Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Journal photo / Ruben W. Perez
Governor Carcieri, standing, speaks at the first meeting of his advisory panel on the implementation of his executive order aimed at dealing with illegal immigration.

PROVIDENCE -- A 27-member governor's advisory panel charged with monitoring "unintended consequences" of Governor Carcieri's executive order on illegal immigration met for the first time today.

Carcieri appointed the committee after the order he issued in March sparked protests by community leaders, advocacy groups and some of the state's top clerical leaders.

The meeting came at a time when of continued voluble debate over illegal immigration in Rhode Island.

The meeting focused, in part, on what role state police will play in enforcing immigration laws, after special training through an Immigration and Customs Enforcement known as 287(g). That training will allow state police to tap directly into an ICE database to determine whether a suspect is in the country illegally, and will verse troopers in immigration and constitutional law, ethics, and racial profiling issues.

Rhode Island State Police Col. Brendan Doherty said, "This is a sensitive issue, a passionate issue. Our troopers are highly trained in respect to sensitivity ... they are passionate and sensitive, and they do their jobs well."

He said state police will not be conducting raids or sweeps, adding, "that's not what we're about." But he added, "I've taken a position that this is not a sanctuary state, and if we find someone who is here illegally or unlawfully, we will notify ICE."

The Rev. Donald Anderson, executive director of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, called the meeting a "good start," particularly for understanding the order's scope.

"I was pleased to learn that there is no intent for state police to become immigration enforcers; that they're not going to go out do to sweeps," said Anderson. "In the absence of that clarification, I think people had some concerns ... and should some overly zealous individual do that, there should be a forum to address that," he added.

Anderson also said it was clear from some member comments that the panel will not be "a rubber-stamp" for the governor.

Extra: Read the text of Governor Carcieri's executive order on immigration.

-- Journal staff writer Karen Ziner

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is at 8 tonight at Yankee Stadium, which unlike the players on each team, is in its last season.

But this is Rhode Island -- and that's about it for misty-eyed Yankee references. The Red Sox will have ample representation on the American League team. The game will be broadcast on Fox TV.

Check out a photo gallery of the Sox stars on projo.com. You can also vote for your favorite Sox All-Star playing tonight here.

For lovers of serious music, the 40th season of the Newport Music Festival is under way, with an evening featuring the work of a musical All Star of the 19th century. Tonight at 9 there's another performance: "Connoisseur Concert -- Music Lover's Special Evening Featuring Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with String Quintet."

The festival Web site lists the location as the Breakers -- the famed Newport Gilded Age mansion. Tickets for the 9 p.m. show are listed as $40.

Tickets vary by concert at the festival, from $25 to $40. Performances take place in the mansions on and near Bellevue Avenue. For reservations or more information, visit www.newportmusic.org or call (401) 846-1133.

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman, police chief of Providence, visits a home at 112 Eastwood Ave., near where a 17-year-old was shot to death last month as he and his friend walked by 124 Eastwood Ave.

PROVIDENCE -- The police announced an outdoor roll call and a news conference this afternoon to talk about stategies for getting guns off the streets.

Police Chief Dean M. Esserman and other members of the department were holding the news conference at Eastwood and Webster Avenue -- the location of the most recent gun arrest, which police said was last night.

The police said eight guns have been seized in the past week.

Providence police instituted outdoor roll calls three years ago and, according to today's news release, there have been more than a dozen held so far this year. They are held in all districts and in areas where a crime recently happened or a notable arrest was made.

After studying crime trends and analyzing disputes, various teams within the police department have "saturated neighborhoods throughout the city where they anticipate criminal activity," according to the police department's news release. The department said it will "capitalize on this effort by assigning additional patrols throughout the summer."

There has been a resurgence of gun violence in the city lately. A 12-officer street-crime task force began June 27, focusing on violent crime, and the police said it is an effort to put an increased visible police presence in neighborhoods.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

A man from Rhode Island was "badly beaten" and chained in an Atlanta basement for nearly a week, according to prosecutors in Georgia.

The man "purportedly" went to buy a car and was "lured" to Atlanta from Rhode Island under that pretext, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Georgia. While he was being held, his accused captors called his wife in Rhode Island to try to collect about a $300,000 drug debt that he "supposedly owed," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Georgia

Three Mexican men have been charged: Victor Abiles Gomez, 30, Omar Mendoza-Villegas, 19, and Gerardo Solorio Reyes, 23, the latter also known as "Gera." The three were in the United States illegally, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Georgia.

