Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

It's a Monday, but that doesn't mean it's all quiet out there.

Lazy Magnet, Txoka Txoka, Neckhold and Frequency Control play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 9 p.m. $6. All ages.

Erik Narwhal and the Manatees play rock and rhythm and blues at the South County Tavern & Grill, 570 Nooseneck Hill Rd. (Route 3), Exeter. Call 397-0002. 9 p.m.

The John Allmark 16 Piece Jazz Orchestra plays at Bovi's Town Tavern, 287 Taunton Ave., East Providence. Call 434-9670. 9 p.m.

Eric Church plays country at Mohegan Sun, Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun Boulevard (exit 79A off Route 395), Uncasville, Conn. Call (888) 226-7711, www.mohegansun.com. 7 pm. No cover.

See what else is going on this week, projo.com's Lifebeat.

EAST PROVIDENCE -- A woman wearing no sunglasses, cap or other disguise was caught by surveillance cameras in the act of robbing a Sovereign Bank this morning, according to the police.

The suspect, who did not show a weapon, fled the bank at 184 Taunton Ave. around 1:15 p.m.. She left in a dark-colored vehicle whose make and model was not identified.

The police are asking for help in identifying the suspect, described as dark-skinned, 5'6" and 150 pounds. An undetermined amount of cash was taken.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call (401) 435-7669.

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

PROVIDENCE -- The fate of Marquise Jones, 21, who is charged with murder in the 2004 shooting death of teenager Brian Davis, is about to be handed to a Superior Court jury.

Jones took the witness stand today in his own defense. He said that he was playing video games at the apartment of his sister-in-law at the time that state prosecutors allege he was driving a car from which bullets were fired that killed Davis.

Davis was fatally wounded when the car in which he was a passenger stopped at a red light at the bottom of the Elmwood Avenue off-ramp from southbound Route 95 on Dec. 7, 2004.

A car that had followed Davis' car on Route 95 pulled abreast, according to trial evidence, and shots were fired into Davis' car.

The driver of Davis' car, Malcolm Pulliam, and a second passenger, Channing Oliver, were wounded by the gunfire. Davis died two days later at Rhode Island Hospital.

Jones was indicted on four charges: murder; conspiracy to commit murder; discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, death resulting; and conspiracy to discharge a firearm while committing a crime of violence, death resulting.

Two co-defendants, Robert Crowell and Montrel Daniels, also were indicted, and their cases are pending. Crowell and Daniels -- not Jones -- fired into Davis' car, according to trial evidence and prosecutors, despite the charges in the indictment against Jones that relate to discharging a firearm.

Judge Robert Krause told jurors that he expects that they will be given the case tomorrow.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Economically speaking, Rhode Island is in the midst of the "worst year" in a quarter century, according to a local index released today.

After a brief uptick in April, the Current Conditions Index in May plunged back to its lowest value in the index's 25-year history.

Eleven out of 12 indicators deteriorated, as the unemployment rate spiked to 7.2 percent and consumers hit by rising food and fuel prices cut back on spending, causing retail sales to plunge, according to the index's manager, University of Rhode Island professor of economics, Leonard Lardaro.

"Even during the horrible year of the (1991) banking crisis,'' Lardaro said, "it wasn't statistically as bad as this.''

After a brief uptick in April, the index in May fell back to its previous value of 8, where it had been during four of the last five months. Prior to this year, the only time the index fell that low was in April 1991.

The index measures the behavior of 12 economic indicators each month and compares them with what they were the same month a year ago. The changes indicate whether Rhode Island's economy is growing, contracting or stagnant. Any indicator above the neutral value of 50 means the economy is growing, anything below means it's shrinking.

-- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi

>> Continue reading: Index: RI economy worse than during '91 banking crisis

The cause of death for a Connecticut man who fell off a sailboat last Monday near the Sakonnet River's northern entrance is still pending, according to a state Health Department spokeswoman.

On Friday, a body found near the Tiverton shore was identified by the Office of State Medical Examiners as Bernard Mochan, 65, of Clinton, Conn.

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.

Tiverton Fire Chief Robert Lloyd last week said his department got 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 a body on the shore just south of the restaurant, in the area of Riverside and Poplar drives.

-- with Journal archive reports

WASHINGTON -- Amtrak's busiest train has a new name. The Regional service on the Northeast Corridor has been rebranded as the Northeast Regional.

