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August 3, 2006

Update: Another record high, T-storm watch / Photo

Cynthia Corbett, of Seekonk, stays cool in Spring Lake in Burrillville with her daughter Lauren.

-- Journal photo Bill Murphy

PROVIDENCE -- For the second time this week, a daily record for high temperatures has been broken, as the thermometer soared to 98 degrees in the greater Providence area, according to the National Weather Service.

The previous record high for this date, 97 degrees, was set back in 1930. And again, a scorching day will be followed by the threat of violent thunderstorms.

The weather service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch until late tonight for much of the southern New England area.

With wind gusts up to 80 mph, the storm cells that will rumble through the region could also hit the area with large hail and frequent lightning.

The weather service encourages people to be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions. Severe thunderstorms can, and occasionally do, produce tornadoes, it says.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:35 PM | Comment

A month of free weekends at the Children's Museum

PROVIDENCE -- Starting this weekend, admission to the Providence Children's Museum will be free Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 3, as part of a donation to the museum from Woonsocket-based CVS Pharmacy.

The donation was part of $404,500 in donations CVS announced today to a dozen local nonprofit organizations.

Recipients include: Autism Project of Rhode Island, Best Buddies – Rhode Island, Boys & Girls Club of Woonsocket, Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence, Bradley Children’s Hospital, Family Resources Community Action, Golf Foundation of RI (Button Hole Short Course & Teaching Center), Make A Wish Foundation of Rhode Island, March of Dimes, RI Chapter; Providence Children’s Museum, Special Olympics Rhode Island, Teaberry Knoll Academy of Therapeutic Riding, and Teen Action Group.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:08 PM | Comment

Update: Portsmouth accident scene cleared

PORTSMOUTH -- Late this morning authorities cleared an accident on East Main Road that closed four lanes of traffic for nearly 10 hours.

A 24-year-old Portsmouth man crashed into a utility pole on East Main Road early this morning while searching for his cell phone.

Sgt. Bill Burns said Brandford Paull, of 52 Lee Ave., lost control of his 2006 Nissan Altima on a tight curve at about 1:30 a.m. He ran into the pole at 2701 East Main Rd.

Paull was transported to Newport Hospital with a compound fracture to the right leg and cuts on his face.

All four lanes of East Main Road were closed until 11 a.m. as crews worked to clean fluid that spilled out of a transformer during the crash, Burns said.

-- Journal Staff Writer Justin Amoah

Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:41 PM | Comment

Photo / police officers get the feel of a taser

Lt. Joe Hart was one of the North Kingstown police officers who volunteered to get shot with a Taser X26. The idea of today's training at North Kingstown High School was to demonstrate what the weapon really feels like.

--- Journal photo by John Freidah

Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:22 PM | Comment

W. Warwick: Meeting to consider charter changes canceled

WEST WARWICK -- Tonight's public hearing and special Town Council meeting has been canceled because of a violation of state Open Meetings Law, according to Town Council member Peter F. Calci Jr.

The 7 p.m. meeting was set to consider proposed charter amendments, however that was not specified on the agenda posted in advance of the meeting, as required by state law, Calci said.

Calci said the meeting will not be rescheduled.

Short of approval of the proposed charter amendments, the amendments will not get onto the ballot to go before voters in November. Instead, the town likely will convene a Charter Revision Commission next year to examine the full charter, Calci said.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:20 PM | Comment

'Lost substation' leaves about 20,000 without power

About 20,000 households and businesses are without power in West Bay and South County this afternoon, according to National Grid spokesman David Graves.

At about 12:30 p.m., the electric company "lost a substation" in Warwick that feeds large quantities of electricity to South County. Graves did not know if the failure was related to last night's thunderstorms or today's high demand on the system.

The failure occurred just after power had been restored to the last of the utility's customers who lost it last night after a violent thunderstorm passed through much of the state.

Crews are on the scene working to identify and fix today's problem, he said.

Affected customers include:

-- 6,000 in Coventry
-- 3,700 in North Kingstown
-- 3,000 in East Greenwich
-- 2,000 in Exeter
-- 2,000 in West Greenwich
-- 2,000 in West Warwick
-- 700 in Warwick
-- 420 in Richmond
-- 180 in Westerly
-- 138 in South Kingstown

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:22 PM | Comment

Meeting on utility shutoffs postponed

The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission has postponed from today until tomorrow morning its debate about an issue that affects low-income residents.

The George Wiley Center of Pawtucket, an agency that lobbies on behalf of low-income families, wants the PUC to implement an emergency summer shutoff moratorium. That would prevent utility companies in the hot weather from shutting off someone’s service for not paying their bills.

The PUC was set to discuss the idea at a meeting this afternoon, but announced this morning that it would postpone the meeting until 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. The meeting will be held at 89 Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick.

At the request of Public Utilities Commissioner Mary Bray, National Grid has temporarily halted residential utility shutoffs for nonpayment through tomorrow.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:43 PM | Comment

City heat prompts many to call for medical help

PROVIDENCE – More than a dozen people in the city have needed assistance from fire rescue crews for heat-related illness since Tuesday.

None of the runs have been very serious. Most have been elderly people feeling weak and dizzy from the heat, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the fire department.

Tuesday and Wednesday, crews responded to 12 calls. By late morning today, they had responded to two or three more, Taylor said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:38 PM | Comment

Doctor: Wife may have died helping stricken husband

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- It could be weeks before the state medical examiner determines what caused the death of an elderly Fall River couple found in their Ray Street home Tuesday, but an autopsy found no evidence of foul play, according to Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh Jr.'s office.

“Both individuals had health issues which may have contributed to their deaths. A final determination of the cause of death is still pending toxicology,” the Bristol County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.

The district attorney’s statement does note that a broken sports trophy was found behind a door in the home at 139 Ray St., “with what could be blood and hair on it.” Crime lab chemists are examining the trophy.

A medical examiner theorizes that Michael Mone likely died first and Victoria Mone, “in an attempt to assist Mr. Mone, strained herself and caused her death. There is no evidence of foul play,” according to the district attorney’s statement.

Michael Mone was on several medications, some for diabetes.

-- Journal staff writer Michael P. McKinney

The bodies of Michael and Victoria Mone, of 139 Ray St., were found when a police officer entered the home on Tuesday.

“There were no apparent signs of a struggle or other violence in the house, nor were there any apparent signs of violence to victims’ bodies,” the district attorney said.

A medical examiner, after doing an autopsy Wednesday, reported that he did not find signs of violence on either body. The autopsy found that Michael Mone “had extensive heart and lung disease."

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:34 PM | Comment

Photo: Reaching for relief

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers

Caitlin Dunlevy, 22 months, checks out the fountain at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence while her parents, Lisa and Tim, watch. They are from Charleston, S.C., and are in the Ocean State visiting relatives in Cranston, Jamestown and Saunderstown. The temperature has already reached 95 degrees in Providence.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:08 PM | Comment

Carcieri helps Fidelity celebrate new downtown office

PROVIDENCE – If you see some commotion this morning over at 100 Finance Way, next to the Providence Amtrak Station, it’s the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Fidelity Investments’ new office in the capital city.

Governor Carcieri should be there now, along with city and state officials, to celebrate the opening of the space where 325 Fidelity employees are now working. The company has signed a three-year lease for the building as it constructs a new office building at its Smithfield campus.

Today’s ceremony follows 18 months of renovations at what was formerly known as the American Express building.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:14 AM | Comment

CVS 2Q profit jumps 23 percent on sales growth

WOONSOCKET - - Drug store chain CVS Corp. said today its second-quarter profit rose 23 percent on solid sales growth, improved margins and greater cost controls.

Net income grew to $334.4 million, or 40 cents per share, from $272.4 million, or 33 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue rose 16 percent to $10.56 billion from $9.12 billion in the prior year.

Quarterly same store sales, or sales at stores open at least on year, grew 8.8 percent, with same-store pharmacy sales up 9.1 percent, and front-end same store sales - or non-pharmacy sales- rising 8.1 percent for the quarter.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected earnings per share of 37 cents on $10.43 billion in sales.

CVS attributed its results to strong sales growth across all markets in both the retail and the pharmacy, as well as improved operating efficiencies.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:36 AM | Comment

Beating the heat: Free beach parking, library movies

Is it even possible to beat this heat?

You could join the masses at the state beaches, sitting under umbrellas and spending lots of time in the water as the sun beats down on you.

State beaches are free again today – the third day in a row, at Governor Carcieri’s order because of the current heat wave.

Before you head out to your favorite beach, though, make sure it’s open by checking the Department of Health’s beach closures page, where officials keep us posted on any health-related closures.

Or, you could try for those air-conditioned places, such as community and senior centers, libraries, movie theaters and restaurants.

Check the list of "cooling centers" around the state, for public places suggested as a source of heat relief.

The Providence Public Library will show free family movies and offer another children’s story time for the second day in a row at its air-conditioned central location, 150 Empire St.

The 2:15 p.m. story time on the ground level is geared toward children ages 4 to 6. The 12:15 p.m. and 3 p.m. family movies will be shown in the Barnard Room on the third floor. Remember, the central library doesn’t open until noon on Thursdays, but it does stay open until 8 p.m., two hours after the National Weather Service’s heat advisory is set to end.

Again today, two library branches without air conditioning will remain closed -- Knight Memorial Library, 275 Elmwood Ave., and Smith Hill Branch Library, 31 Candace St.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:30 AM | Comment

Suspicious morning blaze at Johnston salvage yard

JOHNSTON – Police and fire crews are investigating a suspicious fire at Johnston Auto Salvage, 77 Armento St., early this morning that destroyed 16 to 18 cars.

The fire at the salvage yard near the Woonasquatucket River was reported around 4 a.m. after people in North Providence heard explosions, got up and saw the flames across the river, battalion chief Charles Cavallaro said. The explosions were probably gas tanks in some of the cars, he said.

Three engine companies – 9 or 10 firefighters – worked about an hour to extinguish the blaze, which threatened to spread to another couple dozen cars, Cavallaro said. The firefighters had to work in between the cars to stop the flames from spreading, he said.

The salvage yard, which contains a couple hundred cars, has a fence around its front area, but the back isn't fenced and borders a wooded area, old train tracks and the river, Cavallaro said.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but Cavallaro stressed, “18 cars don’t start on their own.” There were lightning storms in the area, but they struck 10 hours earlier, he noted.

The police called the owner of the salvage yard, and he came to the fire this morning, Cavallaro said. All of the burned vehicles were a total loss, so the salvage yard cannot strip off parts and sell them, he said.

The town fire marshal and the police department’s bureau of criminal investigation are investigating, Cavallaro said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:50 AM | Comment

About 400 in R.I. still lacking electricity

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- As of 7 a.m. today, about 400 Rhode Islanders were still without electricity after violent thunderstorms last night knocked out power to about 24,000 customers, according to National Grid.

High wind and lightning strikes damaged equipment and knocked trees and branches onto power lines, National Grid said.

Crews worked throughout the night and will continue working through the day to restore power to everyone, National Grid said in a message recorded at about 7 a.m.

Earlier this morning, 1,100 customers were still without power.

In Massachusetts,10,500 National Grid customers were without electrcity as of 7 a.m.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:31 AM | Comment

Man shot in Providence early this morning

PROVIDENCE – A 19-year-old male with three gunshot wounds was taken early this morning to Rhode Island Hospital.

His name and condition are unknown at this time.

The shooting was reported in the vicinity of 20 Whelan Rd. at 3:19 a.m. to the Providence Fire Department, which responded and took the man to the hospital at 3:29 a.m., Fire Lt. Kevin Gomes said this morning.

The police could not be reached immediately.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:03 AM | Comment

Not quite as hot today, thunderstorms likely later

The intense heat and humidity should let up a little today, but the temperature should still climb to 93 degrees in the Providence area, and afternoon thunderstorms could bring heavy rain and wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph., according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service has replaced its excessive heat warning with a heat advisory until 6 p.m. today.

Clouds this afternoon should help prevent the temperature from climbing as high as it did yesterday -- when the mercury reached 100 in the Providence area -- but the combination of temperature and humidity should nevertheless make it feel like 100 to 105 degrees.

For more weather and updates, check projo.com/weather.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment