Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

WARWICK, R.I. -- District Court Judge Frank J. Cenerini on Friday ordered Michael J. Patino, 27, accused of fatally injuring 6-year-old Marco Nieves of Cranston, held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions pending trial, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a news release.

Marco died of an internal injury at Hasbro Children's Hospital Oct. 4 after allegedly having been struck by Patino the previous day, according to the news release.

Although charged with murder, which is a capital offense, Patino, like every defendant, had a constitutional right to a bail hearing, the release noted. The hearing started Oct. 30 and extended through Friday afternoon, after which Cenerini found that the state's prosecutors, Special Assistant Attorney General Molly Cote and Assistant Attorney General Randy White, had met the state's legal burden, according to the Rhode Island Constitution, that "the proof of guilt is evident and the presumption of guilt is great."

The state must prove a higher burden, proof beyond a reasonable doubt, if the case goes to trial in Superior Court.

"This is only the first step of a very long and tortuous road to ensure justice for young Marco," said Lynch.

LINCOLN, R.I. -- Police, prosecutors and highway officials offered some sobering statistics Friday at a rest area on Route 295 in a press conference they called to urge motorists to drive safely, wear seatbelts, pay attention and don't drive drunk.

With just less than two months to go in 2009, 57 motorists and 10 pedestrians have died on Rhode Island roads and highways, more than died in all of 2008, said Col. Brendan P. Doherty, superintendent of the R.I. State Police.

And the holiday season hasn't started.

In 2008, there were a total of 53 motor vehicle and 12 pedestrian fatalities. Some of the reasons for the increase in fatalities include speed, inattentiveness (including texting), driving while intoxicated, and motorists not wearing seatbelts.

Jay Sullivan, a state traffic safety resources prosecutor, said 20 of those who died were younger than 30. Of those, three were killed in motorcycle crashes, and two of those were not wearing helmets. Of the 17 people under 30 who who were in vehicles, none was wearing a seatbelt.

Of people older than 30, the dead included 29 people who were not wearing seatbelts.

"There's only one thing we have in mind when we come to a press conference like this," said Law Enforcement Highway Safety Training Coordinator Richard Sullivan after the press conference, "and that's saving lives."

Video: Police seize large quantity of marijuana in Woonsocket

By Tatiana Pina
Journal Staff Writer

WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- In the past two days, the Woonsocket Police arrested people from two families who they said were selling marijuana, and confiscated 145 pounds of marijuana with a street value of about $145,000.

Two of the six people who were arrested possessed medical marijuana cards, the police said.

Woonsocket Police and Cranston Police, working together on one of the cases, announced the arrests during a news conference at Woonsocket Police headquarters Friday, where they showed off the materials they confiscated, including pounds of marijuana in reclosable plastic bags and black trash bags, pot plants and materials to grow them, as well as a 12-guage shotgun and some cash. The room reeked of the fresh marijuana.

On Wednesday, the Woonsocket Police arrested Edward Thimas, 28, of Upland Road, Woonsocket, and Raymond Thimas Jr., 30, of Forrest Street, Warwick. Each was charged with possession of marijuana 5 kilos and over and eluding police. Raymond Thimas also was charged with resisting arrest, according to Lt. Eugene Jalette of the Woonsocket Police.

Police Chief Thomas Carey of Woonsocket said the brothers are wholesale drug dealers who were providing marijuana to northern Rhode Island and the Cranston area.

Raymond Thimas had a medical marijuana provider card, according to Maj. John Schaffran of the Cranston Police. Schafran said the police had been investigating the brothers for months. He said Cranston Police responding to a call of suspicious activity at a location in Cranston ran into Raymond Thimas in July. They continued to investigate and later were able to link him to the alleged drug operation, he said

"It was a complete abuse of that license," Jalette said.

A tip from Woonsocket Police Department's new tipline helped the police arrest another group of family members who the police said had been growing and selling marijuana at their Woonsocket home at 149 Earle St.

The Woonsocket Police arrested four people at that house Thursday: Sean T. Hawkins, 24, of Woonsocket, was charged with possession of marijuana; Austin Murninghan, of 149 Earle St., was charged with 2 counts of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, two counts conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substance Act, and one count of possession with intent to deliver cocaine.

