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July 2, 2008

Tonight: Blues on the Beach returns to Misquamicut

WESTERLY -- OK, if you're in the northern part of the Ocean State, you might not make it tonight.

But if you're within range, you've got about another hour left to enjoy "Blues on the Beach," an annual summer musical treat that starts this evening.

Greg Piccolo is the featured performer at the free 6 to 8 p.m. show at the Westerly Town Beach in Misquamicut.

Too late for you? Then plan ahead for the next weekly show, starring Duke Robillard.

See who's on tap for each week of the series here.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:00 PM | Comment

Update: Coast Guard vessel, Block Island ferry collide

Journal photo / Tim Murphy
Right after the ferry called the Block Island docked at Block Island, this Coast Guard vessel went around the bow of the ferry taking pictures from different angles. There is a slight vertical gash on the bow of the ferry that is difficult to see, even up close, according to Journal City Editor Tim Murphy.

A Coast Guard buoy tender and a Block Island ferry collided in thick fog about three miles north of Block Island this afternoon, leaving a slight dent on the ferry's bow and stories for its passengers to tell.

No injuries were reported, and neither vessel took on any water, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Amy Thomas, a spokeswoman out of Boston, said.

The multi-level ferry -- named the Block Island Ferry -- was held up for a short time on the water until it could be checked out. Escorted by two other Coast Guard boats, it then continued under its own power to its Old Harbor port on the island, arriving at about 2:25 p.m.

The Coast Guard vessel -- Morro Bay, a 140-foot buoy tender that had once served as an ice breaker -- had been on its way back to its home port, in New London, Conn., from Newport.

The ferry had left Point Judith in Narragansett at 11:45 p.m. It was carrying 257 people plus its crew, the Coast Guard said, to the popular summer tourism location.

Visibility was about 200 yards at the time of the 12:15 p.m. collision, according the Coast Guard, but passengers described conditions as foggy.

Although no one was seriously injured, three people complained and were taken to the medical center on Block Island, where they were treated and released, according to a ferry company spokesman.

The ferry was left with a 44-inch-long dent about 5 feet above the water line, Petty Officer Etta Smith said.

The incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard, who is expected to hold a press conference later this evening.

Late this afternoon, William McCombe, the security officer for the ferry operators, Interstate Navigation, gave a statement about the incident, which he confirmed happened in thick fog.

When the ferry captain saw the Coast Guard vessel, McCombe said, he put the boat in neutral, then reversed and tried to back down. There was a "minor hit," he said.

"The captain took evasive action to minimize a minor collision,” he said.

McCombe would not comment on who might have had the right of way, saying he didn't want to interfere with an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

However, he did say he thought it was "not so much a speed as a visibility issue."

-- With reports from projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, Journal city editor Tim Murphy and Journal staff writers Paul Davis and Donita Naylor

Passengers John and Michelle Daveau, of Webster, Mass., said earlier today that the collision occured in thick fog.

Shortly before the collision, John Daveau said he heard the ferry sounding its horn and felt the ferry trying to slow. Then he saw the Coast Guard vessel cutting across the bow of the ferry. He said the ferry hit the cutter in the stern.

It was a bump "like hitting a dock," said Daveau, who was sitting near the bow.

"People started running for lifejackets," Daveau said. "All the kids put on lifejackets."

His wife, Michelle, said, "It took 20 years off my life."

John Austin, of Greenfield, Mass., was also aboard the ferry when it was hit, on the upper deck on the starboard side.

In a phone conversation with projo.com as he returned home on another ferry later today, he said that the Coast Guard vessel "just appeared right out of the mist in front of us."

It had approached from portside to starboard, he said, "almost perpendicular."

He said the ferry captain sounded the foghorn two or three times while steaming at normal speed. The ferry then slowed, Austin said, and the foghorn sounded a couple more times. Then, it seemed as if the boat was thrown into reverse.

