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« April 2008 | Today | June 2008 » May 30, 2008Police prepared for busy night on Providence streetsPROVIDENCE -- It’s going to be a busy night in Providence, which could mean a busy night for the Providence police. Police Chief Dean Esserman said he’s prepared for tonight’s festivities, which include a full WaterFire performance on downtown rivers and streets, Hot Night 2008, a hip-hop concert at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, the annual Pell Awards for achievement in the arts on Empire Street, and two prom celebrations. This afternoon, Esserman said there will be a 22-person special police detail at the Dunkin' Donuts Center for the concert and another 16-person detail for WaterFire and a 13-person detail at Providence Place mall. And he’ll be coordinating from the department’s mobile command center until about 3 a.m. to keep an eye on emptying bars and clubs. “We think it’s going to go wonderfully,” Esserman said. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:05 PM | Comment Crews on scene of a structure fire in ProvidencePROVIDENCE -- Crews at this hour are on scene of a structure fire, believed to be in a residence, at 125 Whittier Ave., according to fire dispatch. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 PM | Comment 3 bitten by foxes in Hopkinton; at least 1 fox rabidA fox caught in Hopkinton has tested positive for rabies while test results are pending for a second fox caught in the town -- and three people who were bitten will undergo treatment, the state Department of Environmental Management says. The foxes were caught separately in the area of Sweet Valley Estates, near the Lindhbrook Golf Course near the center of town, the DEM environmental police said this evening. Earlier today, a DEM news release warned Hopkinton residents that there have been two incidents in which people in town were bitten by foxes in unprovoked attacks -- and that one fox had tested positive for rabies. Last night, a person was bitten while using a weed-whacking device in the yard in the Sweet Valley Estates area. Police called the DEM, whose officers captured and brought the fox to the state Department of Health laboratory, where it tested positive for the disease. A second person got bitten during the capture, the DEM says. Today, another person was bitten by a fox in an unprovoked attack, the DEM says. At the time of the news release, the fox was not captured. The three people will get a series of vaccinations as part of the treatment regimen. The DEM news release asked people in Hopkinton to be to be vigilant and to report any contact with foxes to DEM's environmental police office at 222-3070. More about rabies from the state DEM ... -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment R.I. chef in finals for Next Food Network StarThe Next Food Network Star is back for a fourth season on Food Network with a local chef, Jennifer Cochrane, 32, of Woonsocket among the 10 finalists. And the restaurant where she was executive chef is throwing a party on Sunday. Geppetto’s Restaurant, 57 De Pasquale Ave., Providence, will host a premiere party to preview the first episode of the Next Food Network Star from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be free give-aways and food and drink specials for this Food Network sanctioned event. The episode appears on the Food Network at 10 p.m. and replays at 1 a.m. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:39 PM | Comment Pre-trial conference for Barrington teen postponedPROVIDENCE -- A pre-trial conference slated for Monday for Ryan Greenberg, the Barrington teenager charged with second-degree murder in the boating death of another Barrington teen, has been put off. Instead, on June 20, the various sides in the case will decide on a new pre-trial conference date. As part of the scheduling change, a bail review that was to be held June 23 will be held June 20, according to Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. Earlier this month, Greenberg admitted to violating terms of his bail after the Barrington police said they found him and seven other underage Barrington residents at a pond with beer and liquor in April. -- With Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:51 PM | Comment Arguments for new trial for 3 Narragansetts postponedArguments for motions for a new trial for the three Narragansett Indians convicted of misdemeanor charges related to the state police smoke-shop raid were postponed to June 11 to give lawyers more time to prepare, a court spokesman said today The arguments had been scheduled for Monday. A Providence Superior Court jury found Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas guilty of assaulting a state trooper during a six-week trial. Two other tribal members were also convicted of misdemeanor crimes, while four Narragansetts were acquitted altogether. State police executed a search warrant on the roadside shop on tribal land in Charlestown July 14, 2003, to stop the Narragansetts from selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes. The raid descended into a confrontation in which eight Narragansetts were arrested. Charges against a juvenile were dismissed in Family Court. The seven other tribal members were tried earlier this year -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:43 PM | Comment Reporter's query: Did you get caught in house price drop?Did you get caught in the house price downturn? If your plans to sell your house and retire, travel, downsize, or pursue some other venture have been scuttled by this real estate bust, we want to hear your story. Please contact Providence Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi at larditi@projo.com or call (401) 277-7335. Please include a daytime phone number where you can be reached. Thank you. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:33 PM | Comment Black bears and youIn case you haven’t heard, there may be a black bear meandering through South County. With all of the publicity, the Department of Environmental Management has decided to issue some tips on how to live alongside bears: Fist thing’s first. Bears like food that’s accessible and reliable. Who doesn't? If the garbage is left out, a bear will keep coming back for more. If the grill is still dripping with grease from Memorial Day, the bear will sniff you out. And as one Narragansett resident already knows –– black bears can eat some bird seed. So, according to DEM, keep garbage out of sight, in sheds and garages, or double bag your trash. Clean your grill, it will make your food taste better too. And there’s plenty of food for birds without birdseed, especially from April to November, so DEM recommends taking down the bird feeders. For more tips on life with your new, wild neighbors, download this .PDF brochure from the DEM, or click below. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson The DEM also says the animals, fierce as they can be, "generally shy and secretive, and usually fearful of humans." This doesn't mean, of course, that they're not dangerous, but according to DEM, it's safe to make loud noises and waive your hands to scare one away from a safe distance -- but remember, the bars can climb trees, swim and run up to 35 mph. Keep that in mind when considering a safe distance. If, in a reverse of fortune, you happen to surprise a bear and it's at close range, back away slowly. But don't make eye contact! It may be perceived as a threat. The animals are typically nocturnal, with poor eyesight, decent hearing and a keen sense of smell. They eat grass, leaves, fruit, nuts and berries, according to DEM, and will sometimes eat small mammals and insects. But without a supply of food, bears are likely to leave the suburbs and head back to the forest. So keep food under wraps, and you and the bears should get along just fine. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:23 PM | Comment Entwistle fails to block his trial in wife, daughter's deathsWOBURN, Mass. — A judge refused Friday to dismiss murder charges or change the location of a trial for a British man accused of killing his wife and infant daughter, and delayed ruling on whether prosecutors can introduce evidence that Neil Entwistle trolled the Internet looking for sex. Judge Diane Kottmyer rejected the defense claim that the intense media coverage of the case has made it impossible for Entwistle to find an impartial jury. The judge also denied a request to move the trial to Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard after Entwistle’s lawyer said it might be the only place in Massachusetts where the case has not received saturation media coverage. Kottmyer said jury selection will begin as scheduled Monday in Middlesex Superior Court. Entwistle is charged with fatally shooting his wife, Rachel, 27, and daughter, Lillian Rose, 9 months, on Jan. 20, 2006. Their bodies were discovered curled up in bed together in their rented Hopkinton, Mass., house two days later. -- The Associated Press Kottmyer postponed a ruling on a request from prosecutors to show the jury Entwistle’s computer history, which includes numerous visits to escort service Web sites and other sites that help people find sexual partners. Weinstein said hearing about the Web sites could prejudice the jury against Entwistle because prosecutors plan to use his online history to argue he was motivated to kill his wife in part because he was unhappy with his sex life. “The evidence in this case will show that there was nothing but a loving relationship between Neil and Rachel Entwistle,” Weinstein said. Assistant District Attorney Michael Fabbri said prosecutors want to tell the jury about Entwistle’s computer history to “show what was going on in the mind of the defendant at or around the time of the crime.” Kottmyer said she will review earlier cases to decide whether the jury will hear about the sex sites. According to a summary of the case filed in court by prosecutors, Entwistle’s computer records showed he exchanged e-mails with a woman he met on a Web site called Adult Friend Finder. He told the woman he was in a relationship “but looking for a bit more fun in the bedroom” and “a very discrete relationship just for fun.” Prosecutors have said Entwistle was despondent because he was unemployed and deeply in debt. They have also said that he may have planned to kill himself after killing his wife and daughter. Entwistle told police he returned home from doing errands to find his wife and daughter dead. He said he was so distraught upon finding their bodies that he contemplated suicide, but instead flew to England to be comforted by his parents. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:15 PM | Comment Update: CVS Trial: Kramer, Ortiz cleared of all charges
PROVIDENCE -- Former CVS executives John R. "Jack" Kramer and Carlos Ortiz have been cleared of charges that they tried bribing former state Sen. John Celona to win favor in the State House for the Woonsocket-based drugstore chain. The jury of eight men and four women reached their verdict in less than two hours, clearing them of all 23 charges lodged against each defendant. Jurors got the case at 10:35 this morning after receiving instructs from Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi. Some in the courtroom sighed with relief as the not-guilty verdicts in the high-profile case were quickly read around 12:15 p.m. After the verdict, trial participants, reporters, family and friends gathered outside the federal courthouse. Descending the steps into a pleasant, blue-sky afternoon, Kramer, 75, wearing a dark suit, clapped his hands once or twice, then waved his arms, motioning a dozen or so waiting reporters forward. Kramer said he could not believe what he had been through. "This has been an unfair, unjust prosecution," he said. Kramer said that as he waited for the verdict to be read, “I was just so nervous, just so nervous.” He added that “frankly, it was my faith that carried me through this.” Kramer said he had put his life on hold for 3 ½ to 4 years, and now, “You’re like, ‘Now what?’” 
Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Ortiz, 64, also clad in a dark suit, left the courthouse to the applause of family members and friends. But his wife, Jan, said, "I'm not real happy with the government for putting together this sham of a case." Ortiz himself declined to characterize the government's case after his wife spoke. Both men thanked their lawyers. Asked if he was disappointed by the verdict, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said, "Well, that's the way the system works, so we'll go on from here." Asked what went wrong, he said: “I’m not sure anything went wrong.” Your Turn: Do you agree with the "not guilty" verdict in CVS case? -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Michael P. McKinney, with archival reports The government's star witness was Celona, who is serving a 2 1/2-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges that he sold his office to CVS, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and Roger Williams Medical Center. Reporters' questions after the verdict centered in part on Celona's effectiveness as a witness. Scott Corrigan, one of Kramer's lawyers, reflecting on the swifly delivered verdict, said of Celona in the trial: "You can see for yourself what kind of a witness he was.” Celona spent four days on the witness stand, but for three of those days, he was under cross-examination, and defense attorneys pointed out inconsistencies in his testimony. Celona testified how he came to be hired as a consultant by CVS, how he did the company’s legislative bidding while neglecting the other duties spelled out in his consulting agreement, and how he concealed the arrangement because he didn’t want the public to think he had switched sides on pharmacy-choice legislation because CVS was paying him. CVS was opposed to the pharmacy-choice legislation. But on cross-examination Celona was confronted with evidence that he had cheated on his taxes, failed to correct tax problems as promised in his plea agreement with prosecutors and lied to the authorities more times than he could remember. The defense rested without calling any witnesses. Neither Kramer, nor Ortiz took the stand to explain why CVS hired Celona, a state senator from North Providence, as a $1,000-a-month consultant from 2000 to 2003. In closing arguments over five hours yesterday, the prosecution argued that Celona abused his political office for CVS’ gain, at the behest of Kramer and Ortiz. The defense countered that Celona was hired for legitimate purposes, promoting CVS charities on his cable-access television show –– work that was permissible under Rhode Island law defining the state’s “citizen legislator” form of government. After the verdict, CVS issued a statement this afternoon, saying the company "believes that the judicial process has produced a fair and just outcome. "Today’s verdict is consistent with the company’s long-held view that Mr. Kramer and Mr. Ortiz had not engaged in criminal conduct. We are pleased for these two men and their families that this long and painful ordeal has ended," the statement said. U.S. Attorney Corrente said his office would continue with its investigation into corruption at the State House, "Operation Dollar Bill." "If anyone thinks were going away, we're not," Corrente said. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:17 PM | Comment Providence police to patrol on electric scooters / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman and Mayor David N. Cicilline today unveiled a fleet of four electric scooters that will supplement this summer’s police patrol. Although the nearly emissions-free scooters have been touted as a "green" alternative to motorcycles, this summer they will be replacing the city's emissions-free foot and bicycle patrols, Esserman said at a press conference this morning. The scooters are on loan from manufacturer Vectrix Corporation, a Middletown-based company that has sold fleets to police departments in New York and California. The scooters, which have a suggested retail price of $8,400 to $8,500, have a top speed of 62 mph and are black except for Providence police decals and amber caution lights. “They are cool,” Esserman said today. And Providence will be just the third city in the nation to use them, even on a tryout basis. Although the department gets to use the scooter for free this summer, the program is costing the city about $1,450 for helmets and police decals. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports by Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:10 PM | Comment Big party fights small enemy -- the tickPROVIDENCE -- How's this for the theme of your next party: Ticks and Vector Borne Diseases? Too bad, it's taken. Tonight, politicians and scientists are getting together for the Big Tick Gala, an event that highlights people who work to spread the word about and prevent against tick bites and the harm they can cause. There's even a silent auction and an awards ceremony. The "Think TICK, Take Action" awards recognize government, philanthropic and grass-roots efforts to combat ticks. The event is taking place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Botanical Gardens in Roger Williams Park. Tonight's event will also serve as the launch for the University of Rhode Island's upcoming tick awareness program. Guests will include U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, Governor Carcieri, URI scientists and researchers, including Thomas Mather, head of the school's Center for Vector-Borne Disease, which is hosting the gala. Tickets are $25 -- for more information, call 874-2928 or email frostee@uri.edu. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:09 PM | Comment CVS trial: It's in the jury's hands now
At 10:35 this morning, a jury of eight men and four women received the federal corruption case against former CVS executives John R. "Jack’’ Kramer and Carlos Ortiz. "You should exercise reasonable and intelligent judgment,’’ advised Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi. She urged them not to feel pressured to yield their position if they are in the minority, but also not to be stubborn and to "keep an open mind.’’ The deliberations began after a three-week trial and followed an hour of instructions this morning from the judge on the law. Lisi defined such basic concepts as "beyond a reasonable doubt’’ and then outlined the elements of the 23 counts that Kramer and Ortiz are charged with -- 1 count of conspiracy to commit honest-services mail fraud, 21 counts of honest-services mail fraud and 1 count of bribery. Kramer and Ortiz are accused of hiring a Rhode Island senator, John Celona, as a $1,000-a-month consultant to help further the legislative agenda of the Woonsocket-based drugstore chain giant. By doing so, they allegedly deprived the citizens of Rhode Island of the honest services of an elected official. Read Journal coverage of the lawyers' closing arguments. Extra: Trial coverage and more on the related Operation Dollar Bill investigation. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton A key question that the jury must decide is whether Kramer and Ortiz acted "knowingly and willfully’’ to corrupt Celona by hiring him to influence his actions as a senator. Under Rhode Island law, Lisi explained to the jury, part-time legislators can participate in legislation affecting a company they work for, as long as the legislation affects all similar types of businesses equally. It is the legislator’s responsibility to determine if there is a conflict, and whether to avoid participating. Furthermore, Lisi instructed, the law allows a business with a legislator on its payroll to communicate with that legislator regarding legislation, provided that the payments to the legislator are not intended to influence his official actions. Kramer and Ortiz maintain that CVS hired Celona for legitimate public relations purposes and that the defendants’ communications with Celona on legislation was permissible. The prosecution counters that there was no sensible reason for CVS to hire Celona, other than for political favors, since the evidence shows that he didn’t do the public relations work mentioned in his consulting agreement, that he was paid from CVS’s political contributions account and that Kramer and Ortiz sought to conceal the relationship. Prosecutors hammered at the point that Celona helped kill pharmacy choice legislation that Kramer and Ortiz reported would have cost CVS millions of dollars in profits. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:12 AM | Comment No bears in sightWhere's the bear? Taken up residency? Taking a nap? Taken off? Whatever the case, the black bear -- or bears -- that has been spotted from Scituate to Narragansett in the past few weeks has been nowhere in sight since about 4 p.m. yesterday, according to the Department of Environmental Management. And neither officials in North Kingstown or Narragansett, where the last two sightings came from, have fielded any sighting calls recently. And so, for now, there are no DEM Environmental Police waiting in the woods, no municipal police pounding the pavement, and no calls from residents missing bird feeders. But it's early yet. And here's a question, where did the bear or bears come from? -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:17 AM | Comment Lottery today for spots order on Foster ballotFOSTER - Candidates for the open town council seat will find out later today the order in which their names will appear on the July 8 ballot. Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis scheduled a lottery late this afternoon to determine the order of names on the ballot. Democrat Roger Hawes, Republican Gordon Rogers and Jonathon Vorro, who is running unaffiliated, are facing off for the seat left open after Harold Shippee Sr. resigned in March. "When I ran for office, I pledged to make government more transparent," Mollis said in a statement. "There is nothing that will give voters more faith in the fairness of their elections than the chance to see firsthand how the process unfolds." The lottery is set for 4:30 p.m. at the elections division, 148 West River St., Providence. Mollis has invited the candidates and Foster residents to attend. Foster residents must register to vote in the special election by June 7. Voters must be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens and have a valid Social Security number or Rhode Island driver’s license. State law gives Mollis the authority to hold lotteries to determine ballot placement. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:04 AM | Comment Entwistle lawyers to ask for dismissal, venue changeWOBURN, Mass. — Lawyers for the British man accused of killing his wife and infant daughter in the family’s Hopkinton, Mass., home say they will ask a judge to dismiss the charges or change the location of the trial scheduled to start Monday. Attorney Stephanie Page says Neil Entwistle can’t get a fair trial in Middlesex County because of intense international media coverage. Lawyers are scheduled to argue motions in Middlesex Superior Court today. The defense also intends to ask the judge to exclude from trial the evidence prosecutors gathered against Entwistle since his arrest in February 2006. Prosecutors claim Entwistle killed his 27-year-old wife, Rachel, and 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, in January 2006. Entwistle told police he found them dead after returning from an errand. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:59 AM | Comment CVS Trial: Jury instructions todayChief Judge Mary M. Lisi is set to read instructions today to the jury charged with deciding whether two former executives of Woonsocket-based CVS are guilty of trying to buy influence from former state Sen. John Celona, who is serving time in a federal prison for corruption. Yesterday the jury heard four hours of closing arguments in the trial. The prosecution argued that Celona abused his office to help CVS at the State House on behalf of John R. “Jack” Kramer and Carlos Ortiz, two former executives at the drugstore giant. Lawyers for the two argued instead that Celona was legitimately hired to promote CVS charities on his cable-access television show. After three weeks of testimony, Lisi is set to instruct the jury and deliberations may begin today. Special Report: More on the trial and the Operation Dollar Bill corruption investigation. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:59 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Route 195 east, one lane blockedAn accident this morning has a lane closed on the Washington Bridge heading to Massachusetts. The accident, on the eastbound side of Route 195, has the right lane closed on the bridge. See how traffic is moving near the site of the accident, and along your commute, on the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:50 AM | Comment Today in historyOn this day in 1431 Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France. Read more about today in history. Check out a video report about today in history. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Nice Friday, not-so-nice SaturdayI didn't want to spoil the beautiful day, but today I have to. After a reprieve last week, it’s back to the same ol’ “beautiful week, crummy weekend” business that we’ve seen for the past month or so. Today will start off wonderful. By 8 a.m., we should hit 60 degrees and the National Weather Service is forecasting a clear, sun-filled sky, a high temperature near 76 degrees and the mildest of north winds. Tonight looks good too, with temperatures dropping just 20 degrees to about 56 degrees, increasing clouds and a light, south wind. But early Saturday morning we'll have a slight chance of showers, and as the morning goes on, we get hit: showers, thunderstorms and breezy west winds gusting up to 36 mph. The temperatures will stay mild, with highs in the low 70s. The same goes for Saturday night, with showers and thunderstorms on and off throughout the day. Temperatures will remain mild, with a low of 58 degrees and west winds gusting up to 31 degrees. In all Saturday, we can expect three-quarters of an inch of rain -- and more in areas of the most intense thunderstorms. But the rain should take off as quickly as it arrives, and Sunday we'll get back to sun, partly sunny skies and highs in the mid 70s. West winds should be between 8 and 14 mph. Clouds should thicken Sunday night, but no rain in the forecast. We'll have an overnight low in the low 50s. And Monday, the trend should continue: back to work, back to sunshine, blue skies, and mild temperatures in the mid 70s. Cross your fingers and check projo.com's weather page -- maybe Saturday's forecast will change. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a report on the average price for a gallon of gasoline reaching the $4 mark in Rhode Island. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 29, 2008Tonight: 'Frankenstein Project' is in PawtucketThe Frankenstein Project continues its run at the Mixed Magic Theatre in Pawtucket, with a 7:30 performance tonight. It's described on the theater's Web site as "a laboratory production of Mary A. Shelley’s novel." Jim Brown plays Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and Bill Pett is his father in the production. On a less terrifying note, you can experiment with some music in Providence. Mark Cutler and Friends play rock and rhythm and blues at 9 p.m. at Nick-A-Nees 75 South St. Call 861-7290. The East Side Horns and Mac Odom and Chill, rhythm and blues and Motown, The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. 453-6500, www.thehihat.com. 8 p.m. to midnight. For more events, see projo.com's list of calendars. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Comment Senate passes bill toughening DUI penaltyPROVIDENCE -- The state Senate today passed a bill that would make driving with a suspended license a felony when it results from a conviction for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or refusing to submit to a chemical test. Punishment would be up to five years' imprisonment, up to a $5,000 fine and taking an alcohol and/or drug treatment program, according to a news release. The bill heads next to the House of Representatives. “When we talk of zero tolerance for drunk drivers, we have to put plenty of teeth behind it and give police the enforcement tools to make sure our streets and highways are safe," said bill sponsor Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, D-Coventry, in the statement. The goal, according to the news release, is to get tougher on repeat offenders. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:52 PM | Comment Update: Historic Arcade building to get $8M facelift
The building's tenants, primarily lunch counters and retail shops, will have to vacate the building by June 30, so construction can begin, according to Granoff. Granoff expects the renovation of the Weybosset Street building to take about a year. "Our goals are to reposition the Arcade so that it can be sustainable in the long term, and to deepen our firm's commitment to the historic preservation and economic vitality of Downcity," Evan Granoff, managing member of Granoff Associates, said in a press release. -- projo.com staff writer Jack Perry, with reports from Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Granoff said its application for a historic tax credit was approved by the state on May 15. Granoff also figured the time was right for renovation because Johnson and Wales University had earlier announced plans to move its Johansson's Bakery to the school's hospitality facility in Seekonk by June 30. The bakery represents 25 percent of the Arcade's revenue, according to Granoff. The building has 13 tenants. Tenants have been renting on a month-to-month basis since 2005 in anticipation of the project, according to Granoff. Later today, store owners said that the Granoff never told them they would have to vacate, and that they learned about it today via a report on projo.com, The Providence Journal's Web site. “Everybody’s shocked that we’ve only been given 30 days notice. How does anyone move a business in 30 days?” said Don Beohner, owner of Copacetic, a jewelry store on the Arcade’s second floor. Posted by Jack Perry at 6:34 PM | Comment Change in drug crime sentences goes to CarcieriPROVIDENCE -- For the second year in a row, a bill to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug crimes is headed to Governor Carcieri, who vetoed similar legislation last year. The House today approved the bill 52 to 13, with nine not voting. It had gotten Senate backing. Shortly after, a spokeswoman for Carcieri sent a statement saying that, since the bill is essentially the same as last year's, and the governor vetoed it that version, "it is reasonable to believe it will receive the same treatment this year." -- With reports from Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:02 PM | Comment House backs bill allowing flexible kindergarten entry agePROVIDENCE -- The House has approved a bill that would let school departments decide whether to admit a child who turns 5 between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 into kindergarten. The bill would permit individual school districts to create policies for allowing students who have not met the minimum age requirement to attend kindergarten -- if space is available and it's determined that it would be in the best interests of the child to be enrolled in school. The current law holds that children must be 5 by Sept. 1 of any school year if they are to enroll in kindergarten. In 2002, the General Assembly changed the date of enrollment eligibility date from Dec. 31 to Sept. 1. “I’ve heard concerns from many constituents whose children are more than prepared for kindergarten but have missed the Sept. 1 deadline by weeks or even days. Then the child has to wait an entire year before being enrolled in school,” bill sponsor Stephen R. Ucci, D-Johnston, said in the statement. "This puts those children who are ready for school at age 4 at a disadvantage.” It's the second year Ucci introduced legislation to relax kindergarten entrance age requirements. The bill won House approval last year but died in the Senate. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Education Committee. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:16 PM | Comment Suspended police officer gets 20 years in prison / Photo
Ciresi, who had been on home confinement since February, was ordered to the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston by Judge Robert J. Krause. On Feb. 11, a jury convicted Ciresi on two counts of burglary, one stemming from an armed home invasion in Pawtucket in which his gun was found. He was also found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary, the use of a firearm to commit a crime of violence, attempting to steal money from a stolen ATM after a police raid, receiving a stolen generator, obstructing a police officer and harboring a criminal by hiding a traffic summons in his police locker. The verdict ended an investigation that started in 2004 when a man caught in an armed home invasion of a drug dealer in Pawtucket told police Ciresi had given him the gun. Ciresi indicated today to the Providence County Superior Court judge that he wanted to make a brief statement. But, after talking to his lawyer, Richard Corley, he did not on the lawyer's advice. At that point, Ciresi, who has showed little emotion during the course of the trial, got teary-eyed. On the first count of breaking and entering into the Pawtucket home, he was sentenced to 35 years with 20 to serve. He received lesser sentences on other counts, which are to run concurrently. On a count of using a firearm to commit a crime of violence, he was sentenced to serve 10 years consecutively, but that sentence was suspended. Lawyer Corley said he would be preparing an appeal for Ciresi. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:28 PM | Comment CVS trial: Closing arguments end; jury instructions next