Michael Patrick Murninghan, 50, Austin Murninghan's father, who also lives at 149 Earle, was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana, maintaining a narcotic nuisance, and conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substance Act.

Corey Murninghan, 24, Michael Patrick Murninghan's son, also of the same address, was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy to violate the Substance Control Act. The police said Corey Murninghan had a medical marijuana card, although it is unclear whether he is licensed as a user or a provider.

All men except for Hawkins are being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions pending a bail hearing review, Jalette said.

The Providence Journal has been following is story today as it develops. Our initial report was posted at 12:30 p.m.

WARWICK, R.I. (AP) - Two-time Oscar-nominated actor James Woods has sued Kent Hospital in Warwick over the 2006 death of his younger brother.

Woods on Friday declined to discuss the lawsuit in detail, but told The Associated Press he wants "justice" for his brother, Michael, who was 49 when he died at Kent Hospital of an apparent heart attack.

Michael Woods was a former video-store owner and two-time mayoral candidate in Warwick. James Woods, executor of his brother's estate, claims that Michael received negligent medical care.

A jury was selected Friday, and opening statements are scheduled for Monday in Kent County Superior Court.

James Woods, who grew up in Warwick, received Oscar nominations for his performances in "Ghosts of Mississippi" and "Salvador." Other credits include "Nixon," ''Casino" and the CBS legal drama "Shark."

Lawyers for both sides say they won't discuss the case while it's pending.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A Superior Court jury has convicted Roger Morin, 49, of 300 Front St., Pawtucket, of child molestation in a case dating to 20 years ago, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a news release Friday.

The jury cleared Morin of a second charge of child molestation. The jury delivered its verdict Wednesday to Judge Robert D. Krause.

The victim alleged that she had been molested by Morin from 1989 to 1992.

Krause ordered Morin, who had been free on bail since his Dec. 8 arraignment on one count of first-degree child molestation and 15 counts of second-degree child molestation, held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions. A motion for a new trial is scheduled for Nov. 20.

A Providence County Grand Jury in December indicted Morin on one count of first-degree child molestation and 15 counts of second-degree child molestation resulting from allegations of child molestation by five victims on dates ranging from Sept. 28, 1989, to Aug. 27, 2004. The crimes were alleged to have taken place in Bristol and Warren. At the time of the indictment, Morin listed an address at 15 Melrose Rd., Bristol.

>> Continue reading: Pawtucket man convicted of child molestation

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- The Police identified the 53-year-old man who was apparently struck and killed by a train early today as Alan Bulris.

Bulris was homeless, according to the police.

Maj. Arthur Martins of the Pawtucket Police said that an Amtrak maintenance crew saw Bulris' body around 12:30 a.m. in the area of the tracks near the vicinity of the Lynch skating arena.

Martins said that based on his injuries, it appeared Bulris had been struck by a train. The police are waiting to hear from the state medical examiner. The police do not know what train hit him and are contacting different train companies. The investigation into the accident is continuing.

The incident occured sometime after midnight Friday, according to the police.

By W. Zachary Malinowski
Journal Staff Writer

LINCOLN, R.I. -- A Massachusetts man with a long, violent criminal record was shot in the face when he tussled with an undercover state police detective during a sting at Lincoln Woods State Park early Friday afternoon, said Col. Brendan P. Doherty.

Arjusz Roszkowski, 26, of North Reading, was planning to rob a bank, so he arranged to buy a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9 mm Glock from a man he believed was also a criminal, said Doherty.

But the seller was actually detective Christopher Zarrella, who posed as a criminal and arranged to meet Roszkowski at the park, Doherty said.

As more than a dozen members of the state police intelligence and tactical units waited in the woods just 15 to 20 feet away, Roszkowski gave Zarrella money for the guns, Doherty said.

When the deal went down, Zarrella identified himself as a state police detective, Doherty said. That, he said, is when Roszkowski reached into his waistband and pulled out a loaded 9 mm handgun.

Zarrella tackled the man to the ground, and they wrestled for control of the gun, Doherty said. The gun suddenly went off, he said, shooting Roszkowski in the chin, through his throat and out his ear.

Roszkowski was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he is expected to recover from his injuries, Doherty said. Zarrella had powder burns on his hands and one arm, but did not need medical attention.

