time, Officer David Tucker had arrived to help Horan and Fogarty bring the woman to shore. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:22 PM | Comment Tonight: HSGameTime All-State girls indoor trackTonight at 6, you can find the 2008 HSGameTime Providence Journal All-State girls indoor track team online at www.hsgametime.com/rhodeisland. We asked each of our first-team selections to fill out a personal survey with questions including favorite TV show, favorite subject in school, and something people would be surprised to know about me. The athletes' answers, as well as audio clips of the athletes talking about what inspired them this past season, will accompany their bios on their own personal pages. Also, you will find full listings for second-team, All-Division and Academic All-State selections. The All-State girls indoor track page in The Providence Journal will run tomorrow. Here is the full schedule for the All-State teams. The teams will be revealed at 6 p.m. each day online, and in the following day's newspaper. Online now: Wrestling, gymnastics, cheerleading, girls basketball, boys basketball Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:57 PM | Comment Barrington teen accused of violating bail in boating death
Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Keough ordered Greenberg, 17, of Lamson Road, held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions after prosecutors argued that he violated the terms of his bail on the charges stemming from the July 17 boating death of Patrick Murphy on the Barrington River. A May 1 bail violation hearing with witnesses is scheduled. Greenberg appeared in court today wearing a maroon golf shirt, khaki pants and sneakers. Keough expressed surprise that Greenberg was again before him. The magistrate rejected a request that Greenberg be placed on home confinement, saying essentially that the boy's parents had been unable to prevent his going out on Saturday with other teens and allegedly possessing alcohol. In the boating death case, Greenberg was charged with operating a boat to endanger, death resulting; refusal to submit to chemical/breath test after he failed a field sobriety test; and, underage possession of alcohol. Greenberg pleaded not guilty to the charges at Superior Court arraignment in January. Greenberg, who had been released on $100,000 personal recognizance bail, had four conditions of that bail: * To abstain from alcohol and drugs. In Providence County Superior Court today, prosecutor Christian Capizzo presented Greenberg as a bail violator. The state Attorney General's Office sought to have Greenberg held without bail pending the outcome of a bail violation hearing. According to prosecutors, Greenberg violated bail over the weekend by allegedly doing the following: refusing to submit to a breath or field sobriety test, failing to keep the peace and be of good behavior, and by being in possession of alcohol as a minor. The Barrington police said yesterday they had arrested two Barrington teens, and that more arrests were expected, after the teens were found drinking near Brickyard Pond Saturday evening. Chief John LaCross has said an officer was on foot doing a "party patrol" when he came upon the gathering at about 5:19 p.m. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Arrested Saturday night were a Barrington girl, whose name was withheld because she is 15 years old, and Corey J. Place, 18, of 416 Sowams Rd. Both were charged with underage possession of alcohol. Place will be sent to District Court. The girl will go to Family Court. The police said they found more than a dozen beer cans on the ground, a 30-pack with more empty cans on the ground, and more than 15 full cans of beer in backpacks. The group the officer came upon, according to the police, also included a second 15-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, three 17-year-old boys, and a 19-year-old man. Greenberg became the most high-profile of so-called gap kids in Rhode Island, in which 17-year-olds were briefly prosecuted as adults following a General Assembly change to the law. Such is the case with the charges stemming from the boating death. The law has since returned to having 17-year-olds prosecuted in Family Court, but Greenberg and others have pending cases in which they were being tried as adults. A Superior Court judge in February dismissed cases against 115 of the gap kids, but not the second-degree murder indictment against Greenberg and indictments against a few other teens. The judge also put a 20-day hold on the dismissal of the 115 cases so that the Attorney General's office could appeal to the state Supreme Court -- a matter the state's highest court is slated to consider in June. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:58 PM | Comment Judge's ruling allows hospital-bed lawsuit to go forwardPROVIDENCE -- A judge has ruled a lawsuit against Rhode Island Hospital over a free hospital bed can move forward. Children's Friend and Service, a charitable organization in Rhode Island, is suing the hospital over a 1912 will that endowed a bed for permanent free medical care. Louisa Lippitt left $4,000 to the hospital on the condition that the charity would be able to nominate patients for the bed. The charity found the will in its archives several years ago and sued last November after negotiations broke down. The hospital sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that Children's Friend and Service is a different entity than the charity Lippitt named in her will. Superior Court Judge Patricia Hurst denied the request today, allowing the suit to proceed. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:36 PM | Comment House panel 'very likely' to vote on budget-balancing billPROVIDENCE -- The House Finance Committee is "very likely" to vote today on a sweeping proposal to help balance a current-year budget deficit of at least $151 million, a House spokesman said. The "supplemental" budget bill is scheduled to be heard this afternoon after the House recesses -- generally around 5 p.m. But it's not the first time it's been posted on an agenda, only to be put off. House spokesman Larry Berman, however, said that the House leadership has met and that it is "very likely" that the plan will be heard and voted on today. The bill will address a budget gap in the fiscal year that ends in roughly two months -- June 30. The Assembly will consider a separate plan to balance next year's budget -- and a projected $384 million deficit -- later in the session. The House Finance Committee has been working off a supplemental budget proposed by Governor Carcieri in January. But what the panel has done with that proposal will be unveiled today. The governor's proposals included: - Cutting state aid to cities and towns in the current year by more than $12 million. - Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:34 PM | Comment Update: N. Kingstown water is pretty close to the bestDo you balk at the thought of taking a swig of tap water without a filter? Spend too much money on bottled water? If so, North Kingstown may be the place for you. It's just been judged to have the third best-tasting water of 750 water districts across the country, according Susan Licardi, Director of North Kingstown water supply. The southern Rhode Island town was one of five finalists for America’s best-tasting water. The National Rural Water Association, a nonprofit trade group, runs the annual competition and this year judged more than 750 water samples from 45 states. “Clean drinking water is a vital part of our daily lives,” Sen. Jack Reed said in a statement today, “And I’m proud that North Kingstown’s efforts have been recognized.” Reed is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water. Judges today tested the five finalists –– North Kingstown, Southhampton, Mass., Lewis, Del.; Lorain County, Ohio; and Avilla Ind. –– in Washington on clarity, taste and bouquet. On all three counts? Refreshing. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Paul Davis Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:33 PM | Comment DOT to close ramp from Route 195 to 95 tonightPROVIDENCE -- The Department of Transportation says that for safety reasons, it will close the ramp from Route 195 westbound to Route 95 southbound from 9 p.m. this evening until 5:30 a.m., and also Wednesday and Thursday nights because of work on its Route 195 relocation project. The DOT said its detour will send that traffic north on Route 95 to Exit 22B (Routes 6/10) and then to follow Route 10 south to Cranston, to rejoin Route 95 southbound. There will also be lane closures on Route 95 in both directions. Department spokeswoman Frances Segerson said the agency will close the ramp because the work it is doing forces the elimination of the merge lane for Route 195 traffic joining Route 95. "Traffic on the ramp doesn't slow down and there is no merge lane," she said. "It's not safe." During the I-95 South lane and ramp closures, Exit 19 to Rhode Island, Women & Infants and Hasbro Hospitals will remain open for traffic on I-95 south, the DOT said. Traffic on I-195 west heading to the hospitals will be directed to take Exit 2 (South Main Street) and then directed over the Point Street Bridge and onto Eddy Street to reach the hospitals. -- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis Posted by Jack Perry at 12:05 PM | Comment One day's worth of road trash equals 800 bags / Photo
That's the result of one day's work cleaning up roads in Rhode Island this week. The pile was used by the state Department of Transportation to illustrate the trash problem in the state. DOT Director Michael Lewis said, “Every piece of trash we had to pick up was disposed of improperly and that’s a shame.” The biggest litter problems in Rhode Island are beverage containers, including water, soda and alcohol bottles, fast food packaging, and cigarette butts, according to the DOT. Nationally, the top three litter problems are fast food waste, paper products, and aluminum beer cans. The DOT says debris on roadways nationwide causes 25,000 accidents and over 80 fatalities each year. About 55 percent of roadside litter occurs intentionally by people dropping their trash on the road. The other 45 percent of roadside litter is caused by trash blowing out of uncovered trucks or falling off of unsecured loads. “While it might only take two to five weeks for a banana peel to decompose, it takes 200 to 500 years for an aluminum can to do the same. RIDOT is asking motorists to take their trash home and dispose of it properly because Earth Day isn’t just today but every day,” said Lewis. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:01 PM | Comment Reporter's query: How do higher gas prices affect you?Gasoline is officially more expensive than it has ever been. Wages are stagnant. Houses are worth less. It costs more to heat our homes, feed our families, and pay our medical bills. How are you coping? What are you doing differently, and what are you doing without? The Journal wants to talk to individuals and families about their day to day costs, the challenge of making ends meet, and what happens when they no longer do. If you're willing to be interviewed for a story on coping with higher costs during this economic slowdown, e-mail The Journal at pjnews@projo.com. Please put "high costs" in the subject line, and include a phone number and a good time to call. Posted by maria caporizzo at 12:00 PM | Comment R.I. lawmakers could vote on budget fixPROVIDENCE -- Democratic lawmakers are considering a vote on a revised budget that tries to close a multimillion dollar shortfall. Democrats on the House Finance Committee were scheduled today to release their version of a budget to close a $151 million deficit in the current fiscal year ending in June. They still face an estimated $400 million deficit in the coming year. A spokesman for Democratic House Speaker William Murphy said budget talks were ongoing last night. It was unclear if the committee would delay the vote. Earlier this year, Republican Gov. Carcieri proposed balancing this year's deficit by making deeps cuts to school funding, reducing state aid for cities and towns and reducing social welfare spending. Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the General Assembly and can alter Carcieri's plans. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 10:58 AM | Comment Earth Day 2008Thirty-eight years ago U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, of Wisconsin, proposed people take a day to contemplate their environments; a day for teach-ins, clean-ups, tree plantings. We all know Earth Day by now, and some of those same activities are planned for this April 22. But the dialogue about what needs to be done to ensure we leave a safe and healthy environment for generations to come has grown more complex and more pervasive. Today, you can still go pick up trash at a local park, but you can also see what some local, national and even international businesses are doing on a large scale to reduce their impacts on the world around them. At the first Annual Green Hospitality Certification Awards Program, the state Department of Environmental Management will recognize hotels, restaurants and other tourist-related businesses for sustainable and efficient building methods. A vendor showcase is set for 11 a.m. today, and the awards will be presented in the early afternoon at the R.I. Convention Center. Not building a world-class hotel? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has some tips for being more efficient at home, work, school and in your immediate community. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:27 AM | Comment President of Bolivia comes to BrownA farmer, llama herder, brick maker, baker, musician and now, the head of state in Bolivia; Evo Morales is coming to Providence. He is set to give the Stephen A. Ogden Jr. Memorial Lecture on International Affairs this afternoon. Morales’s speech, “From the Andes: New Visions, New Voices,” will touch on his life, from an agricultural laborer and llama herder to Bolivia’s first indigenous head of state. The lecture is set to begin at 4 p.m. in Sayles Hall on the main green. Doors will open at 3 p.m. In 19997, Morales was voted into his first national post, in 2007 he was elected president. Since then, he has said that redressing the effects of discrimination against the country’s indigenous people would be his goal. Morales's visit is part of Brown's year-long focus on Latin America. The series began in 2007 with a visit by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil, and Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:29 AM | Comment Teens will pair with inmates to face DUI consequencesState officials are hoping that they can get local teenagers to understand the reality of drinking and driving. In what the Attorney General’s office and the Department of Corrections are calling the Zero Fatalities Project, they’ve recruited the help of inmates at the state's prison. “The panelists will speak about their crimes, the effects of their poor choices, and their incarceration,” reads a statement from the two agencies. The project will bring 11th and 12th graders from high schools across the state to the Adult Correctional Institutions, where they will hear from inmates who have been sentenced for drunk and reckless driving violations. In a bid to get to teenagers before the prom season, the panel groups will be held on Wednesdays, beginning tomorrow, and running through the end of next month. There will also be evening groups for families and other community groups who’d like to participate. Attorney General Patrick Lynch and Corrections Director A.T. Wall will join Family Court Justice Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr., Warwick Police Chief Stephen McCartney, who is president of the State Police Chiefs Association, and others are planning to announce the initiative this afternoon at the medium security facility in at the ACI. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:57 AM | Comment Today's weatherSometimes more of the same is OK. Today the National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures in the low 70s with calm south winds and bright, blue skies. Skies should remain clear tonight, when the temperature dips to 46 degrees. More sun tomorrow, with temperatures rising into the mid-70s and west winds up to 13 mph. For updates, see projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Spend a day in the sun, fish for shopping cartsThe forecast for today: 70s and sunny. Wouldn’t it be nice to be outside? Spread some mulch, paint a mural, fish a shopping cart out of the river. The Narragansett Bay Commission and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is sponsoring a clean-up tomorrow along the riverbank. Volunteers are meeting along the Woonasquatucket River in Providence. The event runs from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. If it rains –– which it probably won’t –– the clean-up will be moved to Thursday. For more information, call (401) 461-8848. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about record-high gas prices. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006