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June 21, 2006

Christie's restaurant sold for $6.7M to soup heiress

NEWPORT - Christie's of Newport, the city's oldest waterfront restaurant, has been sold to Campbell Soup heiress Dorrance H. Hamilton for $6.7 million.

The purchase agreement was signed this afternoon, ending months of speculation about the future of the Thames Street restaurant that's been a fixture for tourists and residents for over 60 years.

802 Partners, LLC, of Delaware, a family trust established by Hamilton, is listed as the buyer in the deal that was recorded yesterday and includes $26,616 in tax stamps.

Paul Fleming, a spokesman for the company, said the restaurant, which closed for business last week, will remain closed indefinitely. The marina, which will undergo improvements over the next few weeks, should re-open by the end of July and offer limited food and beverage service to marina patrons.

Christie's, which was opened in 1945, closed its indoor dining area last week, and the bar was open until Sunday.

-- Journal staff writer Kia Hayes

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:52 PM | Comment

Update: 2 boys shot in Woonsocket; suspect held

WOONSOCKET -- Two boys were shot in an incident early this afternoon at West and Hope streets in the Constitution Hill section, police said.

A 16-year-old victim was shot in the lower back and does not have life-threatening injuries, Detective Lt. Timothy S. Paul said.

The police are still looking for the second victim, a 17-year-old male. An earlier report that he walked into a local hospital was inaccurate, according to Paul, who said the report was based on incorrect information to police.

A third youth who was with the two victims at the time of the incident, and who was not shot, is now at the police station.

A 16-year-old male suspect is in custody. Paul said a police officer caught the suspect running through Costa Park, a couple blocks from where the shooting took place.

The weapon police believe was used in the shooting was located in Costa Park. At least a dozen police officers were on the scene, working with the canine unit of the Adult Correctional Institutions and searching a wooded area. The search dogs are specially trained to look for guns.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham

Posted by maria caporizzo at 6:08 PM | Comment

RIC poll: Top races, casino vote -- all close calls

PROVIDENCE -- Call 2006 the year of unpredictable elections: A Rhode Island College public opinion survey released today shows very close state races for governor, U.S. Senate and the referendum that would allow the Narragansett Indians to build a West Warwick casino in partnership with Harrah's Entertainment.

Among the findings of the poll, conducted by veteran RIC political science professor and pollster Victor Profughi:

*The governor's race between Democratic Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty and Republican incumbent Governor Carcieri, the likely GOP nominee, is a statistical dead heat.

*In the Senate race, incumbent Republican Lincoln Chafee and the Democratic favorite, former attorney general Sheldon Whitehouse, are locked in a virtual tie. But if Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey, Chafee's GOP primary challenger wins the nomination, he would be defeated by nearly 2 to 1 by Whitehouse.

Profughi plans to release a GOP Senate primary sample tomorrow that will show the Laffey-Chafee contest close, with a low turnout benefitting Laffey and a larger voter turnout working to Chafee's advantage.

*On the casino issue, voters are evenly divided on the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow Harrah's, the casino giant, to operate a West Warwick casino in association with the Narragansetts. But the same poll shows that voters prefer competitive bidding over giving the Narragansett tribe and their partners a non-bid casino license.

* Voters are also overwhelmingly against the legislation favored by House leaders and Carcieri that cuts taxes for Rhode Island's wealthiest residents. Sixty-seven percent are against the cut, 25 percent support it and 8 percent are undecided.

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:59 PM | Comment

Carpio trial: Defense rests its case

PROVIDENCE -- The defense rested and the prosecution began its rebuttal this afternoon in the murder trial of Esteban Carpio.

But the main event of today's court session was a debate between the two sides as the prosecution challenged the defense's contention that Carpio was not guilty of fatally shooting a Providence police detective because he was insane at the time.