By 1:30 p.m., some of the state troopers who had descended on the park were seen leaving the park's entrance off Twin River Road. Forty-five minutes earlier, leaders in the department -- including the second in command -- were driving to the scene, according to Lt. James Demers, the department's assistant detective commander.

A 28-year-old college residence hall director at Providence College, Arthur Dylag, 28, said he was running the loop around Olney Pond when off to his left he noticed a couple of black SUVs.

At least five men in army fatigues, amed with rifles, emerged from one of the SUVs yelling and screaming, Dylag said. He said he could not see who the men were yelling at. He continued to run, and witihin a minute heard what sounded like a firecracker but might have been a gunshot.

"It looked like a ROTC drill," said Dylag, who recalled seeing ROTC doing similar training exercises at Providence College.

At Lincoln Woods, shortly before 1 p.m., a North Providence resident described police SWAT team activity that she had witnessed. Christeen Barbado, 52, said she was walking her dog, Bailey, along a road in the park when she saw what she described as a police SWAT team running toward an area in a parking lot with their rifles drawn.

Barbado said that after the officers running caught her attention, she saw a body on the ground. She spoke with a man in the area who told her he had heard a gunshot, she said.

At 2:10 p.m., a black Ford Mustang was towed from Lincoln Woods.

Check back with projo.com for more details as they emerge.

-- With reports from Journal Staff Writers Kate Bramson and Mark Reynolds.

This story was first published at 12:56 p.m. and was updated at 1:18, 1:48 and 3:22 p.m.

By Maria Armental
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Interfaith leaders gathered at a news conference Friday at the Jewish Community Center to defend Rhode Island's Muslim community in the aftermath of the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas.

The Rev. Donald Anderson, executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, said the news conference was called to "tell the Muslim community that they are not standing alone."

No anti-Muslim incidents have been reported in Rhode Island, said Anderson and Imam Farid Ansari of the Muslim American Dawah Center of Rhode Island.

"We know the actions of one individual did not represent the actions of one faith," said Marty Cooper, community relations director of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, referring to the Muslim U.S. Army officer who is accused of murdering 13 and wounding many others on Thursday.

The original version of this story was posted at 1:15 p.m. and updated at 2:53 p.m.

CENTRAL FALLS, RI -- George L. Ortiz Jr., who was named interim director of the advocacy organization Progreso Latino in late September, has resigned.

A statement released Friday announcing Ortiz's departure, is dated Nov. 5.

Ortiz wrote in a letter to the board of directors, "My admiration for the staff of Progreso Latino and the people they serve cannot be summed up in a few lines." He added, "Progreso Latino is not just another non-profit in Rhode Island. It serves as a beacon of hope for many that have no other place to turn."

Ortiz, who served as a consultant to Progreso Latino for the past three years, and was chief operating officer when he took over as interim director, said he plans to expand his consulting business.

He replaced Ramon Martinez, who resigned Sept. 25 to pursue a new career, possibly including "national endeavors." Martinez had served as executive director for three years.

The Rev. Eliseo Nogueras, chairman of Progreso Latino's board of directors, could not be reached.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed will be among the panelists Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation when the group discusses the Fort Hood shootings and the elections this week.

Reed will be joined at 10:30 a.m. on WPRI-TV by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, and Ed Rollins, Republican political consultant.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Woonsocket-based Summer Infant Inc. has been hit with a potential class-action lawsuit, the consumer goods maker disclosed Friday in a federal regulatory filing.

The complaint filed with the Circuit Court for Cook County, Ill., alleges that Summer Infant failed to properly warn consumers that signals from its video monitors could be viewed outside the consumer's home.

Summer Infant (SUMR:NASDAQ) designs and sells juvenile health, safety and wellness products to U.S. retailers. On Monday, the company reported net revenues for the third quarter of 2009 were $41 million, a 15-percent increase from $35.6 million in the third quarter of 2008. The revenue increase was driven in part, the company said, by strength in several key categories; including nursery, bath and monitors.

The company said it intends to vigorously defend itself against the complaint, according to the filing filed Friday with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Drivers heading south on Route 95 in Providence will face a new traffic pattern this weekend.

Starting Friday night, the two-lane ramp for Exit 20 will be closed to make way for a new, temporary ramp about 1,000 feet south of its current location. The temporary ramp will be in place through next fall.