The service is a slightly slower and cheaper alternative to Amtrak's fastest train, the Acela Express. Both trains connect Boston, New York and Washington. The Northeast Regional extends farther south, to Newport News, Va.

Along with the new name, the Northeast Regional features refurbished cafe cars, a new menu and improved business-class seats and interiors.

The Regional service carried 6.8 million passengers last year, and Amtrak expects the rebranding, the upgrades and a marketing campaign to attract an additional 136,000 passengers.

-- The Associated Press

The count-up has begun.

Secretary of State Ralph Mollis's office is posting tallies online of voters' signatures submitted by prospective candidates for Rhode Island offices to see who has gathered enough to get on this year's ballot.

Last Friday was the deadline to submit signatures in order for candidates to make the ballot for the Sept. 9 primary or Nov. 4 election.

Each morning, the Secretary of State's Web site database refreshes with new tallies for signatures that local boards of canvassers have approved and that the Secretary of State's office signs off on. A spokesman for the secretary of state said that the tallies will now or eventually indicate if a candidate has made the ballot, but will not indicate that a candidate has not.

This Friday morning, all candidates who have made the ballot with certified signatures should be visible on the site.

Check the certification of signatures submitted by candidates at the Secretary of State's Web site, by using its searchable database.

The thresholds range from 50 signatures for the state House of Representatives and many town/city offices to 1,000 signatures for the U.S. Senate.

At 5 p.m. Friday, Mollis will hold a public lottery at the State House to determine the order in which unendorsed candidates for Congress and the General Assembly will appear on primary ballots. The lottery will also set the order in which recognized political parties and independent candidates will appear on the November ballot.

The 2,800 Rhode Islanders who filed candidacy declarations last month had since July 1 to collect voters' signatures.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

BOSTON (AP) -- When Massachusetts became the first state to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in 2004, it left one big roadblock in place: Out-of-state couple needed not apply.

Now an effort is gaining momentum to repeal a 1913 state law that has banned most out of state gay couples from getting married. The law says couples cannot be married in Massachusetts if their unions would be illegal in their home states.

In some states -- such as Rhode Island -- the law is no longer an issue.

In 2006, a Massachusetts judge ruled there was nothing in Rhode Island law banning same sex marriage, even though the Rhode Island Legislature hasn't legalized gay marriage.

The loophole has allowed nearly a hundred gay couples from Rhode Island to make the short trip across the border to marry.

But the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate and Gov. Deval Patrick still support a repeal of the ban, which could come up for a vote as early as Tuesday in the Senate.

Opponents of gay marriage fear eliminating the law would open the gay marriage floodgates.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, who invoked the nearly forgotten law after gay marriage went into effect in 2004, once warned repealing the law would make Massachusetts the "Las Vegas of gay marriage."

But California's embrace of same-sex marriage -- coupled with the Massachusetts' election of Patrick, a pro-gay marriage Democrat -- has breathed new life into the repeal drive. California has no residency requirement for marriage.

Marc Solomon, executive director of MassEquality, said he's confident the repeal bill will reach Patrick's desk before the end of the formal session July 31.

"There's strong support in the Legislature for eliminating this last vestige of state discrimination in the marriage laws against same sex couples," Solomon said.

-- The Associated Press

>> Continue reading: Repeal would let out-of-state gays marry in Mass.

Journal Photo/Andrew Dickerman
Providence's new school Supt.Thomas Brady speaks with summer school student, Ezequiel Dorvuilus, while visiting the Woods-Young Elementary School.

PROVIDENCE -- "Hey, you look like Tom Brady," a sixth-grader said, his eyes wide.

"Nice to meet you," said a tall, grey-haired man in a suit and tie. "I'm the new superintendent."

"I thought you were Tom Brady," the boy said, crestfallen.

"I am, but I never played quarterback."

"Awesome," the boy said, smiling.

That's how the day went for Thomas M. Brady, retired Army colonel, father of five and now the new superintendent of the city's 23,000-pupil school district. On his first day in Providence, Brady visited a couple of schools, met with teachers and central office staff and tried to get a feel for his new assignment.

Brady, 57, arrives here with an impressive resume: his last post in his 25-year Army career was as commander of Fort Belvoir, Va., a position he said was similar to running a mid-sized city.

In Philadelphia, his latest job, he was interim superintendent of the eighth-largest district in the nation. He came to Philadelphia from Washington, D.C., where he was the district's chief operating officer.

