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April 14, 2006

2 top Beacon officials suspended with pay

WARWICK -- Two top officials at Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. have been suspended with pay, according to an announcement this evening that followed a nine-hour, closed-door meeting of the company's board of directors.

The two officials are Beacon President and CEO Joseph Solomon and Vice President of Underwriting David Clark. They have been suspended pending further review of a recently-released report highly critical of the workers' compensation insurer's management.

Clifford Parent, vice president of claims, has been named acting CEO.

The suspensions were announced by two board members outside their headquarters here shortly before 7 p.m. The board will meet again next Wednesday at 4 p.m. to continue its review.

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

-- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:50 PM | Comment

Police release sketch of jewelry-heist suspect

COVENTRY -- The police have released a sketch of the man suspected of robbing a Stamford, Conn. jewelry dealer of $350,000 in cash and jewels in the parking lot of a Home Depot on April 4.

The rendition, by a West Warwick police detective, is based on descriptions given by the jewelry dealer and two witnesses to the robbery, said police Lt. Thomas E. Beaulieu.

The robber’s most distinctive feature was an unusual wool cap he wore – dark green, with pink stripes, Beaulieu said. He is described as being in his 30s, with olive skin, standing about 5-feet-9 to 5-feet-11 inches and weighing about 170 pounds.

The Coventry police can be reached at 826-1100.

-- Journal staff writer Zachary Mider

A joint investigation with the FBI, and contacts with the police in Stamford and in New York City’s Diamond District, have failed to produce a suspect so far.

The jeweler, whose name has not been released, was headed to Boston on business when he stopped at the Home Depot at 700 Centre of New England Boulevard, just off Route 95.

He had bought light-switch plates from the store on a previous trip, and returned to buy more of the same kind, Beaulieu said. He then ate lunch at a nearby Applebee’s restaurant.

Returning to his car, a man he did not recognize pointed a handgun at him and ordered him into the back seat of his car, where the man bound his hands with plastic strips and duct-taped his mouth, Beaulieu said.

The robber took a bag containing the cash and jewels, as well as the dealer’s wallet, Beaulieu said.

The jewels were not insured, and the dealer was selling some of them on behalf of other people, Beaulieu said.

-- Journal staff writer Zachary Mider

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:37 PM | Comment

Mass. couple accused in insurance scam

BOSTON -- A Massachusetts man and his wife face charges in a bizarre glass-eating insurance scheme.

Ronald Evano was arrested yesterday in Maryland, while his wife, Mary Evano, remains at large.

Authorities allege the two filed fraudulent insurance claims that they found glass in their food at restaurants, hotels and grocery stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

In some cases, police say the Evanos actually ate glass, but did so intentionally to support their insurance claims.

An indictment claims that between 1997 and 2005, the Evanos filed 12 fraudulent insurance claims worth more than $200,000 and left a trail of unpaid medical bills worth more than $100,000.

Authorities also claim the couple used fake Social Security numbers at least seven times.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:32 PM | Comment

Updated: Providence police car hits boy, 7 / Photo

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Neighbors and police gather on Sherwood Street, off Douglas Avenue, after a child who ran out into the street was hit by a police cruiser.

PROVIDENCE – A police cruiser struck a 7-year-old boy this afternoon as he darted out into Sherwood Street from behind a pickup truck, police said.

The boy was not seriously hurt, according to police, although he was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital.

Relatives identified the boy as Louis Ayala, of Sherwood Street. A hospital spokeswoman confirmed late this afternoon that Ayala was being treated at Hasbro, but she could not provide details about his status.

Maj. Paul Fitzgerald said that the boy had been playing a game called "manhunt," similar to hide and seek, when the accident occurred.

The police officer, who was not identified, was driving north on Sherwood in the city's Wanskuck section. Fitzgerald said he did not have a chance to stop.

The boy was taken to the hospital with his mother. Fitzgerald said, "It looks like he's going to be all right."

"It looks like we were lucky, the boy was lucky, everybody was lucky," he added.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Greg Smith

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:52 PM | Comment

Beacon board to hold press conference at 6 p.m.

WARWICK -- Leaders of the embattled Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. will hold a press conference today at 6 p.m.

Beacon's board has been meeting behind closed doors since around 9 a.m. at the company's headquarters here. The board has been discussing a recently-released report, commissioned by the board, that sharply criticized the company's business practices.

Beacon, created by the General Assembly, is responsible for providing workers' compensation insurance at the lowest cost possible.

Governor Carcieri yesterday called for a "complete overhaul" of the company's management and board.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:33 PM | Comment

Photo: Following the steps of the father

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Christopher O'Neill, Pawtucket, and his 1-year-old son, Luke, practice the art of Falun Dafa, designed to improve mind and body through meditation and exercise, at Lippett Memorial Park, at the corner of Hope Street and Blackstone Boulevard in Providence, today.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:50 PM | Comment

Seriously hurt motorcyclist ID'd as Providence man

WEST WARWICK -- The police today identified a Providence man critically injured in a motorcycle accident yesterday as Ray Everson, 36.

Everson lost control of his motorcycle shortly before 4 p.m. on Tiogue Avenue, near the Coventry town line, and sustained a serious head injury, the police said. He was not wearing a helmet and was driving without a license, the police said.

Rhode Island Hospital listed him in serious condition at 1:45 p.m. today.

-- Journal staff writer Zachary R. Mider

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:16 PM | Comment

E. Providence businessman pleads guilty to perjury

PROVIDENCE -- An East Providence businessman faces up to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to perjury today in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Douglas W. Cox, 44, admitted that he testified falsely during a bankruptcy deposition about the ownership of five vending machines, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Cox, who had a limousine business in East Providence and filed for bankruptcy in 2003, admitted today that he purchased the machines in January 2003 and still owned them when the deposition was taken in March 2004.