Assistant Attorney General Paul Daly Jr. questioned whether Carpio was hallucinating and hearing voices or simply repeating the lyrics of a well-known rap song, whether he was psychotic when he shot police Detective Sgt. James L. Allen at police headquarters last year or just had a troubled love life.

Daly raised the questions in his cross-examination of clinical and forensic neuropsychologist Paul A . Spiers, an assistant professor at the Boston University School of Medicine.

He also argued that Carpio had a history of using the drug Ecstasy, noting it was the impression of the emergency personnel who transported Carpio to Faulkner Hospital in Boston on April 2, 2005, two weeks before Allen was killed, that Carpio was exhibiting bizarre behavior and they suspected drug use.

Daly's cross-examination came after testimony yesterday that featured the playing of tapes from police interviews with Carpio at Rhode Island Hospital and at police headquarters after he was arrested for Allen's murder.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Ed Fitzpatrick

After the cross-examination, the defense presented its last witness -- a police officer who accompanied Carpio as he was being brought to the police station on April 16, 2005, took the stand.

His testimony was followed by the start of the prosecution's rebuttal, featuring clinical psychologist David Faust, from the University of Rhode Island professor.

The rebuttal will continue tomorrow.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Ed Fitzpatrick

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:49 PM | Comment

Hundreds greet R.I. Guard unit back from Iraq / Photo

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Sgt. Earle Tammello of Johnston hugs his wife, Jennifer, and holds their 2-year-old son, Aiden Tammello, after his return today. Aiden was 6 months old when his father left on deployment.

WARWICK -- Some 95 members of the Rhode Island Army National Guard's 861st Engineering Company returned today after 17 months away from their families, including a year deployed across Iraq.

They were welcomed at T.F. Green Airport just after 1:30 this afternoon a crowd of several hundred, including family and friends.

The combat engineers were deployed to front lines across Iraq in teams of five or six. While some were wounded, every member returned home.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Posted by maria caporizzo at 5:19 PM | Comment

Ex-Sox pitcher admits using performance-enhancing drugs

Baseball's steroids/human-growth-hormone/amphetamines controversy hit home yesterday, as ex-Red Sox pitcher Paxton Crawford admitted in an article in ESPN The Magazine (subscription required) that he used all those performance-enhancing drugs while in the Boston system.

Read more on projo.com's Red Sox blog

Posted by Art at 5:16 PM | Comment

Photo: War memorial at Dunk to be moved

Journal photo / Kris Craig
Veterans gathered today to view the War Memorial at the Dunkin' Donuts Center before it is taken down and moved.

PROVIDENCE – Veterans and their family members attended a public ceremony today to view the War Memorial at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center before it is put in storage to protect it during renovations at the center.

The memorial is an honor roll of Providence veterans who died in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, as well as Rhode Island Medal of Honor recipients.

The actual memorial will remain outside the Dunkin’ Donuts Center until Sunday, July 9, when construction is scheduled to begin in that area.

The Rhode Island Convention Center Authority is also creating a “virtual memorial” on its Web site that will include photos and the honor roll of veterans so the public can continue to see the honor roll while the memorial itself is in storage.

According to the Convention Center Authority, the organization is working with the city’s planning department to relocate the war memorial in a prominent location near its current site after the renovations.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:23 PM | Comment

Fourth Fall River fire victim's services set

FALL RIVER -- Burial arrangements for the fourth woman killed in the fire that tore through a Portuguese social hall last Wednesday evening have been set, according to the funeral home that has handled all four funerals.

The wake for Christine Costa, 30, of 273 Warren St. in Fall River, will be held Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Silva-Faria Funeral Home, 730 Bedford St., in Fall River.

Costa’s funeral will be held Saturday at 8 a.m. from the Silva-Faria Funeral Home, with a funeral Mass to follow at 9 a.m. in Saints Peter and Paul Parish at Holy Cross Church, 47 Pulaski St., in Fall River.