"It took a few seconds for contact –– it was like everything was in slow motion," he said, before the collision, which he described as "one glancing blow." The ferry then glided to a stop.

The fog, he said, had gotten thicker as the ferry headed out from Galilee. But, even so, he wondered what the Coast Guard vessel was doing in what he figured had to be a known travel lane, with set ferry times.

Austin noted that the collision so was glancing that it didn't seem to knock anyone over. And it certainly didn't deter him from the ferry ride home.

"How else we gonna get back," he said, laughing.

The ferry stayed in the area near where the collision happened for about two hours while the Coast Guard checked for damage, Daveau said.

After the ferry arrived on Block Island, passengers were allowed to disembark. One woman was carrying a girl. She had gotten sick, according to other passengers. The girl, who appeared to be about 6, and her mother were escorted to an ambulance.

The trip between Point Judith and Old Harbor is about 13 miles long, and usually takes about 55 minutes by ferry. See an aerial view of the area.

Shortly after the report of the collision, the Coast Guard sent out its traditional boating safety message in advance of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. It said in part:

"The Coast Guard advises all boaters and paddlers venturing out on the water this Fourth of July to be responsible and prudent mariners, to save the alcohol for when the trip is completed, and to maintain a constant safety vigil. "

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:43 PM | Comment

Dead sea turtle washes up on Atlantic Beach

A dead sea turtle, weighing between 50 and 60 pounds, washed up on Atlantic Beach in Middletown today, according to Middletown police.

The Department of Environmental Management has been called to the scene.

-- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:23 PM | Comment

ME links E. Providence's man death to mental condition

PROVIDENCE -- An East Providence man died in police custody in late February because of “sudden death complicating Excited Delirium Syndrome due to chronic schizophrenia,” the state Medical Examiners Office said today.

East Providence police had been called to the family’s house at 153 James St. by Farias’ father after his son, Leonel Farias, had an outburst on Feb. 27.

Leonel Farias, a diagnosed schizophrenic, was outside the family house waving a steak knife when the police arrived. The police said officers used a chemical spray and struck Farias to try to take him into custody, but Farias continued to struggle after being handcuffed and pinned to the pavement. Farias lost consciousness and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Farias’ family has alleged that the police used excessive force and caused Farias’ death by beating and kicking him.

The state mental health advocate and the executive director of the state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union denounced the cause of death as issued by the medical examiner.

The ACLU’s Steven Brown called the explanation as “clear as mud” and said it never answers the question of what physically happened to Farias.

“Read between the lines,” said H. Reed Cosper, the mental health advocate, “it’s the state medical examiner’s way of saying these cops killed him because he was mentally ill."

“I would like to reiterate that we have full confidence in our police officer’s actions that occurred during this incident and the training that they relied on,” East Providence Police Chief Hubert J. Paquette said in a news release today. “I still believe that our officers excercised great restraint with the level of force that they used.”

The chief said his department “respects the findings of the medical examiner” and referred all questions regarding the case to the state Attorney General’s Office.

The office of Attorney General Patrick J. Lynch said today it would "reserve comment" because the case is still under investigation by his office.

-- Journal staff writer Alisha Pina

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:55 PM | Comment

Bees swarm near Turks Head building / Photo

The Providence Journal / Bill Murphy

Beekeeper Susan Littlefield of Exeter uses cardboard boxes to collect a swarm of bees from the sidewalk in front of the Turks Head Building in downtown Providence this afternoon.

PROVIDENCE — The Turks Head building was buzzing today as a swarm of thousands of honey bees stopped traffic and mystified camera-wielding onlookers, before finally dissipating, two hours after they arrived.

Only one person was stung, a man who brought his camera close to try to get pictures of the bees.

The bees were first spotted around noon, as they descended on a yellow National Grid truck by the thousands, onlookers said.

“The truck was covered. He drove away, and they started flying around,” said Iain Thorburn, who came out of the Turks Head building to watch the sight.

