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April 10, 2006

Hasidic reggae rap star jams at URI tonight

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Matisyahu, the Hasidic Jewish reggae rap star, will perform at a sold-out show at the University of Rhode Island's Ryan Center tonight at 8.

Born Matthew Miller in Westchester, Pa., and raised in White Plains, N.Y., the 26-year-old Matisyahu is a rising star on the pop scene, combining his strict religious beliefs with rap and reggae. His latest album, Youth, debuted recently on the Billboard charts at number four.

Look for Journal pop music writer Rick Massimo's review after the show, or review the show yourself, at: projo.com/music/

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:00 PM | Comment

Photo: All wired up for home opener at Fenway

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Electrician Al Fox, of Woburn, Mass., works on the new sound system at Fenway Park in Boston this afternoon. The Red Sox' home opener is tomorrow, starting at 2:05 p.m., against the Toronto Blue Jays. Projo.com will offer live updates of the game and the scene, as well as seek reader contributions, in words and photos.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:36 PM | Comment

Survivor Hatch being held in protective custody

PROVIDENCE -- Survivor winner Richard Hatch is being held in protective custody apart from other inmates until his sentencing this month on tax evasion charges.

Rhode Islander Hatch, who won $1 million in the debut season of the CBS reality TV series, was found guilty in January of failing to pay taxes on his winnings and other income. He was taken into custody immediately because U.S. District Court Judge Ernest Torres said he posed a flight risk.

Hatch, 45, asked to be put in protective custody shortly after he was detained, his attorney, Michael Minns, said Monday. Hatch is being held at a jail in Plymouth, Mass., until his sentencing April 25.

Charles Wyant, a supervisory deputy U.S. marshal, said Hatch was placed in protective custody because he is a celebrity. Any prisoner can make such a request. "The situation he's in is the best possible position for him to be in at this point in time, the safest and most secure," Wyant said.

-- Associated Press

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:04 PM | Comment

Big turnout for immigrants' rights march in Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Carrying signs and chanting, hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people gathered late this afternoon for a pro-immigration march through the city's west side.

The loud, but peaceful, gathering moved from Olneyville to the Dexter Training Grounds near the Armory, where organizers currently are giving speeches to the huge group.

The rally snarled traffic during the late afternoon as marchers clogged the roadways for nearly an hour.

Similar protests are being held across the country today, as immigration advocates rally for legislation that would help illegal aliens to become legal. There are an estimated 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States, with thousands of them in Providence.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:00 PM | Comment

State police ID shooting victim as Richmond man

State police today identified the 23-year-old Richmond man killed when he accidentally shot himself in the head.

Richard Titzmann's death is being investigated as a fatal, self-inflicted, accidental shooting, according to police.

Titzmann was in Hopkinton with a friend, 23-year-old William Lake, at around 2 a.m. Sunday when the accident occurred. The pair were planning to go shooting at a nearby gravel pit when Tizmann was fidgeting with his gun.

He "dry-fired" the .22-caliber revolver once without a bullet in the chamber. Pointing the gun at his head, he pulled the trigger a second time.

Police say he did not know the gun was loaded.

Police are investigating whether alcohol may have played a role in the incident.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:34 PM | Comment

R.I. gets $6.75M science research grant

PROVIDENCE - Governor Carcieri and state legislators announced today that the state has received a $6.75 million research grant from the National Science Foundation and unveiled a package of legislation and budget appropriations focused on building the state’s science and technology sectors.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., was instrumental in securing the grant for Rhode Island, through the NSF’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The program was created to help states that historically haven’t received large amounts of research funding from the federal government.

Under the grant, the state will receive $2.25 million a year through fiscal 2008. The University of Rhode Island will administer the grant, which will be used primarily to set up three facilities for studying genomics, the studying and characterization of proteins, and marine life sciences.

The facilities will be shared by Rhode Island’s academic institutions, including Brown University and URI.

Carcieri has asked for $1.5 million in next year’s budget to match the $6.75 million worth of research funding.

The request is part of a total $2.1 million legislative and budget package unveiled yesterday and based on recommendations made earlier this year by the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:23 PM | Comment

Photo: Ortiz closes deal with a smile

AP photo/Charles Krupa
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, left, smiles as he sits with the team's executive vice president and general manager Theo Epstein this afternoon after the announcement of Ortiz's contract extension. The four-year deal comes five months after the player finished as runner-up for the American League MVP award.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:15 PM | Comment

Doctor denies fondling patient

WARWICK -- Dr. Russel J. Aubin took the stand today in his sex-assault trial, flatly denying that he ever fondled the breasts of the patient who has accused him.

In more than three hours of testimony today, Aubin, 40, of Jamestown, said he treated the patient normally and touched her only to place electrodes on her chest and to massage her neck while she underwent knee surgery.

