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« July 8, 2008 | Today | July 10, 2008 » July 9, 2008Tonight: So much to pick from, plan forBig Apple Circus in Charlestown. Newport Music Festival in the mansions. Blues on the Beach in Misquamicut. Sound Sessions in Providence. Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport. Summer is in its heyday here in the Ocean State, as several annual events take to the stage this week. You're sure to find one that tickles your fancy. Check the listings on our calendar page and on our Lifebeat page to see what's happening where.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:00 PM | Comment Photo: Group protests Carcieri vetoes on prison bills
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:53 PM | Comment R.I. senators split vote on surveillance legislationWASHINGTON -- Rhode Island's Senate delegation split today as the Senate voted overwhelmingly for an overhaul of the nation's foreign intelligence-gathering system, giving President Bush a hard-fought victory on the question of legal immunity for telecommunications companies that helped him to conduct a secret program of warrantless surveillance after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who has been an outspoken critic of the administration's warrantless wiretap program, voted with the majority that - like the Bush administration - favored the intelligence overhaul, a compromise hammered out over the course of many months and several impasses. Sen. Jack Reed, a fellow Democrat, joined the minority in opposition to the bill, which passed on a 69 to 28 vote. Both Rhode Islanders voted for a series of amendments that failed, including one that would have killed the provision that will effectively protect the "telecom'' companies from lawsuits over their role in the wiretap program. Whitehouse, who had supported the bill in a key test vote before the July 4 Senate recess, said at the time, "This is a large and comprehensive bill that solves a whole variety of problems.'' He had played a role, for example, in drafting a provision to safeguard the rights of Americans overseas who are inadvertently caught up in government eavesdropping on telephone and e-mail traffic among suspected terrorists. The bill is very much a political compromise, brought about by a deadline: Wiretapping orders authorized last year will begin to expire in August. Without a new bill, the government would go back to old FISA rules, requiring multiple new orders and potential delays to continue those intercepts. That is something most of Congress did not want to see happen, particularly in an election year.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:09 PM | Comment Sen. Kennedy gets cheery welcome in Senate / Video
The business at hand was a bill to restore cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. As the roll was called, through "Mr. Reed of Rhode Island,'' and "Mr. Reid of Nevada,'' the white-maned Massachusetts Democrat entered the Senate chamber in the Capitol. The roll call stopped as senators and onlookers in the galleries above burst into applause and cheers. Kennedy embraced colleagues, walked to the well of the Senate and raised his hand. "Aye!'' he could be heard to say, signifying his vote for the bill and raising two thumbs up. Video: See the Senate's response as Kennedy arrives today. -- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington Bureau Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:00 PM | Comment Block Island ferry service back to normal after collisionBLOCK ISLAND — Ferry service to Block Island is fully restored following last week’s collision between a ferry and a Coast Guard ice-breaking tug in dense fog. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard are continuing their investigations into the midday collision. The Coast Guard did not expect to issue its final report on the crash for at least a month. The NTSB, which is the lead investigator, will probably not complete its findings for a year of more, said Bridget Serchak, spokeswoman for that agency. NTSB investigators have looked at the ferry’s horn and radar system as well as downloaded electronic navigational data from the Coast Guard vessel, Serchak said. The results of blood and alcohol tests of Coast Guard and ferry crew members are expected next week, Serchak said. The 140-foot Morro Bay and the ferry, Block Island, collided in thick fog about 3 miles north of Block Island on Wednesday. The impact left a four-foot dent in the ferry’s bow and a gash on the rear starboard railing of the Morro Bay. The ferry had left Point Judith in Narragansett at 11:45 a.m. carrying 257 people plus crew. No one was seriously injured, but three passengers were checked out at an island medical center. Its captain, Steve Kimball, has worked for Interstate Navigation, the ferry company, for 20-plus years, said William A. McCombe, director of security for Interstate. The Morro Bay was returning to its base in New London, Conn., following a ceremony the day before in Newport that installed Lt. Douglas Wyatt as its commanding officer. Wyatt enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1978 and has served as the officer in charge of the 65-foot ice-breaking tug Hawser and executive petty officer on the 65-foot ice-breaking tug Wire, according to the Coast Guard. Block Island returned to service Saturday after being taken to Providence for minor work to repair the dent and getting cleared by the Coast Guard, McCombe said. The Morro Bay is now docked at its homeport in New London, where it is undergoing previously scheduled maintenance and being used for training, Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen said yesterday. Wyatt remains as its commanding officer, she said. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:42 PM | Comment 2 Warwick and one N. Kingstown beach on closing listThe state Department of Health today recommended closing three beaches to swimming, as the thermometer climbs. The Camp Grosvenor beach in North Kingstown, and Gorton Pond Beach and Oakland Beach, both in Warwick. The three beaches all tested positive for high levels of Enterococci, bacteria that thrive in animal intestines and are, therefore, indicators of sewage contamination. Things could change any day, though, so check the Department of Health's beach monitoring Web site, or call the beach hotline, at 401-222-2751. The Web site also keeps track of previous closings and bacteria levels. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 4:32 PM | Comment Washington Bridge lane closure this weekendIf your commute takes you over the Washington Bridge, the Department of Transportation has good news and bad news. The bad news first: The slow lane on the eastbound side of the bridge, which carries Route 195 over the Seekonk River, will be closed this weekend to pour and cure concrete, making a new lane. The lane –– a shoulder, breakdown lane and exit lane –– will reopen for travel Monday at 6 a.m. Now for the good news, this is the last time a lane will be closed for this part of the project. You may remember, there were similar closures in May and last August. The lane closure will begin Saturday at 5 a.m. between Exit 3, Gano Street, and Exit 4, Taunton. And the DOT has issued a special request that trucks drive only in the middle lane, to reduce vibration. That’s the reason for the lane closure; to reduce vibration so that the concrete cures and bonds to the existing concrete deck. Find out more about the Washington Bridge replacement on the DOT's Web site. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 4:08 PM | Comment Photo: A winning combination: GA 100
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:24 PM | Comment Barrington school board member charged with vandalismBARRINGTON - A lawyer and veteran member of the Barrington School Committee pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of vandalism and malicious injury to property during her arraignment in District Court this afternoon. The police said Amy Page Oberg, 49, of 42 Chapel Rd., appeared to be drunk when she was arrested the evening before Independence Day. Officers went to her house because a Cranston man, John P. O'Malley, had reported that a woman, later identified as Oberg, had smacked his car twice, scratching the paint on his trunk, allegedly because she objected to him having his high beams on as he drove slowly along Annawamscutt Road. "The suspect was intoxicated and had some trouble keeping her balance standing in the doorway while I was speaking with her," according to the report from Ptlm. Wesley McCoy. Oberg declined comment in court today. Magistrate Joseph Ippolito released her on $1,000 personal recognizance. She is due back in court in two weeks. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:24 PM | Comment GTECH could lose Kansas contract over lottery blunderTOPEKA, Kan. -- Recent computer blunders in the Kansas Lottery Pick 3 game could cost international gaming giant GTECH a contract to run the games at the four state-owned and -operated casinos. The Providence-based firm manages state lottery and casino data systems for gambling jurisdictions worldwide, including Kansas. In April, the firm was tentatively awarded the state's casino data systems contract. But Ed Van Petten, executive director of the Kansas Lottery, said that final contract negotiations with GTECH were now "at a standstill." "We are not going to move forward until they can establish some degree of credibility," he told The Kansas City Star yesterday. GTECH spokesman Bob Vincent acknowledged the casino contract issue. "We believe we will shortly resolve these issues that have come up with Pick 3," he said. "We are very confident we can do that to the satisfaction of the Lottery and renew our discussions with the Lottery about the gaming contract," Vincent said. A law enacted last year allows for state-owned and -operated resort casinos in Cherokee, Ford, Sumner and Wyandotte counties to be managed by casino companies. The Lottery would own the games. As for the Pick 3 problem, "it was a software glitch that happened," Vincent said. "It should have been caught, and it shouldn't have happened." Lottery officials last week disclosed that GTECH's systems reported the wrong winning numbers in the state's daily Pick 3 drawings on June 29, June 30 and July 1. Officials feared many genuine winning tickets were discarded before the errors were discovered July 2. -- The Associated Press Since then, Van Petten said only seven of the 169 rightful winners had claimed their share of $23,740 in prizes that should have been awarded. The Lottery also is honoring 136 tickets that were sold with numbers mistakenly reported as the winners. Van Petten said the blunder had Kansas second-guessing itself on whether GTECH is up to the task of managing data for the casinos. "We made them the apparent successful bidder" for the casinos contract, said Van Petten. But, he added, "We have not formally awarded anything. We are in the process of requesting further information to verify their capabilities." The cause of the three-day computer glitch has not been determined, Van Petten said. But GTECH's system has correctly reported every Pick 3 drawing since July 1. He said GTECH was converting its Kansas system to new software on June 29 when the problem first occurred. "It was supposed to be better and quicker," he said of the new data control software. "But thus far it has been a nightmare." The error was detected during the Lottery's security verification process. Meanwhile, Van Petten said the state would press GTECH for $20,730 in damages for prizes it paid on the incorrect numbers that were announced as winners. The lottery last year sold $5.8 million worth of Pick 3 game tickets, at 50 cents or $1 each, depending on the type of wager placed. Daily prizes range from $40 to $500. Since 2006, GTECH has been a subsidiary of the Italian firm Lottomatica S.p.A. The final award of the state's casino data systems business is subject to negotiation of a seven-to-10 year contract, and approval by the Kansas Lottery Commission and the Kansas Information Technology Office. The lone rival bidder was Scientific Games Corp. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:18 PM | Comment Save The Bay names Gerhardt as interim directorA man who has served as interim director for an orchestra, a school, a hospice, and other organizations is now stepping in as interim executive director of Save The Bay. On June 30, Curt Spaulding left the environmental organization, which aims to protect Narragansett Bay, after 18 years. Now Michael Gerhardt has been appointed to lead Save The Bay during its transition. "It is an enormous advantage to have an experienced leader in this important interim role. The board, our staff and our membership will surely benefit from the steady hand, clear vision and vast wisdom Michael Gerhardt brings to Save The Bay." Gerhardt has headed nonprofit organizations including the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank; the Providence Ronald McDonald House, Home and Hospice Care; the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island and others through periods of organizational transition. Before focusing on transitional leadership, Gerhardt was president and COO of HMO Rhode Island and executive director of AIDS Project Rhode Island. “As a long-time member of Save The Bay,” Gerhardt said in a statement, “I look forward to the opportunity to assist in this critical organization’s leadership transition process.” Save The Bay has done a national search for a new director and is now interviewing candidates. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:05 PM | Comment Update: Coast Guard ends search for missing sailorThe Coast Guard has ended its active search for a 65-year-old Connecticut man who fell out of his sailboat Monday near the northern entrance to the Sakonnet River. This morning, a Coast Guard helicopter flew over the search area looking for Bernard Mochan, of Clinton, Conn. Mochan had been sailing with his wife on the 32-foot Elizabeth sailboat Monday when the vessel’s boom hit him on the head. He wasn't wearing a flotation device, and fell overboard. That evening, searchers found a hat that Mochan’s wife said belonged to her husband in the water about a tenth of a mile west of Tiverton. The Coast Guard has been searching for him since but with no further signs. "Ending a search is a very difficult decision,” Capt. Raymond Perry, commander of Sector Southeastern New England, said today in a statement. “But we think it is highly unlikely that someone could survive more than 40 hours in the water without a lifejacket on.” “We express our deepest condolences to Mr. Mochan's family and friends." Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:11 PM | Comment PUC to decide on National Grid rate hike tomorrowWARWICK -- The state Public Utilities Commission will make a decision on National Grid's request for 21.7 percent increase in rates tomorrow. The PUC, which heard from the public on the request yesterday, is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m . at its headquarters at 89 Jefferson Boulevard. At its hearing yesterday, about 20 customers told the commission what a hardship the rate hike would be and implored the PUC not to approve it. National Grid upped its electricity rate request last week, from a 15.6 percent increase, citing increases in energy costs. The request is the largest single rate increase the company has ever sought, and would put rates at their highest level ever. National Grid has asked the new rates to go into effect on July 15. Extra: See the proposal as put forward before the PUC. Your Turn: If you were at the PUC meeting, what would you have told them? Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:36 PM | Comment Whitehouse takes Mukasey to task over waterboardingWASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse jousted today with U.S. Attorney General Michael Bernard Mukasey over his refusal to make a legal declaration as to whether waterboarding amounts to torture. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:12 PM | Comment Weather service warns of high surfThe National Weather Service has issued a high-surf advisory for south-facing beaches from 4 p.m. today until 8 a.m. tomorrow. The high surf will produce rip currents. Southwest winds have built up seas of five feet just south of Block Island and Martha's Vineyard. Those waves are expected to build to seven feet. Rip currents are strong but narrow currents of water flowing from the beach to the surf zone, the weather service says. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:10 PM | Comment Update: Teen pleads not guilty in Central Falls murder
PROVIDENCE –– The teenager accused of fatally shooting another 19-year-old in a confrontation in Central Falls two months ago was arraigned in Superior Court this morning on an indictment charging him with murder. Anthony Strobert, 19, was charged not only with first-degree murder, felony assault and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence in the shooting, which ended the life of Helder Tomar, 19, of Pawtucket, and prompted a curfew in the panicked City of Central Falls. Strobert, 19, of Central Falls, was also charged with carrying a pistol without a license -- a charge that indicated a dramatic change in the way law enforcement officials view the case. Statements provided immediately after the April 26 shooting led police to believe that Tomar brought the murder weapon to the spot on Fletcher Street where the confrontation occurred. Based on those statements, the police believed that Strobert managed to take the weapon from Tomar and kill him with it after Strobert suffered a gunshot wound in the fight. Subsequent investigation revealed that it was Strobert, not Tomar, who brought the murder weapon, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said. “The facts support the allegation that Anthony Strobert shot and killed Helder Tomar after Strobert pulled a gun out of his waistband and approached Tomar near Jenks Park,” Michael J. Healey said. This morning’s arraignment took place before Magistrate Joseph A. Keough, who asked Strobert whether he had a lawyer, and designated the Public Defender’s Office to represent him during the proceeding when Strobert answered, “I think so. I don’t know.” Assistant Public Defender Joseph Dwyer conferred with Strobert briefly, before stepping up to the courtroom microphone and entering a not guilty plea on Strobert's behalf. -- Journal staff writer John Castellucci Dwyer, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall, towered over the defendant, a slightly built, 5-foot 3- or 4-inch-tall teenager with a thin mustache and close-cropped hair. Keough continued the case until next week and in the meantime ordered that Strobert continued to be held at the Adult Correctional Institutions without bail. The April 26 murder was followed by another, a day later, in Central Falls. Edelmiro Roman, 16, was shot dead on Dexter Street. No suspects have been arrested in that slaying. Healey was asked whether it was in retaliation for Tomar’s slaying, as police believe. “I know Central Falls police believe that is a plausible theory, but since there are no suspects, here’s really nothing to back it up at this point,” Healey said Posted by Jack Perry at 11:48 AM | Comment Update: Parents of slain Mansfield man speak outNEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- Police have arrested a 19-year-old man in the shooting of a Mansfield man found dead behind the wheel of a running car. Mark Hayden of Mansfield was arrested last night at the town's police station. He faces charges including murder at his arraignment, which has been postponed until 2 p.m. today. Eighteen-year-old Andrew Colwell was found Monday night in a car with a gunshot wound to the head outside a condominium complex in Mansfield, about 25 miles south of Boston. The Colwell family has sent a statement, through the Bristol County District Attorney's Office: “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the heath care professionals and law enforcement agencies for their relentless efforts in assisting Andrew and our family during this very difficult time. We ask that the media respects our need for privacy as we begin to grieve the loss of our son Andrew.” Hayden was wanted for questioning after the shooting and was spotted by MBTA officials Monday afternoon at South Station in Boston. He was stopped by police and agreed to return to Mansfield for questioning. Authorities did not immediately comment on a motive. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 11:20 AM | Comment Olympic swimming finals will be live on NBCOlympic swimmers will be doing their work very early in the morning in Beijing, and that is good news at least for viewers in the United States. All 32 gold-medal swimming events will be televised live, in prime time, on NBC, the network announced today. That means the swimmers -- and gymnasts, too -- will be competing between 8 and 11 in the morning Beijing time, according to Michael David Smith of AOL's FanHouse blog. One of the medal hopefuls, of course, is North Kingstown's own Elizabeth Beisel. -- Mike McDermott Posted by Jack Perry at 9:26 AM | Comment Carcieri joins New England governers to talk energyRhode Island will be represented in the New England Governors' Energy Summit today in Boston. Governor Carcieri and his fellow New England governors will have a chance to discuss options for collaborative solutions to regional energy problems. And they'll discuss regional approaches to energy issues, including rising energy costs and the development and promotion of renewable and efficient energy. Two weeks ago, Carcieri vetoed a proposed renewable energy bill. He cited its requirements that National Grid get bonuses; a lack of requirement that National Grid enter into local contracts; and its dependence on solar energy, which some have said is not a feasible source of renewable energy for Rhode Island. Joining Carcieri at the Summit will be Andre Dzykewicz, the commissioner of the state's office of Energy Resources. Dzykewicz, who was in favor of the energy bill, will make a presentation on developing renewable power options to the summit. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:22 AM | Comment Update: Search continues for missing Conn. sailorA Coast Guard helicopter was used in the search this morning for a 65-year-old Conn. man who fell off his sailboat Monday afternoon near the northern entrance to the Sakonnet River, and hasn’t been seen since. Late yesterday there had been reports that the search for Bernard Mochan had been suspended, but Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen said they were incorrect. This morning’s helicopter search did not find anyone or any signs of the Clinton, Conn. man. “Right now,” Jorgensen said, “we’re reevaluating where we’re going from here.” The search, she said, has not been suspended. Clinton had been boating with his wife aboard the 32-foot sailboat Elizabeth, when the vessel’s boom hit him in the head. He went overboard and was not wearing a flotation device. His wife called the Coast Guard at about 4:50 p.m. The Coast Guard found a hat in the water about one tenth of a mile west of Tiverton. Mochan’s wife said it belonged to her husband. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:49 AM | Comment Sunny with a high of 89Today will be sunny with a high near 89 degrees in the Providence area, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms could hit parts of southern New England later today, particularly northern Rhode Island. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today in history: Washington's troops hear DeclarationOn this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington's troops in New York. Read more about today in history. Watch a video report about today in history. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front page: The Ocean State's teen OlympianToday's front page features a story on Elizabeth Beisel, the 15-year-old from North Kingstown who qualified for the Olympics in swimming. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006