They then swarmed around the intersection of Weybosset and Westminster streets, circling in a giant black cloud.

Providence Police officer Tony DaSilva drove by, and couldn’t believe what he saw.

“I said, something’s wrong here. They’ve taken over the square,” he said.

The bees soon left the air, and formed a huge, undulating pile on the sidewalk by a fire hydrant, perhaps seven feet wide at its largest.

DaSilva kept onlookers back as the bee pile ebbed and flowed, slowly shrinking as high winds blew bees off.

“I’m deathly afraid of bees. I can’t believe I’m standing this close,” DaSilva said.

Once it was clear that the bees weren’t stinging passerby, DaSilva turned into unofficial ringmaster for the crowd of onlookers — cracking bee puns as he tried to get police headquarters to send a beekeeper.

Swarming is part of the reproductive cycle of honey bees according to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.

“At least they’re all bee-having,” he said to laughs from the crowd, taking pictures with their cellular phone cameras.

The city couldn’t find a beekeeper, because the usual suspects were on vacation, DaSilva was told.

“The one time of the year that we need them — and they’re all on vacation. I bet they’re all at Applebee’s,” he said, to the delight of the crowd.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Extra: More on bees from URI

By then, amateur beekeepers in the audience had decided to take matters into their own hands.

Theorizing that the bees were clustered in order to protect a queen, Dan Custer, a Textron employee, looked into the pile, found a bee much larger than all the others, and tossed her out into the air with a screwdriver.

“I flicked her out,” Custer said.

Many bees followed, and the size of the pile soon shrank dramatically.

But many bees remained, enough to entice Troy Chace of Providence to come close and get pictures — when he was stung on the thumb.

“Everybody else was doing it, so I said, 'Why not?' ” he said.

The smaller pile of bees remained until two women from the Providence Animal Rescue League, Anna Vinacco and Susan Littlefield, drove up, cardboard boxes in hand, and tried to trap as many bees as they could inside the boxes.

“They’re very docile when they swarm,” said Littlefield, who has four beehives at her home in Exeter. She herded as many bees as she could into the boxes, threw them into the back of her Subaru, and drove off, unstung.

The remaining bees melted away by 2:15 p.m., as did the crowd.

Everett Zurlinden, president of the Rhode Island Beekeepers Association, said that this is the reproductive season for honey bees, and this was likely a strong colony looking to found a second outpost. A new queen had probably been born recently, and the old queen and a swarm of forager bees had likely loaded up with honey and started looking for a second home. The swarm season typically runs from Mother’s Day until July 4.

The yellow National Grid truck had probably seemed attractive, he said.

“They normally land about 15 feet in the air. Their originally landing spot was on that truck. They like yellow for some reason,” Zurlinden said.

“I think what happened was they were completely disoriented. The truck took off, and the queen took flight, and they followed the queen,” he said.

The half-inch long bees can live in colonies ranging in size from 20,000 to 80,000, Zurlinden said. Those that swarm can be a much smaller number though, in the 3,000 to 5,000 bee range. Honey bees are not a typically aggressive type of bee in general, but swarming bees in particular do not normally sting, because they are so loaded with honey that stinging becomes difficult.

More information is available at ribeekeeper.org.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 4:24 PM | Comment

Beach closings: Atlantic Beach re-opened to swimming

If you’re looking to hit the beach over the long weekend, you now have one more option. The State Health Department has recommended re-opening Atlantic Beach in Middletown.

The beach was closed yesterday after tests showed high levels of Enterococci, bacteria that thrive in animal intestines and are, therefore, indicators of sewage contamination.

Results from the latest water samples show bacteria levels to be within “acceptable limits,” according to a statement released today by the Health Department.

Conimicut Point Beach and Oakland Beach, both in Warwick, remain closed.

