|
|
« August 2006 | Today | October 2006 » September 29, 2006Station fire photo: Michael Derderian is led away
Gallery: View a slideshow of Journal photos from today's proceedings.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:00 PM | Comment Station fire: Governor criticizes Derderian sentencesLike many family and friends of Station fire victims, Governor Carcieri was not happy about the sentences received today by Michael and Jeffrey Derderian. "Today's hearing also served as a reminder that justice has not been served by this plea bargain," Carcieri said in a statement released early this evening. "Nobody who witnessed today's emotional testimony could believe that the punishment fit the crime. I am saddened that the legal process produced this decidedly incomplete result." He continued: "I am very disappointed that this deal for the Derderians will undermine our ability to get at the truth of what happened that awful night," Carcieri said. "As a result of this plea arrangement, the victims and families will continue to struggle under the weight of hundreds of unanswered questions.” A short time earlier, Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who also said he disagreed with the sentences, pledged to release evidence and other material collected for the trials as soon as possible. Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:55 PM | Comment Old Stone appealing to U.S. Supreme CourtOld Stone Corp. wants the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on its longstanding lawsuit against the federal government. The company's board of directors voted today to petition the court to hear its case, which involves breach-of-contract allegations. The case is marking its 14th anniversary -- Old Stone filed the lawsuit in September 1992. Old Stone Corp. formerly owned Old Stone Bank. Posted by Neil Downing at 6:09 PM | Comment Wolf dogs heading from R.I. to N.H.SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The two wolf hybrids taken from University of Rhode Island President Robert L. Carothers's property last month are bound for their new home in New Hampshire, according to Dr. Christopher Hannafin, state veterinarian. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney The two wolf dogs had been quarantined at the South Kingstown Pound since shortly after the state Department of Environmental Management ordered them removed from Carothers's Meadow Tree Farm Road property Aug. 11. Posted by Jack Perry at 5:31 PM | Comment U.S. Senate extends life of Blackstone River programA bill to extend the budgetary life of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor for five more years was approved by the U.S. Senate today and will now go to the president for his signature. Had the legislation not passed, the 24-town, two-state corridor program would have ended this year, 20 years after its creation. The corridor’s reauthorization is part of a larger package of programs for the U.S. Department of the Interior. The House had passed its version of the reauthorization in July. U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, whose father helped pass the legislation that created the corridor, had made its reauthorization a personal mission. “For nearly 20 years, the Blackstone Valley Corridor Commission has worked with the National Park Service to clean up, revitalize and preserve this historic land and river,’’ Chafee said. “Today marks another historic day for the Blackstone Heritage Corridor, as it will continue to be a thriving source of tourism and historical education.’’ He said the reauthorization would also mean greater federal support for the completion of the Blackstone Bikeway, as well as cleanup efforts along the Blackstone River and protection of its watershed. -- Journal staff writer John Hill Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:25 PM | Comment Grand Jury clears officer who killed shoplifting suspectNORTH SMITHFIELD _ A Providence County Grand Jury returned no indictment today in the case of a town police officer who shot and killed a shoplifting suspect in supermarket parking lot in July. The shooting occurred on July 2, when patrolman Russell B. Amato shot and killed James Wilcox, 34, of 22 Beecher St., Pawtucket after the police said Wilcox tried to run him down with his van. Another man and Wilcox’ five-year-old daughter, who were also in the van, were not hurt. As is common procedure when a local police office kills a suspect, the case was turned over to the state police and presented to a grand jury. Beryl Kenyon, spokeswoman for Atty. Gen. Patrick Lynch, said the grand jury reported no indictment, which mean the grand juror reviewed the evidence and found no violation of state law. Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:46 PM | Comment Station Fire: Full text of attorney general's statementAttorney General Patrick Lynch just released the following statement concerning today's pleas: Over the course of the last week, I have reached out and spoken with the families and loved ones of more than 80 of the 100 victims who perished in The Station fire on the night of February 20, 2003. I have also spoken with many of the people who suffered grievous injuries from the fire, because they also are -- unquestionably -- victims, and because today is also a wrenching day for them. In every call I have made -- to every mother and father, sister and brother, daughter and son -- I have said the same thing: "My heart goes out to you. I cannot imagine the pain you are experiencing." My prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General William Ferland, argued the basis for my objection in Court. In my own mind, I never reached a conclusion about the sentences I could agree to. I did, however, know there were two parameters: that any agreement include more jail time for Michael Derderian than Daniel Biechele is currently serving, and that Jeffrey Derderian be sent to jail. Absent these base-line terms, I fully intended to prosecute these two criminal cases at trial. As my office moves forward from today, and as material and evidence gathered for these cases will begin to be released, we will continue speaking with loved ones and families of the victims. The actual logistics and mechanics of releasing information of such a massive volume -- and doing so as fairly and sensitively as possible for all of the parties involved -- will be a daunting task. Because of this, and because we understand that this will be a very emotional and painful process for the loved ones of victims, we ask for the public's and the media's understanding and patience as we undertake it. Please know, however, that I will do everything in my power to release the investigative materials from The Station fire cases as quickly as possible. A day like today reminds us all of the fragility of life -- and of the inadequacy of words. The legal process has closed, but no outcome -- and no amount of time -- will ever close the wounds of all those who suffer. Today belongs most to those who have suffered the most. Although our words cannot even begin to address the depth of their grief, we will never forget the words they spoke in Court today. We will always remember their courage and strength, both to honor the memory of those lost and to remind us to do everything within our power to prevent future tragedies. Posted by Mike McDermott at 4:39 PM | Comment Station Fire: Media frenzy outside courthouseThere was a media frenzy outside the courthouse shortly after the Derderians' final sentences were announced. A large group of friends and family of the fire victims huddled near the courthouse front doors, as a horde of television cameras and photographers waited along the parking garage about 100 yards away. After a few minutes passed, the victims started wandering toward the parking garage, only to be confronted by the cameras. Some stopped and talked to probing reporters. Other walked more quickly, escaping into the garage. Posted by Mike McDermott at 4:26 PM | Comment Alert: Station Fire: Darigan imposes sentencesAs expected, Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. imposed the sentences he had outlined before accepting no contest pleas from Station owners Michael and Jeffrey Derderian. He sentenced Michael Derderian to 15 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions, with 4 years to be served in minimum security, the remaining 11 years suspended. In addition, he will be ordered into a work-release program and serve 3 years probation after completing his sentence. Jeffrey Derderian was given a 10-year suspended sentence, with 500 hours of "appropriate" community service and 3 years of probation. "Sheriff, you may take custody of the defendant," Darigan said, immediately after imposing both sentences. Michael Derderian was taken into custody. After the judge's decision, the hallways were quiet. There were no outbursts, no screaming similar to those at the sentencing of Daniel Biechele. Darigan imposed the sentences after spending about 30 minutes explaining why he decided to accept the plea from the Derderian brothers and how he arrived at an appropriate sentence. "This court has always been acutely aware that no resolution -- either by trial or plea agreement -- would ever satisfy anyone or everyone." Posted by Jack Perry at 4:11 PM | Comment Station Fire: Darigan explaining the law, his decisionJudge Francis J. Darigan Jr. is now explaining why he decided to accept the plea from the Derderian brothers and how he arrived at an appropriate sentence. He is going into considerable detail about the law. Darigan said both the prosecution and defense wanted to settle the case before trial, but could not come to an agreement on a recommended sentence. He said he ultimately concluded that the cases should be resolved before trial, as most criminal cases are. Among his considerations were the difficulty of seating an impartial jury, the length of the trials and the difficult nature of much of the evidence. Darigan said he takes responsibility for accepting the plea and imposing the sentence. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:57 PM | Comment Station Fire: Michael Derderian composed during his statement“I just want to say how deeply sorry I am for the role I played in that tragedy,” a composed Michael Derderian told the court just moments ago. With so many families hurting, Derderian said he is sorry “for not asking more questions” about the deadly foam the brothers hung on the walls of their business, The Station nightclub. Derderian said he sometimes looks back and wishes they never hung the foam on the walls or bought the business. If he knew then what he knows now, “we would have done things differently,” he said. Minutes before he addressed the court, Michael had sat in the courtroom with his head buried in his arms on the table in front of him, listening to his brother, Jeffrey Derderian, say he sometimes wishes he didn’t make it out of the fire. As he addressed the court, Michael maintained his composure throughout. "There is so much pain and heartache that happened on our doorstep," he said. "We know that everyone there just wanted to have fun. ... Like my brother said, we never intended for this to happen." Michael Derderian reiterated that he was not in the nightclub the night of the fire. "I cannot even begin to imagine the horror," he said. He said he realizes that nothing he says or does can bring back the loved ones of those who still grieve. "I am always mindful of the 75 children who lost the love and companionship of one or both parents," he said. "Our promise is to do all we can to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again," he said. As his brother mentioned, he also said they would do all they can to ensure that all the information about what happened leading up to the fire comes out. "We know that that is the least of what you're owed," he said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:40 PM | Comment Station Fire: "I wanted them to say they were guilty"Linda Fischer wanted to hear more. Although each Derderian brother repeatedly said he was sorry while addressing the court, neither entered a guilty plea. Fischer, 37, of Cranston, underwent 12 surgeries and spent three weeks in a coma after being burned in the Station fire. She acknowledged that the Derderians -- Jeffrey especially -- sounded sincere, but she wasn't satisfied. "If they truly felt they had done something wrong, they would have pleaded guilty," she said moments after the Derderians spoke. "I wanted them to be more like Dan Biechele." - Steve Peoples Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:34 PM | Comment Station Fire: Jeffrey Derderian: 'Saying I'm sorry not enough'
Jeffrey Derderian, seated in the witness box and reading from a prepared statement, repeatedly apologized for The Station fire, while emphasizing: "I certainly know saying I'm sorry is not enough." Derderian, a co-owner, was among those at the club on the night of the fire. As he talked about that night, his voice began to break down, and he said, "There are many days when I wish I didn't make it out of that building." And, he added, "I know many of you wish I hadn't, too."
"I promise to make myself available," he said, to answer those questions. There's a long list of mistakes that led to the tragedy -- "including our own," he said. "I'm not here to blame others. I understand your anger." "I wish I could give you back what you lost, but I know I can't," he said. He spoke of those lost in the fire -- husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. "That torment will be with me every day of my life," he said. "It's with me when I go to bed at night. It's with me when I get up in the morning." Derderian said the legal process has prevented him from speaking out sooner. "We've wanted to say so much for so long," he said. Derderian said that he, like others, tried to do so much the night of the fire. "I was scared," he admitted. "And I wish I did a better job." He pledged that his community service -- expected to be 500 hours imposed by the judge this afternoon -- will be meaningful. He spoke of teaching others about fire safety and volunteering in a burn unit to see how fire victims struggle and to see what they cannot do. Even once his court-imposed community service is over, Jeffrey Derderian said he will still do more to educate people. In closing, he said, "I would never ask for your forgiveness. That would simply be insulting. Please know how sorry I am." Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:15 PM | Comment Station Fire: Prosecutor asking for prison timeProsecutor William Ferland, representing the state Attorney General's Office, is now asking the judge that both Derderians receive prison time in exchange for their no-contest pleas. Under the previously reached agreement, only Michael Derderian is to be sentenced to prison, for four years to serve, while brother Jeffrey Derderian would receive no time behind bars. "There is no magic number as to what the appropriate sentence would be in this case," Ferland said -- and he did not give one. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:03 PM | Comment Station Fire: Lynch among court spectators / Photo
Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:58 PM | Comment Station Fire: It's done: Derderians change pleasAs they stood before the judge and through their respective lawyers, brothers Jeffrey and Michael Derderian changed their pleas to manslaughter charges stemming from The Station fire from not guilty to no contest. Both told Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. that they understand such pleas are the equivalent of pleas of guilty in the state of Rhode Island. Both said they were willing to give up their rights as defendants and their right to a trial. The change had been expected as a part of a plea agreement, which Darigan is now detailing. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:57 PM | Comment Station Fire: Change of pleas beginsCourt is back in session. Michael and Jeffrey Derderian are expected to change their pleas from not guilty to no contest. They are pleading to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count for each person who died in The Station nightclub fire. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:46 PM | Comment Victim statements conclude; 15-minute recessThe court is in recess for 15 minutes. Judge Darigan said the victim-impact statements portion of the sentencing hearing has concluded. (posted at 2:23 p.m.) Posted by maria caporizzo at 2:45 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'On our way to a lifetime of great years'The Station fire has been called an accident, but kindergartners learn that "most accidents can be prevented, and that there are consequences," said Angel O. Amitrano, who lost her father, Thomas Barnett, in the fire. Amitrano didn't meet her father until she was 9. "My father was 17 when I was born. I was 21 when he died." They had grown especially close in the final four years of his life. He gave her the emotional and financial support to get through college, but he couldn't go to her graduation. He died at 38. "We were on our way to a lifetime of great years together," she said. Within two weeks of Barnett's death, Amitrano's grandfather, "who was healthy as an ox," she said, suffered a stroke and died. Now she's heartbroken to know that her father won't be able to walk her down the wedding aisle, that her future children won't be able to know their grandfather or great-grandfather, though they might look just like them. "I pick up the phone still to call my father, and I have to hang up the phone and cry." Posted by Jack Perry at 2:29 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'It is so devastating to sit by your daughter's bedside and watch her slowly slipping away'
Journal filesPamela Gruttadauria Ann Gruttadauria, mother of Pamela Gruttadauria, who survived 21/2 months before succumbing to her injuries from the Station nightclub fire, wasn't supposed to talk about the sentencing of club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian. But she ended her comments, after describing her daughter's hospital stay, suggesting to Judge Darigan that he require Jeffrey Deredian's community service to be served out helping burn victims. "That would mean a lot to me," she said. Watching Pam at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, was, "an emotional roller coaster ride," she said. "It is so devastating to sit by your daughter's bedside and watch her slowly slipping away." "To lose a child is a grief beyond anyone's imagination. We are so grateful we had a chance to say goodbye to her." Posted by Pam Cotter at 2:28 PM | Comment Station Fire: The 'most dependable' of all the brothers
Journal filesTracy King Jody recalled how, when he was younger, his big brother Tracy could be "a pain," as many big brothers can be. But as an adult, Tracy turned into the most dependable of all the King brothers. He was the kind of guy you could call in the middle of the night if your car broke down on the George Washington Bridge. Jody's hope is that Rhode Island, the United States and, indeed, the entire world learns lessons from the Station fire so nobody else has to suffer the same pain. Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:21 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'We tried to get out'
Journal files Alfred Crisostomi "Freddy was an amazing man," she said. "I want the court to know what Freddy did to save my life, and we tried to get out, but a bouncer stopped us at door. My entire world would be different had he not decided to play the big bouncer role and listen to his employer. That night has changed my world completely." To Judge Darigan, Russo said, "You have done us a great disservice by not allowing us a trial. This is my life sentence." Russo, who has undergone more than 40 surgeries for injuries she sustained in the fire, said, "I have to look at myself every single day. I cry for the life that should have been that I'll never get." Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:07 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'My heart is broken beyond repair'
Journal filesBridget Sanetti Annmarie Swidwa will keep funding a scholarship in her daughter Bridget Sanetti's name. "We will do what we can to make this world a better place because that's what Bridget did," she said. "My heart is broken beyond repair." "We didn't do anything wrong, but we never got a trial, and we all received a life sentence." Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:04 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'Little boys need their daddies'
Journal files Ty Longley She identifies herself as Heidi Longley. She and Ty Longley were expecting a child when the musician died in The Station fire. "I had to defend Ty so many times as a band member, when he was also a victim," she said. What should have been a happy pregnancy for Heidi Longley became a mournful time where she tried to keep her unborn baby from hearing her crying and wished that they would both die so they could be united with Ty. "It felt as if someone reached into my chest and tore out my heart when I got that knock at the door," she said. She named her son after Ty. They call the boy's father "Daddy Angel." The boy thinks he "had to take a special tour bus to heaven with his angel friends from Rhode Island. He thinks his father didn't want to go to heaven but had to because God needed him." "Little boys need their daddies, not Daddy Angels," she said. "It doesn't matter how many people are punished," she said. "Our loved ones are not coming back." Posted by Mike McDermott at 2:01 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'They wouldn't leave each other'
Journal filesBejamin J. Suffoletto 
Journal filesLinda D. Suffoletto Susan Rezendes, sister-in-law and sister of Benjamin J. and Linda D. Suffoletto, said she knew both her sister and brother-in-law were dead in the fire, because, "they woldn't leave each other." Rezendes spoke of the difficulty of burying her sister. "When I'd seen my sister's face at the funeral home she had no skin. And I think of only how she must've been so afraid... She was my baby siser, and I wonder, who trampled over my sister." Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:59 PM | Comment Station Fire: Photo / Frustration hard to contain
Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:20 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'Where's our plea bargain?'
Journal files Tammy Mattera-Housa This time, she needed to talk about justice. "I don't need to tell you how distraught and disgusted I was when I learned you decided the man who literally lit the fuse that night would serve no more than four years in the ACI. I was inconsolable," Mattera said. "The only thought that kept me going was the promise that when September came, things would be different. When September came, there would be a trial, and there would be no way the brothers would get away with their crimes." She said their proposed sentences are merely "slaps on their wrists." That Jeffrey Derderian's sentence of 500 hours of community services is "actually insulting." "What about the sentence on all of us? Where's our deal? Where's our plea bargain? Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:25 PM | Comment Station fire: Recess until 1:30The court is in lunch recess until 1:30. Posted by Pam Cotter at 12:22 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'The whole family is hurting'
Journal files Carlos Pimentel Sr. Heidi Ferrara, the sister-in-law of Carlos Pimentel Sr., talked about the tragedy's impact on her family, especially his four children. "Savannah will never have her father walk her down the aisle at her wedding," she said. "Carlos Jr. had the life sucked right out of him. He was a carbon copy of his father in every way." "Cheyenne was 10 when her father died. She couldn't cry, Cheyenne has anger in her ... she was so confused by the whole thing." "My sister and I talked about this a lot ... we don't want to feel anger, " she added. "But that doesn't mean the whole family isn't hurting." Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:21 PM | Comment Station Fire: Lives diminished
Journal files Mark Adam Fontaine Mark Adam Fontaine, 22, died before he could achieve the goals he set for himself, but not before he could make a mark on the world, said his mother, Rosanna Fontaine. "Nothing can diminish the horror of that night. Until the day I die, I will continue to live it," she said. She talked for several minutes about the impact her son's death has had on her and her family. Her daughter, Melanie, was injured in the fire. Melanie Fontaine lost her fiance, John Longiaru. As she concluded, Mrs. Fontaine told Judge Darigan what she thought of the plea agreement. "I feel strongly the value of their lives (all of the fire victims) will be diminished when the court imposes the lenient sentence it has recommended." Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:19 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'That's what I see every night'
Journal files Jeffrey W. Martin Suzanne Fox, mother of Jeffrey W. Martin, said she made a 600-mile trip from Carson City, Nevada, "to try to explain to this court how overwhelmed I am by the death of my son." Although she is a writer, she said, "I have no words. Even as I read these lines, I am so blurred with tears I can barely see the words on this page." Fox spent most of her time on the stand drawing a verbal picture of what she thought the last moments of her son's life were like during the Station fire. Detailing the emotions and physical pain he may have gone through, she said, "That's what I see -- every night. Every night of my life. My son, whose bright wit and intelligence ... enriched the lives of those around him ... knows his life is over."
Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:10 PM | Comment Station Fire: 'Trial would have been too hard on judge, AG'
Journal files John Longiaru She called her 23-year-old son her "best friend." "We had great talks," she said. "Now it's so quiet." After talking about her son for several minutes, Longiaru said she refused to give up her right to talk about the plea agreement, though she believes it would fall "on deaf ears." Judge Darigan has admonished several speakers to limit their comments to memories of their loved one and the impact of their death. "We have been given a life sentence with no opportunity for parole. We all deserve a trial to find out why our loved ones died. A trial would not have been too hard for us... I think it would have been too hard for you, judge, and for Mr. Lynch," Longiaru said. Posted by Mike McDermott at 11:39 AM | Comment Station Fire: All quiet outside courthouseAlthough fire survivors and relatives of victims have expressed widespread opposition to the plea agreement, by late morning, all was quiet outside Kent County Courthouse. All the action was inside. Posted by maria caporizzo at 11:36 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'This was no accident'
Journal files Albert Anthony DiBonaventura
"These guidelines leave little room to make true impact statements," she said. "I'm not a public speaker, I'm merely Mom," she said. "Al was just shy of 6 feet and towered over the two of us. Would be 22 years young this Nov. 26 had his life not been put in jeopardy." "We always had heart-to-heart conversations. We were a very close-knit family. The hardest thing we have ever had to do, Judge Darigan, is to bury our son. I an unable to put into words how much we miss our son." I have said this before ... we are sentenced to life without parole." Later she added, "We seek no revenge. We seek merely justice, accountability and hoped-for serious consenquece. We understand this was not an intended mass murder, but when defendants play Russian roullette on a continuous basis this was no accident."
Posted by Mike McDermott at 11:35 AM | Comment Station Fire photo: Derderians listen to victims' kin
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:32 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'We suffer every day'
Journal files Dina A. DeMaio Jessica Garvey remembers waiting for a week in a hotel to determine if her sister Dina A. DeMaio, somebody who had "more friends than I could ever list," survived the Station fire. "We all suffer with the pain of Dina's loss every day," she said. "Our pain only began on Feb. 20, 2003." She remembered feeling guilty when there was some question whether a "Jane Doe" survivor in the hospital was Dina. She hoped it wasn't. She knew her sister wouldn't want to survive with such severe wounds. It wasn't Dina. Dina was so badly burned the family had a closed casket at her wake. "I never really got to say goodbye to her, only to a box," Garvey said. Posted by Mike McDermott at 11:26 AM | Comment Station Fire: A 'dream cut short'
Journal files Melvin Gerfin
"Getting to know my dad, his wife and my sisters, this is what I always wanted," she said. "That dream was cut short." "My father was a wonderful man. He was so funny." "When I'm alone, I think about how much I miss him." Posted by Jack Perry at 11:21 AM | Comment Station Fire: Frustration, tears in overflow courtroom / Photo
WARWICK -- As relatives of Station fire victims gave their statements this morning, observers packed the overflow courtroom at the Kent County Courthouse to watch the proceedings on a video screen. At times, they sniffled and cried. Sheriffs passed out tissues. And, unlike the main courtroom, where Judge Francis J. Darigan is keeping a tight rein on comments from the floor, they freely vented their feelings. Some cheered as Jay McLaughlin talked about justice not being served. Others expressed digust with the judge for his already-announced decisions on the sentences for the Derderian brothers. And many were frustrated just with the effort to hear the proceedings on the video screen, as the audio feed stumbled or came in too low. As the court took a 20-minute break shortly before 10 a.m., and people took to the hallways, tears fell and hugs were given. -- With reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:57 AM | Comment Station Fire: Court recessThe court has taken a 20-minute recess. Posted by Pam Cotter at 10:50 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'A smile that could light up a room.'
Journal files Keith Lapierre He was "a person that could make you laugh when he opened up his mouth." Keith Lapierre, 29, gave up a lucrative career in finance to teach inner city kids, according to his father. He had a son of his own who will never get to see his father's big smile and hear him roar, "Where's my tiger," when he comes home. The boy doesn't understand where his father went. His daughter was born 4 days after his funeral. Lapierre said it would be hypocritical of him to wish for the Derderians to "burn in hell" because he tried to instill forgiveness and understanding in all of his children. But, he said, everyone will someday face an ultimate judgment. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:47 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'It is impossible to share with you (our) loss'
Journal files Scott Griffith David Griffith, the brother of Scott Griffith, took the stand after arriving from California, and thanked "The state of Rhode Island for this opportunity." "It is nearly impossible to share with you the loss" of the family's loved one, he said, "Especially when the parties responsible are here in courtroom. " Scott, 41, had only lived in Rhode Island for six months with his 13-year-old daughter Casey, before his death, his brother said.. "Casey has lost the most important person in her life. They both had a tremendous amount of love for each other," Griffith said. "I feel more for the victims who have to live thier lives scarred and helpless. The actions of the few have ruined so many lives." Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:37 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'It tears at my heart'Terry Romanoff, the father of Tracey Romanoff-Fredrickson and father-in-law of Daniel Fredrickson, says he prays nightly for closure and justice. His daughter was the mother of "two beautiful children." "It tears at my heart when I look in their faces only to see the strong resemblances to Tracey." "It is a reality we must face every day," he said. "They say time heals all wounds. This is not true under the tragic circumstances of my daughter's death." Posted by Jack Perry at 10:35 AM | Comment Boston judge clears marriage of two Providence womenBOSTON _ A Superior Court judge ruled a gay couple from Rhode Island has the right to marry in Massachusetts, saying that Rhode Island laws do not expressly prohibit same-sex marriage. Wendy Becker and Mary Norton of Providence, argued that a 1913 law that forbids out-of-state residents from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would not be permitted in their home state did not apply to them because Rhode Island does not specifically ban gay marriage. Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly agreed. ``No evidence was introduced before this court of a constitutional amendment, statute, or controlling appellate decision from Rhode Island that explicitly deems void or otherwise expressly forbids same-sex marriage,'' he ruled. The state attorney general's office argued that Rhode Island statutes use gender-specific terms, including both ``bride'' and ``groom,'' and it was clear the intention was to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. --- The Associated Press Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:35 AM | Comment Station Fire: A brief recess, and an admonishmentWARWICK -- Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. abrubtly called a recess at about 10:15 a.m. as a family representative began talking about feelings of hatred. When Darigan reconvened the hearing after a few minutes, and the person returned to the stand, people in the courtroom began to clap in response to his statements. Darigan then chastised them for the outburst and asked those in the courtroom to refrain from commenting in any way. "This is not a public forum," he said. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:28 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'I believe their deaths will not be in vain'
Journal files Derek Gray Elizabeth Cravaselli, mother of Derek Gray, said "the four days my family suffered was agony waiting for word that Derek was gone." "One hundred families have lost loved ones," she noted, adding: "I believe thier deaths will not be in vain," because safety regulations and fire regulations have been instituted across the state. "Others may live for what they have to go through. If these changes were around and they were still here, I believe they would have lived. May they rest in peace."
Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:27 AM | Comment Station Fire: Photo, outside the courthouse
Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:22 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'Victimized ... over and over again'
Journal files Sandy and Michael Hoogasian Jay McLaughlin, related to Sandy and Michael Hoogasian, said he felt a sense of "pain caused by disrespect, apathy, betrayal, all of which have victimized us over and over again." McLaughlin, who is married to Michael Hoogasian's sister Paula, Darigan told the people in the courtroom that he understands their frustration, but that the hearing isn't an opportunity for a diatribe against the proceeding. He later allowed McLaughlin to return and continue. Again, members of the audience applaued when McLaughlin finished. Darigan asked them to refrain. Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:15 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'You have all succeeded in ripping my heart out'
"She always did the right thing. Our family has been devastated by this loss. You have all suceeded in ripping my heart out." She also quoted a mother of one of Abbie's friends, who said "We remember ... Abbie (as some who) did the right things, the moral things," to which Bonnie added, " I wish others could say the same." Hoisington also thanked Judge Darigan for not putting us through the trauma of a trial . We followed the rules and we were betrayed by the sytem." Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:05 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'Someone didn't care enough'
Claire Bruyere, the mother of Bonnie Hamelin, is obviously angered by the plea agreement that kept the case from going to trial. Judge Darigan had to cut her off when her comments became critical. "She was let down by the system, the state and even by me," the mother said. She's upset the case didn't go to trial. "My belief system is gone. I feel betrayed, lost and mostly heartbroken," she said. People in the courtoom clapped when she finished. Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:03 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'I never got to see her one last time'
Journal files Sarah Telgarsky Sarah Ballard, the 22-year-old daughter of fire victims Sarah Telgarsky and Craig Ballard, said "I didn't know my parents had been in the fire until a friend of theirs had came to the house and told me." Her mother died. "They couldn't even find the body.. I indentified her with only dental records." Her father was in the hosptial for 4 months in a medically-induced coma. "The last time I got to see my mother was in the video of the fire, she was up at the stage in a red sweater having a really good time. I did talk to her before the fire ... but I never got to see her one last time." "I would give anything to have her back. what I have learned for all of this is life is really too short and never to take anything for granted." Defense attorney Kathleen Hagerty began crying during Ballard's testimony. Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:01 AM | Comment Station Fire: Watch courtroom videoProjo.com is carrying The Station sentencing hearing live with via streaming video. To watch, click on this link. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:56 AM | Comment Station Fire: Darigan won't change sentencesIn opening remarks this morning, Judge Francis Darigan said he does not plan to change his mind on sentencing. He said understands some family members and victims are unhappy with the sentencing agreement, which calls for Michael Derderian to get four years in prison and Jeffrey Derderian to avoid prison. He said his biggest regret is "this criminal justice system cannot give you the relief you seek." Posted by Jack Perry at 9:49 AM | Comment Station Fire: 'I stand here a broken man'
Journal files Derek Johnson Robert Johnson Sr., father of fire victim Derek Johnson was "Derek's death has not only impacted on my life, which for all purposes has ceased to exist, but also my and Derek's family and friends," he said. "We have all suffered a loss so overwhelming it is inconsolable." "I stand here a broken man, lost in a world without my precious son, Derek," he continued. The elder Johnson also asked, with all due respect to the court, that his son's name, Derek Brian Johnson, be removed from the criminal complaint. "Now, they only got 99," he added before leaving the stand. Posted by Mike McDermott at 9:37 AM | Comment Station Fire: The dead are honored / AudioThe Derderians' sentencing proceedings at Kent County Courthouse opened today with turned-down lights as Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr.'s clerk, Marie Collins, read the names of the 100 people killed in The Station fire as their photos were displayed on a screen. Hear an audio roll call / Read Journal profiles of the victims. Posted by Pam Cotter at 9:35 AM | Comment Station Fire: List of speakersJudiciary spokesman Craig Berke just handed out the schedule of speakers for today. Here it is: 9:30: Opening remarks; speaking of names Posted by Mike McDermott at 8:57 AM | Comment Tax amnesty deadline is tomorrow nightTomorrow is the deadline to take advantage of Rhode Island's tax amnesty program. If you pay what you owe -- and have your application package postmarked by midnight tomorrow -- the state will waive penalties and won't prosecute you. You'll still have to pay interest, but at a rate of 12 percent. On Sunday, the rate the state charges on delinquent taxes will jump to 18 percent, one of the highest such rates in the nation. So far in the amnesty, which began July 15, the state has collected more than $2.6 in back taxes. Check out the state Division of Taxation Web site for an explanation of the amnesty, the amnesty application form and other information. Posted by Neil Downing at 8:36 AM | Comment Station Fire: Lining up for seatsBy 8 a.m., a couple dozen people were waiting at the door of the Kent County Court House. Fifty seats have been reserved for the public in Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr.'s court room. The court opens at 8:30. The sentencing of Jeffrey A. and Michael A. Derderian is scheduled to begin at 9:30. Posted by Peter Phipps at 8:00 AM | Comment Station Fire: Wedding plans interruptedAlicia Bragg, of Saunderstown, who's fiance was injured in The Station fire, arrived at the Kent County Court House at 7 a.m. and stood alone outside the front door. Her fiance, Grant Hall, was hospitalized and in rehabilitation for 10 weeks after the fire. He underwent several surgeries. They had been engaged a month before the fire and planned to marry in the summer of 2003. "Feb. 20 happened and that sort of interrupted the whole thing. Plans changed into care giving and surviving," Bragg said this morning. "He's not going to be here today, because it's going to be too difficult. He thought about trying," Bragg said. Club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian are scheduled to plead no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The judge has agreed to sentence Michael to four years in prison and issue a suspended sentence to Jeffrey. "I just kind of need to be here," Bragg said. "It just felt like if I didn't come that would be saying it's okay." By 7:30 a.m., others started arriving, forming a line behind Bragg. -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Jack Perry at 7:49 AM | Comment Station Fire: A long line of TV trucksWith tents on the roof of the parking garage, a long row of TV trucks and hundreds of feet of cable winding into the Kent County Court House, the media have set up to cover The Station nightclub fire plea hearing. Under a gray sky at about 7:15 a.m., the courthouse was still quiet, but the media were busy preparing for the hearing set to begin at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. Five tents are set up on the roof of the court house's parking garage so television reporters can deliver their reports overlooking the new court house. The police are limiting traffic on an access road between Route 2 and Quaker Lane, which is lined by at least a dozen television trucks from Rhode Island and Boston television stations, along with Court TV. -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Jack Perry at 7:38 AM | Comment Today could bring thunderstorms and street floodingThe National Weather Service warns that thunderstorms could bring heavy downpours and gusty winds today and cause street flooding in poor drainage areas. The weather service expects periods of showers this morning and then a chance of showers after noon, with rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half of an inch. The temperature should reach 66 degrees. For more weather and updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment September 28, 2006Station fire sentencing: Counting up victim impact statementsWARWICK -- At least 28 requests to read victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing tomorrow for the co-owners of The Station nightclub have been submitted before today's deadline. The statements are due to precede the expected pleas of no contest by brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian to involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the disastrous fire at the West Warwick club in February 2003 that killed 100 people. The fire, and the resulting case, has drawn national attention, and the new Kent County Courthouse is expected to be packed tomorrow with press and spectators. But before the Derderians submit their change of pleas, and Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. hands down their sentences, family and friends of victims have their opportunity to be heard. Most will actually speak in court. Others have submitted written statements. The court anticipates completing the hearing tomorrow. While the court day normally ends around 4 p.m., it is possible that Darigan will go later. If necessary, the hearing will continue to Tuesday. Word of the plea agreement was leaked last week, inciting a controversy over the proposed sentences for the brothers. Michael A. Derderian, 45, is to serve 4 years in prison followed by 3 years of probation and an 11-year suspended sentence. Jeffrey Derderian, 39, is to receive a 10-year suspended sentence, 3 years of probation and 500 hours of community service.
The proceedings are also expected to be broadcast by Court TV (Channel 71 on Cox Cable), and local outlets. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:05 PM | Comment Photo: Hyatt hotel on Goat Island sold
-- With reports from Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:49 PM | Comment Testimony ends in Roger Williams hospital trialAfter nearly three weeks, testimony has concluded in the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption trial. The defense rested this afternoon at 2:30. Chief U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres gave jurors tomorrow off and told them to be back in court Monday morning for closing arguments. The defense called three witnesses today before resting. Jennifer DeLuca, who oversaw marketing and public relations for the Village at Elmhurst, testified that she dealt frequently with John Celona in her efforts to publicize the assisted-living center, including appearances by Village personnel on the North Providence senator’s cable-access television show. The prosecution charges that Celona was hired as a consultant to the Village at Elmhurst, a Roger Williams affiliate, to conceal his true duties as an illicit political operative for defendants Robert A. Urciuoli, Frances P. Driscoll and Peter J. Sangermano Jr. In her cross-examination of DeLuca, Asst. U.S. Atty. Dulce Donovan tried to show that many of Celona’s activities with the Village were in his role as a politician, not a consultant. None of the defendants chose to testify. But Sangermano’s wife and business partner in the Village, Diane Sangermano, did take the stand briefly, to say that she had told DeLuca and DeLuca’s predecessor that Celona was being paid to help promote the Village. -- Mike Stanton, Journal staff writer Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:51 PM | Comment Bill Clinton, Obama are coming to R.I.Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton are coming to Rhode Island to campaign and raise money for the Democrats. Obama will be here Oct.12 to campain for Democratic Senate candidate Sheldon Whitehouse. Obama will speak at the Rhode Island College Recreational Center between 5:30 and 7:30 at a $50 per-person fund-raiser. After that event, Obama will head to the Providence East Side home of Democratic Party activists Jack and Sara McConnell for a $1,000 per person event to benefit the Democratic party and the Whitehouse campaign. On Oct. 16, former President Bill Clinton will be the featured speaker at the Democratic Party's annual Hope Dinner. Clinton will give the keynote speech. The cost of the dinner is $100 per person, with proceeds earmarked for the Democratic Party's voter turnout campaign. Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:44 PM | Comment Guard brigade returning Sunday after year's deployment in IraqNinety-three members of the 43rd Military Police Brigade, Rhode Island National Guard, will return to Rhode Island Sunday after being deployed in Iraq for 12 months. The unit is scheduled to land at Quonset State Airport at 11 a.m. Its members have been "demobilizing" at Fort Dix, N.J. During its deployment, the 43rd MP Bridage assumed command of more than 6,000 active duty National Guard and Army Reserve troops. Its primary mission included care and custody of detainees and oversight of facilities, operating from Camp Victory in Baghdad. "The 43rd MP Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General Kevin McBride, has completed an historic tour of duty in Iraq. The joint, combined, and multinational command has established a new high standard in detainee operations . . . I commend them for their outstanding performance," Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray, adjutant general of Rhode Island, said, announcing the homecoming. The Rhode island National Guard currently has 210 members deployed overseas. The public is invited to attend the homecoming. Posted by maria caporizzo at 4:21 PM | Comment Arrest made in Fall River, Mass. slayingFALL RIVER, Mass. _ A 29-year-old Fall River man was arrested today and charged with murdering a city man Monday outside Building 277 of the Sunset Hill housing development. David T. Miller, of 316 Sunset Hill, is slated to be arraigned in Fall River District Court this afternoon. The police said in a statement that the incident was not related to drug or gang activity. Officers went to the housing development, in the city’s South End, Monday for a report of shots fired around 9:30 p.m. They found the victim, James Cadet, a 23-year-old Fall River man, on the ground with at least one gunshot wound. A Fire Department rescue team pronounced him dead on scene. Fall River and Massachusetts State Police investigated the slaying. In the police statement, Fall River Chief John M. Souza praised the officers who worked on the case. _ Michael P. McKinney Posted by Pam Cotter at 3:58 PM | Comment $10,000 winning PowerBall ticket sold in ProvidenceAlthough last night's $15 million PowerBall jackpot was won by a player in Kansas, Rhode Island had a $10,000 winner of its own, according to Rhode Island Lottery. The ticket, purchased at Fernandez Liquors, 332 Elmood Ave., Providence, matched four numbers and the PowerBall number. The standard payout of this type of win is $10,000. However, if this player had opted to purchase the Power Play feature for an additional $1 on the wager, his or her $10,000 prize would have tripled, lottery officials said. During the past month, Rhode Island has sold an unusually high number of $10,000 winning PowerBall tickets, officials said. In just seven draws, there have been eight $10,000 winners. Three of these eight $10,000 tickets remain unclaimed, including last night's winner. The other unclaimed winning tickets were purchased at Park Avenue Shell, 1315 Park Ave., Cranston, on Saturday, and Annex Diner, 80 River St., Woonsocket, on Sept. 13. Saturday's estimated PowerBall jackpot is $15 million. Posted by Pam Cotter at 3:12 PM | Comment Conference addresses children of troopsEvery school district in Rhode Island likely has one or more children whose parents are deployed in the country’s war on terror with the National Guard or Reserve. Not all of those parents are serving in Iraq or Afghanistan right now, said Keith Martin, of the Military Child Education Coalition, who is in Rhode Island training educators and social service providers this week on the unique stressors that military children face. But they all can be called to duty over there. And as the war continues, the military is calling up individuals and small groups, a change in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, Martin said. That means children now fit in a category the military calls “onesies or twosies” – meaning a few children in this school district and a few children in that school district are affected. “It’s more likely that they’re isolated and anonymous,” said Martin, who came to Providence to help educators understand how to work with the children of deployed military personnel. Fifteen of Rhode Island’s 35 school districts sent guidance counselors, school nurses, teachers and others to this week’s two-day conference, which ends this afternoon. Given such participation, Martin said it’s safe to say that every district has children whose parents are deployed. Some may not even realize it. “They need to be aware both that there are children in their district and that these children can be and often are significantly impacted by the stress and strain of potential or actual deployment,” Martin said of educators throughout the state. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson At the height of deployments after Sept. 11, 2001, the Rhode Island National Guard had 1,000 troops deployed – leaving probably 1,500 children home without at least one parent, according to Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Denis Riel. As of today, the 210 Rhode Island Guard members deployed probably leave 500 children at home with an absent parent, Riel said. For the children whose parents are at war, routine is very important, Martin said. Firmness is very important. “Of course, tinged with the understanding that every child is unique, that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to how a child is going to react or respond to the pressures and strains of deployment,” he said. “And those kinds of things can manifest themselves in psychological, physical, sociological, academic and emotional problems.” The seminar also offered educators places to go for help in dealing with the stresses on their military children, Martin said. Here in Rhode Island, the National Guard Child and Youth Program works much the same as it does in every state throughout the country, said Laura Paton, the state youth coordinator. Their mission is to support the emotional, social and academic needs of the children of National Guard members. Paton works out of the Family Assistance Center at 705 New London Ave. in Cranston, a place where she said teachers are welcome to come in and talk about ways to work with their military students. Some Web sites that offer help for military families: www.guardfamilyyouth.org Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:57 PM | Comment Judge turns Bevilacqua's court costs into $40,000 finePROVIDENCE -- Joseph A. Bevilacqua Jr., a prominent defense lawyer serving a federal sentence for lying about what he knew about the leaked undercover videotape used in Operation Plunder Dome, got some goods news in court today. Bevilacqua saw the amount of money he must pay for his crimes reduced to $40,000 from the $152,247 that U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi originally imposed in September 2005. At that time the larger figure was based on the costs associated with the investigation and prosecution in his case. But the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in May ruled that while Lisi had the power to fine Bevilacqua, she did not have the authority to order him to reimburse the government for going after him. To correct that judicial wrong, Lisi ordered Bevilacqua back in court and then accepted the prosecutor’s request that he be fined $40,000 -- the maximum allowed under the federal guidelines range. Lisi had also sentenced Bevilacqua to 18 months in prison. He's currently serving his sentence in a Boston halfway house, which he leaves daily to go to work at a hunting and fishing store in North Kingstown. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Bevilacqua, who is also the son of the late Rhode Island Supreme Court chief justice, pleaded guilty to perjury and contempt of court for lying about his role in handing an undercover FBI videotape to Jim Taricani, an investigative reporter for Channel 10 (WJAR). The tape showed Frank Corrente, a top aide to then-Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr., taking a bribe, and it was key evidence at the Operation Plunder Dome corruption trials that put Corrente and Cianci behind bars. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:01 PM | Comment Police ID Lincoln shooting victimLINCOLN -- The police have identified the man found shot in the head Tuesday night on a road near the Pawtucket town line as John Cancel, 33, of 39 Jenks Avenue, Central Falls. Police Chief Robert T. Kells said Cancel was still on life-support at Rhode Island Hospital after he was apparently shoved form a vehicle on Cobble Hill Road at about 10 p.m. Tuesday. The local police are trying to locate a blue/green Plymouth Voyager van that was seen in the area around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. A witness who was walking home from Lincoln Park around that time told the police he heard was he thought sounded like fireworks, Kells said. The witness then found Cancel, with a gunshot wound to the head, lying on the ground on Cobble Hill Road near its intersection with Route 246, Old Louisquisset Pike. The police yesterday were operating on the theory that Cancel was shot in the van and then pushed out of the vehicle, which is believed to have headed north on Route 246, Kells said. -- Journal staff writer John Hill Posted by Jack Perry at 10:21 AM | Comment Meals on Wheels marks a milestonePROVIDENCE -- Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island is poised to deliver its 14 millionth meal today to a 79-year-old Providence resident who has received home-delivered meals for five years. Operating since 1969, Meals on Wheels serves approximately 3,000 meals a day. About 38 percent of those who receive meals live alone, and 22 percent live in poverty, according to the nonprofit agency. Today the two candidates for governor will join Sandy Centazzo, the president and CEO of Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, to mark the milestone. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:22 AM | Comment Partly cloudy today with rain likely tonightPROVIDENCE – Today could be the end of these chilly mornings that turn quickly into beautiful sunny days. So get out there and enjoy it if you can. We’ll have patchy fog before 9 a.m. and then partly cloudy weather with a high near 72. But then, rain is moving into the region tonight and expected off and on over the next few days, with heavy rain in the forecast for tomorrow. Check back with us for weather updates throughout the day. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:10 AM | Comment Demolition continues at old Jamestown BridgeTraffic will slow along the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge around noon today as demolition continues on the old Jamestown Bridge. Workers will blow up two pier segments from what remains of the Jamestown Bridge. The state police will conduct a rolling block by moving slowly across the nearby Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge to temporarily clear it of traffic during the detonations. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment September 27, 2006Newport man pleads guilty to Warren bank robberiesThomas L. Woodward, 32, of Newport, has pleaded guilty to federal bank robbery charges, admitting that he robbed the same Bank of Newport branch in Warren on two separate occasions last fall. Woodward entered the guilty plea on Monday before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith in U.S. District Court, Providence, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said. At the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney James H. Leavey said that the government could prove that, on Oct. 25, 2005, Woodward leapt over the teller’s counter at the Bank of Newport branch on Market Street, Warren, and demanded money. The tellers opened the cash drawers and he fled with $4,336. On Nov. 8, Woodward entered the same branch, again leapt over the counter, demanded money, and fled with $4,778. After an investigation by Warren Police, Newport Police, Swansea Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Woodward was arrested on Nov. 17. Woodward is detained pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec. 15. Posted by maria caporizzo at 4:08 PM | Comment Former RIC president Joseph Kauffman dies at 85Former Rhode Island College president Joseph F. Kauffman, who served the college as its fourth leader from 1968-1973, died today in Madison, Wisc., where he lived. He was 85. Kauffman was a nationally recognized expert on executive leadership in higher education. Under his leadership, the number of faculty grew by a third, and new academic programs were established including nursing, economics, political science, communications, and general studies. Expansion and improvement to the campus and its facilities, including construction of Horace Mann Hall, two residence halls, the Faculty Center, additions to several buildings on campus, and the acquisition of property on the western side of the campus, were accomplished during his tenure. RIC recognized his contributions in 2004 by naming a building on its east campus in his honor. The Kauffman Center houses the Division of Development and College Relations, including the alumni office, and the news and public relations department. Kauffman was a friend and mentor to RIC’s current president, John Nazarian. Nazarian called him “fair, compassionate, and deliberative,” but also “decisive and firm.” “Even today, facing some of the issues that we do, I find myself thinking, ‘What would Joe Kauffman do under these circumstances?’ ” Nazarian said at the 2002 dedication of the Kauffman Center. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:52 PM | Comment W. Warwick economic official accused of briberySCITUATE -- Robert B. Boyer, chairman of the West Warwick Economic Development Commission and a board member of the Kent County Water Authority, has been charged with bribery of a public official and criminal ethics violations, state police announced today. In a press conference at state police headquarters this afternoon, Maj. Steven G. O'Donnell, flanked by West Warwick Police Chief Peter Brousseau and Detective Todd E. Catlow of the Financial Crimes Unit, said that police had been investigating complaints of corruption in the town since November 2005. As a result, state police detectives gathered information suggesting that Boyer had tried to hire West Warwick Building Official Stephen D. Murray, as an undocumented, paid consultant. State police allege that Boyer paid Murray, who was a cooperating witness, monetary consideration as an inducement or a reward for acts relating to his official duties. Boyer, 69, owns his own land surveying business in town. State police said detectives monitored 22 meetings and conversations between Murray and Boyer. During those meetings, Boyer paid cash to Murray on eight occasions, totaling $2,800, and in return requested preferential treatment to speed up projects he was involved in. Boyer insisted that all payments be in cash and that no one, other than the two men, would have knowledge of the transactions, according to a state police press release.
Boyer was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Richard Finnegan and released on $10,000 personal recognizance last night. He is set to appear in court on Oct. 10. Bribery of a public official is a felony; the criminal ethics violation is a misdemeanor. -- Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:41 PM | Comment Update: Port oil spill only a drill / Photo
Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:50 PM | Comment Prosecution rests its case against Urciuoli, othersThe government has rested in the corruption trial of Robert A. Urciuoli, Frances P. Driscoll and Peter J. Sangermano Jr. At 12:30 this afternoon, Asst. U.S. Atty. Luis Matos announced that the prosecution had completed its case. The jury could have the case by the end of the week, depending on the judge’s ruling later today on defense motions to acquit and what witnesses the defense chooses to present. No one has said whether any of the defendants intend to testify. The government rested after the testimony of lobbyist Kelly Sheridan, who related his dealings with former state Sen. John A. Celona in 2003 on behalf of his client, United Healthcare. United was involved in a dispute with Roger Williams Medical Center over reimbursements. Sheridan testified that Celona called him and said that he had heard from Urciuoli, the president of Roger Williams, that negotiations weren’t going well, and that it would be in the interest of both sides to get together and try to work things out. Celona requested a meeting between Urciuoli and the president of United. Sheridan said he arranged it, out of deference to Celona’s position as the chairman of a Senate committee that controlled health-care legislation. On cross-examination, Sheridan said that he did not feel pressured by Celona. He also disputed an e-mail from Celona to Urciuoli, in which Celona reported a phone conversation with Sheridan two months after the State House meeting. Celona wrote Urciuoli that Sheridan had reported that United Healthcare was willing to increase its reimbursements to Roger Williams. -- Journal staff writer Michael Stanton Posted by Jack Perry at 1:30 PM | Comment SUV driver arraigned for security breach at GreenWARWICK -- An allegedly intoxicated man who crashed his SUV through the gates at T.F. Green Airport yesterday, and briefly drove around on a perimeter road near the runways, was arraigned this morning in district court. The police said today that the actions of Paul Sullivan, 43, of 2043 Elmwood Ave., Warwick, caused a security alert at the airport before he smashed through another fence and left the airport grounds. He was arraigned on four counts of malicious damage to property and one count of trespassing in second division district court, in Warwick. Sullivan allegedly drove his black 1998 Ford Explorer up to the gate at the long-term parking lot, on the airport grounds, around 11:45 a.m. yesterday, according to Capt. Stephen Cahill of the Airport Police. After waiting for several moments, Sullivan drove through the gate, breaking the yellow swing arm. Then, Sullivan allegedly drove through the lot, crashing through two internal gates, and onto the perimeter road near the runways. “Once he went through the second gate, it put him on the perimeter road of the airfield, which is technically a breach of the airfield,” Cahill said. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:04 PM | Comment Police arrest man wanted for murder in N. AttleboroNORTH ATTLEBORO – The police have captured a man they considered armed and dangerous who was wanted for the murder early this morning of a local man and the assault of a local woman. Cory J. Hood, 25, will be arraigned this afternoon on charges of first-degree murder and assault with intent to murder. The police have identified the murder victim as Michael J. Liss, 25, of 85 Johnson St., North Attleboro. He was found dead this morning at that address. The police also identified the assault victim as Terra M. Marvitz, 20, also of North Attleboro. Hood was on the run this morning, last seen driving a gray 2004 Ford pickup with the Massachusetts plate 93EP37, according to a news release issued by Police Chief Michael P. Gould Sr. The police and fire rescue crews responded to Johnson Street after several residents called around 2:15 a.m. to report that a woman covered in blood said she had been stabbed and needed help. The woman, now identified as Marvitz, who had “obvious lacerations to her body,” was taken to Rhode Island Hospital. She was listed in serious condition at 10 this morning. Based on what the woman told police, officers went to 85 Johnson St., where they found Liss dead on the floor with “severe wounds to the body, an apparent victim of a homicide,” according to the police statement. Hood was arrested around 9:15 a.m. today after a Norton, Mass., police officer and a Massachusetts State Police trooper with a dog found him in the woods along Dean Street, Norton. About two hours earlier, the Norton police notified the North Attleboro police that they had found Hood's truck on Dean Street, near the Rehoboth line. He was arrested without any problems. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Jack Perry at 12:41 PM | Comment Police identify driver of car that killed HienLINCOLN -- Police identified the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed Lincoln Little League coach Randall C. Hien Monday, and said it was unlikely charges will be filed in the case. Police Chief Robert T. Kells said today the driver was Jason Correira, 20, of 18 Mabel St., Pawtucket. Police have turned over the results of their investigation to the town solicitor’s office for review and a final decision. But Kells said the case seemed to be more of an accident than a crime. ``It appears no charges will be filed,’’ Kells said. -- Journal staff writer John Hill Hien was struck at around 11 a.m. Monday on Walker Street after he had pulled over to adjust or examine the rear of his pickup truck. Walker Street is a connector for Smithfield Avenue and Lonsdale Avenue and has little or no breakdown lane where Hien had pulled over, Kells said. Hien was traveling east from Smithfield Avenue to Londsale Avenue at the time, as was Correira, Kells said. "He was at or near the rear of the vehicle on the driver’s side," Kells said of Hien. "It appeared he wanted to make some sort of adjustment. Something drew his attention to the back of his pickup." Hien, 57, was the owner of the Living Room nightclub in Providence, as well as a coach in the Lincoln Little League for more than 25 years. He was praised by people in both the Providence music and the youth baseball communities as a compassionate and nurturing man who developed talent without being judgmental. His funeral is set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in the St. Jude Church on Front Street in Lincoln, with calling hours Friday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bellows-Falso Funeral Home, 160 River Rd., Lincoln. Posted by Peter Phipps at 12:10 PM | Comment Dow nears record high set in 2000The Dow Jones Industrials Average is within inches of its all-time closing high of 11,722.98 set in early 2000 before the bursting of the tech bubble. Shortly after 11:30 a.m. today, the most widely stock market indicator stood within a whisp of the record at 11,716.29. If a new record is set today, it will mean to took nearly seven years for stocks to return to the levels that preceded the 2000-to-2002 collapse. Posted by at 11:34 AM | Comment Reed to visit Afghanistan and IraqWASHINGTON, DC. -- Sen. Jack Reed will travel to Afghanistan and Iraq next week to get updates from combat units, military leaders and diplomats on the status of the U.S. and allied efforts to those nations. Reed, a former Army officer who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, will spend two days in Afghanistan and two days in Iraq, his office announced today. Reed said he will also make a stop in Pakistan. Besides seeking assessments of the military situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, Reed will also examine the progress of efforts to rebuild both war-torn nations - a side of the struggle that he has often stressed in his critiques of the Bush administration's wartime leadership. The tour will mark Reed's ninth trip to Iraq and fifth trip to Afghanistan. -- John Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau staff Posted by Jack Perry at 11:24 AM | Comment Update: Lincoln police investigate overnight shootingLINCOLN -- The Lincoln police are investigating an attempted homicide this morning and are searching for a gunman who opened fire last night and shot a man in the head on Cobble Hill Road. The police haven't released the victim's name. They say he was taken to Rhode Island Hospital after he was found on the side of the road with a gunshot wound to the head. The man was being kept alive this morning in the hospital's intensive care unit, Police Chief Robert T. Kells said. Cobble Hill Road was blocked off last night, and the police report that it will be closed for the morning commute from Lakeview Avenue to Louisquisset Pike. Witnesses report seeing a blue/green Plymouth Voyager leaving the area on Cobble Hill Road last night toward Louisquisset Pike (Route 246), according to the police. The vehicle may have headed north on Route 246. A witness told the police that he was walking home from the Lincoln Park slots parlor around 10 p.m. when he heard what sounded like fireworks. He later found the victim by the side of the road. The shooting was reported to the police at about 10:15 p.m. "We're thinking it could be drug-related," Kells said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 9:36 AM | Comment Big green cans coming to help Providence with ratsPROVIDENCE -- The big green cans are coming. And the rats will be sorry. Mayor David N. Cicilline is scheduled to appear on the intersection of Beaufort and Pemberton streets at 10 a.m. this morning to promote a city-wide distribution of 47,000 "big green cans" -- heavy-duty, 95-gallon trash barrels aimed at reducing the city's rat population. “I consider this one of our single most important tools in reducing the rodent population and creating cleaner neighborhoods in our city,” Cicilline said in a statement. “We have already begun to see good results in neighborhoods that have the big green cans and I fully expect the program to make a significant impact citywide.” The garbage receptacles, which have already been distributed in some neighborhoods, have wheels, a hinged lid and are designed to accomodate a mechanized device that attaches to the can and empties the trash into the truck. The heavy-duty lid cuts off the food supply for rats and prevents trash from blowing from the cans into the streets. The Department of Public Works plans to deliver the cans to every household in the city by the end of the year, Ciciline said. Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:15 AM | Comment Sunny today with a high near 71, but watch out for fogToday will bring a lot of sun with a high near 71 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. But the weather service is also warning about heavy fog in low areas, especially near the water, early this morning and warning drivers to be ready for sudden changes in visibility. It should dissipate by 8 a.m. Tonight will be clear with a low around 52. For more weather and updates, check projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment September 26, 2006First mosquito in R.I. tests positive for EEEWESTERLY -- Town and school officials are reviewing safety procedures after a mosquito tested positive this week for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, most commonly referred as EEE, in the Chapmans Swamp area.
