Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

EDGARTOWN, Mass. -- A 60-year-old man is facing a disorderly conduct charge after allegedly lying about seeing two great white sharks off a Martha Vineyard’s beach.

Edgartown Police Chief Paul Condlin said Michael Lopenzo warned people to get out of the water at the Joseph Silva State Beach on Thursday. Lopenzo claimed he had seen two sharks about 22 feet long and 3,000 pounds each while he was fishing.

Officials closed the beach, but Condlin said investigators later determined Lopenzo was lying.

Condlin say Lopenzo gave the name of a nonexistent boat and owner to detectives investigating the sighting.

Attempts to reach Lopenzo were not immediately successful.

A second beach was closed Thursday on the island -- where the classic horror movie “Jaws” was filmed -- after lifeguards at South Beach said they might have seen a great white shark.

In 1974, Steven Spielberg chose Martha’s Vineyard for “Jaws,” depicting a series of deadly great white attacks in the fictional community of Amity.

The beaches were reopened Friday.

-- The Associated Press

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PROVIDENCE -- Multiple shots were fired from a car that drove by a Bergen Street residence twice early this morning, where a mother and her baby were among several people on the porch, according to a police report.

As a result of the incident, the 9-month-old boy suffered a minor injury to the right side of the back of his head, according to police, and was taken by rescue truck to Hasbro Children's Hospital.

The child had no visible external injury, Deputy Police Chief Paul Kennedy said this afternoon. A CT scan done as a cautionary measure found two metal objects, each about 2 millimeters in size, in the baby's skull, Kennedy said. The objects did not penetrate the skull or go into the brain, he said.

Kennedy said it's not known what the objects are or how they got there. He cited a number of possibilities, from something richocheting off the house during the shootings to a unrelated incident in the past.

The police said no other injuries were reported.

The police had responded to 65 Bergen St. at 12:55 a.m. for a report of shots fired.

Rashida Lovett, 27, told police she was holding her infant in her arms when, witnesses said, a dark, four-door older-model Oldsmobile or a 1994 Oldsmobile 88 with tinted windows drove onto Bergen from Regent Avenue.

As the car drove past, about four shots were fired in the direction of those on the porch, according to the police report. The car turned around at Andem Street "for a second pass and fired approximately 5 more shots." The car then left, going onto Regent Avenue.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Continue reading "Update: Shots fired from car while mother, baby on porch" »

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A body found near the Tiverton shore was identified today as the Connecticut man who fell off his sailboat Monday afternoon near the Sakonnet River's northern entrance.

The cause of death for Bernard Mochan, 65, of Clinton, Conn., is still pending, a state Health Department spokeswoman said today.

Mochan fell off his 32-foot sailboat after being struck in the head by the boat’s boom. He was not wearing a flotation device.

The Coast Guard called off its search for Mochan on Wednesday.

Yesterday, Tiverton Fire Chief Robert Lloyd said that his department received a 911 call at about 10:30 a.m. from the head chef of the Boathouse Restaurant, who said he saw a floating object in the river about 300 yards offshore. Firefighters retrieved the body on the shore just south of the restaurant, in the Riverside and Poplar drives area.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Chloe Thompson and Journal archives

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BOSTON -- The highest court in Massachusetts has upheld the state's decision to revoke the license of a dentist accused in Rhode Island of stealing thousands of dollars from patients.

Gary Anusavice was accused of billing patients for services they didn't receive at his Pawtucket business, Premier Dental.

In 2005, Rhode Island Health Department suspended his license and ordered him to close his office in Pawtucket.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry later revoked Anusavice's license to practice in its state.

Anusavice appealed that decision. But on Friday, the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts said dental regulators can discipline a dentist in Massachusetts based on discipline imposed on him in Rhode Island.

Read the 2005 Rhode Island consent order in the matter.

-- The Associated Press

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EDGARTOWN, Mass. -- The island where “Jaws” was filmed got a real-life shark scare when two beaches were closed due to an unconfirmed sighting of a great white shark off Martha's Vineyard.

A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation said state-run South Beach was closed for a time Thursday after the Coast Guard received reports of the shark sighting. Swimmers were also kept out of the water at State Beach in Edgartown.

A plane was sent up to try to confirm the sighting.

In 1974, Steven Spielberg chose Martha’s Vineyard for the movie version of “Jaws,” depicting a series of deadly great white attacks in the fictional community of Amity.

Shark attacks are extremely rare in waters off New England, but great whites have been known to occasionally prowl in the region.

-- The Associated Press

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Journal photo/ John Freidah
Customers line up outside the AT&T store on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston today for the release of the new iPhone. Gadi Shemtov, left, who hopes to upgrade to the new iPhone before leaving for Israel later today, shows Rick Wilson his old phone while the two wait in line. The new model updates the popular device launched a year ago by speeding up Internet access and adding a navigation chip. The new phone went on sale today in 22 countries. In most of them it was the first time any iPhone was officially sold there, though several countries have seen a brisk grey-market trade in phones imported from the U.S.

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HOPKINTON -- The Garrity Industries flashlight plant in Ashaway will close in April, putting more than 50 people out of work.

A spokesman for Duracell, Garrity's corporate owner, says operations in Ashaway and Madison, Conn., will be consolidated at the company's Bethel, Conn., facility.

The spokesman says more than 50 employees at the Ashaway facility and 28 in Madison will be laid off over the next six to nine months.

Garrity Industries was founded in 1967, and in 2006 was bought by battery maker Duracell, a division of Procter & Gamble Co.

Spokesman Kurt Iverson says some employees will be offered jobs at other Duracell locations and some will get severance packages.

Westerly resident Carol Young, a Garrity employee since June 2000, says workers were ``upset and angry.''

The Associated Press with information from The Westerly Sun.

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Look for a mostly sunny day today with a high near 80 degrees in the Providence area, according to the National Weather Service.

But there is a risk -- although it's low -- of thunderstorms this afternoon, mainly north of the Massachusetts Turnpike, the weather service warns.

The weekend looks great, too, with a sunny day tomorrow and a mostly sunny day forecast for Sunday. The temperature should reach the low 80s on both days.

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On this day in 1914, Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth made his major league debut as a pitcher for the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston.

Read more about today in history.

Watch a video about today in history.

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Today's front story reports that the Public Utilities Commission has approved dramatic increases in electricity and gas rates charged to customers.

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

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New England governors, including Governor Carcieri, are asking for an increase in the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program money that comes to New England.

The governors signed a letter asking that LIHEAP money be raised to $1 billion this year. The letter, signed at an energy summit in Boston yesterday, is addressed to President Bush, congressional leaders and presidential candidates Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. A news release issued this afternoon did not say how much the most recent yearly appropriation was.

Carcieri said in the statement he also forwarded a copy of the letter to Rhode Island's congressmen.

“Never before in modern history has New England faced the prospect of so many residents being unable to heat their homes as there will be this coming winter,” the letter said.

The governor, in the news release about the governors' letter, said home heating oil costs are "skyrocketing," so the buying power of LIHEAP money "has been decimated." Since winter 2005-06, New England's home heating oil price has gone up 87 percent.

An increase to $1 billion in LIHEAP money for New England states would deliver the same amount of fuel the program provided in 2005-06, the news release says.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Continue reading "New England governors seek more federal heating aid" »

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NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Four Brazilian men are in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and will be deported after they were found to be illegal immigrants during a state police traffic stop this week, according to ICE.

State police stopped a southbound van around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, after it ran a red light on Route 4 at West Allentown Road, according to a state police press release.

The officer sent an electronic query to ICE that revealed there was a deportation warrant out on one of the men, said Paula Grenier, ICE spokeswoman. A check of identification of others in the van showed warrants for three additional men as well.

The deportation warrants issued by a judge are not based on criminal charges, but because they were “in the country without authorization,” Grenier said.

The men are in ICE custody and are expected to be deported by to Brazil, their native country, in the coming weeks, she said.

They are listed by state police as Sinval Ferreira Do Carmo, 31; Joao Da Silva, 24; Fabiano Oliviera-Monteiro, 27; and Marcio Fereira-Da Silva, 23.

The four men worked for Colonial Construction, of Stoughton, Mass., and were heading to Narragansett, where they were framing condominiums as subcontractors for the Gilbane Development Co. project at the Pier, said Wes Cotter, spokesman for Gilbane.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Continue reading "4 men in ICE custody after N. Kingstown traffic stop" »

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As expected, the state Public Utilities Commission has approved a 21.7-percent increase in the price National Grid charges its customers for electricity and an 8-percent increase in the price it charges customers for natural gas.

The combined increases, which go into effect July 15, would raise the average utility bill for a typical home heated by gas by almost $30 a month. The increase would be higher in winter months and lower in summer months.

National Grid requested the increase because the company says it's paying more to purchase electricity and natural gas.

The PUC put a time limit on the natural gas increase, however, approving it only through Nov. 1.

The PUC's approval comes as little surprise. In an interview this week, PUC Chairman Elia Germani says the PUC has little leeway in cases where a utility is simply passing on increases it pays for energy.

Under such circumstances, state statute limits the commission to decising three questions:

Did the utility make “prudent” decisions in buying the energy that led to the higher costs? Are the numbers the utility cited in requesting the increase correct? When will the increase take effect?

The increase in the gas rate was slightly less -- about two cents -- than National Grid had requested, which brought the projected 10-percent increase down to 8 percent.

National Grid, Rhode Island's dominant utility company, provides electricity to 477,000 customers in 38 communities and natural gas to about 245,000 customers in 33 communities.

-- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker.

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Keith Ulich, the sole survivor of Thursday's plane crash in Middletown that killed the aircraft's other two occupants, remains in critical condition this afternoon at Rhode Island Hospital, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

The single-engine Piper PA-28 went down that night at Newport State Airport, some 700 feet from the runway.

The state police this week identified the dead as Pamela Ulich Lancaster, 43, who owned and ran the Dragonfly Inn, at 33 Russell Ave., and Charles W. Thompson, 63, of 4 Manning Court, a flight instructor. Keith Ulich, of Newport, is the husband of Ulich Lancaster.

Read The Journal' s profile of the victims.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims and Journal archival reports

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TIVERTON -- A man's body has been discovered near shore in the Riverside Drive area in Tiverton, according to the Coast Guard.

Tiverton Fire Chief Robert Lloyd said the department received a 911 call at about 10:30 a.m. from the head chef of the Boathouse Restaurant, who reported seeing a floating object in the Sakonnet River.

Firefighters retrieved the body of a male adult just south of the restaurant, in the area of Riverside and Poplar drives, after river currents brought it onto shore from 300 yards offshore, Lloyd said.

The medical examiner’s office is working to identify the body, Lloyd said.

Annemarie Beardsworth, a spokeswoman for the Office of State Medical Examiners, said the office anticipates it will have an identification tomorrow.

Officials have not said if it is the body of a missing Connecticut man who, according to the Coast Guard, fell off his sailboat Monday near the northern entrance to the Sakonnet River. The Coast Guard yesterday said it had ended its search for the man.

Bernard Mochan, 65, of Clinton, Conn., had been sailing with his wife on the 32-foot Elizabeth when the vessel’s boom hit him on the head and he fell overboard. He wasn’t wearing a flotation device.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims and Journal archival reports

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The state Department of Health today reopened to swimming the Oakland Beach in Warwick, based on water samples that showed bacteria within acceptable limits.

The department today closed to swimming the Atlantic Beach in Middletown because of high bacteria counts.

Remaining closed are Camp Grosvenor Beach in North Kingstown and Gorton Pond Beach in Warwick.

For updates about Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information call (401) 222-2751.

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PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri and Adjutant General Robert T. Bray, who leads the state Emergency Management Agency, today emphasized the importance of preparing for a hurricane.

Their remarks came as the Northeast Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum takes place this afternoon and tomorrow in Newport.

At the forum, a joint effort by the state and the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes is promoting a public information campaign to help everyone in Rhode Island mitigate the damage from a hurricane.

No two hurricanes are alike, said National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, who met this morning with the governor at the State House. That's why, Read said, it's important for people to be informed and prepared well before the hurricane strikes.

Those who survive a storm with lives and property intact believe it was luck, said FLASH President Leslie Chapman-Henderson. It's not luck, she said, it's because someone did something ahead of time to prepare.

The last time Rhode Island faced anything approaching an emergency -- the Dec. 13 snowstorm -- neither Carcieri nor Bray were on the job. Carcieri was in the Middle East and out of contact; Bray was out sick. Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts said she was rebuffed on attempts to run the emergency and that the governor often didn't inform her when he was away.

A Journal reporter asked Carcieri whether he would inform the lieutenant governor when he is out of state in case of an emergency, and whether he plans to curtail Bray's federal travel. A recent Journal review that Bray was out of the state about seven months in his first 22 months on the job. The governor has said previously that the general would be responsible for the state's emergency response during Carcieri's absence.

Under the state's emergency plans and state law, the governor is in charge of directing an emergency; otherwise, the responsibility falls to the lieutenant governor.

The governor didn't address the question about the lieutenant governor, but said that they all travel and they try to be sensitive about when a hurricane is going to hit. He said he had no concerns about the general's travel.

"There will be leadership," Carcieri said. "Dave Smith [the new executive director of the state EMA] is going to do a great job."

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Continue reading "Federal, state campaign stresses hurricane readiness" »

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Starting Saturday, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority buses won't cross the Pontiac Avenue and Reservoir Avenue bridges because of new weight limits on the spans.

RIPTA said in a statement today it will detour the route 13 bus -- Arctic/Washington -- and the route 22 bus -- Reservoir/Pontiac -- starting Saturday and continuing indefinitely.

RIPTA is also introducing routes 21 and 23.

Get details about the detours and new routes here.

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A federal judge in Providence ruled this morning on motions in the corruption case against Robert Urciuoli and Frances Driscoll, former Roger Williams Medical Center executives charged with bribing former state Sen. John Celona.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi also took under advisement other motions by the defense, which is seeking to limit the evidence that the government can present in its second trial of Urciuoli and Driscoll, which is scheduled to begin in September. The pair was convicted in 2006, but a federal appeals court in Boston earlier this year ordered a new trial, saying that the judge, Ernest Torres, had improperly instructed the jury.

This time, Celona, the government’s star witness against Urciuoli and Driscoll, has been so discredited that prosecutors have said that they don’t intend to call him to testify in the second trial, provided that the defense agrees to allow the introduction of certain documents, including faxes between Celona and the former hospital executives about his State House efforts on their behalf.

Urciuoli is the former CEO of Roger Williams; Driscoll was a vice president. Celona worked as a consultant to the hospital and its affiliated assisted-living center. The defense says that he performed legitimate senior outreach; the prosecution says that was a sham and that Celona was paid for political favors.

The government and the defense are also squabbling over what instructions Lisi should give the jury in this case.

In the recent acquittal of two former CVS executives charged with bribing Celona, Lisi’s jury instructions were much different than those issued in the first Urciuoli-Driscoll case. In the CVS case, Lisi told jurors that it was permissible under Rhode Island ethics law for a company to hire a part-time Rhode Island lawmaker and even communicate with him or her on legislation affecting that company.

The instructions, combined with Celona’s lack of credibility, led to a swift acquittal of the two former CVS executives, John Kramer and Carlos Ortiz.

Judge Lisi today also denied Urciuoli’s motion to pursue allegations that Roger Williams improperly fired him and cut off his legal fees under pressure from prosecutors. The government has said that the deferred prosecution agreement it reached with the hospital did not require Urciuoli’s firing.

The judge also denied Driscoll’s motion for a separate trial. Although Driscoll was acquitted of conspiracy in the first trial, and cannot be retried on that charge, she was convicted of a single count of honest-services mail fraud.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 3, with opening arguments set for Sept. 8.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

Extra: Our continuing report on Operation Dollar Bill

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BOSTON -- A Cape Cod doctor who was cleared last year in the self-defense killing of her husband is returning to medical practice.

Dr. Ann Gryboski received approval yesterday from the state Board of Registration in Medicine to start seeing patients again. She had surrendered her medical license after she was arrested in April 2007 for the fatal shooting of her husband, Patrick Lancaster.

Prosecutors said last August that Gryboski would not face criminal charges because of overwhelming evidence that she had been abused by her husband.

Her lawyer, Paul Cirel, told The Boston Globe the doctor will return to her internal medicine practice with Cape Cod Healthcare in South Yarmouth beginning next month.

-- The Associated Press

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PROVIDENCE — Governor Carcieri is expected to announce a public service campaign today to help residents prepare in the event of a major hurricane, and to speak at a hurricane preparedness conference in Newport.

He’s expected to unveil the details of the campaign -- which include hurricane resource guides and a new Web site -- today at 10 a.m. at the State House.

Carcieri is also slotted to speak later this afternoon at the Northeast Mitigation Forum, an invitation-only conference with panel discussions and experts assessing the threat of a major hurricane in the region -- and our ability do handle one.

Also scheduled to speak is Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center.

The all-day forum comes 70 years after the deadliest hurricane in Rhode Island history, which killed hundreds of people in 1938.

Read about the hurricane, and see Journal archive photos of the damage the storm caused.

And follow current tropical weather conditions, including Hurricane Bertha, on projo.com's tropical weather page.

-- with reports from the Associated Press

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WARWICK -- The state Public Utilities Commission is expected to approve National Grid's request for 21.7 percent rate increase today.

The PUC, which heard from the public on the request Tuesday, is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m . at its headquarters at 89 Jefferson Boulevard.

At its hearing Tuesday, 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 Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1940, The Battle of Britain began during World War II as Nazi forces attacked southern England by air.

Read more about today in history.

Watch a video report on today in history.

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Today's front page features a photograph and story about Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's returning to the Senate for the first time since suffering from symptoms of what proved to be a malignant brain tumor. The senator returned to vote on a Medicare vote. Accompanying Sen. Kennedy were his son U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., and Sen. Kennedy's wife, Victoria.

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

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The 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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

If 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.

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BARRINGTON - 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.

- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

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A 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.

"Michael Gerhardt is the clear leader in his field when it comes to guiding non-profit organizations through leadership transitions," Save The Bay Board President Alden M. Anderson Jr. said in a statement.

"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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 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."

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The 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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Photo/ Steve Szydlowski
Anthony Strobert, 19, is arraigned in Superior Court.

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

Continue reading "Update: Teen pleads not guilty in Central Falls murder" »

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NEW 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

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Olympic 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

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Rhode 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 | Permalink | Comments (2)

A 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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

On 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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features a story on Elizabeth Beisel, the 15-year-old from North Kingstown who qualified for the Olympics in swimming.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse was among U.S. senators today who read from important documents that helped shape our nation, as the Senate celebrated Independence Day.

While the Declaration of Independence was among the documents, Whitehouse read from a 1790 letter from President George Washington to the congregation of Touro Synagogue in Newport.

The group chose Newport, according to the congregation’s Web site, after hearing of Rhode Island founder Roger William's dedication to religious acceptance.

The synagogue, established in 1763 by a group of 15 Jewish families, has served as a meeting place for the Rhode Island General Assembly and a hospital for British troops, sparing it from destruction during the American Revolution.

In Washington’s letter to the congregation, Washington asserted that the new sovereign nation would “… give to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance;” an example of the country’s commitment to religious freedom.

Video: Watch Whitehouse's reading of the letter and learn more about its history.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

An inmate at the Adult Correctional Institutions who is accused of assaulting another inmate is back at the ACI after a judge ordered him held on bail.

George Ortiz, 34, was arraigned on felony assault charges in 3rd District Court yesterday, and held on $50,000 surety, or $5,000 cash bail. He was presented as a Superior Court probation violator for prior Possession of Narcotics charges

State police Maj. Stephen O'Donnell said yesterday that on July 4, Ortiz and Robert Bainter, 20, got into an argument, and then Ortiz hit Bainter in the head three times. Bainter fell, striking his head and suffering severe head trauma, O’Donnell said.

Bainter was in critical condition yesterday morning, according to the state police, but Rhode Island Hospital would not provide updated information on Bainer's condition to projo.com today.

The hospital has a policy that prohibits employees from releasing conditions of patients who are inmates at the ACI, according to spokeswoman Jill Reuter.

Ortiz, whose most recent address is in Central Falls, is serving six months for domestic assault, according to Department of Corrections spokeswoman Tracey Poole. He was due for release Aug. 13.

Bainter, whose most recent address is in Coventry, is serving four years for robbery, Poole said. He is scheduled for release in October 2010.

Both men were in minimum security; Ortiz has since been moved to high security.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The financial records of the nonprofit Education Partnership are in such disarray they will require a forensic accountant to review them, the lawyer appointed to sort out the organization’s finances said this morning.

Among those owed money are 95 college students who were promised about $177,000 in scholarships that apparently have not been paid, attorney Allan M. Shine told Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein. So far, about 30 of the affected students have contacted Shine directly, he said.

“As of now, your Honor, the records are not in perfect condition … I think that is an understatement,” Shine said. “… We need to reconstruct records that are, as I say, less than complete. It will take us a while to sort this out.”

The Education Partnership, an advocacy organization backed by local businesses, went into receivership last month, in part because several contracts for conducting research for municipalities and school districts fell through, said Shine. He was appointed permanent receiver by the court this morning after serving as temporary receiver since June 18.

Shine said that money from different sources — including federal grants earmarked for specific programs, grants from private sources and scholarship money –– apparently was mingled with the Education Partnership’s operational expenses. “There were no separate escrow accounts,” Shine said.

Since 2005, the Partnership has administered the Louis Feinstein Memorial Scholarship, created 15 years ago by philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein in honor of his late father, Louis.

An attorney for Feinstein said his client was dismayed to learn that the scholarship money was not kept in a separate account, used solely for student aid.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer Jordan

Continue reading "Education Partnership's finances, scholarship aid awry" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

The sole survivor of a plane crash in Middletown is still listed in critical condition today, according to Rhode Island Hospital spokeswoman Jill Reuter.

Keith Ulich, 28, is in an induced coma, and doctors removed both of his feet because of the extent of his burns, family members said.

Killed in Thursday's crash were Ulich’s wife, Pamela Ulich Lancaster, 43, and flight instructor Charles W. Thompson –– all of Newport.

Read about their lives on projo.com.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s a nice day for a walk by the waterfront.

Luckily for Rhode Islanders, the Audubon Society is reopening a boardwalk that was damaged in April after a fire moved through the brush and marsh near the Audubon’s Environmental Education Center in Bristol.

In addition to fire damage, firefighters had to tear up sections of the boardwalk to get to flames as they began to make their way toward the Education Center building, as well as homes and businesses.

At 2 p.m. today the boardwalk reopens, newly reconstructed, nearly three months after the fire.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Coast Guard and other agencies were continuing their search this morning for a Connecticut man who fell off his sailboat yesterday afternoon near the northern entrance of the Sakonnet River

A helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod this morning joined the cutter Tiger Shark, which searched through the night without finding Bernard Mochan, 65, of Clinton, Conn., according to Petty Officer Connie Terrell at the Coast Guard's First District headquarters in Boston.

Mochan was boating with his wife aboard the 32-foot Elizabeth when he was struck on the head by the vessel’s boom and went overboard. He was not wearing a flotation device. Mochan's wife called the Coast Guard around 4:50 p.m.

Late last night the crew of a 25-foot Coast Guard boat out of Castle Hill in Newport found a hat in the waters of the search area centered about one-tenth of a mile west of Tiverton, the Coast Guard said. Mochan's wife confirmed it belonged to her husband.

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An oil spill has a lane closed and is slowing traffic this morning.

The accident, on the southbound side of the roadway has the right lane closed near Exit 6A/Hopkins Hill Road.

To see how traffic is being affected, see the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1663, King Charles II of England granted a charter to Rhode Island.

Read more about today in history.

Watch a video report about today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The temperature in the Providence area should climb to 89 degrees under partly sunny skies today, according to the National Weather Service.

The warm and humid air now in the region could bring scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon.

The weather service is also warning of an increasing risk of rip tides on south-facing beaches.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features the story of a paroled murderer accused of entering a North Kingstown house, threatening a woman at home with her baby and stealing her SUV.

Download a copy of the front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are you hungry?

Good.

The area's annual Restaurant Week started yesterday –– but it’s not too late to make a reservation at one of the more than 50 participating restaurants.

Whether it’s pasta Florentine at CAV, or a meatball sandwich at Fatty McGee’s, there should be something for just about everyone.

There are fixed-price menus for three-course lunches and dinners at most restaurants: $12.95 for lunch and $29.95 for dinner, not including tax, tip or beverages.

Restaurant Week runs through July 19 –– it takes at least that long to try all that food –– and is sponsored by the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Find a meal or 20 online that sound good, where you can also find the phone numbers to book reservations.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A convicted murderer has been ordered held without bail after the police say he broke into a woman’s home in North Kingstown, armed with an "edged weapon," and stole her car.

Raymond E. McWilliams, 45, appeared in District Court today after police said he broke into the house of a 33-year-old North Kingstown woman on Friday.

McWilliams did not enter pleas to charges stemming from that incident because they are all felonies, which are not handled at the District Court level. But Judge William Clifton ordered him held until a July 14 hearing on a probation violation.

McWilliams was convicted of murder in 1984 for the death of Peggy M. Flynn. At the time, the police said McWilliams stabbed Flynn seven times as she was giving him a ride to work. Flynn, 20, lived in the same apartment complex. The police said McWilliams stabbed Flynn after she turned down his offer to go on a date.

On Aug. 2, 1984, Superior Court Judge Albert E. DeRobbio, following the attorney general's recommendation, sentenced McWilliams to 40 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions, suspended 15 years of the sentence and ordered 15 years probation upon his prison release.

At the time, Asst. Atty. Gen. Jeffrey Pine said McWilliams would be eligible for parole in 15 years.

The victim's family objected to the sentence. Vincent Flynn said it was unfair that McWilliams would be eligible for parole in 15 years. "My daughter will never get paroled," he said.

McWilliams was also arrested in 2002. He was extradited from Arizona on car theft charges and being a parole violator. He was sentenced to five years with 18 months to serve.

He has 11 1/2 years of his suspended sentence left on the murder conviction.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
Juan Diaz, center, who fled to Albany after being accused of murdering Mayra Cruz in Pawtucket two weeks ago, is arraigned in District Court, Providence, today.

PROVIDENCE -- A suspect in the murder of Pawtucket woman was arraigned today on the murder charge as well as two prior domestic charges that allegedly involved the same victim.

Juan Diaz, 24, had waived his right to extradition after being arrested by police in Albany, N.Y., after the June 25 murder of 26-year-old Mayra Cruz in Pawtucket.

Diaz faced charges for a January incident in which he's accused of breaking into Mayra Cruz's house, striking and choking her, and ripping the telephone off the wall.

He also faced charges of violating a no-contact order following the January arrest.

About a half-dozen of Cruz's family members and friends appeared today in District Court, where Diaz was arraigned on the murder and assault charges, wearing T-shirts with pictures of Cruz and the words “Gone, but not forgotten.”

Diaz wept during his appearance to face the murder charge, but seemed composed by the time he faced a judge for violating the no-contact order.

Police were sent to Diaz's apartment on June 25 after Diaz called and said he had accidentally shot Cruz during a struggle. When the police arrived, Diaz was gone, and Cruz was dead in the apartment.

The state medical examiner’s office said she had died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Diaz is being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston.

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

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Rhode Island woman died yesterday in a car accident in nearby eastern Connecticut.

According to a police report, Laura Tetreault, 19, of North Kingstown, was driving west along Route 2 in North Stonington, Conn., just east of Swantown Hill Road, when her car crossed the double yellow line.

The car she was driving, a 1997 Saturn, registered to Sharon Tetreault, struck a 1997 BMW head on.

The driver and passenger in that car, a 30-year-old man and woman from New York, were taken to William W. Backus Hospital with minor injuries.

Laura Tetreault was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is under investigation

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Sen. Edward Kennedy, midway through six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy treatments for brain cancer, is doing well aside from some fatigue, his wife says.

Vicki Kennedy said in an e-mail to friends and family that her husband has been exercising each morning before heading to Boston for treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital. By afternoon, he's back at his family's compound in Hyannis Port.

The e-mail was sent last week and obtained today by The Associated Press from a Kennedy friend.

"The only side effect is fatigue, and that word has never been in Teddy's vocabulary before," Vicki Kennedy wrote. "But he's learning to cope with it. As I have mentioned to many of you, he is tackling cancer with his trademark grit and determination, and he is doing everything he needs to do to regain his strength and health."

The Massachusetts Democrat had a seizure at his Cape Cod home on May 17 and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He underwent surgery at Duke University Medical Center on June 2 and has been treated since in Boston.

After his morning treatments in Boston, Kennedy frequently goes sailing on his schooner "Mya," his wife said.

-- The Associated Press

Continue reading "Sen. Kennedy's wife says he's handling treatment well" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Newport innkeeper and a flight instructor were identified today as the two people who died in the fiery crash of a small plane in Middletown last week.

Pamela Ulich Lancaster, 43, of 33 Russell Ave., Newport, and Charles Thompson, 63, of 4 Gladding Court, Newport, died in the crash Thursday evening, according to state police Maj. Steven O’Donnell.

They were identified by their dental records, he said.

Pamela Ulich Lancaster's husband, Keith Ulich, is the sole survivor of the crash. He was listed in critical condition as of Sunday.

Ulich Lancaster grew up in England. But she loved to move around. “She was like a bug that went from flower to flower,” said her sister, Angela Pray, of Westchester, N.Y.

Ulich Lancaster lived for some time in New York City and Long Island, where she married Keith Ulich, Pray said. After a trip to Newport, the couple decided to move there, even though Keith Ulich continued to work during the week in New York.

“She came here for a visit and liked it and wanted to stay here. She got a job at a bed and breakfast,” her sister said.

She enjoyed the work so much that about three years ago, she became the owner of the Dragonfly Inn, a two-room bed and breakfast on Russell Avenue, in the city’s North End.

Pray described her sister as “very spiritual, very religious.”

“She sang at church every Sunday,” she said, unsure exactly which church it was she attended.

She also liked to sing on stage in area theatrical performances. “She was a soprano,” Pray said. “She sang her whole life.”

Her talents were well appreciated. The Preservation Society of Newport County had invited her to perform on New Year’s Eve at The Breakers mansion. And the Newport Playhouse & Cabaret Restaurant offered her roles in numerous productions over the past year.

“She had an angelic voice,” said general manager Jonathan Perry. “She is a trained operatic singer. She brought the house down.”

Thompson was a flight instructor and commercial pilot for 34 years, according to his obituary. He also worked in human services for 20 years, most recently for Bridges Inc. of Jamestown.

"He loved flying and the outdoors, and his generosity and infectious charm will be missed by all who knew him," his obituary says.

Thompson was a Vietnam War veteran and a 1971 graduate of Brown University.

He is survived by his wife, Madeleine Carson of Newport, and a daughter, Nina Thompson of Newport, according to his obituary.

Services for Ulich Lancaster will be held tomorrow, according to the obituary posted on Memorial Funeral Home's Web site. A memorial service will be held Sunday for Thompson at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, his obituary said.

The two died after the single-engine plane crashed about 700 feet from the runway. The four-seat Piper lost power shortly after taking off from Newport State Airport at about 7:30 p.m.

The plane is registered to Charles Hallal, of Westport, Mass., but he was not in it at the time of the crash. The crash is under investigation.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson and East Bay bureau staff reports

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is receiving more than $1 million for a technology upgrade.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Al Moscola, RIPTA’s general manager, today announced the $1.34 million in federal funds to expand the "Intelligent Transportation System" project, which will outfit buses with global positioning systems, upgrade certain systems to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improve data collection and improve departure and arrival information for customers

“I am pleased to have secured this additional $1.34 million to help RIPTA make smart technology upgrades,” Reed said in a statement today. “RIPTA faces many challenges during these tough times, but its staff is working hard to provide quality service. This funding will help make RIPTA more efficient and user-friendly.”

The announcement of the new funding, however, did not address the planned service reductions and cuts that will affect more than 160 bus lines implemented to save nearly $10 million per year.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have risen for the first time in three week, but they've increased by just a penny, according to AAA Southern New England.

The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $4.109 at the self-service pump, AAA says.

A year ago at this time the average price of regular, unleaded gasoline in Rhode Island was $2.939, according to AAA.

Diesel is up two cents this week to $4.93.

Search gas prices near you.

Here's AAA's Fuel Saving Tip of the Week: Fuel is part of the total cost of vehicle ownership, so fuel conservation should be an important factor when choosing a new vehicle. Consider whether the car, truck or sport utility vehicle under consideration is bigger and heavier than necessary. Compare the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy ratings on the vehicles you’re considering.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

North Kingstown Police handout photo
Joseph 'Mike' Morrissey

North Kingstown police are looking for Joseph “Mike” Morrissey, who has been missing since June 10.

Morrissey is 54, between 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2 and weighs between 140 and 150 pounds. He was last seen in North Kingstown.

Police say Morrissey left his personal belongings with family, as well as a note asking family to dispose of things they did not want.

Police are asking anyone who sees Morrissey to call Det. Jeffrey St. Onge at 401-294-3316 x8213.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CRANSTON -- An inmate at the Adult Correctional Institutions remains in critical condition this morning after he was allegedly assaulted Friday by a fellow inmate.

According to state police Maj. Steven O’Donnell, George Ortiz, 34, is accused of assaulting Robert Bainter, 20.

O'Donnell said the two got into an argument, and then Ortiz hit Bainter in the head three times. Bainter then fell, striking his head and suffering severe head trauma, O’Donnell said.

Bainter was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition this morning, according to a state police press release today.

Ortiz, whose most recent address is in Central Falls, is serving six months for domestic assault, according to Department of Corrections spokeswoman Tracey Poole. He is due for release Aug. 13.

Bainter, whose most recent address is in Coventry, is serving four years for robbery, Poole said. He is scheduled for release in October 2010.

Ortiz is now being held in high security, pending a prison disciplinary hearing, Poole said. He’s scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. today on charges of felony assault at 3rd District Court, Warwick.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

FALMOUTH, Mass. -- A Cape Cod man faces charges for allegedly beating another man with a baseball bat because he thought he was a New York Yankees fan.

Authorities say 20-year-old Robert Correia is scheduled to be arraigned today in Falmouth District Court on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and malicious destruction to a motor vehicle.

Police say Saturday night's alleged incident occurred when Correia and others spotted a car with New York license plates leaving Falmouth's fireworks display.

The group accused the man, whose children were in the car, of being a Yankees fan, then beat him and vandalized his car. The man, whose name was not released, was treated at Falmouth Hospital with non-life threatening injuries to his head and body.

The incident is under investigation and others may be charged.

-- The Associated Press with information from: Cape Cod Times, http://www.capecodonline.com

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Widspread haze will envelop the Providence area from 8 a.m. until noon today, and the high temperature will reach 84 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Humidity has already hit 84 percent.

A Bermuda High is expected to bring warm and humid conditions to New England through the middle of the week, also bringing the potential for afternoon and early evening thunder showers, the weather service says.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features a story about the impact of high fuel costs on RIPTA.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fireworks, parades, food and flags; Independence Day is nearing.

Here’s a list of events, beginning tonight, to get you into the spirit of the Fourth of July:

Tonight

Cumberland: Fireworks at Tucker Field on Mendon Road at 9 p.m. Parking in the Field’s parking area and the lot behind Cumberland High School. Rain date is July 5.

East Providence:
Concert at Pierce Field, 6:30 p.m.
Fireworks at Pierce Field, 9 p.m. (No coolers, no pets) Rain date, July 5.

North Providence:
Independence Day Celebration, Governor Notte Park, 6 p.m.
Fireworks, Governor Notte Park, 9 p.m. Rain date, July 5.

Pawtucket:
Fireworks at McCoy Stadium, following the PawSox game.

Scituate:
The Old Time Fiddlers, Route 226 at the Gazebo, 8 p.m.

Warwick:
Fireworks at Oakland Beach, 9 p.m. Rain date, July 5.

Click below for a list of fireworks and other events scheduled for tomorrow.

Continue reading "This weekend: Fourth of July events top the list" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Providence After School Alliance is expanding this year to provide a host of summer activities to middle school-aged children.

About 300 middle schoolers will take part in the pilot program, which offers academic support and activities such as sailing, cooking and theater. The program runs from this Monday to July 31.

“Providing fun, safe activities for our kids over the summer while keeping them engaged in academics is a critical step towards accelerating student achievement,” Mayor David Cicilline said in a statement. “This will help to reduce summer learning loss while providing a safe, fun place for our kids to spend time.”

The program also provides summer jobs for students in high school. Thirty-nine high schoolers were trained to help staff the program. They’ll also get career and college training, paid for by Workforce Solutions of Providence and Cranston.

The programs will be offered at the five AfterZones throughout Providence in partnership with the YMCA of Greater Providence, John Hope Settlement House, Providence Housing Authority, West End Community Center, Mount Hope Learning Center, City Parks Department and Providence Police Activities League.

To learn more about PASA’s summer program, contact Jennifer DuClos at 490-9599 x167 or jduclos@mypasa.org.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even though this is a holiday weekend and Interstate Navigation still has one ferry sidelined after a collision with a Coast Guard cutter Wednesday, the Block Island Ferry will follow its regular Friday schedule of 10 departures from Point Judith and 10 returns from the island tomorrow and its regular weekend schedule through Sunday.

William A. McCombe, spokesman and director of security for Interstate Navigation, said the Manitou was filling in for the sidelined ferry, named the Block Island. The Manitou had been providing the one daily round trip to Newport, so the Newport route was canceled.

The Block Island was taken out of service Wednesday after a low-speed collision with the Coast Guard’s 140-foot buoy tender Morro Bay, which was traveling from Newport to New London.

The only visible damage was a dent in the Block Island, which traveled to a boatyard in Providence Wednesday on its own power. “The Coast Guard has to do a full inspection before it can be put back in service,” McCombe said. “We’re hoping we’ll have it back in service in a very short time.”

Meanwhile, Interstate Navigation added one boat this morning to deliver vehicles whose reservations on the Block Island were canceled after Wednesday’s incident. The reservations desk moved quickly to notify those drivers and reschedule their passage, McCombe said.

Reservations for vehicles must be made well in advance, at least four months ahead for holiday weekends, the ferry service’s Web site recommends.

-- Journal staff writer Donita Naylor

Continue reading "Update: Block Island ferries on course after mishap" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Swimmers at Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly enjoy the surf today.

Planning on going to the beach this Fourth of July weekend? Take your pick.

Today, the state Department of Health recommended re-opening Conimicut Point Beach and Oakland Beach, both in Warwick.

That means as of today, all of the state’s 128 beaches are open to swimmers, waders, splashers and surfers.

Both Warwick beaches had been closed July 1 after water samples tested positive for 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.

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.

Looking for more information on the Ocean State beaches, period? Browse projo.com's Beach Guide and map.

And before you head out, check the latest weather -- including tides and marine forecasts -- in the region you're heading to, via projo.com/weather

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An afternoon accident has a lane blocked downtown on Route 95 .

The accident is on the southbound side of the roadway at Exit 22C/Providence Place Mall, and has the right lane blocked.

See how traffic is affected on the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Against its own lawyer’s advice, the State Board of Elections voted today that the five Republican candidates appointed to General Assembly races by state GOP chairman Giovanni Cicione were not valid because the names had been filed with the Secretary of State instead of being submitted to their boards of canvassers.

Board lawyer Raymond Marcaccio had recommended that the candidates be allowed to run and to pick up their nominating papers on grounds that the relevant statute does not specify where Cicione should have filed their names.

And, Marcaccio said, weighing that ambiguity against their First Amendment rights, the Board should err on the side of First Amendment rights; letting the candidates run.

But his proposal was rejected on a 2 to 2 vote. (A tie vote is considered a defeat.) The board then voted unanimously against the GOP’s appeal of the Secretary of State’s refusal to issue the candidates nominating papers.

Afterward, an upset Cicione said the Board’s refusal to take its own lawyer’s advice showed the system was rigged by the Democrats against Republicans.

-- Katherine Gregg, Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

SCITUATE –– If you want to wear the boots and breeches, now’s your chance.

The Rhode Island State Police are recruiting now through Aug. 3 for a training academy that will put 35 new troopers on the road by next fall.

The need for new troopers is urgent: with mandatory retirements after 25 years, the vacancies at the state police will have climbed to 35 by next summer, said Col. Brendan Doherty, superintendent of the state police.

Although there hadn’t been money for an academy in the governor’s original 2009 budget proposal, ongoing negotiations toward the end of the session at the General Assembly came up with $360,151 for this fiscal year to recruit candidates for the upcoming academy. The state police will need about $1.032 million in the next fiscal year to fund the 21-week academy when it begins next June, said Maj. Joseph Miech, who oversees the training academy.

The immediate need, coupled with last-minute funding in the new state budget, finally gave Doherty the opportunity to launch this recruitment drive, which winds up on Aug. 3.

“We want to attract only those people who are serious about serving the community,” Doherty said, announcing the recruitment drive outside the Rhode Island State Police Museum on Wednesday. “Honor. Integrity. Fairness. Courage. Devotion to Duty. These are values the Rhode Island State Police live by each day.”

Applications must be submitted online at the State Police Web site and received by Aug. 3. Candidates may also visit any of the state police barracks, the headquarters in Scituate, or the state Department of Labor and Training netWORKri offices to apply online. Call (888) 616-JOBS for office locations.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Continue reading "Anticipating 35 retirements, state police begin recruiting" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WARWICK -- A Kent County Superior Court jury has found Brian Mlyniec, 45, guilty of first-degree murder in the 2006 death of 41-year-old Kelly Ann Andersen.

Prosecutors say Mlyniec picked up Kelly Ann Andersen at Kennedy Plaza in June 2006. According to prosecutors, Mlyniec, who had had a previous relationship with Andersen, made the woman who was already inebriated, drink a mixture of vodka and Gatorade.

Then, prosecutors say, the two rode the bus to Mlyniec's West Warwick house, where he sexually assaulted her, punched and pounded on her, until she died.

Mlyniec's lawyers suggested Andersen died from the toxic mixture of drugs and alcohol in her system.

Jurors also found Mlyniec guilty of the supplementary charge "aggravated battery," which could have implications during his sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 4.

On hand to hear the verdict were Andersen's four sisters, her daughter and her granddaughter.

"We've waited a long time for this," sister Dianne L. Leddy said. "Justice for Kelly."

Read more on the trial.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Nandini Jayakrishna

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Wakefield branch of the state Division of Motor Vehicles has some computer problems, so the branch will be closed today.

If you have a driving test scheduled, it’s still on, but no other services will be available.

To help with the workload, the Westerly DMV branch, which is usually closed on Thursdays, will open today.

The Wakefield office is scheduled to reopen Monday.

Customers can also visit the main office in Pawtucket, or one of the other branches: Middletown, Woonsocket, West Warwick, Warwick, and Westerly.

Some services are available online at the DMV's Web site here.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Providence police are investigating the shooting of two men on Harvard Ave. early this morning, according to a police report.

Called to 12 Harvard Ave. at 12:51 a.m., the police found Joseph Stanton, 28, on the sidewalk across the street from 12 Harvard yelling for help, according to the report.

Stanton said he'd been shot in the leg by a man who had approached him and his friends, said, "This is for my boys," then fired five shots toward them.

Stanton and three others had been sitting on a porch at 12 Harvard Ave. when the shooter approached, according to witnesses.

While they were talking to Stanton, the police were told that another shooting victim was inside 12 Harvard Ave. Coty Eldred, 18, who had been with the group on the porch, had also been shot in the leg, according to the police.

Both men were taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment.

No arrests have been made.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PROVIDENCE -- The state Board of Elections voted unanimously this morning to postpone any change in the operation of provisional ballots until the November election.

The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union had challenged a proposed rule that it says would discount the votes of people who show up at the wrong polling place on Election Day.

The ACLU says that under the proposal, people who try to cast a ballot at the wrong polling place would not have any of their votes counted.

Currently, people showing up at the wrong precinct will have only their votes for federal office counted.

The ACLU argued there was no reason to ignore a voter's ballot just because a person goes to the wrong polling place.

See the current rules on provisional voting in Rhode Island.

-- The Associated Press, with updates from Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Providence Journal/ Andrew Dickerman
Aradhana Mehta (right) holds one of her children, Shivani, 3, while standing with her husband, Sanjay, after her citizenship ceremony at the Roger Williams National Memorial.

PROVIDENCE -- Fifty-one people from 24 nations gathered this morning in the spot where Roger Williams established the Rhode Island colony and swore their allegiance to the United States as the nation’s newest citizens.

Maria Medeiros, 48, of Johnston, was among them. More than 40 years after she and her family arrived here from Portugal, Medeiros stood in the second row of folding chairs set up in the shade at the Roger Williams National Memorial along North Main Street. She held a small American flag and took the oath to serve and protect her new country.

Why now after all these years of "putting it off?"

"It starts to bother you," she said. "To me, this is my country. I live in this country. I love this country. I’m just glad to be a citizen."

U. S. District Court Magistrate Lincoln D. Almond swore in the new citizens, telling them that citizenship was a privilege that unfortunately some people take for granted.

He encouraged them to be active participants in democracy, reminded them that America was a land of immigrants and encouraged them to learn the legacy of Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island as a refuge for those seeking religious freedom.

-- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

BALTIMORE — A Roman Catholic priest who was accused in a civil suit of molesting an altar boy seven years ago was charged Wednesday with abusing the youth in 2001 and 2002, police and a lawyer said.

The Rev. Aaron Joseph Cote, 56, who has been living in New York City and once worked in Rhode Island, turned himself in to Montgomery County Police in Rockville Tuesday night. He is charged with custodian child abuse and is being held on $250,000 bond. Police did not know who his lawyer is.

According to police, the accuser says he was attending Mother Seton parish in Germantown when he was 14 and Cote was serving part time as youth minister. The former altar boy said that for about a year starting during the summer of 2001, Cote took him to an apartment in Germantown and engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior and inappropriately touched him, according to investigators.

Attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minn., said Wednesday that his client Brandon Rains, now 21, is the accuser in the charges. Last year, Rains received $1.2 million in the settlement of a 2005 lawsuit against the priest’s religious order.

At the time Rains brought the lawsuit, Cote was working at St. Pius V Parish in Providence, R.I. He was removed from his duties there when the lawsuit was filed.

The Associated Press does not usually name those who say they were abused, but Rains went public when his lawsuit was settled and his lawyer said Wednesday he could be identified.
“He is grateful Cote is charged and behind bars and can’t abuse anymore,” Anderson said.

Anderson said Rains first went to the police with the allegations against Cote in 2003, but charges were not filed then. Anderson said he turned over additional information to the Montgomery County state’s attorney and that resulted in the current charges.

The Archdiocese of Washington said it had learned of the allegations in 2003 and that it immediately reported to the authorities.

The state’s attorney’s office did not immediately return a call asking for comment.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Look for the temperature to climb to 89 degrees with a warm wind from the southwest of 8 to 18 mph., according to the National Weather Service.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to move in tonight and continue into tomorrow, possibly affecting Fourth of July parades, cookouts and fireworks displays.

Otherwise, tomorrow should be mostly cloudy with a high near 80 degrees.

For more weather, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today's front page features a preview of the Fourth of July parade in Bristol and the return to the parade of former Providence Mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 | Permalink | Comments (1)

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 | Permalink | Comments (4)

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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 | Permalink | Comments (1)

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 | Permalink | Comments (3)

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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 | Permalink | Comments (1)

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 | Permalink | Comments (10)

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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 | Permalink | Comments (1)

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 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before its famous big Fourth of July parade, Bristol has some more offerings this evening.

At Independence Park, 444 Thames St., there’s a free concert by Patrick McAloon that began at 6:30 p.m., and another at 7:45 p.m. by the Pat McGee Band.

There's a carnival on the Commons, off State Street. Ride all rides for $20 from 5 p.m. until closing.

See what else is happening in Bristol this week.

Check out the projo.com's calendar of what's coming up for the Fourth of July celebration around the state.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Former Secretary of State and four-star general Colin Powell said this evening he has no interest in running for vice president should presumptive Republican nominee John McCain ask him, as has been speculated recently in media reports.

“I am not interested in political life, and I am not a candidate for any office,” Powell said at a small news conference.

Nor is he ready to endorse McCain or Democratic presumptive nominee Barack Obama -- but he seemed to leave open the door to an endorsement as the campaign continues.

“Right now, my only responsibility as a citizen is to vote,” Powell said. “What else I might do remains to be seen.”

Powell is in Rhode Island to speak at the Providence Performing Arts Center to a gathering tonight of the 2008 U.S. Scholar-Athlete Games.

“As a citizen,” Powell said, “I am going to judge the two candidates on the basis of their policies and on the basis of the vision that they have for the country and which one I think will do the very best job, which one will bring the competence to government that the American people are looking for -- and especially the economic policies that they might bring as president.”

Powell's keynote speech begins at 7 p.m. and later take questions from the audience. Tickets, on sale at the PPAC box office, are $20 for adults and $15 for students 18 and younger.

-- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Supreme Court today unanimously reversed a lower court’s verdict in favor of the state in its landmark lawsuit against companies that manufactured and sold lead paint in Rhode Island.

In a 4-0 decision, the court reversed a Superior Court jury's decision calling for Millennium Holdings, NL Industries and Sherwin-Williams to participate in an abatement program to clean houses that may have cost the companies upwards of $2.4 billion.

The court also upheld a judgment in favor of ARCO.

The court said that the state could not factually support its claim that companies created a public nuisance.

In the decision, the court said it did not mean to minimize the severity of the harm that thousands of children in Rhode Island have suffered as a result of lead poisoning.

“Our hearts go out to those children whose lives forever have been changed by the poisonous presence of lead. But, however grave the problem of lead poisoning is in Rhode Island, public nuisance law simply does not provide a remedy for this harm. The state has not and cannot allege facts that would fall within the parameters of what would constitute public nuisance under Rhode Island law.”

Supporters of the state's case were predictably disappointed by the decision. Lawyers for the paint companies called the decision "a victory for common sense," and said it "brings Rhode Island back into the mainstream of national law."

But Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch called "enormously disappointing" the court’s reversal today of the jury verdict.

“Today’s decision affects every Rhode Islander, every taxpayer, every parent and, especially, every child -- who has been injured, is still threatened with injury today, or will be poisoned by lead in the future," Lynch said in a statement this afternoon. "This reversal is enormously disappointing, and I disagree with it in the strongest terms."

And U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who filed Rhode Island's first lawsuit against lead paint manufacturers when he was the state's attorney general, said the court today let the companies "off the hook.”

“Many homes remain contaminated; many children already suffer from lead poisoning. Today’s decision makes abatement and treatment efforts the responsibility of Rhode Island families and taxpayers alone, letting the companies who caused this off the hook," Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, said in a statement.

After having work done on his Providence house, annual lead-screening tests had revealed Whitehouse's two children had mildly elevated blood-lead levels.

Extra: Read the decision.

Read about the jury verdict in the trial.

Extra: See The Journal's series on lead poisoning in Rhode Island

More reaction below:

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord and projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Continue reading "Update: Landmark lead-paint judgment overturned" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who filed Rhode Island's first lawsuit against lead paint manufacturers when he was the state's attorney general, said the state Supreme Court today let the companies "off the hook" by overturning a 2006 jury verdict that found corporations liable for creating a public nuisance by making paints that poisoned children.

“Many homes remain contaminated; many children already suffer from lead poisoning. Today’s decision makes abatement and treatment efforts the responsibility of Rhode Island families and taxpayers alone, letting the companies who caused this off the hook," Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, said in a statement.

In a 4-0 decision issued today, the state's highest court reversed a Superior Court jury's decision calling for Millennium Holdings, NL Industries and Sherwin-Williams to participate in an abatement program to clean houses that may have cost the companies upwards of $2.4 billion.

The court said that the state could not factually support its claim that companies created a public nuisance.

In the decision, the court said it did not mean to minimize the severity of the harm that thousands of children in Rhode Island have suffered as a result of lead poisoning.

The lead-paint issue "has for years been Rhode Island’s worst public health problem for children," Whitehouse stated. "The court’s decision to overturn a jury verdict holding the paint manufacturers who caused this problem accountable is deeply disappointing to me and to the many people who worked hard for years to remedy this harm."

After having work done on his Providence house, annual lead-screening tests had revealed Whitehouse's two children had mildly elevated blood-lead levels.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
A Providence patrolman walks down the front steps of the porch of thes home at 145 Camden Ave. this morning where Jeffrey Lopez was shot and killed last night.

PROVIDENCE -- A decision by two Smith Hill teenagers to walk through a pack of Laos Pride gang members cost one of them his life, the police said.

Jeffrey Lopez, 19, was gunned down last night on the front porch of an apartment house less than two blocks from where the confrontation took place on a Camden Avenue sidewalk. A second shot grazed the back of Lopez’s friend, Carlos Javier, also 19.

A few minutes later, the police arrested two 16-year-old boys and a 13-year-old girl. The boys are charged with murder, while the girl is charged with retrieving the gun and threatening the teenage boys outside the gang hangout at 115 Camden Ave.

The police were careful to point out that the murder was not "gang-related." They said that Lopez and Javier were not known to the police and had no gang affiliation. Instead, they just happened to confront the wrong group at the wrong time.

In a city where gun violence has surged in recent months, the police found the city’s eighth murder of the year, and the second teenager in less than a week, particularly senseless.

``It’s ridiculous, frankly,’’ said Deputy Police Chief Paul J. Kennedy. ``It’s not having enough room on the sidewalk to pass. It’s really disheartening. I don’t know how a police department goes about predicting this kind of behavior.’’

Since Jan. 1, there have been 33 gunshot victims in the city, up from 18 during last year’s first six months.

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Continue reading "Update: Sidewalk bump spurs latest Providence killing" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

PROVIDENCE -- Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch called "enormously disappointing" the state Supreme Court's reversal today of a 2006 jury verdict that had favored the state in its landmark lawsuit against companies that made and sold lead paint in Rhode Island.

“Today’s decision affects every Rhode Islander, every taxpayer, every parent and, especially, every child -- who has been injured, is still threatened with injury today, or will be poisoned by lead in the future," Lynch said in a statement this afternoon. "This reversal is enormously disappointing, and I disagree with it in the strongest terms."

Rhode Island's highest court, in a 4-to-0 decision, overturned the 2006 verdict calling for Millennium Holdings, NL Industries and Sherwin-Williams to participate in a program to rid houses of lead that could have cost the companies upwards of $2.4 billion.

The high court also upheld a judgment in favor of ARCO.

The court said the state could not factually support its claim that the companies created a public nuisance.

The high court's ruling that the defendants "do not have to clean up the mess they have made," according to Lynch, is "legally and fundamentally wrong."

The case was litigated for more than eight years, Lynch said, and, "despite the multi-million dollar lead industry-funded defense waged by an army of more than 100 lawyers, my office proved to the satisfaction of a unanimous jury that the three defendants were liable for the public nuisance that their products created in Rhode Island."

Lynch said he wants every Rhode Islander to know "this office fought this battle well, and to what appears to be the end."

He added: "We met every legal challenge from Corporate America’s defense counsel and we survived their every attack to secure victory from a jury of our peers. I believed then, believe now, and will always believe, that our peers got it right.”

The first state lawsuit against lead-paint manufacturers was actually filed by Lynch's predecessor, Sheldon Whitehouse, now one of Rhode Island's U.S. senators. After having work done on his Providence house, annual lead-screening tests had revealed his two children had mildly elevated blood-lead levels.

Extra: Read the decision

Extra: See the Journal's series on lead poisoning in Rhode Island

Read about the jury verdict in the trial

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WEST WARWICK –– Three of the five West Warwick police officers who were placed on administrative leave after the death of a man in their custody have returned to duty today.

But the two initial responders, Patrick Kelly and Sean Lukowicz, are still on administrative leave pending the completion of an investigation into the death of 47-year-old Mark Jackson.

West Warwick Police Chief Paul A. Villa did not take any questions at a news conference this afternoon at Town Hall.

Villa said Marcus Palazzo and brothers Thomas and Michael Nye did not use pepper spray or batons on Jackson, and arrived in time to handcuff him.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Continue reading "Update: 3 officers return to duty after death of suspect" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Brian Mlyniec answers questions from the stand today during his trial in Superior Court.

WARWICK -- Brian Mlyniec, who is accused of murdering Kelly Ann Andersen two years ago, testified under questioning in court today that he did not recall various things he had told detectives in a videotaped interview -- and did not even remember being driven in a police car to the station for the interview.

On June 23, 2006, police found Andersen's body in Mlyniec's West Warwick house and Mlyniec was questioned during a videotaped interview lasting almost three hours at the station that day. He had not at that point been charged in her death.

"The police led me to say many incriminating statements," Mlyniec testified today in reference to what he said in the interview. At various times, Mlyniec said today he did not recall or had been pressured into saying things by detectives.

Mlyniec said in court today that a combination of things affected him at the time: He had not slept, was in a state of shock, and had drank alcohol at times.

Mlyniec, 45, took the witness stand in Superior Court yesterday afternoon, describing his relationship with Andersen, 41, and testifying about incidents that led up to her death, and he continued testimony today.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Nandini Jayakrishna

Continue reading "Murder defendant claims police pressured him / Photo" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Beginning today, no more dumping computers or televisions in the Central Landfill.

New state e-waste legislation bans the disposal of computers and televisions in the Johnston site.

So what to do with that Apple II that’s been sitting in your basement? The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will take it, and your television –– although that will cost you.

On Saturday, July 26, the RIRRC, which operates the Central Landfill in Johnston, is holding an Eco-Depot collection. Bring your old computers, keyboards, cell phones and other electronic equipment to be recycled for free.

RIRRC will also accept old televisions for $5 –– the cost is meant to offset the difficulty of handling the cathode ray tubes inside TVs.

Last year Resource Recovery recycled 643,000 pounds of e-waste –– up from 514,000 pounds in 2006 and more than double the amount the agency collected in 2005.

If you plan on recycling a television or any of the other toxic materials –– paint, propane tanks, fertilizers –– that the Eco-Depot accepts, make an appointment online, or by calling 401-942-1430 x241. No appointment is necessary to drop off computers.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PROVIDENCE -- The police allege that a drug suspect who was brought to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment today struck the officer who had arrested him and then tried to escape.

The police had caught Willie Franklin, 46, with drugs, which he ingested during the arrest, said Maj. Paul Fitzgerald. Franklin was brought to the emergency room at Rhode Island Hospital for treatment.

When Officer Richard Ramirez removed Franklin’s handcuffs, the suspect, whom the police call 'Tiger,' assaulted Ramirez, breaking the officer’s nose and giving him two black eyes, Fitzgerald said. Franklin took off from the emergency room, running outside, where he was grabbed by the hospital security officers, according to the police.

Franklin is back in the hospital, back in custody, and now facing a felony assault charge, Fitzgerald said.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CENTRAL FALLS -- Several community groups will gather in Central Falls this afternoon to protest millions of dollars in budget cuts that take effect today, the first day of the state's fiscal year.

The rally, which is being organized by the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, starts at 2 p.m. Speakers will include adults slated to lose health care coverage, welfare recipients who will be subject to tighten time limits, and representatives from nonprofit groups whose state funding was cut in half in the state budget approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor late last month.

Seeking to close a $425-million budget deficit, lawmakers cut in half state funding for programs such as Meals on Wheels, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Crossroads homeless shelter.

-- Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bousquetaerials.com / Nate Bousquet
Fort Wetherill State Park in Jamestown, with its gun emplacements of steel-reinforced concrete, is seen in an aerial photo shot June 21 and featured in The Journal's South County icons today. The fort sits on 100-foot-granite cliffs, according to www.riparks.com, a Web site of the state Department of Environmental Management. It was a part of America's coastal defense system from the Revolution to World War II. It's belonged to the state since 1972.

JAMESTOWN -- Fire department boats, the Coast Guard and members of the Department of Environmental Management have been at Fort Wetherill State Park today, searching for a man who has been missing since yesterday.

The search for Derrick Cazard, 24, is now considered a “recovery effort,” according to DEM Lt. Michael Longtin. Cazard had been visiting the park with four friends yesterday. He jumped into the water from a 10- to 15-foot drop, according to the police.

Fog is hindering the effort, Longtin said, with visibility at 50 feet. The search is proceeding with caution.

Cazard was last seen face down in a crevasse. The rocky outcropping slopes in toward the water and signs in the area indicate that diving is not allowed. But it has long been a popular spot for such activity.

Authorities searched for Cazard until about 8:20 last night by helicopter and boat. Jamestown police will return to the site at about noon, Lontin said.

And DEM officials will return to the area periodically in the next couple of days to continue the search.

Read today's Journal story.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rhode Island's median house price in May fell 8.2 percent from a year earlier, according to a report out today by the Boston research firm, The Warren Group.

The median price of a single-family house in May was $245,000, down from $267,000 in May of last year, the report said. So far this year, the median house price in the state has declined nearly 10 percent.

Meanwhile, the state's single-family house sales in May plunged nearly 14 percent, the tenth consecutive double-digit decline, the report said. There were 688 single-family houses sold in May, compared with 799 sold in May of last year.

So far this year, the number of single-family houses sold in the state declined about 19 percent, to 2,540 sales, compared with 3,135 sales during the first five months of last year. (The Warren Group data includes sales by owners as well as sales through real estate agents.)

Meanwhile, the number of condos sold in May fell 38.1 percent, to 161 sales, compared with 260 sales in May of last year.

Condo prices have held up better, with the median price in May at $228,000, down 1.7 percent from $232,000 in May of last year. So far this year, the median condo price has fallen 2.2 percent.

-- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PROVIDENCE -- A 13-year-old girl and two 16-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old man in the city’s Smith Hill neighborhood, police said.

The 19-year-old victim, Jeffrey Lopez, was shot and killed as he sat on his porch with his friend, Carlos Javier, also 19.

A bullet grazed Javier’s back, but he was not seriously injured.

Today, police cruisers are parked outside the house at 145 Camden Ave. –– across the street from the Camden Elementary School Playground –– where the shooting occurred last night.

The shooting was retaliation, the police said, for a minor altercation on the street earlier in the night.

The two boys face murder and murder conspiracy charges. The girl, who is the sister of one of the male suspects, faces assault with a dangerous weapon.

The police say at about 8:30 p.m. she went inside to get a gun to scare the other group of kids, and one of the other suspects allegedly fired two shots, hitting Lopez in the back of the neck, and grazing Javier in the back.

Lopez was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital this morning.

Lopez’s murder was the 8th homicide of the year in the city and the third in less than two weeks.

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Connecticut police are investigating the death of a Voluntown, Conn., man who was swimming with his son yesterday.

According to a police report, Thomas Girard and his son Marc Girard were swimming at Green Falls, about 10 minutes from the Rhode Island border, when Thomas Girard “became distressed.”

Marc Girard then tried to save his father, but he became distressed also, according to the report.

Both men were taken out of the water the volunteer fire department.

Thomas Girard was pronounced dead on the scene.

Marc Girard was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence. The incident is still under investigation, but, according to the report, there’s no criminal activity suspected.

The waters of southern New England have proved treacherous for swimmers in recent days.

On Sunday, 14-year-old Tiffany Martinez was critically injured when she tried to help friends who were caught in a strong current at Conimicut Beach in Warwick.

In Jamestown yesterday, a Newport man died as he was apparently overpowered by a strong current while diving off the cliffs on Fort Wetherill State Park, the police said.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The police are investigating a shooting in Providence that has led to the city’s 8th murder of the year.

A 19-year-old was shot in the neck last night on Camden Avenue, according to Providence detectives.

The victim, whose name has not yet been released, died early this morning at Rhode Island Hospital.

The fatal shooting follows a violent week in Rhode Island. Last Wednesday, three people in the state were killed.

In Providence, Virgilio Rojo, 17, of 470 Manton Ave., was found with a gunshot wound at 124 Eastwood Ave. He was later pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital.

That same night, Mayra Cruz, 26, was found dead in a Pawtucket apartment, and a 17-year-old was fatally shot in Woonsocket.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

On this day in 1863, the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg began.

Read more from today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's the same old song.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a slight chance of isolated showers early this afternoon, followed by isolated thunderstorms later in the day. Temperatures should reach about 84 degrees with with south winds between 10 and 13 mph.

More isolated showers and storms are possible tonight when temperatures drop to about 65 degrees. We'll have partly cloudy skies and mild southwest winds.

Tomorrow sounds similar, slight chance of rain beginning in the late morning. Skies should remain partly cloudy, with temperatures reaching 82 degrees and southwest winds between 6 and 13 mph.

Check the rest of the week's forecast on projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features the story of an alleged thief captured via an apartment webcam and a report about the cancellation of July 4 fireworks in Providence.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Coast Guard, police officers and a helicopter are on the scene of a rescue situation involving a person in the water off Fort Wetherill in Jamestown this evening, the Jamestown police said.

-- Journal staff writer Paul Davis

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jobless in R.I.: Are you a Rhode Island resident who has run out of unemployment benefits but still can’t find a job? A federal program signed by President Bush today could extend the benefits of jobless residents whose unemployment ran out as of May 2007 or later. If your benefits have run out and you are willing to talk to a reporter about what it’s like trying to make ends meet, please contact Lynn Arditi at larditi@projo.com or call (401)277-7335.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

PAWTUCKET -- A forklift operator who was part of an work crew cleaning out a building on Roosevelt Avenue was injured when the floor gave way beneath him, causing him and the forklift to crash down into the basement.

The accident occurred at 3:20 p.m. today on the first floor of the building that the Red Farm Studio greeting card company at 1135 Roosevelt Ave. Pawtucket Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Mercer said the crew had been brought in to clean out the building after the greeting card company closed.

The forklift operator wasn’t immediately identified. Mercer said he was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence to be treated for injuries he suffered in the collapse.

-- Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The swirly-shaped compact fluorescent light bulbs have become the darlings of those who care about saving energy and combating climate change, except for one nagging problem. When they break, they release tiny quantities of highly toxic mercury.

Now, a team from Brown University believes it has developed a solution. It has discovered a material that rapidly absorbs mercury gases and could be used as the packaging for mercury bulbs or as a tool for cleaning up broken bulbs.

The researchers have applied for federal patents and expect to soon enter into discussions with companies that could manufacture the packaging.

The packaging was developed after Robert Hurt, a professor of engineering, and engineering student Natalie Johnson, discovered that a variant of a substance called nanoselenium, a trace element used in diet supplements, absorbed virtually all the mercury released by a broken bulb.

Working with Steven Hamburg, associate professor for environmental studies, and other students, the team used the substance to develop a mercury-capturing lining that could be used inside store-bought compact fluorescent packages.

-- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Governor's Workforce Board and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. have awarded workforce expansion grants for new employee training to five Rhode Island companies. The grants total $387,348.

Companies receiving the grants are: Albion Special Care, LLC of Lincoln for $45,990; Duralectra-CHN of Woonsocket for $125,000; Hope Global of Cumberland for $50,809; Infusion Resouce of Providence for $62,497; Senesco Marine of North Kingstown for $103,052.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Governor Carcieri has vetoed a measure to build an $88-million Blackstone Valley courthouse, saying that "never, not even once, has any Rhode Islander -- save a legislator or a judge -- ever spoke to me of the pressing need to build a courthouse in the Blackstone Valley."

During his six years as governor, Carcieri's veto message says, "Rhode Islanders from all walks of life have approached me to discuss important issues, including: taxes, health care, roads, open space, budget deficits, renewable energy, education ... ."

But, Carcieri adds, building a courthouse has not been one they approached him about.

Carcieri acknowledged it's true sometimes people are "forced to deal with cramped spaces, inadequate parking, peeling paint and other difficult conditions."

But given that the executive and legislative branches succeeded in closing a $425-million deficit -- and the legislature "could only find $2.5 million in open space bond money" -- Carcieri asks how an $88-million courthouse gets "the imprimatur of the people's representatives."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tonight, there are a couple of tributes to rock bands known to represent their eras.

First up, the '60s and '70s. Classic Albums Live - The Who: Who's Next, is a tribute to The Who at Mohegan Sun, Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun Boulevard (exit 79A off Route 395), Uncasville, Conn. (888) 226-7711, www.mohegansun.com. 8 p.m. No cover.

Next up, the '80s. Jovi, as the name suggests, is a tribute to the band Bon Jovi, playing at Twin River, Lighthouse Bar, 100 Twin River Rd., Lincoln. Call 723-3200, (877) 827-4837, www.twinriver.com. 8:30 pm. No cover. 18+.

There are also some blues acts tonight.

Roger Ceresi, Gary "Guitar" Gramolini and Richard Ribb play rock and rhythm and blues at Duffy's Tavern, 235 Tower Hill Rd., North Kingstown. Call 295-0073. 5 to 9 p.m.

The James Montgomery Blues Band plays at Chan's Restaurant, 267 Main St., Woonsocket. Call 765-1900. 8, 10 p.m. $15 early show; $10 late show; $18 both shows.

Vieux Farka Toure plays blues at Waterplace Park, exit 22 off Route 95, Providence. Call 751-1177, www.providenceri.com/ArtCultureTourism. 7:30 pm. Free.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brown University announced it will close its Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology in Bristol on Aug. 30 because of fire code and environmental issues.

But Brown intends to move the "Haffenreffer collections closer to its main campus and is seeking a suitable location in or near Providence," according to a news release.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PAWTUCKET -- The man accused of murdering Mayra Cruz Wednesday night was arrested in January on charges he broke into her Pawtucket apartment, struck and choked her, and ripped the telephone off the wall.

After the incident, Juan L. Diaz, 24, was charged with breaking and entering, felony assault, simple assault, disorderly conduct, vandalism and preventing Cruz from using the phone.

He was released on personal recognizance after being arrested by Pawtucket police after a traffic accident unrelated to the Jan. 18 break-in at the Galego Court housing project, on Weeden Street in Pawtucket, where Cruz, 26, lived with her 6-year-old daughter in apartment 1D.

Juan L. Diaz

Diaz was scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court last week on charges stemming from the assault and beak-in. A warrant for his arrest was issued when he failed to appear.

Diaz is now being held in a jail in Albany County, N.Y., where he was picked up on a warrant charging him with Cruz’s murder. The Pawtucket police said he fled to Albany after shooting Cruz in the basement apartment at 14 Reservior Ave., where he had been living since the end of March.

-- Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Continue reading "January assault preceded fatal shooting, police say" »

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JAMESTOWN –– Three lifeguards who police said were drinking alcohol while on the job Thursday were fired yesterday, according to William Piva, Jamestown’s recreation director.

Kristy Lebelle, 19, of 100 Asquah Drive, North Kingstown, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, first offense, a misdemeanor.

She was arraigned yesterday in district court, where she entered a not guilty plea, and released on $1,000 personal recognizance.

Lebelle is next due in court on July 11.

No charges have been filed so far against the other two lifeguards, whom police would identify only as a 17-year old man and a 17-year-old woman, both from Jamestown.

The matter remains under investigation, Police Chief Thomas P. Tighe said.

Jamestown police received a call at about 3:19 p.m. Thursday about an erratic driver on Beavertail Road headed toward Mackerel Cove Beach.

Tighe said Lebelle and the 17-year-old female, riding as her passenger, had gone to the Cumberland Farms on North Main Street and were driving back to the beach.

Lebelle’s car was swerving on the road and at one point driving on a flat tire “from an apparent impact with a curb,” the police said.

The police had to close Mackerel Cove Beach briefly as the three lifeguards were the only ones on duty at the time of the incident.

The town later recalled an off-dute lifeguard, reopening the beach until 5 p.m., the regular closing time, said Piva, the recreation director.

Piva said there were less than a dozen people on the beach at the time, and that there was no one in the water.

The three lifeguards had been suspended as of Thursday afternoon. Termination letters were mailed yesterday morning, Piva said.

Mackerel Cove Beach re-opened at its regular time this morning, but Piva said the town plans to post signs reducing the guarded beach area until more lifeguards are hired.

The town plans to readvertise the positions and raise the salary to $12 an hour from the current $10 an hour, Piva said.

Paiva said in his two years as recreation director, and 20 years as a police officer, he can’t remember any similar incidents.

“We hold them in high regard,” he said of the lifeguards, noting the training and certification they have to complete. “We expect these kids to be more mature.”

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Test results from mosquito samples around Rhode Island found no West Nile virus or eastern equine encephalitis, the state Department of Environmental Management announced today.

The results are for 48 mosquito pools, or samples, from 22 traps set statewide during the week of June 16.

But the DEM cautioned that mosquito samples in Connecticut, near the Rhode Island border, recently turned up positive, indicating a "high probability that West Nile virus and possibly eastern equine encephalitis is present in certain areas of the state, though test results to date in Rhode Island are negative."

The DEM encouraged residents to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and avoid getting bitten:

* Remove anything that holds standing water -- old tires, buckets, junk and debris.

* Clean gutters so they drain properly.

* Maintain swimming pools correctly.

* Use screens on windows and doors and cover up at dawn and dusk.

* Put mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages if outside.

* Use mosquito repellant with no more than 30 percent DEET -- but don't use repellant on infants.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A man who Bristol authorities said was struck by lightning earlier this week died yesterday at Rhode Island Hospital.

Edgardo Torres died at 5:40 p.m., according to a hospital spokeswoman.

The Journal reported on Wednesday that a 42-year-old man had been struck by lightning Tuesday as he was fishing off the rocks near Roger Williams University, in Bristol.

About 20 volunteer firefighters worked their way down the shore to the unconscious man, who had collapsed and become stuck in the rocks, Bristol Fire Chief Robert J. Martin said Tuesday. The firefighters lifted him into a Stokes basket and carried him off the rain-slicked rocks, he said.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Associated Press and Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the state Senate where debate is rare – and dissent even rarer – Sen. Leonidas “Lou’’ Raptakis, D-Coventry, has done the unusual.

He has launched a political grenade aimed at taking out Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport.

In a statement that he began circulating on Thursday, Raptakis said he “can no longer support’’ Paiva Weed as majority leader because she “failed to live up to her word in terms of promoting’’ several of his pieces of legislation, including a bill to increase the penalties for drunken drivers who drive with suspended and revoked licenses.

Raptakis also blamed her for the end-of-session pileup that he said forced Senate votes on “150 bills in the final two days of the session.’’

“To me that’s a sign of ineffective leadership and a willingness to push through bills with little or no public input,’’ Raptakis said. “I had hoped for much better from Sen. Paiva Weed and I think the time has come to give someone else a chance to run the Senate floor in a manner more consistent with the public interest.

He didn’t say who he felt would do a better job.

-- Katherine Gregg, Journal State House Bureau

Continue reading "Senator takes aim at his party's majority leader" »

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PROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of Jacques Gautier, who 10 years ago stabbed his estranged wife's boyfriend multiple times in Providence.

A jury in September 2005 convicted Gautier, who lived in Providence, of second-degree murder in the death of Geoffrey Indellicati, who was 17. The verdict was a lesser charge than the first-degree murder in the indictment before trial, and the judge had granted a defense motion to dismiss several indictment counts.

In the early morning of Oct. 6, 1998, according to the prosecution, Gautier entered the first-floor Barbara Street apartment of his wife, Minerva Gautier. The Gautiers were separated at the time and a District Court “no-contact” order was in effect because of a charge pending against Jacques Gautier for allegedly assaulting her.

Indellicati was awakened in the apartment and the two men began fighting. Gautier chased Indellicati, attacking him again and again, according to testimony, and eventually forced Indellicati to a bathroom floor and stabbed him repeatedly. Indellicati had more than 60 wounds and was stabbed with two knives, according to the Supreme Court opinion.

Gautier grabbed Minerva Gautier and the Gautiers' 21-month-old son, Eros, and forced them into his car at knifepoint and fled, according to testimony.

Gautier took them to his sister's apartment, and a police officer eventually caught Gautier.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Continue reading "High court upholds September 2005 murder conviction" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are there any Bridgham Middle School teachers who want to talk about the rash of fights in front of the school? If so, call reporter Linda Borg at 277-7823.