For the latest information on beach closings throughout the state, see the Health Department’s closures Web site or call the beach hotline, updated daily: (401) 222-2751.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 4:11 PM | Comment

Buddy returning to Bristol Fourth of July parade

BRISTOL — Buddy is coming back to Bristol.

On Friday, former Providence mayor Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr. is set to make his first appearance in the Bristol Fourth of July parade since 2002, the year he was convicted of federal racketeering conspiracy and imprisoned.

Cianci was a virtual fixture in the parade since his first appearance in 1974. Even after his conviction in 2002 — 10 days afterward, to be exact — he marched in the parade, which is the centerpiece of what’s believed to be the oldest, continuous Independence Day celebration in the country.

Since his release from prison last year he’s become a talk-show host on WPRO-AM. He’ll be marching with other radio personalities who were invited by the Bristol Fourth of July Committee.

-- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:08 PM | Comment

Traffic Alert: Route 146 in Providence

An accident has a lane closed in Providence this afternoon on Route 146.

The accident, on the southbound side of the roadway, is at Route 146 and Admiral Street; it's blocking the left lane.

See how it's affecting traffic on the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:23 PM | Comment

Weather alert: Hail, high winds and lightning on the way

It has begun.

Hail -- "big hail," according to one Journal staff writer -- is falling on Federal Hill along with high winds, rain and general gloomy conditions.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather statement and a severe thunderstorm warning.

As if hail and winds in excess of 60 mph weren't enough, NWS warns:

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Cynthia Needham and Steve Peoples, Journal State House bureau

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:39 PM | Comment

Johnston school janitor convicted on marijuana charge

JOHNSTON — An elementary school janitor has been convicted of marijuana possession and obstructing police.

Alan Iemma, a 46-year-old custodian who has worked assignments at both Winsor Hill School and Calef School, was found guilty yesterday after a trial before District Court Judge Elaine T. Bucci.

Iemma had been at the center of a election season flare-up linked to marijuana about eight years ago but was cleared at that time. Yesterday, he was sentenced to a year probation for each count, 75 hours of community service and $200 in fines, the police said.

In February, an undercover police officer saw Iemma smoking what appeared to be marijuana in the back seat of a Buick that pulled up to the drive-in window at Dunkin’ Donuts on Killingly Street, according to the Johnston police.

Soon after, police stopped the vehicle and saw Iemma try to reach into his sweatshirt and throw two marijuana cigarettes away from the area, the police said.

In 2000, Iemma, a campaign worker for former Mayor William R. Macera, was driving a car with Macera as a passenger when the police stopped his car. Iemma was charged with driving under the influence of marijuana.

The 2000 charge was dismissed several months later, but it bedeviled Macera on the campaign trail and the janitor kept his job in the School Department.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:29 PM | Comment

Fox attacks woman in South Kingstown

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — A woman has been attacked by a fox in South Kingstown, and environmental officials are testing the animal to see if it’s rabid.

Capt. Jeff Allen says police received a call about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to report that a fox had attacked a woman in the backyard of her home near the University of Rhode Island. The caller said the fox chased the woman for 20 feet before biting her.

Allen says the animal ran into the woods, but came back later.

Department of Environmental Management spokeswoman Gail Mastrati says a DEM officer responded and was able to kill the fox. She says it’s being tested for rabies.

The woman is being treated at South Country Hospital.

In May, three people were bitten by two foxes in Hopkinton. One of those foxes tested positive for rabies.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:18 PM | Comment

Man reportedly playing 'chicken' is in coma, not dead

PROVIDENCE –– Police say the man who was struck by a car and critically injured Saturday is Edward Powell, 25.

Powell, who may have been playing “chicken” with oncoming traffic, had lived in Woonsocket, according to Lt. James Desmarais.

But he was arrested in Providence for disorderly conduct in March, Desmarais said, and at the time he said he had no permanent address.

Witnesses told firefighters who responded to Sunday’s accident that Powell was trying to “play chicken” with traffic by running in and out of the street in front of vehicles.