Watch video of Brady on his first day at work.

-- Journal staff writer Linda Borg

Latest test results from around Rhode Island turned up no West Nile Virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

The results were from 55 mosquito pools -- from 33 traps -- throughout the state during the week of June 30, the Department of Environmental Management said in a statement today.

But the DEM warned that results have turned up positive in Connecticut near the Rhode Island border, which means a "high probability" that West Nile and potentially Triple-E are in certain Rhode Island areas.

Tests of samples have not found any in the state this summer. Mosquitoes are trapped and tested weekly.

The DEM advises people to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds -- get rid of things that allow standing water -- and to avoid getting bitten.

Clean gutters so they drain right. Maintain swimming pools correctly. Put screens on windows and doors. Put mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages. Cover up at dusk and dawn.

Use mosquito repellant containing no more than 30 percent DEET -- but do not use repellant on infants.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

PROVIDENCE -- A 17-year-old accused of raping his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter was waived out of Family Court today, where juvenile criminal cases are handled, so he can be tried as an adult in Superior Court.

After a closed court session on the matter, Susan Urso, assistant attorney general, identified the suspect as John Price.

The suspect's name had not been released because he is a juvenile, but now that the proceedings will go on in open court his name is on the public record.

The police say the baby's mother, Price's 24-year-old girlfriend, left her boyfriend with the baby in her Woonsocket apartment while she went to visit a nearby apartment.

The police say when the mother returned, she found the baby had been beaten, bitten and sexually abused.

Price faces first-degree sexual assault by means of forcible rape, and first-degree child abuse. A court date has not been set.

-- Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch today announced his office is suing Cranston, asserting in blunt terms that the city violated the state Access to Public Records Act when it allegedly did not supply public documents twice sought by a Cranston man.

Noting past incidents involving Cranston, Lynch's office said in a statement, the current case results from a "willful and knowing failure to respond" that "is unacceptable and illegal."

Lynch said he is seeking fines under open-government laws "not only to rectify the City's past harms but to warn other public bodies that, when warranted, these types of cases are litigated aggressively."

>> Continue reading: A.G. Lynch sues Cranston over public records request

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts announced today its first round of grant awards for the 2008-2009 season.

The more than $800,000 in grants support projects by 109 individual artists, arts organizations, schools and educational organizations in communities across the state. There were 288 applicants.

"The arts are an important part of the life of every Rhode Islander, and our mission is to see that every Rhode Islander has access to the best our state has to offer, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay," Randall Rosenbaum, Council director, said in a statement.

"Through these grants we have supported activity in practically every part of the state, where the arts contribute to the quality of life, the education of our young, and the vitality of our economy."

The grants ranged from several hundred dollars to more than $100,000. Recipients include Trinity Repertory Company ($110,000 for general operating support), Northern R.I. Council of the ARTs ($1,000 for community outreach, and ($700 for Voodoo Doll Dance and Music).

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed speaks with reporters after a ceremony for a new manufacturing facility plant in East Providence.

EAST PROVIDENCE -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said this morning he was flattered by mounting speculation he may be a vice presidential contender on Barack Obama's ticket but said he was not interested in the job.

At the ribbon-cutting for a company that supplies the defense industry, Reed was asked about veepstakes chatter surrounding his upcoming Iraq and Afghanistan trip with Democratic presidential candidate Obama.

Reed said the speculation was interesting and flattering. But, the Rhode Island Democrat said, "I believe I have the best job in the world, and I'm going to try to keep it."

It will be Reed's 12th visit to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, is also scheduled to accompany Obama.

Reed and U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Democrat, were in East Providence for the ribbon cutting of the $30-million manufacturing plant for Aspen Aerogels.

The company received $15.5 million in federal aid with help from Reed and Kennedy.

Aspen Aerogels makes high-tech thermal insulation that can be used in various ways by the Defense Department, including shielding jets from heat-seeking missiles. It was described as essentially disguising or covering the thermal signature that military vehicles give off and that a weapon can home in on.

The company, which began operating about three months ago, employs about 40 people, but the company plans to expand in the next two or three years and hopes to employ 100 people by end of 2009.

At the end of the plant tour, Reed said he has had discussions with Obama about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reed said he had been impressed with Obama's "very fine strategic view of the world, about what we have to do, what changes we have to make."