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A one-way ticket on the Providence-to-Newport ferry will cost an additional $3 because of increased costs of diesel fuel, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority announced today.

RIPTA said a fuel surcharge has been added this week to the cost "due to unprecedented increase" in diesel fuel costs.

While the fuel surcharge helps with the cost of fuel, it does not allow the company to break even,"
RIPTA stated in a letter to passengers and on its Web site.

Check the fares for using the ferry here.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WARWICK -- The prosecution rested this morning in the murder trial of a West Warwick man charged with murder, and the defense will have the opportunity to present witnesses this afternoon.

Before resting, the prosecution presented a witness who testified that in 2001, she had been assaulted by Brian Mlyniec, 45, who is on trial before a Kent County Superior Court jury on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of a former girlfriend.

Mlyniec is accused of killing Kelly Ann Andersen in June 2006. She had been strangled, according to previous testimony.

A witness testified this morning that in February of 2001, Mlyniec forced her to drink vodka and take pills in a North Kingstown hotel room. She said she lost consciousness and realized she'd been assaulted when she woke up.

The trial is to continue after a lunch break this afternoon.

Read more from yesterday's testimony.

-- Journal staff writer Nandini Jayakrishna

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A Narragansett tribe member has appealed his conviction for assaulting state police who raided a tribal smoke shop in 2003.

A defense attorney for Hiawatha Brown says he filed notice this week that Brown will appeal his conviction on misdemeanor disorderly conduct and simple assault to Rhode Island's Supreme Court.

Attorney William Devereaux says Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and tribe member Randy Noka may also appeal their convictions.

The three men were arrested for scuffling with state police who raided a tribal smoke shop in Charlestown that was not collecting state taxes. A federal appeals court later ruled the shop was operating illegally.

Brown received a one-year suspended sentence and probation and was ordered to take anger management counseling.

Read a special report on the smoke shop case.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., wave as they step off the plane in Manchester, N.H., on their way to a joint appearance in Unity, N.H. AP photo/Alex Brandon

UNITY, N.H. -- More than 1,000 people are lined up today in the tiny New Hampshire village of Unity in anticipation of this afternoon’s joint rally, when Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama –– the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee –– will hold a joint public appearance for the first time since the end of their combative primary battle.

A forest of satellite trucks are lined up outside the small elementary school in Unity, a town with no stop lights, and lots of dirt roads, wood stoves and deer hunters.

Unity was picked for obvious reasons; first, the name of the town will be the theme for today’s event. Secondly, in New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary in January, Obama and Clinton tied. Each received 107 votes in this town of 1,600 people.

It's not easy to find Unity on map, and the town roads have no numbered route signs. It’s about as far in the woods of New England as you can get.

And the locals here are proud of it.

The town’s unofficial souvenir sold at the one store, Will’s Place, is a screen printed T-shirt with an emblem of a moose sleeping in a hammock and the logo: “Unity; life in the slow lane.”

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Federal prosecutors say they don't plan to call disgraced former state Sen. John Celona as a witness in the retrial of two former hospital executives accused of corruption.

Prosecutors in new court papers say they don't intend to involve Celona provided they can use the same documents as in the first trial.

Celona testified against the former executives of the Roger Williams Medical Center convicted of paying him for legislative favors. Those convictions have since been overturned.

Celona was accused of lying on the stand in a separate federal corruption trial of two former CVS executives who were acquitted last month of bribing Celona. Prosecutors have admitted they couldn't be sure what his testimony was going to be.

Read more about the federal investigation dubbed Operation Dollar Bill.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In a move designed to achieve bureaucratic efficiencies and improve HIV/AIDS advocacy and prevention efforts, two major social-service groups -- AIDS Project Rhode Island and Family Service of Rhode Island -- this morning announced that they have merged.

AIDS Project Rhode Island will now be known as “AIDS Project Rhode Island, a division of Family Service of Rhode Island,” leaders of both groups said at a news conference in the City Hall office of Providence Mayor David Cicilline.

“This is a win-win situation for both of us,” said Sue Johnson, a board member of AIDS Project Rhode Island. Cicilline, a former chairman of the APRI board, joined discussions that led to the merger.

Family Service CEO Margaret Holland McDuff said the merger will provide a “platform” on which to improve HIV/AIDs prevention and advocacy efforts. Although treatments developed in the last decade extend the life of people with the disease, McDuff reminded those at the conference that the disease has not gone away.

“It’s still, unfortunately, alive and ‘well’ in Rhode Island,” McDuff said.

-- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pawtucket police detectives are going to Albany, N.Y., this morning, where the suspect in one of three fatal shootings in three different Rhode Island cities Wednesday night was taken into custody.

On Wednesday night, 26-year-old Mayra Cruz was found dead in an apartment where Juan L. Diaz had been living.

According to a statement released by Pawtucket Police Maj. John J. Whiting, Pawtucket police were informed early into their investigation that Diaz, a suspect in Cruz’s death, had fled to Albany.

Pawtucket police worked with officials in Albany and members of the U.S. Marshals Service to find Diaz. He was arrested on the streets of Albany without incident and is being held on a fugitive from justice warrant and a warrant for murder.

Two 17-year-old boys were also shot and killed Wednesday night; one in Woonsocket and one in Providence. Police are still looking for suspects in both cases.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Governor Carcieri has vetoed a key renewable energy bill passed by the General Assembly that was designed to foster private investment in major renewable energy projects and shift the state away from its reliance on traditional fossil fuels.

The bill would require National Grid to enter into "commercially reasonable" long-term contracts with renewable-energy developers to purchase their electricity. That requirement would give assurance to prospective developers that there would be a buyer for the electricity produced by the project.

"It is with much regret that I find it necessary to veto this legislation," the governor said in a veto statement issued this morning. "Unfortunately, I believe the legislation before me today fails to balance our desire to invest in renewable energy with the realities that ratepayers currently endure."

The governor gave three reasons for his veto. He said he took issue with a provision in the bill that would give National Grid a bonus payment of 3 percent of the renewable energy contracts it entered into, once the project began operations. Electricity customers would have paid for the bonus.

National Grid has said that if it enters into these long-term renewable energy contracts, the cost to borrow money throughout the company would have been more expensive. The payment would have offset those additional costs.

According to calculations by The Providence Journal, National Grid would receive at least $2.8 million a year if it could purchase the required amount of power at a rate of 11.5 cents per kilowatt hour. (That is the rate National Grid is seeking to charge for electricity as of July 1.)

But the governor, echoing arguments made by some legislators, said that any bonus to enter into long-term contracts was "unnecessary and unearned."

Secondly, the governor said another flaw in the bill was that it did not require National Grid to enter into renewable energy contracts from developers who are building a project within Rhode Island. The bill required that the project provide some economic benefit to Rhode Island, but did not require it to be located here.

While it may be true that a renewable energy project located in Massachusetts, Maine or Canada could provide some economic benefit to Rhode Island, projects based here "deserve greater weight."

Lastly, the governor said the most troubling provision was a requirement that 5 megawatts of the renewable energy contracts must come from a Rhode Island-bases solar energy project.

"While it's encouraging to see a Rhode Island project get priority, it's unfortunate that the General Assembly picked perhaps the costliest renewable technology and decided to give it, and only it, preferential treatment."

He said that a recent study by the University of Rhode Island Partnership for Energy report found that the state is not well-positioned for large-scale solar power.

"I'm confident that working with legislative leaders, environmentalists, energy producers and ratepayers we can come up with a better way to support investment in renewable energy projects in Rhode Island," Carcieri said.

Posted by Tim Barmann at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This summer, the best seat in the house may be your front lawn.

The Department of Art, Culture and Tourism, the Parks Department and Mayor David Cicilline are set to announce the summer line-up for the 2008 Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative.

The program brings singers, dancers, theater and other performing arts events to neighborhoods across the city.

At the 10:30 a.m. line-up announcement, the dance company JUMP! will perform live on stage at Dexter Training Grounds in the West End.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Temperatures are supposed to rise just a few degrees above average, but the Department of Environmental Management says today we’re going to have to deal with unhealthy air today.

The DEM is forecasting “unhealthy” air today in the eastern part of the state, and in the southern and coastal areas, because of high levels of ozone.

Providence, however, gets a “moderate” rating for today.

All buses and trolleys will be free for the day.

During “unhealthy” days, people may suffer from a host of health problems, including coughing, eye, nose and throat irritation and other respiratory problems.

Ozone, which forms near the surface when pollutants –– such as car exhaust and industrial emissions –– react with sunlight and sufficient heat.

DEM recommends limiting strenuous activity during the afternoon and early evening. And children, people with respiratory diseases –– such as asthma –– and people who work outside need to pay particular attention to their health because they may be more sensitive to ozone that the general population.

Check the air quality forecast on the DEM Web site.

Click below learn ways to stay healthy during high ozone days.

Continue reading "Alert: Unhealthy Air Quality; the buses are free" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On this day in 1942, the FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from a submarine on New York's Long Island.

Watch video about today in history.

Read more from today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Will it ever end? Take a look at the abbreviated forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today we've got: a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Tonight we've got: a chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Saturday we've got: a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Saturday night we've got: a chance of showers and thunderstorms
Sunday we've got: a chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Sunday night we've got: likely showers and thunderstorms.
Monday we've got: a chance of showers and thunderstorms.

All with the possibility of hail, lightning strikes and gusty winds.

In any event, aside from the possible rain -- late this afternoon -- we'll see cloudy skies today with mild west winds and warm temperatures, headed toward 87 degrees.

Tonight, aside from the possible rain, expect to see some fog late tonight/early tomorrow morning. Temperatures should drop to about 67 degrees and we'll have calm, southwest winds.

Fog may continue into Saturday morning, and give way to cloudy skies. We'll have very calm east winds with temperatures reaching 85 degrees.

Saturday night may bring more storms and dense fog. Temperatures are expected to drop to 68 degrees with east winds.

Expect more fog and clouds Sunday, and add to that, south winds gusting up to 23 mph. Temperatures should hit the low 80s.

Sunday night looks cloudy, with temperatures dropping to about 68 degrees.

Back to Monday and we've got, of course, a chance of rain, and cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 80s.

If you really want to, you can take another look on projo.com's weather page at the weekend forecast.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features coverage of a violent night in the Ocean State. Within a few hours late Wednesay night, three people were shot and killed in three different cities.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

South County has plenty of picturesque places. Tonight you can hear from an author who's captured some of them in a book.

Eric Wertheimer will present and talk about his new book, Only in South County: A Pictorial Journey, from 7 to 9 tonight at Peace Dale Library, 1057 Kingstown Rd., South Kingstown.

For information, call (401) 789-1555.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A gunshot wound to the head caused the death of a 26-year-old Pawtucket woman found dead at 14 Reservoir Ave., Pawtucket, last night, and a suspect is being sought.

The woman was identified as Mayra Cruz in a news release from the state Office of Medical Examiners this afternoon giving the cause of death. She was one of three people shot to death in three Rhode Island cities last night.

Pawtucket police are looking for Juan Diaz, 24, who is being sought on a charge of murder, according to Detective Sgt. Cory Jackson, the case's lead detective. He said Diaz may have left the state.

A gun has not been recovered, the police said, and Diaz should be considered armed and dangerous. Police described Diaz as white, with brown hair, 6 feet tall, weighing about 200 pounds, unshaven, and not wearing glasses. Diaz "was known to the victim," police said.

The police asked that any information be forwarded to the Pawtucket police criminal investigative division at 727-9100: Detective Michael Kane at ext. 759 or Detective Sgt. Jackson at ext. 722. If there is no answer, the police said to call 727-9100, ext. 712.

Jackson said police are proceeding on the theory that the shooting was a murder, although the police dispatch log indicates a 9-1-1 call from a distressed male at the site of the shooting -- 14 Reservoir Ave. -- that came in at 9:56 last night.

The caller reported he had accidentally shot his girlfriend in the face about two hours earlier during a struggle over a gun.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Continue reading "Update: Suspect sought in Pawtucket fatal shooting" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are you a cash-strapped student at Rhode Island College or the Community College of Rhode Island who can barely make ends meet and are worried about how you will cover all your college bills this fall?

Contact education reporter Jennifer D. Jordan with your story: e-mail her at jjordan@projo.com or call (401) 277-7254

Posted by maria caporizzo at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein approved a petition today from the Landmark Medical Center and appointed an attorney as temporary special master to oversee the financially troubled hospital's operations and consider a potential merger or sale.

Jonathan N. Savage, with the firm Shechtman, Halperin and Savage of Pawtucket, will assume control of the hospital's assets and day to day operations. He also will "seek and evaluate potential acquisitions, partnerships and other financial solutions," said Richard Charest, president of Landmark.

Charest said, "Although the hospital is in a negative net asset position, based upon current operations, Landmark has sufficient cash on hand to continue operations through the first quarter of 2009."

He said, "Landmark will continue to deliver high quality health care to the residents of northern Rhode Island."

Savage's appointment is temporary, and the court will reconvene in 21 days to decide if the special master shall be a permanent designation.

In statements late this afternoon, Governor Carcieri and Health Department Director David Gifford said they supported the appointment of a special master. Attorngey General Patrick C. Lynch said he appreciated the judge's "quick intercession to try to preserve Landmark as a community asset."

The chief executive officer of Landmark petitioned the court earlier today to have a special master to take charge of the financial affairs of the Woonsocket hospital.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi and Journal archival reports

Continue reading "Update: Special master to oversee Landmark operations" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

A gunshot wound to the torso with injuries to aorta and liver caused the death of a 17-year-old Woonsocket male last night -- one of three victims of fatal shootings in three Rhode Island cities overnight.

The male was identified as Brandon Smith in a news release from the state Office of Medical Examiners this afternoon.

At about 10 last night, the police went to 45 Robinson St. in Woonsocket. A 17-year-old male had been shot and was taken to Landmark Meidcal Center, where he was pronounced dead, Chief Eric Croce said earlier today.

Croce said police have not ruled out drugs as a motive for the shooting; no arrests have been made, and police have no suspects.

This afternoon, Jason Horne, who said he lived in the first floor of the two-apartment house at 45 Robinson St., told a reporter that the teen had moved into the second floor apartment about six months ago to help the woman who lived there.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Journal photos / Sandor Bodo, left and center; Bob Thayer, right
Victims of the separate shootings were found near these homes, from left, 45 Robinson St., Woonsocket; 14 Reservoir Ave., Pawtucket; and 124 Eastwood Ave., Providence.

In a spate of violence touching three Rhode Island cities within hours late last night, the police in Providence, Pawtucket and Woonsocket are investigating three fatal shootings.

It all happened in a little more than two hours, leaving dead two 17-year-old males -- one in Providence and one in Woonsocket -- and a woman in Pawtucket.

At about 9:45 p.m., a report of a shooting came into the Pawtucket Police Department, according to a statement from Sgt. Cory Jackson.

When the police arrived at 14 Reservoir Ave., they found a woman with a gunshot wound to the head. She was declared dead at the scene, according to Jackson.

The police were told that a possible armed suspect was inside the house; the building was secured by the Pawtucket Police Special Response Team. No one else was found in the house, according to Jackson’s statement.

The shooting is being considered suspicious. The police have not released the name of the victim.

The victim was a frequent visitor and had been introduced as the girlfriend of the man who lived there, the owner of the building said today.

Building owner Jacinta Fernandes said that about 9:50 last night, while at a baseball game with her son, she got a call from neighbors telling her she might want to come home, because there were police cars all over the place.

When she returned to her house, Fernandes said, the body was in the basement apartment and she wasn’t allowed in.

Fernandes said the man who lived there had been staying in the basement apartment since the end of March.

At about 10 p.m. last night, the police went to 45 Robinson Street in Woonsocket. A 17-year-old male had been shot and was taken to Landmark Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Chief Eric Croce.

Croce said police have not ruled out drugs as a motive for the shooting; no arrests have been made and police have no suspects.

This afternoon, Jason Horne, who said he lived in the first floor of the two-apartment house at 45 Robinson St., told a reporter that the teen had moved into the second floor apartment about six months ago to help the woman who lived there.

The woman refused to talk to a Journal reporter at the scene. No yellow crime scene tape was at the house, a two-story with wraparound porch, tan with burgundy shutters, and well kept. Police had also left the scene.

Just before midnight last night, the Providence police were alerted to an injured man at 124 Eastwood Ave., according to a statement released by Capt. Hugh Clements. When officers arrived, they found a “young man” with a gunshot wound in the street.

The victim was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and pronounced dead soon after his arrival, according to Clements.

Police identified him this afternoon as Virgilio Rojo, 17, of 470 Manton Ave., Providence. No arrests have been made.

Clements said this is the city's seventh homicide of the year.

This afternoon, a small group of memorial candles had been put in place in front of a small church across the street from the house at 124 Eastwood.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writers W. Zachary Malinowski and Mark Reynolds

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The state Department of Health today reopened seven Rhode Island beaches to swimming.

They are Third Beach and Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown, Camp Grosvenor in North Kingstown, Fort Adams State Park Beach in Newport, and Gorton Pond Beach, Oakland Beach and Conimicut Point Beach, all in Warwick.

The health department recommended reopening these beaches based on water samples that yielded bacteria levels within acceptable limits.

But it wasn't all good news for swimmers. The health department closed to swimming Bristol Town Beach and Warren Town Beach because of high bacteria counts.

Remaining closed is City Park Beach, in Warwick.

For updates on swimming at beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information call (401) 222-2751.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Spc. Kurt Sprengel, right, of North Kingstown, a member of the Army National Guard's 169th Military Police Unit, is welcomed home by his girlfriend, Kate Dunagan, left, of Barrington, at the Guard headquarters in Quonset this morning. This morning, 135 members of the unit flew in by cargo plane as they returned from an 11-month deployment in Iraq.

Video: Watch scenes of the soldiers being welcomed home.

Posted by Jack Perry at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Johnston foam company and the salesman who suggested The Station nightclub owners use foam soundproofing have agreed “in principle” to pay $6.3 million to settle lawsuits stemming from the 2003 nightclub blaze that left 100 people dead.

The latest in a series of tentative settlements comes from the American Foam Corp., the executors of the estate of the company’s late president, and former company salesman Barry Warner, who lived next to the West Warwick nightclub and told the club owners they could buy foam as soundproofing.

The notice of settlement was filed in U.S. District Court in Providence today, saying that a “settlement in principle has been reached” with American Foam Corp., Warner and the three co-executors of Aram DerManouelian’s estate -- Jo-Ann DerManouelian, Everett Marabian and Paul Plourde.

The new settlement offer brings the pool of money offered to victims to about $155 million. But it will be months before victims see any of that money because the deals hinge on the approval of the court, the approval of all the plaintiffs, and court approval of the plan for divvying up the money.

-- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick

Extra: The Journal's continuing report on the Station fire and its aftermath.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

PAWTUCKET -- A woman found dead in a Pawtucket apartment last night was a frequent visitor and had been introduced as the girlfriend of the man who lived there, the owner of the building said today.

At about 9:50 last night, building owner Jacinta Fernandes was at a baseball game with her son, she said, when she got a call from neighbors telling her she might want to come home, because there were police cars all over the place.

When she returned to her house at 14 Reservoir Ave., Fernandes said, the body was still in the basement apartment and she wasn’t allowed in.

The police say she was shot to death.

Fernandes said the woman, in her 20s, did not live there, but was a frequent visitor and had been introduced as the boyfriend of the man who lived there. Fernandes gave his name only as “Johnny.”

Fernandes said he was friendly and had been staying in the basement apartment since the end of March.

She asked her neighbors what had happened, but they said they didn’t hear anything. “Everybody’s in shock,” Fernandes said.

Tonight, members of her church are going to spend the night with her.

No one has been arrested in the shooting, police are still investigating.

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

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo / Connie Grosch
Governor Carcieri signs the state budget at a State House ceremony where he was joined by the General Assembly's leadership.

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today signed Rhode Island's budget for the year that begins July 1 -- a budget designed to close a massive deficit.

The governor, a Republican, was flanked by legislative leaders of the Democrat-dominated General Assembly.

Budget graphic: A snapshot of spending cuts

The state was projected to face a $425 million gap in its finances, something the $6.9 billion spending package is set to close, in part through cuts to programs for the elderly, the poor and the disabled.

Carcieri and lawmakers are taking reporters' questions at this hour in the State House State Room, where the signing happened. The room is packed with legislators, state department directors and others.

-- With reports from Cynthia Needham of the Journal State House Bureau and Journal archival reports

Your turn: What do you think of this year's budget?

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Police have now identified the person killed in a Providence shooting last night as Virgilio Rojo, 17, of 470 Manton Ave., Providence, in one of a spate of deadly overnight shootings in three Rhode Island cities.

Just before midnight, the Providence police were alerted to an injured man at 124 Eastwood Ave., according to a statement earlier today released by Capt. Hugh Clements that did not identify the victim.

When officers arrived, they found a “young man” with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and pronounced dead soon after his arrival, according to Clements.

It is the city's seventh homicide of the year.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski and projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The day after a 17-year-old was shot and killed in what police say may be a drug-related crime, Woonsocket officials announced the city had received a grant to help prevent substance abuse and the problems stemming form drug use.

The Woonsocket Prevention Coalition, formerly the Woonsocket Task Force on Substance Abuse, and the Woonsocket police department are receiving $502,000 from the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, and Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

In a statement released by Lisa Carcifero, the coalition's executive director, she says the grant “is about making our community safer … educating the community … taking drugs out of our community … decreasing access and availability on the streets, at home and in our schools … and most importantly keeping drugs out of the hands of our youth.”

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A federal grand jury indictment charges a man who was working for a carnival and concessions company in Rhode Island with failing to register as a sex offender here after he was convicted in Georgia 10 years ago of child molestation.

Leonard F. Roupe is charged under a 2006 federal law that requires a person to register as such in the state to which he or she moves, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente and U.S. Marshal Burton Stallwood. Since late April, Roupe had been living at a Johnston motel and working in Rhode Island for a carnival concessions and game company.

Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Roupe on June 6 on a federal complaint, the news release says. According to an affidavit, Roupe, 51, was convicted in Georgia in 1998 of child molestation and was subsequently required under Georgia Law to register as a sex offender. He did register in Georgia initially, but as of June 5, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Sex Offender Registry Web site listed him as having “absconded,” the statement says.

Roupe is charged with two counts of failure to register after traveling interstate: one count with respect to living in Rhode Island and one in connection with working in the state.

If there is a conviction, the maximum penalty for each count is 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Roupe has been in federal custody since his arrest and will be brought into U.S. District Court, Providence, for arraignment, the release says. It does not provide a time for the arraignment and does not say which company employed Roupe.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A British man convicted of shooting to death his 9-month-old baby and wife as they cuddled together in bed showed no reaction today as he was sentenced to two life prison terms without the opportunity for parole.

Neil Entwistle was found guilty yesterday of two counts of first-degree murder in the 2006 deaths of his wife Rachel and their baby, Lillian Rose, in their rented home in Hopkinton. He fled to his native England afterward.

He claims his wife killed the baby and then committed suicide as they cuddled in bed.

Prosecutors said he was despondent over mounting debt and dissatisfied over his sex life.

During the brief sentencing hearing, Rachel's mother, Priscilla Matterazzo, called Entwistle's theory of a murder-suicide "low and despicable."

"Suffering does not begin to describe what we have been enduring without our beloved Rachel and Lillian," said Matterazzo, who wore a pink rose on her lapel in memory of her granddaughter. "I have lost two generations of my family."

Matterazzo asked that the life sentences be consecutive, to represent the two generations. But Middlesex District Court Judge Diane Kottmeyer said that would be only symbolic since there is no chance he'll be released, and imposed two concurrent life sentences.

Entwistle's family continued to support him.

"There is no way our innocent son Neil is guilty," his father, Clifford Entwistle, said before the sentencing. He refused comment afterward.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Governor Carcieri is scheduled to sign the state’s $6.9 billion budget this afternoon.

The plan, which was approved by the General Assembly last week, outlines virtually all state spending for the budget year that begins July 1.

The House Finance Committee estimates that the budget will lead to a $97-million deficit for the coming fiscal year, which is down considerably from previous projections.

Among other things, the budget increases local education assistance for cities and towns, but freezes non-education aid at reduced levels. It includes $90 million in cuts to the state’s work force (which have yet to be detailed) and another $67 million in savings by reducing Medicaid programs that serve the state's poor, elderly and disabled.

See where else cuts have been made in spending.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
A young peregrine falcon at the doorway of the Federal Reserve restaurant on Dorrance Street drew some curious looks this morning. Three young falcons nest atop the nearby Bank of America Building in downtown Providence. Read more about the falcons.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After an 11-month deployment, more than 130 members of the Rhode Island National Guard are scheduled to return from Iraq.

The 169th Military Police Company worked as transition teams responsible for educating and training Iraqi police forces.

"The importance of having a professional, well-trained police force is necessary for the government of Iraq's ability to provide security and stability for its people," Maj. Robert T. Bray, adjutant general of the RI National Guard, said in a statement.

The 135 members of the company certified that the Iraqi officers were trained properly, accompanying them on joint patrols to watch and instruct.

The group is scheduled to fly into Quonset Air National Guard Base today between 9 and 10 a.m.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A funeral is scheduled this morning for the daughter of former state representative Vincent Mesolella.

Desiree Mesolella, 19, was killed Sunday in a car crash in Port Washington, N.Y. Mesolella was the passenger.

Police say the driver, Ansaf G. Imbrahim, crossed the center line and drove head on into another car. Imbrahim is facing charges including driving while intoxicated.

Mesolella was an art student at Adelphi University.

A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, Cathedral Square, Providence. Mesolella will be buried in St. Ann Cemetery in Cranston.

Her parents are asking that donations be made to the Desiree Mesolella Memorial Art Scholarship fund, 235 Promenade St., Suite 140, Providence.

Friends and family can read Mesolella's obituary and sign her guestbook online.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force arrived in France during World War I.

For more from today in history.

Watch a video report from today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did we do something wrong?

After a brief respite from dreary weather, it's back. The National Weather Service is forecasting more showers, more thunderstorms, more hail and more gusty winds this afternoon. Temperatures should reach about 81 degrees, with winds from the southwest gusting as high as 22 mph.

We can look forward to more of the same tonight, with the added bonus of fog. Temperatures should drop to about 66 degrees and we'll have mild, west winds.

Tomorrow's looking good, with clear, sunny skies and temperatures reaching 88 degrees.

See projo.com's weather page to watch the storms on live radar.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features a story about a Woonsocket man being sentenced to life in prison without parole for the kidnapping, rape and murder of his 8-year-old neighbor.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Plenty of local acts playing around Rhode Island tonight.

Citizens Patrol and Life Trap play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 10 p.m. $6. All ages.

Rudy D'Agostino play acoustic rock at Ri-Ra, 50 Exchange Terrace, Providence. 272-1953. 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

East Side Horns play rhythm and blues at 20 Water Street in East Greenwich. 885-3700. 8 p.m. to midnight.

Chris Gauthier plays rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. Call 847-9460. 10 p.m.

Dick Lupino, Yvonne Monnett and Jeff Fountain play jazz at Sardella's Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd., Newport. 849-6312. 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Block Island ferry resumed summer trips today after being unable to leave a Connecticut dock because of delays in Amtrak's Thames River railroad bridge project.

Interstate Navigation Company -- which operates the Block Island ferry -- said in a news release that its high-speed vessel and all passenger/car ferries are running as scheduled.

The ferry Manitou will start trips between Newport and Block Island on Saturday.

For information and schedules, go to www.blockislandferry.com, or call the Point Judith office at (866) 783-7996.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

American Airlines will stop its regional jet service at T.F. Green Airport on Nov. 1, airport officials confirmed, pulling out of the airport it has served since 1984.

American Airlines and its American Eagle regional unit will end service to Green and seven other airports and drop flights at other airports as the airline grounds planes and lays off workers because of rising fuel prices. AMR Corp., the airline’s parent company, this week provided details of the cutbacks it had previously announced in May.

American, the world’s largest airline, and Eagle, will cut 62 departures from Chicago, 43 from St. Louis and 42 each from Dallas-Forth Worth and New York’s La Guardia airport, the company said yesterday in a statement. The reductions amount to 12 percent of service at American and 11 percent at Eagle.

Green will lose three daily departures to Chicago when Eagle leaves in the fall for the last time. Capacity on the regional jets is 44 seats.

At one point, Eagle had five daily flights from Green to Chicago and one daily flight to Dallas, according to Patti Doyle, an airport spokeswoman.

“They have been reducing capacity for quite some time,” she said.
Travelers still will be able to fly to Chicago from the Warwick airport, said Kevin Dillon, president of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, which runs T.F. Green.

“We have good service into Chicago both from Southwest and United” airlines, he said. “There’s capacity . . . to pick up those passengers.”

-- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi

Continue reading "American Airlines to stop regional service at T.F. Green" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BRISTOL -- Bristol police have identified a fisherman who was apparently struck by lightning during an intense storm Tuesday afternoon.

Edgardo Torres, 42, was injured while fishing off the rocks near Roger Williams University, in Bristol..

Authorities say his friend heard thunder, turned around and saw Torres on the ground. He was unconscious and needed CPR.

Rescue crews brought Torres to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

A hospital spokeswoman did not know his condition this afternoon.

-- The Associated Press

Photo gallery: Send in your storm photos, see others

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Robert Felner, former dean of the University of Rhode Island’s School of Education, is under investigation by federal officials looking into the possible misappropriation of $500,000 in federal grants, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Felner, who left URI five years ago to become dean of the University of Louisville College of Education and Human Development, was to have become chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside July 1. But yesterday, the Kentucky paper reports, Felner notified officials there he would resign his appointment, because of the ongoing investigation.

“Dr. Felner is concerned that this is going to create a problem, even if it’s just a perception problem at the University of Wisconsin,” Felner’s lawyer, Scott C. Cox, told the Courier-Journal. Cox also said his client had not mishandled any funds.

The U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Secret Service are investigating the case jointly with the U.S. Attorney’s office, Cox said.

“As part of that investigation, the agencies seized documents and a computer from Felner’s university office Friday,” reported the Courier-Journal. “Felner also answered questions from investigators while they were on campus…”

While in Rhode Island, Felner created the SALT surveys used to assess Rhode Island public schools and was considered a national education figure.

A spokeswoman for the University of Rhode Island said the university is now reviewing the records related to Felner’s grant expenditures while he was an employee here at the university.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan

Continue reading "Report: Ex-URI education dean under investigation in Ky." »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
Lisa Smith, in light green skirt, and other family members listen today as Peter Gillespie, medical examiner, describes the details of Savannah Smith's murder.

PROVIDENCE -- A man who kidnapped, raped and killed an 8-year-old girl in Woonsocket two years ago was sentenced this afternoon to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The family of victim Savannah Smith clapped when Judge Gilbert V. Indeglia announced the sentence for Joshua Davis, who had pleaded guilty in April to first-degree murder, first-degree child molestation and kidnapping a minor.

This morning, Indeglia listened as Savannah's mother requested that he impose a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

Lisa Smith today told Indeglia she "loathes" Davis.

"He is the lowest piece of scum on the earth," Smith said in her victim impact statement in Providence Superior Court.

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
Joshua Davis, at his sentencing hearing today

The sentence makes Davis the 27th person in the state to receive life without parole, and the first one in a case involving a child as a victim.

Of those cases, Indeglia said, "None was more cruel, heartless, savage or vicious than the one that was done to this child."

The prosecution said Savannah helped her neighbor Davis wash his red convertible in May 2006. She and her sister asked to go for a ride in his car, but her father, David Smith, told them no. The girls went to the Globe Street playground, near Savannah’s home. About a half hour later, one of Savannah’s younger sisters and her cousin returned home and told David Smith that Savannah had left the park with Davis, in his car.

The police found her body the following day in woods off Parkview Boulevard in Cranston.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo

Continue reading "Update: Woonsocket girl's killer gets life without parole" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

PROVIDENCE -- The Providence County Grand Jury has indicted a man on murder and other charges in a slaying that took place in Central Falls on April 26.

Anthony Strobert, 19, of 24 Mary St., Central Falls, was alleged to have shot dead Helder G. Tomar, 19, of Harvey Street, Pawtucket. Strobert was wounded in the incident by the same weapon allegedly used to kill Tomar. The next day, Edelmiro Roman, 16, a Central Falls High School student, was shot fatally while he was walking on Dexter Street.

The police said they believed Roman’s slaying was related, but no one has been charged with that crime.

The incidents brought a state of panic in Central Falls. Mayor Charles Moreau imposed a nighttime curfew on anyone under the age of 18, and two street workers from the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence were brought in work with young people in an attempt to keep the peace.

Witnesses told the police that Tomar and Strobert got into a fight in Jenks Park, and Tomar pulled out a gun. He shot Strobert, who was able to take the gun from Tomar and shot and killed him, the police said. Strobert was treated in Rhode Island Hospital.
Besides murder, Strobert also was indicted on charges of discharging a firearm, death resulting, carrying a pistol without a license, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

He is to be arraigned July 9 in Providence County Superior Court.

-- Journal staff writer Thomas J. Morgan

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The state Department of Health today closed to swimming the City Park Beach in Warwick, Fort Adams State Park Beach in Newport, and Third Beach in Middletown because of high bacteria counts.

Locations that remain closed are Atlantic Beach club's beach, Camp Grosvenor, Conimicut Point Beach, Gorton Pond Beach, and Oakland Beach.

For updates on swimming status at Rhode Island beaches, go to the Department of Health Web site.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A British man was convicted today of shooting to death his wife and infant daughter after jurors rejected his claim the woman had killed their baby then committed suicide while snuggled together in bed.

Neil Entwistle, 29, closed his eyes and shook his head slightly upon being found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, Rachel, 27, and their 9-month-old baby, Lillian Rose.

Prosecutors maintained he was in debt and dissatisfied with his sex life when he fatally shot his family in their rented Hopkinton home in 2006. After the shootings, he fled to his native England.

The defense did not put on any witnesses. Instead, Entwistle’s attorney claimed Rachel Entwistle shot Lillian Rose and then killed herself while the two snuggled in bed.

Entwistle acknowledged he did not call police when he found the bodies. He claimed he returned the gun to his father-in-law’s home 50 miles away because he wanted to preserve his wife’s honor.

Jurors deliberated just a day and a half before reaching their verdicts. He also was convicted on two weapons charges.

Sentencing was scheduled for Thursday morning. In Massachusetts, the sentence for first-degree murder is automatically life in prison without the possibility of parole.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WARWICK -- During a 1 a.m. phone conversation on the day police would later find Kelly Ann Anderson dead in Brian Mlyniec's house, a childhood friend told Mlyniec to make another phone call: 9-1-1.

Bill Healey testified in Mlyniec's murder trial today that Mlyniec said he did not want the police to come over to his house.

Mlyniec, 45, had called, in a conversation lasting about 25 minutes, to say he had picked up a woman in Providence and that she was going in and out of it, unresponsive, Healey said in Kent County Superior Court. Mlyniec told him he had already put the woman into a bathtub where, according to previous testimony, he put cold water on her.

The prosecutor asked Healey how the call ended, and Healey said he told Mlyniec again to call 9-1-1.

Mlyniec, of West Warwick, is charged with first-degree murder, accused of killing the 41-year-old Andersen at his home two years ago. At about 1:30 p.m. on June 23, 2006, an emergency medical technician has said he went to Mlyniec's 95 Harris Ave. address in response to a report of an unresponsive woman and said he found Anderson lying on her back on couch cushions in a disheveled living room with Mlyniec hovering over her.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Nandini Jayakrishna

Continue reading "Friend urged murder defendant to call 9-1-1" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A corrupt former town official in Lincoln has been arrested by the Rhode Island State Police on charges that he arranged the beating of a Lincoln town councilman.

Robert Picerno, who figured prominently in the Lincoln bribery scandal involving former town administrator Jonathan Oster, was charged this morning with conspiracy and threatening a public official for allegedly arranging for two men to assault and threaten then-councilman Dean L. Lees Jr. in 2001.

Lees, who told the state police at the time that the assault was related to his political stands, said that he was leaving a carpet and tile store on Branch Avenue in Providence when a man attacked him from behind as he got into his car.

Lees said at the time that the man punched him in the back of the head eight to 10 times, and that the other man threatened him, saying, ``If you keep doing what you’re doing in town, we’ll be back.’ ‘’

State Police Maj. Joseph R. Miech says that Picerno, 61, was arrested this morning at his home at 105 Woodside Drive, North Providence, and has already been arraigned in court and released on bail.

Picerno, a former Lincoln Planning Commission member whose son once ran against Lees for Town Council, was sentenced to eight years, with three to serve, after pleading no contest in 2004 to four counts of taking or trying to solicit, bribes, and three counts of conspiracy to solicit bribes.

In a trial earlier this year, the state charged that Oster, with Picerno, conspired to solicit bribes from two potential buyers of a piece of town-controlled land on Route 116 in Lincoln.

Oster was convicted and subsequently committed suicide. Because Oster had not been sentenced before his death, the conviction was set aside.

According to Miech, the state police developed information this year that Picerno had hired one of the men who accosted Lees. Both men were subsequently convicted and sentenced to more than three years in state prison. One was denied parole during his sentence because of his refusal to cooperate with the authorities regarding who put them up to it.

According to an affidavit, Picerno paid $12,500 to have Lees beaten up.

Extra: Read the affidavit in support of Picerno's arrest

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

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PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri plans to sign the state budget tomorrow at 1 p.m., the final step in finalizing the $6.9 billion tax-and-spend approved by the General Assembly last week.

The plan will become law after it is signed, and outlines virtually all state spending for the budget year that begins July 1.

The governor's office issued a statement this afternoon announcing the signing ceremony, which will take place in the ornate State Room on the second floor of the State House.

"This signing will mark the resolution of the budget crisis while avoiding any broad based tax increases, an accomplishment that is a credit to the House Speaker Murphy, Senate President Montalbano, and all legislators,” Governor Carcieri said. “It also marks the introduction of structural reforms that will reduce projected deficits in future years.”