Still, officials are urging caution, encouraging people to cover up, use mosquito repellent and checking screens. Mosquito repellent should contain no more than 30 percent DEET and should not be used on infants.. EEE is a mosquito-borne viral disease that can be fatal. There have been five positive EEE human cases in Massachusetts so far this year. Two of those cases have been fatal. In addition, 10 mosquito pools in Rhode Island have tested positive for the West Nile virus. None of those cases have been fatal. -- Journal staff writer Maria Armental Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:04 PM | Comment Update: Ex-Blue Cross chief details Celona meetingPROVIDENCE -- Ronald Battista, the controversial former head of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, testified in federal court today regarding a State House meeting with Roger Williams Medical Center president Robert Urciuoli that was arranged by John Celona. His testimony came in the third week of the federal corruption trial against Urciuoli and two other hospital executives. One of the charges against Urciuoli is that he stole the honest services of Celona, who was on the payroll at Roger Williams, by having the North Providence senator arrange a State House meeting in 2002 between Urciuoli and Battista. At the time, prior testimony has indicated, Roger Williams believed that Blue Cross had short-changed the hospital millions of dollars in reimbursements, and Urciuoli was frustrated that he couldn’t get a meeting with Battista. Battista resigned under pressure two years ago, following controversy over Blue Cross’s soaring rates and disclosures regarding his lavish lifestyle. Meanwhile, federal investigators who worked on the Roger Williams case have also investigated Blue Cross for financing a Celona cable-television show on health issues. Celona has pleaded guilty to charges that he sold his office to Roger Williams, Blue Cross and CVS. In court today, Battista testified that although Celona opened the meeting and it was held in the senator’s office, Battista was unaware of any pressure that the senator had brought to bear. Battista also said that he didn’t know at the time that Celona was on the hospital’s payroll, or that he was a consultant at its affiliated assisted-living center, the Village at Elmhurst. But, Battista told jurors: "I assumed (Celona) was there on Roger Williams’s behalf. There were only two parties in the room, and I know he wasn’t there because of me. By default, it had to be Roger Williams.’’
The participants in the meeting were Urciuoli, Battista, Celona and Thomas Lynch, then Blue Cross’s vice president for government affairs and a former state senator who had had prior contact with Celona regarding the reimbursement issue, according to evidence in the case. According to Battista, Celona "opened the meeting by saying that he understood the hospital had a serious financial problem, and he was hopeful that the parties in the room could address the problem fairly.’’ Battista said that Urciuoli then detailed his concerns, and the Blue Cross chief laid out a solution whereby an independent audit would examine the hospital’s claim. Asst. U.S. Atty. Luis Matos asked Battista what consideration he gave to Celona’s role in agreeing to attend the meeting. "To the best of my recollection – none,’’ said Battista. "The hospital had a problem, and as the CEO of Blue Cross, I had to address it.’’ Battista said that he didn’t know how the meeting came to be arranged, only that he learned from somebody on his staff – possibly Lynch or another executive or his secretary. Battista also testified that he was unaware at the time that there was any financial relationship, direct or indirect, between Blue Cross and Celona. Battista will be back on the stand tomorrow. The government indicated that it has two more witnesses to call, both executives from United Healthcare about their dealings with Celona and Urciuoli on reimbursement issues. Then, the prosecution will rest and it will be the defense’s turn to call witnesses. Lawyer advised Urciuoli be 'careful' in use of Celona The lawyer for Roger Williams Medical Center testified today that she questioned Robert Urciuoli’s plan to use John Celona to arrange a State House meeting with leaders of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Kimberly O’Connell, Roger Williams’ general counsel and vice president, testified that she went to hospital president Urciuoli in 2002, after receiving a phone call from James McGuirk, the hospital’s outside lawyer, who relayed a conversation he had just had with Urciuoli. McGuirk thought it "looked strange’’ for Celona, who was on the hospital’s payroll as a consultant, to be setting up a meeting in his capacity as a state senator. "Jim asked me to talk Bob about it,’’ testified O’Connell. O’Connell told jurors that she met with Urciuoli, and he was critical of Blue Cross head Ronald A. Battista because Blue Cross owed Roger Williams $3 million in past reimbursements and Battista was "dragging his feet’’ on paying up, refusing to even return Urciuoli’s calls. Urciuoli assured her that Celona would only be "facilitating’’ a meeting and not negotiating with Blue Cross on the hospital’s behalf. O’Connell said that she concluded that that would be okay, and told Urciuoli to "be careful.’’ Among the charges against Urciuoli is that he stole Celona’s honest services as a state senator by using him for political missions, including pressuring Blue Cross – which had legislation pending before Celona’s Senate committee – to meet with Roger Williams. Under cross-examination by the defense, O’Connell acknowledged that she did not advise Urciuoli that it would be illegal or unethical for Celona to arrange the meeting. Celona later resigned from the Senate, was indicted on federal corruption charges, pleaded guilty and has emerged as the government’s central witness in a trial charging Urciuol and two other hospital executives with stealing his honest services. For more background, read today's Journal story. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:00 PM | Comment RIC to host debate tonight on interpreting debatesPROVIDENCE -- A group of politicians, journalists and political scholars will meet at Rhode Island College this evening to debate -- debates. This evening's meeting, "Media, Message and Meaning: How to Interpret the 2006 Rhode Island Debates," will feature television reporter Jim Taricani, radio personality and former state attorney general Arlene Violet, and political scientists from RIC and Northeastern University. The group will discuss the debating styles and strategies in American politics, reasons for debating, preparing for a debate, and techniques debaters use to reach voters. The panelists will focus on Rhode Island's upcoming senatorial race debates. The event, which begins at 7 p.m. in Alger Hall, is free and open to the public. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:41 PM | Comment WaterFire, the abbreviated version, on tonightPROVIDENCE -- There will be a partial lighting of WaterFire along the canals of downtown Providence tonight. The fires are scheduled to be lit at sunset, 6:37 p.m. The partial lighting includes the canals from Waterplace Park to the Steeple Street Bridge. After tonight, there are just two more scheduled WaterFire nights this year -- on Saturdays, Oct. 7 and Oct. 21. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:28 PM | Comment Update: Providence man gets 33 years for killing teen / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- A 22-year-old Providence man was sentenced to serve 33 years in prison today after pleading no contest to second-degree murder for last year's shooting death of 16-year-old Errol Clinton. Eddie Gonzalez shot Clinton from behind as he was running away in the city's Elmwood section the night of July 31, 2005. Clinton bled to death after the bullet ripped through Clinton's buttocks and exited his stomach, according to the prosecutor's graphic description of the crime during the sentencing hearing today in Superior Court. Superior Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer sentenced Gonzalez to 50 years in prison, 33 to serve, for admitting guilt in the second-degree murder charge. The judge dismissed the charge of discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, but sentenced Gonzalez to an additional 10 years -- to be served concurrently -- for one count of assault with a dangerous weapon (Gonzalez's hands and feet). Clinton's mother and father appeared at the hearing today, but the mother was too upset to read her impact statement, which was read instead by the prosecutor, Stephen Regine. Her teenage son was "a gift from God," said Regine, reading Cherisee Clinton's statement, which went on to say he was "harmless, loving and innocent." She also said she forgave the killer. Julius Clinton said that Gonzalez had destroyed not only the lives of the Clintons, but those of his family's and his own. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:15 PM | Comment Chafee rolls out first TV ad since primary battlePROVIDENCE -- With just six weeks to go before the November election, U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee is rolling out his first television ad today for a race that polls show is extremely close. The Rhode Island Republican's Democratic opponent, Sheldon Whitehouse, began airing ads the day after the primary, which was two weeks ago. The ads for both candidates strike a mostly positive tone, with Chafee painting himself as a centrist and Whitehouse's ads saying a vote for him is a vote for change in Washington. "For months I was attacked by the right for being too liberal, now I'm being attacked by the left for being to conservative," Chafee says in the new ad. "That puts me in the middle, where I've always been." Brown University political scientist Darrell West says he's surprised it took so long for Chafee's campaign to run its first ad for the general election. Chafee spokesman Ian Lang says the campaign felt now was the right time to run the ads. Chafee is coming off an expensive and vicious primary against Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey. -- Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:53 PM | Comment Update: Trial to start for man accused of killing 2 year oldPROVIDENCE -- A trial is set to begin for a Providence man accused with another man of murdering a 2-year-old boy they had been babysitting last year in Providence. Akeem King, 21, is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder on or about July 31, 2005. Lawyers are scheduled to argue pre-trial motions in Superior Court this afternoon and then a jury is expected to be picked at 10 a.m. tomorrow, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman with the Attorney General's Office. The trial was assigned today to Superior Court Judge Robert D. Krause, Healey said. Depending on how long jury selection takes, opening statements could begin tomorrow morning, Healey said. Otherwise, they are expected to begin tomorrow afternoon. King and Troy Figgs, also 21, are accused of beating to death Marquel Davis, whose mother left the toddler in the men's care. The boy's body was found the next morning in the third-floor apartment at 9 Erastus St. where King and Figgs lived. -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Kate Bramson Marquel's mother, Michelle Thurmon, then 19, had left the child in their care July 31, 2005, according to the police. About 7 a.m. on Aug. 1, 2005, Figgs and King went downstairs and told the residents on the first floor that the boy was choking and needed help, according to a police affidavit filed in court. The men took off, as a resident went to help the boy and called for a rescue. Marquel was dead and his body stiff when firefighters arrived to save him, a fire official said previously in an interview with The Journal. King and Figgs will be tried separately to protect each defendant's constitutional right to a fair trial, Healey said. Both defendants have given statements that implicate the other, he said. The state does not know yet when Figgs' trial will begin, Healey said. Both men are being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:28 PM | Comment Lawyer advised Urciuoli be 'careful' in use of CelonaPROVIDENCE -- The lawyer for Roger Williams Medical Center testified today that she questioned Robert Urciuoli’s plan to use John Celona to arrange a State House meeting with leaders of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Kimberly O’Connell, Roger Williams’ general counsel and vice president, testified that she went to hospital president Urciuoli in 2002, after receiving a phone call from James McGuirk, the hospital’s outside lawyer, who relayed a conversation he had just had with Urciuoli. McGuirk thought it "looked strange’’ for Celona, who was on the hospital’s payroll as a consultant, to be setting up a meeting in his capacity as a state senator. "Jim asked me to talk Bob about it,’’ testified O’Connell. O’Connell told jurors that she met with Urciuoli, and he was critical of Blue Cross head Ronald A. Battista because Blue Cross owed Roger Williams $3 million in past reimbursements and Battista was "dragging his feet’’ on paying up, refusing to even return Urciuoli’s calls. Urciuoli assured her that Celona would only be "facilitating’’ a meeting and not negotiating with Blue Cross on the hospital’s behalf. O’Connell said that she concluded that that would be okay, and told Urciuoli to "be careful.’’ Among the charges against Urciuoli is that he stole Celona’s honest services as a state senator by using him for political missions, including pressuring Blue Cross – which had legislation pending before Celona’s Senate committee – to meet with Roger Williams. Under cross-examination by the defense, O’Connell acknowledged that she did not advise Urciuoli that it would be illegal or unethical for Celona to arrange the meeting. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Celona later resigned from the Senate, was indicted on federal corruption charges, pleaded guilty and has emerged as the government’s central witness in a trial charging Urciuol and two other hospital executives with stealing his honest services. The trial entered its third week yesterday. For more background, read today's Journal story.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:23 PM | Comment Woonsocket students back in school after evacuationWOONSOCKET – About 1,500 students at Woonsocket Middle School began returning to the school around 10:30 a.m. today after being evacuated because of a gas smell. Turns out, the smell of gas in the school, located at 357 Park Place, was because a pilot light in the kitchen was knocked out, Police Lt. Steven Nowak said this morning. The gas company, National Grid, responded to the scene along with local fire and police units and lit the pilot light, Nowak said. The school was evacuated shortly after 9:30 a.m., after school officials called to report the smell of gas, Nowak said. No one was injured or taken to any hospitals, Nowak said. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:58 AM | Comment Police investigate shooting death in Fall RiverFALL RIVER – The police today are investigating as a homicide the death last night of a 23-year-old city man. The man was found lying on the ground with at least one gunshot wound in the vicinity of Building 277 of the Sunset Hill Housing development, according to a release issued today by the Fall River Police Department. The police have not released the victim's name, pending notification of his family. Last night, police officers were dispatched at about 9:30 p.m. to investigate reports of gunshots in the area. Rescue crews from the Fall River Fire Department also responded, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found several spent shell casings on the ground. Anyone with information should call the police department's major crimes division at (508) 324-2796.
Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:34 AM | Comment N.Y. papers cover dramatic capture of R.I. slay suspectFour New York papers focus this morning on the dramatic crash yesterday morning on the Upper East Side of Manhattan by East Providence murder suspect Joel Noonan, who was shot by the police after crashing his getaway car. Noonan is expected to survive and be brought back to Rhode Island, where he faces charges in the stabbing death of Steven Dowgiala of 15 Kenton Ave. “The upper beast side: Bullets fly, lady flies as nutty ex-con is nabbed,” reads the lead headline on the New York Daily News Web site this morning. The paper describes Noonan as a “knife-wielding murder suspect” who was screaming, “You are not going to take me alive!” after crashing his Jeep Cherokee at 63rd St. and Lexington. The crash sent a 59-year-old pedestrian flying headfirst into a trash can, which then “acted as a lifesaving helmet when an SUV plowed the bin into a building,” the paper reports. That woman is identified with various spellings in four New York papers. The New York Times reports that Eve Marie Boisbel, 59, was pinned between a Nissan Pathfinder and a storefront, lying partway in an overturned trash can. The Times reports that Noonan “began swinging a knife at two Metropolitan Transportation Authority police officers, who shot him twice after he ignored their orders to drop it.” Newsday reports that Noonan came out of his Jeep “like a wild man,” after a crash that began “ as a case of aggressive driving, when Noonan cut off a Yellow Cab at Lexington and East 69th St.” The New York papers report that Noonan was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, where the New York Post says he was treated for “gunshot wounds to his leg and torso.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:40 AM | Comment Mosquito tests positive for EEE; state urges precautionsThe state Department of Environmental Management is warning Rhode Islanders to continue protecting themselves against mosquito bites after a mosquito trapped in Westerly tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis. It was the first mosquito from Rhode Island to test positive for EEE this year, but the DEM believes Rhode Island has a higher risk than usual for EEE, because it has been found here in previous years, and southeastern Massachusetts has had an unusually high number of mosquitoes with EEE. Five people in Massachusetts have contracted EEE, and two of them have died. In Rhode Island, the mosquito carrying EEE was taken Sept. 19 from a trap in Chapmans Swamp in Westerly. It was a type of mosquito that prefers biting birds and rarely bites humans, the DEM said. The DEM urges people to use mosquito repellent and cover their skin when mosquito activity is greatest. They also advise Rhode Islanders to ensure their screens are in good shape. Mosquito netting should be placed on carriages and playpens outside. Mosquito repellent should contain more than 30 percent DEET, and it should not be used on infants, the DEM says. DEM's EEE and West Nile virus page. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:34 AM | Comment Nigerian Independence Day celebrated at City HallPROVIDENCE – Mayor David N. Cicilline and members of Rhode Island's Nigerian community will celebrate 46 years of Nigerian independence at 5 p.m. today at City Hall. The celebration will include a flag raising ceremony, traditional Nigerian music and a brief speaking program, according to the mayor's office. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:50 AM | Comment Sunny today with a high near 73PROVIDENCE – Not to worry. This morning’s chill isn’t here to stay – yet. But it sure is a harbinger of what’s to come. We’re sorry to remind you that despite these pleasant days we’re having this week, summer really is over. Once you get past the cool brisk air of morning, it should become mostly sunny, with a high near 73 today. But tonight, it will feel more like fall, as it should. Expect a low around 49. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:07 AM | Comment September 25, 2006Lawyer: Urciuoli sought ramifications of Celona's ambitionsJohn A. Celona wanted to be the lieutenant governor of Rhode Island, but Robert A. Urciuoli wondered if Celona could stay on the payroll, a lawyer for Roger Williams Medical Center testified today. Late in 2001, lawyer Kimberly O'Connell told federal jurors, Urciuoli asked her to revise Celona's consulting contract with the Village at Elmhurst, an assisted-living center affiliated with the hospital, to give him a raise. In the course of their conversation, Urciuoli asked about the potential ramifications of the North Providence senator's higher political aspirations. “There had been some discussion about (Celona) running for lieutenant governor, and Bob wanted to know, if he were elected, could the Village keep the same contract (with Celona),” O’Connell said. Urciuoli did not elaborate on what might happen should Celona become lieutenant governor, O’Connell testified today in the federal corruption trial of Urciuoli, former Roger Williams vice president Frances P. Driscoll and Peter J. Sangermano, a partner with the hospital in The Village at Elmhurst assisted-living center. Unlike the office of state senator, which is a part-time position, lieutenant governor is a full-time job. O'Connell testified that Urciuoli also asked whether it would be proper for Celona, as a senator who was also being paid by the hospital, to introduce legislation appropriating state funds for Roger Williams’ bone-marrow program. O'Connell, Roger Williams’s vice president and general counsel, said that she researched the matter and told Urciuoli that the contract would not apply if he became lieutenant governor and that Celona could not introduce an appropriation for the hospital. During her discussions with Urciuoli to revise Celona’s contract in 2001, and again in 2002, O’Connell said that Urciuoli didn’t tell her of Celona’s efforts at the State House on the hospital’s behalf. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Celona, of course, did not run for lieutenant governor. Instead, his long political career imploded two years later over revelations regarding his personal financial dealings with the CVS drugstore chain, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and Roger Williams. Celona resigned from the Senate, was indicted on federal corruption charges, pleaded guilty and has emerged as the government’s central witness in a trial charging Urciuoli, Driscoll and Sangermano with stealing his honest services. From 1998 to early 2004, Celona collected $260,000 from his consulting job at the Village at Elmhurst. The jury heard from seven witnesses today as the trial entered its third week. The witnesses testified about what Celona did and didn’t do for Roger Williams and its affiliates, and who did and didn’t know. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:58 PM | Comment Suzanne Henseler, former House majority whip, dies at 63NORTH KINGSTOWN – Suzanne M. Henseler, a former state legislator who at one time was the highest-ranking woman in the General Assembly as the House majority whip and current Town Council member, has died. Henseler, 63, of Edmond Drive, died Sunday surrounded by her family at South County Hospital. She had battled breast cancer since 1999. She is survived by her husband of 41 years, John L. Henseler; three sons and their wives; her brother; and eight grandchildren. Henseler, a Democrat, was seeking re-election this year. An educator for nearly 30 years, she spent more than 20 years teaching at St. Rocco School in Johnston. After six years on the North Kingstown School Committee, Henseler became the state representative for District 44 and served for 20 years. She served as majority whip of the state House of Representatives from 1992-2002, according to her family. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Saturday at 9 a.m. in St. Francis de Sales Church, 381 School St., North Kingstown. Burial will follow at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter. Visiting hours are Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Fagan-Quinn Funeral Home, 825 Boston Neck Rd., North Kingstown. Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:43 PM | Comment Study for building council finds plus side to casinoA study looking at the economic impact of the proposed West Warwick casino estimates that during the first six years of operation it would provide the state $681.2 million for property tax relief. The report by Clyde W. Barrow of the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth said the casino would provide enough money to give each Rhode Island taxpayer $318 by the fifth year. Barrow was paid $20,000 to produce the study for the Rhode Island Building & Construction Trades Council, a group representing construction unions that have long backed the proposed casino. The report conflicts with another released today, by casino opponents, estimating that Rhode Island could lose $1.1 billion over 11 years if a proposed West Warwick casino becomes reality. The casino would generate new tax revenue, but not enough to offset the state’s losses from its two existing gambling parlors, Lincoln Park and Newport Grand, according to the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council and its report. No one is sure exactly how much money would be generated for property tax relief, and lawmakers have not passed any legislation dictating how it would be distributed. Barrow outlines two possibilities: Direct credit on Rhode Islanders' income taxes or increased aid to cities and towns. He said the “simplest and preferred” way to guarantee equitable relief is through the income tax credit. He said that if extra money is given to municipal governments there is no guarantee that savings will be passed on to all taxpayers. In 2004, Barrow was hired by the state Senate to study the casino proposal. He also did work for free this year for the House Finance Committee. Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:09 PM | Comment Lincoln Little League coach Hien killed by carRandy C. Hien, the Lincoln Little League coach and owner of a Providence nightclub, was killed today when he was hit by a car in Lincoln. 
HIEN
A beloved coach who led his Little League team to the championships -- and who had survived a head-on crash two years ago -- was killed this morning by a passing motorist after he got out of his truck on a local road. Hien, 57, of Lincoln, who was also the owner of the Living Room nightclub in Providence, had pulled his truck over on the side of Walker Street in Lincoln just before 11 a.m. and had apparently gone to the back of his vehicle for something. He was at the left rear of the truck when he was hit by a passing motorist, according to Lincoln Police Chief Robert T. Kells. The motorist pulled over and called police. Police are investigating the accident and would not identify the motorist, Kells said. They have not filed charges. “He was a Little League champion. He was a well-respected coach and mentor. He is going to be sadly missed by lots of folks. I am having a hard time getting the words out,” Kells said. “A pillar of this community has been taken away.” -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:05 PM | Comment Fuzzy about the threat of terrorism? Consider the 'spinach problem'SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- To understand what a terrorist could do to major American port, Stephen E. Flynn suggested today that we consider our response to the recent ``spinach problem.'' Even though the source of E. coli-contaminated spinach has been traced to a three-county area in California, Americans have virtually eliminated the leafy vegetable from their dinner tables. Regardless of where it was grown, people stopped buying spinach, leaving spinach growers elsewhere ``in a world of hurt.'' That tendency to overreact, and the chain of events that follows that reaction, is what creates the real crisis, rather than the incident itself, he said. Flynn is the former commander of the U.S. Coast Guard, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a widely-cited expert on maritime and port security issues. He spoke at the University of Rhode Island today, as part of an international conference on port security, natural disasters and marine transportation issues. The conference continues tomorrow. Americans, and especially their elected representatives, are “overwhelmingly ignorant'' of how the global transportation system works, he said. “They have a woeful under-appreciation of its value, of the critical -- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:54 PM | Comment Photo: Moving day for Wiley Center organizations
Workers at the three community-activist organizations that lost their headquarters in the Sept. 7 fire at the George Wiley Center in Pawtucket are cleaning up the burned-out office space and moving salvageable items, including documents, to a temporary storage site on Main Street. Henry Shedon is shown today carrying some boxes out of the burned office to a truck that will take the materials around the corner. Posted by Pam Cotter at 4:10 PM | Comment Photo: Diversity at URI
Posted by Pam Cotter at 4:00 PM | Comment RIPEC: State could lose $1 billion if casino approvedRhode Island could lose $1.1 billion over 11 years if a proposed West Warwick casino becomes reality, according to a study released this afternoon by casino opponents. The casino would generate new tax revenue, but not enough to offset the state’s losses from its two existing gambling parlors, Lincoln Park and Newport Grand, according to the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. The report, which looks at the casino’s first 11 years of operation, comes 42 days before voters are to decide if they want to amend the state Constitution to allow Harrah’s Entertainment and the Narragansett Indian Tribe to build a casino. RIPEC estimates that Harrah’s casino would bring in $1.7 billion in new tax revenue over the 11-year period. But at the same time, the casino would entice gamblers away from Lincoln Park and Newport Grand, creating a $2.8 billion loss. The result: A $1.1 billion revenue shortfall for the state. Harrah’s acknowledges that there will be a loss of business at Lincoln Park and Newport Grand, but said that RIPEC’s estimates are too high. Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas said he's not surprised at the results in RIPEC's latest study, given the group's "long-standing bias" against the casino. “RIPEC has been biased against this project since the beginning so no one should be surprised that they have produced a biased study which puts the Narragansett Indian Casino in an unfavorable light,” Chief Thomas said. "The Narragansett Indian Casino will jump-start this economy, create thousands of good paying jobs, provide millions in tax relief and grow small businesses in Rhode Island.” Newport Grand said it couldn’t recover from the decline in business that RIPEC is predicting. “The outcome is bleak at best, most likely fatal,” said Diane Hurley, chief executive officer of Newport Grand. And Lincoln Park today called RIPEC’s estimates too low. “One of the things that makes us feel very comfortable with our analysis is that both sides are questioning it,” said Gary Sasse, executive director of RIPEC, a business-backed research group that has joined Save Our State, an anti-casino lobbying group mostly funded by Lincoln Park. -- Journal staff writers Scott Mayerowitz and Andrea L. Stape Posted by Peter Phipps at 2:40 PM | Comment Update: Rumford murder suspect shot by NYC police
NOONAN
Authorities believe that Joel Noonan, 36, of Avon, Mass., stabbed 37-year-old Steven Dowgiala to death during a quarrel last night. Noonan is the cousin of Dowgiala's wife. Noonan was shot by New York City police today at about 9 a.m. following a traffic accident in Manhattan. Noonan, who is in police custody, is expected to survive. Noonan was driving the same Jeep Grand Cherokee that authorities in Rhode Island had been searching for since last night's homicide when he crashed into a Nissan Pathfinder this morning in Manhattan's Upper East Side, according to a report released by the New York Police Department. A female pedestrian was injured in the accident and is listed in stable condition at an area hospital. It is unclear if Noonan was being followed by police at the time, but authorities immediately arrived on the scene and confronted him. Noonan "exited his vehicle armed with a knife," according to the NYPD, and was shot by a Metropolitan Transportation Authority policeman. Noonan was in surgery this morning and is expected to survive, East Providence police Lt. Steven Kennedy said. Rhode Island authorities also released new information this afternoon regarding the Rumford stabbing for which Noonan was wanted. At about 6:15 last night Noonan entered a home at 15 Kenton Ave., East Providence, and allegedly attacked Dowgiala, eventually stabbing him in the chest, according to a statement released by the East Providence police. Dowgiala later was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital. After stabbing Dowgiala, police said Noonan "then assaulted the adult female resident and her 8-year-old daughter before fleeing the scene." They sustained minor injuries. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples East Providence police Capt. James Barlow said last night that Noonan is skilled in martial arts and had made comments that he wouldn't be taken alive before leaving the scene. Noonan, originally from Dorchester, Mass., has a criminal record and spent time in the state prison in Walpole, Mass., according to information released by Barlow. Local authorities put out an alert last night that he was considered "possibly armed and dangerous." -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:15 PM | Comment Gas prices continue to fallPROVIDENCE -- Gas prices keep dropping. This week, the state Energy Office says the average price of regular unleaded is $2.49 a gallon. That's 13 cents lower than last week's prices. It's also 43 cents lower than at this time last year, when gas supply was affected in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:07 PM | Comment Gas main struck in downtown ProvidencePROVIDENCE – Fire crews and the gas company, National Grid, are on scene at Fidelity Investments’ new offices, at 100 Finance Way, after a construction crew hit a high-pressure gas main. No one has been evacuated because the immediate area seems to be clear of gas, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. Three engines, two ladder trucks, the special hazards unit and the fire chief all responded, Taylor said. They’ve been monitoring the air and have set up large hoses in case something were to happen, he said. The call that construction crews hit the one-inch, high-pressure gas main came in at 12:25 p.m., Taylor said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:26 PM | Comment Warren shipbuilder Luther Blount dies at 90WARREN -- Luther Blount, the founder of a small ship cruise line in Warren and philanthropist who donated one of his cruise ships to three colleges in Rhode Island, died Sunday at Rhode Island Hospital. He was 90. Blount had been battling cancer, but cruise company spokeswoman Betty Galligan said he died of an unrelated illness. Blount founded American Canadian Caribbean Line in 1966. The family-owned business offers no-frills cruises to offbeat places and caters to a niche market of travelers who want a casual, down-to-earth real-life experience of the regions they visit. Blount, an avid sailor with a shipbuilding background, also designed and built most of his ships. Galligan said he was a pioneer in designing a vessel with a retractable pilothouse that lowers into the second deck and allows ships to pass through shallow waters and low-lying bridges. In April, Blount donated one of his cruise ships, called the Niagara Prince, to Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University and Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. Blount graduated from Wentworth in 1937 with a degree in mechanical design. He also received honorary doctorates from five colleges, including Wentworth, Rhode Island College and Roger Williams University. -- The Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:43 PM | Comment Final week for Rhode Island tax amnestyThis is it - the final week to take advantage of Rhode Island's tax amnesty. The program, which ends Saturday, generally gives tax delinquents a deal: If you pay what you owe by the deadline, the state will waive penalties and won't seek to prosecute you. The Rhode Island Division of Taxation provides an explanation of the amnesty, a list of frequently asked questions, and the official application form. Posted by Neil Downing at 11:21 AM | Comment N.J. newspaper to receive $75,000 Metcalf awardNARRAGANSETT -- Representatives from four media outlets will gather at the University of Rhode Island this morning to honor the winners of a journalism competition sponsored by the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting. The Record, a newspaper based in Bergen County, N.J., will receive top honors -- which comes with a $75,000 prize -- at the 11 a.m. event. A nine-member reporting team from the paper wrote an investigative series on pollution caused by a Mahwah, N.J., Ford Motor Company automobile-assembly plant. The journalists spent eight months investigating how actions of the company, government officials, and organized crime exposed northern New Jersey residents to numerous environmental risks, according to the Metcalf Institute. Other award winners this year include the Oakland Tribune, The New Yorker and WBAL-TV of Baltimore. Posted by Steve Peoples at 9:23 AM | Comment Carcieri to announce $7.8 million in security grantsCRANSTON -- Governor Carcieri plans to announce the distribution of $7.8 million in Homeland Security federal grants today. Rhode Island learned in May that its share of homeland security grants had been cut in half because of a change in the federal distribution formula, a move that leaves many of the state's safety and security programs in jeopardy. Carcieri will detail this year's grants at the state Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Cranston at 12:45 p.m. At the event, Carcieri also plans to call on the Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to rework the grant funding formula so Rhode Island receives its "fair share" of security funds, according to a statement released by Carcieri's office. Posted by Steve Peoples at 8:02 AM | Comment URI terror conference draws scholars, military, polsPort terrorism, catastophic natural disasters and global oil supply disruptions will be on the agenda for the Global U8 Consortium conference that begins this morning at the University of Rhode Island. The two-day event will bring together scholars from around the world, U.S. military officials, politicians, consultants, and even the manager of security and planning for the Port Authority of New York. "Success in an increasingly global economy requires an efficient world network of vessel, port, air, rail and road systems," reads the conference description on its Web site. "However, terrorism and natural disasters pose major risks worldwide because of the vulnerability of transportation infrastructure to attacks and to hurricanes, typhoons and earthquakes. Therefore, planning for security and safety has assumed a major role in logistics and transportations decisions and now permeate every level of operations." Governor Carcieri will welcome the group. U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee will deliver the keynote address between 9 and 10 a.m. Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:05 AM | Comment Carcieri, Fogarty hold first debate tonightPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri will square off against his Democratic rival Charles Fogarty tonight in the gubernatorial candidates' first debate. The meeting will be hosted by Common Cause of Rhode Island, a nonpartisan group that promotes open government. The debate, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., will be moderated by Common Cause national president Chellie Pingree. All questions asked of the candidates originated from Common Cause and the public, which was asked to submit written questions by Sept. 15. Tonight's debate will be held at the Providence Marriott on Orms Street and is open to the public. Tickets cost $45. Carcieri leads Fogarty by 12 percentage points, according to the most recent Brown University poll. (A previous posting incorrectly characterized the race as being a virtual tie.) Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:03 AM | Comment Two hospitalized this morning after chemical spillPROVIDENCE -- Two people are in the hospital this morning after a chemical spill inside a Providence company. The fire department's hazardous materials team is on the site and a decontamination unit is on its way, James Taylor, the department's chief of communications, said at about 7 a.m. Authorities were notified at 6:22 a.m. that hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid were released inside Herff Jones Co., a one-story brick building located at 226 Public St. The condition of the two employees who were taken to Rhode Island Hospital are unknown. Taylor said the building was evacuated, though he wasn't sure how many people were inside at the time of the incident. Herff Jones makes high school rings and other school-related products. More to come on projo.com... Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:00 AM | Comment Crisp, sunny fall weather will stick around a whilePROVIDENCE -- With today's forecast, you won't want to be stuck in the office. Autumn officially arrived last week. But the crisp, sunny, and breezy weather that characterizes the season has come to Rhode Island today. And it isn't going away soon, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Today will be mostly sunny with a high around 73. A western breeze is expected to blow between 6 and 10 mph. Temperatures tonight should fall to the upper 40s. And that's roughly the forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to the weather service. Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:00 AM | Comment September 22, 2006Update: Carcieri sides with Landmark in Blue Cross debateTaking sides in a longstanding contract dispute, Governor Carcieri has accused Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island of unfair negotiations with Landmark Medical Center and urged the insurer to pay more money to the Woonsocket hospital. But Blue Cross replied today that Landmark merely wants the insurer to cover $5.6 million in losses from the hospital’s new cardiac-surgery program, which Blue Cross asserted has not attracted as many patients as expected. Hospital president Gary Gaube called that assertion “absolutely false.” He said he didn’t know where the $5.6 million figure came from. The heart program, Gaube said, had met every volume target and has not lost any more money than would be expected from a start-up. The governor’s involvement in insurer-hospital negotiations — typically a private, if contentious, matter — is unusual and probably unprecedented. But Carcieri said in an interview today that he felt he should step in to encourage more cooperation from Blue Cross in what the governor described as a David-and-Goliath battle between a struggling community hospital and a wealthy insurer that dominates the market. “I’m not trying to negotiate the deal,” Carcieri said. “All I’m saying is that Blue Cross has an extra special obligation. They’re not for profit. They’re the dominant insurer in the market. This is a small community hospital in a very vulnerable area ….and Blue Cross has a little extra responsibility to work with them and keep them healthy.” Landmark and Blue Cross have been in negotiations since February over the rates that Blue Cross will pay the hospital for services provided to its members. All Blue Cross contracts with Landmark expire at the end of this month. -- Journal medical writer Felice J. Freyer Although it is common for insurers and hospitals to have contentious negotiations, Landmark took the unusual step of going public with the disagreement, even organizing a rally outside Blue Cross headquarters. It also asked the governor to intervene. Carcieri wrote to Blue Cross yesterday and made his letter public today. Carcieri accused the insurer of being "unwilling to provide Landmark with a fair contract" and urged Blue Cross to "immediately resolve" the dispute. James E. Purcell, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross, declined a request for an interview, but made public the letter he sent the governor today. Purcell asserted that Blue Cross had already “offered Landmark a healthy fee increase for 2007 and 2008” -- and one that, according to Purcell, Landmark officials considered acceptable.
He said Blue Cross had used its market dominance to take a “take-it-or-leave-it” stance. Gaube said that Landmark's importance to Blue Cross members in northern Rhode Island wasn't giving the hospital any leverage with the insurer. He said Blue Cross plans to transition them to other hospitals.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:29 PM | Comment Rosh Hashanah starts at sundownRosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starts today at sundown and ends 48 hours later at sundown on Sunday. While there are few similarities between the Jewish holiday and the parties that often characterize the American New Year, some Jews do use the holy period as an opportunity to plan for positive changes or make resolutions. Jewish tradition bars work on Rosh Hashanah. To celebrate, many people eat honey-dipped apples, a symbol of a wish for a sweet new year. Another popular practice is Tashlikh, where Jews walk to flowing water on the afternoon of the first day and empty their pockets (full of pieces of bread), symbolically casting off their sins. The next major Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Attonement, is Oct. 2. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:56 PM | Comment New Haven man charged in R.I. bank robberiesSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- A Connecticut man with a lengthy criminal record has been accused of the hit-and-run robbery of at least two banks in Rhode Island. Marcus A. Trimble, 29, of New Haven, was charged in District Court this morning with two counts of second-degree robbery. He is expected to be charged in a Providence robbery Monday. Trimble was picked up by New Haven police late Thursday as a fugitive from justice following a brief foot chase, said Westerly Detective Sgt. Ed St.Clair. Sources, including an ex-girlfriend, tipped the three police departments off about his identity early this month, police said. Police link Trimble to the Aug. 3 robbery of the Washington Trust Co. branch at 1200 Main St. in Richmond and the robbery of the Westerly Community Credit Union on Granite St. in Westerly Aug. 28. In each, the suspect handed the teller a note saying she would be killed if she didn’t turn over the money. No weapons were shown, police say.
"It was a crime of convenience. He got off Exite 3 thinking about how he had no money and was going to be evicted and there was a bank in front of him,’’ said Richmond Police Chief Raymond Driscoll. Police said he took $2,966 from that bank. Trimble was taken to ACI because he was unable to make the $100,000 surety bail set by Judge Frank J. Cenerini. Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:52 PM | Comment American Idols take the stage at the Dunk tonightPROVIDENCE -- The idols are coming. The Dunkin' Donuts Center will host the American Idols Live Tour 2006 tonight, featuring the top 10 finishers from this season's super-popular TV reality show. But unless you already have a ticket, don't get too excited. The show is essentially sold out -- except for some available through ticket brokers. Tonight's 7 p.m. concert is scheduled to feature the top American Idol, Taylor Hicks, in addition to Ace Young, Bucky Covington, Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Lisa Tucker, Mandisa and Paris Bennett. Driving in? Leave extra time. You can expect downtown streets to be snarled before and after the show. Parking along streets adjacent to the Dunk has already been restricted. Come back tomorrow to projo.com and The Journal, where you'll find staff writer Rick Massimo's review of the evening -- and add your own. Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:45 PM | Comment Sen. McCain coming to R.I. for ChafeePROVIDENCE -- Likely 2008 presidential candidate John McCain is planning to visit Rhode Island next month on behalf of U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee. The Arizona senator is scheduled to appear at a campaign luncheon for fellow Republican Chafee in the Hotel Providence Oct. 4. Like Chafee, McCain is among a small group of moderate senators known as the "Gang of 14" which helped avoid a filibuster during the debate over President Bush's Supreme Court nomination Samuel Alito. The incumbent Chafee is facing Democratic candidate Sheldon Whitehouse in November's general election. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:31 PM | Comment Church group: Hope comes from God, not jackpots / Photo
"We have not come to make a political statement, but rather, a theological statement," said the Rev. Donald Anderson, pastor of the First Baptist Church-East Greenwich and vice president of the council of churches. "In the tradition of the prophets of old, we have come to speak a word from God against great evils of our day." As the backdrop to the press conference, the council of churches chose Prospect Park, in front of a giant statue of Roger Williams, who founded the city after being banished from Massachusetts due to his religious tenets. The location wasn't coincidental. Those who spoke noted the city's name, and the presence of the word "hope" on the state seal and flag. People should rest secure in hope and providence that come from God, not from the possibility of taking home a jackpot, they said. "Greed, which motivates gambling, is strongly condemned by biblical ethics as contrary to trusting God for our daily bread," Marie Bouvier-Newman, president of the council of churches, said. "For too many of our fellow citizens, the ever-so-slim possibility of sudden material gain becomes the primary plan for their lives, and their best hope, they think, for the future." The council of churches is an ecumenical body representing 11 Protestant denominations, 4 affiliated church organizations and 8 Orthodox denominations and congregations. -- Journal staff writer Elizabeth Gudrais Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:59 PM | Comment R.I. wolf hybrids not among pack that escaped in N.H.A pair of wolf hybrids taken from URI President Robert L. Carothers' property last month weren't among the seven animals that escaped from a new Hampshire sanctuary this week, prompting neighbors to keep guns nearby for protection. Two of the hybrids taken from Carothers' property, Cotton, 1, and Gabe, 5, remain under quarantine at the South Kingstown pound and are awaiting transfer to Dancing Brooke Lodge in New Hampshire ``sometime next week,'' said AnnMarie Biegner, pound manager. Carothers' son Matthew brought three wolf hybrids, or wolf dogs, to Rhode Island from Alabama, but the state Department of Environmental Management ordered them removed from his care last month because it is illegal to keep them in the state without a permit. One of the animals was euthanized. In New Hampshire, one of the seven wolf hybrids that escaped from Dancing Brooke Lodge has already returned on its own. Some have been spotted in neighbors' yards. Concerned for their pets and kids, neighbors have guns ready and professional trappers were trying to capture the hybrids. Read a full Associated Press story out of New Hampshire. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney and the Associated Press. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:54 PM | Comment APC to cut another 330 jobsAmerican Power Conversion Corp. American Power Conversion Corp. announced this afternoon that it plans to cut 330 jobs, or 4 percent of its global workforce. This is the second major round of layoffs announced this year by the West Kingston-based technology manufacturer. In June, the company cut 66 positions in Rhode Island and 200 to 250 positions in Ireland. Over the past year, the company has struggled with high operating costs and income losses and Rodger Dowdell, its former chief executive officer, retired in August. APC said this year's cuts, including the ones announced today, will save the company $32 million annually. The company's stock was up 21 cents at around 2 p.m. today, trading at $21.51 a share. -- Journal staff writer Andrea L. Stape Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:15 PM | Comment Hollywood comes to ProvidencePROVIDENCE – You can catch a taste of Hollywood today outside City Hall and at Kennedy Plaza, as the CBS series Waterfront gears up for filming this afternoon. They're filming this afternoon and will continue until dusk, according to Jenny Peek, the city's film manager in the Department of Art, Culture & Tourism. Then, they’ll move over near the Convention Center for additional shooting, she said. Although Peek said bystanders may be asked to step to the side to stay out of the shoot, there are plenty of opportunities to watch the action. No streets will be closed, and there will just be “intermittent traffic control,” she said. Monday, the crew will be back inside City Hall. That means the oversized trucks will be lined up once again near the Rhode Island Foundation. The series stars Joe Pantoliano, as the charismatic but sometimes shady Mayor Jimmy Centrella, and William Baldwin as an ambitious attorney general. Waterfront was picked up by CBS as a midseason replacement and should air early next year. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:55 PM | Comment Hasbro issues toy recall following two child deathsPAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Hasbro Inc., the nation's second-largest toy maker, issued a voluntary recall today on part of a toy workbench set after two children apparently suffocated to death on oversized plastic toy nails, company officials said. Chief Executive Al Verrecchia said the recall applies to two plastic nails included in the Playskool Team Talkin' Tool Bench, which has sold about 255,000 sets in the last year. The toy company learned in February about the death of a 19-month-old boy from Martinsburg, W.V., who apparently choked on at least one 3-inch-long plastic nail, Verrecchia said. -- The Associated Press Last week, the company learned it was named in a civil lawsuit prompted by the death of a 2-year-old boy from League City, Texas, who also allegedly choked on a toy nail. "As soon as we heard that, we made the decision to get the product back and find out what's going on," Verrecchia said. The toy workbench is designed for children three years and older, company officials said. Both victims were younger than that. Verrecchia said the nail, which is more than an inch wide, meets federal safety guidelines. Consumers who return the plastic nails will receive a $50 gift certificate for Hasbro products. Verrecchia said consumers can also claim a gift certificate for returning toy plastic screws in the set, although those parts have not been blamed for any deaths and are not part of the recall. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:53 AM | Comment Law professor says secrecy bred controversy over pleaA law professor at Roger Williams University says the controversy swirling around the Derderians' plea agreement highlights the downside of negotiating deals in secret. The plea agreement with Michael and Jeffrey Derderian in The Station nightclub fire case was negotiated between the defense and the prosecution and in chambers with the judge. Indeed, the vast majority of Superior Court cases end with a plea agreement, said David M. Zlotnick, a professor at the Ralph R. Papitto School of Law at Roger Williams University. It can be an efficient way to bring cases to closure. But there’s a downside, and Rhode Island is witnessing that right now, Zlotnick said today. “Now the danger is: People are saying, ‘I didn’t say that,’ ‘I didn’t mean that,’” he said. “That’s the downside of allowing an informal system with judge participation. The downside is that sometimes people disagree about what happened in chambers and there’s no court reporter in chambers and we don’t know what happened.” That wouldn’t have happened if this were a federal court case, Zlotnick said, because federal judges are not permitted to engage in plea-bargaining in closed chambers. “I was a federal prosecutor. Not once in my career was I ever in a backroom with a judge deciding what would happen later,” Zlotnick said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:50 AM | Comment Volunteers picking corn today for the Food BankSOUTH KINGSTOWN – Students from The Met School and Johnson & Wales University will be picking corn today at the University of Rhode Island for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. In partnership with the food bank, URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences planted five acres of corn and squash at its Agricultural Experiment Station in Kingston. Rosie Connors, the food bank’s director of development and communications, called the planting and the harvest: “a perfect project." Last Saturday, volunteers picked more than 10,000 pounds of corn. “It’s a very meaningful donation,” she said. “This is a lot of food, a lot of great, nutritious, fresh food.” And while fresh food is a little more difficult for the food bank to manage and distribute – the food bank is thrilled to have it, Connors said. “Fresh produce is a delight,” she said. The corn and squash was planted in stages so that it could be harvested in stages. The food bank is looking for volunteers to harvest the squash next week. Anyone interested in helping, Connors said, can contact Kirsten French at the food bank, at 942-6325, ext. 212. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:50 AM | Comment R.I. delegation sees troops training in MississippiA delegation of 35 Rhode Islanders from 30 businesses and groups are at Camp Shelby this morning to watch the training of 150 Rhode Islanders in the National Guard who will be deployed to Iraq in the next week. The trip, sponsored by the Rhode Island Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves, was organized to help employers understand the mission of their workers who have been called up and to seek their support. Among the businesses and organizations represented on the trip are American Power Conversion Corp., Toray Plastics, Lincoln Environmental, Ocean State Harley, the Providence Fire Department and the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce. Posted by at 7:47 AM | Comment Cape fisherman: Are seals eating all the fish?CHATHAM, Mass. -- A Chatham fisherman is seeking support for an official study of the gray seal population in Cape Cod waters to see if, as he suspects, their numbers are having a negative effect on local fish stocks. Paul Bremser believes the seal population on Chatham's Monomoy Island and South Beach shores has been depleting cod, haddock and flounder, among other species. Gray seals, 600- to 1,000-pound animals with distinctive horse-like heads, are protected under the federal 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. Bremser said he wants federal regulatory officials to do a study of the seals, he told the Cape Cod Times for a story published today. Read the full Associated Press story Posted by Jack Perry at 7:41 AM | Comment A summery day on the last day of summerThe National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny day with a high near 69 degrees on the last day of summer, but warns of high seas on the coast late tonight and into the weekend. The weather service has issued a high surf advisory from 10 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow for the Rhode Island and Massachusetts south coasts, including Cape Cod and the islands. The advisory could extend further into the weekend as southwest winds could build seas to 10 feet and generate rip currents, the weather service says. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment September 21, 2006Hospital lawyer says he wasn't told of Celona's legislative rolePROVIDENCE -- A lawyer for Roger Williams Medical Center today testified he was never told state Sen. John A. Celona would look after the hospital’s legislative interests while working as a consultant for the hospital. Lawyer James R. McGuirk spent the entire day as the sole witness in the corruption trial of former Roger Williams president Robert A. Urciuoli, former hospital vice president Frances P. Driscoll and Peter J. Sangermano, a partner with the hospital in The Village at Elmhurst assisted-living center. They are accused of stealing the honest services of Celona as a public official and of masking his true work as a legislative operative by putting him on the payroll at The Village of Elmhurst. Celona, now a former state senator from North Providence, has pleaded guilty to selling his office to Roger Williams, CVS and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. On the witness stand, McGuirk detailed his role in writing Celona’s consulting contract and seeking a state Ethics Commission opinion about what matters the senator was prohibited from handling while working as a consultant. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis M. Matos asked McGuirk who he believed Celona was working for, based on what Urciuoli and Driscoll had told him. “The Village at Elmhurst,” McGuirk said. Matos asked McGuirk if he was told Celona was working on legislative issues of interest to the hospital. “No,” McGuirk said. Matos asked McGuirk if he was told Celona was working “to kill” a bill, the Hospital Conversion Act, which would have scuttled the hospital’s proposed merger with an out-of-state hospital chain, Columbia HCA. McGuirk said, “No.” Matos asked McGuirk if he was told Celona was working on legislation affecting whether Alzheimer’s units could be placed at assisted-living centers. Again, McGuirk said, “No.” -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:50 PM | Comment Lynch responds to Judge Darigan's criticismAttorney General Patrick C. Lynch issued a statement late this afternoon responding to criticism today by Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr., who blasted the Attorney General's Office for leaking the terms of the Derderians' sentences to the press before the families of Station fire victims had been notified. "I deeply respect Judge Darigan as a jurist and as a human being. He has handled the cases arising from The Station nightclub fire in an extremely fair and professional manner," Lynch said. "However well-intentioned the plans were to notify the families of those who perished in the fire, that process represented an unprecedented challenge, particularly coming as it did two weeks prior to the start of Michael Derderian's trial," he continued. "From the moment I learned of the terms of the sentence the judge planned to impose, I knew that the victims would be deeply hurt, regardless of how they heard the news. While each of us had the victims' best interests in mind in sending individual letters, the reality is that the vast majority of people would still learn of the Court's intentions through the news media." "I am concerned, as he is, that the process did not work as well as we had hoped, and I will, in time, find out why. My focus at this time, however, is on those who lost loved ones, family members, and friends in the fire at The Station, and seeing them through the days ahead," he concluded. Lynch met one on one earlier this afternoon with members of the press to explain his position. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Lynch says Derderian sentence not his idea PROVIDENCE -- In a private interview this afternoon with The Journal, Attorney General Patrick Lynch maintained his insistence that he objected to the plea bargain announced yesterday that will send Michael Derderian to prison for four years and spare his brother, Jeffrey, from serving any time at all. Despite reports from the Derderians' attorney to the contrary, Lynch said his office never made a bona fide offer. Michael Derderian's attorney Kathleen Hagerty yesterday provided The Journal a handwritten note listing the terms of the plea bargain written by an assistant attorney general. Lynch today said the document merely contained notes from conversations between the parties. The numbers on the note were suggested by the defense, Lynch said, not the prosecution. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:13 PM | Comment Update: Politicians react to Derderians' pleaPROVIDENCE -- Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, the Democratic candidate for governor, issued a statement this afternoon criticizing the outcome of Michael and Jeffrey Derderian's court cases. "The proposed sentence seems inadequate considering the magnitude of the tragedy," Fogarty said. "Cleary, justice calls for a more severe penalty." The man running against Attorney General Patrick Lynch in November issued a tempered statement this morning about the Derderians' plea bargain, averting their trials in the high-profile The Station fire case. Republican J. William W. Harsch has been virtually silent on the case until now. "My campaign has avoided commenting on The Station nightclub fire incident out of respect for the victims and out of respect for the process of law," Harsch said in a statement. "However, at this stage in the process, like many other Rhode Islanders, I can say that I do not have the sense that justice was served, but out of respect for the process of law and victims of their families, will refrain from further comment or judgment until more is known and more is understood.” Lynch maintains that he opposed the terms, but Michael Derderian's attorney said a prosecutor under Lynch proposed the plea arrangement. Michael Derderian would receive four years in prison, while his brother, Jeffrey, Station nightclub co-owner, would get no jail time. Read more about the plea, which has not yet been formalized in court.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:22 PM | Comment Update: Judge says Station plea will spare R.I. trauma of trialWARWICK -- Superior Court Associate Justice Francis J. Darigan said this afternoon that he decided to accept a plea in The Station nightclub fire case to spare victims' families and the state the trauma of criminal trials. Darigan also acknowledged that he decided to accept the pleas from club co-owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and impose the sentences over the objection of the state Attorney General's Office. The Derderian brothers each have agreed to plead no contest to 100 involuntary manslaughter charges, effectively ending the criminal prosecution against them. The charges represented the 100 who died in the Feb. 20, 2003, blaze, the worst in the state's history. In exchange for their pleas, Darigan has agreed to a sentence of no jail time for Jeffrey Derderian and four years to serve in prison for Michael Derderian. The news of the deal, which has not yet been accepted in court, came in a letter to victims' families released yesterday by Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. In a followup address to reporters this afternoon at the Kent County Courthouse, Darigan said a trial would "serve to further traumatize and victimize" not only the families of the victims but the entire state. Darigan addressed the reporters for 25 minutes, reading from a letter he said he sent last night to families of the victims and also reading from a statement. He also criticized the Attorney General's Office for what he called leaking news of the agreement to the press yesterday, calling it unethical. Darigan's address is being carried now on Court TV, Channel 71 on Cox Cable in Rhode Island. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples In the letter Darigan sent to the victims’ families, he spoke about the sentences for the brothers. “The difference in the sentences between the two defendants reflects their respective involvement with regard to the purchase and installation of the foam in question,” Darigan wrote. “It is my belief for the reasons stated above that the sentences I will impose are reasonably appropriate in light of all of the facts and circumstances as I understand them.” The fire at the club started after the band Great White's pyrotechnics ignited foam used as soundproofing around the stage. Darigan then read from a prepared statement, in which he criticized the way the plea agreement became public. “The premature leak of the attorney general’s letter to the media by an anonymous source was unethical, reprehensible, devoid of any consideration for the victims of this tragedy and totally abrogated an agreement reached after weeks of discussion between the parties in this case,” he said. “This court sincerely regrets – beyond the court’s ability to articulate – the shock, anger, disbelief and sense of betrayal some of the families must feel because of the despicable action taken by the anonymous source within the Attorney General’s Office.” Darigan said he would like the media to focus less on the back-and-forth between the Attorney General’s Office and the court and more on the merits of the plea agreement. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:10 PM | Comment CVS stock dives after Wal-Mart announcementThe prospect of heightened competition from Wal-Mart sent shares of CVS Corp. into a dive today. The drugstore chain's stock is down more than 8 percent in midday training after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. this morning announced a plan to sell generic prescription drugs at deep discounts. The Arkansas-based retail giant said it will cut prices on 291 generics to as low as $4 per prescription in a pilot program beginning in Florida. Shortly before 1:30 p.m., shares of Woonsocket-based CVS stood at $32.43, down $3 from yesterday's close. Stock in Walgreen Co. and Rite-Aid Corp. also took a hit on the Wal-Mart news, each falling more than 6 percent. Posted by at 1:32 PM | Comment Wise recalls nacho chipsWise Foods is recalling 31,500 cases of nacho chips distributed on the East Coast that might contain a soy ingredient. The company said customers sensitive to soy should not eat the chips. "No illnesses have been reported to date, " the company says. Posted by Peter Phipps at 1:27 PM | Comment Coventry man sentenced in tax caseA Coventry man has been sentenced for filing a false federal income-tax return after he failed to report income he had earned from an Internet-based debt-elimination scheme. Edward Dacey must serve five months of home confinement and two years of probation, Senior U.S. District Judge George C. Smith ruled yesterday in Columbus, Ohio. According to court documents and testimony, Dacey was employed at Ridgewood Holdings, a business trust in Rhode Island. In 2004, Ridgewood marketed a debt elimination service over the Internet for an Ohio company. Dacey admitted that he did not report, on his return for 2004, about $122,000 in income that he received from Ridgewood in connection with the service. The IRS's Criminal Investigation unit investigated the case. Posted by Neil Downing at 1:21 PM | Comment Some Rhode Island taxpayers face a deadlineA deadline looms for nearly 37,000 Rhode Island taxpayers. These people sidestepped the usual mid-April deadline for filing federal income-tax returns. They did so by obtaining automatic six-month extensions. As a result, their new filing deadline is just around the corner, on Oct. 16. (That's also the deadline for filing Rhode Island income-tax returns that are on extension.) The Internal Revenue Service issued a reminder today about the deadline. The IRS also let taxpayers know that they may be eligible to file their returns at no charge, through the IRS's Free File program. Posted by Neil Downing at 12:26 PM | Comment Lynch reiterates his opposition to Station plea dealRhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch issued a statement late this morning, again saying he doesn't approve a plea agreement reached in The Station fire case. Lynch made similar comments yesterday in a letter to victims' family members. "Starting last night and continuing through this morning, I have been making "My intention was always to prosecute these two criminal cases at trial. I Jeffrey and Michael Derderian have agreed to plead no contest to involuntary manslaughter charges, effectively ending the criminal prosecution against them. In exchange for their pleas, Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. has agreed to a sentence of no jail time for Jeffrey Derderian and four years to serve in prison for Michael Derderian. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:58 AM | Comment A majority of R.I. schools are "high performing"Sixty-two percent of Rhode Island’s elementary and middle schools are considered high performing in the latest round of school-performance classifications, and 71 percent of the state’s schools met all targets in the federal education law No Child Left Behind. A total of 66 schools also have been classified as Regents’ Commended Schools, a higher number than ever before, said James A. DiPrete, chairman of the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education. http://www.projo.com/education/perform0921.htm Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:28 AM | Comment Lynch to meet with media to discuss Station pleaIn the wake of the plea agreement reached in The Station nightclub fire case, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch will be available to meet with the media this afternoon, according to a short statement issued this morning by his spokesman, Michael J. Healey. “The Attorney General is continuing to make calls this morning to the victims' families and the survivors of the fire. He will be available to meet with the news media this afternoon,” the statement reads. “The Public Information Office will issue an advisory about the press availability beforehand.” Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:56 AM | Comment Sun will chase away morning's chillPROVIDENCE – It’s rather chilly this morning, but the sun should be shining all day. Expect a high near 65 – and good sleeping weather tonight with a low around 45. Tomorrow, too, should be mostly sunny, with a high near 68. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts for today because of a frost advisory in parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Tomorrow, as Hurricane Helene moves northward in the Atlantic, a high-surf advisory in our region may be required for the afternoon through Saturday, with seas building to seven feet and dangerous rip currents developing. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:02 AM | Comment Police dedicate substation at Rising Sun Mills / Photo
Providence Police officer Patty Nichols, on horse Holigan, and others applaud during the press conference at the new District 5 station in Olneyville at 166 Valley St., named the Sgt. Steven M. Shaw Neighborhood Station. PROVIDENCE -- The Providence Police Department dedicated a new neighborhood police station with a ribbon cutting this morning at Rising Sun Mills, 166 Valley Street. Mayor David N. Cicilline and Police Chief Dean Esserman attended, along with owners of Rising Sun Mills Corporation. The station is named for Sgt. Steven M. Shaw, a Providence police sergeant who died in the line of duty. Lt. Robert T. Lepre will be commander of the District 5 station. Rising Sun Mills is a former factory that has been turned into loft apartments and offices. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment September 20, 2006FLASH: Derderians plead no contest to Station fire chargesPROVIDENCE -- Michael and Jeffrey Derderian will plead no contest later this month to the 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter that each face in The Station fire trial. The brothers were co-owners of the West Warwick nightclub, which was destroyed by fire on Feb. 20, 2003, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200. The announcement was contained in a letter dated today from state Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch to families of fire victims. The plea comes as jury selection was in progress in the trial of Michael Derderian. The two are due to enter their plea on Sept. 29. In exchange, Michael Derderian will be sentenced to 15 years in prison with four years to serve, followed by three years probation. Jeffrey Derderian will be sentenced to 10 years in prison, all suspended, with three years probation, and 500 hours of community service. A third defendant, Daniel Biechele, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charges. He was sentenced to 15 years, with four to serve. Biechele was the band manager for Great White, who touched off the pyrotechnics that started the blaze. The worst fire in state history, it reverberated around the country, spurring reviews and changes in fire codes. More to come... Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:00 PM | Comment S. Kingstown man charged with shooting his dogSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- A local man was arrested today after police found his 9-year-old Rottweiler in a 4-foot-deep hole with a gunshot wound to the back of its head and the owner ready to cover the dog with dirt, police said. A Verizon worker reported to police around noon that he heard a gunshot and saw a Rottweiler walk out of the woods and toward the house at 590 Rose Hill Rd., said Capt. Jeffrey Allen. The dog was pursued by a man, who grabbed it by the neck and took it back to the woods. Responding officers found blood on the sidewalk and a trail of blood leading to the hole. The wounded dog, a female named Blaze Jules Thomas Ferguson, was sitting inside with a gunshot to the back of the head and blood coming from the mouth, Allen said. A man, identified as Donald E. Ferguson, was crouched at the edge of hole, with a shovel and 9mm Ruger handgun nearby. Ferguson, 42, of 590 Rose Hill Rd., explained that he was trying to put his dog down because it had bad hips and kidney and bladder problems, Allen said. The dog was taken to Washington County Veterinary Hospital, where blood tests determined that dog had Lyme disease but was otherwise healthy, Allen said. It appeared that the bullet had exited the body, Allen said. Police charged Ferguson with malicious injury to animals, a felony, Allen said. He was expected to be arraigned before a bail commissioner. Under state law, he faces up to two years in prison and $1,000 in fines. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:42 PM | Comment Update: Lawyer advised hiring Celona was 'bad idea'PROVIDENCE -- A lawyer for Roger Williams Medical Center testified today that he thought it was a "bad idea" when then-hospital president Robert A. Urciuoli said he wanted to hire a state senator, John A. Celona, as a consultant. James R. McGuirk, a partner in Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, told a federal jury this afternoon that he opposed the idea because he didn’t believe Celona, who had operated a lawn mower store, had the experience, and also because his position as a senator "presented enormous conflicts.’’ "I didn’t think it was a good idea. I thought it was a bad idea,’’ said McGuirk. "I didn’t think he brought any value.’’ Urciuoli, the former president of Roger Williams, is on trial in federal court with two other hospital executives on charges of stealing Celona's honest services as a senator. The former state senator from North Providence has pleaded guilty to selling his office to Roger Williams, CVS and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and is testifying as part of his agreement to cooperate in this case and other, ongoing investigations of State House influence peddling. McGuirk, who described himself as a close friend of Urciuoli’s, said that he advised him of his opinion, but Urciuoli insisted, arguing that Celona would help recruit residents to the Village at Elmhurst through his extensive political network of senior citizens. Consequently, McGuirk advised Urciuoli that Celona’s duties should be clearly spelled out in a consulting contract, and the hospital should obtain an advisory opinion from the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, defining what Celona could and could not do as a legislator regarding health-care issues. Earlier this afternoon, Celona finally left the witness stand, stepping down after nearly six day of testimony. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton
PROVIDENCE -- Former state Sen. John A. Celona testified today that he was unaware that Peter Sangermano did not want to hire him as a consultant to The Village at Elmhurst. Sangermano, who co-owned the Providence assisted-living center with Roger Williams Medical Center, is on trial in federal court with former hospital president Robert A. Urciuoli and ex-hospital executive Frances P. Driscoll. The three are charged with conspiring to steal Celona’s honest services by hiring him as a consultant. Under cross-examination by John Pappalardo, Sangermano’s lawyer, Celona testified that he had lunch with Sangermano when he started, and was told simply, ``Welcome aboard.’’ Celona was hired at the urging of Urciuoli, and Roger Williams wound up paying his salary because Sangermano refused. Nevertheless, Pappalardo questioned Celona about a number of appearances that the former North Providence senator made at nursing homes and other places, arguing that Celona did legitimate work promoting the Village to senior citizens. Read today's Journal story on yesterday's testimony. -- By Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Posted by Jack Perry at 5:14 PM | Comment Democrats file ethics complaint against CarcieriPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island Democrats accuse Republican Governor Carcieri of breaking the state's ethics code. Democratic Party Chairman William Lynch says Carcieri's campaign sent fund-raising letters to two executive branch employees. He says the state ethics code makes it illegal for Carcieri to solicit campaign donations from anyone in the executive branch. The allegations are part of a complaint that Lynch filed today with the state Ethics Commission. One of the men, Albert Nani, works as a human relations analyst for the Department of Administration. The other man, Robert Moniz, is a supervisory electrical inspector for the Department of Transportation. Carcieri said the letter was "probably a clerical issue." "That shouldn't happen," he said, adding "I'm not about soliciting state employees at their place of business." Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:34 PM | Comment Update: Ice pick victim wanted in Minn. rapePROVIDENCE – Charles Lewis walked into the Broad Street fire station early this morning bleeding from multiple stab wounds in his face, neck and chest. Authorities believe he was stabbed with an ice pick. Shortly after firefighters transported him to Rhode Island Hospital at about 2 a.m., the police learned that Lewis, 40, of Lenox Avenue, Providence, was wanted on rape charges in Minnesota. He has been charged as being a fugitive and is being held pending extradition to Minnesota, according to a police report of the incident. Lewis told the police that he was stabbed with a "pick-like object" early this morning after arguing with someone he didn't know. -- projo.com staff writers Steve Peoples and Kate Bramson Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:45 PM | Comment Carcieri unveils new ethics planPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri unveiled his plan to reform the state's ethics code during an afternoon press conference at the State House today. The governor said he plans to deliver his four-point proposal directly to the state Ethics Commission, bypassing the General Assembly, which passed an ethics bill in July that Carcieri chose not to sign. Carcieri's opponent in the race for governor, Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, was a strong supporter of the first bill. Carcieri's plan has four key points: -- Legislators would have to disclose specific sources of income. For example, if they work as attorneys or insurance brokers, the legislators would have to list the names of their clients. -- Legislators would have to disclose any interest or connection to programs or entities that receive state funding. -- The definition of "conflict of interest" in the code of ethics would be expanded beyond "direct financial benefit." -- Legislators would be barred from voting on any measure that would affect business or industry from which the elected official or family member derives income. Noticeably absent for Carcieri's press conference today was the Ethics Commission Chairman James Lynch Sr., who was supposed to be in attendance, according to the press release distributed at today's event. "Why he didn't come, you'll have to ask him," Carcieri said. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Elizabeth Gudrais Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:10 PM | Comment Davis waives bail in Woonsocket murder casePROVIDENCE -- The man accused of killing 8-year-old Savannah Smith of Woonsocket waived bail in Superior Court this morning. Speaking through his lawyer, Joshua A. Davis, 21, agreed to be held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions, where he has been since his arrest on May 7. This was the second time Davis appeared in court in recent days. Last Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, molesting and murdering Savannah. At that arraignment, Davis also waived bail. Asked why Davis appeared twice in one week on the bail matter, Attorney General Spokesman Michael J. Healey said that at the time of his arraignment, Davis had not yet “had a substantive discussion” with his lawyer about whether or not he would request a bail hearing -- something he needed to do before the matter could be resolved. Davis is due back in court in December. -- Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:06 PM | Comment Update: Casino rival Burke becomes Harrah's partner / Photos
Today's event at Burke's Federal Reserve restaurant was aimed at publicizing a planned Gateway Center inside the casino that would promote Rhode Island businesses and tourist attractions in other parts of the state. The center would be owned and operated by Burke, with no association with the state's visitor center, which does not endorse the casino. The 1,000-square-foot center, to be located on the main floor near the front entrance, would offer casino goers plasma screens, voice-activated kiosks, and touch-screen displays that would link directly to Rhode Island restaurant and other destination Web sites. And Harrah's also plans to offer "reward point cards" on which gamblers earn points that could be used in businesses outside the casino. Burke previously had testified at General Assembly hearings against the casino plan proposed by the Narragansett Indians in conjunction with Harrah's. He said he changed his mind after a series of discussions with Harrah's and the tribe. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples
Harrah's officials shooed the group away, leaving only "Harry, the Harrah's Hog," an anti-casino activist dressed in a pink pig outfit who paced in front of the Federal Reserve holding a small Save Our State sign. Save Our State is the name of a group opposed to the casino plan. Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:31 PM | Comment Stones play Gillette tonight, tickets availableFOXBORO – With just a few more hours before the Rolling Stones perform at Gillette Stadium, we’re still finding tickets available for tonight’s show. At aceticket.com, the lowest-priced tickets have dropped in the last couple hours. Available tickets this morning ranged from $125 to $250. By 1:45 p.m., the lowest-priced tickets available were $95. However, the most expensive listed on the site were up to $325. At ticketmaster, full-price tickets at $352.50, with an additional fee of $20.05, have been available online at least since late morning. Student-discount tickets were available for $332.50 with an additional fee of $19.55 shortly before 2 p.m. The 7 p.m. concert kicks off with an opening act by rapper Kanye West. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:03 PM | Comment Judge steps aside from Champlin's Marina caseThe controversial Champlin's Marina dispute may be resolved by Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel. Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. recused himself from the case this morning, citing relationships with several people involved in the dispute among the marina, Block Island and the Coastal Resources Management Council. The CRMC rejected the marina's expansion plans with a 5-5, but the marina is questioning that vote and requesting a hearing on certain ``irregularities'' at CRMC. Vogel raised a possible conflict with one of the lawyers in the case, and all sides agreed to decide soon whether to continue with her anyway. -- Journal staff writer Peter Lord Posted by Jack Perry at 1:21 PM | Comment East Providence exit off 195 to reopen tomorrowAn exit leading to East Providence from Route 195 will reopen tomorrow, 10 days earlier than expected, the state Department of Transportation has announced. Exit 4 off Route 195 East was temporarily closed on September 8 because of construction work on the Washington Bridge, which is being replaced. The DOT initially said the exit would be closed until Oct. 1. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:18 PM | Comment Fidelity launches new research institute The Fidelity Investments empire has a new satellite: Fidelity Research Institute. It'll issue research reports; reach out to academic experts and think-tanks; and hold an annual conference, Fidelity said. Posted by Neil Downing at 12:03 PM | Comment Police release ID of motorcyclist killed in CoventryCoventry police released a statement this morning identifying the man killed yesterday in a motorcycle accident near Harkney Hill Road. Robert Lister, 39, formerly of 32 Piligrim Ave., Coventry, was found dead in the woods off the road yesterday at about 8:30 a.m. His motorcycle was nearby. Posted by Steve Peoples at 11:35 AM | Comment Immigration investigating status of 7 arrested in CharlestownCHARLESTOWN – Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they are reviewing the legal status of seven people who were temporarily detained by Charlestown Police last week. “We have not yet made a determination on the immigration status of the individuals,” said Paula Grenier, an ICE spokesperson. Grenier declined to comment on what information was requested as the matter is ongoing. The seven Mexican nationals – six men and one woman – were taken into custody Saturday after they failed to provide a valid U.S. identification card when police responded to a loud noise complaint, Sgt. Patrick J. McMahon had said. McMahon said two of the men showed suspended Rhode Island drivers’ licenses, three showed Mexican-issued international drivers’ licenses that, McMahon said, are not valid IDs. The woman showed a valid Rhode Island ID card, but she had earlier told officers she was in the country illegally, McMahon said. The seven individuals were later released. -- Maria Armental, Journal staff writer Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:56 AM | Comment Nursing home operators plead not guilty / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- Former nursing home operator Antonio L. Giordano and his chief financial officer John J. Montecalvo pleaded not guilty this morning to state charges of embezzlement, conspiracy, money laundering and Medicaid fraud. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Posted by Jack Perry at 10:50 AM | Comment Man stabbed by ice pick walks into fire station for helpPROVIDENCE – A 30-year-old man was stabbed early this morning in the face, neck and chest with an ice pick. The man walked into the Broad Street fire station, located at 847 Broad St., seeking help at 1:51 a.m. and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The man’s name and condition are not available at this time. Eight firefighters, all certified as emergency medical technicians, were in the station in the Elmwood neighborhood when the man came in looking for help, Taylor said. It’s not unusual, he said, for someone with injuries who is near a fire station to seek help there. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:39 AM | Comment Update: Finalists unveiled in waterfront design contestPROVIDENCE -- Now's your chance to check out the two finalists named this morning in a competition to design a waterfront park on eight acres of land that will become available when Route 195 is relocated. Mayor David N. Cicilline revealed the top two projects in the Waterfront Design Competition this morning at Roger Williams Park Casino. Renderings of both designs are now available on the city's Web site. Cicilline kicked off the competition in April and created an 11-member selection committee. The identity of the winning design team will not be known until the winner is announced Oct. 30. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:17 AM | Comment Intralot denies report of Lottomatica dealIntralot SA, the Athens-based competitor of GTECH Holdings Corp. for lottery contracts worldwide, this morning denied reports it would be sold to Lottomatica, the Rome-based company that recently acquired GTECH. The report in Imerisia, a newspaper published in Athens, swept through the overseas financial markets and boosted Intralot's stock price on the Athens Stock Exchange. Intralot put out a statement that said, ``Intralot denies and characterizes as untrue'' the report concerning an acquisition by Lottomatica or GTECH. ``We have not been speaking to GTECH for any sale of Intralot,'' said Constantine Antonopoulos, chief executive officer of Intralot. Lottomatica completed the acquisition of West Greenwich-based GTECH on Aug. 29 for $4.8 billion. Posted by at 7:38 AM | Comment Fire at a house in E. ProvidenceEAST PROVIDENCE – Firefighters this morning are at a house fire at 77 Burnside Ave., but the fire is under control. The cause of the fire, which broke out around 6 a.m., is under investigation, but more details are not available, Fire Lt. Charles Swenson said this morning. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:28 AM | Comment Sunny today with a high around 76 degreesPROVIDENCE – Looks like another nice day, with the mostly cloudy skies turning to mostly sunny later today. Expect a high of 76 today and a low around 51 tonight. There’s no rain in the forecast for today. For those of you wondering how much rain fell last night, the National Weather Service said .72 inches fell at T.F. Green Airport overnight, the official weather spot for the area. That’s right in the range of what was predicted at this time yesterday. While it may seem like quite a bit of rain, it’s a normal range for this time of year, as summer turns to fall, meteorologist Bill Simpson said this morning. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:03 AM | Comment Celona back on stand for 6th dayPROVIDENCE -- A day after shouting at a lawyer during his cross-examination, former state Senator John Celona returns to the witness stand this morning for the sixth day. This morning in U.S. District Court, the lawyer for former Village at Elmhhurst partner Peter J. Sangermano, will have a crack at Celona, the key prosecution witness in the federal corruption case against Sangermano, Robert Urciuoli, Roger Williams Hospital's former president, as well as former hospital vice president Frances P. Driscoll. Yesterday, intense questioning from Driscoll's lawyer prompted an angry outburst from Celona. (See today's Journal story.) After Sangermano’s lawyer questions Celona this morning, the government expects to move on to its next witnesses. They are James McGuirk, the lawyer who was involved in seeking an Ethics Commission opinion regarding Celona’s job, and Richard E. Gamache, who was the administrator of Elmhurst Extended Care, the hospital-owned nursing home. Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:00 AM | Comment September 19, 2006Folk singer Tom Paxton at URI colloquium tonightSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Folk singer Tom Paxton is scheduled to appear at the University of Rhode Island tonight, where he will perform and discuss his experience using music to influence social change. Paxton will deliver a performance entitled "A Musical Documentary: 50 Years of History in Song" in the Edwards Auditorium on the Kingston campus at 7:30 p.m. The visit is part of the university's colloquium, Songs of Social Justice: The Rhetoric of Music, which examines how music is used "as a means of expression, persuasion, and mobilization," according to an announcement by URI. Paxton's performance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival was recorded and released as his first album by Vanguard Records. In 1964, he signed with Elektra Records where he recorded well-known songs such as, “The Last Thing on My Mind,” “Ramblin’ Boy” and “Whose Garden Was This.” Paxton's appearance is free and open to the public. Can't go? Read about his show tomorrow on projo.com and in The Journal. Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:46 PM | Comment Narrowing Derderian jury pool taking longer than plannedPROVIDENCE -- They were told to call the court tomorrow. But the 421 men and women of Kent County that remain in the jury pool for Michael Derderian's high-profile trial won't learn their fate for almost another week. Court spokesman Craig Berke said today that the court and the attorneys involved are not finished going through each potential juror's 32-page questionnaire -- surveys aimed at further narrowing the jury pool by eliminating people with obvious conflicts. The jury pool -- initially a group of 800 -- gathered at Kent County Courthouse earlier in the month to complete the questionnaires and meet the key characters in the looming trial, including Derderian. There will be 16 jurors ultimately chosen for the trial that could span three to four months, according to the judge presiding over the case. If and when they call the court tomorrow as instructed by the judge, the jurors will be told to call back on Monday, Berke said. Derderian faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter for each of the 100 people who died in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the West Warwick nightclub he owned with his brother, Jeffrey A. Derderian. Jeffrey Derderian is scheduled to stand trial later.