After the December 2004 procedure at Kent Hospital in Warwick, the 21-year-old woman complained she had been assaulted, and Aubin's license to practice medicine was revoked.

Aubin was the last witness called in his two-week trial in Kent County Superior Court. The case goes to the jury tomorrow.

-- Journal staff writer Zachary R. Mider

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:03 PM | Comment

Photo: Langevin tours Hispanic businesses

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
U.S. Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., is greeted by Carlos Arias, manager of Compare Foods, at 863 Broad St., as part of the congressman's tour today of area Hispanic businesses. With the number of such merchants growing, Langevin said he wanted to listen to any of their concerns and how he could help.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:34 PM | Comment

Students, Evans discuss Bishop's closing

PROVIDENCE -- Nathan Bishop Middle School students had their chance today to tell Schools Superintendent Donnie Evans what they thought about his decision to close their Elmgrove Avenue school this fall.

Students wondered why their school was being singled out when all of the city's nine middle schools are plagued with low test scores and aging physical plants.

Afterward, several students said they didn't believe the reasons Evans gave for the closing, including declining enrollments, low test scores and the fact that few children live in the neighborhood.

"I feel like our school is being grabbed from beneath our feet,'' said Charleen Mitchell, 12. "The superintendent is being very sneaky. He planned to push this through and now he's acting like its because of the grades.''

The school is supposed to re-open in the fall of 2007, although the exact grade configuration hasn't been decided.

-- Journal education writer Linda Borg

More to come in tomorrow's Journal and on projo.com...

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:20 PM | Comment

4 more years for Ortiz and Sox

BOSTON -- Red Sox management today annouced that the club has reached a four-year contract extension with designated hitter David Ortiz, a deal that will keep one of the team's most popular players in Boston through at least the 2010 season.

The agreement with the 30-year-old Ortiz, who is known for his history of clutch hits, includes an option for the 2011 season. The contract is reportedly worth more than $12 million a season; Ortiz is under contract to make about half that this year.

Ortiz appeared at the press conference at Fenway Park, where the Sox play their first home game tomorrow, alongside team principal owner John Henry and top club executives Larry Lucchino, Tom Werner and Theo Epstein.

Lucchino and Epstein said the club contacted Ortiz during the offseason about extending his contract, and that Ortiz was very receptive. Henry said the slugger expressed a fondness for the city of Boston and Red Sox fans that Henry had not encountered in negotiations with any other player.

Ortiz joined the Red Sox in 2003 as an unheralded player who had been nontendered by the Minnesota Twins. In Boston, he has been a star with a penchant for delivering game-changing hits. He was the MVP of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees in 2004, delivering two game-winning hits, and was the runner-up for American League Most Valuable Player last year. He has played in the last two All-Star Games, last year as a starter.

He hit .288 with 31 home runs in 2003; .301 with 41 home runs in 2004; and .300 with 47 home runs last year. Through six games this season, he's hitting .292 with a home run and 4 RBIs.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:39 PM | Comment

Carcieri promotes workplace 'wellness' over breakfast

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri met for breakfast this morning with a group of business executives to discuss his health-care agenda and his efforts to promote healthier workplaces in Rhode Island.

Joining Carcieri at the State House were Robert DiMuccio, president and CEO of Amica Insurance; John Muggeridge, general manager of Fidelity; Ken Belcher, acting president of Roger Williams Medical Center; and Jean Hood, vice president/human resources for Roger Williams University.

Carcieri is pushing to have Rhode Island designated as the first "well state" by the Wellness Councils of America, a distinction the organization would award the Ocean State when 20 percent of employees here are working for organizations it certifies as "well workplaces."

State government, the largest employer in Rhode Island, is completing its application to become a “well workplace” through its state employee wellness initiative, known as Get Fit, Rhode Island, according to Carcieri's office.

And what, you might wonder, did the group have for breakfast today? No-fat bran muffins, fresh fruit, whole wheat or plain bagels, and coffee, tea and water, acccording to Carcieri's spokesman, Jeff Neal.

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:37 PM | Comment

House panel to consider voter initiative bill

PROVIDENCE -- The House Judiciary Committee will consider legislation this afternoon that would change the state Constitution, allowing voters to change state laws through a process called voter initiative.

Governor Carcieri, who introduced the constitutional amendment, has urged the House committee to approve the measure, as opposed to delaying action as the Senate Judiciary Committee did last week.

"As a candidate for office, I promised to reform state government, and to make it more open and accessible to the citizens of Rhode Island," Carcieri said in a statement today. "Voter initiative will make state government more responsive to its citizens."