The House Finance Committee estimates that the budget will lead to a $97-million deficit for the coming fiscal year, which is down considerably from previous projections.

Murphy and Montalbano are expected to attend the ceremony.

Among other things, the budget increases local education assistance for cities and towns, but freezes non-education aid at reduced levels. It includes $90 million in cuts to the state’s work force (which have yet to be detailed) and another $67 million in savings by reducing Medicaid programs that serve the state's poor, elderly and disabled.

After the budget was passed by the Democrat-led House, the Republican Carcieri said, “This budget represents a watershed moment in the recent history of Rhode Island state government. In the face of a severe fiscal crisis, we have worked together to reduce spending and balance the budget without raising taxes.”

-- Steve Peoples, Journal's State House Bureau

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Providence Retirement Board this morning voted to revoke the pension of retired police chief Urbano Prignano Jr.

The revocation was based on Prignano's assumed "dishonorable service," because Prignano has admitted helping officers cheat on their promotional exams.

Prignano is collecting $66,560 a year. His pension has been an issue for the board for six years.

Lawyer Vincent A. Ragosta, Jr., who was hired to gather evidence against Prignano, advised the Board at a meeting at City Hall that they had the power to make the final decision, but that "out of an abundance of caution" the board should petition the Rhode Island Superior Court to implement the revokation.

The board then voted to accept Ragosta's recommendation and sue in Superior Court.

Prignano will continue to collect payments while the Superior Court considers the lawsuit.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Continue reading "Board votes to revoke former chief Prignano's pension" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you own property that's sitting on top of toxic soil?

The state Department of Environmental Management is preparing to distribute money to assess the level of contamination at Brownfield sites..

The agency plans to allocate $200,000 to assess sites contaminated with hazardous substances and $200,000 for sites contaminated with petroleum.

An informational meeting is scheduled for today at 3:00 p.m. at DEM's Providence headquarters. Officials will be on hand to answer questions and give out applications.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amtrak service between New York and Boston is canceled until Friday, while the Thames River Bridge in Connecticut gets a touch-up. Limited alternate train and bus service is being offered in the region until the bridge work is done.

The moveable span of the bridge is being replaced on the 90-year-old drawbridge, which connects Groton and New London, Conn.

Three Boston-New Haven-New York trains via Hartford and Springfield, as well as limited bus services, will offer service, bypassing the bridge .

For detailed information on train routes, visit Amtrak’s Web site or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Cumberland woman facing possible jail time after a fatal car accident is scheduled to be in court today.

Kellie Woodbine, 29, has been on home confinement since Feb. 12. Before that, she had been free on personal recognizance and recovering from the injuries she sustained in the Dec. 30, 2005 accident.

The crash was on Route 95, at the Pawtucket S-curve, between Exits 20 and 30. Woodbine was driving her pickup truck, when it struck a highway barrier, flew across the road, crashed into a bridge abutment and came to a rest on the shoulder of the highway where it burst into flames.

Woodbine’s passenger, Samantha Marie Beaudette, 16, of Pawtucket, was severely burned. She died two days after the crash. Woodbine has also been receiving treatment for severe burns.

Woodbine faces drunken and reckless driving charges in Superior Court, Providence.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PROVIDENCE -- A Woonsocket man soon learns whether he'll spend the rest of his life in prison for strangling his 8-year-old neighbor after abducting and molesting her.

Joshua Davis will be sentenced this morning in Providence Superior Court for killing Savannah Smith two years ago. He pleaded guilty in April to first-degree murder, kidnapping a minor and child molestation.

Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life in prison without parole. It's the toughest punishment allowed under Rhode Island law.

Davis was a neighbor to the Smith family, and his girlfriend sometimes baby-sat for them.

Investigators say Davis lured the young girl into his red convertible on May 7, 2006. He drove to Cranston and killed her in a wooded area.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ten thousand feet of sidewalk has been rebuilt along Block Island’s waterfront and at the island’s busiest intersection.

Today, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation will hold a dedication ceremony for the Bridge Gate Square project in New Shoreham.

Bridge Gate Square –– the intersection of Dodge Street, Old Town Road, Ocean Avenue and Corn Neck Road –– was the focal point of the project. The dedication will take place today at 11 a.m. in front of the Block Island Historical Society.

The $2.4-million project reconstructed an intersection in the Old Harbor district, where most of the ferries land. Improvements were also made to the sidewalks along the waterfront, bringing them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

WOBURN, Mass. — The jury in the double murder trial of Neil Entwistle is set to begin a second day of deliberations today.

The Middlesex Superior Court jury deliberated yesterday for about six hours.

Yesterday, the jury asked to see records from Entwistle’s laptop from Jan. 20, 2006, the day prosecutors say the Briton shot his wife, Rachel, and baby daughter, Lillian.

A computer forensics expert testified that Entwistle checked his e-mail about 90 minutes after reporting to police that he’d found the bodies.

Entwistle’s defense team said he used his computer to look for jobs before he found his wife and daughter.

Prosecutors say Entwistle was dissatisfied with his sex life and frustrated about his debt when he killed his family.

The defense says his wife shot her baby, then herself.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On June 25, 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana.

Watch a video report about today in history.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What a day!

After days of rain and hail and thunder and lightning, we've got only two things to worry about today -- sun and warm temperatures. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 84 degrees and west winds between 5 and 10 mph.

Clouds should roll in tonight, when the temperature drops to about 62 degrees. Expect mild, southwest winds.

But tomorrow. Oh, tomorrow. This may sound familiar: A chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Some storms may come with hail and gusty winds. Temperatures should reach about 83 degrees.

If you just want to enjoy today's weather, don't check projo.com's weather page. There's not much to look forward to.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features a story about Anthony Palozza, 87, who fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court for the right to build 74 cottages on 18 acres of saltmarsh in Misquamicut. Now, 50 years after he bought his property, he's ready to build -- just one house.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Live regional radar

A slice of sun is visible in downtown Providence, while a brick church spire stands tall against a gray-blue sky to the east.

It's a sign of what the National Weather Service said shortly after 7 p.m.:

...The Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northeastern Kent...extreme southeastern Providence...extreme northeastern Washington and southern Bristol counties in Rhode Island is cancelled...

The notice followed a severe thunderstorm warning for the regions below, the latest in a band that swept through the area this afternoon, bringing heavy rain, pelting hail, and lightning.

A fisherman was struck by lightning in Bristol, and the rain delayed the CVS Caremark Charity Classic final in Barrington four hours.

Tonight, the weather service predicts mostly cloudy with scattered showers with a chance of thunderstorms this evening, then mostly clear after midnight.

Low temperatures will be around 60, with northwest winds 5 to 10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph this evening. Chance of rain is 50 percent.

But tomorrow -- it sounds like a beach day:.

Sunny. Highs in the mid-80s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts at projo.com/weather

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In Providence tonight, the Walrus and the Carpenter, Cuddle Magic and American Hornets play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 10 p.m. $6. All ages.

The Hi-Hat Trio with Debra Mann, jazz, The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. 453-6500, www.thehihat.com. 7 to 11 p.m.

The Guest Bartenders play rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. 847-9460. 10 p.m.

See more of projo.com's listings.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BRISTOL -- A 42-year-old man was struck by lightning as he was fishing off the rocks near Roger Williams University this afternoon.

Rescuing him was a tricky situation.

As rain pelted down and lightning flashed overhead, about 20 volunteer firefighters worked their way down the shore to the unconscious man on the rocks along the shoreline, said Fire Chief Robert Martin.

They lifted him into a Stokes basket and carefully carried him off the rain-slicked rocks, Martin said. However, they couldn’t bring the ambulance to him because of the location, so one of the volunteer firefighters drove his pick-up truck down to the scene, and the firefighters loaded the man and basket into the back of the truck.

The firefighters were performing CPR on the man as they rushed him to Rhode Island Hospital trauma care unit, Martin said. He estimated it had taken the firefighters 10 minutes to reach the man and rescue him.

“You call for a rescue in Bristol, we come,” Martin said.

--Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Journal photo / Kris Craig
Iraqi refugee Ghaydaa Ghalum tells her personal story today to the audience during the International Institute of Rhode Island program at Providence City Hall.

PROVIDENCE -- Two years ago, a U.S. jetfighter dropped a bomb into Ghaydaa Ghalum’s kitchen in Baghdad.

“I covered up my children and saw my house fall apart,” Ghalum said. “My daughter was shaking all night and my son kept crying and wouldn’t open his eyes. All night we saw dust coming down from the ceiling. The next morning my entire family came to our house to see if we were dead or alive.”

That was the last in a series of cataclysmic events that pushed the family into exile, said Ghalum at a World Refugee Day ceremony today at Providence City Hall that was hosted by the International Institute of Rhode Island. The day was established in 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly.

In 2003, her husband, Adel, then working for the U.S. Army as a carpenter, “was kidnapped and tortured by the terrorists and almost died,” she said. “… Like many other Iraqis, we left Iraq because we didn’t feel safe there anymore. Everybody lives in fear; there were gunfights in the streets. My children saw dead bodies on the streets.”

Last December, Ghalum, her husband and their children, Miriam and Ahmed, were resettled by the International Institute of Rhode Island. The children attend school, Adel works, and Ghalum said she hopes to earn a nursing degree.

Today, Ghalum told an audience that she feels “like a newborn,” and thanked both the Rhode Island community and the Institute “for helping us make Providence our new home.”

-- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PAWTUCKET -- If it's late June, it must mean patches of hail all over downtown.

Not what you were expecting?

Pawtucket appeared to have been hit pretty hard by the severe thunderstorm that passed through the region this afternoon, delivering rain and hail, from one reporter's observations.

The surge of water from a storm drain was powerful enough to cause buckling on part of Armistice Boulevard, in the area of the Department of Public Works building, near George R. Bennet Industrial Highway. Mayor James Doyle said he expected the asphalt would need replacing.

Doyle said he was told the water level on School Street was so high that cars slid into each other.

Tree leaves are strewn all over roads.

A city Department of Public Works worker said there was flooding on the Roosevelt Avenue Extension, near the Pawtucket River. A couple of cars got stuck on the road where it becomes Pleasant Street.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PROVIDENCE -- The city’s unionized municipal workers have reached contracts with the city covering a four-year period that protects them from rumored layoffs, provides roughly 2 percent wage increases annually, and doubles the amount they pay towards their health care over the life of the contract.

A well-known city benefit allowing outside workers to go home with pay on hot days, known as the “90 degree rule,” has also been negotiated out of the deal.

The roughly 900 municipal employees represented by Local 1033 of the Laborers International Union of North America have been working under the terms of their old contract since it expired last June 30. This deal covers that period with one contract, and the next three years with another.

The contract was ratified by employees by a vote of 811-0 over the last two days, said Local 1033 business manager Donald S. Iannazzi. The City Council must still ratify the deal.

Local 1033 represents approximately 900 employees, or the bulk of the city's workforce other than teachers, police officers and firefighters. The employees do a variety of jobs, from issuing licenses, to operating the water system, to helping schoolchildren cross the street, to assessing and collecting taxes.

The contract offers employees a 1 percent wage increase on June 1 of this year, and a 1 percent increase on July 1. It then builds in 1 percent increases in January and 2 percent increases in July in both 2009 and 2010, which over the four years covered by the deal works out to roughly a 2 percent increase per year.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Continue reading "Providence, Local 1033 reach pact covering 4 years" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Roman Dodd, left, listens as he is sentenced by Superior Court Judge Stephen Nugent in Washington County Court. He is accompanied by his lawyer, Richard Humphrey.

A 23-year-old South Kingstown man will serve two years in state prison after pleading guilty today to driving drunk when his car plowed into a police cruiser that in turn hit an officer working a drunken-driving patrol.

Roman A. Dodd, of 61 Inkberry Drive, was driving drunk July 14, 2007, when the car he was driving north on Route 1 swerved and hit a police cruiser that had just pulled over another vehicle for speeding. The patrol car spun around, striking Lt. Gerald Richard, who had left his car for the traffic stop.

The impact hurled Richard 33 feet into a ditch, where he lay with leg, shoulder and arm injuries.

Dodd, who had just graduated from the University of Michigan, had been drinking beers and rum and Cokes at Amalfi’s restaurant in Narragansett before the collision, according to court records.

Richard, 43, told today of lingering pain in his left shoulder and arm that awakens him four times a night, but worse he said is the realization that he might not work as a police officer again.

“The fact that there’s a good chance I won’t go back to work as a police officer is emotionally crippling,” Richard said as his girlfriend wept.

Dodd, too, once a high school track star who was debilitated in 2002 after being struck in the head by a hammer thrown by another student, addressed the court.

“I know I can’t take it back,” he said. He vowed to do his time, come out and be a productive member of society.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Continue reading "Man, 23, who hit police car while driving drunk, pleads" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The afternoon's heavy rains, lightning and hail left about 1,900 National Grid customers without electricity at the height of the storm-related power failures.

The peak came around 3:15 p.m., with the largest number of reported failures in Richmond, at 515 customers, according to David Graves, a National Grid spokesman.

Graves cautioned that the number of power failures may fluctuate as some customers arrive home this evening to find power out and report it. "They could bump up slightly after 5 and 5:30," he said.

"We are down to about 1,600 customers [without power] at this point," he said shortly before 4 p.m.

Power failures peaked at the following number of customers in these communities:

* South Kingstown, 305
* Pawtucket, 240
* Coventry, 226
* Exeter, 146
* Warwick, 136
* West Greenwich: 80
* West Warwick, 80

Around 3 p.m., Tiverton had 88 power failures, Graves said.

The storm, which dumped rain and even hail in some areas, led to some reports of flash flooding in Pawtucket.

It also delayed the second and final day of play of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic golf tournament, chasing players and spectators off the course in Barrington.

"It was hailing on the 18th fairway,'' said Darren Lee, who was in the Edwards & Angell suite on the 18th. "It looked like golf balls were falling from the sky.''

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As tomorrow's 4 p.m. deadline nears for filing declarations of candidacy, you can see some of those who are running for Rhode Island's local, state and federal offices on the Secretary of State's Web site.

The information is being posted on the secretary of state's "Election 2008"page. at the "2008 Candidate Status" link: www.sec.state.ri.us/candidates/, according to Chris Barnett, spokesman for the Secretary of State's office.

But a heads up: The declarations will not show up online immediately. The site's database does not refresh until 4 a.m. the next day. So, today, all filings are available online that were entered before then yesterday. Tomorrow around 4 a.m., all filings entered today will be available.

According to Barnett, the Secretary of State's office posts filings for the candidates for federal offices. For state and city/town candidates, the office is networked with each board of canvassers in Rhode Island's communities. So when a board of canvassers enters candidates' filings, the Secretary of State site gets the information.

Projo.com plans to obtain all the filings shortly after tomorrow's 4 p.m. and post them as soon as possible after that.

All forms and a calendar with every key date leading up to Rhode Island’s primary and general election are posted at http://www.sec.state.ri.us/elections/election08.html.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not that you were planning a trip to the beach today, but the state has recommended closing three beaches today because of high levels of bacteria.

Today, the state’s Department of Health recommended closing the Atlantic Beach Club Beach in Middletown; Conimicut Point Beach in Warwick; and Oakland Beach, also in Warwick.

And two beaches that were closed in the past two weeks because of high bacteria levels –– Camp Grosvenor in North Kingstown and Gorton Pond Beach in Warwick –– are still closed.

Check the Health Department’s Web site or call 222-2751 to find out when these beaches re-open and what beaches are closed around the state.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
At the CVS Caremark Charity Classic golf tournament oday at the Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, spectators run toward the buses as the rain forces a delay in play.

Thunderstorms this afternoon are already taking a toll.

Flooding has caused a lane closure on Route 95 in Pawtucket.

The Transportation Management Center is reporting flooding on the southbound side of the highway at Exit 27/US-1/Pawtucket. The right and right-center lanes are blocked.

Traffic is stop and go. See for yourself on the TMC’s Web cameras.

Your turn: Send us your storm reports here.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline says he has reached a tentative agreement with the city's largest union.

Cicilline and Laborers International Union of North America Local 1033 Business Manager Donald S. Iannazzi will announce details of the four-year labor deal at 3 p.m. in the mayor's office.

The membership of Local 1033 is scheduled to vote on the tentative pact today, they've been negotiating with the city since April of last year, according to Iannazzi.

The union represents about 900 employees in Providence; the majority of municipal employees, such as workers at City Hall and the Department of Public Works, but it doesn't represent teachers or uniformed personnel such as police officers.

The contract includes some losses and some gains for union employees and, Cicilline said in a statement, the contract will significantly rein in costs.

"Most significantly," Iannazzi said, "we're safeguarding the employment of all 900 members."

Click below for an outline of some of the other changes to the contract.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Continue reading "Cicilline, municipal union agree on labor contract" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
Jay Waller of the Public Archeology Lab labels stakes that mark each new grave. Eventually, the graves will have granite markers with names and birthdates on them.

CRANSTON -- The state Department of Transportation today began the process of re-burying remains of 67 people, following discovery two years ago of bones in a parking area along Route 37.

They were remains from graves dating to the late 1800s, exposed by soil erosion.

Two years ago, some employees were walking around at lunch hour and found bones that had washed into the parking lot from a Route 37 embankment, behind the former Davol building in the Sockanosset Cross Road area.

Investigation determined they were remains of men, women and children who died at the State Farm -- a place for those who lived in poverty known as the state potter's field -- at the turn of the 20th century. The state burial ground was used by the State Farm from 1875 to 1918.

Digging found grave after grave, showing that Route 37 was built over a potter's field cemetery. The DOT decided to remove the 67 graves' remains found to be in danger of being disturbed by embankment erosion caused by drainage pipes and culverts and water coming off Route 37.

The remains have been stored in a climate-controlled facility at Public Archeology Lab in preparation for the work that started about 8:30 this morning.

The state Veterans Cemetery provided equipment to carry out the digging and re-burials, estimated to take three days. The remains will be re-buried at land at corner of Knight Street and Pontiac Avenue on the Cranston-Warwick line.

Michael Hebert, the Department of Transportation archaeologist who has worked on the investigation of the remains, and Public Archaeology Lab, in Pawtucket, are doing the project.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Barbara Polichetti

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

WARWICK -- Jurors in Brian Mlyniec's murder trial this morning watched video of West Warwick police questioning Mlyniec about the acts he and Kelly Ann Anderson engaged in at his house before she was found dead there two years ago.

Mlyniec, on the tape, did not really want to talk about the sexual activities. He said that at one point he tied her ankles and wrists but did not want to go into it because "that makes me look like an animal or something."

Mlyniec and Anderson had left Kennedy Plaza in Providence and gone to his home on June 22, the day before she was found dead.

The police questions kept coming on the tape and Mlyniec ended up describing what he said the two did. At various points in the questioning, he said he did not remember.

"I didn't do anything for her to die," said Mlyniec, referring to their sex acts. "I mean, I love that girl."

Mlyniec is charged with first-degree murder in the 2006 death of Anderson. West Warwick firefighters found the body of Anderson, 41, inside Mlyniec’s home on the afternoon of June 23, 2006, after getting an anonymous call about a possible overdose. Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene and had face, throat and neck injuries.

Mlyniec has denied killing Anderson and told police the two had engaged in consensual, violent sex activities that resulted in the bruises and bleeding.

Mlyniec repeated on the tape seen by the jury today in Kent County Superior Court that what they did together was consensual.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Nandini Jayakrishna

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

WOBURN, Mass. — A jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a British man accused of killing his wife and baby daughter.

Neil Entwistle is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian, in their Hopkinton home in January 2006, then fleeing to his native England.

A jury of six men and six women began deliberating murder charges this morning in Middlesex Superior Court.

Prosecutors said Entwistle killed his wife and daughter after sinking deeply into debt and becoming dissatisfied with his sex life.

Entwistle told police he found their bodies after returning home from running errands. His lawyer said in closing arguments yesterday that Rachel Entwistle shot the baby and then killed herself, and her husband covered up her actions to “protect her honor.”

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Governor Carcieri responded on the radio this morning to criticism that he had undermined the work of Providence police officers and their enforcement of immigration policy.

In a statement released yesterday, Mayor David Cicilline said that the governor had unfairly blamed the police for Marco Riz –– a Guatemalan living illegally in Rhode Island who is accused of kidnapping and rape –– being able to walk the streets.

“This is no criticism,” Carcieri said this morning on WPRO. Instead, he said, he was “giving (the police) a tool to do their job even better and, by the way, to protect themselves.”

Carcieri issued an executive order in March urging state and local law enforcement officers to take steps to enforce federal immigration law.

“Had the Providence Police Department been working with ICE,” the way they should be , Carcieri said, “this man might have been taken off the street.”

In a statement released yesterday, Carcieri said that had the police used the NLTS telecommunications system to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement after Marco Riz was arrested, in 2007, he would not have had the opportunity to rape and kidnap a woman. Carcieri also touted his Executive Order, which was passed after Riz’s 2007 arrests.

In yesterday’s statement, Cicilline said Carcieri was unfairly blaming Providence police for the failures of federal agencies, and that the police followed a decades-old protocol by faxing information about Riz to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Carcieri told WPRO's John DePetro that if “what happened to that woman,” happened to a member of the mayor’s family, “he might view it differently.”

Riz has been arrested and faces charges of rape and kidnapping for allegedly carjacking a woman at a grocery store, robbing her, then driving her car to Roger Williams Park and raping her. His trial has not yet begun and he’s being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston.

Your turn: React to the Assembly's handling of immigration issues this year

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

The United Nations recognizes World Refugee Day on June 20, but in Rhode Island, the event, which highlights the plight of refugees around the world, takes place today.

The state’s 4th Annual Rhode Island World Refugee Day Celebration is sponsored by the International Institute of Rhode Island, which provides education and legal and social services to immigrants and refugees in the state and through southern New England.

Speakers will include the former U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, Mauritania and Nigeria, William Taddell; Ghaydaa Ghalum, a former refugee and recent arrival from Iraq; and Bill Shuey and Baha Sadr, both of the International Institute.

Expect music, refreshments and a celebration of the spirit and courage of refugees, as well as efforts to help refugees across the world. The event will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the Alderman’s Chambers, 3rd floor in Providence City Hall.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Maeda, the newly installed president of the Rhode Island School of Design, has scheduled the first “Jogging with John” for this morning from 6 to 7, starting in front of his temporary residence, the Hilton Providence, 21 Atwells Ave., Providence.

Maeda said that during and after the loop of about 1.5 miles, he plans to talk to his colleagues about Web 2.0 leadership and other innovative ideas.

Read more about Maeda.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1497, the first recorded sighting of North America by a European took place as explorer John Cabot, on a voyage for England, spotted land, probably in present-day Canada.

Read more from today in history.

Watch video about today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What is with this weather?

It's sunny and muggy at 6:30 a.m., but the National Weather Service says there's a slight chance of more isolated showers an thunderstorms late this morning, and again later in the afternoon. The NWS is even predicting a chance of hail, frequent lightning and winds gusting up to 21 mph. Temperatures should reach 81 degrees.

And it's the same story tonight, with isolated showers and storms possible until about 9 p.m. Skies should begin to clear as the night goes on, and the temperatures should drop to about 58 degrees.

But it looks like we're in for a rain-free Wednesday, with sunny skies and temperatures reaching near 84 degrees and breezy north winds.

Check projo.com's weather page for the latest forecasts

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features a look at why a bill to crack down on illegal immigration failed in the General Assembly.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's almost Fourth of July celebration time in Bristol -- an event that people trek to from all over.

Tonight, get a start on it. Catch a free concert in Bristol in Independence Park on Thames Street. Gerry Grimo and the East Bay Jazz Ensemble performs at 7:45 p.m. The event is part of the town's 223rd annual Fourth of July Celebration. It will be held rain or shine, according to the Bristol Fourth of July Web site.

If you get there early, you might catch the end of a concert in the same location by The East Bay Summer Wind Ensemble. It was scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

For more concerts in tune with the annual celebration, click here for a schedule.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- If you looked up in the sky at the appointed time, and didn't see the Royal Air Force jets stream by -- it wasn't because you missed them.

Instead, the team was forced, after several delays, to drop its plan to fly over the State house. Instead, the jets went to the aiport at Quonset, where they've already landed.

The planes were initially scheduled to screech over the State House with smoke trails and all at about 12:30 p.m. But bad weather along the way has led to several schedule changes. The latest announced at around 2:30 p.m., saying they would attempt a 3:45 p.m. arrival.

At fault, Lt. Col. Denis Riel of the Rhode Island National Guard said earlier, was a storm in Virginia, from where the jets were taking off, and a low cloud cover here in New England.

The jets may try another flyover later this week.

And you'll still have a chance to catch the Royal Air Force when the team performs in the Rhode Island National Guard Open House Air Show, which is scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The daughter of Vincent J. Mesolella Jr., a prominent former state representative from North Providence, was killed Sunday morning in a head-on car crash in Port Washington, N.Y.

The Nassau County Police Department said that alcohol appeared to be a factor in the accident leading to the death of Desiree Mesolella, 19, of Lincoln, an aspiring model, clothing designer and student at Adelphi University in nearby Garden City on Long Island.

Mesolella was a passenger in a 2007 Honda Civic that was driven by Ansaf G. Imbrahim, 21, of Port Washington. The police said that Imbrahim was driving north on Port Washington Boulevard at 8:29 a.m. when she crossed the center line and crashed into a Toyota heading in the opposite direction.

The impact of the collision forced the Toyota to collide with another car, a 2006 Honda. The drivers of those cars -- a 30-year old woman, and a 44-year old man -- were transported to local hospitals and treated for minor injuries.

Mesolella and Imbrahim were brought to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. Less than three hours later, at 10:54 a.m., Mesolella was pronounced dead. It was not known whether she was wearing a seatbelt.

Mesololla’s father, now a developer, was unavailable for comment today.

Imbrahim, whose injuries, the police said, were described as non-life threatening, was arrested at the hospital and charged with second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and the aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski, with reports from projo.com staff writer Brandie Jefferson

Continue reading "Update: Ex-legislator Mesolella's daughter dies in crash" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

A Rhode Island fund that is used to compensate victims of crime for medical bills, lost wages and other expenses has just received a boost from the federal government.

The Crime Victims Fund, which is financed through fines paid by people convicted of federal crimes, is allocating $891,000 to the state’s Crime Victims Compensation Fund, which reimburses victims up to $25,000 for expenses not covered by insurance or court-ordered restitution.

“The last thing a crime victim should have to worry about is how they are going to make up for lost wages or cover their medical expenses," Sen. Jack Reed said today in a statement. Reed is a member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds Department of Justice Programs.

“For years,” he said, “Rhode Island’s Crime Victims Fund has played a vital role in helping crime victims heal their wounds, both physical and emotional, and get back on their feet.”

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON — Big Dig contractor Modern Continental Co. has filed for bankruptcy protection, the first business day after federal prosecutors charged the company with lying about its work on the massive project.

The contractor made a Chapter 11 filing Monday in federal bankruptcy court in Boston. The bankruptcy petition lists debts of $500 million to $1 billion, and assets of $100 million to $500 million.

The Boston Globe reports Modern Continental’s board voted June 11 to seek protection from creditors.

On Friday, federal prosecutors charged the Big Dig’s biggest contractor with lying about the quality of its work on two areas of the tunnel system. Those include a section where a ceiling collapse killed a woman.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

JAMESTOWN -- Many fish populations in Narragansett Bay are improving this year, with menhaden showing another big upswing.

But fish such as winter flounder that live on the Bay’s bottom continue to do badly. And the Bay’s temperature continues to warm while its ecology is changing.

Those were some of the biggest conclusions announced in a press conference today at the state’s fisheries laboratory at Fort Wetherill in Jamestown. State and federal scientists used the occasion to thank the state’s congressional delegation for appropriating $916,000 to continue the unusual federal-state-private effort to monitor the health of the Bay.

The so-called Bay Window partnership was initiated in 1997 by the late U.S. Sen. John H. Chafee in response to the North Cape oil spill off Rhode Island in January 1996. See the data online.

-- Journal environmental reporter Peter B. Lord

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A defense attorney for a British man accused of killing his wife and 9-month-old daughter has told a jury that the defendant's wife shot the baby and then committed suicide.

Neil Entwistle's attorney said Entwistle decided to "protect" his wife's honor and cover up her actions after he found Rachel and their daughter, Lillian, dead with his father-in-law's gun on the bed.

Lawyer Elliot Weinstein told jurors in closing arguments today that Entwistle took the gun and drove more than 50 miles from his home in Hopkinton, Mass., to his father-in-law's house to return it because he was "committed to not betraying Rachel's memory." The police later determined it was the gun used to kill mother and daughter.

Prosecutors are expected to give their closing later today.

-- The Associated Press

Continue reading "Update: Defense: Entwistle's wife killed baby, herself" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PROVIDENCE -- A Pawtucket man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking and gun offenses.

Timothy Falcon, 44, was sentenced to the 157 months by Judge Mary M. Lisi on Friday in U.S. District Court, Providence, according to a news release today from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Pawtucket police last September found more than a half-kilogram of cocaine in two Pawtucket residences linked to Falcon, the U.S. Attorney's office said.They also found a loaded handgun in the trunk of Falcon’s car and another in a safe.

Falcon pleaded guilty in March to four charges.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Continue reading "Pawtucket man sentenced to 13 years for drugs, guns" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal Photo/ Kathy Borchers
Bryan Mylniec, left, with his attorney Andrew Bucci, listen while prosecutor Thomas O'Brien gets testimony from West Warwick police Sgt. Scott Thornton.

WEST WARWICK -- When rescue crews arrived at Brian Mlyniec’s home two years ago, the living room was a mess, with plants overturned, and clothes and food on the floor. In the middle of the room was Kelly Ann Anderson -- obviously dead, according to Eric Galloway, an EMT.

Galloway was the state’s first witness in Mlyniec’s murder trial in Kent County Superior Court today. The 45-year-old West Warwick man faces a first-degree murder charge in 41-year-old Anderson’s death by strangulation.

Prosecutors in the case today gave opening statements, telling jurors that they would eventually hear two videotaped statements that Mlyniec made to police after his arrest.

“At the end of the case,” John Corrigan, of the Attorney General’s Office, told jurors, “You’re going to have evidence before you so you can call this death exactly what it was: Murder in the first degree.”

The defense reserved its right to make an opening statement later instead of today. Previously, Mlyniec had said that he and Anderson had consensual, violent sex. He pleaded "absolutely not guilty" last week.

Galloway said when he entered Mlyniec’s home, he saw a room in disarray with Anderson on the floor. The state showed pictures, which led some in the courtroom to cry quietly and cover their faces.

Anderson’s shirt and jeans were unbuttoned, and, Galloway testified, Mlyniec was hovering over her and said, “Oh, she’s moving.” But, Galloway testified, it was immediately evident to the EMTs that Anderson was already dead.

The state medical examiners office later determined that the cause of death was strangulation.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Newport police are stepping up enforcement of bicycle laws this summer after receiving complaints from the community, according to a statement.

The main focus will be on helmet and sidewalk violations. Anyone 15 or younger is required to wear a helmet and riders 13 and older are prohibited from city sidewalks.

The police will also use message boards to remind cyclists of the laws. The police have held bicycle safety classes for young riders to make sure they know what the rules are and how to ride safely.

And don’t forget. Stop at stop signs and red lights and always obey the rules of the road, whether you’re on two wheels or four.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

WARWICK -- A West Warwick man accused of beating and strangling a woman is scheduled to go on trial for murder today.

In Kent County Superior Court last week, Brian Mlyniec, 45, pleaded “absolutely not guilty” before Superior Court Judge Edwin C. Gale.

Mlyniec is accused of killing his house guest, Kelly Ann Anderson, 41. Anderson was found inside Mlyniec’s house in June 2006 with injuries to her face, throat and neck. According to the state Medical Examiners autopsy report, she died of strangulation.

Mlyniec said that the two had engaged in consensual, violent sex that resulted in bruises and bleeding.

The prosecution is expected to begin its case today. Lawyers for the state have a list of 15 potential witnesses. They include West Warwick police and fire officials, six civilians and a doctor from the state Office of Medical Examiners.

-- with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have dropped by one cent this week, according to AAA Southern New England.

It's not much, but it follows 12 straight weeks of price increases, for a total of 93 cents, according to AAA.

AAA’s survey of prices found self-serve, regular unleaded averaging $4.099 per gallon in Rhode Island.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEWPORT -- The Newport Folk Festival is picking up good vibrations.

The festival producers plan to announce Monday that Brian Wilson, a founding member of the Beach Boys, is joining the festival's lineup. He'll headline an evening performance on Friday, Aug. 1 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The festival continues Aug. 2-3 at Fort Adams State Park.

Wilson is the latest big-name act added to the festival, which already includes Jimmy Buffett, Trey Anastasio, the Black Crowes and reggae artists Stephen and Damian Marley.

The festival is under new management and has branched out beyond more traditional folk this year. Organizers are hoping their roster of popular performers can produce a sellout.

The festival marks its 50th anniversary next summer.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Golfer Rocco Mediate, who lost the U.S. Open to Tiger Woods last week in a dramatic playoff, will be among the most watched golfers when the CVS Caremark Charity Classic tees off this morning at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington.

Twenty of the world's top golfers will compete for $1.55 million in the event, which raises money for children's charities throughout southern New England.

About 20,000 fans are expected to attend.

Read more coverage of the tournament.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HYANNIS, Mass. — See you later, alligator.

Residents of a Cape Cod neighborhood are saying goodbye to an unwanted guest after a 3-foot alligator turned up beneath a parked car in Hyannis.

Barnstable Natural Resource Officer Thomas Murray used a pole with a noose to remove the alligator Sunday afternoon, then placed the 60-pound reptile into a large plastic carrier.

The alligator was being picked up today by staff from New England Reptile and Raptor Rehabilitation in Taunton.

Murray said he thought the reptile might have been an escaped pet, though it’s illegal under Massachusetts law to own an alligator.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1972, President Richard Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation.

Watch a video report from today in history.

Read more about today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features a look at the prospects for a housing recovery.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Depending on where you were this weekend, you may not have felt a single rain drop. But you likely won't be so lucky today.

The National Weather Service is forecasting scattered showers and thunderstorms today with heavy rain, hail, lightning and flooding all possible. We'll have cloudy skies all day with temperatures reaching about 78 degrees and south winds between 6 and 11 mph.

More of the same for tonight, with a slightly lower chance of rain and thunderstorms. Temperatures should drop to about 63 degrees with winds becoming west.

And tomorrow? Rain. Showers likely in the later afternoon with temperatures reaching 83 degrees and west winds between 5 and 14 mph.

Keep an eye on the meandering thunderstorms on projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You can watch Rhode Island lawmakers make the hoped-for final push tonight as the legislative session draws to a close -- or you can check out projo.com's listings of other things to do.

The General Assembly action will be showcased tonight on Capitol TV, Channel 15. Or check back with projo.com, which will be posting late reports from the legislative action.

In the clubs tonight, there's a bit of everything.

Black & White featuring Gary "Guitar" Gramolini plays rhythm and blues at H2O, 359 Thames St., Newport. 849-4466. piano bar 8:30 pm to 12:30 a.m.

In Providence, the bands Poorly Drawn People, 19NINTY7, Brzowski, Outwrite and Jotsone play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 8 p.m. $6. All ages.

There's the Rhode Island Songwriters Association: Mark Cutler, Joanne Lurgio and Nicole Berk, playing folk, acoustic rock and pop at Brooklyn Coffee Tea House, 209 Douglas Ave., Providence. 575-2284, www.brooklyncoffeeteahouse.com. 8 to 10 pm. No cover.

Roomful of Blues play rhythm and blues at Waterplace Park in Providence, exit 22 off Route 95. Call 751-1177, www.providenceri.com/ArtCultureTourism. 7:30 pm. Free.

Tomorrow, there's a WaterFire in Providence. The lighting's on at 8:24 p.m. -- sunset.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rhode Island will get $742,875 in federal money that U.S. Sen Jack Reed said will improve emergency response communications and help protect people from identity theft.

The Rhode Island Democrat's office announced late today $242,000 of that will be awarded through a grant program to help Rhode Island’s emergency communications by doing planning, training and other preparedness exercises.

The other $500,000 will come via the 2008 REAL ID Demonstration Grant Program to standardize drivers’ licenses.

"This money will help train and equip emergency management officials and first responders to protect the public and respond to any threats or disasters that may strike,” Reed said in a statement of the emergency communications preparedness money. Of the ID grant, he said: “This federal grant will also help Rhode Island comply with new federal guidelines for state-issued driver’s licenses to help prevent fraud and identity theft.”

The money comes through the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A British man repeatedly denied killing his wife and baby in a taped interview with police played today for jurors at his double murder trial.

Neil Entwistle said, "No, no, no" when state police Sgt. Robert Manning asked him if he had anything to do with the deaths of his wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose.

Entwistle sighed heavily and stammered when pressed by Manning about whether he could have done anything "out of character" on the day his wife and daughter were killed.

"God, no. No," he said.

"Of course, no, I couldn't do that. Why would I do that?"

Prosecutors say Entwistle, 29, fatally shot his wife and daughter in their Hopkinton, Mass., home on Jan. 2006, after becoming despondent over mounting debt and dissatisfied with his sex life. Entwistle denies killing his wife and daughter, and claims he returned home from a two-hour shopping trip to find them dead in a bed in the master bedroom.

On the recording, Entwistle sounded flustered as he tried to explain why he did not call police or seek medical help for his wife and daughter before flying back to England the day after the killings.

"Looking back on it, I don't know why I did things in the way that I did," he said.

-- The Associated Press

Continue reading "Tape: Entwistle repeatedly denied killing wife, baby" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- R. David Cruise and Alan R. Goulart have been picked to fill two magistrate vacancies on the state Traffic Tribunal. Both are for 10-year terms.

They were among 5 finalists chosen June 11 by the Magistrate Selection Committee and sent to state Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, who announced the selections today.