The driver of the car that struck Powell, Justin Lopez, 22, said Powell darted in front of his car and that he couldn’t stop in time.

Powell was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and is in a coma with severe head trauma, according to Desmarais. Police took his fingerprints, checked them against a U.S. Department of Justice database, and were able to identify him based on his minor criminal record.

Fire Department officials mistakenly reported Sunday that Powell had died without having regained consciousness.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:57 AM | Comment

Court waits on Elections Bd. ruling on GOP candidates

PROVIDENCE – The state Supreme Court will not intervene in a dispute over the validity of five Republican General Assembly candidates, appointed by state GOP Chairman Giovanni Cicione, until after the state Board of Elections rules in the matter.

That decision by Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams was conveyed to Cicione in a phone call this morning by Ronald Tutalo, administrative assistant to the chief justice.

The Board of Elections is scheduled to consider the arguments tomorrow.

State law allows party chairmen to appoint candidates to fill out holes in their election slate within 24 hours of the filing deadline, which was a week ago. In this case, Cicione submitted the names of five candidates for House and Senate to the secretary of state’s office. The names were rejected by Providence and Pawtucket on grounds they should have been submitted to their boards of canvassers instead. A third community, West Warwick, was poised to do the same.

Cicione said the GOP was following the advice it was given by a staffer in the office of Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, a Democrat. A spokesman for Mollis has denied that anyone in the office provided any advice on where to file the names of the appointed candidates.

The Supreme Court was responding to a petition for emergency relief the GOP filed late Tuesday. With a 10-day signature gathering period already under way, the party asked the court to order the secretary of state to issue nominating papers to the five disputed candidates so they can do what they need to do to qualify as candidates while the legal issues play out at the state and local level.

-- Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau

The candidates include the state GOP’s director of operations and community outreach, Lammis Vargas, and two of Governor Carcieri’s stalled nominees to the state Board of Elections: John J. Clarke Jr. and Elaina Goldstein.

Vargas is seeking a Senate seat held for more than three decades by Pawtucket Democrat John McBurney. Clarke is trying again to unseat Senate Finance Chairman Stephen Alves, D-West Warwick, and Goldstein to unseat Rhoda Perry of Providence, the East Side Democrat who chairs the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services. In addition: Kofua Kulah was appointed by Cicione to challenge Democratic Sen. Paul V. Jabour for his 5th District seat, representing Federal Hill; and Damien Baldino to run against the winner of the Democratic primary between Rep. Steven Smith and challenger John Carnevale.

Cicione said the party will only press its Supreme Court petition if the state Board of Elections rules against his argument that filing the candidates’ names with the secretary of state was sufficient, or the party wins but the candidates are not given enough time to gather the required number of signatures on their nominating papers: 50 for a House seat, 100 for a Senate seat.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:57 AM | Comment

Jury deliberates today in W. Warwick strangulation trial

WARWICK -- A judge this morning told jurors not to weigh the testimony of the defendant, accused of beating and strangling a woman to death, any more than the other evidence and witnesses presented throughout the murder trial.

And with that, a Kent County Superior Court jury began considering the case of Brian Mlyniec, 45, who faces murder charges in the 2006 death of Kelly Ann Andersen, 41.

Andersen was found dead in Mlyniec’s apartment, with bruises to the head and face, cuts inside the mouth, abrasions to the neck, scratches on the chest and back and injuries to the inner thighs, knees, calves and ankles.

Mlyniec said the two engaged in consensual, violent sex. During his trial, his lawyer argued that Andersen may have died from a toxic mixture of drugs and alcohol. A state medical examiner, however, said she was strangled to death.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Nandini Jayakrishna

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:31 AM | Comment

Pawtucket's Division St. Bridge reopens to 2-way traffic

PAWTUCKET -- The first car to travel westbound over the Division Street Bridge in Pawtucket since last year was a Chevy Malibu with Massachusetts plates.