The statement does not name the man the U.S. Attorney says was lured from Rhode Island but says he was originally from the Dominican Republic. The man's name, Oscar Reynoso, 31, came out in court yesterday. Reynoso is slated to have a hearing tomorrow. He was arrested as a material witness and is being held as authorities investigate the drug debt allegation.

On Friday, a Drug Enforcement Administration task force, FBI SWAT agents and Gwinnet County authorities rescued the hostage who "had been held in the basement of a middle-class neighborhood residence in Gwinnett County," the statement says. He had been beaten, was severely dehydrated -- and agents found him chained to a wall near a mattress in the unfinished basement. He had also been bound and gagged.

An assault rifle and "flex cuffs" were also in the basement.

Statements by the man lured from Rhode Island and from one of the captors indicate he was being held for ransom for a drug debt owned to someone known as "Tio," according to the U.S. Attorney in Georgia. The man had "purportedly" left Rhode Island to finish a vehicle purchase with "Tio," meeting him at a restaurant in the Gwinnett area, then both went to the residence where the man was allegedly ambushed and assaulted by seven men. He was then allegedly held in the basement.

Authorities, acting on confidential information about a potential kidnapping, did surveillance Friday and eventually arrested the three suspects.

The investigation continues.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney with reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced plans to give $8.1 million in grants to help keep library computers up-to-date in Rhode Island and 10 other states.

The grants will help upgrade computer hardware in public libraries serving communities with high concentrations of poverty.

This is the second round of foundation's library hardware "opportunity online'' grants.

More than 800 library branches in the 11 states are eligible in this round.

The libraries must provide local matching dollars of up to $4.1 million dollars to get the grants.

A 2007 national survey showed four out of five libraries say they don't have enough computers to meet community needs. Sixty percent say they don't have the money or space to add more public computers in the next year.

-- The Associated Press

NANTUCKET, Mass. -- Scientists have determined that a carcass that washed up on a beach on Nantucket is a great white shark.

The 6 1/2-foot long young female shark was discovered on the island south of Cape Cod Monday. Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said shark experts haven't seen another great white carcass wash up on a beach in Massachusetts in at least two decades.

An expert from the Division of Marine Fisheries examined the animal Tuesday. Capone said it will be dissected to determine the cause of death and collect other data.

Last week, lifeguards on the nearby island of Martha's Vineyard reported a possible sighting of a great white shark. A second sighting reported at the Vineyard's State Beach was a hoax.

-- The Associated Press

An accident on Route 95 has the shoulder closed in the city this afternoon.

The accident, on the southern side of the roadway, is near Exit 24/Branch Avenue.

To see how the accident is affecting traffic as the evening commute begins, see the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras.

PROVIDENCE -- Eight jurors were picked today for the retrial of a lawsuit by a Narragansett Indian tribe member brought against state police stemming from their 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop.

Adam Jennings's ankle was broken in the July 14, 2003, raid at the shop on tribal land in Charlestown.

A federal jury in 2005 found that Trooper Kenneth Jones used excessive force and awarded Jennings just over $300,000.

But a federal judge granted Jones' request for a new trial, saying testimony from state police was more credible than that of Jennings and two witnesses who testified on his behalf.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Lincoln D. Almond impaneled the jury from a pool of prospective jurors. He questioned thems individually on topics such as the media and their interaction with law enforcement.

Among the jurors selected are a lawyer for a medical firm, a retired schoolteacher, a supermarket retail employee and a retired human resources person.

Judge Mary Lisi is scheduled to preside over the civil trial, which is scheduled to start next Tuesday and last for a week.

Jennings was also among the seven Narragansetts tried over six weeks this winter in Providence County Superior Court for misdemeanor charges related to the smoke-shop raid. A jury found him not guilty of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Three others were also exonerated.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney and the Associated Press.

BOSTON (AP) -- Former New England mob boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme has been sentenced to five years in prison in a plea deal that will have him released by January.

Salemme led the New England mob in the early 1990s. In April, he pleaded guilty to federal charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice.

Salemme admitted he misled investigators in 1999 when he suggested former mob leader Nicholas Bianco was involved in the 1993 disappearance of Boston nightclub owner Stephen DiSarro. Before he was sentenced Tuesday, Salemme denied any involvement in DiSarro's disappearance.

With credit for the nearly four years he's served while awaiting trial and earned good time, the 74-year-old Salemme is expected to be released in December or January.

-- The Associated Press

PROVIDENCE -- Technical intricacies of video game playing were hashed out today in the trial of Marquise Jones, who is accused of murder in the slaying of Brian Davis, 17, more than three years ago.