Only one lane will be open to access Route 195, and officials say at least one lane will also be closed on Route 95.

The work is expected to be done by late Saturday morning.

The work is part of the multiphase highway construction project known as the Iway

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island College will open a new Veterans Resource Center on its east campus that will serve as a clearinghouse of information for all student veterans and and their families. The opening will take place on Monday at 3 p.m. in Building 5.

Navigating a college campus can be a daunting task, said Monica Darcy, coordinator of veterans programs at RIC: "It's the least we can do for service members and their families who have given so much for their country."

The center will provide information about degree requirements and refer students to the appropriate resources to help them be academically successful. RIC has 90 academic programs approved for veterans and employs a Veterans Administration official who verifies enrollment for veterans' educational benefits.

More than 140 students are currently receiving veterans' benefits and that number is growing daily, college officials said.

The center will provide information on federal benefits, availabillity of VA services, and connections to educational specialists in all branches of the service as well as various other veterans' groups.

The college also has a VA Work Group that meets during the academic year to identify ways to keep RIC a veteran-friendly place.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A brother and sister were in fair condition Friday morning at Hasbro Children's Hospital after they ran into the side of an oncoming car while crossing Orms Street to get to their school bus stop, according to the police.

Shortly before 8 a.m., the 6-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl were crossing in the vicinity of 324 Orms St., which is about 100 yards from the crosswalk at the intersection of Orms, Smith and Candace streets, Police Sgt. Paul Zienowicz said Friday morning.

They were running across the street, from the south side to the north side, and crossed behind a dump truck that had stopped in the eastbound lane for the red light further east on Orms, Zienowcz said. That truck obscured the view of the children for the driver of a car that had just turned onto Orms from Smith Street and was traveling west, according to the police.

"At the point of the collision, the children actually ran into the side of the car, on the driver's side," Zienowicz said. "It was more they ran into the car than she struck them."

>> Continue reading: Update: 2 children hurt running into car in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for robbing one bank and attempting to rob another.

Craig Shacklock was sentenced Friday to 92 months in federal prison.

The 52-year-old Providence man pleaded guilty in August to robbing a teller at a Citizens Bank branch in Providence in January and attempting to rob a different bank in the city earlier in the day.

Prosecutors say Shacklock stole $8,150. Police arrested Shacklock after recognizing him from a description that had been broadcast.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- City police have announced that a man was found mortally wounded on Aldrich Street early Friday.

Police withheld the victim's name pending notification of next of kin. They gave his age as 26, and said he lived at 18 Burnside St.

Officers were called to Broad and Aldrich Streets around 1:15 a.m. when someone reported a shooting.

The victim was found with gunshot wounds to the torso, investigators said. He was pronounced dead in Rhode Island Hospital.

Investigators said the victim had had an argument with a suspect inside Club Platinum, 1206 Broad St. They said they were questioning witnesses.

Club Platinum was warned by the city's Board of Licenses after several acts of violence earlier this year. The board fined the club $500 after one or two stabbings in May and an incident June 7 in which a man fought with the police.

This was the 17th homicide in Providence so far this year.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Interfaith leaders in Rhode Island have called a press conference Friday afternoon to speak against a possible backlash against area Muslims in the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings in Texas.

Several news agencies have reported that Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a military psychiatrist suspected of going on a rampage Thursday at the military base killing, 12 people and injuring 31 -- is Muslim.

The press conference will be held at 2 p.m. in the Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave.

Providence Journal photo / Bob Thayer
"He's tiny, even for a Maltese," says Lindsey Mallon, of Providence, of her dog, Charlie. "He was the runt of the litter, but that's what makes him special." They were spotted Friday walking along Benefit Street in Providence. Have a dog or pet you think is special? Send in your photos to projo.com's Pets Gallery.

The National Retail Federation warned consumers this week about buying certain health and beauty products, as well as certain foods through online auction sites because of suspected health hazards associated with improper storage of such items.

The federation first issued warnings in 2008 about items such as baby formula, Benedryl and pregnancy tests available on online auction sites. It's produced a new "Buyer Beware" list, adding warnings about such popular diet aids as Alli and hair-care product Pureology.

The complete list can be found on the federation's Web site.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- U.S. District Court Judge William Smith has ordered a 90-day stay while the Providence Teachers' Union and Superintendent Thomas Brady try to work out their differences over a state-ordered teacher assignment plan.

