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« June 16, 2006 | Today | June 20, 2006 » June 19, 2006Update: Education aid ignites House budget debatePROVIDENCE -- Debate over a proposed $6.6 billion state budget developed into an argument over education funding this afternoon. The Democrat-controlled House voted 67-5 to give each school district 4.8 percent more money for education next fiscal year than it received this year. Thirteen rural and suburban school districts would have received more money under a plan put forward by GOP Governor Carcieri. At one point during the debate, House Minority Leader Robert Watson urged representatives from the 13 towns to hold up the budget until their school districts received as much money in the House plan as Carcieri had recommended. Rep. Paul Moura, D-Providence, urged House members not to take money from one school district to give more to others. Each district should receive an equitable increase, he said. The Senate must approve the budget plan before it becomes law. The House budget debate, which begin early this afternoon, is continuing at the State House. -- With Associated Press reports Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:05 PM | Comment Phone companies to PUC: Forget records' probePROVIDENCE -- The state Division of Public Utilities should forget about investigating whether two of the nation's biggest phone companies illegally gave Rhode Islanders' phone records to the federal government's biggest spying agency, the companies have told the division. AT&T and Verizon said that if the division does try to investigate, it won't get any evidence because the whole matter is covered by a blanket of national security and the companies won't tell. If it did get some evidence, it couldn't do anything about it, the companies said. First, that area of law has been preempted by the Federal Communications Commission, which has already said it wouldn't investigate the accusations. Second, it's protected by the government's special national security privilege. AT&T and Verizon were replying to complaints from the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union that the companies broke a variety of state laws intended to protect telephone customers' privacy. ACLU Executive Director Steven Brown said the responses were "straight out of George Orwell." In essence, Brown said, the phone companies are saying, "You shouldn't assume we did anything wrong, and even if we did, it's none of your business, and even if it is, we won't tell you anyway." -- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis Posted by maria caporizzo at 6:56 PM | Comment Court to decide on governor's ballot questionsPROVIDENCE -- Secretary of State Matt Brown is asking a court to decide whether voters will be presented with two nonbinding ballot questions during the November election. The questions on limiting property taxes and voter initiative are being pushed by Governor Carcieri. Although they're not binding, the governor has used the results of such questions in the past to show that voters support certain issues. The Democrat-dominated General Assembly recently stripped the Republican governor of his power to place questions on the ballot, but not before the governor moved to put the two questions to voters in November. The bill said the law would "take effect upon passage." -- Associated Press, with projo.com reports Jeff Neal, a spokesman for the governor, said Carcieri had ordered the secretary of state's office to put the question on the ballot before the bill passed, and would fight in court to ensure the questions make it to voters. The governor submitted the questions to the secretary of state's office on May 3, and the General Assembly passed the bill May 25, Brown's office said in a news release. Carcieri vetoed the bill on May 30. The House overrode the veto on June 6, and the Senate overrode it June 13. The governor's office submitted amended versions of one of the questions twice, on May 30 and June 1. In a filing last week, Brown, a Democrat, asked the Superior Court in Providence for a declaratory judgment. He also asked the court to expedite the process because his office must begin printing the ballot by Aug. 9. The case has been assigned to Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato, and is schueld for a hearing July 3, a court clerk said today. -- Associated Press, with projo.com reports Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:41 PM | Comment Barrington hosting emergency meeting on school aidBARRINGTON -- The Town Council will convene a special meeting tonight and could be joined by officials from other Rhode Island towns bracing for potential school aid cuts as part of the budget the state House of Representatives is considering today. Since announcing the emergency meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Barrington Town Hall, Council President Jeffrey Brenner said this afternoon that town officials have received some inquiries from people in some of the communities facing cuts. At issue is the recommendation, which cleared the House Finance Committee last week, that could cut tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars of the state aid recommendations that were in Governor Carcieri's proposal, according to Brenner and state aid numbers published in The Journal last week. -- Journal staff writer Michael P. McKinney Among the communities facing reductions in their state aid increases are Barrington, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Narragansett, East Greenwich, Westerly, Scituate, New Shoreham, Jamestown and the Chariho district. "The first thing we are going to have is a report as to what happened in the legislature today ... and how that potentially impacts all the towns," Brenner said. -- Journal staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by maria caporizzo at 5:48 PM | Comment Reed behind plan to withdraw some troops from IraqWASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats this week will propose withdrawing some troops from Iraq this year in an effort "to prod the president'' toward a major policy shift -- an explicit warning to Iraqi leaders that the U.S. military commitment there is not open-ended, according to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, one of the architects of the legislation. The amendment to the 2007 defense authorization bill has already drawn sharp criticism from Republicans. Its consideration, as early as tomorrow, could continue the markedly partisan debate on Iraq that began last week in the House of Representatives but failed to produce a consensus among Democrats on how the United States should proceed in the war. Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the measure's chief sponsor, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., unveiled it during a news conference in the Capitol today. Their measure is not legally binding on President Bush, does not specify how many troops ought to be redeployed out of Iraq and seeks no timetable for removing the U.S. fighting force. Thus, the resolution is far more cautious than the proposal by U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., to withdraw the bulk of the U.S. force from Iraq by the end of this year. -- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:02 PM | Comment Kerry expected at Fogarty fund-raiser tonightPROVIDENCE -- U.S. Sen. John Kerry is expected to appear tonight at a Federal Hill fund-raiser for Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, who is running for governor. The Democrat will face off against the winner of the Republican primary contest between business consultant Dennis Michaud and GOP incumbent Governor Carcieri. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and former presidential candidate, will appear at the formal opening of Fogarty's campaign headquarters at 239 Atwells Ave., then appear at a Fogarty fund-raiser at the headquarters. -- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by at 4:51 PM | Comment Update: Cink, Sluman lead after 1st day at CVS golf tourneyBARRINGTON -- The team of Stewart Cink and Jeff Sluman shot an 11-under par 60 to take a one-shot lead at the end of the first day of the CVS Charity Classic at the Rhode Island Country Club. Here are how the other nine teams finished: Nick Price and Tim Clark: 61 Turn to tomorrow's projo.com and The Providence Journal for complete tournament coverage. Posted by Mike McDermott at 4:49 PM | Comment Weather update: Getting wet / Photo
Only one public beach in Rhode Island is now closed to swimming, according to the state Department of Health. That's the freshwater Gorton Pond Beach in Warwick, which is still dealing with a high bacteria count. While radar shows a line of thunderstorms heading into Massachusetss and New Hampshire from the west, it appears Providence and other southern coastal areas will escape the storms. Showers, however, are likely, with lows in the upper 60s and south winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. The chance of rain is now 60 percent. But on the air quality front in Rhode Island, pollen levels are ranking today among the worst in the country. Pollen.com ranks Providence with Concord, N.H. and three cities in Oregon. The ozone level for Rhode Island, however, was rated good today. Get the latest conditions and forecasts ... Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:40 PM | Comment Seekonk voters deciding on tax-limit overrideSEEKONK, Mass. -- The fate of an elementary school and dozens of jobs in the school and police departments are on the line today as voters decide whether to authorize a one-time override of the state's Proposition 2 1/2 limit on local property tax increases. The override, in the form of two ballot questions, would permit the town to levy an additional $3.4 million in taxes. Proponents say that's only $36 a month for the typical homeowner and it would prevent the layoffs and the closing of one of the town's three elementary schools. Opponents note an override would translate to a jump of nearly 20 percent in the tax rate, argue that residents on fixed incomes can't afford the increase, and contend that the town should live within its means. If the override fails, taxes will increase 5 percent. Polling places, open from noon to 8 p.m., are at North School, on North Street -- the school slated to close if the override fails -- the Seekonk Public Library, on Newman Avenue; Town Hall, at 100 Peck St.; and Martin School, on Cole Street. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by maria caporizzo at 4:10 PM | Comment Scituate roads reopened after five-hour closureSCITUATE – An 18-wheeler that swerved around a van stopped on Route 101 eastbound this morning tipped over, lost its cargo – a 40,000-pound, 50-foot concrete beam – and required the State Police to close several Scituate roadways for about five hours. The roads opened shortly before 2 p.m. today, said State Police Lt. Steven Lefebvre, who worked the scene all day as crews righted and towed the tractor trailer and lifted the concrete beam onto another flatbed with airbags and a large wrecker. The concrete beam was bound for a parking garage at Boston’s Logan Airport. No one was injured, Lefebvre said. The truck driver, Ivoryton, Conn., resident Charles Bohannon of Tony’s Longwharf Transportation of New Haven, refused medical treatment, Lefebvre said. The police do not know why the van was stopped in the roadway. The van left the scene of the accident, Lefebvre said. The accident occurred at 8:15 a.m. on Route 101 just east of where the Route 6 bypass merges with 101. The police had to close the Route 6 bypass from Route 102 to Route 101 and they closed Route 101 between Gleaner Chapel Road and Route 116, Lefebvre said. Lefebvre said he didn’t believe the road closures caused much of a traffic problem. Most of the vehicles on the road at that time of day are commercial, he said, and the police directed traffic onto other roads around the problem area. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:07 PM | Comment Thunderbirds announce their arrival / Photo
The Air Force Thunderbirds rolled in as scheduled at 2 p.m. today for the upcoming air show at Quonset Point in North Kingstown. The eight jets, along with their C-17 support plane, are now on the ground after flying in from Pennsylvania, Col. Michael McNamara, the Rhode Island National Guard spokesman, said. He said the jets came in from the north, went over the State House in Providence, then on to the Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, where the CVS Charity Classic is being played today, before heading south to Quonset. You can see the famous flying team perform at the Rhode Island National Guard Open House and Air Show on Saturday and Sunday at Quonset Point Air National Guard Base. The show will also include demonstrations of F-15s and F-16s, the Black Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:38 PM | Comment Carpio trial: Girlfriend tells of alarming behavior / Photo
Phin said he would talk to himself and to his hand and recalled him saying, "I'm the finest gold." "He was telling me that somebody did voodoo on him and he was scared," said Phin, 24, who described herself as a retired escort and streetwalker as well as the mother of Carpio's 4-year-old daughter. Phin, of Cambodian descent, said she took Carpio to a Buddhist temple to pray for help. A monk blessed a string that Carpio tied around his waist to drive away the devil and evil spirits, Phin said. When police came to her home to question Carpio about the stabbing of an elderly woman in April 2005, Phin said she warned the detectives that Carpio was suffering a nervous breakdown, was having trouble sleeping and was not in his right mind. She said she gave the same information to Detective Sgt. James L. Allen during a brief conversation at police headquarters and that the detective offered to get Carpio help if he needed it. Carpio is on trial for shooting Allen at police headquarters during an interview several hours later, on April 16, 2005. -- Associated Press This morning, Carpio's mother, Yvonne Carpio, testified that in the weeks before the killing, her son told her the devil was out to get him and that he was cursed. She said she grew so concerned about her son's behavior that on April 2, 2005, she called for an ambulance to come to her home in Boston. She says her son was taken to Boston's Faulkner Hospital but later released and given five Ambien pills. She says her son later showed her a string that he tied around his waist that was supposed to keep the devil and evil spirits away. The defense has acknowledged that Carpio killed Allen, but argues that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. For more about such a defense, read a Sunday Journal story. More to come on projo.com ... -- Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:15 PM | Comment East Providence gets $250,000 from NASAEAST PROVIDENCE - Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy presented a quarter-million dollar NASA grant to the East Providence school board today at Edward R. Martin Middle School. The money will address “critical technology updates” for the math and science programs at middle and high schools in the city. “I will continue to fight this administration for the full funding promised to you in No Child Left Behind, and I will continue to speak out against any further cuts to our education programs.” -- With reports from Journal Staff Writer Justin Amoah Posted by maria caporizzo at 12:52 PM | Comment Rhode Island among 16 states challenging EPA mercury rulesTRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey's attorney general filed a court petition today on behalf of 16 states - including Rhode Island - challenging the federal Environmental Protection Agency's new mercury pollution rules. The petition asks a federal judge to reactivate a lawsuit filed last year challenging a rule known as "cap-and-trade." Cap-and-trade allows power plants to buy emissions reduction credits from plants whose emissions fall below target levels, rather than installing their own mercury emissions controls. It is to go into effect in 2010. The lawsuit was put on hold in October after the EPA agreed to reconsider the rules, but on May 31, the agency's announced revisions didn't included cap-and-trade. -- Associated Press "After six months of stalling, EPA not only failed to address the grave dangers posed to communities and children by its cap-and-trade program for mercury emissions, it made the program worse by further weakening standards," New Jersey Attorney General Zulima Farber said. The petition was filed in federal court in Washington. Mercury from smokestacks can enter waterways and be consumed by humans who eat contaminated fish. The toxic metal can cause nerve damage and damage the heart, brain and kidneys, according to the EPA. The states argue that the cap-and-trade system will endanger children near some power plants that pollute but use credits to do it legally. The agency has defended its mercury rules in the past, saying they will reduce mercury emissions by 70 percent and they represent the nation's first attempt to control such emissions. The other states included on the petition are: Wisconsin, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. -- Associated Press Posted by maria caporizzo at 12:42 PM | Comment Langevin making homeland security priority in re-election bidCOVENTRY -- U.S. Rep. James Langevin formally kicked off his reelection bid today with a speech at the Washington Fire Station. The 2nd Congressional District Democrat said he chose the fire station because it highlights his support for homeland security issues and the federal money he has brought back to Rhode Island for first responders and disaster preparation. Democrat Langevin, 42, of Warwick, is a former state representative and Rhode Island secretary of state who was first elected to Congress in 2000. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee. He faces a primary challenge from Jennifer Lawless, a Brown University political science professor. "To me, national security is family security, and it is all about these issues and more,'' said Langevin, who spoke to a crowd of about 50 under the hot sun in the fire station parking lot. "If our families are not secure, our country cannot be secure. Fom health care to homeland security, it will take our combined effort to ensure that this generation and those that follow are safe in their communities and proud of their country.'' -- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:30 PM | Comment Providence stabbing victim in good conditionPROVIDENCE – The Pawtucket man who was stabbed during an argument outside a food truck in Providence is in good condition this morning at Rhode Island Hospital, according to spokeswoman Andrea Barbosa. Police said Alex Negron, 31, of 88 Lawn Ave., was stabbed several times in the arm and stomach after after a man who approached him and began to argue with him early yesterday. His condition was not available yesterday. The police said they searched the area where the stabbing occurred at Broad and Sassafras streets, but they could not find the assailant. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:21 PM | Comment Tractor trailer overturned in ScituateSCITUATE – A tractor trailer rollover on Route 6 eastbound where the road intersects with Route 101 has snarled the morning commute, according to the State Police. The police could not provide more information at this time. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:53 AM | Comment Carpio trial to resume with defense team todayROVIDENCE – The defense team for Esteban Carpio is expected to start presenting their insanity defense today for the man on trial for killing Detective Sgt. James L. Allen with his own weapon at police headquarters and for stabbing 84-year-old Madeline Gatta. Prosecutors rested their case on Friday afternoon. The defense is now expected to call psychiatrists; Carpio’s girlfriend, Samein Soul Phil; and one or more of Carpio’s releatives. After the defense presents its case, the prosecutor can mount a rebuttal.
Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:29 AM | Comment Newport students to release baby salmon
The students participated in the state Department of Environmental Management's Salmon in the Classroom program, a federally-funded effort now used in every New England state. The DEM loaned the middle school equipment to construct an incubator system to raise 400-500 salmon eggs, which were donated by the US Fish and Wildlife's North Attleboro hatchery. Thompson was one of 24 schools from throughout Rhode Island that participated in the program this year. Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:25 AM | Comment State officials to change bay discharge permittingPROVIDENCE -- State environment officials plan to hold a press conference this morning to announce changes to the permitting process that regulates nitrogen discharges in Narragansett Bay. Representatives from the state Department of Environmental Management will join members of the Narragansett Bay Commission at 10 a.m. at the Fields Point wastewater treatment plant on Ernest Street in Providence. Among those scheduled to be in attendance are the directors of the DEM, Save The Bay, the Narragansett Bay Commission, and the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006