PROVIDENCE -- The jurors in the CVS corruption trial will return to federal court tomorrow morning for final instructions and then begin deliberating the fates of John R. "Jack" Kramer and Carlos R. Ortiz, former vice presidents for the Woonsocket-based drugstore giant. The trial concluded at 2:15 p.m. today following lengthy closing arguments from the defense teams and prosecution. David B. Fein, one of Kramer’s defense lawyers, spent two hours hammering home the point that the allegations against Kramer and Ortiz did not amount to crimes. He whittled away at the prosecution’s case by zeroing in on "lies" and inconsistencies uttered by John A. Celona, the government’s star witness. Fein accused Celona of "giving the government what he thinks they want." Thomas R. Kiley, a lawyer for Ortiz, followed Fein and continued the attack on Celona’s credibility. He told the jurors that Celona talked to government investigators 25 times and spent nearly a week on the witness stand without providing any evidence that he talked to Kramer and Ortiz "about legislation." "They never asked John Celona to do something against his will, to alter his position," on legislation, Kiley said. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski Read more about closing arguments from earlier today. Extra: More on the trial and the Operation Dollar Bill corruption probe. Kiley also underscored that it was Kramer, not Ortiz, who wanted to hire Celona as a $1,000-a-month consultant. And, he said, Ortiz asked Celona whether the state Ethics Commission had approved the consulting agreement. "That’s not an obvious question for a person who is about to engage in a bribe," Kiley said. Kiley said that Ortiz never saw the John Celona State House Report cable television show where Kramer was a frequent guest, and he had no interest in Celona’s role as a public relations guy for CVS. In a 10-minute rebuttal, prosecutor Dambruch seized on Kiley’s characterization of Ortiz. He said that Kiley’s statement offered proof that CVS brought Celona on board as a consultant to influence legislation at the State House. He said that CVS is a "billion-dollar corporation," that did not need to hire a public relations consultant for $12,000 a year. "The one thing, however, he could offer was his position on legislation," Dambruch said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:13 PM | Comment Gas hits record high of $4 per gallon in the Ocean StateThe average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Rhode Island has reached the $4 mark, setting a new record along the way, according to AAA Southern New England and the Oil Price Information Service. The price has jumped 4 cents since the beginning of the week and almost 20 cents in the past 10 days, according to AAA. AAA surveys gas prices at the start of every week, but the travel club put out a special release today to announce that gas had hit the $4 mark. In its regular survey released Tuesday -- a day later than usual because of the Monday holiday -- AAA reported the average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline was $3.969 at the self-service pump. Rhode Island's average price is 5 cents above the national average of $3.95, AAA says. AAA offers gas saving tips and tools on its Web site. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:44 PM | Comment Funeral Saturday for North Kingstown coupleA funeral is scheduled for Saturday for Brad S. and Rosemarie Randall, a North Kingstown couple killed Monday in an accident. According to Connecticut state police, Brad Randall was driving his motorcycle at 11:30 a.m. with Rosemarie as his passenger on South Canterbury Road, just north of Depot Road in Canterbury, Conn., when a car driven by Lisa Ramos crossed the double yellow line, hitting the Randalls. Brad Randall was pronounced dead at the scene; Rosemarie Randall was taken to The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., and later pronounced dead. Ramos was taken to the hospital for observation. Connecticut state police are still investigating. Saturday's funeral is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. at Nardolillo Funeral Home, 1278 Park Avenue in Cranston. A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 10 a.m. at St. Ann's Church in Cranston. Visiting hours are tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The couple will be buried in Highland Memorial Park in Johnston. In lieu of flowers, the families have requested contributions to be made in Brad and Rosemarie’s names to Meeting Street School, 1000 Eddy St., Providence, RI, 02909, where Rosemarie worked. You can read the Randalls' obituary and sign a guestbook on projo.com. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:00 PM | Comment Reporter's query: Staying home on vacation this year?The Providence Journal is looking to interview readers who have dropped their typical summer travel plans in favor of a “staycation,” a stay-at-home vacation. If you are among these people, e-mail Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault at marsenau@projo.com.
Posted by maria caporizzo at 12:57 PM | Comment Dunk to close for summer to complete renovationsPROVIDENCE -- The Dunkin’ Donuts Center will close tomorrow night after its last concert, Hot Night ’08 featuring L’il Wayne, for the third and final phase of renovations. Sheduled for completion this summer are: finishing the old lobby, a new Providence Bruins store, upgrades to seating areas, exterior work, and creating new seats in the arena bowl. The three-year phased renovation program is slated to culminate in a Sept. 5 re-opening. During an abbreviated season that spanned Nov. 14 to May 30, The Dunk hosted 109 events with estimated attendance of 523,800, according to a news release today. There will be no events at the facility from June 1 through Sept. 5. The box office will be open through the summer. Scheduled September grand opening events include a ribbon cutting, a Sept. 6 public open house, and several concerts. The first event after the September reopening will be the American Idols Live Tour 2008 on Sept. 7. The Rhode Island Convention Center Authority runs the convention center, the Dunkin' Donuts Center-Providence and two parking garages. An 11-member board governs the authority. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:45 PM | Comment Providence police to test-drive eco-friendly scootersPROVIDENCE -- The Providence police will become the first New England force to test out electric, high-performance two-wheel scooters -- billed as an eco-friendly alternative to smoke-spewing motorcyles. Mayor David N. Cicilline and Chief Dean M. Esserman will kick off the program to road test Vectrix electric two-wheel vehicles on Friday at 10:30 a.m. at the public safety complex, 325 Washington St. A news release out today says the "silent, all-electric Maxi-scooters are virtually emissions free compared to larger traditional motorcycles that emit two tons of carbon dioxide each year." Four police officers have been tapped to test the Vectrix scooters over a three-month period. Mike Boyle, president and chief executive officer of Rhode Island-based Vectrix, is slated to be on hand Friday as officers take a test drive. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Comment CVS trial: Prosecution, defense make closing argumentsPROVIDENCE -- Closing arguments got under way in the CVS corruption trial this morning with a federal prosecutor laying out a trail of legislation, e-mails and memos -- proof, he said, that John R. "Jack" Kramer and Carlos Ortiz, former CVS executives, are guilty of criminal wrongdoing. During an hour-long closing, prosecutor Stephen G. Dambruch built his case around the actions and hiring of ex-state Sen John A. Celona, the government's star witness. Celona was hired as a $1,000-a-month consultant for the Woonsocket-based drugstore giant in 2000. Dambruch provided evidence that Celona reversed his position on pharmacy-choice legislation and became an eager advocate for CVS. CVS had long opposed pharmacy-choice legislation, and Dambruch today quoted from a document in which Ortiz had said that if the legislation passed, it would cost CVS millions of dollars in sales. Dambruch also suggested in his closing that Kramer and Ortiz made repeated attempts to hide that Celona was a paid consultant. He pointed out that Ortiz told Todd Andrews, a former CVS corporate communications director, to keep Celona's consulting role quiet. After a break this morning, David B. Fein, one of Kramer's lawyers, began his closing argument, telling the jurors they are probably wondering why they had to sit through three weeks of testimony. He said the government has not proved its case and there is no evidence of criminal intent by Kramer or Ortiz. Fein said the hiring of Celona -- whether right or wrong -- should never have reached a courtroom. "That discussion belongs in a corporate office in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, not a federal courtroom in Providence, Rhode Island," Fein told the jury. After Fein, Thomas Kiley, a lawyer for Ortiz, will give a closing argument. Dambruch will have the opportunity to offer a rebuttal. Extra: More on this trial and the Operation Dollar Bill investigation corruption probe. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:30 AM | Comment Operator killed after MBTA trains collide in Mass.NEWTON, Mass. — The operator of a commuter train died and several passengers were injured after the trolley she was driving slammed into the back of another train, derailing both, officials said. Investigators did not know what caused yesterday's wreck, which killed Terrese Edmonds, 24, and injured about 10 passengers in an aboveground accident near a station in suburban Newton, said Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The two-car train Edmonds was operating struck the back of another two-car train approaching Woodland Station outbound on the D branch of the Green Line at about 6 p.m., Pesaturo said. The trains had about 200 passengers combined. “The first one was stopped at a red signal and was ready to proceed to the station when it was struck,” he said. For several hours, firefighters struggled frantically to free Edmonds from the mangled wreckage. She was finally extricated early this morning, about seven hours after the crash. “It is my unfortunate duty to report the death of one of our employees,” MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas said. He said it was a “miracle” that there weren’t more deaths. One passenger was flown to a Boston hospital, and the other injured commuters were taken to nearby Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The hospital had eight train-wreck patients, including two who walked in, none with serious injuries, said spokesman Brian O’Dea. Both trains remained at the crash site this morning, covered in tarpaulins. The MBTA was busing passengers around the crash site. -- The Associated Press Federal investigators were scheduled to arrive at the scene on this morning to study the scene and interview witnesses, said Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. A full report is not expected for up to 18 months, he said. Passenger Barry Gallup, standing aboard the train that was hit, told WCVB-TV that the impact threw him to the floor. “I may have been knocked out for a few seconds. ... The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground,” Gallup told WCVB. He described a confused scene immediately after the crash, with some passengers screaming and small fires breaking out on the side of the train. Other passengers concurred about the chaos. “There was a 70-year-old old guy who went ballistic, screaming at the conductor, ’You killed my wife! You killed my wife!’ And the wife is going, ’I’m OK! I’m OK,’” passenger Matt Stone, 46, told The Boston Globe. Massachusetts transit officials interviewed the surviving three operators Wednesday, Pesaturo said. Gov. Deval Patrick telephoned Grabauskas at the scene of the accident to offer any necessary assistance, Pesaturo said. “The governor also expressed that his thoughts are with the passengers, the train crew and the emergency responders who are working to extricate this female operator from the train,” he said. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:00 AM | Comment Gay rights advocates score wins in N.Y., Calif.ALBANY, N.Y. — Gay rights advocates had reason to celebrate on both coasts today, with New York set to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere and California preparing to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on June 17. Rhode Island does not issue same-sex marriage licenses, but the issue has recently been in spotlight after two women who were married in Massachusetts unsuccessfully tried to get divorced in Family Court. A judge is considering whether to ask the state's Supreme Court if the Superior Court has the authority to grant the couple a divorce. Hours after California issued a directive yesterday authorizing that date, word came that New York Gov. David Paterson instructed state agencies — including those governing insurance and health care — to immediately change policies and regulations to recognize gay marriages. For years, gay rights advocates have sought recognition for same-sex marriages so couples could share family health care plans, receive tax breaks by filing jointly, enjoy stronger adoption rights and inherit property. Many or all of those rights would now appear to be available to New Yorkers who legally wed same-sex partners in other states and countries, according to the memo sent earlier this month from the governor’s counsel. Agencies have until June 30 to report back to the counsel on how, specifically, the directive will change existing state benefits and services for gay couples. “This is a milestone in the fight for fairness in New York,” Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. “Couples in New York who have never known true security for their families will be officially entitled to treatment by our state government that respects their rights.” -- The Associated Press The Rev. Duane Motley, director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which has lobbied against the legalization of gay marriage, declined to comment on Paterson’s directive. State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Massachusetts is currently the only U.S. state that recognizes same-sex marriage, but its residency requirements would bar New Yorkers from marrying there. New York residents could instead flock to California, where gay couples will be able to wed beginning June 17 — unless that state’s Supreme Court decides to stay its own ruling same-sex gay marriage. Upon their return home, in the eyes of the state, their unions would be no different from those of their heterosexual neighbors. Gay couples could also travel outside the country to marry in Canada or one of the other nations where same-sex marriage is legal. The move by Paterson’s administration does not legalize same-sex marriage in New York. The state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, has said it can only be legalized by the Legislature, which failed to pass a proposed measure last year. The memo, one of the strongest steps the state can take short of action by the Legislature, cited a Feb. 1 ruling by a New York Appellate Division court in a case involving a woman wed in Canada who was denied benefits by her partner’s employer. The appellate judges determined that there is no legal impediment in New York to the recognition of a same-sex marriage. The state Legislature “may decide to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized abroad,” the ruling said. “Until it does so, however, such marriages are entitled to recognition in New York.” In a video shown Saturday at the Empire State Pride Agenda’s spring dinner, the governor said he directed the move as “a strong step toward marriage equality right here in our state.” “We’re aware that our advocacy is incomplete and we will keep trying until people who love each other and want to get married, regardless of who they are, have that opportunity,” Paterson said in the video, which was posted on the gay rights organization’s Web site. Paterson spokeswoman Erin Duggan said the May 14 memo is intended to guide the actions of state agencies. It states that agencies must change policies and regulations to make sure “spouse,” “husband” and “wife” are clearly understood to include gay couples. The memo says failure to include gay marriages in the dispensing of state services such as health care benefits could violate state human rights law. The agencies could face sanctions for any violations, it warns. The agency changes can be instituted through internal memos or changes in regulations and would not require legislative action, Paterson counsel David Nocenti said in the memo, first reported by The New York Times. Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Paterson, his running mate for lieutenant governor, campaigned in 2006 on a platform that included bringing equal rights to gays. Spitzer, however, said the state constitution didn’t sanction gay marriage. Last year, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in New York was approved by the Democrat-led Assembly, but the Republican-led Senate hasn’t taken it up. In California, a group opposed to gay marriage has asked the state Supreme Court to grant a stay of its May 15 ruling until after the November election, when voters are likely to face a ballot initiative that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Passage of the initiative would overrule the Supreme Court. Justices have until June 16 to rule on the stay request, according to the memo sent yesterday by e-mail to the state’s 58 county clerks. The guidelines from Janet McKee, chief of California’s office of vital records, contained copies of new marriage forms that include lines for “Party A” and “Party B” instead of bride and groom. The gender-neutral nomenclature was developed in consultation with county clerks, according to the letter. “Effective June 17, 2008, only the enclosed new forms may be issued for the issuance of marriage licenses in California,” the directive reads. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:15 AM | Comment Police on the lookout after bear spotted in N. KingstownMaybe he just wants to settle down. A black bear -- apparently the same one that's been seen in Glocester, Scituate, Coventry, West Greenwich, and around South County -- was spotted again this morning in North Kingstown, according to the Department of Environmental Management's Environmental Police. Authorities are on the scene, tracking the bear that is likely responsible for rummaging through trash cans and bird feeders in a search for food. Trackers set up a bear trap yesterday in the Mettatuxet neighborhood of Narragansett after a sighting off Boston Neck Road. They waited. Nothing. This morning, just after 6:00, there was another spotting in a backyard on Pride's Crossing Lane, according to environmental police officer Mike Mahoney. Then reports came in that the bear had crossed Shermantown Road and gone into the woods. That was the last sighting as far as Mahoney has heard. So environmental police officers are on the scene, relying on citizens calling in sightings and pounding the pavement. They're armed with tranquilizers, a bear trap, and hopefully, a good supply of patience. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:50 AM | Comment Closing arguments today in the CVS trialPROVIDENCE -- Closing arguments are scheduled for today in the trial of two former CVS executives accused of bribing former state Sen. John Celona with a $1,000-a-month job to gain favor at the State House. After the defense rested without calling any witnesses Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi gave the jurors the day off yesterday and scheduled a private chamber conference with lawyers for both sides to discuss her charge to the jury. Defense attorneys for former executives John R. "Jack" Kramer and Carlos Ortiz argue that Celona was hired to do legitimate work, promoting CVS and its charitable endeavors through his television show and his network of senior citizens in his North Providence Senate district. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:16 AM | Comment Today in historyOn this day in 1790, Rhode Island became the last of the original 13 colonies to ratify the United States Constitution. Read more about Today in History. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment A summery kind of springWe'll see the warmer side of spring today, and it doesn't look too bad. The Ocean State is in for sunny, clear skies and a high temperature near 76 degrees. It will get pretty windy, though, with a mild west wind early, but increasing to between 18 and 21 mph. as the day goes on. Low humidity makes it a good day to take a long walk, but a bad day for fires. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning -- the combination of dry air and wind are good conditions for fast-moving fires. So be careful with the cigarettes and barbecues. Skies should stay clear and temperatures mild tonight, dipping to a comfortable 51 degrees. West winds should die down later in the evening. Tomorrow looks like today but without the high winds; temperatures should reach about 75 degrees, skies should stay clear -- at least through most of the day -- and we'll have calm, west winds. There are more spring surprises ahead in the forecast; see projo.com's weather page to see what the weekend may hold. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about La Salle freshman Juliet Vongphoumy, who became the first female to win the Rhode Island Interscholastic League individual golf title. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 28, 2008Dunkin' Donuts pulls Rachael Ray scarf ad