The new plant, Reed said, was a good example of the kind of achievement he can help bring to Rhode Island by earmarking money for Aspen Aerogels. He said this was one of few areas of high-tech manufacturing in Rhode Island that plans expansion in the coming years.

(With reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney)

-- From today's Lifebeat section:

Today is Bastille Day, honoring that revolutionary moment in 1789 when Parisian peasants stormed a prison.

Well, Providence doesn't have Parisian peasants or a prison, but it does have a French restaurant: Pot au Feu, which conducts its annual Bastille Race at noon.

Competitors are waiters and waitresses, who carry five glasses of red wine on a tray. The one who goes up and down Custom House Street the fastest, returning with at least three glasses worth of wine, wins.

There's no fee to watch.

Click here to see the full transcript of our interview Saturday afternoon with Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, of North Kingstown, who is in California training for Beijing. You'll also find a link to the audio of the interview.

Beisel says that what she has accomplished still has not really hit home, except that she now has a tremendous opportunity to be around the very best in her sport day in and day out. She also talked about how she managed to cut nearly 16 seconds off her 400 individual medley time from last year's World Junior Championships to this year's U.S. Olympic Trials; what it is like to swim in the high-tech, NASA-designed Speedo swimsuits; how she handles the enormous pressure of competing on such a big stage; and why she feels extremely proud to represent Rhode Island.

Gas prices in Rhode Island dropped one cent this week to an average price of $4.099 for a gallon of regular, unleaded at the self-service pump, according to AAA Southern New England.

Gas prices have been steady in recent weeks. The price hasn't moved more than one cent in either direction over the past month, AAA says.

Massachusetts drivers are paying $4.069 per gallon.

A year ago at this time, the average price in Rhode Island was $2.979, AAA says.

Diesel is down one cent to $4.92.

An accident that slowed the morning commute on Route 146 has been cleared.

The accident, which involved a truck, was on the southbound side of the roadway at the Route 295 Exit in Lincoln.

See how traffic has picked up on the Transportation Management Center's Web site.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed will join U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy to cut the ribbon at a new manufacturing facility in East Providence.

The two politicians will join Don Young, the CEO of Aspen Aerogels, which is opening a $30-million manufacturing facility on Dexter Road. Aspen Aerogels makes insulation products.

Young acquired the 50-acre, 150,000-square-foot facility with the help of more than $15 million in federal aid, acquired with Reed's help.

Reed, Kennedy and Young will cut the ribbon this morning at 10, at 3 Dexter Road.

It was announced this weekend that Reed will be heading to Iraq with presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama,later this summer.

A man accused of carjacking and raping a woman is set for a hearing in court today on an unrelated charge.

Marco Riz, 26, is a Guatemalan living in Rhode Island illegally. He's currently being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston.

The police say that on June 8, Riz carjacked a woman who was sitting in a vehicle in a Warwick grocery store. He robbed her, the police say, and then drove her vehicle to Roger Williams Park in Providence, where he allegedly raped her.

Today, Riz is scheduled for a hearing in a 2007 misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence.

On this day in 1921, in a controversial trial that attracted international attention, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were convicted in Dedham, Mass., of killing a shoe company paymaster and his guard. (They were executed in 1927.)

Read more about today in history.

Watch video about today in history.

After a gorgeous weekend, the National Weather Service is forecasting -- yes -- rain.

Temperatures should reach 82 degrees with mild west winds. A few thunderstorms with heavy rain are also in the forecast, especially in the northern part of the state. And even if you don't see any rain, it's muggy throughout the state, with humidity at 90 percent this morning.

It's the same story tonight, with rain and thunderstorms possible. Otherwise, the temperature is set to drop to around 65 degrees with mild west winds and patch fog.

But tomorrow is looking good, with sunny skies, temperatures reaching about 84 degrees and a mild north wind, later becoming south.

To keep up with the weather, see projo.com's weather page.

Today's front page features a story about Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., joining Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on a tour of Iraq and Afghanistan.

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

An accident on Route 146 has traffic snarled this morning in Lincoln.

The accident is is in the left lane of the the southbound side of the roadway at the Interstate 295 South Exit.

To see how traffic is moving along, see the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras.

How do you want to view this blog? Our new format offers several new options:

· Headlines: In a hurry? Scan the latest headlines, each linked to a complete blog post and its comments.

>> Continue reading: Projo blogs upgrade: Readers' choices