The bridge had been closed to westbound traffic since November, when state officials reorganized the road in anticipation of traffic jams caused by the weight limit posted on Route 95.

Because of the weight limit –– first 22 tons then lowered to 18 tons –– heavy trucks headed north were told to exit Route 95 at exit 17, emptying them onto Division Street.

But the traffic jams never came, and local businesses began lobbying the city, and in turn, the city lobbied the Department of Transportation, to reopen the 130-year-old bridge to two-way traffic.

The state commissioned traffic counts and discovered that there were far fewer trucks exiting the highway in Pawtucket than expected. They may have been exiting far earlier, as signs several towns north and south of the Route 95 bridge warned of the new weight limit and directed traffic to Route 146 or Route 295.

So the DOT restriped and repaved Division Street, between George and Prospect Streets. The Department held a brief ceremony and then, at about 10:30 this morning, a Chevy Malibu drove westbound over the Pawtucket River.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:24 AM | Comment

Query: Have gas prices changed your July 4 plans?

Have you decided not to make your traditional July 4th holiday trip this year because of high gasoline prices? Are you traveling closer to home? If you are going, are you packing for your trip today? Please contact The Journal's energy writer, Tim Barmann, at 401-277-7369 or tbarmann@projo.com.

Posted by Tim Barmann at 11:11 AM | Comment

Girl still critical after rescue attempt at Conimicut

A 14-year-old girl who nearly drowned Sunday trying to help her friends out of a dangerous current in the waters off Conimicut Point is still in critical condition at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Tiffany Martinez was out on a sandbar at the beach with friends when the tide started coming in. According to her mother, Tiffany tried to carry a family friend –– an 8-year-old boy –– on her back and swim to shore.

She was unconscious by the time her mother’s husband lifted her into a rescue canoe.

On Monday, another woman had to be rescued after chasing after her chair, which had blown into the water.

Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said there have been similar problems at the beach for years. And although there are signs warning of the dangerous tide, the appeal of the sandbar is stronger than the perceived risk for some swimmers.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:20 AM | Comment

Woonsocket police charge teen with raping toddler

WOONSOCKET -- Authorities in Woonsocket say a 17-year-old boy beat, bit and raped a 2-year-old girl he was baby-sitting.

Police say the alleged incident occurred on Sunday and the boy was arrested early Monday morning after the child's mother called 911.

Lt. Timothy Paul says the teenager, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, is being held pending a hearing to be held in Family Court no later than Friday.

The child was left in the care of the suspect by her 24-year-old mother, who is also the teen's girlfriend.

The child was taken to a hospital where doctors found bruises and bite marks on her body as well as evidence of a sexual assault.

The teen is charged with first-degree sexual assault by means of forcible rape and first-degree child abuse.

-- The Associated Press with information from The Call.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:48 AM | Comment

Update: Lanes reopened on Route 95 north

A pair of problems that closed lanes on Route 95 north in Providence and Pawtucket have been cleared and lanes reopened.

An accident near Exit 23 by the state offices in Providence had closed the right lane, according to the state Traffic Management Center.

The Traffic Management Center reported earlier that the left lane near Exit 29 in Pawtucket had reopened after a disabled vehicle had been cleared.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:31 AM | Comment

A chance of showers, thunderstorms, a high near 87

There's a slight chance of showers this morning and then scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely after 2 p.m. with some of the storms possibly producing hail and gusty winds, the National Weather Service says.

The temperature should reach 87 degrees in the Providence area with winds from the southwest at 5 to 14 mph.

For more weather, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

Today in history: These Colonies...ought to be free

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution that "these United Colonies are, and of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States."

Read more about today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page: Lead-paint case overturned

Today's front page features coverage of the Rhode Island Supreme Court's overturning of a lawsuit verdict against three companies that manufactured lead paint and reporting on the arrests of three teens, including a 13-year-old girl, in the shooting death of a 19-year-old man.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment