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« June 22, 2006 | Today | June 26, 2006 » June 23, 2006Scholar-Athlete Games begin Sunday at URI / Photo
KINGSTON -- Student-athletes from more than 150 countries and all 50 states are gathering in Rhode Island for the 2006 Scholar-Athete Games. The games formally begin on Sunday at the University of Rhode Island. Former President Bill Clinton will give the keynote speech on Monday night at 7:30 at the Ryan Center. The theme of that day's events will be world peace and nonviolence. Participants will hear from an eclectic group of speakers during the week of events. Television talk-show host Bill O'Reilly will speak at 7:30 on Sunday; Olympic skiier Bode Miller will speak Thursday at 7:30; former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell speaks on Friday; and disgraced former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland will speak on the morning of July 1, in a presentation meant to emphasize the dangers of abusing power. Talan Toriero and Taylor Cole of the wildly popular TV show Laguna Beach will join the Tuesday night festivities. All of the events, including sports events featuring youngsters from around the world, are open to the public, but tickets must be purchased for many of the speakers. Go to the official event Web site for ticket information. Posted by Mike McDermott at 5:57 PM | Comment Woman, children attacked by fox in North KingstownNORTH KINGSTOWN -- A woman and her two children -- ages 1 and 3 -- were treated at Kent Hospital today after a rabid fox bit the woman and dragged the 1-year-old boy across a lawn here. The police said that Mary McGarry, of Johnston, was just taking her children out of her car at about 7:30 this morning when the small fox attacked. They had just arrived at 140 Brookhaven Rd. The fox bit McGarry in the wrist and would not let go; she had to shake the fox off her wrist. The fox then bit her leg, got her son, Aidan, by the shoe and dragged him across the lawn. McGarry struck the fox repeatedly to get it to let go. The North Kingstown police found and killed the fox 20 minutes after receiving the call. Mary and Aidan McGarry suffered minor puncture wounds. The 3-year-old girl, Abigail, was not injured, but she was also treated for a potential rabies infection at Kent Hospital. A woman on Peach Tree Road alerted Sgt. Steven St. Onge that the animal was on her property. He fired at the animal with his gun, but it was still alive. He and a fellow officer had to fire two more shots to kill the fox. State veterinarian Dr. Christopher Hannifan announced later today that the fox did have rabies. State Sen. James Sheehan told the police yesterday that he was attacked by what is now believed to have been the same fox while he was riding his bike on Blueberry Lane. He was able to get away on his bike. Posted by Mike McDermott at 5:20 PM | Comment Zoo, health care on Kennedy-Gingrich agenda / Photo
Robin Costello, Kennedy's spokeswoman, says Gingrich, “has a passion for zoos,” and he particularly enjoyed the giraffe exhibit, where one male and two females get quite close to visitors. Over the years, Costello says each time Gingrich has been in Rhode Island, he has asked to visit the zoo. Gingrich spoke in Newport this morning about changing the country's health-care system. Kennedy and Governor Carcieri also attended the conference. After the meeting, Costello said the timing was right for Gingrich to get in a trip to the Providence zoo. This afternoon, Kennedy was to visit the Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, where he and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, from California, are expected to talk about 3:30 p.m. Tonight, Pelosi will speak at an event in Providence organized by Women Ending Hunger. Kennedy will join her for her talk at the Rhode Island Food Bank. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:40 PM | Comment Judge Torres relents, gives harsher crack sentencePROVIDENCE _ A federal judge imposed longer prison terms on two crack offenders today, saying he had no choice since an appeals court has ruled that he was wrong to reject sentencing guidelines that treat 1 gram of crack like 100 grams of powder cocaine. Last year, when Chief U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres sentenced Sambath Pho and Shawn Lewis, he called the 100-to-1 ratio “unreasonable” and used the 20-to-1 ratio recommended by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. But in January, the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that while it shared concerns about the fairness of the 100-to-1 ratio, “the proper place to assuage that concern is in the halls of Congress, not in federal courtrooms.” When Pho and Lewis came back for resentencing this morning, Torres told them that the only reason he had sentenced them below the guideline