Union President Steve Smith said that both parties will hire a mediator to help them reach an agreement over the new criterion-based hiring plan adopted by the district this summer. Brady imposed the change after former Education Commissioner Peter McWalters ordered the district to create a more rigorous method of hiring teachers, one based on the needs of the students rather than the number of years a teacher has in the system.

In August, the union filed suit in U.S. District Court to prevent the school district from abolishing senioriity as the primary method for filling vacancies. Starting in six pilot schools this fall, the district has replaced seniority with an extensive application and interview process that allows principals to choose their faculty.

LINCOLN, R.I. -- Ardent gamblers may be cheering this week's decision by the state's Lottery director to approve 24-hour gambling seven days a week at the Twin River, but the slot parlor's late-night denizens better bring along their own snacks because most of eateries there won't change their hours any time soon.

"The full-service restaurants like Fred & Steve's and Fado will maintain existing hours," Twin River spokeswoman Patti Doyle wrote in an e-mail to The Journal. "Some of the food court vendors such as Dunkin Donuts may extend hours."

Twin River's current hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and round-the-clock on weekends and holidays, with liquor service cut off between 12:30 and 12:45 a.m.

Earlier this week, Lottery Director Gerald Aubin approved round-the-clock gambling at the Twin River, with the extended hours to begin in about two weeks.

After years when slow business pushed one restaurant company to close its Twin River outlet and forced the slot parlor to shut some of its own dining operations, food vendors there don't seem to be in a rush to extend their operating hours deep into the night.

"A lot of logistics are still being worked out, but largely no," Doyle wrote when asked whether the private food vendors would open longer after the changeover.

The Coast Guard is issuing a cold-water warning to late-season boaters, fishermen and others who might be lured to the water by the sunny skies and relatively warm temperatures expected this weekend.

Water temperatures in the region are dropping fast, increasing the danger for people who fall into the water, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard says anyone on the water this time of year needs to prepare for the possibility that they could fall into the water.

"For the average person, the debilitating shock of sudden immersion can be fatal. The important thing is simply to be prepared and to be properly attired for survival," said Al Johnson, the recreational boating specialist for the First Coast Guard District in Boston.

The Coast Guard says two commercial fishermen recently survived five hours in the 52-degree waters of Cape Cod Bay because they were able to pull on their survival suits while their boat was sinking.

"Their survival suits saved their lives," Johnson said.

For people on the water, the best protection is a "a full dry suit with life jacket," Johnson said. "This would be followed by a wet suit under protective clothing with a life jacket and, finally and at the minimum, protective clothing and a life jacket."

>> Continue reading: Coast Guard warns of cold water danger

WEST WARWICK, R.I. - - A 77-year-old Alzheimer's patient reported missing Friday at 8 a.m. was found by the West Warwick Fire Department and is at Kent Hospital.

A hospital spokesperson said Charles McCloud was listed in good condition and is expected to be released.

A visiting nurse discovered McCloud missing from his residence on River Street where he lives with his wife, according to Sgt. Donald Archibald.

Archibald said firefighters found McCloud but it was unclear at what time he had walked away from his home and at what time they found him.
.
(An earlier version of this story was reported at 9:14 a.m. The earlier story reported the wrong age for Mr. McCloud.)

Lucy, the dog from Iraq that was up for adoption because her owner must return to Iraq, has been placed in foster care in North Providence temporarily, Linda Monahan of ADOPT, or Animals Depend on People Too, said Thursday night.

Monahan said a Cranston family adopted Lucy but returned her for snapping when anyone came near while she was eating.

Lucy might also be pregnant. The woman in North Providence will foster Lucy until she has the puppies, Monahan said. After the puppies are weaned and if the food aggression can be corrected, Monahan said, Lucy will be adopted into a permanent home.

She'll get a veterinary visit this weekend, Monahan said.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Emergency crews were called early Friday morning for the report of a shooting in the vicinity of Broad and Aldrich streets, according to the Fire Department.

More details about the 1:17 a.m. incident in the Washington Park neighborhood are not yet available. Check back with projo.com for more information as it emerges.

These are stories The Providence Journal is watching today.