AP photo / Dunkin' DonutsRachael Ray and scarf in ad. CANTON, Mass. -- Dunkin' Donuts has canceled an online advertisement featuring celebrity chef Rachael Ray after complaints that a scarf she wore in the ad offers symbolic support for terrorism. Dunkin' Donuts said today it pulled the ad over the weekend because of what it calls a "misperception" about the scarf that detracted from its original intent to promote its iced coffee. Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf appeared to be traditional garb worn by Arab men. The ad's critics say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism. Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Donuts says the black-and-white scarf that Ray wore had a paisley design, and was selected by a stylist for the advertising shoot. The chain says no symbolism was intended. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Tonight: Theatre by the Sea opens for the seasonFor the first year since it closed in 2003, Theatre by the Sea in Wakefield is set to open its first full season. Ain’t Misbehavin’ opens tonight at 8 in previews. Last year, the only production -- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum -- was so popular, it was extended for a week. The 75-year-old theater closed five years ago when, after 15 years, former owners Laura Harris and Renny Serre lost interest in producing shows. Four years later, the 500-seat theater found a new owner in Bill Hanney, who offered just that one show last year. This year’s opener, Ain’t Misbehavin’, opened on Broadway in 1978. It was a tribute to the black musicians of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. It was done at Trinity Rep four years ago, and features five singers who perform rowdy, funny songs. The show opens today in previews and runs through June 15th at the Theater by the Sea at 364 Cards Pond Road in Wakefield. Tickets are $35 for previews today and tomorrow and $39 to $49 for the later performances. For information, call 782-8587. Online ticket sales for tonight's show, according to the theater's Web site, end at 7 p.m. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney and Journal archival reports Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 6:43 PM | Comment Senate sends driver's license renewal change to HousePROVIDENCE -- Legislation raising to 75 the age when Rhode Islanders must renew a driver's license every two years motored to the House after being passed unanimously today by the Senate. Currently, that two-year renewal period applies to people beginning at age 70, with an $8 fee for renewal. People under that age renew licenses in Rhode Island every five years for a $30 fee. According to a news release, the bill does not change current law that lets the motor vehicles division administrator require an examination of any person applying to renew a license "who might be considered incompetent or otherwise unqualified to continue driving." Bill sponsor Sen. James E. Doyle II, D-Pawtucket, stated that raising to 75 the age for a two-year license acknowledges Rhode Islanders are "living and staying healthy and active longer." Doyle asserts that federal statistics show little difference between the 65 to 69 age group and the 70 to 74 age group in accidents and highway deaths. Rather, the arguments goes, it's at age 75 that the number begins to grow significantly, "with a real leap over age 80." The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. A matching House bill, sponsored by Rep. Peter L. Lewiss, D-Westerly, is before the House Constituent Services Committee, according to the news release. Read more about why the bill was proposed and reaction to it. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:04 PM | Comment Elections board allows 2 convicted of insanity to votePROVIDENCE -- The state Board of Elections voted unanimously this afternoon to preserve the voting rights of two men found not guilty by reason of insanity some 20 years ago. The vote reversed a nine-month-old decision by the Cranston Board of Canvassers, which found that John A. Sarro and William Sarmento were too mentally ill to cast a ballot. Lawyers for the two men said they were pleased with the vote. “It’s a relief,” said Kate Bowden, a lawyer with the Rhode Island Disability Law Center. But Joseph A. DeLorenzo, Jr., chairman of the Cranston board, decried the decision. “I hope they can sleep at night knowing they’ve allowed vicious murderers to vote,” he said. DeLorenzo said the board may appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. Lawyers for Sarro and Sarmento argued, during the hearing, that a single moment of insanity decades ago has little to do with their clients’ competence to vote. -- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:37 PM | Comment New trial ordered for state trooper in smoke-shop raidA federal judge has ordered a new trial for a state trooper, erasing a jury’s verdict that the officer used excessive force when he twisted a Narragansett Indian’s ankle until it broke during the 2003 state police raid on a tribal smoke shop. In granting the state’s motion for a new trial, U.S. District Senior Judge Ernest C. Torres wrote Tuesday that the state police testimony proved more credible than that of defense witnesses and Adam Jennings, whose ankle was broken during the raid. Torres cast doubt on whether a shop worker and a customer who testified during a five-day trial in U.S. District Court could have seen Jennings’ struggle with state troopers inside the roadside smoke shop. He questioned Jennings’ recollections, arguing they were contradicted by state police. Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch’s office welcomed the decision today. “We’re very happy with the fact we got a new trial,” said Jim Lee, chief of the attorney general’s civil division. If you read the decision, Lee said, “he found the state police as credible witnesses” and that Kenneth Jones, the trooper involved, used an approved control technique. Jennings’ family was deeply dismayed by Torres’ ruling. “We know what happened,” said his mother Paulla Dove Jennings, of Richmond. “The judge obviously doesn’t care. He only cares about police officers looking good.” The decision rearranges a verdict reached by a jury, she said, that was not even of her son’s peers. “There is no justice for any Narragansett in the state,” she said, breaking into tears. Her son, she said, was emotionally and physically damaged by the raid and the continuous legal battles. The Jones case was reassigned to U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi today. -- Journal staff writer Kathleen Mulvaney Michael Bradley, who represented Jennings in the 2005 trial, also found the decision troubling. New trial can be granted under narrow circumstances, he said, but “when a judge takes away a jury’s verdict based on an assessment of credibility then he is in danger of substituting his opinion for that of a jury.” “The case law is pretty dead set against judges doing that,” Bradley said. State police executed a search warrant on the shop on tribal land in Charlestown on July 14, 2003, to stop the Narragansetts from selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes. The raid erupted into a violent confrontation in which eight tribal members, including Jennings, were arrested. Jennings, his mother and another shop worker sued former state police Col. Stephen M. Pare and seven other state troopers, accusing them of violating their civil rights and using excessive force during the raid. Most of the claims were dismissed during the trial before Torres in U.S. District Court, but the 10-member jury concluded after deliberating five hours that Trooper Jones used excessive force and battery when he twisted Jennings’ ankle until it broke while placing him under arrest. At the trial Jennings testified that Jones continued to twist his ankle, and even increased his force, after Jennings stopped struggling. Jones, an 11-year veteran of the force, said he maintained his grip because Jennings continued to resist, but did not elevate his force. The jury awarded Jennings $301,000. Torres overturned that verdict, finding that Jones was protected by qualified immunity that shields officers from liability when they act reasonably or believe they are doing so while doing their jobs. Jennings appealed to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge appeals panel reinstated the jury’s verdict in March 2007. That decision was affirmed by the full court in August, when it declined to review the case but sent it back to Torres to consider motions for a new trial that he did not rule on after the 2005 trial. The state sought U.S. Supreme Court’s review. The high court declined to take the case in February, sending it back to Torres for a ruling on motions for a new trial and a reduction in the jury award that were argued soon after the trial, said Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the attorney general. In Tuesday’s decision, Torres said it was not clear if the jury based its verdict on the belief that Jones increased his force after Jennings was stopped struggling. “Even if it were possible to say that the jury’s verdict was based on a finding that Jones increased the force applied in utilizing the `ankle turn control technique’ after Jennings had been subdued, Jones’ motion for a new trial should be granted because, in this Court’s opinion, such a finding would have been contrary to the clear weight of credible evidence,” Torres wrote. “In short, the weight of credible evidence supports Jones’ testimony that he maintained his hold on Jennings’ ankle because Jennings continued to resist but that he did not increase the force being exerted,” Torres said. Jennings was among seven Narragansetts tried over six weeks this winter in Providence County Superior Court for misdemeanor charges related to the raid. A jury found him not guilty of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest following the six-week trial. Three others were also exonerated. The jury found Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas guilty of assaulting a trooper. Two others were convicted of crimes. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:33 PM | Comment State Senate backs bill targeting cyber-bullyingPROVIDENCE -- The state Senate today approved a bill targeting cyber-bullying -- legislation expanding student discipline codes to cover electronic communications. Such communications would include any verbal, textual or graphic communication by using any electronic device, such as a computer, telephone, cell phone, text-messaging device and/or personal data assistance device. Under the bill sponsored by Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., D-Smithfield, repeated violations threatening "physical or emotional well-being of any student" would be grounds for filing a petition for a Family Court determination that the offending student is wayward and/or delinquent, according to a news release. The bill goes next to the House of Representatives for consideration. Similar legislation, sponsored by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, D-Warwick, has already cleared the House. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:01 PM | Comment Mass. governor signs landmark ocean resources billBOSTON -- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a landmark bill that aims to better protect and manage the state's ocean resources. The Oceans Act of 2008 is the first legislation of its kind in the nation. Patrick signed the bill today at the New England Aquarium. The legislation comes as the state deals with numerous offshore projects, such as proposed liquified natural gas facilities. The bill aims to ensure that decisions and permits about development in state-controlled waters -- which extend up to 3 miles from the coast -- conform to a single, science-based plan. Patrick says the law will help balance the protection of traditional natural resources with new ones, such as renewable energy sources. A 17-member Ocean Advisory Commission will draw up the plan, which must be in place by December 2009. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:52 PM | Comment Senate panel OKs R.I. minimum wage increasesPROVIDENCE -- A bill aimed at raising the minimum wage paid thousands of Rhode Island workers won the overwhelming support of the Senate Labor Committee this afternoon, and is now headed to the full Senate for a vote. The bill sponsored by Sen. Leonidas Raptakis, D-Coventry, calls for automatic annual increases of up to 3 percent, in keeping with inflation as measured by the consumer price index for the Northeast. Rhode Island pays among the highest minimum wages in the nation, at $7.40 an hour. While the bill does not specify a wage hike, Robert Langlais, the state’s assistant director for labor market information, has estimated the bill would raise the minimum wage to $7.53 an hour on Jan. 1, 2009. While there is no direct count of minimum wage workers in Rhode island, Langlais said federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates indicate there were 27,000 workers here making between $7 and $7.99 an hour in 2006, out of 321,000 workers statewide. While there was no debate today, and only one nay vote from Sen. David Bates, R-Barrington, the debate between organized labor and lobbyists for the small business industry played out at a hearing in early April. The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is not opposing the bill this time around, but sent word that it “does not support automatic COLAs and believes the issue should be debated on its merits on annual basis.’’ A spokesman for Governor Carcieri issued this statement: “Generally speaking, Governor Carcieri is concerned about any bill that will add to the cost of doing business in Rhode Island. As the state and the nation grapple with an economic slowdown combined with skyrocketing energy prices, the governor believes we should be making Rhode Island more, not less, business-friendly. “However, the governor believes that Rhode Island’s business community needs to weigh in with their support or opposition to this legislation. If Rhode Island businesses oppose this bill, they need to make their voices heard at the State House,’’ spokesman Jeff Neal said. -- Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau, with projo.com reports In Connecticut, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, yesterday vetoed legislation that would have raised that state’s minimum wage from $7.65 to $8 beginning Jan. 1, 2009, and to $8.25 starting Jan. 1, 2010, according to a news release. Carcieri let one minimum wage hike take effect without his signature early in his tenure as governor, and vetoed another. In his 2005 veto message, he said: “This will do nothing but exact another cost on Rhode Island businesses, especially small businesses, making our state even less competitive with our regional neighbors.’’ Lawmakers did not try to override his veto that year, which would have required bringing the General Assembly back into special session to face other thornier issues for them including a drive to unionize home-based child care workers. In 2006, Carcieri warned of another likely veto as a two-step increase in the minimum hike moved through the General Assembly, but then backed off acknowledging the Democrats likely had the election-year votes to pass it. That bill raised the state’s minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.10 an hour on March 1, 2006, and to $7.40 on Jan. 1, 2007. Carcieri’s turnaround had nothing to do with policy. He knew there were not enough votes in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to sustain his veto. "The governor continues to believe that this legislation will undermine his efforts to grow Rhode Island jobs," Carcieri spokesman Neal said at the time. "But after a year of debate, passage of this legislation is now inevitable and the governor believes it is time to move on to other important business." Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:34 PM | Comment La Salle freshman becomes first girl to win state golf title
By JOHN GILLOOLY CRANSTON - Juliet Vongphoumy became the first girl to win the Rhode Island Interscholastic League co-ed individual golf title as the La Salle freshman, playing from the women's tees, posted a final-round 77 today at the Cranston Country Club and captured the title in the 36-hole state tournament. Vongphoumy's six-over performance, combined with an even-par 71 yesterday, gave her a 36-hole total of 148 and a two-stroke margin of victory over runner-up Justin Misiaszek of Burrillville. In tomorrow's Journal and online at HSGameTime.com, Jim Donaldson will have a profile of Vongphoumy and her unusual road to the top of the state high school golf scene. Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:16 PM | Comment Update: Bear reports, bear trap but no bear / Photo
Steven H. Hall, chief of the DEM's law enforcement division, said he is not sure of the accuracy of all the sitings and whether it is the same bear. Hall said none of his environmental police officers has seen the bear this morning, but DEM officers and residents did see a bear in Narragansett last night. In one instance, a bear crossed Route 1A from west to east and, in another, a bear was seen in the parking lot of an apartment building. This morning, Narragansett police and DEM officials were in the parking area of Twin Willows, off Boston Neck Road, with a bear trap on hand, in case the bear was spotted. Read more about the sitings of the black bear earlier this week. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Arline A. Fleming Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:53 PM | Comment Cheetah's long life in Providence comes to end
PROVIDENCE -- One of Roger Williams Park Zoo’s most popular residents was euthanized earlier this week after a long bout with arthritis, according to spokeswoman Laura Dunn. Togo the cheetah, who was just three weeks shy of his 16th birthday, had lived a long life –– longer than most cheetahs, who live an average of 8 to 12 years in the wild, and a few years longer in captivity. He was, Dunn said, one of the oldest surviving of his kind in North America. Togo, who came to the zoo as a yearling in 1993, was one of visitors’ favorite attractions, the zoo said. Last June, he had a two-hour operation for arthritis on his right front leg after showing discomfort for two years. Veterinarians fused what is the cheetah equivalent of the animal’s wrist joint in an attempt to alleviate pain. “The surgery worked,” Dunn said. And Togo, the zoo’s only cheetah, had another good year. But last week, she said, Togo’s caretakers noticed his limp had become more pronounced. By Sunday he wasn’t even using the leg and on Monday, veterinarians found another fracture. Caretakers and doctors had to make a decision, Dunn said. “’Do we put this animal through another surgery? And the rehab that’s involved after that?’” “And what’s his quality of life going to be after that?” she asked rhetorically. “It was a hard decision to make.” -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:16 PM | Comment Providence Water gets AA bond ratingPROVIDENCE -- Providence Water, the state's biggest water supplier, has gotten a AA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, Mayor David N. Cicilline's office announced today. It is the utility's first time receiving a bond rating and, Cicilline said in a news release, it means Providence Water will save about $3.5 million, or $168,000 annually, in interest costs savings for loans used to pay for present and future major replacement projects. Cicilline touted the bond rating as “the direct result of smart management and responsible fiscal practices." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:59 AM | Comment Everybody, Provi-dance!Downtown Providence is hosting a preview of what’s to come this year at one of the biggest music festivals in the state. Sure, you can get a sneak peek at scheduled artists on the Sound Sessions Web site, but then you'd miss the carnivalesque dancers, saxophone players and drummers set to perform this afternoon. The artists will join the Black Rep’s Executive Artistic Director Donald W. King and Providence Mayor David Cicilline to announce this year's lineup. The week-long Sound Session festival brings artists and performers from around the world to downtown Providence for what’s billed as a “genre-defying” music festival, featuring performers from West Africa to the Caribbean to American Jazz and Funk. This year’s festival is set to run from July 6 to July 12. The line-up announcement is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today at 276 Westminster Street. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:52 AM | Comment Injured protester due in court todayThe 23-year old protester whose leg was broken as she was being arrested by the North Providence police is scheduled for a hearing in District Court, Providence, today. Alexandra Svoboda was arrested on August 26 during an Industrial Workers of the World protest of a local restaurant. She faces two charges of simple assault, one each of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Svoboda was released on personal recognizance after entering a not-guilty plea during her September arraignment. She is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing today. Her injury required several surgeries to repair vascular damage and a detached calf bone. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:48 AM | Comment Update: Bear trap set, just waiting for a bear
A young black bear that has apparently crossed a large portion of the Ocean State in recent days. The photo, taken yesterday, shows the approximately 130-pound, two-year-old bear. NARRAGANSETT -- Local and state officials are still on the look-out for an unwelcome visitor in Narragansett. Narragansett police and officials from the state Department of Environmental Management are in the parking lot of Twin Willows, off Boston Neck Road, waiting for an encounter with a black bear that was spotted yesterday in the Mettatuxet neighborhood.. On hand is a bear trap -- which looks like a giant drum on its side. Authorities are just waiting for the word that the bear has been spotted Officials are hoping that the bear, which was able to elude officials last night while tearing through backyard bird feeders and trash, can be subdued with a tranquilizer gun and captured today. John R. Gingerella, of the state's Environmental Police, said authorities had hoped to catch the bear yesterday, but "it wasn't cooperative. There were so many people around," he said, "it was kind of like a parade setting." But the bear wasn't putting on a show; he was, and is, lost. "He's a teenage boy," Gingerella said, "looking for his own place." Your Turn: Have you ever spotted a bear in your neighborhood?