Costa will be buried at Notre Dame Cemetery, 1540 Stafford Rd., in Fall River, immediately after the Mass.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by maria caporizzo at 4:20 PM | Comment

Update: 2 boys shot in Woonsocket

WOONSOCKET – Two boys were shot this afternoon in an incident at the corner of Hope and West streets around 1:30 p.m., police said late this afternoon.

A male suspect is in custody, Detective Lt. Timothy S. Paul said earlier today. At that time, he said one juvenile was shot and that his injuries were not life-threatening.

Police have since reported that another boy walked into a hospital with a gunshot wound in the arm.

The shooting took place in the Constitution Hill area of the city.

More to come on projo.com ...

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:55 PM | Comment

Cape Wind project gets reprieve from veto

Cape Wind Associates scored a significant victory today as two key senators agreed to drop language from a pending bill that would have allowed the governor of Massachusetts or the U.S. Coast Guard to veto the wind farm project for any reason.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who backed the original measure, agreed to new language that drops the veto provisions, but gives the Coast Guard additional oversight over the siting of the Cape Wind project.

A spokeswoman for Kennedy said that he still believes the governor should have a say over whether the project should be built. But he agreed to the new language, she said, because it will ensure that "public safety is going to be central'' in siting the project.

The new provision requires the Coast Guard to develop a list "reasonable terms and conditions'' to provide navigational safety. Cape Wind would be required to meet those conditions, and they would be included in any lease granted to the project developers.

The provision applies only to an off-shore project in Nantucket Sound. It would not apply to any other wind project, such as the one proposed by Jay Cashman Inc. for Buzzards Bay.

Posted by Tim Barmann at 3:10 PM | Comment

Red Sox acquire pitcher Jason Johnson

BOSTON -- The Red Sox' search for pitching led them to acquire veteran right-hander Jason Johnson from the Cleveland Indians today for either cash or a player to be named later.

Johnson, 32, was designated for assignment by the Indians last week.

More details on projo.com's Red Sox blog.

Posted by Art at 2:10 PM | Comment

Giordano pleads guilty to skimming from nursing homes / Photo

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Antonio L. Giordano arrives at U.S. District Court in Providence this morning to enter the guilty plea.

PROVIDENCE -- Nursing-home operator Antonio L. Giordano and a top employee, John J. Montecalvo, pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence today to skimming $780,539 from three Rhode Island nursing homes from 1998 to 2004.

The crime, a felony count of "equity skimming,’’ involved diverting the money from nursing homes that were in the red to an employee-relations firm run by Giordano’s two daughters for services that were not reasonable or necessary.

The company, My Place, provided services to boost nursing-home employee morale, including throwing holiday parties and organizing raffles and arts and crafts and handing out "nominal'' gifts with employee paychecks.

The nursing homes were the defunct Hillside Health Center in Providence, the former Coventry Health Center and the financially ailing Mount St. Francis Health Center in Woonsocket, which Giordano sought yesterday to place in receivership.

U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi accepted the plea and set sentencing for Sept. 15. Giordano and Montecalvo each face up to five years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Federal prosecutors plan to ask the judge for prison time, though less than the maximum as part of the agreement under which the two men agreed to plead guilty.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:49 PM | Comment

Update: Fall River soccer fans cheer a winning Portugal / Photo

AP photo
Mexico's goalie Oswaldo Sanchez is unable to stop a shot by Portugal's Maniche (unseen) for a goal during the Portugal v. Mexico 2006 World Cup Group D soccer match today.

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- Dozens of soccer fans routing for Portugal in the bar Academica went wild this morning when their team scored a goal to take the lead against Mexico in just the sixth minute of play, restaurant worker Jaime Cabral said.

Young and old, retired and employed, the Portuguese community gathered to enjoy the game, Cabral said. Manny Raposa, watching the game in the bar, could barely carry on a telephone conversation a few minutes later, saying there’s just “so much noise” in the place.

“Everyone is so happy,” Raposa said.