range was because he had used the 20-to-1 ratio, rather than the 100-to-1 ratio. “It would be dishonest of me, having already stated that except for the ratio the guideline range was reasonable, to come up with a pretext of why I now think the guidelines don’t provide a reasonable context for your sentence,” Torres said. So Torres sentenced Pho to 87 months in prison, up from his original sentence of 64 months. And he sentenced Lewis to 235 months in prison, up from 188 months. Assistant Federal Defenders Edward C. Roy Jr. and Kevin J. Fitzgerald said they plan to appeal the sentences imposed on Pho and Lewis yesterday. “It’s an issue that ultimately may have to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Roy said. Thomas M. Connell, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said, “Given the recent 1st Circuit decision, we believe that Judge Torres fashioned and imposed reasonable sentences in both cases today.” -- Report from Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Mike McDermott at 4:23 PM | Comment Weather update: Severe thunderstorm warning in effectA severe thunderstorm warning is on for northern Providence County in Rhode Island, which includes Woonsocket and the extreme southeastern Worcester County in central Massachusetts until 5 p.m. At 4:07 p.m., National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. This storm was located near Burrillville, or about 7 miles northeast of Putnam, and moving east at 20 mph. Earlier today, the National Weather service has expanded its flood watch to include all of Rhode Island and parts of southeastern Massachusetts. The watch is in effect through tomorrow afternoon. Rainfall of 2 to 5 inches, and in some places up to 6 and 7 inches, is possible through tomorrow, the weather service said. The heavy rain may cause flooding of streams and urban flooding. Periods of heavy rain are possible into next week. With the flood watch in effect, be sure to monitor forecasts throughout the day and be alert for possible flood warnings. Check projo.com for the latest conditions and forecasts. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:22 PM | Comment Update: Bones found in Cranston confirmed to be humanCRANSTON – An anthropoligist from the University of Maine has confirmed that bones found yesterday in Garden City are human, according to the state Medical Examiner's Office. More testing will be needed to determine their age. Authorities searching the area today found more bones, along with a lead burial nameplate that dates to the early 1900s. State police and the Cranston police were at the site, which is at the bottom of a steep slope near the former Davol Building at 100 Sockanosset Cross Rd., from this morning until about 1:30 this afternoon. There were three search dogs used, including Maximus, the state police's most experienced search dog. The bones were first discovered yesterday by a person who works in the area and was taking a walk; they were visible above the ground. Today, as more bones were discovered, they were placed into individual paper bags. Read more about the discovery of the bones in today’s Journal story. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:51 PM | Comment Photo: All-clear given at the State House
PROVIDENCE -- Just before 3:30 this afternoon, employees were allowed back into the State House after a two-hour evacuation caused by a bomb threat. The evacuation order came at 1:25, following a phoned-in threat received by the governor's office. Jeff Neal, spokesman for Governor Carcieri, said it was a "very brief call," and "there were very few specifics." Governor Carcieri was not at the State House, located at the top of Smith Hill, overlooking downtown. He was at a previously scheduled event in Warwick. The governor's office called the Capitol police, which followed the standard protocol in ordering the building to be evacuated. The fire marshal's bomb squad arrived on scene at 1:51 p.m. Dogs from the fire marshal's office, the state police and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation are involved in the search. The evacuation came just after General Assembly committees were scheduled to start meeting, and as legislators were hoping to wrap up this year's session tonight. There is no word yet on how the evacuation will affect today's legislative schedule. "It's unfortunate. We have a lot of work to get done for the people of this state," said Sen. John J. Tassoni, D-Smithfield. As the crowd gathered across Smith Street, lawmakers appeared anxious. But the business of government continued, as lobbyists worked the crowd, talking with legislators about their issues. After being outside for more than an hour, some lawmakers and staffers are huddled in their cars with the air conditioning running. Several people expressed concern that this was a bad way to start what was already going to be a long evening. One lobbyist was overheard saying, "There are better ways to kill off a piece of legislation." About 11 minutes after the announcement to evacuate the historic white marble building, several state troopers and Providence police officers arrived to assist Capitol police officers. -- Journal staff writer Scott Mayerowitz Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:34 PM | Comment Photo: Boggs, ex-mates join PawSox celebration