The potential jurors represent a wide swath of Rhode Island residents, adults of all ages and occupations. According to court filings, they include a restaurant chef, farm worker, environmental consultant, bank loan officer, pharmacy technician, automotive service manager, landscaper, textile mill worker, state and federal prison guards and a Providence Journal pressman, among others.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:43 PM | Comment Driver in Super Bowl fatal crash gets 6 to 8 yearsBOSTON -- A motorist who killed a Super Bowl reveler when he drove his SUV into a crowd celebrating the New England Patriots' 2004 championship was sentenced today to six to eight years in prison. Stanley Filoma, 26, of Boston, was convicted of manslaughter in the death of James Grabowski, 21, on Feb. 1, 2004. Prosecutors said Filoma was drunk and trying to get away from police when he plowed his Toyota Land Cruiser into the crowd. Four other people were injured. Filoma testified he feared for his own safety and panicked when two groups of people attacked his car. Grabowski, the son of State Police Capt. Daniel Grabowski, was killed when Filoma's car hit him head-on. On the night of the accident, he was visiting his brother, a student at Northeastern University.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:14 PM | Comment Update: Waterfront takes to RIC campus / Photo
The crew began erecting sets, assembling lights and preparing for filming in the K-5 Henry Barnard School on the college campus at 6 a.m. today, RIC spokeswoman Jane Fusco said this morning. The series plans to be at the school, located at 600 Mount Pleasant Ave., for just one day of filming – in the gymnasium, hallway, principal’s office and one classroom, Fusco said. One actor in today’s shoot is much more familiar with the college campus and the elementary school than the others. A 1999 RIC graduate who is now RIC’s assistant director of admissions, Jason Anthony plays a Providence police officer in today’s shoot and has also played a city councilman in another episode. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Today, he and other city police officers were scheduled to play basketball against state troopers, he said. Baldwin was to play, too. Anthony answered quickly and affirmatively when asked if he’s a good basketball player. Then, after saying he played in high school and switched over to volleyball in college, he said, “I hope I’m good, actually.” In the earlier Waterfront series he filmed, Anthony worked with Pantoliano, who was in one of Anthony’s favorite childhood movies, The Goonies. “He’s a character,” Anthony said of Pantoliano. “He’s everything you see on TV. He makes everybody on the set laugh.” Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:02 PM | Comment DOT gets $3.5M to expand commuter rail in R.I.PROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Transportation will receive $3.5 million to buy five rail coaches as part of plans to expand commuter rail services in Rhode Island, federal officials announced today. The money will go to the South County Commuter Rail project, which will extend Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's services to communities south of Providence. Two new commuter rail stations -- one near T.F. Green Airport in Warwick and one in North Kingstown -- are being planned. Transportation officials said they expect the $225-million project to connect Boston and South County communities by mid-2009, when the station at T.F. Green is expected to open. -- Associated Press "This funding will improve the quality of life for many and provide an alternative to growing congestion in South County," U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a written statement. The money comes from a Federal Transit Administration program that assists transit projects in areas where congestion needs to be reduced and mobility improved. -- Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:32 PM | Comment Update: An angry outburst from CelonaPROVIDENCE -- The lawyer for Frances P. Driscoll had his turn to question John Celona this afternoon, prompting the most emotional outburst yet from the former North Providence senator, who has been on the witness stand for five days. Celona is the key prosecution witness in the federal corruption case against Driscoll and two other defendants with ties to the Roger Williams Medical Center. The center had hired Celona as a consultant while he was in the General Assembly. Kevin J. Bristow questioned Celona about his testimony last week that Driscoll was such a task master that she even paged him several times on Election Day 1998 while he was at a hospital emergency room with his 4-year-old son, whom he feared had spinal meningitis. Under questioning from Bristow, Celona said that he returned one page, from Driscoll’s secretary, but that he never actually spoke to Driscoll. Bristow’s questioning prompted this angry outburst: "It’s very, very serious and important to me,’’ Celona shouted at Bristow. "It shows that a person doesn’t have a heart. Do you have children? I’ve answered that question and I’m not going to answer it again.’’ -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Celona has pleaded guilty to selling his office to Roger Williams Medical Center through a consulting job that he held with a hospital affiliate, the Village at Elmhurst. He is the government’s star witness in the trial of Urciuoli, the former Roger Williams president, as well as former Roger Williams vice president Driscoll and former Village co-owner Peter J. Sangermano. Bristow later introduced a note that Driscoll wrote Celona, after he missed a meeting at the hospital because his son had cut himself, in which Driscoll voiced her concern for the child. Bristow also displayed a series of Celona memos documenting the kind of innocuous work that the defense argues Celona performed as a consultant, including a presentation at a senior center about Roger Williams services, arranging a benefit softball game between hospital employees and state senators, and proposing a sponsorship of the Rhode Island Senior Olympics. Regarding the Senior Olympics, Celona wrote that either the hospital or the Village at Elmhurst should get involved. Bristow pressed that point to question Celona’s previous testimony that he was unaware of the financial relationship between the hospital and the assisted-living center, which was half-owned by Roger Williams. "Were you aware by this point that the Village was part of Roger Williams?’’ asked Bristow. "No, sir,’’ answered Celona. Bristow completed his cross-examination just before court adjourned today. Tomorrow, Sangermano’s lawyer will question Celona and then the government expects to move on to its next witnesses. They are James McGuirk, the lawyer who was involved in seeking an Ethics Commission opinion regarding Celona’s job, and Richard E. Gamache, who was the administrator of Elmhurst Extended Care, the hospital-owned nursing home. Read more about this morning's testimony.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:23 PM | Comment Update: Cutting it close at Snow Plow Rhodeo / Photo
Horsepower stars in this 'rhodeo'
He’s hoping to correct mistakes he made last year, like nipping an orange cone with his dump truck or not getting close enough to the curb line for the cleanest plow job possible. He’s ready to rely on the side-view mirrors of his International 7300 dump truck with the sander and a blade out front. A plow driver’s best friend, the side-view mirrors, get plenty of action, says Cipriano, 26, who has worked for the city as a snowplow driver in the public works department for almost eight years. Today, Cipriano will join dozens of other snowplow drivers for the city in the competition. They hail from his department, the city’s parks department and the Providence Water Supply Board. They’ll inspect a snowplow truck as if they were preparing to go out on snowy roads. They’ll drive a slalom course of cones backward and forward – trying not to even nick one of the cones. And, they’ll drive through a timed obstacle course while avoiding the fake mailboxes and cars and working to get as close as possible to the curb lines. The competition in the parking lot for the Roger Williams Park Zoo tends to draw a crowd. Last year, the competition brought snow with it, too. “Believe it or not, the day after the Rhodeo last year, we had a nice snowstorm,” Are you ready for that? We’re not sure we are, but Cipriano is. Even though there’s no snow on the ground yet, he said driving a snowplow truck today isn’t that much different than driving one in snowy weather. “When you have the load of material in your truck, it weighs the truck down and you really don’t slip and slide,” he said. “It’s different in some ways, but in some ways, it’s the same.” Today’s competition is from 9 a.m. until noon. The winner will move on to compete in the statewide 12th Annual Snow Plow Rhodeo, which will be held on Sept. 26, also at Roger Williams Park. Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:03 PM | Comment Cicilline to meet with Silver Lake residents tonightPROVIDENCE -- Continuing his "Mayor's Night Out" program, Mayor David N. Cicilline will meet with residents one-on-one tonight beginning at 5 o'clock in the Silver Lake Community Center. Each person or group will have up to 10 minutes with the mayor to discuss whatever they want. The meetings take place on a first-come, first-serve basis. The "Mayor's Night Out" sessions are held in different neighborhoods each month. The community center is located at 529 Plainfield St. Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:43 PM | Comment Brotherhood to return for 2nd seasonPROVIDENCE -- Brotherhood will be staying in the 'hood -- at least for another year. The Showtime drama series, shot entirely in Rhode Island, has been picked up for a second season, a Showtime spokesman said today. There were 11 episodes aired on the cable network this year, with the season finale scheduled for this Sunday. Filming for the next season will probably begin in April, according to Showtime. Ten new episodes will start to be aired next summer. The hour-long drama tells the story of two brothers, politician Tommy Caffee (Jason Clarke) and gangster Michael Caffee (Jason Isaacs), who live in a fictional Irish neighborhood in Providence called The Hill. -- With reports from Journal TV writer Andy Smith Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:26 PM | Comment CRMC to meet tonight -- if it gets a quorumPROVIDENCE -- The state Coastal Resources Management Council is scheduled to meet tonight at 6. But it's yet to be determined if enough members will show up to hold an official meeting. Three times this summer, the agency that regulates all coastal building canceled its meeting due to a lack of quorum. That's essentially brought the process of issuing permits for waterfront development to a standstill, prompting Governor Carcieri to send a letter to each of the council's 11 members last month urging them to fulfill their duties. Tonight's meeting is scheduled to be held at the Narragansett Bay Commission boardroom, 1 Service Road, Providence. Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:08 PM | Comment Update: Anti-casino group criticizes ad aimed at college studentsSave Our State, the group opposed to a proposed West Warwick casino, today criticized Harrah’s Entertainment for "preying on’’ college students in a recent online job posting. Harrah’s and its partner, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, are seeking four or five students on each college or university campus to work part time to "educate and register student voters and mobilize them to vote in November.’’ Several ads have been up over the last month on the site craigslist.org. As part of the posting, Harrah’s gives reasons "why many students are supporting the Narragansett Indians.’’ One reason: "The resort casino will be an amazing new place for Rhode Island college students to have fun when they're taking a break from studying.’’ Harrah’s also says the casino would create jobs, including some in marketing, hospitality, communications and business management that "are ideal for college graduates.’’ -- Journal staff writer Scott Mayerowitz Former Gov. Lincoln C. Almond, chairman of Save Our State, said in a statement: "Harrah’s is preying on our young adults, most of whom are experiencing economic and social freedom for the first time. Parents should be able to send their children off to school with the knowledge they will be safe from predators.” “A quality education should include a diverse course load, and Casino 101 is not one of them,” he continued. “It’s unconscionable that Harrah’s would choose to target college students who should be studying and not focusing on the roll of the dice or the craps table.’’ This is not the first time Harrah’s has sought college students. In May 2005, the company was recruiting on college campuses, seeking "organizers and persuasion operatives’’ in anticipation of its campaign. Narragansett Indian Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas responded in a statement this afternoon to the criticism: "If Mr. Almond believes what he says, then he should have championed closing Newport Grand and Lincoln Park, not taking their money and trying to stop a $1 billion economic development project – one of the largest economic development projects in Rhode Island history," Thomas said. Newport Grand and Lincoln Park are the two existing gambling facilities in Rhode Island. The state receives some of their revenues. This is not the first time Harrah’s has sought college students. In May 2005, the company was recruiting on college campuses, seeking "organizers and persuasion operatives’’ in anticipation of its campaign. -- Journal staff writer Scott Mayerowitz Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:53 PM | Comment Update: Lawyer wanted for embezzling trusts turns self inA lawyer wanted on charges of embezzling close to $400,000 from the estates of four individuals turned himself in today and pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in Washington County Superior Court. William J. Craven, 67, of 1999 Eagle Mill Rd. in Ashland, Ore., flew in from Oregon this morning, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the state Attorney General’s Ofice. Craven was indicted Aug. 28 by a statewide grand jury on charges that he embezzled money several times between 1999 and 2004. A Superior Court arrest warrant for Craven was issued that day, Healey said. Craven, a trusts and estates lawyer who lived in Westerly at the time, is charged with embezzling the money from four different trust funds, Healey said. Craven handled the legal work of setting up the trusts and estates of the four alleged victims. The victims are as follows: The Maurice J. Longo Sr. Trust, the estate of Anthony Swass, Michael and Linda Trombino and Kevin Haggerty. Craven’s attorney picked him up at the airport this morning and drove him to Washington County Superior Court, Healey said. Superior Court Judge Stephen P. Nugent imposed a $50,000 surety bail, which meant that Craven had to either post $5,000 in cash or post the full amount in the form of property or a cash bond. He did not post bail this morning and is now being processed by state police at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. The judge also rejected Craven’s request for permission to travel if he does post bail. Craven agreed to surrender his passport and agreed to sign a waiver of extradition if he makes bail, Healey said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:31 PM | Comment Brown gets $3.3 million to help women in sciencesPROVIDENCE --National Science Foundationhas given Brown University $3.3 million over five years to boost women in the science and engineering departments. University officials said today that the program, called ADVANCE, will be designed to ensure that existing resources - from money to acquire adequate lab space and equipment to mentoring opportunities - are made accessible to women. "Women need the same things that men need to be superstars in science," said Pamela O'Neil, associate provost for policy and planning at Brown. -- The Associated Press Female scientists are also typically paid less, promoted more slowly and receive less funding than their male colleagues. The report stated these discrepancies are not explained by productivity or other performance measures. The program will establish peer networks for women that could help them obtain grants or positions. In addition, women interested in pursuing an administrative career could take time off from teaching to shadow a high-level administrator. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:30 PM | Comment Rally calls for expanding felons' right to vote / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- Koren Carbuccia was in prison for the first two years of her young son's life. The boy, now 4, started preschool today, and Carbuccia wants to vote in the November election to help influence the city council and school committee that will affect her son's public education for years to come in Pawtucket. But as a convicted felon on probation, she can't. Carbuccia spoke at a rally this morning at the State House rotunda in favor of a November ballot item, Question 2, that would change the state Constitution and give her the ability to vote. "The state of Rhode Island won't allow me to be the best parent I can be," she said. Carbuccia, who is now studying to be a drug counselor at CCRI, was joined at today's rally by a host of state officials including House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, members of the NAACP, the ACLU's Rhode Island chapter, and Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman. Rhode Island law prohibits convicted felons from voting while on parole or probation, which spans several years in some cases. The amendment would restore the right to vote upon discharge from prison. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:00 PM | Comment Police: Motorcyclist found dead in Coventry woodsCOVENTRY -- A body and a motorcycle were discovered by police near Harkney Hill Road early this morning. Investigators believe the motorcyclist careened into the woods after misjudging a sharp curve, according to a statement from police Capt. James Rickard. The police did not release the name of the motorcyclist, pending notification of relatives. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:43 PM | Comment Free nursing and health-care career fair todayWARWICK -- Health-care companies are at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick until 5 p.m. today, conducting interviews for nursing and allied health careers as part of projoJob’s Nursing & Allied Health Career Fair, sponsored by The Providence Journal. For a full list of exhibitors at the Nursing & Allied Health Career Fair, go online to projoJobs.com/careerfair. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:07 PM | Comment Update: Brown poll shows Chafee, Whitehouse neck and neckPROVIDENCE – Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee and his Democratic opponent, Sheldon Whitehouse, are locked in a close race, according to a Brown University poll released this morning. If the November general election were held today, 40 percent of Rhode Islanders polled would vote for Whitehouse, while 39 percent would cast their ballots for Chafee. Twenty-one percent of those polled Sept. 16-18 were still undecided. The poll was conducted by Darrell M. West, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy and the John Hazen White Sr. Public Opinion Laboratory. It is based on a statewide random sample of 578 likely voters in Rhode Island. Overall, the poll had a margin of error of about plus or minus 4 percentage points. The Brown poll, the second released since last week’s GOP primary, shows a closer race than the Rasmussen Reports poll that became public yesterday. That poll showed Chafee trailing Whitehouse by 8 percentage points, with 51 percent supporting Whitehouse and 43 percent supporting Chafee. On the casino front The Brown poll also asked respondents to weigh in on another key vote on the November ballot -- the casino question. More than half of those polled, or 55 percent, oppose amending the state Constitution to allow a gambling casino in West Warwick operated by Harrah’s in association with the Narragansett Indian Tribe. The Brown poll shows 36 percent favoring a casino and 9 percent undecided. Governor's race The poll also shows Republican Governor Carcieri well ahead of his Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty. Carcieri now leads Fogarty with 50 percent of likely voters supporting him to 38 percent supporting Fogarty, up from a 44 percent to 39 percent Carcieri lead in a June poll. How's Bush doing? Only 22 percent of Rhode Island voters believe President Bush is doing an excellent or good job, with just 4 percent of those saying he’s doing an excellent job. Twenty-one percent of those polled said the Republican Bush is doing an “only fair” job, 55 percent said he’s doing a poor job and 2 percent either said they didn’t know or did not answer the question. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:00 AM | Comment Project Hope students recognizedAbout 150 business leaders, students and their families gathered at the Rhode Island Convention Center this morning to recognize 43 high schoolers who participated in Project Hope, the summer jobs program designed to provide students at Hope High School in Providence with the chance to connect with employers and learn work skills. They heard high school senior Laurenmarie Smith, who worked as an intern at Rhode Island Hospital, explain how she transported patients to testing centers. Karley Carto told the crowd about working at Goodwill Industries, where he learned how to do data entry, break down boxes and cook. About 25 Rhode Island businesses and nonprofit institutions sponsor students for summer jobs. Posted by at 9:17 AM | Comment College tuition and fees expected to rise another 6 percentPROVIDENCE – College students: tuition and fees at the state’s three public colleges are going up, likely by 6 percent but perhaps even more if state support shrinks, as it has in recent years. As expected, the Board of Governors for Higher Education approved an $800 million budget for the 2007-2008 school year last night, which would raise tuition and fees by 6 percent at the state's three public colleges -- The University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. In-state students at URI would pay $460 more next year, for a total of $8,184 in tuition and fees. At RIC, students would pay $298 more, or $5,256 in tuition and fees. At CCRI, students would pay $160 more, or $2,846. -- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan The Board of Governors said that while they dislike raising tuition and fees because they know paying for college is a burden for many working and low-income students, the 6 percent increase was the best they could do, given the costs of running the institutions and declining support by the state. Three versions of the higher education budget -- the one approved last night, one that reflects a 15 percent cut to the current budget and one that reflects a 3 percent increase -- will now be sent to Governor Carcieri, who will release his version of the state budget in January. However, tuition and fees at the state colleges could in fact be far higher than 6 percent, if state support shrinks, as it has in recent years. Last year, for example, the state took back $3.4 million in the middle of the academic year to cover a budget gap. For the current academic year, tuition and fees at URI and CCRI rose by 6 percent and at RIC by 8.7 percent. A 6-percent increase in tuition and fees assumes that the higher education budget will grow by 9.8 percent, or $44.6 million. The Office of Higher Education estimates that about half would come from the state and about half would come from students. The operational budget proposed for the three public colleges and the Office of Higher Education is about $500 million, including $212 in state money and $285 million in tuition and fees. Another $300 million in capital projects, grant money and financial aid brings the total higher education budget to $800 million for next year. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:33 AM | Comment Mass. voters go to the polls for primaryMassachusetts voters are going to the polls today in a primary election that has three Democratic candidates for governor competing for the chance to face Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey in November's general election. The three Democrats, Deval Patrick, Tom Reilly and Chris Gabrieli, are each taking their own approach to getting their voters to the polls, with Patrick betting on an Internet-based grassroots network, Reilly relying on union help and Gabrieli banking in part on a campaign structure left over from a 2002 lieutenant governor run. Voters in Bristol County will also pick Democratic and Republican contenders for the 4th Bristol District state representative race. And Democrats in Bristol County will choose between incumbent District Attorney Paul F. Walsh Jr. and challenger Samuel Sutter. The primary election in that race will effectively settle the District Attorney's race since there is no Republican opposition in November. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can see a full list of candidates and check on polling places at the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Web site. Read a full Journal story on state and Bristol County races. Read a full Associated Press story on the governor's race.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:18 AM | Comment A cold front could bring showers later todayPROVIDENCE – Morning commuters, look out for the patchy, dense fog. The National Weather Service warns it may reduce visibility to one-quarter mile until 9 a.m. today. Expect a high of 78 today, with a chance of showers after 3 p.m. New rainfall could be one-half to three-quarters of an inch. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook because of the fog and rain. A cold front is expected to bring widespread showers to southern New England from west to east late this afternoon and tonight. Meteorologists warn that poor drainage areas may end up with pools of water after the rainfall. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:15 AM | Comment September 18, 2006Joshua Davis to appear in court WednesdayPROVIDENCE -- The man accused of murdering and molesting 8-year-old Savannah is scheduled to appear in Superior Court Wednesday morning. Joshua A. Davis, of Woonsocket, was indicted last month on one count of murder, one count of first-degree child molestation and one count of kidnapping a minor. He was initially ordered held without bail. Lawyers for Davis and the prosecution met behind closed doors today to schedule Wednesday's hearing, which will focus on Davis' bail status. He has the right to request a bail hearing, but he may choose to waive that right, choosing to stay in prison through the outcome of his trial. Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Lanphear will preside over the hearing. -- Journal staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:36 PM | Comment Update: Celona storms out of court after cross-examinationPROVIDENCE -- As the cross-examination continued this afternoon, Richard M. Egbert, Robert Urciuoli’s lawyer, grilled John Celona about inconsistencies in his story to federal investigators. It was a stormy day, ending with an angry Celona storming out of the courtroom after court adjourned. Egbert put particular emphasis on Celona’s shifting accounts of how he came to be hired by Urciuoli and what he has said regarding his dealings with the CVS pharmacy chain. This afternoon, Egbert confronted Celona with federal grand-jury testimony from last spring regarding Celona’s $1,000-a-month consulting deal with CVS. Celona, the government’s star witness, has pleaded guilty to selling his office to Roger Williams, CVS and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and is cooperating with the government. Last year, when Celona pleaded guilty, he said that he never disclosed his consulting relationship with CVS to the Rhode Island Ethics Commission. But in his grand jury testimony on May 2, 2006, Celona said that he telephoned someone at the commission and got a verbal assurance that as long as he didn’t vote on legislation that directly affected CVS, it would be okay. Celona initially testified that he made the call on his cell phone. But then Egbert showed him his grand-jury testimony of two weeks later, in which Celona testified that he reviewed his cell phone records with the FBI and had determined that he was mistaken. Instead, Celona testified, he made the call from his home telephone. A skeptical Egbert asked Celona who he spoke to at the Ethics Commission. Celona said that he couldn’t recall. At the end of the day, Egbert told Chief U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres that he had at least another half a day of questioning of Celona. Lawyers for the other two defendants, Frances P. Driscoll and Peter J. Sangermano Jr., estimated that they have about another day of questions for Celona after that. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:14 PM | Comment James Earl Jones to read to children in ProvidencePROVIDENCE -- The voice of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, will appear at the Knight Memorial Library on Elmwood Avenue next month, according to the Providence Public Library. Jones plans to read a story to children and talk about the importance of reading as part of a larger celebration of the local nonprofit group, Books Are Wings, which will receive a grant from Verizon at the event. Jones, a Hollywood actor turned Verizon Yellow Pages spokesman, has starred and done voice work in various movies such as The Lion King, Star Wars, Coming to America, and Field of Dreams. “Providence Public Library is delighted to host Mr. Jones’ visit to Rhode Island and to be involved in so much of the great work undertaken by Books Are Wings and Verizon each year to improve children’s literacy in Providence, as well as throughout the state,” library Director Dale Thompson said in a statement. The visit is scheduled for Oct. 3 at 4:30 p.m. Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:50 PM | Comment New poll: Chafee trails by 8 pointsIn the first poll released since his high-profile win in the Republican primary, U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee trails Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse by 8 percentage points. The poll, released today by the independent national pollster Rasmussen Reports, shows Chafee trailing 43 to 51 percent based on a survey of 500 likely voters taken Sept. 13 -- the day after Chafee's narrow primary victory over Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Today's poll indicates that Whitehouse's lead is growing. When Rasmussen asked 500 likely voters on Aug. 23 to choose hypothetically between Whitehouse and Chafee, Whitehouse lead 44 to 42 percent. In the race for governor, today's results show that Governor Carcieri and his Democratic opponent Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty continue to be deadlocked. Carcieri leads 47 percent to 45 percent -- a difference that falls within the margin of error. The general election is seven weeks away. -- Projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:25 PM | Comment U.S. policy change to affect thousands of LiberiansWASHINGTON -- The Department of Homeland Security today gave Liberians one more year to address their immigration status or return to Liberia. The department said in a news release that the "Temporary Protected Status'' that has given Liberians safe haven in the United States since the 1980s will end on Oct. 1, 2007. If the change takes place as scheduled, the effect would be that Liberians who have not found an alternative immigration status would have to leave the United States by that date. The DHS said about 3,600 nationals of Liberia would be affected. Since the outbreak of civil war in Liberia, Rhode Island has been home to one of the nation's largest communities of Liberian expatriates. The state has a Liberian community of between 10,000 and 15,000 -- proportionately the largest Liberian population in any state. There is also a large Rhode Island contingent of the children of such Liberians -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed's office said the Rhode Island congressional delegation will strive to seek a legislative solution for Liberians who face the prospect of having to leave the United States. -- Journal staff writer John Mulligan Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:10 PM | Comment Former Mass. governor King diesBOSTON -- Edward King, a conservative Democrat who defeated Michael Dukakis for the Democratic nomination for governor on a pro-business, tax-cutting platform in 1978, then lost a rematch four years later, died today after a fall. He was 81. King had three brain surgeries this year. He twice had emergency surgery in March to relieve pressure from blood pooling near his brain after a fall at his Miami area home in March, an incident that required 24 days in the hospital. He required heavy sedation after brain surgery again this month following a fall at the family's Middleton home. He died at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, where he had been since the fall. His son, Timothy King, said his father was "a wonderful example of how to be a good person and how to be successful." Arrangements were pending, he said. -- The Associated Press Behind the slogan "Make it in Massachusetts," King mounted a successful pro-business challenge to incumbent Dukakis, winning a bitter campaign by more than 100,000 votes in the 1978 Democratic primary. "We were competitors, we were rivals, but he was someone who worked at his job very, very hard," said Dukakis. "He wasn't interested in going to Mexico or Canada. He worked at his job and I always admired him for that." King beat Republican Francis W. Hatch in the general election, then as governor, froze property taxes, reduced state spending on social programs, and undertook a variety of efforts to encourage business and agriculture. King also took a tough stance on crime, introducing mandatory minimum sentences and almost succeeding in bringing the death penalty back to Massachusetts. In 1982, voters approved a constitutional amendment to restore the death penalty, and King signed capital punishment into law before leaving office that December. But two years later, the state's highest court ruled part of the law unconstitutional. His stand on capital punishment prompted President Reagan to call King his "favorite Democratic governor." Reagan's comment played a part in mobilizing more liberal Democrats to defeat King at the party's 1982 convention, where he lost to Dukakis, who went on to win his second term as governor. He later ran unsuccessfully for president against George H.W. Bush. King and Dukakis disagreed on the death penalty, but shared a commitment to urban renewal. "He was very committed to the state's cities and towns," Dukakis said. "A lot of the programs I started in my first term, he continued, so when I came back we never missed a beat. "Don't forget that in the mid-70s they were calling (Massachusetts) the new Appalachia. Getting the state back on its feet was a huge priority for both us," he said. During his first visit to the Statehouse in nearly eight years in 1990 at the official unveiling of his portrait, King continued to torment Dukakis, calling him "arrogant" and "incompetent" and his second term "disastrous." King's administration was also rife with charges of corruption, cronyism and incompetence. High-level appointees resigned for falsifying academic credentials and for being tied to organized crime, while lower-level appointments went to relatives and others with strong personal ties to King. Raymond Flynn, former Boston mayor and former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, said King was the last "pro-life" Democratic governor. He was in office during Pope John Paul II's historic visit to Boston. "His Catholic values helped make him one of the best public officials in our state's history," Flynn said. King, a longtime Winthrop resident, switched to the GOP in 1985, saying that the Democratic Party was controlled by liberals. "The truth is simply that the Democratic Party has ceased to be the party of the sensible center and has become a party dominated by professional liberals," he said at the time. King's values resonated with Democratic Party moderates, a demographic that President Reagan rode to the White House, said Thomas P. O'Neill III, King's lieutenant governor. "What people should remember about him is that he really predated Reagan in tapping into the conservative movement long before anyone else," O'Neill said. Had he brought his message nationally, he may have won higher office, O'Neill said. Republican Gov. Mitt Romney said King never compromised his values. "Gov. King served with distinction and dignity," Romney said in a statement. "He had a stiff spine, probably forged during those years he spent playing professional football, but he was absolutely unwavering in support of his positions. He changed parties, but never principles," Romney said. King considered running for governor as a Republican in 1985, but explained his decision not to run by saying his wife, while supporting his candidacy, would miss spending winters in Florida. King sued The Boston Globe in 1982, claiming the newspaper libeled him in three editorial cartoons, an editorial and three political columns. A jury ruled against King in 1988. King was born in Chelsea and graduated from Boston College with a degree in business. He played three seasons of professional football as a lineman for the Buffalo Bills of the All-American Football Conference and the NFL's Baltimore Colts before joining the accounting firm Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery in Boston where he worked from 1953 to 1956. His three years in professional sports helped him develop a lifetime of staying in top physical shape. King became assistant director and comptroller of the Museum of Science in Boston in 1956, then worked for the Massachusetts Port Authority starting in 1959 until 1974, first as comptroller, then as secretary/treasurer, and finally as executive director, when he oversaw the expansion of Logan International Airport. From 1975 to 1977, King was president of the New England Council, a nonprofit alliance of business and social leaders focused on regional economic growth. After leaving political office, King joined the public relations firm of Hill & Knowlton then was involved in real estate development. Although he became an official Florida resident in 1990, he re-entered Massachusetts public service in 1996 when former Gov. William F. Weld put King in charge of the Massachusetts Turnpike's extensive real estate holdings. King was predeceased by his wife, Josephine T. King, who died in 1995 of complications following heart surgery. In addition to his son Timothy, he is survived by another son, Brian. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:56 PM | Comment City launches $5 million paving programPROVIDENCE – Fifteen miles of city roads in a number of neighborhoods will be repaved, all part of a $5 million road-improvement project announced today. Repairs will also be made to city sidewalks. Wheelchair accessible curbs will be installed where needed. City crews have already begun working on the first phase of the project, which includes the following roads: Cranston Street, between Huntington Avenue and Winter Street; Eddy Street, between Broad Street and Thurbers Avenue; and West River Street, between Charles and Corliss streets. The second phase of the project will begin in the next couple of weeks, according to Karen Southern, Mayor David N. Cicilline’s spokeswoman. It includes work on Hawkins Street, from Branch Avenue to the North Providence line; Hope Street, between Fifth Street and Lloyd Avenue; and Woodward Road, from Branch Avenue to the North Providence line. The road work, announced this morning by Cicilline, will also include traffic signal rehabilitation, sign replacement and striping. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:49 PM | Comment Two R.I. nursing homes to pay back wagesPROVIDENCE – Two Rhode Island nursing homes have agreed to pay more than $135,000 in back wages to 113 employees after a U.S. Labor Department investigation revealed violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Heatherwood Nursing and Subacute Center, Inc., of Newport, and South County Nursing and Subacute Center, Inc., of North Kingstown, failed to pay employees for hours worked over 40 in a work week, according to a statement released today by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Boston office. The investigation of the nursing homes, which were jointly owned and operated at the time, covered the period from March 27, 2004, through March 25 of this year. It also revealed that the nursing homes failed to maintain proper records of total daily and weekly hours worked and that some records were not kept at all, according to the Department of Labor. The Heatherwood facility agreed to pay $63,132 in back wages to 48 employees, and the South County facility agreed to pay 65 employees $71,971 in back wages. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:49 PM | Comment Celona under fire in cross-examinationPROVIDENCE -- John A. Celona testified under cross-examination today that he didn’t recall a key early meeting with Robert Urciuoli regarding his attempts to land a job until earlier this month, just before Urciuoli’s trial began. Celona, the former senator from North Providence, has pleaded guilty to selling his office to Roger Williams Medical Center through a consulting job that he held with a hospital affiliate, the Village at Elmhurst. He is the government’s star witness in the trial of Urciuoli, the former Roger Williams president, as well as former Roger Williams vice president Frances P. Driscoll and former Village co-owner Peter J. Sangermano. The trial opened its second week today. Celona testified last week that he first asked Urciuoli for a job with the hospital early in 1997, when Roger Williams was lobbying hard against pending legislation to block its attempted merger with an out-of-state hospital chain. Urciuoli, Celona testified, said to wait and see how things turned out with the legislation. That summer, after Roger Williams lost its legislative battle, Celona testified that he met again with Urciuoli "about my job,’’ and that Urciuoli agreed to take care of him. Under attack today by Urciuoli’s lawyer, Richard M. Egbert, Celona admitted that he didn’t tell the government about that first meeting with Urciuoli, either in his many debriefings with the FBI or in his appearances before a federal grand jury, until around Labor Day weekend of this year. ``You never mentioned your earlier discussion about a job, not one word?’’ demanded Egbert. ``That’s right, but it did happen,’’ replied Celona. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Celona testified that he recollected the earlier meeting with Urciuoli as he was ``going back in my mind’’ in preparation for the trial. Egbert and Celona clashed repeatedly. Chief U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres often acted as referee, telling Celona several times to answer Egbert’s questions and warning Egbert about ``gratuitous comments.’’ During one heated exchange between Celona and Egbert, the judge said, ``You can’t both talk at the same time.’’ Celona was reluctant to answer even the most basic questions without seeing an underlying document, and accused Egbert of trying to confuse him with ``trick questions.’’ When Egbert pressed Celona to say when he first learned that the Village at Elmhurst was a business partner with Roger Williams, Celona said he couldn’t say, even when Egbert asked for an approximate date or year. ``I just told you – approximately, I don’t know,’’ said Celona. More to come this afternoon... Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:24 PM | Comment Update: Providence woman charged with killing neighborPROVIDENCE – A Providence woman accused of stabbing to death her neighbor was ordered held without bail at her arraignment this morning in Sixth District Court. Lucille Williams-Sanford, 47, who lives in a second-floor apartment at 4 Cathedral Square, was charged this morning with one count of first-degree murder, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office. She is accused of killing John Neary, 47, who lived in a first-floor apartment at 4 Cathedral Square, according to Providence Police Capt. Hugh Clements, commander of the Detective Bureau. Neary's death was the city's 8th homicide this year. He is the seventh man to be killed and the third person to be fatally stabbed. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Neary was stabbed inside Williams-Sanford’s apartment and collapsed in the second-floor hallway, a few feet from the door of the woman’s apartment, Clements said early this afternoon. Detectives seized a knife with a five-inch blade while processing the crime scene, Clements said. The police would not discuss a motive. Clements said the incident is not considered a domestic-related crime, meaning the two people were not involved in a relationship. In court today, District Court Chief Judge Albert E. DeRobbio entered no plea on Williams-Sanford’s behalf, Healey said. Felonies cannot be adjudicated in District Court, so no plea is formally entered at this early stage in the court process. The case was referred to the public defender’s office, Healey said. The next court date is set for next Monday, when an attorney will be assigned to the case. Williams-Sanford is not required to be in court for that hearing, Healey said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:09 PM | Comment Wife of disgraced R.I. contractor arrested in GermanyBERLIN -- The wife of an American contractor accused of cheating the U.S. government in Iraq was arrested in Germany on suspicion of money laundering, a prosecutor said today. Jacqueline Battles, a German citizen, was detained after a German bank informed authorities about "suspicious transactions" on her accounts two months ago, prosecutor David Kirkpatrick told The Associated Press. German investigators seized about $1 million in suspect funds from the accounts, said Kirkpatrick, a prosecutor in the German city of Darmstadt. "She is in investigative custody," Kirkpatrick said in a telephone interview. The woman, who lives near Darmstadt, has not been formally charged. In March, a U.S. jury ordered contractors Mike Battles and Scott Custer to pay $10 million for swindling the U.S. government over Iraqi rebuilding projects in connection with their Middletown-based company, Custer Battles LLC. That ruling was the first civil fraud verdict arising from the Iraq war. However, a federal judge overturned the verdict on a technicality in July, saying any fraud was against the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq rather than the U.S. government, even though American taxpayers ultimately footed the bill. The Associated Press According to a letter provided recently to the AP, Jacqueline Battles is suspected of moving at least $2 million into overseas accounts to hide her husband's money. Kirkpatrick did not comment directly on the July letter, which carried his name as the sender and was addressed to an American attorney representing two whistleblowers who say they were threatened and fired when they objected to Custer Battles' business practices. The letter said Jacqueline Battles had opened several bank accounts under her maiden name of Vihernik. Kirkpatrick said the suspicion of money laundering stemmed from the initial March ruling by a federal jury in Virginia ordering the contractors to pay $10 million to the government. The lawsuit accused the firm of overcharging the CPA, which ran Iraq after the 2003 invasion, by as much as $50 million. Custer and Battles appealed and claimed they did not have enough assets to pay the money back. Jacqueline Battles was not part of her husband's firm. Kirkpatrick declined to comment on any direct cooperation between U.S. and German authorities in the case of Jacqueline Battles. A U.S. federal criminal investigation into the contracts is ongoing, and Custer Battles is also being investigated for two shooting incidents in which Iraqi civilians and soldiers were injured. Robert Isakson, one of the two whistleblowers who won the March verdict, is a plaintiff in a second lawsuit accusing two former Pentagon officials of scheming with Custer and Battles to form sham companies that sold illegal weapons on Iraq's black market, where they could be bought by insurgents, the AP reported in July. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:43 PM | Comment FDA expands spinach recallGiven the national outbreak of E. coli traced to tainted spinach, the Food and Drug Administration has expanded its recall on spinach today. There have been no reported cases of E. coli in Rhode Island as of this morning, state Health Department spokeswoman Maria E. Wah-Fitta said. Outbreaks have been reported in 19 states – including two cases in Connecticut and seven in New York, Wah-Fitta said. The number of people sickened by E. coli across the country is 109, as of this morning, she said. Following the FDA's latest recall announcement, the state Health Department is urging Rhode Islanders not to buy or eat any loose spinach, salad mixes that contain spinach, and fresh, bagged spinach, Wah-Fitta said. Local grocery stores and restaurants have pulled such spinach products. “The restaurants and stores have been extremely cooperative,” Wah-Fitta said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Some are offering refunds to customers who had purchased the now-recalled products. At the Whole Foods supermarket on North Main Street in Providence, a sign in the lettuce area alerts customers in red letters to an “Important note about spinach.” In black text, the message reads: “We are currently researching the spinach issue in the United States and have pulled all spinach until such a time when we feel it is no longer a public health concern.” At a popular downtown eatery, before the lunch hour, spinach calzones were pulled from the shelf and thrown in the trash. Mama Teresa’s, like many restaurants and bakeries, makes its spinach calzones with frozen spinach. Although frozen spinach has not yet been mentioned in recall notices, according to Wah-Fitta, some are taking no chances. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:14 AM | Comment Gas prices drop another 11 centsGas prices in Rhode Island dropped another 11 cents last week and have fallen 45 cents over the past six weeks, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price is $2.65 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. Prices have dropped for seven straight weeks and are at their lowest point since early April, AAA said. Rhode Island drivers were paying $2.67 per gallon at this time last year. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:37 AM | Comment Housing advocates to push for ballot questionPROVIDENCE -- HousingWorks RI, a coalition that advocates for solutions to housing problems in the Ocean State, will kick off a campaign this morning to urge the passage of Question 9 on the November ballot. Question 9 would allow the state to issue $50 million in bonds to help create the first 1,000 affordable-housing units in the state’s plan to create 5,000 units over a five-year period. Read more in today’s Journal about the Census figures that show Rhode Island has created new living space at a slower rate than any other state in the country. HousingWorks RI plans today to share the first of what it’s calling “50 stories, 50 days, 50 reasons to vote YES on 9.” Indeed, it’s just 50 days to the November general election. The event is at 11 a.m. at 182 Douglas Ave. in Providence. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Expected to attend today’s event are Republican Governor Carcieri and Democratic Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, who is trying to unseat the governor in the general election. Also, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline and Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence are expected to be there. The directors of the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association recently voted to support Question 9. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:17 AM | Comment Warm and sunny day on the wayPROVIDENCE – Looks like we’ve got another beautiful day ahead, following what turned out to be a glorious weekend despite predictions for rain on Saturday. Today, expect a high of 84. But look out, too, for some foggy conditions that could prove dangerous. The National Weather Service has warned travelers and pedestrians to remain alert, particularly along the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The fog should burn off by 9 a.m. today, but dense fog could return in parts of southern New England late tonight. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:10 AM | Comment September 15, 2006Red Sox rained out; back-to-back doubleheaders nextNEW YORK -- Tonight's Red Sox-Yankees matchup has been rained out, according to the team's Web site. The teams will now play back-to-back doubleheaders tomorrow and Sunday -- four games in two days. Tomorrow's first game is scheduled to start at 1:20 p.m., the second at 8:05 p.m. Going into the four-game series, the Red Sox trail the archrival Yankees by 11.5 games with less than three weeks in the regular season. Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:47 PM | Comment Update: Suspect sought in Providence shootingPROVIDENCE – The police have issued an arrest warrant for a Providence man they allege shot another in the face on Bridgham Street in the West End last night. Esdras Maldonado Serrano, 28, of the West End, is wanted for three criminal charges including assault with a dangerous weapon and a drive-by shooting. The victim has been indentified as 25-year-old Alexis Carrero, of Bridgham Street, Detective Charles Boranian said this morning. He was listed in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital early this afternoon.
Patrolwoman Amy Bibeault had heard shots fired in the area of Bridgham and Cranston streets around 10:19 p.m., Boranian said. Carrero was found covered in blood inside a white Ford Windstar van with a gunshot wound to his head, face, torso, arms and hands. Police found a shotgun shell on the corner of Bridgham and Cranston streets. The van was stopped near a house at 168 Bridgham St., Boranian said. There was a female passenger in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, according to the police report, but the woman was not injured. -- projo.com staff writers Kate Bramson and Steve Peoples, with reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:35 PM | Comment Chafee campaign condemns Web site 'prank'The campaign for U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee is condemning what it calls "a juvenile prank" involving its Web site. "It has been brought to the Chafee campaign’s attention that if Web users type in the URL sheldonsucks.org, they are immediately brought to the Chafee for Senate Web site," the Chafee campaign said in a statement this afternoon. "This is not the work of the Chafee campaign, its Web site host, or anyone involved with the organization." Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse is seeking the Rhode Island Republican Chafee's seat in the November election in a high-profile race that could affect the party balance in the Senate. The URL sheldonsucks.org was purchased in May and amended in July, according to GoDaddy.com, a company that registers domain names, or Web addresses, and hosts Web sites. But the site does not disclose who purchased the name. “This is unacceptable and we call on whoever is responsible to stop this juvenile prank,” Chafee campaign manager Ian Lang said in a statement today. “Yesterday the Chafee campaign notified Mr. Whitehouse’s campaign and let them know that we had nothing to do with this, we think it's wrong, and we call on responsible parties to stop their pranks. It is unfair to both campaigns to allow these Web tricks to continue unaddressed.” -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:58 PM | Comment Update: Urciuoli lawyer Egbert strikes back at CelonaPROVIDENCE -- The cross-examination of John Celona has begun. After three days of testifying for the government in the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption trial, the former state senator faced a withering barrage of questions late this afternoon from the defense lawyer for former hospital president Robert Urciuoli. Richard M. Egbert -- who defended former Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. in his corruption trial -- questioned Celona for about 50 minutes, in a fiery prelude of much more to come next week. Egbert immediately challenged a central premise of the government’s case – and Celona’s repeated testimony – that the longtime North Providence senator concealed his financial relationship with Roger Williams even as he worked for six years as a consultant to its affiliate, the Village at Elmhurst. Egbert and Celona had several sharp exchanges, with Egbert challenging Celona’s credibility and Celona asking Egbert to behave professionally. "You knew everybody knew – this is a big fiction,’’ charged Egbert. "You’re trying to put words in my mouth,’’ protested Celona. "I can’t assume everyone knew.’’ "I’m not trying to put words in your mouth,’’ shot back Egbert. "I’m trying to figure out what’s in your head.’’ -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Celona's cross-examination came after he took the stand for the third day in the corruption trial of Urciuoli, Frances P. Driscoll, both former hospital executives, and Peter J. Sangermano Jr. They are charged with stealing his honest services as a state senator. Egbert opened by showing Celona an Operation Clean Government list of lawmakers, which listed his occupation as a consultant to the Village at Elmhurst. Egbert also produced a Rhode Island Government Owner’s Manual, which also listed Celona’s occupation as a consultant to the Village. "Surely you weren’t keeping your relationship with the Village a secret?’’ asked Egbert. "No,’’ answered Celona. "And certainly it was no secret that the Village had a relationship with Roger Williams Medical Center?’’ Celona replied that he wasn’t sure that "people on the street’’ knew. Egbert countered with a photograph of a sign outside The Village at Elmhurst, identifying it as a partner with Roger Williams. Egbert also confronted Celona with a 1998 Providence Journal article that described his consulting job, and a memo that Celona wrote to Urciuoli in 2000 regarding a meeting with two WJAR-Channel 10 television reporters, in which Celona said he professed his "loyalties’’ to Roger Williams. "That’s the dirty deal here – you didn’t want anybody to know you’re loyal to Roger Williams, right?’’ demanded Egbert. "My loyalties weren’t secret – my employment was,’’ said Celona, who had testified that while his contract was with the Village, he didn’t tell people about his real work for the hospital, including on legislative matters. Read more about Celona's testimony earlier today ...
Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:39 PM | Comment DEM fines gas company over Tiverton contaminationPROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Environmental Management has imposed fines of $1,000 a day against Southern Union for its failure to come up with remediation plans for contaminated soil in North Tiverton, Governor Carcieri announced yesterday. The daily fines are retroactive to last Jan. 4, the date the remediation plans were due in DEM offices. Southern Union's fines total $253,000 as of Thursday, the day the notice was mailed. Southern Union has 20 days to appeal the notice to DEM's Adjudication Division. Based in Houston, Southern Union is the parent company of New England Gas, which DEM has identified as responsible for the dumping of toxic soil in a North Tiverton neighborhood covering some 50 acres. DEM has traced the contamination to wastes left from the burning of coal to create gas at the former Fall River Gas Co. New England Gas acquired Fall River Gas in 2000. -- Journal staff writer Gina Macris Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:24 PM | Comment Police probe death of teen found in Cranston backyardCRANSTON -- Police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old girl found in the backyard of a family member’s home this morning in the Stadium neighborhood. Police released few details today as they awaited autopsy results from the state Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials said the girl’s body was found early this morning by relatives at 5 Aetna St. Maj. Ronald Blackmar said that detectives are investigating. Police have partial autopsy results but are waiting for toxicology reports, he said. "This is an unexplained sudden death, so at this time we’re investigating every aspect of her last known whereabouts, and we are pursuing every lead while we await the full autopsy results,’’ Blackmar said. Police are not identifying the girl at this time, he said. Asked if she was a student at a local school, Blackmar said that it appears that she was not attending any school. He said she had not been reported missing and had not been out of touch with her family. -- Journal staff writer Barbara Polichetti Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:54 PM | Comment Update: Reed home with 'clean bill of health'WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is home from the hospital, according to a statement released this afternoon from his spokesman, Chip Unruh. "Senator Reed is back at home. He is doing great and has a clean bill of health,” Unruh said. Reed was hospitalized overnight for observation after feeling faint late Thursday, his office announced this morning. Reed's office had initially said he was to be discharged shortly from George Washington University Hospital, then confirmed his release at about 4 p.m. Unruh said the senator felt faint late last night, called his doctor and was advised to go to the hospital as a precaution. " While he felt normal by the time he got to the hospital, he remained there under observation overnight," said Unruh. Reed cancelled several appointments he had planned to keep in Rhode Island today, "but he is feeling great'' and has been doing some work by telephone and e-mail from the hospital, Unruh said.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:08 PM | Comment Redgrave, Danes, Streep, Close in Newport for a movie NEWPORT _ Vanessa Redgrave, Claire Danes, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson are in the City by the Sea to film the movie Evening, which has begun shooting at The Ledge estate. More to come tomorrow in The Journal and on projo.com --- Michael Janusonis, Journal Arts Writer Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:03 PM | Comment Family Court chief judge complains of lack of sheriffsA lack of manpower within the State Sheriff’s Department forced postponements in Family Court today and the chief judge there says judges may have no choice "but to release these potentially dangerous juveniles’’ if something isn’t done soon. "It is inconceivable that the security of the judiciary employees and members of the public are being compromised daily,’’ said Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. in a statement. Jeremiah said he had sent two letters recently to High Sheriff Gary P. Dias expressing concern over the "long-standing lack of adequate sheriff staffing’’ within Family Court and other courts. The Sheriff’s Department has a policy that two sheriffs are needed in every court room any time prisoners are transported in from a cellblock. If there aren’t two sheriffs for a specific court room, a prisoner won’t be brought in. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Jeremiah said another Family Court Judge, Stephen Capineri, reported he had 16 detained juveniles on his calendar yesterday but could not preside over their cases because they were not brought before him. Juveniles cannot be detained at the Rhode Island Training School for longer than five days without a probable cause hearing, said Jeremiah. "Without sheriffs to transport detained juveniles to the court room, Family Court judges will have no choice but to release these potentially dangerous juveniles back into the community,’’ the judge said. High Sheriff Dias said today that of the department of 196 sheriffs and deputies, about 23 sheriffs are out on long-term illness, injury or serving in the military. Dias disputed the judge’s claim that the situation is approaching a point where dangerous juveniles would be released. Several family courts deal with civil matters, Dias said, and he would request that those courts take a temporary recess to allow those sheriffs to help out in courts dealing with criminal charges. "If for any reason I thought I was about to violate someone’s due process rights or a danger person was about to be released back into the community, I would do what ever I had to to to make sure that wouldn’t happen,’’ said Dias. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:34 PM | Comment Brown receives $26.5 million giftA Brown University alumna and her husband have given the school $26.5 million to establish scholarships for women enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs. The trust of the late Eleanor H. Schwartz, a graduate of the class of 1929, and her husband, the late Frederic N. Schwartz, made the gift, which was announced today. Frederic Schwartz was a former chairman of the board and director of Bristol-Myers Sqibb, a major drug company. "Future generations of women from across the nation will be the beneficiaries of the family’s generosity," said James S. Miller, dean of admissions at Brown. Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:23 PM | Comment Barack Obama to visit R.I. for WhitehousePROVIDENCE -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will visit Rhode Island next month at a fundraiser for Senate candidate Sheldon Whitehouse. The Whitehouse campaign announced Obama's visit this afternoon. Obama will be the featured "special guest" at the fundraiser on Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m. While the event is set to take place in Providence, the exact location has not been announced. Whitehouse is running against Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee. Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:13 PM | Comment Update: Three-car accident clogs 95 SouthA three-car accident has backed up traffic at least two miles on Interstate 95 South before Exit 5 in West Greenwich. The state Department of Transportation reports that all three lanes were open at 2:20, about 35 minutes after the accident. The DOT announced at 1:45 that traffic had been reduced to one lane. Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:33 PM | Comment Celona's tale of corruption continuesPROVIDENCE -- When John Celona became part of the Rhode Island Senate leadership in 2001, he testified today, he asserted his newfound power on behalf of his employer, Roger Williams Medical Center. Celona's assertions came during his third day of testimony in the corruption trial of Robert A. Urciuoli, Frances P. Driscoll and Peter J. Sangermano Jr. They are charged with stealing his honest services as a state senator from North Providence. Celona read memos recounting how he tried to pressure Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, on Urciuoli’s instructions, to increase its reimbursement payments to Roger Williams. He said that he did so at the direction of Urciuoli, then the president of Roger Williams. As the new chairman of the Senate Corporations Committee, Celona had the power to advance or kill bills of importance to a myriad of companies, including Blue Cross and United Healthcare, which were each embroiled in a dispute with Roger Williams over insurance payments. When it appeared in December of 2000 that he would become the Corporations chairman, Celona testified that he gave the good news to Urciuoli, adding, "As you know, all the health-care legislation goes through Corporations." Celona read from an e-mail he sent Urciuoli in 2001, in which he wrote that he was "still keeping the pressure on Blue Cross and will continue to do so until they start telling the truth and acting fairly." Celona also wrote Urciuoli that Blue Cross president Ron Battista had asked to appear on the senator’s cable-access television show, but that Celona would not allow him on the show until Blue Cross "came to the table" and negotiated with Roger Williams. Asked how he was keeping the pressure on Blue Cross, Celona replied, "They were pushing their legislation, and it was a time that they needed it to be passed." -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Earlier today, Celona recounted other legislation he got involved with on the instructions of Driscoll and Sangermano. He testified that he even introduced a bill regulating jet skis at the behest of two board members at Roger Williams who had complained about jet skis "at their summer homes or permanent homes." Asst. U.S. Atty. Luis Matos told the judge at the lunch break today that he expected to question Celona for another one to one-and-a-half hours. That leaves it open whether Urciuoli’s lawyer, Richard M. Egbert, will begin cross-examining Celona later today or whether he will have to wait until Monday. The trial is in its fifth day and is expected to go five weeks. -- Journal staff writer MIke Stanton Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:43 PM | Comment Update: Giordano gets 2 1/2 years for skimming nursing homesPROVIDENCE -- A former nursing home owner was sentenced today to 2 1/12 years in prison and fined $100,000 for his role in skimming hundreds of thousands of dollars from three area nursing homes. U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi handed down the sentence for Antonio Giordano early this afternoon, shortly after she had sentenced his former chief financial officer, John J. Montecalvo, to two years in prison. Both had pleaded guilty to the federal felony charges in June. The two were also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $780,539, which they had been accused of skimming from the defunct Hillside Health Center in Providence, the former Coventry Health Center and Mount St. Francis Health Center in Woonsocket. At the time, the nursing homes were in default of their multimillion-dollar federal mortgages or operating in the red. Giordano's lawyer said his client has the funds to pay the restitution, which should be done within a few days. Montecalvo's lawyer had argued for a prison sentence of six months, followed by 12 months home confinement. The prosecution sought 2 years, based on the minimum federal guidelines. Montecalvo was not fined because he "has no abililty to pay." Both Montecalvo and Giordano were ordered to surrender themselves on Oct. 13 at facilities to be assigned. More to come... -- With reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:30 PM | Comment Health Dept. warns: Don't eat the spinachThe Rhode Island Department of Health is advising stores and restaurants to discard all bagged fresh spinach, and for consumers to do the same, after an outbreak of E coli in multiple states that may be linked to spinach consumption. "The Department of Health is helping disseminate this advisory from the Food and Drug Administration, and we are warning people that we don’t want them eating fresh bagged spinach if they’ve bought it and have it at home,’’ said spokesperson Mariah Wah-Fitta. "Washing it isn’t going to help,’’ Wah-Fitta said. She explained that E-coli can get into the plant or its roots, "and there is nothing to do to make it right at this point.’’ No cases of E. coli from the spinach have been reported in Rhode Island, Wah-Fitta said. -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:43 PM | Comment Pawtucket council challenger keeps seat after recountA recount today in a Pawtucket City Council race resulted in no change. After a precinct by precinct check at the state Board of Elections at noon, challenger Henry S. Kinch Jr. maintained his 57-vote lead over incumbent Councilman Albert J. Vitali Jr. Vitali conceded the race but said he would likely return in two years to run again. -- Journal staff writer John Castellucci Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:39 PM | Comment RIPEC study: Casino would cut into state revenuesIf a casino proposed for West Warwick becomes a reality, it would take business away from Rhode Island's existing gambling parlors and cause a revenue loss for the state, according to preliminary results from a six-month study conducted by the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. Gary Sasse, executive director of the business-backed policy research group, discussed the study's results at a meeting of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council this morning. He said the study shows that the casino, which is proposed by the Narragansett Indian tribe and backed by Harrah's Entertainment, would significantly cut into Lincoln Park and Newport Grand's business, lowering the state's revenue from the locations. Also, Harrah's is expected to pay a lower tax rate to the state than Lincoln Park and Newport Grand. This combination would have an "obvious impact on the state," said Sasse. The General Assembly voted to put a casino question on the ballot in November, which, if approved, would change the state Constitution to permit the casino. -- Journal staff writer Andrea Stape Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:10 PM | Comment Photo: Celona is back in court
Journal photo --- Bob Thayer Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:25 AM | Comment Update: Power restored to Federal HillPROVIDENCE – Power has been restored for 635 customers in the area of Federal Hill, West Exchange and downtown who lost power early this morning. National Grid restored power for 469 customers at 1:57 a.m., one hour and four minutes after getting the report of the failure, spokesman David Graves said. A car that crashed into an electrical pole in front of the dispatch center for city police and fire crews snapped the pole in half, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The wooden pole and equipment on it had to be replaced, Graves said. That work took the rest of the night. Power for the remaining 166 customers was back on at 8:20 a.m., Graves said. At the city’s dispatch center, at 1 Communications Place, a generator kicked into action and kept the dispatchers functioning through the night, Taylor said. The driver of the car was transported to Rhode Island Hospital. More details on that person’s condition are not available at this time. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:23 AM | Comment There's a contest for everything, even snow-plow drivingPROVIDENCE – Snow probably isn’t on your mind yet, but it is on the minds of Providence snow-plow drivers. They’re getting ready to put their skills to work on Tuesday in the Providence Snow Plow Rhodeo, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Roger Williams Park Casino. The winner walks away with bragging rights – and the chance to compete in the next competition, the state’s 12th Annual Snow Plow Rhodeo on Sept. 26, which is sponsored by the Rhode Island Public Works Association and also at Roger Williams Park. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:18 AM | Comment First the fog, then the rainPROVIDENCE – It isn’t raining yet, but it probably will be soon. We’ve got a 70 percent chance of rain, mainly before 3 p.m., so grab a raincoat or an umbrella before leaving the house today. It’s a little foggy downtown, and the fog could stick with us until around noon or so. Tonight it should be mostly cloudy with a low around 58. As for the weekend, Saturday looks a bit gloomy and rainy, but Sunday should be a mix of clouds and sunshine – with a high near 81. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:52 AM | Comment September 14, 2006R.I. food bank director leaving for new postThe executive director of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank has resigned to accept a position with an international hunger relief organization. Bernie Beaudreau had led the food bank for 11 years. He will take a senior position with the Chicago-based Global FoodBanking Network. "Bernie has accomplished a great deal working towards the elimination of hunger in our state and now returns his talents, experience and expertise to the international arena," said Douglas Johnson, the president of the food bank's board of directors. The food bank has appointed Rosie Connors, a senior employee with the organization, to serve as interim executive director effective Oct. 1. Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:59 PM | Comment Sentencing tomorrow for nursing home operatorsPROVIDENCE -- Former nursing home operator Antonio L. Giordano and his longtime chief financial officer, John J. Montecalvo, are scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court tomorrow morning on federal equity skimming charges. Giordano and Montecalvo pleaded guilty to the felony charges in June, admitting to skimming $780,539 from the defunct Hillside Health Center in Providence, the former Coventry Health Center and Mount St. Francis Health Center in Woonsocket, even when the nursing homes were in default of their multimillion-dollar federal mortgages or operating in the red. The men also are each facing 45 state charges related to alleged mismanagement of the nursing home and its finances. They are set to be arraigned on the state charges Wednesday. Tomorrow's sentencing is scheduled for 11 a.m. before Judge Mary M. Lisi in Courtroom 1 of the federal courthouse on Kennedy Plaza. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:58 PM | Comment Chafee or Whitehouse? State AFL-CIO to vote tonightPROVIDENCE -- The state's largest labor union will vote tonight on which U.S. Senate candidate to endorse, a move that could give the moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee or his Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse a major boost less than two months before the election. Labor leaders, who typically endorse the Democratic candidates, have acknowledged that it's a tough call. The meeting of the state chapter of the AFL-CIO will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The chapter has 80,000 members, who could offer either candidate the potential of a large block of voters, financial support or campaign volunteers. Chafee lobbied labor leaders yesterday for the endorsement. Chafee has harvested more labor money than any other Republican in the U.S. Senate. Union members could vote to endorse either candidate, or they could vote to endorse neither. An endorsement requires a two-thirds majority vote. Should support fail to reach that percentage -- which would be a small victory for Chafee -- neither candidate would have the official endorsement. Get more background in today's Journal story. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:47 PM | Comment Kennedy's first TV campaign ad acknowledges troublesIn the first television advertising spot of his reelection campaign, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy makes reference to his May car accident and subsequent visit to a Minnesota substance abuse clinic. The 30-second spot, which began running on Rhode Island television stations today; shows Kennedy sitting down in a suit and tie. "It's not a secret it has been a challenging year for me," says the Rhode Island Democrat, who is a scion of the country's most famous political family. "And I'm grateful for the support you have shown me.'' The ad goes on to say that Kennedy is fighting to stop price gouging by oil companies and to make college tuition tax deductible. "I will never stop fighting for you,'' Kennedy says at the end of the spot. Extra: An exclusive Journal interview with Kennedy last May. -- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:40 PM | Comment Update: Celona recounts pressure on fellow legislatorPROVIDENCE -- As he returned to the stand this afternoon, former state Sen. John Celona recounted his efforts to pressure Rep. Joanne Giannini over her sponsorship of two bills opposed by Roger Wiliams Medical Center. One would have required nonprofits, like Roger Williams, to make payments in lieu of taxes to the City of Providence, a measure favored by then-Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. Another called for the creation of a statewide Cancer Council, to be run by a former Roger Williams doctor whom Celona said Urciuoli and Driscoll disliked. They also opposed the council because it would have undercut Roger Williams’s own cancer unit, Celona testified. Celona was testifying for the second consecutive day as a prosecution witness in the federal corruption case against the medical center trial. Asst. U.S. Atty. Luis Matos introduced a raft of documents, many of them memos written by Celona to Urciuoli or Driscoll, documenting the senator’s efforts. In one, in 1999, Driscoll writes Celona: "Need you to subtly check on Cancer Commission bill’’ – including who supports it. Celona testified that Driscoll also told him to talk to Giannini, a Providence Democrat whose legislative district included Roger Williams, and deliver a message: "She should think before she signs a bill affecting people or a facility in her district . . . It could hurt her on Election Day.’’ Celona also described a luncheon meeting that he arranged and attended the following year with Driscoll and Giannini, at the Old Canteen in Providence. In that meeting, Celona said, he reiterated that Giannini should "look, listen and read legislation before she signs it.’’ And Driscoll, he said, told the representative that Roger Williams employed a lot of people who lived in her district and voted. The day ended with the government still questioning Celona. It's not clear when the defense will get its turn to begin its cross-examination. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Celona tells of using Assembly position to help hospital PROVIDENCE -- For the second consecutive day, former state Sen. John Celona took the witness stand as a prosecution witness, admitting he used his elected position to help a hospital and nursing home that was paying him tens of thousands of dollars. Celona testified regarding his efforts on behalf of Roger Williams Medical Center, including bills that he sought to influence at the hospital’s direction and efforts to persuade town officials in North Providence and East Providence to increase their rescue runs to the hospital. Shortly after going on the payroll as a consultant at the Village at Elmhurst in early 1998, Celona said that then-hospital vice-president Frances P. Driscoll asked him to try and kill a bill that would have been "detrimental" to the assisted-living center. The legislation, sponsored by then-Rep. Vincent Mesolella, would have limited Alzheimer’s treatment units to licensed nursing homes; the Village at Elmhurst had an Alzheimer’s unit. Celona testified that he spoke to Mesolella, who said that he had introduced the bill on behalf of the nursing-home industry but had no personal feelings about it. "I haven’t voted on the merits in 16 years and I’m not going to start now,’’ Celona quoted Mesolella as telling him. Celona also testified that Driscoll and Robert A. Urciuoli, then the president of Roger Williams, both asked him to intervene to help the hospital get "its fair share" of rescue runs. He explained that patients in non-life-threatening situations were not always having their wishes granted to be taken to Roger Williams, and that it cost the hospital $5,000 for every transport that went elsewhere. "Bob told me to report to Fran and try and resolve this,’’ testified Celona, who said that he then met with officials in North Providence and East Providence. The prosecution asserts that Urciuoli, Driscoll and Peter J. Sangermano Jr. put Celona on the payroll of The Village at Elmhurst when his real job was using his public office to do the hospital's bidding. Celona pleaded guilty last year to federal fraud charges. He has admitted being paid more than $260,000 to secretly advance the medical center's legislative interests. Although he was listed as a consultant to the Village at Elmhurst, a Roger Williams affiliate, Celona said that Driscoll was his boss and that she frequently directed him to get involved in legislation and other matters of interest to the hospital. For instance, Celona testified, Driscoll told him to work to kill a 1998 bill that would have prevented Roger Williams from keeping its same board of directors if it were sold and converted from a nonprofit to a for-profit hospital. Urciuoli also told him that he was against the bill, testified Celona. Asst. U.S. Atty. Luis Matos introduced a number of documents, including faxes from Celona to Driscoll and Urciuoli documenting his efforts on various matters. Read about Celona's testimony yesterday in today's Journal story. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:32 PM | Comment Landlord charged with killing tenant's puppyPROVIDENCE -- A landlord, allegedly peeved that a tenant had a forbidden pet, appeared in court today to answer charges that he clubbed to death a two-month-old puppy. Junior A. Guerrero, the 27-year-old landlord, allegedly dragged the puppy to the rear of a house at 341-343 Plain St., South Providence, last night and smashed it with a baseball bat and carried it away in a plastic bag. The suspect, according to the police, later returned and tried to use water to clean the blood from the attack that remained on a concrete surface. The police, who were called to the scene at about 6:30 p.m. yesterday, said an apparent bloodstain was still visible, however. After the police broadcast an alert for the suspect, Patrolman Jeremy Doucette found him in a black vehicle parked at the curb at Broad and Calla streets in Washington Park. The puppy, a black Labrador mix named Soldier, was found later, but the location was not immediately available. -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Soldier underwent a necropsy at Ocean State Veterinarian Services, where it was determined that the puppy had been in good health but that it had suffered major blunt trauma to both sides of its head, according to Peter Brown, director of the Police Department animal control division. Brown said the police were looking for the bat. Guerrero, of 341 Plain St., was held overnight at headquarters and brought before District Court Chief Judge Albert E. DeRobbio on two charges today: cruelty to animals, a felony, and possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. DeRobbio set surety bond of $25,000, which was posted, and Guerrero was released pending a hearing Sept. 28 in Superior Court on the determination of his legal counsel. Brown said the preliminary evidence is that Guerrero was displeased because a tenant at the 341-343 Plain Street address was not supposed to have a pet. The police withheld the identities of the tenant and three witnesses. He said people who are cruel to animals frequently get unduly light punishment and that in this case he hopes that if there is a conviction that the culprit receives an appropriately severe punishment. Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:42 PM | Comment Brown professor helps find ancient writingA team including a Brown University anthropologist have found what could be the earliest known writing in North and South America. It appears on an ancient slab of green stone inscribed with insects, ears of corn, fish and other symbols. No one has deciphered the message. Brown University anthropologist Stephen Houston says the stone represents the first evidence of writing in the New World. His team published details about the tablet's discovery this week in a scientific journal. The ancient writer, probably part of the Olmec civilization, etched the symbols about 2,900 years ago. Villagers in Mexico found the tablet sometime before 1999, while quarrying an ancient Olmec mound for road-building material. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:00 PM | Comment Waterfront park design finalists to be announcedPROVIDENCE -- Two finalists will be named next week in a $10,000 contest to design a new downtown Providence waterfront park. Mayor Cicilline said today that the finalists in the contest will be announced Wednesday at 10 p.m. at the Roger Williams Park Casino. In all, 16 teams submitted designs for a park to be built on 8 acres of public land that will become available after the relocation of Route 195. An 11-member committee made up of business leaders, artists, parents, environmental advocates and design experts narrowed the field to two. A public comment period will follow next week's announcement, giving residents an opportunity to react to the proposed designs. They will be viewable online at the city's Web site and at the Roger Williams Park Casino on several occasions: -- Wednesday, September 20, 11a.m. until 8 p.m. Each finalist will receive $1,000, while the winning team gets $10,000. The winning design will constructed by the state Department of Transportation. Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:39 PM | Comment Update: R.I. native honored at Holocaust Memorial / Photos
The two are among just three Americans honored with a plaque on the Rescuers Wall at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s permanent exhibition. Members of the Sharp family, including grandson Artemis Joukowsky III, had a private viewing at the museum this morning of the small plaque installed there. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., also attended the public ceremony today. “This is not just a history lesson today,” said McGovern, who has actively worked in Congress to end the genocide in Darfur. “We need to do more than just praise the heroics of people like the Sharps. We need to do more than say, ‘Never again.’” The Sharps are the second and third Americans – and Martha is the only American woman – honored by Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial as “the Righteous Among Nations” for non-Jews who saved Jews. Altogether, about 20,000 non-Jews have received the honor.