Then, in the 24th minute of play, Portugal scored the second goal of the game on a penalty kick by Simao Sabrosa following a hand ball by the Mexican team’s captain.

Mexico scored its first goal in the 29th minute. At the half, it remained 2-1, Portugal.

And that's how it ended, with a win for Portugal, who advances to the second round of World Cup Play. Even though it lost, Mexico also advances to the round of 16.

Portugal won all three first-round games in Group D. It got goals today by Maniche and Simao Sabrosa in the first 25 minutes. Mexico's Omar Bravo missed a chance to tie the game on a second-half penalty kick that soared over the net.

Check out the World Cup games live on the official World Cup site, where you can follow the latest news in a host of languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

Or check the scores posted by the Associated Press.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:15 PM | Comment

Guard members to return from Iraq today

WARWICK -- Families and friends of the 95 men in the 861st Engineer Company scheduled to arrive today after a year of combat engineer operations in Iraq for the Rhode Island National Guard should be gathering soon at the Warwick Armory.

The unit is expected to land at 1:30 p.m. at the Northstar Aviation Facility, a private terminal for corporate jets located at 544 Airport Rd., according to Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Michael McNamara.

This unit did not suffer any fatalities or serious injuries, McNamara said.

The terminal where the men will arrive is just across the street from the Warwick Armory, and the Guard plans to direct the returning engineers across the street to the Armory for a celebration with their families, McNamara said. The Warwick Police Department will stop traffic on Airport Road so the men can cross, McNamara said.

Although this unit is typically a co-ed unit here in the States, the Guard had to reassign the women in the unit since the 861st was sent over as combat engineers and the military does not allow women to serve in direct combat roles, McNamara said.

This is the first time a returning Guard unit has had to land here, McNamara said.

They couldn’t land at the Quonset Air National Guard base, where they typically do, because everyone there is setting up for the Guard’s Open House & Air Show there this weekend, McNamara said. And it would have been too disruptive at T.F. Green Airport for the men to return there, he said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:43 AM | Comment

Summer arrives

At 8:26 this morning, Rhode Island officially welcomed the start of summer. The planet is now at the point where the Northern Hemisphere is tilted most directly toward the sun, and the sun is at its highest path through the sky. To see how this year's arrival of the summer solstice compares with years past and future, check out the U.S. Naval Observatory's Calendar of Earth Seasons (all times are listed in Universal Time, or Greenwich Mean Time).

The summer solstice is cause for celebration around much of the world. In Stonehenge, England, today, an estimated 17,000 people gathered this morning to watch the sun rise over the ancient stone circle.

This should also be the longest day of the year; the sun rose today at 5:10 a.m. and will not set until 8:24 tonight.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 8:26 AM | Comment

Carpio defense may rest its case today

PROVIDENCE – The defense may conclude its case today in the trial of Esteban Carpio, who is charged with killing Providence Police Detective Sgt. James L. Allen at police headquarters on April 16, 2005.

Once the defense rests its case, the prosecution can mount a rebuttal and may call additional witnesses.

Yesterday, jurors listened to two tape recordings in which detectives questioned Carpio on April 17, 2005. Listen to excerpts from that tape.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:08 AM | Comment

Sunshine, high in the 80s and low pollen count: Enjoy!

PROVIDENCE – A beautiful day to usher in summer.

Today’s the best-looking day on the week’s forecast. Expect mostly sunny weather with a high near 82.

Plus, just days after Providence was listed as one of pollen.com’s five worst cities for allergy sufferers, the pollen count today is at a medium level, and it’s expected to drop the next three days to quite a low count on Saturday.

So kick back and enjoy the day. What’s that you say? Today’s not Saturday? Well, if you’re lucky you can get out of work early and bask in the sunshine for at least a short while. You can always make up the work on Saturday, when there’s a 70 percent chance of rain predicted.

Check the latest conditions and forecasts at projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:59 AM | Comment