Over sharp protest by defense lawyer Russell Sollitto, Superior Court Judge Robert D. Krause allowed prosecutors to bring on rebuttal witnesses. The witnesses were brought on to try to undermine Jones' claim that he was playing video games at the time of the Dec. 7, 2004, slaying.

One of the rebuttal witnesses was Richard Suls, network administrator and Webmaster for state Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office. Suls' testimony called into question whether the equipment Jones claims he was using was even available on the U.S. market at the time.

Jones, 21, is charged with one murder count and four other counts -- after a sixth count was dismissed voluntarily today by the prosecution. Jones allegedly drove a stolen car from which shots were fired into another car on the Elmwood Avenue off-ramp from Route 95 southbound, fatally wounding Davis, also of Providence.

Krause told the jury, "Tomorrow, we will give you the case for your deliberations."

Read Journal coverage of yesterday's developments in the trial.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Senate has voted to repeal a 1913 law used to bar out-of-state gay couples from marrying here.

The law prohibits couples from obtaining marriage licenses if they couldn't legally wed in their home states.

After Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay marriages in 2004, then-Gov. Mitt Romney ordered town clerks to enforce the little-known law and deny licenses to out of state couples.

The repeal effort has the support of Gov. Deval Patrick, whose 18-year-old daughter announced publicly last month she is a lesbian.

The Massachusetts Senate voted Tuesday to repeal the law. The House is expected to vote this week.

An analysis found repealing the law could draw thousands of couples to Massachusetts, boosting the economy by $111 million over three years.

-- The Associated Press

The Department of Health has recommended closing four beaches today, just ahead of an expected weekend heat wave.

Closed for swimming beginning today are Atlantic Beach in Middletown; Conimicut Point Beach in Warwick; Echo Lake Campground Beach in Burrillville; and Dunes Club Beach in Narragansett.

This is the first closure this year of Dunes Club beach, a private beach (with a private Web site).

Of these latest closings, Dunes Club is the only ocean-front beach. According the Department of Health, the high bacteria levels may be a result of sediment kicked up by turbulent waters from Tropical Storm Bertha.

All four beaches are closed after testing revealed higher than acceptable levels of enterococci, a bacteria that lives in intestines and is therefore an indication of sewage in the water.

Beaches close and reopen frequently, so check the Department of Health's beach monitoring Web site, or call the beach hotline at (401) 222-2751 to find out which beaches are closed on any given day.

A special panel of business leaders, environmental advocates and energy experts is scheduled to make public a report tomorrow that will recommend ways National Grid can save its Rhode Island electric customers money by promoting more energy efficiency rather than adding more supplies.

Using energy more efficiently could save hundreds of millions of dollars and create hundreds of jobs, according to a draft of the report.

Electricity rates for National Grid customers increased 21.7 percent today.

The report is being submitted to the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission, the General Assembly, National Grid and the Office of Energy Resources by a group called the Rhode Island Energy Efficiency and Resources Management Council.

The report was prompted by the Comprehensive Energy Conservation, Efficiency, and Affordability Act of 2006. The state law required National Grid to do more to promote energy efficiency. The utility is required to respond with its final plans by Sept. 1.

-- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord

BOSTON -- Farm Aid, the nation's longest-running benefit concert, will be held this year in New England for the first time.

John Mellencamp, co-founder of the series, is scheduled to hold a news conference in Boston's Copley Square today to announce that this year's show will be held Sept. 20 at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass.

Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and Dave Matthews will be on the bill: other acts will be announced later.

Tickets will go on sale July 28 at 10 a.m. and are available at all Tickemaster outlets, at www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling (401) 331-2211. Prices will be announced.

-- The Associated Press and Journal Pop Music Writer Rick Massimo

>> Continue reading: Update: Farm Aid to be held at Comcast Center

Gasoline is more expensive than it has ever been, and some commuters have begun carpooling to share expenses.

Do you have any stories about carpooling? What's it like? What should commuters consider before carpooling? Any horror stories? Any happy endings?

If you're willing to be interviewed for a story on carpooling, e-mail Providence Journal staff writer Tim Barmann at tbarmann@projo.com, or call 401.277.7369

The Providence Journal / Bill Murphy
John Price of Woonsocket (right) is arraigned in District Court today on one count of first-degree child molestation and second-degree child abuse.

PROVIDENCE -- Seventeen-year-old John Price of Woonsocket, who is accused of beating and raping his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter, was formally charged as an adult in Sixth District Court today.