Col. Brendan P. Doherty, the state police superintendent and commissioner of the department of public safety, will host a press conference Friday afternoon to address the rise in road-related fatalities. Sixty-seven people died in accidents in Rhode Island so far this year -- 10 of those were pedestrians, according to the state police. For all calendar year 2008, Rhode Island had 53 motor vehicle fatalities and 12 pedestrian fatalities.

The Woonsocket and Cranston police departments will hold a press conference Friday morning to discuss the arrest of two men on charges they were smuggling some 135 pounds in marijuana.

Check back for coverage of these stories as they develop.

Friday's Providence Journal reports that a gunman opened fire at Fort Hood army post in Texas. Thirteen people were killed.

Friday's Providence Journal reports that Narragansett Chief Matthew Thomas was among Native American leaders who met with President Obama.

Pregnant women, concerned about complications from swine flu, are having trouble finding a place to get swine flu vaccinations.

Governor Carcieri has vetoed legislation that would require saltwater anglers to get a license.

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

Watch the video
Providence Journal video by Kris Craig

SCITUATE, R.I. -- Preparation for the annual Harvest Celebration has been a different journey this year for the Clayville Elementary School community, after vandals destroyed the Pilgrim and Nature villages at the school that are added to by students every year.

Students, parents and community members have worked together to rebuild the entire village in time for this year's celebration.

Read a related story

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Expect a sunny day with a high near 50 degrees Friday, although a north wind with gusts up to 29 mph. will make it feel cooler.

The low tonight will drop to about 59 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

The weekend looks pleasant. Saturday should be sunny with a high near 50 degrees and a west wind of 5 to 9 mph.

The temperature should reach 61 degrees Sunday with a west wind of 7 to 11 mph.

For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.

On the local front:

Journal file photo Police, fire and highway trucks are parked on Route 95, Attleboro, after a tractor-trailer rolled over on November 6, 2008.

A year ago today:
Massachusetts State Police are investigating a car-tractor-trailer crash in Attleboro that forced the closure of a stretch of Route 95 south for about 10 hours of cleanup and the evacuation of 14 homes after the tractor-trailer spilled thousands of gallons of jet fuel on the major thoroughfare. Route 95 north was also closed through much of the morning. All northbound lanes were reopened before noon. All southbound lanes were open by 3:30 p.m. Residents were allowed to return home once the road reopened, according to the state police. The police said the 4:47 a.m. crash occurred after an East Providence driver swerved from the middle lane, where he was driving behind a slower-moving vehicle, into the left lane. Driver Andrew Tavarez, 21, then struck a Jersey barrier on the Reed Street overpass, about a quarter-mile south of the Attleboro weigh station between exits 2 and 3. At that point, he lost control, swerved to the right across all traffic lanes and collided with the driver's side of the cab of a tractor-trailer in the right lane. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Michael Cowan, 37, of Northbridge, Mass., lost control of the truck, according to the state police. The tractor-trailer veered left across all three lanes, rolled over and landed on the hood of the Volvo, blocking all four lanes, including the breakdown lane, the police said.

5 years ago today:
A chlorine gas spill at the Pepsi bottling plant in the Howard Industrial Complex causes the plant to be evacuated for several hours, Fire Chief Robert Warren says. The company was disposing of six five-gallon containers of potassium chloride in a trash bin near the building, and material from the containers somehow came into contact with water, according to Warren. When potassium chloride contacts water, it generates gas and heat. Other material in the trash bin ignited, and the gas wafted into the building. More than 100 employees were evacuated, and the Fire Department was called at 10:45 a.m. Firefighters arrived and put out the trash bin fire without any damage to the building. The high winds dispersed the gas, which was used as a weapon in World War I.

25 years ago today:
Sen. Claiborne Pell and Representatives Fernand J. St Germain and Claudine Schneider, all running against little-known and under-financed political newcomers, win re-election easily, in each instance demonstrating the solid grip of incumbency. Schneider cemented her hold on the 2nd Congressional District, winning every community, except New Shoreham (Block Island), which had not reported. Her margin of victory was nearly equal to St Germain's, who has dominated the 1st District since 1960. The last Republican to hold the 2nd District for more than one term was ousted in the Roosevelt landslide of 1932.

On the national front:

On this day in 1860, Abraham Lincoln is elected president of the United States.

Read more highlights from Today in History.

Watch video highlights from Today in History.