Cruise, 51, of Cumberland is chief of staff to state Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano. Goulart, 48, of North Kingstown is criminal division chief of the state Attorney General's Office.

The appointments will go to the Senate Judiciary Committee for confirmation.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Continue reading "2 picked to fill Traffic Tribunal magistrate vacancies" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A long night still ahead, the House late today passed a Senate-approved bill to quicken release of public records, among them police reports, in Rhode Island.

The vote was 49 to 9, with opposition coming from Republicans in the Democrat-dominated House, as lawmakers grind through a host of bills on their way to adjourning the year's regular legislative session.

The proposal would change Rhode Island’s Open Records Law, cutting to 7 days from 10 the amount of time a member of the public must wait to receive requested public records. The legislation also requires the release of basic arrest information within 24 hours.

-- With reports from Cynthia Needham, Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Delays in an Amtrak railroad bridge construction project in New London have spilled over to service on the Block Island ferry, which has been forced to cancel some of its runs this Saturday through Tuesday.

The delay in work on the Thames River Bridge has blocked one of the ferries, Anna C, from leaving the company's maintenance shipyard and forced cutbacks in ferry runs.

The 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. ferries orginally scheduled to depart Point Judith on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are canceled.

The 11:30 a.m. ferries from Block Island scheduled to depart Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are canceled as is the 5 p.m. from Block Island on Saturday and Sunday, and the 4:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.

People with reservations to take vehicles on any of those departures can call (866) 783-7996, Ext. 3, to reschedule. People with passenger-only reservations will be able to use their tickets on any other scheduled departure on the same day.

There are no other cancellations during this time period.

The high-speed ferry schedule has not been affected. Beginning tomorrow, the high-speed ferry leaves daily from Point Judith at 7:15 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 1p, 4:35 p.m., and 6:45 p.m., and leave from Block Island at 8:05 a.m., 10:05 a.m., 12:05 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

For more details on both ferry schedules and services, go to its Web site.

The Amtrak contruction project is now scheduled from Tuesday, June 24, to Friday, June 27. For more information and the impact on train service, which will be disrupted, go to amtrak.com. or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The state Department of Health today reopened to swimmers the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown, Saunderstown Yacht Club in North Kingstown and Warren Town Beach.

Water sample results showed bacteria within acceptable limits.

Remaining closed due to high bacteria levels are Gorton Pond, in Warwick, and Camp Grosvenor, in North Kingstown.

For updates about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information call (401) 222-2751.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Trooper Brendan Doyle during an interview at State Police Headquarters earlier this week.

Almost a year after suffering a nearly fatal head injury, Rhode Island State Trooper Brendan Doyle is back on the job -- and he's already made his first arrest.

Doyle returned to work this morning and at about 9:20 a.m., he'd pulled over a vehicle over on Hartford Avene, Providence, and discovered the driver had a court warrant, according to Maj. Steven O'Donnell.

"It's great to have him back," O'Donnell said.

Doyle overcame great odds to return to the state police. He wasn't expected to survive the severe brain injury he suffered last summer.

On June 16, 2007, Doyle was off-duty and out with friends in downtown Providence when he attempted to stop an alleged reckless driver. The driver, a former corrections officer named James Proulx, punched Doyle in the face, according to the police. The trooper fell backward and hit his head on the pavement.

The police say Proulx sped off and boasted about the beating in a call to an ex-girlfriend. Proulx is out on bail awaiting trial on felony assault and reckless-driving charges.

Doyle, who had been a trooper for three years when he was injured, took some time to conduct interview with local television stations this afternoon, but now it's back to the road for the trooper, O'Donnell says.

Read more about Doyle and his recovery.

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

WOBURN, Mass. -- Jurors in the trial of a British man accused of killing his wife and baby daughter have listened to a tape recording of him saying he had "not done the right thing" by flying home to England without calling police.

Neil Entwistle is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, in their Hopkinton home in January 2006.

Today, prosecutors played a 2-hour recording of a telephone interview Entwistle had with a state trooper from England. Entwistle cried as he told the trooper that he discovered the bodies of his wife and daughter, fatally shot in bed together, after returning home from doing errands. He said he should have called police, but "just couldn't get it clear" in his head.

Prosecutors say Entwistle flew to England the following day.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority has released its annual summer schedule, which will take effect tomorrow.

First the good news for the sun seekers:

Daily busses to First and Second Beaches in Newport begin on Route 61; daily service to Fort Adams Park in Newport begins on Route 62; and Route 67 will be extended to the Cliff Walk in Newport.

Several routes are being canceled for the season, however, such as the 6:05 a.m. Saturday outbound trip at 50 Douglas Ave. and the 77 Benefit/Broadway 7:19 a.m. inbound on Sunday.

Still to come -- "Beach Bus" 7-day-a-week express buses from the following points will run from July 1 to Aug. 11: Woonsocket Depot, Cranston City Hall, Central Falls (400 Dexter Street), Pawtucket Transit Center and North Providence (Tim Horton's) run to South County Beaches. Fare is the regular bus fare. Please see Rte. #66 (URI/Galilee) schedule for details.

To see a complete list of discontinued, rescheduled or renamed routes, see RIPTA’s Web site or call 401-781-9400

Click below to see the lines that will be affected by schedule changes starting tomorrow.

Continue reading "RIPTA begins summer bus schedule tomorrow" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three Rhode Islanders face tax fraud conspiracy charges after allegedly using multiple bank accounts, fake business names and writing letters to the IRS to avoid paying taxes.

According to a statement released today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bruce Lapierre, 47, of Pascoag, Albert Martin, 58, and his wife Lorraine Martin, 59, both of Woonsocket, were arrested yesterday. Lapierre and Lorraine Martin were arraigned and pleaded not guilty. Albert Martin is scheduled to be arraigned June 26 after he said he did not understand the charges.

According to the indictment, which was sealed until the arrests yesterday, Lapierre and Albert Martin hid earnings from their Woonsocket-based machine shop, Classic Machine, between 2004 and 2007.

The indictment claims that the two used Lorraine Martin’s personal account, instead of a business account, to deposit receipts and that they used an anonymous “private” account to conceal income.

The three each face one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of tax evasion for 2002 and 2003.

All three were released on bond.

Continue reading "Three accused of tax fraud" »

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PROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court today upheld the murder conviction of Tajendra Patel, who got two consecutive life sentences after a jury found him guilty of hiring a man to kill the manager of a Portsmouth motel.

Authorities believe Tajendra Patel blamed the manager of Founder's Brook Motel and Suites, Sanjeev Patel -- his brother-in-law -- for breaking up his marriage.

The motel owner's son, Jay Patel testified at trial that he saw his father gunned down, that his father pleaded with the man, “Please, don’t do that, sir. Please don’t do that.” He was the only witness who saw the murder.

Sanjeev Patel’s wife, Prena, testified she could hear her husband pleading with the customer and when she entered the office after hearing the shots, she saw her husband covered with blood.

Patel's appeal to the state's highest court argued the judge erred when she admitted an in-court identification of defendant "because the identification procedure was unnecessarily suggestive and because the identification lacked independent reliability," the court's opinion says. The appeal also argued that the judge also erred in admitting a 911 call that was "irrelevant and unfairly prejudicial."

Among its conclusions, the Supreme Court found "no clear error" in allowing the 911 call recording to be part of the trial.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Continue reading "Portsmouth motel murder plotter's conviction upheld" »

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PROVIDENCE -- A Barrington teenager accused in the boating death of a fellow teen last summer can be released from the Adult Correctional Institutions and await trial for second-degree murder at home, a special magistrate ruled today.

Ryan Greenberg, 18, was sent to the ACI in April after he violated the terms of his bail, but this morning Special Magistrate Joseph A. Keough ruled that Greenberg can go home under a strict set of conditions with the posting of $10,000 cash bail.

He'll be released tomorrow.

Greenberg is accused of killing 17-year-old Patrick Murphy in a boating incident that involved alcohol last summer. He violated the terms of his bail when the police found him and seven other underage Barrington residents at a local pond with beer and liquor on April 19.

Under the terms set by Keough, Greenberg is only allowed to leave his house for medical, legal, educational or religious purposes. He has a strict 8 p.m. curfew under any condition.

Greenberg, wearing khakis, a white shirt and blue blazer, spoke only briefly during the short court session. He told Keough he understood the terms. Keough told him he hoped Greenberg's time at the ACI was an eye-opening experience.

Although his attorney, William Devereaux, indicated that Greenberg's parents would be able to post the bail, Greenberg did not walk out of Superior Court a free man. He was taken to the ACI to be fitted for an electronic bracelet.

-- With reports from C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Continue reading "Update: Barrington teen put on home confinement" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

GLOUCESTER, Mass. -- A pact made by a group of teens to get pregnant and raise their babies together is at least partly behind a sudden spike in pregnancies at Gloucester High School, school officials said.

Principal Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine in a story published Wednesday that the girls confessed to making the pact after the school began investigating a rise in pregnancies that has left 17 girls at the school carrying a child. Normally, there are about four pregnancies a year at the school.

Sullivan told Time that nearly half of the expecting students, none older than 16, were involved. Sullivan said students were coming to the school clinic multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and "seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were."

Some of the girls reacted to the news they were pregnant with high fives and plans for baby showers, Sullivan said. One of the fathers "is a 24-year-old homeless guy," Sullivan told the magazine.

-- The Associated Press

Continue reading "Reports: Teen girls made pact to get pregnant" »

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Journal photo/ Kathy Borchers
Abimbola Johnson is arraigned on a murder charge this morning in Kent County Superior Court.

WEST WARWICK -- A West Warwick woman pleaded innocent to murder in the stabbing of another woman in March in West Warwick.

Abimbola O. Johnson was ordered held without bail following her arraignment this morning in Kent County Superior Court.

She was indicted by a grand jury June 4 for one count of murder, accused of fatally stabbing Natasha Gonsalves. Both were 18 at the time.

The police have said that on the night of March 20, Gonsalves and two friends followed Johnson to Gonsalves’ 114 Pepin St. home. Johnson and one of Gonsalves’ friends argued, when the police said Johnson went inside and returned with a kitchen knife. During the argument, Johnson pulled the knife from her waistband and stabbed Gonsalves, the police said.

Officers arrived to find Gonsalves lying on the ground as neighbors tried to help her. She was pronounced dead at Kent Hospital, in Warwick.

A status conference was scheduled for July 14, and a pretrial conference was scheduled for Aug. 5.

Read an earlier story.

-- Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The governor said yesterday that he’s likely today to sign the 2009 budget, which has been approved by the House and the Senate.

The Senate voted yesterday to approve a $6.9 million budget for the 2009 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The House voted last night.

"I look forward to signing this budget plan into law as early as Friday,” Governor Carcieri said yesterday in a statement.

Some of the notable highlights of the approved budget:

- No increase in income, sales, capital gains or corporate taxes. Taxes on medical and dental premiums increased.

- Closes the estimated deficit of $422 million, mostly through spending cuts. Largest include $67 million in Medicaid spending; $90 million in cuts to state work force.

- $12.5 million cut in non-school aid. Slight increase for school aid.

Find out what other spending plans were approved and rejected in today's Journal.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Summer arrives today, at 7:59 p.m., when we reach the summer solstice, The spot in the Earth's orbit when the sun appears at its northernmost position in the sky.

Although we'll only have 25 minutes of sunlight left in the day.

So what does that mean for the weather? Not much.

Today we have more of the same warnings that we've heard most of the week from the National Weather Service: A slight chance of rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Rain aside, we'll have cloudy skies, a high temperature near 77 degrees and south winds between 10 and 13 mph.

Tonight, we may see more rain through the night, when the temperature hits about 60 degrees.

But check this out: tomorrow, Saturday, the sun makes its return, high in the sky, with temperatures reaching 83 degrees and west winds between 7 and 11 mph.

Tomorrow night there's another slight chance of rain and storms, with temperatures in the mid 60s and mild south winds.

Back to gloom Sunday, with a good chance of rain and storms in the late morning. Also, expect strong south winds, gusting upwards of 25 mph. Temperatures should hit the high 70s with cloudy skies.

It's the same story Sunday night, with temperatures int he mid 60s, and a pretty high chance rain and maybe thunderstorms.

And Monday sounds like today, with a chance of rain and temperatures in the high 70s.

Check for changes in the forecast during the weekend on projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features the story of Trooper Brendan Doyle's recovery from a severe head injury to return to work with the Rhode Island State Police.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's Gallery Night in Providence from 5 to 9 tonight.

The monthly free event involves the opportunity to visit some two dozen galleries and museums, with free parking at several locations, including One Citizen’s Plaza. The theme of this month’s tour is folk art.

For information, go to www.gallerynight.info or call (401) 490-2042.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

North Kingstown School Supt. Priscilla L. Feir announced today she will be leaving her post effective June 30.

In her letter of resignation to the School Committee, she said, "I have had a wonderful year, in spite of the many fiscal challenges, knowing that my work was done with the student's best interests in mind. However, I have decided to explore the opportunities that are awaiting me."

"Please know that I will keep the fine people of this community in my heart and in my prayers as you move forward on taht tightrope of creating and maintaining quality eductation for all students and cutting costs to achieve the fiscal targets that have been imposed on you."

The school committee is expected to accept her resignation -- despite a clause in her contract that requires 90-day notice -- and appoint an interim superintendent. That's likely to be Assistant Supt. Phil Thornton, school committee members said.

Thornton, who previously served as assistant superintendent in the Chariho Regional School District, was hired by North Kingstown in December.

School committee members said the discussion will focus next on whether to launch a national search, appoint Thornton superintendent -- he is yet to apply for the position -- or explore a possible consolidation with neighboring school districts, specifically, West Greenwich and Jamestown.

-- Journal staff writer Maria Armental

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The state Department of Health today reopened to swimming these Warwick spots: City Park Beach, Conimicut Point Beach and Kent County YMCA.

Water sample results show bacteria counts are now within acceptable limits.

The department today closed to swimming the Atlantic Beach Club, in Middletown, and Gorton Pond Beach, in Warwick.

Beaches remaining closed are Camp Grosvenor and Saunderstown Yacht Club, in North Kingstown, and Warren Town Beach.

For updates about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information call (401) 222-2751.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A Mexican man was sentenced today to nearly four years in federal prison for illegally returning to the United States after being deported, the U.S. Attorney's office in Providence said.

Gustavo Granados, 39, was convicted in 1992 in Family Court of second-degree child abuse, and was deported twice, a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office states. Granados' illegal status was discovered in January after a traffic stop in East Providence.

Judge Ernest C. Torres imposed the sentence in U.S. District Court, Providence. Granados, who pleaded guilty in March to illegal re-entry, will again be subject to deportation after his term in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Prosecutor Sandra R. Beckner said at the plea hearing that the government could show Granados was deported as a felon in May 1995, and was deported again in October 1999. He re-entered the United States near Nogales, Ariz., in July 2005, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Granados most recently lived in a Mowry Street apartment in Central Falls.

In January, East Providence Police made a routine traffic stop of the car Granados was driving, and contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an immigration check, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Immigration agents took Granados into custody on Jan. 15.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

House Speaker William J. Murphy, one of state government's most powerful figures, announced today that he will seek re-election to the House.

If he keeps his House seat, Murphy will also seek support in January for a fourth term as speaker, according to a news release. He's been speaker for six years.

Murphy, a West Warwick Democrat in a state where that party commands wide House and Senate majorities, has represented District 26 -- West Warwick, Coventry and Warwick -- since 1992.

“There is no finer calling than public service, and it is a great honor to be able to represent the constituents of my district and to bring their collective voices to the State House," Murphy said in the statement this afternoon.

Early this morning, after the House finished voting on the state budget, Murphy assured Journal reporters he would be running again. Rumors had been swirling that he would not.

Today, notices were put in legislators' mailboxes at the State House letting them know Murphy would seek re-election.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Cynthia Needham and Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
From left, Randy Noka, Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and Hiawatha Brown appear outside court after their sentencing today. Video: Watch as the three Narragansetts talk about their sentences.

PROVIDENCE -- The three Narragansett Indian tribal members found guilty of assaulting and scuffling with state police during the 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop will not have to spend time in jail.

The outcome is almost anti-climatic, coming as it does after almost five years since the controversial raid pitted the tribe against the state, several court actions costing hundreds of thousands of dollars that spun off from the original case and and a six-week trial on the misdemeanor charges, featuring photos and videos of the raid.

At midday, Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl filed the case of Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and one tribal member, ordering them to provide community service by talking to schoolchildren about tribe history. She issued a suspended sentence for the third defendant.

Thomas's case was filed for one year, and he will have to provide 150 hours of community service. Thomas had been found guilty of assaulting a trooper.

McGuirl said she opted for a filing because because a conviction could have an impact on Thomas's ability, as the tribe's leader, to act as the signatory when dealing with federal agencies.

"I do not see merit in punishing [Thomas] as chief sachem," McGuirl said.

First Councilman Randy Noka's case was also filed for one year. He was ordered to do 25 hours of community service. Noka had been found guilty of disorderly conduct for grabbing at an officer as police came onto tribal land.

According to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the attorney general, a filing is not a conviction. Thomas and Noka must remain on good behavior for a year and then can seek to have the count expunged from their record, he said.

Tribal councilman Hiawatha Brown, who had been convicted of assaulting a trooper by slamming her arm in a door, was given a one-year suspended sentence with one year of probation on his assault conviction. He was also given a six-month suspended sentence with six months of probation on a disorderly conduct conviction.

On the courthouse steps after the sentencing, Thomas was asked to respond.

"It is what it is," he told reporters. "We felt the law was on our side."

The tribal members indicated they would look at whether to appeal the case. After the sentencing, Noka told reporters it is "certainly not over in my mind."

Your turn: React to the sentencing.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Continue reading "Smoke-shop sentence: No jail time for Narragansetts" »

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Today's front page features a story about con man John P. Kluth's being sentenced to 16 years in prison for scamming 30 people out of thousands of dollars.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A police detective has testified that Neil Entwistle posted a profile on a swingers Web site in the weeks before his wife and baby daughter were slain, saying he was looked to meet "American women of all ages" for sex.

Entwistle is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, at their Hopkinton home in January 2006.

Medford police Detective Lawrence James testified today that Entwistle used his credit card to purchase a monthlong membership in "AdultFriendFinder.com" in December 2005. He then posted a profile, describing himself as an Englishman looking for "1-on-1 discrete relationships with American ladies."

The Web site bills itself as "The World's Largest Sex & Swinger Personals Community."

Entwistle denies killing his wife and daughter.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Sentencing is expected shortly for three Narragansett Indian tribal members convicted of assaulting and scuffling with state police during the 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop.

The defense lawyer for the three asked for leniency at a sentencing hearing before Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl today, referencing the tribe's historically troubled relationship with the state.

"Isn't it time for us, the state of Rhode Island, to step for forward and extend a hand to them," said defense lawyer William Devereaux.

But Pamela Chin, the prosecutor, is asking that the three be held responsible for their actions that day and she said that they had been spoiling for a fight that day.

"These are the tribal leaders, these are the people leading people, and they led them into a fight with state police," said Chin.

For Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, the state asking for probation and community service.

The state is asking that Hiawatha Brown get one-year suspended sentence with probation for the assault charge, and six months suspended with probation for the disorderly conduct. For Randy Noka, the state is asking fror a six-month probation with 25 hours of community service.

Each tribal member spoke on his own behalf.

The sentencing comes two days after McGuirl denied two bids for a new trial for the three. She rejected defense lawyers’ arguments that the jury was tainted by racial bias.

She also denied another motion for a new trial that asserted that the prosecutors had not produced enough evidence to convict.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The South County YMCA in Peace Dale will close today and remain closed until Sunday while the heaviest part of construction begins in the facility's parking lot.

Construction began on June 2, since which time traffic has been re-routed and visitors have been detoured to the front gym doors.

After the project is completed, the Y will be able to accommodate more cars, with improved safety and better lighting in the parking area. In addition, a new recreational area for members will feature an all-purpose playing court, picnic grove and Adirondack-chair seating area.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Government attorneys from three countries are gathering in Rhode Island today to discuss a host of issues that have importance across North America.

The National Association of Attorneys General will begin its summer meeting in Providence at the Westin Hotel when attorneys general from across the United States, Canada and Mexico will discuss aspects of immigration in the “North American Cross Border Issues.” Topics include drug trafficking, immigration, human trafficking and security issues.

The attorneys will also join a group of academics to discuss the nature of the U.S. Constitution at “Interpreting the Constitution: Originalism v. The Living Constitution.”

Later in the evening, in Newport, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch will be honored in a ceremony elevating him to president of the National Association of Attorneys General. His presidency will be a first for the Ocean State.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have you heard this one before?

It's partly cloudy this morning, with mild temperatures, but the national Weather Service is forecasting a slight chance of rain and maybe thunderstorms later this afternoon, beginning at 3 p.m.. Otherwise expect temperatures to reach the high 70s and mild west winds.

Tonight looks dry, with partly cloudy skies and a low temperature near 58 degrees.

For Friday's forecast, just re-read today's.

Watch the rain as it rolls in -- or retreats -- live via satellite on projo.com's weather page.

And if you happen to be making the trek to Boston today for the Celtics' "Rolling Rally" victory parade, the forecast is pretty similar. If it does rain, however, it's expected to begin earlier in Boston.

Don't fret, take the commuter train, which has made accommodations for the expected surge in riders.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.

Watch a video about today in history.

Read more about today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You can catch a partial WaterFire tonight at 8:24 -- sunset.

Some two dozen braziers will be lit in Waterplace Park in Providence, and remain burning until about midnight.

For information, head to www.waterfire.org

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
As Eileen Dropkin and other victims look on, John P. Kluth, Jr., is sentenced by Judge Netti C. Vogel in Superior Court this afternoon.

PROVIDENCE -- Former lobster boat skipper John P. Kluth, Jr., was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison this afternoon for scamming thousands of dollars from people, mostly through a hard-luck story about a broken lobster truck.

Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel also ordered that Kluth would not be eligible for parole until serving 14 years.

Vogel, in delivering her lengthy sentence, agreed with a description suggested by Mark L. Smith, Kluth's lawyer, that "Mr. Kluth is the best con man in the state."

It is unusual that a judge gets involved in specificying when someone is eligible for parole, but the case came under the habitual offender statute. It requires that a judge stipulate a minimum number of years before parole eligibility.

Vogel further ordered there be restitution totaling $7,930 to 27 of the 30 victims in the case. The losses were greater than that, but some people got money back from Kluth or an acquaintance of Kluth's, or for technical reasons, they were not entitled to full restitution.

The judge noted the restitution is to be paid from the remaining cash bail still on deposit with the court -- money put there at several points in the past. It was not immediately clear who had posted that cash bail.

In March, Kluth was found guilty at trial of 30 counts of obtaining money under false pretenses. Almost all of the counts involved the well-known lobster truck scam.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Continue reading "Lobster truck con man gets 16 years in prison/ Photo" »

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PROVIDENCE -- There was plenty of shouting over the state budget this afternoon, but there's no way it's all over.

The House debate on the plan to close a $425 million state deficit turned fiery over illegal immigration.

The raging national issue erupted on Rhode Island's House floor over Article 10 that deals with medical assistance and managed care.

It started when Rep. Peter Palumbo, D-Cranston, offered an amendment stating: "No person who is residing in this state as an illegal alien shall be entitled to any benefits under the RIte
Care program."

RIte Care provides families on the Family Independence Program and eligible uninsured pregnant women, parents, and children up to age 19 with comprehensive health coverage.

The debate centered around whether a pregnant woman in the country illegally is entitled to the benefits.

Palumbo urged colleagues to support the people in their districts, "not illegal aliens." And Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, talked -- loudly at times and at length -- in support of his colleague's amendment.

But views on the House floor seem to vary on what current law says.

Shortly after 4:45 p.m., after about an hour of debate, the amendment failed.

Lawmakers have moved on to address more of the 39 sections of the budget called "articles." Some 70 amendments have been drafted by lawmakers wanting to change parts of the budget or create sections. Those amendments have not been released publicly.

The debate typically runs well into the night and often into the early-morning. Projo.com plans to provide updates into the night. Return tomorrow morning for a full report.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau

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The state Department of Health today reopened for swimming the Atlantic Beach Club, in Middletown, and Barrington Town Beach after water samples yielded bacteria levels within acceptable limits.

The two beaches were among six that were closed yesterday after high bacteria counts.

Beaches remaining closed are Warren Town Beach, Camp Grosvenor in North Kingstown, and, in Warwick, City Park Beach, Conimicut Point Beach and Oakland Beach.

Meanwhile, because of high bacteria levels, the state health department today closed to swimming the Kent County YMCA in Warwick, and the Saunderstown Yacht Club in the Saunderstown section of North Kingstown.

For updates on beach status, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information call (401) 222-2751.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEWPORT – Bobby Doe had to pay $8 per gallon of gasoline last night so he could complete a 635-mile passage from Bermuda to Aquidneck Island, alone in an 18-foot dinghy, powered by a 9.9-horsepower outboard motor.

The 66-year-old Bermudian adventurer left St. George’s late Saturday afternoon aboard Huckleberry, a modified Bermuda dinghy. It was powered by the tiny four-stroke Mercury outboard.

A boat builder and commercial fisherman, Doe made the passage to raise awareness and money for the Lady Cubit Compassionate Association, a charity that helps pay for medical care. The group helped him pay for care in a Boston hospital last year after he suffered a serious heart attack. Soon afterwards, he said, the charity lacked the money to help one of his friends in need of a kidney transplant. “I had to do something,” he said.

Doe was also trying to prove that the dinghy he built was seaworthy, safe, and economical. He had 60 gallons of gasoline, but had planned to use only 30 gallons.

From the start, however, the wind was on the boat’s bow. Crossing the Gulf Stream, the wind quartered on the bow so he could increase speed, but he faced 20-foot seas.

“We were airborne at times,” he said. “You would be up in the air, then BANG! You’d think you were getting a minor concussion because your brain would rattle around.”

Sometime during the voyage, one of the fuel tanks began to leak. Doe was unaware of the leak because his cockpit’s forced-air ventilation was so efficient, he couldn’t smell the gasoline.

Doe reckons he lost 10 gallons.

Resting in still air at the Newport Yacht Club, Huckleberry stank of gas.

-- Journal outdoors writer Tom Meade

Continue reading "With stop for gas, Bermuda adventurer lands in Newport" »

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If, after last night's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, you have found yourself a Celtics fan, and you just have to go to the celebration parade in Boston tomorrow, don’t worry, the Commuter Rail is thinking of you.

Tomorrow, trains departing from North Station and Back Bay in Boston will implement special “queuing systems,” aimed organizing and easing what may otherwise be a hectic commute.

Trains will still be operating on –– or close to –– schedule. Authorities suggest buying tickets ahead of time and have made special arrangements at North Station and Back Bay.

The "rolling rally" will start at 11 a.m. tomorrow to celebrate the Boston Celtics' win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

Sixteen World War II-era amphibious "duck boats" will carry the Celtics players, owners and staff. The team's dancers, former Celtics greats and championship trophies from previous years will travel on two flatbed trucks.

The parade will start at the TD Banknorth Garden and wind past City Hall and Boston Common before ending at Copley Square in the city's Back Bay neighborhood. The parade also will be broadcast on a Jumbotron in Copley Square.

Click here to find out more about the victory parade.

Click below to read how those stations will handle the large crowds, or visit the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Web site.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Continue reading "Click here if you're training it to the Celts' 'rolling rally'" »

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Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
A crew stands by on a U.S. Navy salvage vessel as divers work on the sunken Russian missile submarine in Providence Harbor today.

PROVIDENCE -- It’s a beautiful day to go for a dive, even if the water’s a bit murky.

Navy and Army divers are working together today on a salvage mission in the Providence River.

Yes, it’s the Russian submarine.

The submarine, which sank last April after a storm, won’t see the light of day today, but, we’re told, it will happen soon.

First there are some technical issues to deal with.

Today, Spc. David Craig, ND-2 Michael Mahoney and Spc. Paul Riedner stepped off a boat and into the greenish-gray waters of the river to do their part. After their dive, a hydraulic drill was lowered into the water.

The three will work together to drill open the missile tubes on the submarine, then fill them with air, according to Chief Warrant Officer Dale Kasztelan. The air will make the craft more buoyant, a great help when the submarine is actually hoisted to the surface.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Continue reading "Update: Diving into the saga of the sunken Russian sub" »

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PROVIDENCE -- There are protesters with signs, protesters wearing stickers, protesters just protesting. But missing so far from today’s scheduled budget vote are members of the House.

The process was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the House Chamber, but there are only a few state legislators on hand.

Instead, a handful of labor-backed protesters are carrying signs; some that rhyme (“Stop the war against the Poor”) some that don’t (“Tax cuts for the rich, budget cuts for the rest.”)

Others are wearing stickers on their T-shirts, with “Article 34” and a red line striking through the characters. Their grievance is with the fifth-to-last article in the proposed budget, which puts limits on municipalities’ ability to negotiate contracts with labor unions.

And tens of millions of dollars in savings that are wrapped up in ongoing labor negotiations still have not been finalized, according to Dennis Grilli, executive director of Council 94, the largest state employee union.

In all, about 20 protesters –– and the rest of Rhode Island –– are awaiting today’s budgetary discussion and an eventual vote.

-- With reports from Steve Peoples, Journal State House bureau

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Providence Journal/Mary Murphy
Baseball great Cal Ripken Jr. shows an All-Star game baseball he was given to sign by Kim Tucker, left, of Maine. Ripken signed autographs after he spoke today about baseball and his youth crime prevention initiative at a meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General at the Westin Hotel in Providence. Ripken, who played his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles, was a Gold Glove-winning shortshop.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A Chinese drug manufacturer accused of illegally shipping human growth hormone into the United States has been ordered to forfeit about $2.7 million to the federal government.

Genescience Pharmaceuticals and its chief executive, Lei Jin, were indicted on federal charges last year as part of Operation Raw Deal, when more than 120 people were arrested and dozens of underground labs were raided.

Prosecutors say Genescience illegally marketed human growth hormone over the Internet to a network of distributors.

According to an affidavit, agents based in Rhode Island examined more than 20,000 e-mails sent between Lei Jin and his confederates between 2003 and 2007.

Federal agents seized money linked to the alleged illegal shipments from the New York branches of Chinese banks. The U.S. Attorney's office in Rhode Island said today that a federal judge ordered the forfeiture earlier this month.

The company's attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Two Bristol men who had served as foster parents pleaded not guilty in Providence County Superior Court this morning to multiple felony child-molestation charges.

Special Magistrate Joseph A. Keough ordered the couple, Raymond Grenier, 54, and Sedonio Rodrigues, 57, both of 26 Sampson St., to remain held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston.

Grenier is charged with three counts of first-degree child molestation, two counts of second-degree child molestation and one count of indecent solicitation of a child. Rodrigues is charged with two counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of indecent solicitation of a child.

A Providence County grand jury indicted the men on the charges, which related to the alleged sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy from Sept. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2006, in Bristol.

Bristol police had arrested Grenier and Rodrigues last February after the state Department of Children, Youth and Families received an anonymous tip to its child abuse hotline.

The DCYF, after a preliminary investigation, determined that the couple’s two adopted children and two foster children were in “immediate peril,” and removed the children from the home. Grenier and Rodrigues had been licensed for foster care since 2001.

Both are being represented by court-appointed lawyers. The judge ordered Grenier and Rodrigues to have no contact with the alleged victim.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Sept. 18.

-- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WARWICK -- Jury selection got underway today in the murder trial of a West Warwick man accused of beating and strangling a woman staying at his house in 2006.

Asked how he pleads, Brian Mlyniec, 45, said "absolutely not guilty" in court before Superior Court Judge Edwin C. Gale.

Mlyniec is charged with first-degree murder. A jury of 16 will be impaneled to hear the case. Selection is expected to take today and possibly run into tomorrow if necessary.

The Journal reported in 2006 that West Warwick firefighters discovered the body of Kelly Ann Anderson, 41, inside Mlyniec's home on the afternoon of June 23, 2006, after getting an anonymous call reporting a possible overdose. Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene. She had injuries to her face, throat and neck.

Mlyniec denied slaying Anderson, according to a police affidavit, and told police the two had engaged in consensual, violent sexual activities that resulted in the bruises and bleeding.

The West Warwick police arrested Mlyniec after the state medical examiner finished an autopsy and reported that strangulation caused Anderson's death, Police Chief Peter T. Brousseau told the Journal in 2006.

Gale today said that opening statements from the prosecution and defense will not begin until Monday. He said he expected the case to be difficult, because of the graphic nature of some evidence.

The prosecution lists 15 potential witnesses -- people who may be called to testify and people who may be referenced during the trial. They are from the West Warwick police and fire departments, six civilians and a doctor from the state Office of Medical Examiners.

Thomas H. O'Brien is the lead prosecutor. Andrew A. Bucci is the defense lawyer for Mlyniec.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford and Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The state House of Representatives will convene today at 2 p.m. to approve a state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The budget -- which consists of at least 39 separate "articles" -- is aimed at closing a $425 million deficit.

The massive budget bill includes proposals to transform the state's Medicaid system for the elderly, poor and disabled. Community service organizations like Meals of Wheels and Crossroads stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. And a new tax on health insurers may lead to higher health care costs for residents.

The budget debate on the House floor is expected to be messy. Around 70 "amendments" have been drafted by lawmakers wishing to change specific parts of the budget proposal or create new sections. The amendments have not been released publicly.

The budget debate typically spans long into the night and often into the early-morning hours.

The Journal will be on hand for the entire debate. Check projo.com later today for updates.

The Senate -- which has already negotiated key provisions in the budget with House leadership -- is scheduled to vote on the tax-and-spend plan Friday.

That's the same day that the Assembly is tentatively set to recess for the summer.

Keep track of the House and Senate calendars via the General Assembly's Web site.

Read the budget bill that was passed by the House Finance Committee on June 11 and sent to the full House.

-- Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HYANNIS, Mass. -- A cargo plane has crashed on takeoff at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, killing the pilot, who was the only person on board.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlence Salac says the plane crashed about 500 feet down a runway about 10 a.m. today.

The aircraft was a DeHavilland C6 propeller plane.

Salac says the plane's destination and other information including the pilot's identity were not immediately available.

The airport has been temporarily closed. Federal investigators will head to the scene to try to determine the cause of the crash.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s time to raise the sub. Almost.

Navy divers and a salvage team are preparing to conduct a salvage of the sunken Russian Submarine, which has rested at the bottom of the Providence River since it sank more than a year ago.

For the divers and salvage experts –– the same salvage team that worked on the recovery efforts after the August bridge collapse in Minneapolis –– this is a training exercise. For the rest of us, it’s a tease.

The Soviet cruise missile submarine sank during a storm last April. Today's effort is just one of several surveying and salvage operations that have taken place since then. But still, it’s submerged.

According to a statement released by the Department of Defense, the work will “culminate in the safe recovery of Juliett-484, a.k.a. a sunken Russian submarine from the Providence River sometime this summer.”

But probably not today.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

A convicted con man who wrangled money from his victims with tales of woe and bad luck is scheduled to be sentenced today, two days after a judge declared him a “habitual criminal.”

John P. Kluth Jr., a former Newport lobsterman, was convicted on March 28 of robbing 30 people of cash in amounts ranging from $25 to $5,200.

In a hearing Monday, a Superior Court judge declared Kluth to be a habitual criminal, a designation that requires the sentencing judge to add jail time to his sentence for the crimes. The statute also requires her to impose a minimum number of years Kluth must serve before he is eligible for parole.

Victims who testified at Kluth’s trial said he approached them with a hard-luck story. His lobster truck had broken down, they were told, and Kluth needed a quick loan to fix it before his lobsters spoiled.

Kluth has also been convicted of more than 50 crimes in three other states and served prison time in Massachusetts. He still faces charges in two additional Rhode Island cases as well as “lobster scam” cases in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

He'll be sentenced today in Superior Court, Providence.

Multimedia: Hear what John Kluth says he did with the money

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1812, the United States declared war on Britain.

Read more about today in history.

Watch a video report on today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The story starts the same. Let's see how it ends.

The National Weather Service is again forecasting some rain, thunderstorms and maybe hail today. They should be isolated, however, so don't feel bad if you don't see one. Otherwise, we'll have partly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching about 77 degrees.

There's also a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight, with cloudy skies and a low temperature near 56 degrees. We'll also have mild west winds between 5 and 8 mph.

Tomorrow's forecast is pretty much the same as today's; a chance of rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon, with mostly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching 77 degrees. We'll also have southwest winds, gusting up to 24 mph.

See up-to-date forecasts on projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page reports that the Boston Celtics have won their 17th NBA Championship, the team's first in 22 years.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Game Six of the NBA finals between the Celtics-Lakers starts tonight at 9, back in Boston.

The Celts have a chance to become the champions on home court with a win tonight, as they enter the game leading the series, 3-2.

So far, the Lakers haven't been able to put any dents in the Celtics when the games are played in Boston.

The Celtics couldn't seal the deal in Game 5 in Los Angeles, though the team managed to pick up one victory while on its opponent's court.

Check out projo.com for updates as the game unfolds, and come back tomorrow morning for a full post-game report.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- Two friends of a British man accused of killing his wife and baby daughter have testified that he gave them different accounts of his actions after the slayings than what he told police.

Neil Entwistle is accused in the January 2006 fatal shootings of his 27-year-old wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose.

One of Entwistle's friends from London testified today that Entwistle told him he went to his wife's parents' home to grieve with them after discovering the bodies and then called police.

Another friend said Entwistle told him he called police from his mother-in-law's office to tell them he had found the bodies.

Prosecutors say Entwistle flew home to England the day after the killings without ever calling police. He told police he was so distraught after discovering the bodies that he went to England to be consoled by his parents.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WEST WARWICK -- A local man initially indicted on 26 counts of child molestation and sexual assault pleaded no contest to five of the charges as part of a plea deal and sentencing in Kent County Superior Court today.