Price was arraigned before Magistrate Joseph P. Ippolito Jr. on one charge of first degree child molestation and second degree child abuse. He was waived out of Family Court yesterday.

He will be held without bail at the ACI pending a bail hearing Aug. 5th in District Court.

Price will be held in the Adult Correctional Institutions' high-security unit for defendants under 18. Now that he has been charged as an adult he faces a possible prison sentence of 25 years to life if he is found guilty of first degree child molestation, and five to ten years if found guilty of second degree child abuse.

Price was arrested after his girlfriend left him in charge of her 3-month old baby and her 2-year-old toddler. When she returned she noticed red marks and bruises on her daughter and later called the police when she did not believe Price's explanation for her child's injuries.

Doctors at Landmark Medical Center and Hasbro Children's Hospital determined that the toddler had been raped.

State law requires the attorney general's office to seek a waiver of juvenile offender status when a teen is charged with a crime as serious as child molestation or rape.

Price's name is being disclosed because he has been charged as an adult.

-- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina

Nearly 200,000 pounds of frozen stuffed chicken sandwiches that were distributed nationwide have been recalled after customers complained that they were finding pieces of plastic in the food.

Two injuries have been reported to Nestlé Prepared Foods Company, which prepares "Lean Pockets Spinach Artichoke Chicken - 2 sandwiches."

The sandwiches have a "best before" date of Nov. 2009 followed by a package code beginning "8144544616" and the establishment number "P7721A."

If you have questions about the recall, call Nestlé Consumer Services at (800)350-5016 or call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888)674-6854 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Find more information about food safety at the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service Web site.

STRATFORD, Conn. -- Stratford's Town Council has chosen a Rhode Island man to resurrect the Shakespeare Theater which has been closed for nearly two decades.

William J. Hanney, owner and operator of Rhode Island's "Theatre By The Sea," was selected by the council Monday as the prime developer of the theater that closed in 1989.

Hanney was picked despite saying he has never been to a Shakespeare play and doesn't believe the Bard can sell in the 21st Century.

The replica of the Globe Theater in Stratford-on-Avon, England, was once a mainstay of Shakespeare productions in the East.

Hanney says he'll find a Shakespearean producer to put on Bard plays since the council is requiring some Shakespeare be performed there.

-- The Associated Press

The advisory panel on Governor Carcieri's executive order on illegal immigration is set to meet for the first time today.

The group consists of 27 people from law enforcement, community groups, businesses and religious groups charged with monitoring the implementation of the order, which was signed in March.

It's scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. at the State House.

Carcieri formed the panel to "monitor any unintended consequences" after criticism of his order, which implements policies such as deputizing state troopers and some Corrections Department staff with immigration law enforcement powers.

Community and religious groups expressed concern about the potential for racial profiling in the order's implementation.

Download a copy of the executive order.

Click below for a list of panel members.

>> Continue reading: Panel to discuss governor's order on illegal immigration

Two lanes are closed on Route 95 this morning, forcing traffic to squeeze by an accident.

The trouble is on the northbound side of the roadway; the left and right lanes are closed at Exit 7/Coventry/West Warwick.

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

A National Grid utility rate hike goes into effect today, raising natural gas prices by 8 percent and electricity by 21.7 percent.

For a typical home, that means a $9.60 increase in an average monthly gas bill and a $16.67 increase in an average monthly electricity bill. In all it adds about $330 to yearly utility bills.

This comes one day after another option for heating, oil, reached record-high prices.

New gas rates are usually implemented on Nov. 1, but National Grid sought for this rate hike to stand for 16 months. The new gas rate holds until Nov. 1, and the new electric rate holds until Jan. 1.

Find energy-saving tips from the experts.

Extra: What would you say to the Public Utilities Commission? Take the projo.com survey.

On this day in 1870, Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.

Read more about today in history.

If there were a perfect summer day, this might be it.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 86 degrees with clear, sunny skies and calm south winds.

Tonight is looking mild, as well, with temperatures in the low 60s, clear skies and calm south winds.

Tomorrow, again, beautiful, but a bit warmer with temperatures hitting 88 degrees, clear blue skies and mild north winds becoming south as the day goes on.

To get an early look at the end of the week's forecast, see projo.com's weather page.

Today's front page has an article by John E. Mulligan, at the Journal Washington bureau, about presidential hopeful Barack Obama's stance on the war in Iraq.

Also, Timothy C. Barmann explores the price of home heating oil in Rhode Island, which set a new record high price yesterday.

Download a copy of today's front page.