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:45 AM | Comment Judge: Duke lacrosse players can pursue lawsuitRALEIGH, N.C. — Three former Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape -- including Reade Seligmann, who now attends Brown University -- can pursue a civil lawsuit against the disgraced Durham County prosecutor who led the case against them, a judge ruled yesterday. And former Duke Lacrosse coach Mike Pressler is now coaching at Bryant University in Smithfield. Federal bankruptcy Judge William L. Stocks lifted a stay that had protected former District Attorney Mike Nifong as he moved through bankruptcy proceedings. Stocks, a month after hearing arguments about whether the bankruptcy case should delay the civil lawsuit, said in a ruling that his court didn’t have jurisdiction to hear many of the claims involved in the civil case. Nifong, citing a woman’s story that she was raped at a lacrosse team party in March 2006, pursued rape charges against Seligmann, Dave Evans, and Collin Finnerty. State prosecutors declared the players innocent last year, and Nifong was disbarred and spent a night in jail in the fallout from the case. No DNA from any Duke lacrosse player was found on the accuser, and exculpatory evidence that genetic material from other unidentified males was found on the woman was withheld from the defense for several months. An attorney for Nifong did not return a call seeking comment yesterday. -- The Associated Press Nifong filed for bankruptcy in January, claiming more than $180 million in liabilities, mostly from the threat of pending lawsuits. The players also included the city of Durham, police investigators and others in their lawsuit filed in October. They accuse the defendants of conducting “one of the most chilling episodes of premeditated police, prosecutorial and scientific misconduct in modern American history.” Three other players also joined together in a lawsuit, and more than three dozen current and former Duke lacrosse players have also filed a third lawsuit, claiming they suffered emotional distress during the prosecution. That third suit does not name Nifong as a defendant. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:41 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Route 95 northbound, WarwickA accident in Warwick has affected highway traffic this morning. The two-car accident is on the northbound side of Route 95 near Exit 10/Route 117/ Warwick/West Warwick. The left shoulder is closed. See how it's affecting traffic on the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:06 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Pawtucket at Broadway and SchoolRescue crews are on the scene of an accident in Pawtucket this morning. Pawtucket Fire and EMS teams are at the site near Broadway and School Streets. Traffic on Route 95 in that area does not look like it's been affected, but check online first, if you're headed that way. See traffic conditions on the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:00 AM | Comment Today in historyOn this day in 1977, fire raced through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Ky., killing 165 people. Read more from Today in History. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:05 AM | Comment CVS trial: Closing arguments tomorrowPROVIDENCE -- Jurors hearing the bribery trial of two former CVS executives have today off. Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi gave the jurors the day off today and scheduled a private chamber conference with lawyers for both sides this afternoon to discuss her charge to the jury. Closing arguments are set for tomorrow. The credibility of John Celona, the state’s star witness, came under sharp attack from the defense yesterday, but their lawyers declined to take up the judge’s offer to let them recall the corrupt former state senator to the witness stand. Instead, the defense in the trial of John R. “Jack” Kramer and Carlos Ortiz rested its case without calling any witnesses. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Some like it cool, some like it hot. We've got it allFor this blogger, today will be near perfect. The National Weather Service is forecasting a sunny, clear, dry day with temperatures reaching 68 degrees. It may also be a little breezy at times, with a north wind between 13 and 16 mph. Tonight will get chilly, with a low around 43 degrees and mild west winds. But if you like warmer weather, don't worry, it's coming. Tomorrow will also boast clear, sunny skies, no rain, and a high temperature just shy of 78 degrees with mild west winds picking up to between 17 and 20 mph. as the day goes on. Keep an eye on the spectrum of spring weather ahead at projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about a bear spotted wandering through Rhode Island and continuing coverage of the bribery trial of two former CVS executives. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 27, 2008Tonight: Cavalcade of Bands at Rhodes, blues at Chan'sHead to Cranston to catch the Cavalcade of Bands, playing jazz and swing, at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, 60 Rhodes Place (off Broad Street), Cranston. Call 785-4333, 941-2717. In the ballroom: MC Rick "Swing Daddy" Orcutt, The Ed Drew Strollers, The Arthur Medeiros 16-Piece Dance Orchestra with Terri Giviens & Hank Doiron, The Duke Belaire 16-Piece Swing Orchestra with Bob Mainelli, The Tommy Rotondo Group and a ballroom dance presentation by Nelia Lawton with Providence Ballroom & Jazz Project. In the foyer: MC Bill Pandozzi, The Terri Giviens Group, The Mary Andrews Group, The Pat Mitchell Group with George Masso & Dick Johnson, The Daryll Sherman Group with Mike Renzi & Artie Cabral, The Amanda Carr Group with Arnie Krakowsky & Gary Johnson and The Jan Marquez Group with Al DeAndrade. 6-11:30 pm. $10 advance; $15 at the door. In Woonsocket, Tab Benoit plays the blues at Chan's Restaurant, 267 Main St. Call 765-1900. 8, 10 pm. $20 early show; $15 late show; $25 both shows. More events, see projo.com's calendar. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 PM | Comment Facebook photo plays role in DUI accident sentencing
Now he won’t have to pretend. Lipton, 21, of Fairfield, Conn., today was sentenced to serve two years in state prison after pleading no contest to felony charges of driving under the influence resulting in serious bodily injury and driving to endanger resulting in serious bodily injury. The sentencing focused in part on a photo of Lipton that was posted on the Facebook social networking Web site. The photo shows Lipton with his arm around a young woman. He is smiling, with his tongue out, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit that bears the words “Jail Bird.” At the moment that photo was taken, Jade Combies, 21, of Lincoln, was in Rhode Island Hospital, trying to recover from fractures to her femur, hip and collarbone and the lacerated liver and spleen she had suffered in the Oct. 11, 2006, crash on Route 7 in Smithfield. Assistant Attorney General Jay Sullivan displayed the photo in court this afternoon as part of a Power Point demonstration. Above the photo was a one-word question: “Remorseful?” Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini said he could not ignore the photo in deciding how to sentence Lipton. “The court has certain aspects of the last two or three years of defendant’s life chronicled in living color — photographs and captions — compliments of Facebook via the Internet,” Procaccini said. The photos, which show Lipton and his friends drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana, “give new meaning to the phrase ‘one picture is worth a thousand words,’ ” he said. “Without question, the most disturbing and troubling photo is the one where the defendant is dressed up in a prison inmate costume for a Halloween party shortly after this horrific incident,” Procaccini said. “For this defendant to think of mocking and joking about his irresponsible, reckless and life-altering dangerous behavior — on Facebook, for others to see, dressed in a ‘Jail Bird’ prison costume for a Halloween party a mere two weeks after this incident — is sick, depraved and disgusting.” -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:55 PM | Comment Deportation next stop for driver who passed police cruiserA driver the state police say was in the country illegally passed a state police cruiser on Route 95 in Pawtucket early yesterday, refusing to stop, while his passenger tossed beer bottles out |