Richard R. Reynolds, 44, of 49A Cowesett Ave., entered the plea to three counts of first-degree child molestation, one count of second-degree child molestation and one count of second-degree sexual assault stemming from a series of incidents as far back as 2004. The remaining counts were dismissed as part of the deal.

In exchange, he was sentenced to 40 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston, with 8 years to serve and 32 years of the sentence suspended. He will remain on probation for 32 years after his release and be required to register as a sex offender.

According to Det. Sgt. Mark Bennett of the West Warwick police, Reynolds was friends with family members of the five girls he assaulted.

Reynolds’ case went to trial last month, but the proceedings ended in a mistrial. He was released on bail after the trial ended. A week later, Bennett said, he violated the terms of his bail and turned himself into police on an active warrant. He had been held without bail since May 30.

-- Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Marco Riz, center, appears in Kent County District Court today, for charges stemming from alleged kidnapping in Warwick.

WARWICK -- In his second court appearance in two days, the man accused of carjacking, kidnapping and raping a woman had little to say.

Marco Riz was quiet, mumbling, with his eyes pointing toward the floor.

The police allege Riz, 26, carjacked a woman June 8 as she sat in the passenger seat of an idling vehicle, waiting for her mother in the parking lot of a Warwick grocery store.

Riz entered the vehicle, according to the police, robbed the woman and then drove her to Roger Williams Park in Providence, where he allegedly raped her.

Yesterday Riz faced a District Court judge in Providence, where he was arraigned on two charges of first-degree sexual assault. He was ordered held at the Adult Correctional Institutions without bail.

In Kent County District Court today, Riz, through his public defender, waived his right to have the complaint against him read aloud. Here, he faces charges of kidnapping, carjacking, assault with a dangerous weapon and first-degree robbery. Those crimes allegedly took place in Warwick, where the Stop & Shop is located.

Riz was again ordered held without bail, this time by District Court Judge Elaine Bucci, who also issued a no-contact order on the alleged victim's behalf.

Before his arraignment in Providence yesterday, Riz was pushed and kicked by two men who were in custody with him at the ACI Intake Center, according to a state Department of Corrections spokeswoman.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Continue reading "Update: Kidnap suspect arraigned on rape charges" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

SOMERSET, Mass. -- The town beach is closed to swimming at least until Thursday after tests today revealed a high bacteria count, caused by overnight rains.

"Normally after a heavy rain, it gets closed" and that part of the state had strong rains and thunderstorms overnight, Recreation Director Frank W. Dorsey said. The pollution usually comes from fertilizer runoff from Dighton farms further up the Taunton River.

Pierce Beach itself and the playground will still be open.

"You can sunbathe, you just cannot go in the water," Playground and Recreation Commission Chairman Richard Silvia said.

Six Rhode Island beaches were closed to swimming today as well.

-- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORTH SMITHFIELD -- State environmental regulators have signed off on the proposed Dowling Village shopping complex project on Route 146A, issuing permits for the remaining three phases of the 133-acre development, state officials said today.

Though the development still must be reviewed and approved by the town’s Planning Board, lawyer K. Joseph Shekarchi, representing the project’s builder, Bucci Development Inc., said the Department of Environmental Management approval should remove concerns about the project’s impact on the surrounding environment.

“This was a big one,” Shekarchi said.

Bucci wants to build, in multiple phases, nearly 600,000 square feet of retail space on approximately 133 acres on the east side of Eddie Dowling Highway, Route 146A near the Woonsocket city line, starting roughly at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island and running south to just before the Route 146 split.

The buildings will range in size from 11,000-square-feet to 120,000-square-feet big-box retailers. Plans include three restaurants, a three-story office building and 76 townhouses.

Bucci Development has estimated that tax revenues from the businesses in the complex could generate at much as $1.5 million a year in tax payments to the town.

-- Journal staff writer John Hill

Continue reading "DEM gives nod to N. Smithfield shopping complex plan" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A 36-year-old Providence man who was stabbed Sunday morning became the city's sixth homicide of the year this morning, the Providence police said.

Jukumu Felder, of 3 Whelan Rd., who was stabbed in the chest and had been in critical condition, died of the injuries this morning.

The police went to Rhode Island Hospital to assist hospital security with a stabbing victim at about 2:50 a.m. Sunday, according to a police news release.

The police learned Felder has been taken immediately into the operating room with a "serious stab wound," the police said, after an incident in which he was stabbed "during a disturbance" that happened near Saki's Pizzeria at Clemence and Weybosset streets.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Citing high bacteria counts, the state Department of Health today closed to swimming City Park, Conimicut Point and Oakland beaches in Warwick, the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown, Barrington Town Beach, and Warren Town Beach.

Still closed today is Camp Grosvenor in North Kingstown.

For updates on beach status, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information, call (401) 222-2751.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Rhode Island commanded the nation's highest rate of influenza vaccination among people age 65 and older, the state Department of Health announced today.

The department issued a news release stating Rhode Island’s 2007 rate was 80 percent -- up 5 percent from the prior year -- according to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. The national influenza immunization average was 72 percent.

Dr. David R. Gifford, the state health director, in a statement touted the high rate of adult flu vaccination as attributable, at least in part, "to our innovative adult influenza immunization program, which began in October 2007."

Gifford said the immunization program partners health insurers, health care providers, and the Department of Health.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today nominated John E. Chartier, who served as Warwick emergency management director and fire chief from 2001 to 2006, to be the new state fire marshal.

“His long experience as fire chief in the state’s second largest city makes him an ideal candidate for this position," Carcieri said in a statement. "He has been on the front line of enforcing the state’s fire codes throughout his career. That background will help him immensely as he takes on the role of the state’s chief enforcement officer. He will also benefit from his longstanding professional relationships with fire chiefs and EMA officials across Rhode Island."

Carcieri said he hoped the state Senate would approve Chartier’s nomination before month's end.

Chartier,who joined the Warwick Fire Department in 1976, served as assistant chief from 1999 to 2001.

Chartier received an executive fire officer degree from the National Fire Academy in Emmittsburg, Md., in 1998. He has certifications and training from other organizations, including the Emergency Management Institute, the National Fire Academy and the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center, according to the governor's office.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
From left, Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, Randy Noka and Hiawatha Brown listen to arguments for new trials before Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl this morning.

PROVIDENCE -- Three Narragansett Indians convicted of misdemeanors stemming from the state police raid on a tribal smokeshop face sentencing this afternoon, after a judge dismissed a motion for a new trial that included an assertion that a juror pounded a water bottle like a tom-tom.

Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl today denied the motion alleging juror misconduct after rejecting a previous defense motion contending that the evidence did not support their convictions.

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, Randy Noka and Hiawatha Brown are scheduled to be sentenced at 2 p.m. They were convicted in April of either disorderly conduct or simple assault.

Defense lawyer William P. Devereaux's juror-misconduct motion also argued that two jurors had been seen talking apart from the other jurors during deliberations.

And he said that, moments before the jury came into court to render its verdict, one juror pounded a water bottle in a way that resembled a tom-tom.

A prosecutor said she had no idea what a tom-tom-like cadence was. The judge indicated she was not sure. (The Random House dictionary defines it as "a monotonous rhythmical drumbeat or similar sound.")

Another part of the juror-misconduct argument said that a juror had referred to defendants as "those people."

Prosecutors responded that the various juror misconduct arguments were mere speculation and assumptions about people's intentions.

Earlier today, Devereaux argued for a new trial in each case separately, saying there wasn't enough evidence to support the convictions. Prosecutors responded, and McGuirl ruled on each case separately, denying the motions.

Defense lawyers have said the three defendants are unlikely to face jail time.

Four other tribe members were acquitted of all charges.

The convictions stem from a July 2003 state police raid on a tribal smoke shop in Charlestown tthat turned violent. State police raided the shop to prevent the Narragansetts from selling cigarettes without collecting state taxes.

Extra: Look back at continuing coverage of the raid, its aftermath and trial, including photos and video.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The male driver of a car was taken by helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital today after a crash on Route 95 south involving a tractor-trailer truck.

The crash happened in the Exeter area north of Exit 4. The driver's injuries were said to be serious.

State police Capt. James Swanberg said a preliminary investigation indicated the car was traveling in the right lane and tractor-trailer truck in the left lane, and for some reason the car went into the path of the tractor-trailer truck, which could not stop in time.

The driver of the truck, William Arroyo of South Carolina, said he works for Scout Boats and was transporting one boat, a type of Sportfish, in the tractor trailer, at the time.

The highway is open to traffic.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Donita Naylor

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scientists believe Rhode Island's coastal waters will be 2 to 5 feet higher by the end of this century, and the state is preparing to react to those changes.

More than 150 people are attending a conference addressing climate change and its impact on Rhode Island's coast, behind held in The Towers at the seaside in Narragansett.

Several speakers said that while the federal government has done little in response to climate change, states and communities are taking steps to inform the public and to prepare for the changes that will come.

One attendee asked Kate Moran, a professor and associate dean at the University of Rhode Island's Bay Campus, what she thought of a survey that said more Americans now don’t believe in climate change or that humans are causing it.

Her response: “That’s astounding. The rest of the world that reads newspapers with science in them gets it. Stop reading The Wall Street Journal editorials."

-- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord

CORRECTION: Kate Moran's quote has been corrected. A previous post of this blog item included a quote incorrectly attributed to Moran in which she advocated reading Wall Street Journal editorials.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court has overturned the dismissal of a disorderly conduct complaint against an off-duty East Greenwich police officer and ordered a new trial.

Bryan J. McManus, an off-duty patrolman at the time, was arrested following a heated argument he allegedly had with patron Tyrone Marshall at an East Greenwich restaurant in October 2004. The state's highest court, in a ruling made public today, vacated the decision of a Superior Court judge, who in November 2005 threw out the June 2005 disorderly conduct conviction of McManus.

The Supreme Court has sent the case back to Superior Court for trial.

McManus was acquitted of simple assault but convicted of disorderly conduct on June 2, 2005. McManus filed a motion to dismiss the disorderly conduct, contending, according to the Supreme Court opinion, that the guilty finding "was flawed."

Superior Court Judge Melanie W. Thunberg granted the motion, the Journal reported, in a six-page decision

However, the state appealed to the Supreme Court in December 2005.

In dismissing the disorderly conduct, the trial judge "relied upon, and even cited, the District Court transcript," the Supreme Court opinion says. The state's appeal argued the judge applied the wrong review standards and that the judgment should be vacated and the case remanded for trial. The Supreme Court agreed.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Sentencing is set for 2 p.m. for three Narragansett Indians convicted of misdemeanor offenses stemming from the state police raid on a tribal smokeshop, after a Superior Court judge today denied two motions for a new trial.

Judge Susan McGuirl today ruled against a motion that there wasn't enough evidence to support the convictions. She also denied a motion claiming juror misconduct.

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, Randy Noka and Hiawatha Brown were convicted in April of either disorderly conduct or simple assault stemming from the 2003 raid.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don’t be fooled.

After the sun started to peek out from behind white fluffy clouds, we got several inquiries into this morning’s forecast.

So here's the update:

Alan Dunham, at the National Weather Service, says that an area of low pressure is headed our way. And though we’ll have partly sunny skies through the early afternoon, there’s also low pressure through the area.

“All that will work together to help trigger the storm,” Dunham said late this morning.

The temperatures have risen above this morning’s forecast, and should reach a high of about 80 degrees. That’s a few degrees warmer than the average temperature, 78 degrees, but nowhere near the record-breaking heat we experienced last week.

There’s still a chance of showers tonight, but things should clear up as the night goes on. Temperatures still expected to dip into the mid 50s.

And for tomorrow? More rain, maybe. There's a chance of isolated showers starting in the late morning, but things should clear up as the day goes on and temperatures will be a little warmer than today.

Watch the rain as it moves in via live radar on projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SOMERSET, Mass. -- Downed wires this morning caused 1,244 customers here to lose electrical service, but a National Grid spokesman reports power has been restored.

At 9:07 a.m., the wires were discovered at the corner of Lees River Avenue and Wilbur Avenue, according to David Graves, National Grid spokesman.

More than half the affected customers had power restored by 10:18 a.m., and 440 followed. Power was restored to the final four customers shortly after 11 a.m. Police were advising drivers to avoid the area.

-- Journal staff writer Chloe Thompson

CORRECTION: The initial version of this post incorrectly reported the town where the power failures occurred.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A judge has ruled that the jury in the trial of a British man accused of killing his wife and baby daughter can hear evidence that he allegedly trolled the Internet looking for sex in the days before the slayings.

Neil Entwistle is accused of fatally shooting his 27-year-old wife, Rachel, and 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, in January 2006 in their rented Hopkinton home.

Prosecutors claim Entwistle used his laptop computer to search for local escort services and also joined a Web site called "Adult Friend Finder" to look for a sexual relationship.

Judge Diane Kottmyer ruled today that the jury will be allowed to hear testimony from a computer expert about how Entwistle's computer was used to do the sex-related searches.

Entwistle denies killing his wife and daughter.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A man accused of carjacking, robbing and raping a woman June 8 was pushed and kicked by two men who were in custody with him at the ACI Intake Center, according to a state Department of Corrections spokeswoman.

The incident happened before Marco Riz, 26, was arraigned yesterday in District Court, Providence, on two charges of sexual assault, according to Tracey Poole, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections.

Two inmates also awaiting court appearances pushed and kicked him, according to Poole. It was captured on video, and the two inmates were charged with assault; Riz did not require any outside medical treatment, Poole said.

The Department will now evaluate whether Riz needs protective custody. “That’s something that we don’t do unless we really have to,” Poole said.

Riz is scheduled to appear in Kent County District Court today to face additional charges.

The police say he carjacked a woman in Warwick as she sat in an idling SUV at a grocery store. He then allegedly drove her in the car to Roger Williams Park in Providence and raped her.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

After a recent analysis, coupled with the discovery of more deterioration, the state Department of Transportation has lowered the weight limit on the second bridge in two days.

The Pontiac Avenue Bridge in Cranston is now restricted to vehicles weighing less than 10 tons. This new restriction will affect trucks, fire vehicles, loaded buses and many unloaded buses as well.

“The Department apologizes for any inconvenience this detour may cause, but safety is paramount,” RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis said this morning in a statement. “We are aggressively reviewing bridges in our inventory to ensure proper weight limits are in place if they need be.”

The Pontiac Avenue Bridge carries Pontiac Avenue over the Pocasset River in the Garden City neighborhood. It was built in 1925 using standards, according to the DOT, that were appropriate at the time.

“Vehicles weren’t as big back then,” spokesman Charles St. Martin said this morning.

A detour will be put in place, bringing vehicles weighing more than 10 tons to Garden City Drive, then to Reservoir Avenue, and finally onto Sockanosset Cross Road.

No repair schedule has been set. The Department is considering minor rehabilitations that might make the bridge safe enough to return to the previous weight restriction of 19 tons.

Yesterday, the state Department of Transportation said it was for the second time lowering the weight limit on the Sakonnet River Bridge, because its steel beams have continued to corrode.
The limit on that bridge was reduced to 18 tons per vehicle from 22.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

PROVIDENCE -- With the legislative session hurtling toward adjournment, Governor Carcieri today will urge the General Assembly to approve bills that include asking voters in a non-binding referendum whether to end straight-party voting.

The straight-party option on a ballot allows voters to cast one vote for a party's election slate.

S-2409, whose prime sponsor is Sen. June Gibbs, R-Middletown, and H-8108, whose prime sponsor is Rep. Jon Brien, D-Woonsocket, are companion proposals that would put the non-binding referendum question before voters.

The Journal has reported that Republicans in the state have sought removal of the straight-party option for some time, asserting it helps Democrats, who have held wide majorities in Rhode Island politics. Others, such as the Green Party, have also sought to end straight-ticket voting. Some Republicans have argued the option can dissuade people from running for office.

A third bill, H-8243, whose prime sponsor is Rep. Nicholas Gorham, R-Coventry, would require people to present identification before voting and specify acceptable kinds of identification.

Carcieri's office issued a news release saying the governor, a Republican, will announce support for the bills at 1 p.m. today in the State Room of the State House.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Three members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe convicted of misdemeanor offenses for scuffling with state troopers during a raid on a tribal smoke shop are due back in court.

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and two other tribe members are expected to ask for new trials Tuesday in Providence Superior Court. If those requests are denied, they could be sentenced later in the day.

The three were convicted in April of either disorderly conduct or simple assault. Defense lawyers have said the three are unlikely to face jail time.

Four other tribe members were acquitted of all charges.

The convictions stem from a July 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop in Charlestown. State police raided the shop to prevent the Narragansetts from selling cigarettes without collecting state taxes.

Extra: Read the Journal's continuing coverage of the trial and see photos and video of the 2003 raid.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After years of protest, some Republican lawmakers plan to file a lawsuit today in an attempt to change the way General Assembly leadership distributes grant money to members of the House and Senate.

Complaining that legislative leaders have used these taxpayer dollars as a reward-and-punishment system aimed at keeping lawmakers in line, House Republicans plan to file the lawsuit in Providence Superior Court to force out-front votes on the annual grants package.

The lawmakers are asking the court declare the current process unconstitutional.

House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson, R-East Greenwich-West Greenwich, and House Minority Whip Nicholas Gorham, R-Foster, Glocester, Coventry, assert that the process used to allocate out the more than $2 million in funds for local projects and causes, needs to be deliberated and understood by the General Assembly and the general public.

Instead, the lawsuit charges, there are no rules about as to how much, for what purpose, or for whom or when the money for these grants can be spent.

And House Republicans are questioning the legality of allowing individual lawmakers –– House speaker William J. Murphy and Senate president Joseph A. Montalbano –– to distribute grant money, which is public, for private projects.

Watson, R- East Greenwich, is set to file suit today in Superior Court, Providence, asking for a summary judgment from the court.

Click below for a full list of plaintiffs.

Continue reading "Republicans to file suit over grant allocation" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A man accused of kidnapping and rape is scheduled for his second court appearance in two days.

Marco Riz, 26, will face felony counts of kidnapping, carjacking, assault with a dangerous weapon and first degree robbery in Kent County District Court this afternoon.

Riz had initially been scheduled for arraignment this morning, but is now scheduled for a 2 p.m. arraignment, according to a deputy sheriff at the court.

Yesterday he appeared in Providence District Court to face two sexual assault charges.

The police say Riz carjacked a woman at knifepoint while she was sitting in an idling vehicle at a grocery store in Warwick. He allegedly stole her money and credit cards, then drove the vehicle to Roger Williams Park in Providence, where he raped her.

Riz, a Guatemalan native whom the Attorney General's office says may be living in the United States illegally, is currently being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1880, John Ward of the Providence Grays pitched a perfect game in a 5-0 victory over the Buffalo Bisons, less than a week after the first perfect game in major league history was recorded. (The next would not occur for 24 years.)

Watch video from today in history.

Read more from today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What a difference a week makes.

Last Tuesday we had record-breaking heat, with temperatures just shy of 100 degrees and brilliant, sunny skies. Today, well, just look out the window.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 77 degrees -- just shy of the average 78 degrees. And no blue skies. Instead we're looking at showers and thunderstorms during the day with the possibility of frequent lightning, gusty winds and even hail.

More rain is expected tonight, with the possibility of more serious thunderstorms. Temperatures should drop to about 56 degrees.

And for tomorrow? More rain, maybe. There's a chance of showers starting in the late morning. Otherwise temperatures should hit the low 70s and we'll feel winds from the west between 8 and 11 mph.

Watch the rain as it moves in on projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Today's front page features a story exploring whether a chemical used to combat West Nile virus is killing local lobsters and a story about the House approving a proposal for mayoral academies, which is being criticized by teachers' unions hailed by supporters of eduction reform. Bill Reynolds also writes about the Boston Celtics, who will try to win the championship tonight in Boston.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You can learn to turn water into an art tonight.

Dave Marchetti will give a free talk and slideshow presentation, “Designing and Building Backyard Ponds and Waterfalls,” at 7 at the Weaver Library, 41 Grove Ave., East Providence.

The talk will cover such things as the appropriate size of water features for properties and information on appropriate plants and fish.

For information, call the library at (401) 434-2453.

For more of what's going on tonight, see projo.com's calendar page.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- Jurors in the trial of a British man accused of killing his wife and 9-month-old daughter were shown an undershirt and polka-dot sleeper caked with dried blood Monday -- a sight that drew gasps in the courtroom.

State police chemist Deanna Dygan testified that she determined that the gunshot to chest that killed Lillian Rose Entwistle was a "contact shot," with the gun pressed directly against the baby.

Neil Entwistle, 29, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the January 2006 killings of his daughter and his 27-year-old wife, Rachel.

Dygan identified the "onesie" undershirt and footed "sleeper" pajamas worn by Lillian when she was killed. The clothes caused some in the courtroom to gasp.

Entwistle looked away and later dabbed his eyes with a tissue. His mother, Yvonne, sobbed as she sat in the front row of the courtroom, and was comforted by Entwistle's father, Clifford.

A small hole was visible in the upper left chest area of both the pajamas and the onesie. Jurors were also shown the green nightshirt Rachel had been wearing. It was also stained with dried blood.

-- The Associated Press

Continue reading "Update: Entwistle jurors see bloody nightclothes" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A fire of suspicious origin early this morning heavily damaged an unoccupied triple-decker at 380-382 Smith St., said city Fire Marshal Anthony DiGiulio.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it may be arson because the house was unoccupied and because the pattern of the burn suggests it was aided by an accelerant, the fire marshal said.

“It appears to have started in two rooms at the front of the first floor and it extended up the wall to the second and third floors and the loft, where it burned through the roof,” he said. “When the firefighters arrived, the second and third floors were heavily involved in the fire.”

The house, which is near the intersection of Esten Street in Smith Hill, apparently had been vacated in the past couple of days. Firefighters were called to the site at 2:42 a.m.

One firefighter suffered a back injury and another, a cut on his hand, and both were treated at a hospital, DiGiulio said.

The fire marshal said firefighters did “a fantastic job” in containing the blaze to the building.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COVENTRY -- The Kent County Water Authority expects to restore water service by 7 p.m. to about 30 homes and businesses along Main Street -- including the Coventry Police Department -- that have been without water after a water main broke this morning.

Crews from D’Ambra Construction had been digging and installing a sewer-lateral line under Main Street between Sandy Bottom Road and Station Street when they hit an old hydrant base, connected to about ½-mile stretch of pipe, about 7:30 a.m., according to authorities.

The hydrant is at least 80 years old, said water authority general manager Timothy J. Brown, who said he was surprised it didn’t leak sooner.

Workers from the water authority so far have replaced the pipe, removed the hydrant and replaced it with a valve and a couple of clamps.

-- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Mark Twain, Edith Wharton and other boldfaced names among the dead have something in common with living Americans in these hard financial times:

Their homes are in jeopardy.

For scores of historic house museums, simply keeping the lights on has become a challenge. The Mount, Wharton's home in Lenox, Mass., is trying to stave off foreclosure with a feverish fundraising campaign. The Twain House in Hartford can't even afford to buy energy-saving light bulbs that would slash its electric bill.

Experts say this summer may make or break some sites, many of which already have cut their hours and staff and are struggling for donations in today's troubled economy.

"The jury's really still out on how summer visitation will be, how people will respond to gas prices and what it will mean for us," said Susan Wissler, acting president of The Mount, which needs $6 million by Oct. 31 to avoid foreclosure.

The Twain House and Museum is in similar straits, trying to repay a $4.9 million bank loan from earlier expansions and meet its $2.9 million yearly budget.

They already cut two-thirds of the staff and made other reductions, but had barely enough money to pay three weeks' worth of bills before recent publicity generated a spate of donations.

Many house museums, especially smaller sites, get little or no government help. Tourist dollars, donations, interest earned on endowment funds and corporate gifts -- all highly dependent on the economy -- help keep the doors open.

-- The Associated Press

Continue reading "Struggling to pay the bills at historic homes, too" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- At a Superior Court hearing today, Judge Netti C. Vogel declared convicted con man John P. Kluth Jr. to be a habitual criminal.

Attorney General Patrick C Lynch had asked for Kluth be designated such under a Rhode Island statute.

The designation carries with it two ramifications: at Kluth's sentencing, scheduled for Wednesday, Vogel will be obliged to add additional jail time on top of the sentence. The statute also requires her to impose a minimum number of years that Kluth must spend in prison before is is eligible for parole.

The question of parole is -- except for under the habitual criminal statute -- almost exclusively the concern of the state Department of Corrections and the parole board.

At Kluth's hearing today, Lynch selected six of the 30 swindles that Kluth was convicted of to illustrate that Kluth was a repeat offender.

Victims who testified at Kluth’s trial said he would tell them that his lobster truck had broken down and he needed a quick loan to fix it before his lobsters went bad. He promised to return money and to thrown in some lobsters to say thanks.

But there was no truck, there were no lobsters and there wasn’t any repayment.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Multimedia: Hear what John Kluth says he did with the money

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is facing yet another lawsuit alleging child molestation by a former priest.

Jeffery Thomas, 47, a contractor from Massachusetts, alleges in a civil lawsuit filed today that he was molested by the Rev. Brendan Smyth when Thomas was a second grader at Our Lady of Mercy School in East Greenwich during the 1960s.

The suit alleges that the diocese as well as Smyth’s supervisors in the order of Norbortine Fathers should have known, if they didn’t already, that Smyth was a pedophile and a danger to children.

"They have known about this guy and [his] pedophile behavior for five decades," Thomas’ lawyer, Jeffrey R. Anderson, said this afternoon.

"This isn’t about Brendan Smith," who died in an Irish prison in 1997, "but the ones he answered to," said Anderson. Those supervisors "could have controlled him and they chose not to. This suit is about…those who allowed the crimes to continue."

Smyth, who left Rhode Island in 1968, was sentenced to four years in a Belfast prison after admitting in 1994 that he molested five girls and three boys in Belfast over a 24-year period. The sexual assaults figured prominently in the collapse last fall of Ireland's coalition government.

Anderson said the diocese had received at least one complaint about Smyth prior to the alleged attacks on Thomas.

A spokesman for the diocese said he would comment after he had read the complaint filed today.

-- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Landmark Medical Center says it’s on the brink of financial collapse and will close by the end of this year unless it merges with another hospital. The hospital is asking the General Assembly to allow it make a quick deal by exempting it from the intense scrutiny that such mergers normally require.

The Woonsocket hospital has had longstanding financial problems. Now its debts exceed its assets by $7.2 million, spokesman Bill Fischer said this morning. Landmark has been trying for a number of years to find another hospital to acquire it, and is in discussions with Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, in Pawtucket.

But if Landmark and Memorial were to attempt to merge, under current law they would have to undergo a lengthy review by the state Department of Health and the attorney general, a process sure to take at least a year. Landmark can’t survive that long, Fischer said.

Legislation filed last week would exempt any hospital that is in a “negative net asset position” from the terms of the Hospitals Conversion Act, the law governing hospital mergers. Instead, such a hospital be would subject to the far less rigorous review that occurs when any health care entity changes hands.

Dr. David R. Gifford, director of health, said that the bill as written could have unintended consequences and that there are other options for Landmark, including receivership. The Health Department will probably recommend changes to the bill when it comes before the House Corporations Committee tomorrow afternoon, Gifford said.

The legislature will have to work quickly, however, because it plans to adjourn at the end of this week. Fischer said that it was merely “a confluence of events” that led to this legislation being filed in the last days of the session.

-- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer

Continue reading "Troubled Landmark wants Assembly to lift rigid review" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Journal photo/ Mary Murphy
Marco Riz, 26, is arraigned in District Court, Providence, on two counts of first-degree sexual assault.

During a four-minute arraignment this morning in Providence District Court, Marco Riz, 26, was ordered held without bail on two counts of first-degree sexual assault.

Riz, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, is accused of raping a 30-year-old woman on June 8 in Roger Williams Park.

Magistrate Joseph T. Ippolito made the ruling as Riz, handcuffed and shackled, listened to the charges through an interpreter. Six sheriffs stood in the small courtroom, along with members of the victim’s family, who did not speak. Riz, who showed no emotion, did not speak, either.

Riz is accused of kidnapping the woman from the parking lot in a Stop & Shop on Route 2 in Warwick, then driving her –– in the Ford SUV in which she was sitting, waiting for her mother –– to the park.

The police say Riz -- who has used at least a dozen aliases, including Saul Pizzarro-Aviles, the name police first made public -- had just been fired from his job Sunday when he saw the woman in the idling vehicle.

Riz also faces a kidnapping and robbery charge in Warwick.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)

COVENTRY -- Several homes and businesses, including the Coventry Police Department on Main Street, between Sandy Bottom Lane and Station Street, have no running water this morning, due to a water main break between 7 and 8 a.m., authorities said.

The break occurred at 1043 Main St., where construction crews are installing a sewer lateral line, and mistakenly hit an old hydrant that was not marked, according to Ken Owens, a private consultant hired to help promote the town’s continuing sewer project.

Kent County Water Authority, local police and others are on the scene. They are now pumping the water out of the ditch and off the street, with repairs expected to last about 5 hours before service is restored, Owens said.

-- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gasoline prices have gone up for the 12th straight week in Rhode Island, increasing three cents, according to AAA Southern New England.

The average price for regular, unleaded gasoline is $4.109 per gallon at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey.

Rhode Island drivers are paying about $1.15 more per gallon than they were at this time last year. The price of gas has increased about one dollar since the beginning of the year.

Here's AAA's fuel saving tip of the week: Don’t idle your car unnecessarily.
When your car idles, your fuel economy is zero miles per gallon, AAA says. Rather than idle in the drive-through line, park and walk in, AAA says.

Drivers can find up-to-date local gas prices and tips for saving gas at the AAA Web site.

(Correction: An earlier version of this blog said prices had increased for 11 straight weeks.)

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Journal photo/ Kathy Borchers
Plywood boards cover windows and doors of the Celestial Church of Christ, at 628 Dyer Ave., Cranston, today after a fire ignited by an electric cross Sunday damaged the building.

The inside of a Cranston church was destroyed after a late Sunday afternoon fire that was ignited by an electric cross.

Cranston fire Chief James Gumbley said the call came in at about 4:15 p.m. When fire crews arrived at the Celestial Church of Christ, at 628 Dyer Ave., they found an unoccupied building and heavy fire, he said.

The blaze was under control in about 10 minutes, Gumbley said, but firefighters were on the scene for about an hour. The contents and furnishings were destroyed, Gumbley said, but the building itself wasn’t lost and no one was hurt.

The state Fire Marshal joined the investigation, and the fire was determined to have been caused by a cross that was plugged into the wall. It overheated, sparking the fire.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is considering a pill form of chemotherapy that would allow him to stay home on Cape Cod during treatment for a brain tumor, his son U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy said this weekend.

Kennedy said his father enjoyed the Father’s Day weekend surrounded by family at his home in Hyannisport, Mass., and preparing to “do battle,” undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments for his brain cancer two weeks after surgery in North Carolina, Rep. Kennedy said.

He would not say when the radiation and chemotherapy treatments would begin.

Read a full story from the Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The East Providence police and state environmental officials are investigating the drowning of three baby raccoons, which were found Saturday night in a trash barrel on Second Street.

Nobody has been arrested, but whoever drowned the raccoons could face a felony charge of malicious injury or killing of an animal, Lt. Stephen J. Enos said.

The owner of the Second Street building, who does not live there, had been having problems with raccoons in an attic space in the building, Enos said. The owner went to the building on Saturday night and found the raccoons in a barrel in the back yard, he said. Enos would not release the exact address of the building.

The state Department of Environmental Management is working with East Providence police detectives on the matter, Enos said. The dead raccoons have been seized as evidence, he said.

-- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal file photo
Senior structural engineer Mark J. Stankard, of DMJM Harris, inspects the steel beams of the Sakonnet River Bridge in April of this year. DOT is still working on the design for a new bridge according to officials.

The weight limit for the Sakonnet River Bridge has again been lowered after an inspection showed increased deterioration.

Vehicles weighing more than 18 tons are now prohibited from traveling across the bridge. The previous weight limit was 22 tons.

And vehicles and trailers with more than two axles per unit are also prohibited from crossing the bridge, which connects Tiverton and Portsmouth.

According to the state Department of Transportation, the bridge, built in 1957, supports more than 40,000 vehicles per day.

Years ago, the DOT announced it would begin construction of a new Sakonnet River Bridge by 2005. Then it was December 2006. Last summer, the start-date was moved to January 2008.

In a statement released this morning, the DOT said it plans to begin advertising the replacement project late this summer and open a new bridge by 20011.

Motorists with concerns or questions can contact DOT customer service at 401-222-2450, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A hearing is scheduled today for a convicted con man who used fake stories of woe and despair to trick at least 30 people into giving him money.

John Kluth, a former Newport lobsterman, was convicted in March of obtaining money under false pretenses. He is scheduled for sentencing later this week.

But today he is scheduled for a habitual-offender hearing, when the judge could add up to 25 years to Kluth’s sentence for repeated unlawful acts. Kluth has been convicted of at least 54 crimes in three states, varying from passing bad checks to drug possession.

Victims who testified at Kluth’s trial said he would tell them that his lobster truck had broken down and he needed a quick loan to fix it before his lobsters went bad. He promised to return money and to thrown in some lobsters to say thanks.

But there was no truck, there were no lobsters and there wasn’t any repayment.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Weather Service warns that severe thunderstorms are possible between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. today with large hail and damaging wind gusts.

The greatest threat is in western and central Massachusetts and northern Connecticut but the storms could strike as far east as Boston, Fall River and Lawrence, Mass., the weather service says.

The weathers service says people should pay attention to the latest weather information and be prepared to get to a safe place as soon as the first sign of threatening weather.

Otherwise, today should be mostly cloudy with a high near 76 degrees.

For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page looks at the impact of cuts in RIteCare, the state-run health plan for poor families.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Catch a two-hour program at 7:30 tonight of a selection of songs from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, sung by cast members ages 22 to 75.

It's at Cornerstone Playhouse, 213 Robinson St., in South Kingstown's Wakefield section.

Tickets are $20. Call (401) 783-8827.

If you can't make it tonight, see the performance tomorrow at the same time, same location.

Coming up this weekend:

The annual Tony awards recognizing's Broadway best can expect to be eclipsed by Game 4 of the NBA finals, when the Boston Celtics try to clinch the championship on the Lakers' home court in Los Angeles.

Go green.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marco Riz had just been fired from his job as a cook at a Texas Roadhouse on Sunday, a Warwick police captain said, so he walked about a half-mile to the busy Stop & Shop supermarket on Route 2 that afternoon, went inside and changed his shirt.

When he came back out, he saw a Ford SUV idling close by the store, with a 30-year-old woman sitting in the passenger seat. The woman’s mother had just stopped into a nearby store to pick something up, said Warwick police Capt. Michael Babula. She didn’t expect to be more than 10 minutes.

In that moment, police believe, Riz saw an opportunity. By the time the mother emerged from the store, the SUV was gone -- and her daughter was in fear for her life.

Riz, identified as an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, is now accused of kidnapping, robbery and rape. He is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions after an intense multi-agency investigation tracked him down Thursday afternoon in Providence’s West End.

He’s being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a fugitive alien. ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier said Riz had been ordered deported from the United States before, but she was unable to answer when the deportation order was issued or why.

Police detectives in Warwick and Providence are calling Sunday’s attack “horrific” and “atrocious,” and utterly random. Riz and the woman he’s accused of kidnapping, robbing and raping were strangers, their lives connecting only by happenstance. “This poor woman was picked because she was there,” Babula said.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Continue reading "Update: Woman abducted 'because she was there'" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

PROVIDENCE -- The U.S. Marshal's office announced this afternoon the arrest of 123 fugitives wanted on a variety of felony charges in Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts and California.

David Remington, chief deputy marshal in Providence, said that over the past week federal marshals, the Rhode Island State Police and officers from police departments in Providence, Pawtucket, New Bedford, Mass., and San Diego, Calif., arrested the suspects on outstanding warrants.

The charges included rape, kidnapping, carjacking, robbery and drug offenses.

New Bedford Police Chief Ronald Teachman said one of the bigger grabs was the arrest of Corey Almeida, 35, who he described as "a major drug dealer,’’ in New Bedford.

Last month, the U.S. attorney in Boston, Michael J. Sullivan, announced the indictment of Almeida and 21 others on a variety of drug and gun charges, including 16 members of the Montes Park street gang. Almeida was wanted on charges of distributing more than 500 grams of crack cocaine.

Teachman said that Almeida was in San Diego when the indictment was unsealed last month.
An warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was captured this week. He has been detained in San Diego and is expected to be transported to Boston where he will face the charges in federal court.

The authorities said that 143 warrants were cleared in the sweep that concluded today. Remington said that some of the suspects had multiple charges against them which accounted for more charges than people arrested. Remington did not have the names and charges of everyone arrested.

Most of them are in federal or state custody pending the outcome of their cases.

Col. Brendan P. Doherty, commander of the Rhode Island State Police, said that fugitive sweeps often result in wanted suspects turning themselves in.

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Disruptions in Amtrak Acela trips between Boston and New York have been put off because there are further delays in bridge replacement work in eastern Connecticut.

Regular train schedules are therefore restored for June 16 through 19, Amtrak said today. A normal schedule will run this weekend.

An Amtrak statement said the company has been notified by the contractor working on the Thames River Bridge -- between New London and Groton -- that installing a new span has been delayed because of "complications encountered in the dismantling and removal of the bridge’s counterweight."

The plan was for all Acela Express service north of New York to be canceled during the project, and for express buses to run between New Haven and Providence to connect trains in those cities.

"Amtrak expects to receive more information from the contractor about the status of the project on Monday," the statement added. "At that point, Amtrak will provide more information about both the service schedules and expected project completion date."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cal Ripken Jr., the former Baltimore Orioles star who was a Gold Glove-winning shortstop, is slated to give a speech on a youth crime-prevention effort at a national gathering of attorneys general next week at The Westin in Providence.

At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a news release from Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office today.

A question-and-answer session will follow Ripken's speech.

Afterward, Ripken is scheduled to go to Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium, arriving at 12:15 p.m., where he will be joined by attorneys general, Pawtucket Red Sox management, Pawtucket Mayor James E. Doyle, law enforcement, members of the Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club’s RBI League, and Rhode Island Interscholastic League players.

In doing so, Ripken will return to the stadium where he played in the longest game in professional baseball history, the Triple-A International League’s Rochester Red Wings in the game against the PawSox that began on April 18, 1981, and continued into the next day, Easter morning, before being suspended at the end of the 32nd inning, at 4:09 a.m.

Mike Moore, former Mississippi attorney general and a board member of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, will introduce Ripken at The Westin.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The man accused of kidnapping a woman, 30, taking her car and driving it to a park, where he allegedly raped her, is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions and is scheduled for District Court arraignment on Monday.

The suspect's true name is Marco Riz, 26, Providence police said today.

Initially identified as Saul Pizzaro-Aviles -- one of several aliases -- he was arrested last night in Providence's West End.

The police allege Riz kidnapped a woman at knifepoint while she sat in the parking lot of a Warwick grocery store at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. According to the police, he drove the woman –– in her car –– to Roger Williams Park in Providence, where he raped her.

The Providence police arrested Riz last night without incident at 183 Linwood Ave., according to police Detective Capt. Hugh Clements. The police would not say whether the suspect lives at that address.

Riz was held at the Providence Public Safety Complex overnight; he was not arraigned in District Court this morning because the judges were attending a conference at the annual meeting of the Rhode Island Bar Association.

He instead was arraigned at the police station and transferred to the ACI, according to the Providence police.

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Two men -- one from Bristol the other Fall River -- are scheduled for arraignment Monday after a year-long drug trafficking investigation led to their arrests along with the seizure of two kilograms of cocaine.

Carlos Evangelista, 33, of Bristol and Peter Ferland, 33, of Fall River are charged with trafficking more than 200 grams of cocaine and conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substances Act, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.

The investigation spanned two states and involved a handful of agencies, including the Massachusetts State Police, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, the Fairhaven Police Department, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the New England State Police Information Network.

Evangelista and Ferland were arrested yesterday and are being held without bail. They are scheduled for arraignment Monday in Fall River District Court.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After the disaster –– be it hurricane, attack or a spreading illness –– what happens next? Where do you go? What do you eat? How do you know where your friends and family are?

As we get into hurricane season, the Red Cross Rhode Island Chapter’s shelter team is working out the details tomorrow between 9 a.m. and noon at a shelter simulation at Governor DelSesto Middle School at 152 Springfield St. in Providence.

“There’s nothing more important than ensuring that our residents are safe in the event of an emergency,” Peter Gaynor, who heads Providence’s emergency management and disaster planning, said in a statement.

Members of the community will play the roles of evacuees in need of shelter and members of the shelter team will fulfill the duties they would in the case of a real disaster: registering people; providing food, mental health services and more.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEWPORT -- Representatives from about a half-dozen groups today protested immigration raids carried out in Newport and Middletown on Wednesday and Thursday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that 42 immigration fugitives and violators were arrested during a raid carried out by members of ICE's Rhode Island Fugutive Operations Team.

Immigrant advocacy group members stood on the Newport Colony House steps in Washington Square and held a noon news conference.

Rev. Raymond Tetrault, pastor of St. Teresa Church in Providence's Olneyville section, said a "cessation" of deportations should be called for until Congress passes immigration reform.

He said immigrants are coming to the country to work and are supporting the economy.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The state Transportation Management Center reports all lanes have been reopened to traffic after a truck hit a bridge in the area of exit 18 -- the Thurbers Avenue exit -- in Providence.

Repair work on the bridge has been scheduled for 11:00 p.m. today, closing three of the four southbound lanes.

This morning, the Thurbers Avenue exit off Route 95 north was closed as crews cleaned up a diesel fuel spill caused by an earlier accident.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The deaths of an elderly couple found in a second-floor Central Falls apartment "were heat related due to a recent heat wave" and they died "as a result of environmental exposure with hyperthermia," the Office of State Medical Examiners said today.

A landlord found Rolande and Raymond Desjardins in their Chestnut Street apartment on Wednesday at 2:39 p.m., Police Chief Joseph Moran has said.

Raymond S. Desjardins, 84, was dead when police and rescue crews arrived, Moran said. Rolande M. Desjardins, 86, showed signs of life and was taken to Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Moran said.

Rhode Island had its first official heat wave -- three days over 90 degrees -- from Sunday through Tuesday of this week.

The Desjardins’ landlord needed to get into the apartment and had called a locksmith to open the door, Moran said yesterday. He said police did not find any signs of foul play.

Read tips from the Centers for Disease Control on dealing with the extreme heat.

Read an earlier story.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PROVIDENCE -- Crews are at the scene of a fire at 225 Admiral St., fire dispatch said. Further details were not available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A handful of advocacy groups are scheduled to hold a press conference today on the steps of the Newport Colony House to discuss a series of federal immigration raids on the island over the past few days.

The raids were carried out by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, according to Newport Police Lt. William Fitzgerald, and local authorities did not know about the raids in advance.

"I started to get calls Wednesday early morning from community members that were concerned due to the fact that ICE has been raiding several apartment houses throughout the entire city," David A. Quiroa, president of the Guatemalan-American Alliance, said in a statement.

Representatives from ICE, Boston, have not been available for comment.

The groups participating in the press conference include the Guatemalan-American Alliance, Progreso Latino and the Mexican Association of Rhode Island.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOSTON — Public health officials have closed shellfish beds in Boston Harbor for the first time in 36 years in response to a spreading red tide along the Massachusetts coast.

The ban on shellfish harvesting now extends from the New Hampshire border to the Bourne-Sandwich town line, with the exception of a small area along Plymouth, Kingston, and Duxbury.

Officials say about 50 fishermen harvest an average 15,000 to 20,000 bushels of clams annually in Boston Harbor.

Red tide is a toxic algae that concentrates in shellfish, making them dangerous for humans to eat. Crabs, lobsters and shrimp are not affected.

Michael Hickey, chief biologist for the state’s shellfish sanitation management program, says although the livelihoods of some fishermen will be affected, the agency’s top concern is public health.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More cases of salmonella have been reported as a result of tomatoes tainted with salmonellosis.

The Food and Drug Administration says since mid-April, more than 160 cases of salmonella Saintpaul –– including 23 hospitalizations –– have been reported nationwide, including as close as Connecticut.

The warning applies to certain red plum, red roma and red round tomatoes, but does not apply to cherry or grape tomatoes, or to tomatoes still attached to the vine.

The FDA has updated its list of places where tomatoes have not been associated with the outbreak:

For the list, continue reading.

Continue reading "List of safe tomatoes updated" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal Photo/Bill Murphy

The Thurbers Avenue exit off Route 95 north is closed this morning as crews work to clean up a diesel fuel spill caused by an earlier accident this morning.

An accident, and subsequent diesel fuel spill on Route 95 has a ramp blocked this morning and the highway looking more like a parking log.

The accident is on the northbound side of the roadway, blocking Exit 18/US 1A/Thurbers Ave. To see how traffic is moving along, see the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras.

See video from the scene.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Getting from the East Side to the West End just got a bit harder. Today the Pine Street overpass over Route 95 closes for good.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is closing the bridge, and will later demolish it, as part of the Iway project. In a statement by the RIDOT, the agency says it will begin building an extension to the northbound service road along Route 95 north, near the existing Route 195 interchange.

In the future, a new ramp will give drivers on Point Street access to Route 95 north.

In the meantime, motorists will need to follow detour signs directing them to the Broad Street overpass to get to the other side of Route 95.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall to become the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Watch a video report from today in history.

More about today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you like yesterday's weather? If so, you're in luck.

But -- surprise! -- it won't last through the weekend.

Today is looking a lot like yesterday, with brilliantly sunny skies, temperatures reaching about 81 degrees and a calm, north wind.

There's a slight chance of showers late tonight. Otherwise, expect partly cloudy skies with a low temperature near about 60 degrees and mild, west winds.

To keep with the trend, the weekend won't be nearly as nice as the weekdays were. There's a slight chance of rain -- maybe thunderstorms -- tomorrow afternoon. We'll have mostly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching about 82 degrees.

More rain tomorrow night, with a chance of thunderstorms all through the night and into early Sunday morning. Temperatures will drop to about 60 degrees

Sunday will be cool, with temperatures reaching about 75 degrees and a north wind. Expect scattered showers and cloudy skies all day.

Sunday night -- guess what? -- rain. A chance of showers in the evening with cloudy skies all night and temperatures in the high 50s.

And Monday we'll see the same; scattered showers, thunderstorms, cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 70s.

Check projo.com's weather page throughout the weekend -- maybe things will change.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you head over to Newport, there's still time tonight to experience Newport Gallery Night, which runs from 5 to 8.

More than two dozen galleries participate in the free, self-guided tour of art, including pottery, paintings, glass, sculpture and more.

Parking is free at the Newport Visitors Information Center, 23 America’s Cup Ave., and at the Newport Art Museum, 76 Bellevue Ave. For a map and more information, visit www.newportgalleries.org.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A suspect has been arrested in Providence for allegedly kidnapping and raping a woman early Sunday evening, the police said.

The man identified by Warwick police as Saul Pizzaro-Aviles, 27, was taken into custody mid-afternoon without incident at 183 Linwood Ave., in Providence's West End, according to Providence police Capt. Hugh Clements. Various police, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and U.S. marshals were involved in the joint investigation, he said.

Clements said that Pizzaro-Aviles' immigration status was not known this evening, but may be by morning.

He declined to say what, if any relationship, Pizzaro-Aviles had to the Providence address where he was taken into custody.

Pizzaro-Aviles is being held at the Providence Public Safety Complex. His arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow morning in District Court, Providence, Clements said.

A Warwick warrant charges Pizzarro-Aviles with kidnapping and first-degree robbery while the Providence warrant charges him with first-degree sexual assault.

Police have said the incident began shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of a Super Stop & Shop in Warwick, near the West Warwick line in a plaza at Quaker Lane and Cowesett Road.

The police -- who released still images from the store surveillance video -- said a man entered the store at about 5:40 p.m. wearing a dark tank top, baggy jeans and dark sneakers. He had a white T-shirt over his left shoulder, the police said, and was believed to have changed into that shirt while in the store.

Shortly after going into the supermarket, he was seen leaving in the T-shirt bearing a “Coors Light” logo on the chest.

The police said the man walked up to a car in the parking lot where a woman was sitting in the passenger’s seat while she waited for her mother to buy groceries. He threatened her with a kitchen or steak knife, got behind the wheel and began driving, according to the police.

The man drove to Roger Williams Park, where he is accused of raping the woman. She was treated at Rhode Island Hospital.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST PROVIDENCE -- A male driver has been taken by rescue to Rhode Island Hospital this evening following a car accident on Route 114, according to the Fire Department.

The car was heading south when it veered off the road into woods. The driver was thrown from the car.

The crash occurred at about 5 p.m.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Authorities have in custody the suspect wanted in the alleged kidnap and rape of a woman early Sunday evening, according to Warwick police Lt. Jeffrey Enos.

Police said the woman was kidnapped from her car from a Quaker Lane Stop & Shop parking lot in Warwick and raped in Providence’s Roger Williams Park

The suspect is not in Warwick police custody, Enos said. It could not be determined at this time which department took him into custody, but Warwick and Providence police were the departments that had obtained arrest warrants for the man, identitified as Saul Pizzaro-Aviles, 27.

Yesterday Warwick Detective Capt. Michael Babula identified the suspect as Pizzarro-Aviles, whose last known address was in Providence. Babula said the Warwick warrant charges Pizzarro-Aviles with kidnapping and first-degree robbery, and the Providence warrant charges him with first-degree sexual assault.

Police said the incident began shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of a Super Stop & Shop. They released stills from a store security camera of a man leaving the store.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The state Department of Health today reopened to swimming Ninigret Park Beach in Charlestown after samples showed bacteria levels within acceptable limits.

Health officials closed it yesterday due to high bacteria levels.

But it closed Camp Grosvenor in North Kingstown to swimming due to bacteria levels.

Check on the status of beaches around the state.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The city has announced a long list of regular activities for the greater Kennedy Plaza area this summer, in an effort to make the underutilized, downtown park into a true city square, and overcome the perception that the plaza is unsafe.

“This public space in the center of downtown has the potential to become a lively gathering space where families and visitors can enjoy the work of local artists, shop for unique items at the Marketplace Bazaar, enjoy live entertainment or simply sit at café-style tables and people-watch,” said Mayor David N. Cicilline. “I envision a public space as vibrant as New York’s Washington Square Park with the unique character of Providence.”

Regular events will include:

"Public Square Tuesdays": From 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., area nonprofit agencies will set up kiosks providing information to the public on various topics from the arts to fitness and the environment.

"Market Bazaar Thursdays": From 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., vendors selling antiques, books, food and small crafts will set up shop along the Burnside Park sidewalk.

"Farmers' Market Fridays": Goods from Rhode Island farms will be on sale from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"Rhythm & Soul Sundays": Providence Black Repertory Company’s Afrosonic Collective will play from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring disc jockeys and drummers.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Continue reading "Update: Making Kennedy Plaza a desirable destination" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Woonsocket man today became the first person convicted in Rhode Island under a federal law for failing to register as a sex offender after moving here from another state.

Michael DiTomasso, 35, who moved to Woonsocket from Milford, Mass., last year, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Providence, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office.

A two-year-old federal law requires sex offenders who move to register as sex offenders in the new state in which they live.

Prosecutor Milind M. Shah said at the plea hearing that the government could show DiTomasso pleaded guilty in 1995 in Worcester, Mass., to separate cases of rape and abuse of a child under 16 and indecent assault of a child under 14.

DiTomasso moved to Woonsocket in February 2007 and, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, had to register in Rhode Island as a sex offender.

In March 2007, Woonsocket police officer William Coupe informed DiTomasso he was required to register with the Woonsocket police. DiTomasso, who lived within walking distance of Woonsocket police headquarters, did not do so, and the police arrested him about a week later, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Deputy U.S. marshals arrested him on a federal complaint in October under the federal law, enacted as part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act. Adam Walsh, a boy who was abducted and murdered in 1981, was the son of John Walsh, who went on to host the television program America's Most Wanted.

DiTomasso is being detained pending a scheduled Oct. 24 sentencing. Maximum penalty is 10 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- A bill that would require all private employers to use a federal electronic employment verification pilot program has been held for further study to resolve potential constitutional issues. But with the General Assembly session predicted to end next week, the clock is running out.

State Sen. Marc A. Cote, chief sponsor of the E-Verify bill, said he has asked the Senate Labor committee for more time to iron out the potential constitutional issues raised in Wednesday’s hearing.

The E-verify system allows for online screening to ensure that workers are legally eligible to work in this country. The bill calls for fines against any employer who fails to register or does not participate, but a question was raised on Wednesday as to “whether the employer would have access to due process.”

The Woonsocket Democrat, who is vice chairman of the Senate's Corporations Committee, said, “As each hour passes, it gets less and less likely” that the bill could be amended in time for consideration. But, he added, “I do not quit. I’m going to keep working on this.”

By an executive order Governor Carcieri issued in March to deal with immigration issues, state agencies and vendors began using the E-Verify system last month.

-- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take one last drive on the Pine Street overpass over Route 95 –– it’s set to close tomorrow for good.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is closing the bridge, and will later demolish it, as part of the Iway project. In a statement by the RIDOT today, the agency says it will begin building an extension to the northbound service road along Route 95 north, near the existing Route 195 interchange.

In the future, a new ramp will give drivers on Point Street access to Route 95 north.

In the meantime, motorists will need to follow detour signs directing them to the Broad Street overpass to get to the other side of Route 95.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A man whom police allege killed two women and then burned one of the victim’s apartments to cover his tracks informally waived his right to a bail hearing today and continues to be held at the Adult Correctional Institutions, according Beryl Kenyon, spokeswoman for the Attorney General.

In addition to the murder charges, Anthony J. Carter, 23, of Pawtucket, faces charges that he participated in at least six armed robberies with Raymond Clements last year. Clements was sentenced last year to serve 15 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions.

Carter was arraigned earlier this month after waiving his right to an extradition hearing. He was serving time in a Florida for a string of 10 armed robberies in that state.

The police say Carter killed Heather V. Jesus, 20, and her cousin, Amanda L. Sousa, 17, last June at Jesus’ apartment in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Providence.

The police allege that Carter and a conspirator set the apartment on fire to destroy evidence after the women were killed.

Carter's next court appearance is a pre-trial hearing, scheduled for June 26.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with Journal archive reports

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE — The state Supreme Court this morning overturned the conviction of Charles “Manny” Pona on charges that he conspired with others to have 15-year-old Jennifer Rivera gunned down just before she was to testify that she saw Pona running from the scene of another murder.

Pona (left), and Rivera

"The murder of Jennifer Rivera was especially repugnant,” Justice Francis X. Flaherty wrote in the high court decision. “It was a profound affront to the basic norms of civilized society.

Nonetheless, even those accused of despicable acts are entitled to a fair trial. In this instance, we have concluded that the defendant did not receive a fair trial, and we are convinced that it is our responsibility to that same civilized society to reverse for a new trial.”

So the Supreme Court vacated Pona’s convictions in the Rivera murder and sent the case back to Superior Court for a new trial.

Pona remains in prison for killing 17-year-old Hector Feliciano. The Supreme Court affirmed Pona’s conviction in that murder last year.

Read the court's opinion.

-- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick

Continue reading "Update: Pona's conviction in witness killing overturned" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Local recreational fishermen will tell you that one of the benefits to casting a line into saltwater is that you don't have to pay to get a license first.

That's unlike freshwater fishing, which requires a license, depending on your age, and is limited to a certain season.

Now, proposed changes in federal fishing regulations would make it mandatory by 2009 for some recreational saltwater fishermen in the Ocean State to register first with the federal government -- for a fee.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service is seeking comments until Aug. 11 on the proposed rules. NOAA says information from interviews of those registered to fish would help close a gap in data that could help better manage and possibly restore certain stocks of fish.

The proposal also applies to those who fish anywhere for species that spawn in freshwater but spend their lives in oceans, such as striped bass, shad and salmon.

Unlike Rhode Island, some states already require saltwater licenses, including Alaska and other states along the West Coast, the South Atlantic and the Gulf Coast. Hawaii and states from New Jersey to Maine do not.

Your turn: What's your take on the saltwater fishing license requirement?

Continue reading "Registration to fish in saltwater? NOAA seeks comments" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

WOBURN, Mass. -- The British man accused of shooting to death his wife and infant daughter broke into tears during his trial as prosecutors showed jurors a videotape of the bodies.

Neil Entwistle covered his mouth and his eyes in court Thursday during the 20-minute tape. The video, taken by State Police investigators, showed his wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter Lillian Rose dead in the couple's bed in their rented home in Hopkinton.

Classical music still playing in the baby's nearby bedroom could be heard in the background.

Prosecutors allege Entwistle killed his wife and child in January 2006 because he was deep in debt and dissatisfied with his sex life. He was arrested weeks later at his parents home in England.

Get the latest from The Associated Press.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEWPORT -- Legendary singer Aretha Franklin will headline the Saturday show at this year's JVC Jazz Festival Newport, organizers announced today.

Franklin, who has won many Grammys and sang the iconic song "Respect," will perform Aug. 9 at Fort Adams State Park. She joins a lineup that includes Sonny Rollins, Chris Botti, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter.

The festival promises several on-stage collaborations including one featuring Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell and Ethan Iverson on the Saturday. Also that day, there will be an encore performance by a quartet of Dave Holland, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter, and Eric Harland -- they debuted at last year's Monterey Jazz Festival.

The festival opens Friday, Aug. 8, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 10. Tickets are at www.festivalnetwork.com or (877) 655-4TIX. Click for a full list of who's slated to perform when.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN FRANCISCO -- A new specialty search engine is trying to become the Internet's go-to spot for finding how-to advice.

Founded by Rhode Island entrepreneur Ted Ives, FindHow.com has assembled an index spanning nearly about 30,000 Web pages with written, photographic and video instructions on a wide variety of topics ranging from prosaic tasks like tying a tie to more exotic missions like inviting the Queen of England to a Super Bowl party.

Relying on a team of human editors, FindHow has sifted the information to discrete categories like "food and drink," "careers and work" and "wild and wacky" and emphasizes tips from well-established government and business sources. Ives also is trying to market FindHow as a "family-friendly" site in hopes of attracting a loyal following among librarians and students.

Ives believes FindHow's more organized format and emphasis on brands will help separate it from the horde of other Web sites that provide how-to information. The competition includes specialty services like eHow, Helpfulvideo, WonderHowTo, as well as all-purpose destinations like Internet search leader Google Inc. and its video-sharing subsidiary YouTube.

FindHow is starting out with about a $300,000 investment from Ives and a handful of other backers.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal file photo/US Navy
The USS Providence returns to her home port at the Naval Submarine Base, New London, in Groton, Conn. in 2003. Ledge Light lighthouse can be seen in the background.

A Los Angeles class fast attack submarine is being honored today at a ceremony in Connecticut. And the name of the submarine: USS Providence.

The Arleigh Burke Trophy is awarded annually to two ships or aviation fleets that have achieved the most improvement over the previous year. This year, USS Providence becomes one of the few to receive the award.

Fast attack submarines are known for stealth, agility and firepower, according to a statement from the Naval Submarine Base in Connecticut. These submarines can deploy special force operations, disrupt or destroy military or other operations and can carry out early strikes at close proximity.

The USS Providence, based in Groton, Conn., last year spent 7 months traveling around the world, completing three missions in the Western Pacific. It was also awarded the Tactical Operations White “T” as part of the 2007 Battle Efficiency Award Program.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Providence Black Repertory Company is giving downtown Providence a taste of summer this afternoon when it previews a new series of events planned for this summer at Kennedy Plaza.

This afternoon, the Black Rep, Mayor David Cicilline and representatives of the Greater Kennedy Plaza Working Group -- a public/private partnership focused on improving the public space at the Plaza -- plan to announce an initiative designed to make the Plaza a place that people want to go to this summer.

At 1:30 today, the group will announce a schedule of summer activities scheduled to take place on the Plaza, including Rhythm & Soul, a live performance by the Black Rep.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to get that motorcycle registered in time for the weekend? Well you can’t do it today at the West Warwick DMV.

The Kent County Water Authority is doing work on site today, so the West Warwick branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles will be closed for the day.

If you’ve got a drivers test scheduled for today in West Warwick, you can try to take it at a different branch, or call 462-5700 to reschedule.

Branches are open today from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Pawtucket, at the Apex Plaaza; in Wakefield, on Tower Hill Road; and in Middletown, 73 Valley Street.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An accident that blocked two lanes and had officials rerouting traffic has been cleared as of 8:15 a.m.

The accident was on the northbound side of Route 95 at Exit 10/Route117/ Warwick.

Traffic is still backed up, see how it's moving along on the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras. If this is along your commute, you may want to try to find an alternate route.

The West Warwick DMV is scheduled to re-open tomorrow.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were slashed to death outside her Los Angeles home; her former husband, football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson, was later acquitted of the killings in a criminal trial, but held liable in a civil action.

Watch a video report about today in history.

Read more from today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's not much to say -- it's beautiful outside.

At 6:30 a.m. it's sunny, breezy and about 70 degrees. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature today near 83 degrees with sunny skies and that always-welcome (in the summer) north wind, keeping humidity low and generating a pleasant, mild breeze.

Tonight temperatures are set to drop to 53 degrees with skies remaining clear. We'll have a very slight southwest wind.

Tomorrow looks the same as today, high temperature hitting 82 degrees; clear, sunny skies; mild north winds.

Enjoy.

See the good and the bad in this weekend's forecast at projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features coverage of the $6.89-billion state budget package unveiled yesterday, which attempts to plug a huge budget deficit primarily through state employee savings, Medicaid cuts and the removal of thousands of people from state health and welfare rolls.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WARWICK -- The Warwick and Providence police have obtained arrest warrants for the man they allege kidnapped a woman in her car from a Quaker Lane parking lot and raped her in Providence’s Roger Williams Park early Sunday evening.

Warwick Detective Capt. Michael Babula identified the suspect as Saul Pizzarro-Aviles, 27, whose last known address was in Providence.

The Warwick warrant, he said, charges Pizzarro-Aviles with kidnapping and first-degree robbery, and the Providence warrant charges him with first-degree sexual assault.

On Tuesday, the departments reported that the carjacking occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of a Super Stop & Shop. They released a photo from a store security camera of a man leaving the store whom they later identified as Pizzarro-Aviles.

According to the police, Pizzarro-Aviles entered the store through its north doors, changed his shirt and then left the store. Once in the parking lot, Pizzarro-Aviles allegedly brandished a knife to commandeer the car, which was idling with the woman in the passenger seat waiting for her mother to finish grocery shopping.

Babula said Pizzarro-Aviles drove the woman to Roger Williams Park.

-- Journal staff writer Barbara Polichetti

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The state Health Department today reopened to swimming Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick. Samples showed bacteria levels back to within acceptable limits.

The department closed to swimming the Ninigret Park Beach in Charlestown because of high bacteria counts. The area will reopen when it is deemed safe for swimming, the health department said.

For updates about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information call (401) 222-2751.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration today cited a Lincoln manufacturing company for not having adequate guarding to prevent a Guatemalan immigrant from getting pinned in a machine last December, and for failing to properly train the worker to use that machine.

The worker, Leonardo Cos Elias, lost his leg, buttock and half of one hip after the accident at Packaging Concepts Ltd. He is now confined to a wheelchair at a Massachusetts rehabilitation hospital.

OSHA has recommended a total of $21,000 for three serious citations. OSHA defines a serious violation as one in which there is “substantial probability that death or serious harm could result,” and that the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.

OSHA also issued a “letter of significance” to the company that notes there was no emergency stop device installed on the routing machine Cos was using, and that routing machines “were being utilized without formalized training and documentation.”

OSHA has asked that the company develop a training manual for operation of the computer-numerically controlled routing machines, and to train its employees on the procedures set out in that manual.

-- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Four members of Laos Pride, a Smith Hill-based street gang, were arrested on weapons charges Monday night just minutes after they allegedly opened fire on a rival gang -- the Hanover Boys -- in the city’s West End.

No one was hit in the barrage of gunfire, but the police seized two guns from the car of the suspected shooters.

In two other unrelated incidents on Monday night and early today, police made two more arrests and grabbed loaded guns.

Maj. Stephen M. Campbell, who oversees the Providence police detective division, said that removing guns from the street is a department priority and a proactive way to stem bloodshed.

``We really want to keep the violence down and we’re keeping it down by going after guns,’’ he said. ``We are out there and we are focused.’’

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Continue reading "4 Laos Pride members arrested after shooting" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A selection committee this afternoon recommended five finalists -- including the Senate president’s chief of staff and a General Assembly lawyer -- for a pair of $128,650-a-year magistrate jobs on the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal.

Earlier this year, the General Assembly gave Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams the power to make the magistrate appointments, which are subject to Senate confirmation. So Williams may now appoint people to the positions that Judge Marjorie R. Yashar and Magistrate Aurendina G. Veiga vacated in 2005 amid ethics complaints.

The selection committee interviewed nine candidates and recommended these five finalists to Williams:

-- Joseph A. Abbate, 56, of Providence, who is director of law revision for the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Legislative Services. He is also a part-time Providence Municipal Court judge and was a Providence Housing Court judge from 2002 to 2005.

-- R. David Cruise, 51, of Cumberland, who is chief of staff to Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano, D-North Providence. He was legal counsel and director of governmental affairs for the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation from 2000-03. And he was chief of staff to former Gov. Bruce Sundlun from 1991 to 1993.

-- Alan R. Goulart, 48, of North Kingstown, who is chief of the criminal division at the attorney general’s office. He was deputy chief of the criminal division from 1999 to 2004, and he was a U.S. Navy judge advocate general from 1987 to 1990.

-- Kelly A. McElroy, 35, of Warwick, who is a special assistant attorney general in the criminal division. She is an adjunct law professor at the Southern New England School of Law.

-- Bruce W. McIntyre, 56, of Jamestown, who is deputy legal counsel in the state Health Department. He has advised the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline since 1991, and is a former Democratic Jamestown Town Council member.

-- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick

Continue reading "Panel recommends finalists for 2 traffic magistrate jobs" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The House Finance Committee this afternoon effectively cut a proposed $35 million environmental bond issue from the state’s 2009 budget.

The money had been targeted for saving farmland and open space, cleaning up storm water and helping communities reduce the nitrogen their sewer plants discharge into Narragansett Bay.

The bond item was removed from the budget without comment, and the committee approved the budget article that had contained the bond without comment.

The panel is voting a House budget proposal unveiled today, which differs from that submitted previously by Governor Carcieri.

Save The Bay executive director Curt Spalding said the cuts were troubling because the governor had originally wanted $87 million for the Bay bond, and reduced that figure to $35 million because of the state’s budget problems.

“My big problem is we tried to work with the situation,” Spalding said. “Our good will, trying to figure a compromise, it was ignored. No other programs were cut like this.”

The new budget proposal still must be vetted by the full House, and then the Senate. It is also subject to the governor's approval or veto.

-- Journal environment writer Peter Lord

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Facing an unprecedented budget deficit, the House leadership unveiled a budget proposal this afternoon that largely avoids broad-based tax increases, but includes tens of millions of dollars in cuts across state government including services for elderly, disabled and low-income Rhode Islanders.

There were some bright spots, however, for those facing even deeper cuts: the House gave cities and towns a slight “bump” in additional education aid -- approximately $12.8 million. There were no new increases proposed in non-education aid.

The proposal was revealed at a press briefing held shortly before a House Finance Committee hearing on the 2009 fiscal plan that began at 4 p.m. Read a summary of the plan here.

The plan also includes funding for 100 of 400 slots slated to be eliminated from the early childhood education program, Head Start. In addition, the budget restores health care coverage for all but 1,000 of more than 7,000 adults slated to lose coverage under a plan released by Governor Carcieri earlier in the year.

House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino, the architect of the tax-and-spend plan released this afternoon, said the budget does indeed balance a $425-million budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1, despite unanswered questions about savings related to personnel reductions and sweeping Medicaid changes.

Rhode Island must have a balanced budget, according to the state Constitution.

The budget relies on more than $60 million in personnel savings tied to ongoing negotiations between organized labor and the governor’s office. It also relies on saving $67 million by re-designing Medicaid programs, a figure that both Costantino and the governor’s office have acknowledged may be unrealistic.

Despite heavy pressure applied by organized labor and its allies, the budget does not include any changes to the capital gains or flat taxes. Nor does the budget increase any income, business or sales taxes.

But it generates $5.6 million in new revenue by increasing the health insurer tax on medical premiums from 1.1 percent to 1.4 percent. Costantino said he hoped the increase wouldn’t be passed on to health care consumers, although that’s what happened when the tax was expanded last year. The tax, previously only applied to health insurers, would now apply to Delta Dental as well.

The House Finance Committee will work into this evening to adopt the budget bill, which will be laid out in a series of complex budget “articles.” As each budget item is read, the committee takes a vote. The hearing is being televised live on Capitol TV.

-- Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau

Continue reading "Update: House budget plan avoids broad tax increases" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Division of Motor Vehicles branch in West Warwick will be closed tomorrow because of work by the Kent County Water Authority.

The motor vehicles division asks that customers go to the DMV's main office in Pawtucket or other branch offices tomorrow. Those with driving tests scheduled tomorrow in West Warwick are asked to reschedule by calling 462-5700 or take the test in Pawtucket.

Other DMV offices open tomorrow, from, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., are Pawtucket, at APEX plaza; Wakefield, Tower Hill Road; and, Middletown, 73 Valley St.

Some services, such as renewal of vehicle registrations, are also offered online. Click here to see what's available.

As long as the water authority work finishes tomorrow, the DMV's West Warwick office is slated to reopen Friday.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BURRILLVILLE -- Police and rescue crews are still at the scene of an accident early this afternoon that led to one man being airlifted to a nearby hospital.

According to Lt. Kevin S. San Antonio, a van crashed into a tree at about 12:30 p.m. on Victory Highway.

San Antonio said that although it took between 40 and 50 minutes to remove the victim from the van, the man's injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Amtrak says it has rescheduled a bridge replacement project in Connecticut that will disrupt some train service between New York and Boston.

The replacement of a moveable span of the Thames River Bridge between New London and Groton is now set to run Monday through Thursday. It was originally scheduled for Saturday through Tuesday.

All Acela Express service north of New York will be canceled during the project. Express buses will run between New Haven and Providence to connect trains in those cities. Train service between New York and Boston will still be available via Hartford and Springfield.

The work marks the final stage of a multi-year, $83 million improvement project on the 90-year-old bridge.

-- The Associated Press

Extra: MBTA: Providence-to-Boston delays this weekend

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Crews are responding to a structure fire at a former Brown and Sharpe manufacturing plant on Frenchtown Road, according to dispatch.

More details were not available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PORTSMOUTH -- Two police cruisers on an emergency call crashed on Route 24 yesterday afternoon, injuring the drivers, when one of the officers tried to use the median strip of the divided highway to turn around and his car collided with the one behind him.

Patrolmen Jacob Silva, 32, and Nicholas Arruda, 31, were treated at Newport Hospital after the crash, which occurred at 3:07 p.m. yesterday, Police Chief Lance Hebert said today.

He said Silva and Arruda initially headed north on Route 24 in response to a report of a possible drunken driver in a car that was being boxed in.

Then they received an update that the actual location was in the other direction -- on West Main Road at King’s Grant.

Silva was turning left onto the median strip of Route 24, just before the Boyd’s Lane exit, with Arruda car traveling behind him, when Arruda’s car collided with Silva's, according to State Police Capt. James Swanberg.

Swanberg said the impact of the collision forced Silva’s cruiser across the median and both southbound lanes of the highway, onto the shoulder.

State Police are investigating the accident at the request of local police. The cars involved were Ford Crown Victorias.

Hebert said both cruisers -- part of a front-line fleet of 7 marked cars -- sustained extensive damage.

-- Journal staff writer Gina Macris

Continue reading "2 Portsmouth police cruisers' drivers injured in collision" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, announced a new program this morning to help needy Rhode Islanders cope with high gas prices by taking the bus to get to work, go shopping and make doctor's appointments.

The Catholic Charity Fund has donated $17,500 that will be used to buy RIPTIKS, the bus passes sold by the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. The tickets will be handed out in books of 10 one-way tickets to those apply and are determined to be most in need.

The tickets will be available at diocesan satellite offices starting Thursday to people who can prove they need them.

The average price of gasoline is $4.095 a gallon, according to AAA.

-- Business editor John Kostrzewa, with reports from the Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A Hopkinton, Mass., police officer has described his gruesome discovery of the bodies of a mother and her baby daughter, who were found fatally shot and snuggled together in bed.

Sgt. Michael Sutton testified today in the trial of Neil Entwistle, a British man charged in the 2006 killings of his 27-year-old wife, Rachel, and 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose.

Sutton said he and another officer first checked the Entwistles' home on Jan. 21, 2006, but they did not find the bodies until the following day when they went back and checked again.

He said he lifted a thick comforter on a bed in the master bedroom and saw a woman's foot. When he lifted up the other end of the comforter, he saw a small baby's face, and next to the baby, a woman's face.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOONSOCKET -- Eighteen cats have been found abandoned in a Woonsocket apartment, and officials say they think the animals had been left alone for at least five to seven days.

WJAR-TV is reporting that the cats were found at the apartment Tuesday after a neighbor complained to the landlord about a smell in the building.

The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is trying to find homes for the cats. Officials are also looking for the owner.

SPCA president E.J. Finocchio says the cats have not been spayed or neutered and are in "deplorable condition.''

It's hoping shelters in other towns will be able to take in the cats.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you voted in the Republican or Democratic presidential primary, but you’re not sure who you’ll support in the September state and local primaries, today is the last day to disaffiliate, so you can vote for whomever you please.

But you may end up having more time to make a decision. The Senate has green-lighted a bill that could change the date, extending the deadline to Monday, Aug. 11.

Under current law, voters have to change or leave a political party 90 days before a primary, special election or general election. If approved by the House and signed into law, the proposal would condense that period to 29 days.

Voters in the Democratic or Republican presidential primary were automatically affiliated with that party. A record turnout at the presidential primary means there is likely a higher than usual number of affiliated voters.

This September, there may be primaries in the race for state representative, state senate and city and town councils. If voters want to vote in a different primary than in March, they’ll need to disaffiliate from either party -- either today or by Aug. 11.

Wondering what to do?

Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis said today, "While the bill may become law at some point, June 11 is the law today.

"Voters shouldn't gamble with their right to cast ballots in the primary of their choice on September 9. Even if the bill does become law, disaffiliating today will cause voters no harm. It just means they will have another two months to change their minds."

To disaffiliate, contact your local board of canvassers. Find contact information on the Secretary of State’s Web site.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — Police say New York Giants Super Bowl rings were among the $2 million worth of items stolen from an Attleboro jewelry company sometime over the weekend.

Police say thieves disabled the alarm system at E.A. Dion’s building, cut a hole in the roof and made off with a safe that weighed at least 1,000 pounds and containied gold, gems and the rings.

The incident was discovered by an employee on Sunday when she was unable to access her work e-mail from home, apparently because phone lines had been cut.

Captain David Proia says police are investigating but there are no suspects.

Company President Edward Dion Jr. says the company is running as normal and customers know “we’ve run into a bit of a hiccup.”

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're planning to take the train between Providence and Boston, or parts in between, take note. The Providence/Stoughton line is going to be doing things a little differently.

The Ruggles Commuter Station will be closed Saturday and Sunday. Passengers going to Ruggles on the Providence/Stoughton line will need to transfer to the Orange Line at the Back Bay station for a transfer to Ruggles.

Another commuter rail closure, the Hyde Park station will be closed from Saturday until Tuesday, June 17. Passengers instead will need to use the Readville station. There will be shuttle buses to take people to and from Hyde Park to Readville.