PROVIDENCE -- In the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, April 19, 1981, Joe Morgan knew that baseball history was going to be set. Morgan, the manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox at the time, had been thrown out of his team's game against the Rochester Red Wings in the 22nd inning with the score tied, 2-2, for arguing with the umpires. It was a windy, cold night, and Morgan retreated to a runway directly behind home plate at McCoy Stadium to watch the rest of the action. ''The players were coming back there [between innings],'' Morgan related today at the Providence Marriott Hotel on Orms Street, ''moanin' [about the cold] like you can't believe. I knew there was no way anyone was going to score. I said to myself, 'This game is going to go on for eternity.' "Was I right?" Well, almost. Morgan and 15 of his former players -- along with his pitching coach, Cranston's Mike Roarke, and eight members of the opposing Red Wings -- gathered today at noon for a luncheon hosted by the PawSox honoring the 25th anniversary of the end of longest game in professional baseball history. The entire roundtable discussion was light and lively, drawing laughter and appluase from the capacity crowd estimated at about 400 people. When Morgan pointed out that the PawSox made only one error in 33 innings, Hall of Famer Wade Boggs retorted: ''That's because nobody was making contact!'' Boggs also recalled a phone call he made to his father in Florida the next morning. ''I got four hits last night,'' he said. ''Hey, you had a good game!'' his father replied. ''Well, I did it in 12 at-bats,'' he admitted. -- Journal sports editor Art Martone The PawSox players at the luncheon, in addition to Boggs, Bruce Hurst, Marty Barrett and Dave Koza (who finally knocked in the winning run when the suspended game was resumed on June 23, 1981) included Jim Dorsey, Keith MacWhorter, Russ Quetti, Roger LaFrancois, Sam Bowen, Mike Smithson, Chico Walker, Luis Aponte, Russ Laribee, Ed Jurak and Mike Ongorato. Also on hand were Roarke, first-base umpire Tony Maners and official scorer Bill George (whose scoreboard is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame). Weather permitting, the festivities will continue before tonight's PawSox game against the Columbus Clippers. The ceremony will begin at 7. The game was suspended after 32 innings at 4:07 a.m. on April 19 and resumed on the evening of June 23. When it did, Koza singled home Barrett in the bottom of the 33rd inning, giving the PawSox a 3-2 victory. Morgan and Barrett were part of a discussion panel about the game, hosted by Red Sox television announcer Don Orsillo, that included Boggs and Hurst. ''I'd been a baseball fan since I was a kid,'' said Barrett, the team's second baseman who played with the Boston Red Sox from 1983-90, ''and I knew the longest game before that was 26 innings. So when we got to the 27th, I told everybody, 'We're playing in the longest game ever.' '' They had gotten that far because Boggs had driven in the tying run in the bottom of the 21st, after Rochester had scored in the top of the inning to take the lead. ''I didn't know if the guys on the team wanted to hug me or slug me,'' said Boggs, a career .337 hitter with the Red Sox from 1982-92. Hurst, one of the best left-handed pitchers in Red Sox history, worked the 28th through 32nd innings, allowing only two hits and striking out seven. He recalls striking out Rochester's Cal Ripken, another Hall of Famer, at about 4 a.m. on a 3-and-2 curveball. ''A 3-and-2 curve at 4 in the morning is a hard pitch to hit,'' joked Hurst. Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:02 PM | Comment Popular daily number pays off1003 was a lucky number for a lot of Rhode Islanders last night. The Rhode Island Lottery says that there are $188,522 worth of winning tickets from last night's Daily Number drawing, against just $73,274 in ticket sales -- a payout that amounts to 260 percent of ticket sales. On an average day, the Lottery's payouts are 47 percent of ticket sales, Lottery spokeswoman Jennafer Rampone said today. Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:54 PM | Comment Centracchio to enter race for lieutenant governorFormer state Adjutant General Reginald Centracchio plans to enter the race for lieutenant governor and will contest for the Republican Party's endorsement at the state convention next week, Chuck Newton, a spokesman for the state GOP, said today. Centracchio retired at age 65 last September, after 48 years in the National Guard. During the Cold War, he was a battery commander for missile sites throughout Rhode Island. Former Gov. Lincoln C. Almond appointed Centracchio adjutant general in 1995; Governor Carcieri reappointed him in 2003. Centracchio has long acknowledged an interest in running for the office of lieutenant governor. -- Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:28 PM | Comment A taste of the farm in downtown ProvidencePROVIDENCE -- The farmers’ markets are in full swing. Today is the second Friday for the Downtown Farmers’ Market, which comes to town each Friday from now until October. It’s a place to buy baked goods, fresh strawberries, coffee, chocolate, vegetables, fruit, T-shirts and flowers. The white, blue or green tents over each of the tables dot the landscape downtown, on the brick sidewalk next to the skating rink. They’ll be there from 11 until 3 p.m. – unless torrential rains cause the farmers, bakers and other salespeople to pack up early. Can't make it to Providence? Check this list of markets around the state, provided by Farm Fresh Rhode Island. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:55 AM | Comment Rain could curb air show events, but it's a go for nowNORTH KINGSTOWN – With an 80-percent chance of rain predicted for tomorrow and a 70- percent chance on Sunday -- some expected to be quite heavy -- we asked the Rhode Island National Guard about plans for this weekend’s 15th annual air show at Quonset. The show normally goes on, rain or shine. But spokesman Lt. Col. Michael McNamara said this morning, “We’ll probably have to curtail some things.” Safety comes first, he said. “We fly as much as we can. We do the ground acts as much as we can,” he said. “The only time we really look at canceling is when it becomes unsafe – high winds, lightning. Then we go ahead and cancel.” The last time weather was a problem was in 2001, when the Guard had to cancel Sunday’s events in mid-afternoon because of torrential, driving rain, McNamara said. For now, he’s hopeful that the show will go on as planned at Quonset Point, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday. For more information, call (401) 275-4110 or visit www.riairshow.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:28 AM | Comment Lawmakers hope to adjourn tonightPROVIDENCE – As state legislators strive to wrap up this year's General Assembly session, they’ve yet to pass the state’s $6.66 billion budget. They’ve left that for debate tonight by the Senate Finance Committee, which is expected to begin tackling the budget at 6 p.m. in Room 211 of the State House. But will the legislators be able to get to all that’s left in order to finish tonight? One can wonder, considering the 45-minute debate in the House last night over whether to honor Anne Hutchinson, a 17th-century champion of civil liberties and religious freedom who lived in Portsmouth for a time, by naming a bridge after her. In a state with no bridges named after a woman, the legislators argued along gender lines about whether Hutchinson could have that honor or must share it with Capt. Robert Gray, a Tiverton native who served as a Revolutionary War officer. "I urge you all to name one thing after one great woman," said Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, in support of the legislation introduced by Rep. Amy Rice, D-Portsmouth. Rep. Timothy Williamson, D-Coventry, drew laughs when he suggested naming one lane of the bridge after Hutchinson and another after Gray. More laughs came when House Speaker William Murphy responded, "Or name it after Anne Hutchinson and paint it gray." With 93 items on the full House calendar for today, and 34 on the Senate's, when will it end? -- With reports from The Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:10 AM | Comment Last area high school graduation tonightCommencement exercises tonight at South Kingstown High School will put a cap on the local high school graduation season. Tonight's ceremony begins at 7 p.m. at the Ryan Center on the University of Rhode Island campus in Kingston. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:36 AM | Comment Carpio trial: Off for the day, closing arguments MondayPROVIDENCE -- The trial of Esteban Carpio, accused of murder in the fatal shooting of a Providence police detective, takes a break today. Testimony in the trial wrapped up yesterday, as the prosecution continued to challenge the defense's claim that Carpio should be found not guilty because he was insane at the time. Next: Closing arguments on Monday. Read today's Journal story for the latest. Find a photo gallery, audio clips and more coverage of the trial here. |
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Oct 2005 - March 2006