Cox, who pleaded guilty to one count of perjury, is free on bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Sept. 22. In addition to a potential prison sentence, he faces a possible fine of up to $250,000.

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:13 PM | Comment

2 marching in marathon to honor fallen R.I. Guardsman

Two Rhode Island National Guard officers will be marching in the Boston Marathon Monday with 25-pound military packs, or “rucks,” on their backs.

2nd Lt. Ryan Hogan, of Cumberland, and 2nd Lt. Michael Calcagni, of Providence, are marching in support of families who have lost loved ones in the Iraq war and to raise money for the Staff Sgt. Christopher Potts Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund provides educational scholarships to children of R.I. Guard members.

Potts, 38, was killed in action in Iraq on Oct. 3, 2004, while serving with the National Guard unit that Hogan and Calcagni are now in, according to Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Michael McNamara. They joined the 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery around the time Potts was killed, but they did not serve with him, McNamara said.

“Rucks," or rucksacks, are used by soldiers to carry their supplies and personal gear. Calcagni and Hogan’s rucks will weigh about 25 pounds on Monday for the 110th running of the 26-mile race in Boston.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:17 PM | Comment

Julia Pell, gay rights activist, senator's daughter, dies

NEWPORT -- Julia Pell, who put a human face on the battle for gay rights at the State House in the 1990s and was the youngest daughter of former U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell, has died after a long battle against lung cancer.

Ms. Pell, 52, died last night at Newport Hospital, according to her mother, Nuala Pell.

Known universally as "Julie," Ms. Pell was a lobbyist for gay rights legislation and brought focus to a movement that for years had generated more enthusiasm than State House success.

She became president of the Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights and worked diligently on behalf of the state law that bans discrimination against gays in housing, employment, public accommodations and the granting of credit.

Survivors include her mother and father, who live in Newport.

Online guestbook: Post condolences, share memories of Julia Pell.

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:30 PM | Comment

Starting off Easter with sunrise services

A popular way to mark the Easter holiday is to attend a sunrise service.

Many of them are being held around Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.

Check a list of services compiled by The Providence Journal for details.

Wondering what to wear, besides an Easter bonnet? The forecast for Sunday is now calling for mostly sunny skies in the morning, becoming partly cloudy, with highs in the 60s.

Get the latest weather here.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:04 PM | Comment

Demolition of old Jamestown bridge on schedule

Demolition of the old Jamestown Bridge is on schedule for Tuesday, between 11 a.m. and noon, according to a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

If anything changes over the weekend, the department expects to notify the public as soon as possible, Charles St. Martin said today.

The demolition had been set for this past Tuesday, but that was put on hold because wind conditions made it unsafe for workers on the bridge, St. Martin said.

A controlled detonation of 350 explosive charges will send the towering center span of the bridge clattering into the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, just a short distance away from the new bridge.

Parking in the area is expected to be limited, so get there early if you're planning to watch the demolition.

More to come about how to watch the demolition in The Journal and on projo.com ...

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:16 PM | Comment

Updated: Beacon board still mulling critical report

WARWICK -- Shortly before noon today, the board of Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. was still discussing an audit that criticized the company's business practices and prompted the governor to call for a "complete overhaul" of the company's management and board.

Board members began the meeting shortly after 9 a.m. at the company's headquarters here. Member Brendan Doherty said, "We'll be here all day."

Reporters do not have access to the meeting and are waiting outside, hoping for a statement from the board.

-- Journal staff reporter Lynn Arditi

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:00 PM | Comment

Amtrak service to Fla. back on track

All Amtrak service between the Northeast and Florida has been restored, spokesman Clifford Black said this morning.

The northbound Silver Meteor departed Miami at 6:50 a.m., and the southbound New York-Miami Silver Star is due to leave at 11 a.m., Black said.

The bridge in North Carolina that was taken out of service yesterday has re-opened after repairs by the freight railroad company that owns those tracks, CSX. More work on the bridge is needed, Black said, but trains are moving over it with a speed restriction in place.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:54 AM | Comment

Good Friday walk for hunger

There’s still time to participate in the Good Friday Walk for Hunger and Homelessness in Providence, an ecumencial tradition for local churches working to address critical needs with financial support.

Registration for the 28th annual walk begins at 8 a.m. at several churches in Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket or Coventry. The 10-kilometer walks (or 10-mile walk from Coventry) begin after a brief blessing at 9 a.m. They end with a special program at the State House.

A few locations where you can start the walk:

St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, 239 Oxford St. in Providence;

St. Theresa’s Church, 18 Pope St., in Providence;

Smithfield Avenue Congregational Church, 514 Smithfield Ave. in Pawtucket; and

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 50 Orchard Ave. in Providence.

Organizers are pushing to raise $100,000 for food and shelter services. Last year’s walk raised $39,000 in donations to support local, national and international programs that serve people in need.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:46 AM | Comment

Some rain today; sunny Easter Sunday expected

If you’re up early in Providence, you’ll need a few extra minutes to run your car’s dehumidifier to clear the windows.

And don’t forget to throw an umbrella in the car. There’s a chance of rain today, mostly after 3 p.m. Highs should be around 65, according to the National Weather Service.

Easter Sunday looks like a real beauty, with sunny skies and highs around 63. A good day for an Easter egg hunt.

Check our site throughout the day for weather updates.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:00 AM | Comment