All Providence line passengers should expect 10-15 minute delays between Saturday and Tuesday; travelers on the Stoughton lines should expect similar delays on Monday and Tuesday.

And scheduled work by Amtrak means there will be no Amtrak trains passing through Canton Junction from Saturday through Tuesday, June 17.

For more information, including maps and schedules, see the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Web site.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1963, Gov. George Wallace confronted federal troops at the University of Alabama in an effort to defy a federal court order to allow two black students to enroll at the school.

Listen to audio.

View a video report of highlights from today in history.

Read more about today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're in for another warm day, but not as hot as it's been. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 91 degrees. The morning clouds should give way as the day goes on and we'll have blue skies and winds from the northwest, gusting up to 21 mph.

Of course, we're still nowhere near the average temperature for this time of year -- 76 degrees!

Tonight should stay clear, with temperatures dropping to a pleasant 62 degrees with mild, northwest winds.

Tomorrow's looking sunny, with temperatures hitting a much more reasonable 83 degrees.

Keep an eye on the forecast at projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today's Providence Journal front page features more coverage of the record-breaking heat wave that's hit Rhode Island and a report that nearly 5,000 Rhode Islanders ran out of unemployment insurance benefits in the first quarter of this year.

Download a copy of the front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The state Senate today approved raising Rhode Island's minimum wage, sending the bill over to the House of Repesentatives for consideration.

The minimum wage would go to $7.60 an hour on Jan. 1, 2009 -- a 20-cent hourly increase over the state's current wage -- under legislation sponsored by Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat who owns Venus Pizza in Coventry.

There would be annual wage increases every January 1, linked to the Consumer Price Index for the Northeast. Annual automatic increases would be capped at 3 percent.

"This measure will bring a much-needed degree of stability and continuity to the process, which is beneficial for both working Rhode Islanders and businesses in our state," Raptakis said in the statement.

He added that this bill "will take the politics out of this and establish a reasonable and specific way of calculating annual increases. It will make sure the minimum wage provides buying power for workers while giving small businesses the chance to effectively regulate and budget their personnel costs.”

Rhode Island has among the nation's highest minimum-wage rates in the nation, at $7.40 an hour, The Journal has reported. As of Jan. 1 just seven other states had higher minimum wages, including neighboring- Massachusetts was at $8 an hour and Connecticut at $7.65 an hour.

Republican Governor Carcieri let one minimum-wage increase go into effect without his signature early in his tenure, but vetoed another. The House and Senate have wide Democratic majorities.

In Connecticut last month, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, vetoed legislation that would have raised that state’s minimum wage from $7.65 to $8 starting Jan.1, 2009, and to $8.25 starting Jan. 1, 2010, according to a news release.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Despite record-shattering temperatures, National Grid has seen no power failures in Rhode Island today that were directly tied to the hot weather, according to a company spokesman.

"We have about a half-dozen single outages scattered around the state that do not appear to be weather related," said spokesman David Graves.

Graves said there had been about 1,600 customers on the Johnston-Providence line without power at 3:41 p.m., but those had been restored by evening. He said "it's difficult to say" if those were weather-related. He said a device that detects faults in the system opened, the way a circuit breaker does, and power had been temporarily down.

Projected evening thunderstorms that posed some concern earlier today appeared later to be on course to dissipate over the Berkshires in Massachusetts, Graves said.

ISO New England, the organization overseeing the power grid in the six New England states, projected a maximum demand of 27,020 megawatts for the region. It says it also has available an additional reserve ready if demand were to outstrip that projection.

One megawatt is enough to power between 750 and 1,000 homes. The current record for actual, realized demand for this month -- not simply the projection the ISO prepares for -- was set last June 27: a peak of 26,055 megawatts, said ISO spokeswoman Erin O'Brien

The all-time record for electrical use in New England was 28,130 megawatts, set in August 2006.

"Each day," said O'Brien, "We create a forecast for the region's electricity use and available supplies and other sources to meet that demand. We do that by taking a look at weather patterns -- for example, what day of the week it is, is school in session, is it a holiday, and we arrive at a forecast for the region's electricity use."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WARWICK -- The police are looking for a man alleged to have assaulted a woman with a knife inside a car in a Super Stop & Shop parking lot and then allegedly sexually assaulted her in Roger Williams Park in Providence.

Warwick police said in a news release today that a Hispanic male with a slight mustache, 20 to 30 years old, 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-9 and weighing 150 pounds, entered the Stop & Shop at 300 Quaker Lane, at about 5:40 p.m. Sunday.

The police said the suspect had dark brown hair above the ears and parted high on his left side. He had on "dirty/baggy jeans with tethered legs" and dark low-rise sneakers with white markings.

Video surveillance showed him entering wearing a dark tank top, described as possibly a woman's due to thin shoulder straps, baggy work jeans and dark sneakers. He had a white T-shirt thrown over a shoulder.

The police asked that anyone with information contact the Warwick police at (401) 468-4233 or Providence police at (401) 272-3121.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Continue reading "Suspect sought in alleged kidnap, assault in Warwick" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The state Health Department closed two beaches to swimming today, and a third beach, closed June 6, remains so.

Goddard Memorial Beach and Oakland Beach, both in Warwick, were closed today to swimming because of high bacteria counts.

Mackerel Cove Beach, in Jamestown, was closed June 6, also due to bacteria.

For updated information about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information about call (401) 222-2751.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PROVIDENCE -- Those seeking to escape the heat by heading to the Providence Publc Library should not go to three of its branches -- including one a city Emergency Management Agency recommended in a news release yesterday -- because they do not have air conditioning and are closed.

The Knight Memorial branch at 275 Elmwood Ave. is not open. A news release yesterday included incorrect information on its status.

The other two branches that are not open are Smith Hill, at 31 Candace St., and Washington Park, at 1380 Broad St.

According to the Providence Public Library, the air-conditioned branches that are open today -- along with the correct hours of operation -- are:

* Rochambeau, 708 Hope St. (9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

* Mt. Pleasant, 315 Academy Ave. (1 p.m. to 9 p.m.)

* Providence central branch, 150 Empire St. (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

* Olneyville branch, 1 Olneyville Square (9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.).

* Fox Point branch, 90 Ives Street (1 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

* Wanskuck branch, 233 Veazie St., (1 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

* South Providence branch, 441 Prairie Ave., (1 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A "welcoming lady" for the town of Hopkinton, Mass., recalls the British man accused of killing his wife and baby girl as a loving, attentive father who "absolutely beamed" every time he looked as his daughter.

Pamela Jackson testified today in the trial of Neil Entwistle, who is accused of fatally shooting his 27-year-old wife, Rachel, and 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, at their Hopkinton home in January 2006.

Jackson's testimony brought Neil Entwistle's mother, Yvonne, to tears. She was led out of the courtroom by Entwistle's father, Clifford.

Jackson welcomes new people into the town and said she visited the Entwistles five days before the killings. She said Neil Entwistle asked about town activities for his wife and daughter and seemed devoted to both.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The heat, all 93 degrees of it, is on -- and so were the masses of people in Providence trying to get on free RIPTA buses to the beach.

Supervisors in Kennedy Plaza this morning were telling would-be riders that buses were more than full, and asking them to step off because they could not drive buses with so many people aboard. Some passengers at one point refused to get off an overcrowded bus.

RIPTA staff were "having a hard time today because the weather is really bad," RIPTA spokeswoman Karen Mensel said.

If "there's too many people -- it's a safety issue," she said.

All buses and trolleys that can be in use are, Mensel said. But buses that need repairs to such things as air conditioning are not. Adhering to a vehicle's capacity is important, she said.

The free rides exclude special services such as the Providence to Newport ferry.

There are other ways to stay cool today as well in the city.

The Providence Emergency Management Agency has opened an emergency shelter at the Da Vinci Center, 401 Charles Street, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Providence Community Action announced today that the Elmwood Community Center at 155 Niagara St. will be open as a cooling center for seniors residing in the Elmwood and Washington Park Neighborhoods. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and tomorrow.

Providence city officials have encouraged residents to visit one of the following Providence Public Library branches anytime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.:

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal photographer Bill Murphy

Continue reading "Too many turn out for RIPTA's free beach bus / Video" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell are among the restaurants and supermarkets that have pulled certain types of raw tomatoes from their menus while federal officials hunt for the source of a 17-state salmonella outbreak.

The outbreak has been linked to certain red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that since mid-April, 167 people infected with salmonella with the same "genetic fingerprint" have been identified. At least 23 people have been hospitalized.

The Food and Drug Administration is recommending that consumers not eat raw red Roma, raw red plum, raw red round tomatoes, or products that contain these types of raw red tomatoes unless the tomatoes were grown in certain states or countries.

The FDA says red Roma, red plum and round red tomatoes grown in the following states or countries were not associated with the outbreak: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands and Puerto Rico.

If unsure of where tomatoes are grown or harvested, consumers are encouraged to contact the store where the tomatoes were bought.

Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, or tomatoes grown at home are not associated with the outbreak.

More information, including an updated list of safe tomatoes, from the FDA's Web site.

FDA Q&A

Read the AP's national story: Tomatoes pulled off shelves amid salmonella scare.

-- With staff and Associated Press reports

Continue reading "Restaurants pull tomatoes; FDA investigates salmonella" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
Before the heat sets in, Ignacio Sena, of Cranston, waters his lawn this morning. The temperature in Cranston had already hit 81 degrees before 9 a.m. as the third day of record heat continues. The excessive heat should break tomorrow and the rest of the week looks considerably cooler.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Claus von Bulow outside Superior Court in Providence on June 9, 1985. Then-Journal reporter Alan Rosenberg, who was covering the trial, is in the background.

On this day in 1985, socialite Claus von Bulow was acquitted by a jury in Providence on charges he'd tried to murder his heiress wife, Martha "Sunny" von Bulow.

The year before, he had been found guilty of the charges against him in a high-profile trial in Newport.

When the case came back a second time, to Providence, The Journal's Alan Rosenberg, now our South County regional editor, was the newspaper's lead reporter.

Last year, he wrote a column recalling those days, when the court appearances of von Bulow were covered like he was visiting royalty -- or Paris Hilton.

A few months later, he followed up on the whereabouts of Sunny von Bulow. Today, she's in a nursing home somewhere in New York City, according to various online sources, Rosenberg says.

Read more about other events in history today.

Watch a video of highlights from today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Providence area should push another record high temperature today before the region feels some relief tomorrow.

The mercury should climb to 96 degrees, and that would break the record for the date of 94 degrees set in 1974, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Yesterday, the temperatures hit 97 degrees, breaking the record for the date of 95 degrees in 1984.

The state Department of Environmental Management has issued an air quality alert, meaning that ground level ozone concentrations could exceed unhealthy levels.

All Rhode Island Public Transit Authority routes, except for special services, are free today because of the high ozone levels.

After the worst of the heat and humidity today, a cold front should bring some relief tomorrow. Still, tomorrow's high should reach 88 degrees. Cooler conditions should move in later this week.

The record heat has prompted some schools to cancel classes today or call off school early. Check the list.

This morning, areas of fog should clear by 9 a.m. and then it will be sunny with a west wind of 10 mph. shifting and coming from south.

Scattered showers should move in late tonight and the temperature should fall to about 65 degrees.

For more weather, see projo.com/weather.

Tips on coping with the heat.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features coverage of the record heat in Rhode Island and its impact on area schools.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Malory Cameron, left and Patty Condry, both of Newport, cooled off today by jumping off the Van Zandt Pier, Washington Street, Newport. Cameron, a bartender, and Condry, who works banquets, said the still-cold water felt great.

It's 94 degrees out -- as of 7 p.m.

So it's probably best to play it cool tonight by staying cool.

It's been a day of record-breaking temperatures. More unseasonally high heat is in tomorrow's forecast.

Tomorrow is expected to be sunny with a high near 95 degrees. But the today's northwesterly winds will swing around to the southwest. And heat index values could make it feel as high as 101, according to the National Weather Service.

Seek refuge in air-conditioning, if you can, before a cold front begins to move in later this week.

Tomorrow night there is a chance of scattered thunderstorms, largely between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Wednesday.

For those who do plan to venture out tonight, check projo.com's club listings. Sorry, you'll have to call ahead to find out about that air conditioning.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Education has determined that prospective superintendent Thomas M. Brady is eligible to receive a superintendent’s certificate, according to a spokesman for the education commissioner.

Today, the Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education was supposed to vote on whether to grant Brady a waiver from the certificate, but Commissioner Peter McWalters told the board that no action was necessary because Brady apparently has the credentials to satisfy the state regulations.

The state educators’ certification office has yet to approve Brady’s request for certification, but education department spokesman Elliot Krieger said he expects that the board will act quickly since Brady is scheduled to arrive here in mid-July.

“The Regents don’t have to do anything,” Krieger said today. “The certification office has to review the waiver. Brady does seem to meet the qualifications.”

Brady, who is interim superintendent of the Philadelphia school district, has a non-traditional resume. After a 25-year career in the Army, Brady was appointed chief executive officer of the Fairfax, Va., school district. In 2004, he enrolled in the Broad Center, a nationally recognized program that trains military and private CEOs to become urban school leaders. The state Department of Education apparently considers the one-year Broad program as roughly equivalent to a graduate degree in education.

-- Journal staff writer Linda Borg

Continue reading "Update: No Regents' vote on new superintendent needed" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOPKINTON, Mass. -- A Rhode Island woman driving south on Interstate 495 in Massachusetts lost control of her Honda minivan, struck a second vehicle and rolled over. Three children and two women were injured.

State police say 37-year-old Ana Rosario, 65-year-old Alida Cruz-Valdez, both of Providence, and a child who was ejected from the vehicle were flown by helicopter to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester after the crash about 7:30 a.m. Monday.

The two other children were taken by ambulance to Milford Hospital. The two girls and a boy suffered serious injuries.

Trooper Thomas Murphy says the accident is under investigation. The highway was shut down temporarily, causing long traffic backups, but was cleared about three hours later.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- Providence's Emergency Management Agency has opened an emergency shelter at the Da Vinci Center, 401 Charles St., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and tomorrow and, according to the news release from the mayor's office, is making arrangements to open more "cooling shelters" in the city.

Also, along with safety precautions in the schools tomorrow due to expected oppressive hot weather, city officials said Providence is in the process of distributing 1,800 bottles of water in Kennedy Plaza, to recreation centers, and to other parts of the city. The water will be distributed using the city's police department cruisers.

The city EMA has reached out to the Providence Public Library and senior centers, which it said are prepared for extra visitors.

Officials encouraged residents to visit one of the following library branches anytime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.:

* Rochambeau, 708 Hope St.

* Mt. Pleasant, 315 Academy Ave.

* Knight Memorial, 275 Elmwood Ave.

* Central Library Branch, 150 Empire St.

* Fox Point, 90 Ives St.

* Olneyville, 1 Olneyville Square

The mayor's senior services office has "reached out to all of the city’s high rises and senior centers" to offer help to people and to encourage those living in units without air conditioners to go to community rooms.

The senior services office will also start distributing fans to seniors in need tomorrow, the news release said.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Boxes of documents standing 30 feet high thumped into the Office of the Attorney General on Friday, as Lifespan and Care New England began filing their long-awaited application to merge into a seven-hospital conglomerate.

A similar set of documents -- 50,000 pages, assembled in three-ring binders, packed into 30 boxes -- also landed at the state Department of Health.

And, by the end of business today, it still wasn’t over.

As befitting a plan expected to transform the state’s health-care system, the application is so mammoth that the mere process of filing it is taking days. Both paper and electronic versions are being sent.

“It will take a few days for the application to be fully filed and the regulatory process to begin,” said Jane Bruno, Lifespan spokeswoman.

The paper version arrived Friday but there were technical issues with the electronic version, Bruno said.

“We’re not saying we’ve officially received an application,” said Andrea Bagnall Degos, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health, acknowledging only the receipt of paper documents.

-- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer

Continue reading "Mammoth hospital merger application filing takes days" »

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HOLYOKE, Mass. -- The heat wave has sharply reduced a surplus of electricity in New England as people use more energy to cool down.

The operator of New England's power grid reported high electricity demand and a tight supply today, with expectations of a slightly tighter supply on Tuesday in the six-state region.

Holyoke-based ISO New England Inc. expects to have adequate system capacity including a required power reserve on Tuesday, but the surplus will be much smaller than usual.

The company projects energy use to peak at about 27,000 megawatts tomorrow, up from nearly 26,000 on Monday. As temperatures cool, the surplus is expected to grow beginning Wednesday. The region's all time peak power use was set Aug. 2, 2006, at 28,130 megawatts.

In a May release of reliability assessment findings, which gauge how well the region’s power grids are prepared for hot weather, the Northeast Power Coordinating Council predicted the Northeast will have "sufficient" electricity this summer, even under extremely hot and humid conditions.

The only situation in which the electricity supply may be overtaxed is the combination of extreme weather conditions, such as a prolonged heat wave with high humidity, along with "severe resource unavailability," or the outage of several power plants in the region, the NPCC said. Under those circumstances, the New England and New York power grids might need to implement procedures that cut demand, such as asking people to conserve electricity. "This scenario is unlikely to occur," the council said.

The Northeast Power Coordinating Council, which works to improve the reliability of the power grid in seven states and parts of Canada.

-- With reports from The Associated Press and Providence Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Transportation’s dramatic delivery of the new Providence River Bridge by barge in August 2006 after a dozen-mile trip up the Bay has won the agency an award for innovation from a group representing transportation officials.

The arch bridge is now the most prominent part of the agency’s biggest project, the relocation of a section of Route 195 and its interchange with Route 95.

The award for innovative management, from the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials, also puts the DOT in the running for a national award from the organization’s parent, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. That organization represents transportation officials in all 50 states and is a source for construction standards and other technical services.

The region the DOT won in includes the six New England States, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

“The Department is extremely proud of the Iway project and this recognition,” DOT Director Michael Lewis said.

He said that building the bridge elsewhere and floating it to Providence "was the safest, most efficient means of constructing it. It was a great feat of engineering.”

Lewis became head of the department in March after managing a much bigger bit of engineering: Boston’s Big Dig.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Continue reading "DOT wins award for 'innovative' delivery of Iway bridge" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Weather Service late today announced that an excessive heat watch for the region has been canceled.

"Important but lesser heat advisory conditions are expected Tuesday afternoon but excessive heat warning conditions are not likely," according to a news release.

So the watch for the "more dangerous excessive heat conditions
has been discontinued" for northern Rhode Island and interior southeastern Massachusetts.

Get the latest on area conditions, forecasts and more at: projo.com/weather

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As the region faces unusually high temperatures for this early in the season -- and before schools are out -- at least one Rhode Island school system closed schools early today, while others are mulling what they should do tomorrow.

Predictions of poor air quality, high humidity and temperatures in the mid-90s prompted the cancellation of afternoon classes in Pawtucket public schools today, with students scheduled to be dismissed right after lunch, School Supt. Hans W. Dellith said.

Dellith declined to give exact dismissal times, saying he was “too busy” to talk to a reporter. Just when students are sent home will vary, he said, from school to school.

Scituate schools cancelled activities today, while others without air conditioning are deciding what to do tomorrow.

By 3:05 p.m., the Providence area had tied, then broke, then broke again a record high for the date of 95 degrees, set in 1984 The second high temperature of the day hit 97 degrees.

While dozens of schools in Connecticut sent students home early, Providence decided to keep schools open. The School Department issued a statement this afternoon, saying the schools were taking "necessary steps" to ensure students are safe and that it plans to keep schools open tomorrow, too.

The Providence School Department said it was keeping students inside and is giving them bottled water to keep them hydrated. The school department said it would "monitor the needs of students" on buses this afternoon and that emergency personnel would distribute bottled water when it's necessary.

It also advised parents to dress their children in light, loose-fitting clothes, to limit physical activity and keep them in air-conditioning when possible.

Parents with questions can call the Parent Call Center at 456-0686.

Classes will be dismissed early tomorrow in the Bristol-Warren public school districts and in Seekonk, Mass., due to the forecasted excessive heat.

“It’s unbearable in the buildings,” Seekonk schools Supt. Emile Chevrette said this afternoon of his school system, where only a handful of classrooms have air conditioning. “It’s very difficult for learning to take place in these conditions. It’s best to take precautions.”

North Providence Public Schools say they will dismiss classes tomorrow after lunch. Tiverton public schools also say they will dismiss classes early.

Keep up with notices of closings and dismissals via this service provided by the Rhode Island Broadcasters Association.

Read tips from the state Department of Health for protecting yourself from hot weather.

-- Journal staff writer John Castellucci, Meaghan Wims and The Associated Press reports

Continue reading "Update: Heat wave putting pressure on area schools" »

Posted by Jack Perry at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

PROVIDENCE -- Crews are at the scene of a fire at a residence in the area of Elmwood Avenue and Sawyer Street this afternoon, fire dispatch reports.

More information is not yet available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Providence area sweated and sweltered on its way to a new record for this day, with temperatures hitting 97 degrees.

The previous record of 95 degrees was set in 1984, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick hit the 97-degree mark at 3:03 p.m. The area had hit the 96-degree mark as of 2:02 p.m., and tied the old record of 95 degrees as of 1:01 p.m.

The hot weather is driving Rhode Island to seek relief at the shore and so far has closed schools in Pawtucket.

Get the latest temperatures for Providence and other places around Rhode Island at projo.com/weather.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Your turn: Does the heat wave lift you to poetic heights? Post your hot-weather haiku

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The state Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education has approved a special exception for Thomas M. Brady, selected as the new Providence schools superintendent, to take the position without having a doctoral degree.

Brady, who has been interim superintendent of the Philadelphia school district, meets most state requirements, except for not having attending a formal graduate program in education and not teaching in a public school.

Mayor David R. Cicilline sought a waiver from the Board of Regents on the grounds that Brady has significant experience -- some 25 years of military service and his decade-long career in top management positions in large urban public schools.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan and Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- A British man accused of fatally shooting his wife and baby daughter asked if they could be buried together because “that’s the way I left them,” his father-in-law testified today.

Neil Entwistle is charged in the January 2006 killings of his wife, Rachel, 27, and their daughter, Lillian Rose, 9 months, in their rented Hopkinton, Mass., home. Prosecutors allege Entwistle was in debt and dissatisfied with his sex life when he shot his family, then bought a one-way airline ticket home to England.

Rachel Entwistle’s stepfather, Joseph Matterazzo, testified that Neil Entwistle called him from his parents’ home in Worksop, England, several times in the days after the killings.
During one conversation, Matterazzo told Entwistle that he and Rachel’s mother were making funeral arrangements.

“He asked me if Rachel and Lilly could be buried together,” Matterazzo said.

“He says, ’because that’s the way I left them, I mean, that’s the way I found them,’ “ Matterazzo recalled Entwistle saying.

When Assistant District Attorney Michael Fabbri asked Matterazzo if he was certain of what Entwistle said, Matterazzo replied emphatically, “That’s exactly what he said.”

-- The Associated Press

Continue reading "Father-in-law testifies in Entwistle double murder trial" »

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Journal photos/ Bill Murphy
Nathan Pereira, age 1, takes a dip this morning at Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods State Park.

Sabrina Pereira, age 4, heads for the beach after taking a swim in Olney Pond.

Lifeguard Chelsea Gibbons (left), age 18, of Cumberland, struggles with a broken umbrella. Keeping an eye on the swimmers is fellow lifeguard Laura Ginish (right), age 21, from Lincoln.

Cassandra Bey (left) of Providence and Milton Goncalves (right) of Pawtucket cool off this morning.

Looking to cool off with a dip today? Check our guide to state beaches, the state's Beach Monitoring program and coastal water temperatures before you go.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

AP photo / Joel Page
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., returns to his Hyannisport, Mass. home, today.

BOSTON -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy said it was "good to be home" after flying back to Massachusetts on Monday, one week after undergoing an aggressive and delicate surgery to treat a cancerous brain tumor.

Kennedy left the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., on Monday morning and arrived at his family's compound in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod just before noon.

Kennedy, who was wearing a hat, told reporters waiting outside his home it was "good to be home, good to be here."

When asked how he was feeling, he said, "Glad to be home, I'll tell ya."

His son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, is doing well after the surgery. "It went better than anyone expected," Kennedy said last night at the Rhode Island Democratic State Convention.

Sen. Kennedy's office released a statement today, saying the senator's "doctors are pleased with his progress since surgery a week ago, and he will continue to recuperate at home before starting the next phase of his treatment. He is thankful for the extraordinary care of the doctors and nurses at Duke, and also for the continued prayers and well wishes from the people of Massachusetts and all over the country."

Patrick Kennedy said his father is now looking ahead to working with Sen. Barack Obama, whom the Rhode Island Democratic Party yesterday endorsed unanimously for president.

"I know he's planning for the future," Patrick Kennedy said of his father, "and being chairman of the committee that will consider the health-care legislation when Obama is president."

Sen. Kennedy has worked for universal health care since his election to the senate in 1962. His recent illness, according to Patrick Kennedy, has added urgency to the potential legislation.

He really wants to make sure that he's ready to go," Patrick Kennedy said about his father, "so that he can make health care available to everyone else who needs it."

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Scott MacKay and the Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PAWTUCKET -- Firefighters are responding to a fire at 210 Harrison St., according to fire dispatch.

No other details were available.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The thought of a ripe, red tomato may sound pretty good right now, but choose carefully.

The Food and Drug Administration has expanded a warning that a salmonellosis outbreak has been linked to certain red plum, red roma and red round tomatoes.

The warning does not apply to cherry or grape tomatoes, or to tomatoes still attached to the vine.

Since mid-April, nearly 150 cases of salmonella Saintpaul –– including 23 hospitalizations –– have been reported in states including Connecticut.

According to a statement from the FDA, tomatoes from the following places have not been associated with the outbreak: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico.

Find the updated list of safe tomatoes on the FDA’s Web site.

Salmonellosis is caused by the Salmonella bacteria and can be fatal in the most severe cases.

It can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days and typically clears up on its own.

But in infants, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, the illness –– particularly severe diarrhea –– can require hospitalization.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PROVIDENCE -- The House Finance Committee has marked a major juncture in this year’s waning legislative session by posting notice that it may unveil -- and vote -- on Wednesday on an as yet unseen version of the new state budget for the year that begins on July 1.

The meeting has been posted for 1 p.m. Wednesday on the bill officially known as “H7390.’’

As State House veterans know, the meeting may be postponed for hours, days, and longer than that if the House, the Senate and in some years, the governor’s office are unable to reach agreements as happened with the mid-year budget repair bill that was posted and postponed numerous times before it finally cleared the House Finance Committee earlier this spring.

But when asked the likelihood House Finance will vote on the big 2008-09 money bill on Wednesday, House spokesman Larry Berman earlier today said: ‘’They are likely to do the budget on Wednesday, but it is always subject to any last minute change in scheduling.’’

The bill in its current state reflects what Republican Governor Carcieri proposed early this winter. Since then revenue estimates have dropped, and the potential deficit next year has swelled to $425 million by one estimate, though the governor and others believe it may be higher.

To plug a hole like that, lawmakers have had to at least consider program cuts that would go well beyond what Carcieri proposed, with organized labor -- and some impassioned community activitists -- urging more dramatic steps ranging from tax hikes, to the reversal or postponement of income tax cuts for the state’s wealthiest citizens, to sale of the state Lottery.

But in an interview last week, House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino said he has "major issues" with using bonds or selling the state’s bridges or lottery to help close the gap, but left the door open for limited "one-time fixes."

"One-shot deals for one-time expenditures aren’t necessarily a bad thing," he said, while refusing to explain what one-time revenue sources he would support.

-- Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WOBURN, Mass. -- The trial of a British man accused in the fatal shootings of his wife and baby daughter is continuing with testimony from a man who went target shooting with the defendant.

Neil Entwistle is charged with killing his wife, 27-year-old Rachel Entwistle, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, in their Hopkinton home.

Today Entwistle's defense attorneys cross-examined Rachel Entwistle's uncle, Lloyd Cooke.

Cooke testified Friday that he and Rachel Entwistle's stepfather, Joe Matterazzo, went target shooting with Neil Entwistle twice in the months before the killings.

Prosecutors claim Entwistle took Matterazzo's .22-caliber handgun out of a locked gun case to kill his wife and daughter, then drove from Hopkinton to the Matterazzo home in Carver to return it.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo/ Mary Murphy
Bill Cosby, right, pats Andres Idarraga on the back after Idarraga's keynote speech at the graduations for inmates in various programs at the John J. Moran Medium Security facility at the ACI. Idarraga is a former inmate. His father, Argemiro, is on the left

CRANSTON -- Comedian and education advocate Bill Cosby today joined a former inmate, who's heading to Yale Law School, to speak about something that's important to them both -- education.

Wearing a Community College of Rhode Island t-shirt, white sweatpants and his trademark dark shades, Cosby told a group of more than 200 inmates at an education recognition ceremony, that the world would be better with them in it.

“Responsibility is what it’s about,” he said in an earnest and at times funny speech.

“You can’t go back and let people wait on you. If you want more, you have to give more you have to believe in you. You have to get up. Get up.”

Cosby’s speech followed one by Andres Idarraga, a convicted cocaine dealer who began his college career while he was in jail through a joint CCRI/Department of Corrections education program.

Idarraga, who begins Yale Law School in the fall, spoke today to three inmates who had earned Associate Degrees through the program, and more than 200 who earned high school equivalency or other education certificates while at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston.

Cosby, who has a home in Massachusetts, came to the ACI at his own expense after an invitation, said ACI spokeswoman Tracey Poole.

“He’s here because of his personal mission to speak about education,” she said.

Cosby told the group that in their lives, they could have bursts of achievement and success that would overshadow the mistakes they’d made in the past. But it was up to them.

“You did wrong, you got busted,” he said.

“But are you still dumb?”

--projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Sometimes heat makes us do irrational things.

With temperatures expected to hit the mid 90s, and a heat index shooting past 100 degrees, any body of water might start to look tempting.

But the Environmental Protection Agency is reminding people –– especially residents of North Providence, Johnston and Providence –– to steer clear of the Woonasquatucket River, which has sediment that’s contaminated with dioxins.

Of course, it's still a beautiful river in places, and local groups have been working with the EPA to clean contaminated areas and make the river and its banks a pleasant place to be.

So walk, run or bike along the river's edge. Even take a canoe or kayak on the river, but be sure to wash thoroughly after any contact with the water or sediment. And here are some more tips for safely enjoying the river:

Don’t eat fish, turtles, eels or other wildlife or plants from the Woonasquatucket River.
Don’t wade in the shallow water or swim in the river.
Don’t dig into the river banks.
Do obey warning signs posted along the river.

For more information, see information from the EPA about the Woonasquatucket River.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Providence, the city, will host crew of Providence, the submarine, today.

The crew of the USS Providence, a Los Angeles-class sub, is slated to visit for one day.

The reason? To "renew and further strengthen the bond of friendship between Providence sailors and the residents of its namesake city," according to a news release.

Scheduled are a “U.S.S. Providence Day” proclamation from the mayor's office, crew member visits to St. Joseph Living Center and Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, a speaking engagement with the Providence Rotary Club, a Navy League reception and a Pawtucket Red Sox ball game.

“We’ve enjoyed a long and prosperous relationship with the city of Providence,” Michael Holland, the U.S.S. Providence's commander, said in the statement.

“USS Providence Day gives us the opportunity to show our appreciation to the city that has supported us for more than 20 years.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Members of the Rhode Island Air National Guard are set to return to the Ocean State this morning after a 6-month deployment in Saudi Arabia.

The 25 members of the 143rd Airlift Wing’s 143 Security Forces Squadron are set to arrive at Quonset Point Air National guard Base at 11 a.m. today.

The unit was deployed in December and worked on airbase ground defense and law enforcement for a housing area for U.S. forces in the Riyadh area.

The 143rd Squadron was the first National Guard unit in Rhode Island to deploy after the attacks of Sept. 11, leaving for command headquarters in Florida by Sept. 16. Since then they have been continuously deployed, serving in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Guantanamo Bay.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
The sun peeks through the leaves this morning as Rhode Island prepares for another hot and humid day.

One hundred and seven degrees.

OK, the mercury isn't supposed to really climb that high, it's actually set to reach the mid-to-upper 90s, potentially breaking the 1984 record of 95 degrees.

And the National Weather Service is forecasting the heat index could climb well past 100 degrees today.

And with that heat comes alerts and hazardous weather watches.

The Department of Environmental Management has issued an air quality alert, warning of potentially dangerous levels of ozone, which is created when smog is heated near the earth's surface. Ozone can cause respiratory problems, especially in children and the elderly.

This alert means public transportation will be free -- which is a win-win since not only does that mean you can stay out of the heat, it may also keep some cars off the road, limiting emissions that contribute to ozone creation.

NWS has also issued a general excessive heat watch. High temperatures and humidity can lead to health problems aside from respiratory -- among them heat stroke. People suffer heat stroke when their bodies become unable to regulate temperature; humidity keeps sweat from evaporating, and the body can't cool down. Heat stroke can be fatal.

The National Weather Service recommends staying out of the sun and drinking lots of water -- no alcohol! -- and finding an air conditioned place to rest.

Besides the heat, there's a slight chance of thunderstorms later this afternoon, and a south wind 5 to 10 mph.

There's also a chance of showers tonight, otherwise we'll have cloudy skies and a low temperature hitting about 71 degrees.

Another chance of showers tomorrow afternoon. We may see high winds and lots of lightening. And the temperature? It's set to hit 98 degrees -- without the heat index.

Keep an eye on the heat at projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Can Providence do more with its waterfront? Some people think so.

In an opinion piece in Friday's Journal, Mayor David N. Cicilline shared some of his ideas for a mixed-use neighborhood on the waterfront along Allens Avenue.

Beginning today, residents will have the chance to add their opinions at the first of a series of forums titled “Providence Tomorrow.”

The forums will begin this morning with presentations on regulations, the environment, and the current practices at the port.

Tomorrow will bring presentations by city planners from Portland, Maine, and Baltimore. They’ll discuss ways to revive commercial waterfront land for mixed uses. And there will be small group discussions, which will continue Wednesday.

Thursday night, Cicilline and the City Council will do a final presentation –– the results of which will help guide the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Cicilline said in a statement.

For more information, call the city’s Department of Planning and Development: (401) 351-4300 or download a .PDF copy of the full schedule.

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Conn. -- A state official says one person has died and four remain hospitalized after lightning struck a pavilion at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

Dennis Schain of the Department of Environmental Protection says the lightning struck shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday near the West Beach parking area.

The names of the victims have not been released. Schain says the person who died was brought to the Shoreline Clinic in Essex.

No other details are available.

Hammonasset is Connecticut's largest shoreline park, with more than 2 miles of beach along Long Island Sound.

Strong thunderstorms moved through the state on Sunday afternoon. Connecticut Light & Power says nearly 26,000 of its customers in the state are without power.

Video: See footage from the scene.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day in 1870, author Charles Dickens died at the age of 58.

Check out more from today in history.

View a video report on today in history.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's front page features a story about Andres Idarraga, a former inmate at the ACI who went on to graduate from Brown University and has been accepted to the nation's top law school at Yale University.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's high season once again for high school graduations.

Between today and the end of the weekend, 67 of the area's 88 high schools will grant diplomas to some 11,000 students.

Not sure where or when your soon-to-be grad will be walking?

Check the schedule.

On Sunday, we'll have a story on the Class of 2008 valedictorians. For a sneak peak, here's a short video.

And for more on high school graduations, keep checking projo.com

Posted by maria caporizzo at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Arguments for motions for a new trial for the three Narragansett Indians convicted of misdemeanor charges related to the state police smoke-shop raid have been postponed to June 17, according to a judiciary spokesman.

They were scheduled for Wednesday next week in Providence County Superior Court.

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas was found 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.

State police used a search warrant on the roadside shop on tribal land in Charlestown July 14, 2003, to stop the Narragansetts from selling cigarettes without charging state taxes.

Things turned confrontational and eight Narragansetts were arrested. Charges against a juvenile were dismissed in Family Court. The seven other tribal members were tried earlier this year

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

JOHNSTON -- A 17-year-old Scituate boy was injured earlier this afternoon when he lost control of a vehicle that smashed through a telephone pole and a fire hydrant before it rolled over and came to rest, the police said.

The boy was seen driving at a high rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic as he headed west on Hartford Avenue just before 1 p.m., according to Johnston Deputy Police Chief Gary Maddocks. Firefighters removed the teen from the vehicle. He was conscious but suffering from cuts and bruises, and took him to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.

The driver did not appear to be wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, Maddocks said. An investigation continues.

Traffic on Hartford Avenue was backed up several miles in east and west as crews cleared the debris and dealt with downed power lines.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today announced 27 members of an advisory panel to monitor how his executive order cracking down on illegal immigration is carried out.

The order generated controversy and questionsafter it was announced in April.

The group includes members from religious communities, community agencies, government, law enforcement and business.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Continue reading "Carcieri names 27 to advisory panel on immigration order" »

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It’s only 60 degrees outside, but authorities are already worried about the potential health risks that we’ll be dealing with this weekend when the temperature shoots past the 70s, past the 80s, and settles in the mid-90s for a few days.

The state’s Department of Environmental Management has issued its first air quality alerts of the year for this Saturday and Sunday.

The same hot and humid air mass that will likely drive people to the beaches this weekend also leads to overall poor air quality and the potential for health hazards.

The biggest problem is ozone, which forms near the surface when pollutants –– such as car exhaust and industrial emissions –– react with sunlight and sufficient heat. Ozone can cause a host of respiratory symptoms, including throat irritation, shortness of breath and chest pains.

And the National Weather Service reminds us to be on the lookout for heat stroke, often associated with high temperatures and humidity.

So limit exposure; don’t do any strenuous work outdoors midday, and pay particular attention to children, elderly and people with lung diseases, who are at the most risk.

RIPTA bus and trolley routes are free whenever there’s an alert. Check for updates at the DEM's air quality forecast Web site.

Click below for more tips on how to stay healthy during the extreme heat, and get the latest weather at projo.com/weather.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Continue reading "Hot weather also bringing season's first ozone alerts" »

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)