The House Judiciary Committee will consider Carcieri's proposals at the rise of the House, which is set for 4 p.m.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:33 PM | Comment

Red Sox' Coco Crisp has fractured finger

The Red Sox this afternoon announced that outfielder Coco Crisp has a fractured finger and will be sidelined for an indefinite period. The press release:

Boston Red Sox Medical Director Dr. Thomas Gill this afternoon issued the following statement regarding the condition of outfielder Coco Crisp:

“Coco has a non-displaced fracture at the base of his left index finger,” said Gill. “He will be placed in a splint for 10 days and reevaluated at that time. Once sufficient healing has occurred, Coco can begin batting and return to baseball activities. No surgery is indicated at this time.”

Crisp injured the finger during the top of the third inning Saturday at Baltimore. He is batting .333 (8-for-24) with a double, triple and six runs scored in five games this season.

Posted by Art at 2:58 PM | Comment

Boston man gets 13 years in R.I. cocaine sting

PROVIDENCE -- A federal judge has sentenced a Boston man to more than 13 years for helping to guard a fake shipment of cocaine in an undercover FBI sting in Rhode Island, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente.

Anthony Gobbi, 36, had been found guilty in October of two charges: conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and attempting to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith sentenced Gobbi on Friday to 160 months in prison.

During the jury trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that Gobbi was one of two men sent in April 2001 by Robert Nardolillo, of Providence, to guard a 17-kilogram shipment of cocaine at a Providence hotel.

Gobbi circled the hotel in a car, while his associate, Clifford T. Falla, of Wolfeboro, N.H., remained in a hotel room guarding the cocaine. Falla was armed with a pistol, prosecutors said.

Judge Smith sentenced Nardolillo to 15 years in prison in December. Falla has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing next month, according to spokesman Thomas Connell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island.

At a hearing, evidence surfaced that Nardolillo served as "the right hand man,'' for Matthew L. Guglielmetti Jr., a longtime captain in the Rhode Island-based Patriarca crime family.

Guglielmetti, who was snared in a similar, but separate undercover probe, pleaded guilty to a drug charge last year and was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:17 PM | Comment

Ortiz contract likely topic of 3 p.m. press conference

The Boston Red Sox have called a press conference for 3 p.m., where they are expected to announced they have reached agreement on a contract extension with designated hitter David Ortiz.

The Sox would not divulge details of the conference, but did say that Ortiz, general manager Theo Epstein, principal owner John Henry and other members of the management team would be in attendance.

-- Journal sports editor Art Martone

Posted by Art at 12:53 PM | Comment

3 men plead guilty in $500,000 check scam

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced this morning that three Providence men have pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud charges in a scheme that netted more than $500,000 over nine months.

In making the pleas, Joseph D’Anna, 23; Charles Lambert, 21; and Anthony Dimeo, 35; admitted stealing about $566,000 from Citizens Bank through an elaborate bogus check scheme involving 12 others who are facing state charges.

The three men admitted recruiting college-aged individuals to deposit worthless checks in accounts at Citizens. On the morning after the deposit, one of them would escort the account holder to three different Citizens branches, and a check would be cashed at each branch.

The conspirators were able to obtain up to three times the value of the deposited check before the bank could determine that the deposit was worthless.

After the withdrawals, the individual whose account was used was typically paid $1,500, Lambert and D’Anna each kept $1,500, and Dimeo kept the remaining money, typically between $9,000 and $10,000.

The men worked the scheme 53 times between March and November 2005.

The United States Secret Service, the Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the check scheme, making the arrests earlier this year.

D’Anna is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, Dimeo and Lambert on June 30.

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit bank fraud is 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000 or twice the amount gained through the fraud.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:48 PM | Comment

Air traffic controllers protest contract offer

Providence's air traffic controllers today announced plans to launch a multi-million dollar ad campaign to protest the status of contract negotiations with the Federal Federal Aviation Administration.

Providence's controllers issued a statement condemning the FAA's recent rejection of a contract offer that would have saved taxpayers $1.4 billion. Unless Congress intervenes, the controllers warn, the resulting contract would include a "drastic pay cut," causing one in four air traffic controllers to retire.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is subsidizing the ad campaign, aimed at "educating the public about the dangers of the FAA's actions" -- the reduction in staffing, NATCA says, leaves fewer controllers to guide planes in Providence and around the country.

The FAA ended contract talks late last week, after the NATCA union rejected its latest offer, which was more than $200 million better than its previous proposal.

Congress now has 60 days to review the FAA’s proposal and NATCA’s objections. By statute, the FAA is authorized to implement its proposal if Congress does not intervene.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:15 PM | Comment

March today in Providence for immigrants' rights

As immigrant groups nationwide plan rallies today, about 10 local groups plan to march in Providence from the Price Rite at 80 Manton Ave., to the Tabernacle Baptist Church, at 134 Bridgham St.

The groups expect to meet at 4:30 p.m. at the Price Rite and begin marching to the church around 5 p.m., said Juan Garcia, a local community organizer with the group Committee of Immigrants in Action.

At the church, organizers plan to hold a public forum around 5:40 p.m. to explain what’s happening on the national level and what it would take to implement immigration changes in Washington, he said. Organizers expect a diverse mix of people and plan to speak in Spanish and English, he said.

Groups are calling for health insurance for their children, access to college, workers' rights, "legalization, not criminalization," drivers' licenses and an end to the high costs of sending money home.

National and local groups are planning the next big action for May 1, Garcia said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:56 AM | Comment

Gas prices up another 10 cents

PROVIDENCE -- Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have increased by 10 cents per gallon for the second straight week, according to AAA Southern New England's weekly survey.

The average price for regular, unleaded gasoline is now $2.66 per gallon at the self-service pump, 40 cents more than it cost at the beginning of the year, AAA said.

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:44 AM | Comment

Bathroom fire prompts evacuation of city school

Journal photo / Mary Murphy

Students at the Providence Academy of International Studies at the Juanita Sanchez Complex on Thurbers Avenue wait outside the school after a fire in a restroom caused the evacuation of the building. Providence firefighters responded at 8:24 a.m. and were still on scene shortly after 9, according to Fire Lt. Russell Gross.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:41 AM | Comment

Electronic records seen as way to improve health care

PROVIDENCE -- U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy will join other lawmakers and officials at the State House this morning for the announcement of an effort to provide Rhode Island doctors with a state-of-the-art electronic medical records system.

Electronic Health Records of Rhode Island, EHRRI, is a effort to improve health care through the adoption of an electronic health record record.

Kennedy has pushed for improving the use of technology, including electronic medical records, to lower health-care costs.

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:21 AM | Comment

Sox won't comment on Crisp injury report

A Boston Red Sox team spokesman last night would not confirm or deny a television report that center fielder Coco Crisp has a broken index finger and will miss up to a month of action, according to a story on mlb.com. Boston's Channel 7 (WHDH) reported the broken-finger story last night.

Crisp sat out yesterday's game in what the club said was a precautionary move. The fleet-footed Crisp jammed a finger sliding into third base during Saturday night's win at Baltimore. He was replaced yesterday by Adam Stern, who knocked in two runs as the Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Orioles. Crisp said before yesterday's game that he could have played if needed, and the club had not at that point taken x-rays.

The Red Sox are scheduled to play their home opener tomorrow at Fenway Park.

In five games, Crisp has batted .333 while showing speed on the basepaths and skill with the glove. He has given fans early reason to be optimistic that losing Johnny Damon to the Yankees might not be such a big handicap. If Crisp does miss significant time, however, the club's center-field options would appear to be limited. They have Stern, who has never been a regular big-league starter. Wily Mo Pena has also played at the position, but he is considered a defensive liability.

In other Red Sox news today, The Boston Herald is reporting that a contract extension with slugger David Ortiz could be announced as soon as today. A similar claim was made two weeks ago on Spanish-language ESPN Deportes. The Herald says the extension would be for four years at more than $12 million a season.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 8:49 AM | Comment

Buttons for Brown Bookstore to be on campus

Red and white “Save the Bookstore” buttons may be seen around Brown University’s campus today.

Anyone who signs a petition on the main college green will get a free button, according to the coalition that sprang up in the wake of news that the university could lease its bookstore to a national retailer.

The coalition reports that they’re well on their way to meeting three goals in what they’re calling the “1000 Campaign.” They’re hoping to collect 1,000 signatures in support of the bookstore, raise $1,000 to pay for their efforts and distribute 1,000 of the red and white buttons by Wednesday. They’re planning a rally for Wednesday at 1 p.m. on the university’s main green.

A newsletter distributed this weekend by the coalition reports that the group is hopeful about the bookstore’s future. Although school officials told the Journal last month that no final decision has been made, the coalition now says the administration appears to have changed its “rhetoric.”

“Rather than defending the recommendation to outsource, they seem to be denying that a recommendation of any kind was ever really made,” the e-mail states. “We find this change in tone very encouraging.”

News of a potential bookstore change surfaced in early March, after a university review committee said its majority favored leasing the bookstore to a national retailer. At the time, the committee recommended that outsourcing and continued self-operation “should be explored more fully” before any decision was made.

The coalition rallied in mid-March to show their support for the bookstore.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:06 AM | Comment

Sunny and clear today

With the weekend over and the work week back in full swing, the sun is out. Isn't that how it always goes? Expect sunny weather with a high near 63 today. No rain in the forecast until Wednesday evening.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:00 AM | Comment