-- With reports from Journal staff writer John E. Mulligan Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:30 PM | Comment Update: Bus touting casino plan rolls out / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- The campaign to bring a casino to West Warwick rolled out its latest promotional vehicle this afternoon -- a blue bus emblazoned with a call to voters to approve a casino question this November . Narragansett Indian Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and other casino supporters plan to tour several cities and towns over the next five weeks aboard the 40-foot bus adorned with the phrase: "Support the Narragansett Indian Casino -- Vote Yes on Question 1." Voters will be asked in November whether to change the state Constitution to allow the gambling facility in West Warwick, to be owned by the Narragansetts and their partner, Harrah's Entertainment Co. Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:26 PM | Comment Hundreds pay respects at Seekonk Marine's funeral / Photo
The service was heavily attended by representatives from Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, where Valdepeñas was an honors student and all-state lacrosse player. The Hendricken lacrosse team lined the stairway leading into the cathedral as Valdepeñas's flag-draped coffin was brought in by six Marines. It was a formal, somber ceremony. The Rev. Marcel Taillon, the chaplain at Bishop Hendricken, said there were two mottos that Valdepeñas lived his life by. The first was the Marines' motto, Semper Fidelis, which means "always faithful" in Latin. "That embodied Eric's goodness," Taillon told the large crowd inside the church. "He was always faithful to God, and to family and to friends." The second was Hendricken's motto: "Live Jesus in our hearts forever." Valdepeñas's mother told Taillon that her son "lived the prayer," Taillon said. "She said she saw Jesus in his eyes." Valdepeñas, who lived in Seekonk, Mass., was a machine gunner in the the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, weapons company. He was in his sophomore year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst when his reserve unit was sent to Iraq. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:50 PM | Comment Sen. Reed to take questions about the country's futurePeople with questions or concerns about the future of the country can chat with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed this week in an on-line discussion. The discussion, to be co-hosted by PBS and Yahoo News!, will be featured tomorrow on PBS' "Generation Next," a series on today's 16-to-25 year olds and what makes them different from their predecessors. The program will be hosted by Judy Woodruff. Those interested in submitting a question to Reed can click here. Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:11 PM | Comment Update: Hexagon to open $13M facility at Quonset / Photo
NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Hexagon Metrology North America will unveil its new $13-million, 58,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters at a ceremony this morning in the Quonset Point Business Park. The company, which acquired Brown & Sharpe and distributes its brand-name products, announced plans to move to Connecticut last year before brokering a deal with the town and state to stay in the area. The company employs about 255 people and has been in North Kingstown since the mid-1960s. The industrial measuring-tools manufacturer will receive a $320,000 tax break over the next 10 years, though the tax revenue on the new facilities are expected to bring the town $630,000 in tax revenue over the next 10 years, even with the tax break, according to town officials. "Hexagon Metrology serves segments of the measurement and inspection marketplace worldwide, so it is a premier business for Rhode Island now and in the future,” Governor Carcieri said in a statement.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:56 PM | Comment Health Department: Powder was not anthrax, ricinPROVIDENCE – Preliminary test results for a “light, powdery substance” delivered to 42 Oriental St. which caused itchy, rash-like symptoms came up negative for anthrax and ricin. The state Health Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are still culturing the samples and more tests are pending, health department spokeswoman Maria Wah-Fitta said this morning. Providence rescue crews took three people to Rhode Island Hospital yesterday after a woman at 42 Oriental St. opened a piece of mail, discovered a “light, powdery substance” in it and started to get an itch, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. After the health department’s laboratory received a specimen for testing last night, lab employees “worked through the night,” Wah-Fitta said today. The health department’s responsibility is to determine if the substance poses any danger to public health, Wah-Fitta said. It’s typical for the department to work with the FBI when investigating such a report, she said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:26 AM | Comment Funeral today for Hendricken grad killed in IraqPROVIDENCE – The funeral for Marine Lance Cpl. Eric P. Valdepeñas of Seekonk, Mass., who was killed Sept. 4 while on patrol in Iraq, is this morning at 11 at the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul, at One Cathedral Square in Providence. Burial will be private. The youngest of eight children, Valdepeñas was a 2003 graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick. He was in his sophomore year at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst when his reserve unit -- the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, weapons company -- was called up in December. They were deployed to Iraq in March. Governor Carcieri is planning to attend this morning's funeral Mass. The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Lance Cpl. Eric P. Valdepeñas Memorial Scholarship Fund at Bishop Hendricken High School, 2615 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, RI 02889. Click here to post a tribute to Eric P. Valdepeñas. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:54 AM | Comment Early morning fire in ProvidencePROVIDENCE – Firefighters have just gotten a blaze in a vacant house under control at 139 Pumgansett Drive. Called to the scene at 6:30 a.m., crews battled the fire from the outside because the roof had collapsed and it was too dangerous for them to be in the building, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. When they arrived on scene, crews worried initially that a house next door was close to the fully involved fire and could catch, but the fire has not spread and crews said they would be able to prevent that, Taylor said. The fire was under control at 6:56 a.m. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:30 AM | Comment Things are looking wetThe sun will come out ... Sunday. And Monday, Monday looks great. So much for the last weekend of summer. Here are the numbers: there's an 80 percent chance of rain today; that increases to 90 percent tonight. Friday will be a 50-50 proposition. Saturday may be dry and there may be some sun by the end of the weekend. Saturday's Waterfire could get wet. But conditions do look pretty good for the CVS/pharmacy Downtown 5k. Posted by Peter Phipps at 7:05 AM | Comment September 13, 2006Celona takes the stand in hospital corruption trialPROVIDENCE -- Former state Sen. John A. Celona took the stand this afternoon in the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption trial and described how he lobbied on the hospital’s behalf nine years ago in hopes of getting a job. And he was rewarded, he testified, when then-hospital president Robert Urciuoli promised to find him a position at the hospital, assigning the task to former vice president Frances Driscoll. Urciuoli and Driscoll are charged, along with Peter Sangermano, with conspiring to steal Celona’s honest services as a state senator. Celona was hired in 1998 as a consultant to the Village at Elmhurst, an assisted-living center jointly owned by Roger Williams and a Sangermano company. Celona’s long-awaited testimony drew a gaggle of lawyers for other companies and individuals that remain under investigation regarding Celona’s dealings with the CVS drugstore chain and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Celona, who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges and is cooperating with the government, told the jury how he lobbied for Roger Williams in 1997 during a heated legislative debate over the nonprofit hospital’s attempts to merge with a for-profit hospital chain from Tennessee, Columbia HCA. Celona, a longtime senator from North Providence who resigned in 2004, said that he supported Roger Williams partly because the leader of a rival Senate faction favored it. But another prime consideration, testified Celona, was that he needed and wanted a job at Roger Williams. His family lawnmower business was failing, he said, and he had sent out hundreds of resumes for a new job to support his family, to no avail. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton During the same period, in 1997, Roger Williams was mounting an extensive lobbying campaign over its attempted merger. Celona said that he began meeting and talking regularly with Urciuoli regarding two topics – Celona’s efforts to lobby on behalf of Roger Williams, and "my prospective job" with the hospital. "I flipped a couple of senators," testified Celona, explaining that he convinced them to change their vote to support Roger Williams. Shortly after the merger failed to muster legislative support, Celona said, he visited Urciuoli at Roger Williams to talk about "my job." Urciuoli, said Celona, praised the senator’s lobbying efforts and told him, "I’m going to try to find something for you." Although Urciuoli initially said that he would try to find a position for Celona at the hospital, Celona testified, he was subsequently called to a meeting with Driscoll and a Roger Williams lawyer at Elmhurst Extended Care, the hospital’s nursing home. Celona said that Driscoll handed him pamphlets and brochures for the Village at Elmhurst and pointed out the window, across the parking lot, to the adjacent assisted-living center, saying that he would get a position there as a consultant. At this point, Celona testified, neither Urciuoli nor Driscoll had ever said anything to him about what his duties might be. At his meeting with Driscoll, Celona said, "She asked me to come up with something" regarding what duties he should perform. At that point, court ended for the day. Celona, who will be back on the stand tomorrow, and probably longer, was on the stand for about an hour today. He spoke expansively about his long political career, which began when he was a student at Providence College in the 1970s, and about his family’s various businesses growing up – often so expansively that the judge asked the prosecutor to narrow his questions and Urciuoli’s lawyer, Richard M. Egbert, frequently objected. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton
PROVIDENCE -- Two former marketing employees for The Village at Elmhurst testified in federal court today that while they crossed paths with John A. Celona, they were never told that he was a paid consultant to the assisted-living center, nor did they ever work with him to promote the center. Lisa Hawthorne and Lori Zito worked for Village Retirement Communities, which operates a series of senior living and assisted living centers. One of those, The Village At Elmhurst, was in partnership with Roger Williams Medical Center. They took the stand in the third day of the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption trial in U.S. District Court. Hawthorne testified that she was introduced to Celona at a function at Village Retirement Communities' corporate office but wasn't told that he was a paid consultant. He did not report to her and was not paid out of her marketing budget. Shortly after their meeting, Hawthorne said, she met with Celona at his State House office and then appeared on his cable-access television show to talk about her company's assisted-living centers in Rhode Island. But she said she viewed Celona as someone else in the community, not a paid employee. Get more background on the trial from today's Journal report. The prosecution contends that while Celona, then a state senator, was hired as a consultant at the Village, he never actually did much work there. In reality, the prosecution argues, he was paid to use his public office to to the hospital's bidding. Lisa Hawthorne said that she didn't know Celona was a paid consultant until she read about it in the newspaper. "I remember saying to my husband, 'Wow, he's making $700 a week at the Village at Elmhurst,' '' she testified. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:55 PM | Comment 3 hospitalized after contact with 'powdery substance' in mailPROVIDENCE -- Three people have been hospitalized with itchy, rash-like symptoms after receiving a letter in the mail containing a "light, powdery substance." Fire and police officials responded to 42 Oriental St. at around 4 p.m., according to James Taylor, Fire Department chief of communications. The address is listed as the site of Gem Label & Tape Co., but it was not clear if the people were at the company. A woman at that address received a piece of mail that she believed was a check. When she opened the letter, she discovered a "light, powdery substance in there and she started to itch, get a rash," Taylor said. Two other people immediately reported similar symptoms, and the authorities were called. A special hazards team "double bagged" the substance, Taylor said, while rescue crews transported three people to Rhode Island Hospital. The state Department of Health has been called to the scene to investigate. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:19 PM | Comment Six local candidates ask for primary recountsPROVIDENCE -- After losing by margins ranging from one vote to 94, six primary candidates around Rhode Island have asked the state Board of Elections to recount the results of their races. State law required candidates to request a recount by today at 4 p.m. Four of the candidates asking for a second look are Democratic hopefuls in Providence City Council races. Ward 8 contender Wilbur Jennings asked for a recount today after apparently losing by 10 votes to Leon Tejada, who earned 27.75 percent of the vote to Jennings’ 27.06 percent, according to unofficial results from the state Board of Elections. Carol Romano, the incumbent councilwoman in Ward 4, apparently lost to Nicholas Narducci by 28 votes. She also asked for a recount today. In the Ward 10 primary, Pedro Espinal wants to double check the numbers after the tally showed he lost to incumbent Luis Aponte by 15 votes. And Sabina Matos, a candidate in the Ward 15 race, wants a recount as well after coming in behind incumbent Josephine Diruzzo by 94 votes. Outside of Providence, just one vote separated the race for the second of two Republican Exeter School Committee nominations. The unofficial count from the Board of Elections gave 387 votes for Chairwoman Susan DeSack and 386 votes for incumbent Paul R. McFadden, who requested a recount today. And Pawtucket City Council District 3 incumbent Albert Joseph Vitali has asked for a recount after losing by 58 votes to Henry Kinch. The recounts have been tentatively scheduled at the state Board of Elections Friday at noon. -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples When asked, the state will recheck the "memory packs" from each district in races decided by less than 2 percent of the local races. (Rhode Islanders vote using a computerized ballot-scanning system.) Election law requires the state to manually re-feed the ballots into optical scanning machines if the margin of victory is less than one half of 1 percent after the initial memory pack recount. For unoffical results from the state Board of Elections for races statewide, go to: http://projo.com/extra/election/ -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:55 PM | Comment Update: Suspect in Woonsocket girl's murder held / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- A 21-year-old Woonsocket man was ordered held without bail today during his arraignment on charges that he kidnapped, molested and murdered an 8-year-old neighbor in May. Joshua A. Davis, 21, of 564 Coe St. No. 2, pleaded not guilty in Superior Court to one count of murder, one count of first-degree child molestation and one count of kidnapping a minor. An indictment returned Aug. 25 alleges that on or about May 7, Davis murdered Savannah Smith, in Cranston. Davis has been in custody since the Woonsocket police arrested him May 8 on a murder charge. The prosecution will seek a sentence of life in prison without parole if Davis is convicted, Bethany Mactaz, an assistant attorney general, said in court. Members of Savannah Smith's family attended the brief arraignment. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham Posted by Jack Perry at 4:32 PM | Comment More underwater blasts tomorrow at old Jamestown spanNORTH KINGSTOWN -- Four more underwater piers of the old Jamestown Bridge are scheduled for demolition tomorrow afternoon. The state Department of Transportation officials say they are coordinating this detonation with the ebb tide to minimize impacts on the environment. Motorists on the nearby Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge will experience minor delays during the detonations, which are scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Detonations are expected through next month to complete the process of taking down the bridge. Its center truss was demolished in April, and several piers have already been destroyed in previous blastings. -- projo.com and wire reports Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:02 PM | Comment Former casino outfit sues Narragansetts for $10MSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The shareholders of a former casino company that once partnered with the Narragansett Indian Tribe have gone to court seeking $10 million from the tribe. The shareholders of the former Capital Gaming International Inc. say that the tribe’s promised cut from new video slot machines at Lincoln Park triggers an agreement the tribe had made with the gambling company in 2001. That agreement states that if the tribe moves forward with another gambling project in Rhode Island, it must first pay back Capital for development expenses the company incurred here. From 1993 to 1999 Capital Gaming was working with the tribe to bring a casino to Rhode Island. In the fall of 1999, the tribe dropped the financially ailing Phoenix, Ariz., company in favor of a new partner, Boyd Gaming Corp., of Las Vegas. The tribe later dropped Boyd for its current partner, Harrah’s Entertainment. Capital Gaming threatened legal action if the tribe did not make arrangements to repay $9.9 million in "development loans" and buy out its management contract. The two sides reached a settlement on April 2, 2001. That agreement stated that 60 days after the opening of any Rhode Island gambling facility to which the tribe was "directly or indirectly" involved, the tribe would have to start paying back $10 million plus interest. Last year, state lawmakers gave Lincoln Park permission to add 1,750 slot machines to the 3,002 that already existed. About 600 of those extra machines have gone online and the dog-racing track is undergoing a massive expansion to make room for the rest. As part of that deal, the Narragansetts were given 5 percent of the revenues from those new machines. -- Journal staff writer Scott Mayerowitz On July 19, Governor Carcieri’s administration told the tribe that it was ready to make the first payment to the tribe: $392,547. But the tribe's lawyer, Jack Killoy, at the time denounced the "opportunistic check" as the latest in Carcieri's "long-time effort to undermine the tribe's casino effort which benefits all Rhode Islanders with jobs and economic opportunities." Capital Gaming’s shareholders, through an Illinois limited-liability corporation -- CGI-NIT -- filed suit yesterday in Washington County Superior Court seeking the money. As of this afternoon, the tribe had not officially responded to the governor’s office and no money has been transferred, according to Carcieri’s spokesman Jeff Neal. On Nov. 7 voters will be asked to amend the state’s Constitution to allow the tribe and Harrah’s to build a casino in West Warwick.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:14 PM | Comment Update: $1.5M to help low-income citizens with energy billsPROVIDENCE -- Low-income Rhode Islanders will be able to draw on a $1.5 million pool of money to help pay off outstanding heating bills before the cold winter months. The funds have been released by the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program “I am pleased that these funds have been released to us now,” Governor Carcieri said in a statement today. The state Office of Energy Resources will distribute funds to families after they apply. “This money will enable us to help pay for service restoration to low-income families whose heating service has been shut-off for lack of payment," Carcieri said.
Last winter, 29,000 low-income Rhode Island families received heating assistance grants.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:57 PM | Comment A tired Laffey tries to regroupCRANSTON - - Mayor Stephen Laffey usually stops by the Caffe Bon-Ami early mornings before heading to work in City Hall half a mile down the road. The day after he lost a hard-found Republican U.S. senate primary race to incumbent Lincoln Chafee was no different, shop owner Malcolm Najarian said. Laffey pulled up in front of the shop with his driver at 6:30 a.m. today, his usual time. But he looked disheveled and tired, Najarian said. "You can see the weary eyes of a man who put everything on the line and left no stone unturned," Najarian said. -- Chelsea Phua, the Associated Press After his loss, Laffey said last night he would return to work the next day as Mayor of Cranston, where he still has four months left on his term. Paul Grimes, Cranston's director of administration, said he'd spoken to the mayor several times today on city matters. Even during the campaign, Laffey never stopped working as the city's mayor, Grimes said. But now he will be refocusing his energy on wrapping up the rest of his term. Nachama Soloveichik, a spokeswoman for Laffey's campaign, said the mayor had no public comments on Wednesday. At the campaign headquarters, campaign signs were stacked against a wall in the doorway. "There's just stuff to do, people to call," Soloveichik said. Najarian said the mayor told him it's going to take a little while for him to regroup, but he said he was glad he did not compromise on his integrity and felt he ran the campaign in an aboveboard way. The mayor skipped his usual morning routine of reading a half-dozen papers, something he'd complete in about 45 minutes. But he did have a cup of jumbo dark roast iced coffee, and a piece of apple pie, which Najarian said his sister had baked as a victory pie. "He said, 'it looks like a victory pie, I'll have a piece'," Najarian said. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:50 PM | Comment Update: Driver crashes into stone border markerWRENTHAM – A 42 year old Stoughton, Mass. man was injured this monring when he crashed into the stone and concrete structure that marks the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Jose T. Sousa, of 50 Birch Street, was heading north on Wrentham Road, or Route 121, when he lost control of his red coupe. The car flipped. Sousa, unconscious, was found inside the car. North Cumberland Fire Department took Sousa to Rhode Island Hospital shortly after 7 this morning. The marker, which lies on a sweeping uphill curve, was destroyed by the impact and was cleared by Mass. Department of Transportation, McMorrow said. Sousa complained of head, back, and neck pain, McMorrow said. He was in the hospital's emergency room at 1:45 p.m. today. ----Journal Staff Writer Philip Marcelo
Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:15 PM | Comment Photo: Chafee makes post-primary stop in Warwick
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:47 PM | Comment West Nile found in Cranston, Block Island, RichmondPROVIDENCE -- West Nile Virus has been detected in mosquitoes samples in various locations across the state, including Cranston, Block Island and Richmond. The state Department of Environmental Management released the positive findings today, warning residents to take precautions. "The new West Nile findings, in both rural and urban areas of the state, reinforce the confirmation that West Nile Virus is well established throughout the state, as, indeed, it is throughout the country," reads a statement released by DEM. While no humans have been infected in Rhode Island this year, 10 mosquito pools have tested positive for the potentially-dangerous virus that can lead to an inflammation of the brain in some cases. Two mosquito pools collected at the Boy Scout camp on Block Island tested positive, as did one pool from the Knightsville area of Cranston and another taken from the Carolina Management Area in Richmond. Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:11 PM | Comment Wake this afternoon for Seekonk Marine killed in IraqFamily and friends will gather this afternoon for the wake for Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Valdepeñas of Seekonk, Mass., who was killed on patrol in Iraq on Sept. 4 when a roadside bomb exploded. The wake is from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Perry-McStay Funeral Home in East Providence. The funeral for Valdepeñas is tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul in Providence. Burial for Valdepeñas, who was a 2003 graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, will be private, according to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, which has helped the Valdepeñas family communicate with the media since the death of their son and brother. He was the youngest of eight children. The funeral home is located at 2555 Pawtucket Ave. in East Providence. The Cathedral is located at One Cathedral Square in Providence. The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Lance Cpl. Eric P. Valdepeñas Memorial Scholarship Fund at Bishop Hendricken High School, 2615 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, R.I. 02889. Extra: Post a tribute to Eric P. Valdepeñas Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:28 PM | Comment Hasbro Children's: Send in the clownsPROVIDENCE – A team of six “clown doctors” will meet patients and their families this afternoon at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Started in Providence, the Big Apple Circus Clown Care program now brings clowns into 18 hospitals around the country to ease the fears of hospitalized children who are acutely and chronically ill. The local program will be funded with a three-year grant of $140,000 from Hasbro Children’s Fund, the philanthropic arm of Hasbro Inc. The clowns will be introduced at the hospital at 2 p.m. and then go on doctor’s rounds, where they perform such “clown medicine” on their patients as red-nose transplants, kitty cat-scans and chocolate-milk transfusions. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:32 AM | Comment Close races: In Exeter, one vote matteredThe race for the second of two Republican nominations to the Exeter School Committee is close. Actually it's as close as it gets. The unofficial count from the Board of Elections gave 387 votes for incumbent and Chairwoman Susan DeSack and 386 votes for incumbent Paul R. McFadden. That tally includes mail ballots. Before the 10 early votes were counted, McFadden was ahead by one vote, according to the Board of Elections web site. According to state law, McFadden has until 4 p.m. today to seek a recount. He has not immediately returned a call seeking comment this morning. In Providence, the Democratic nomination for City Council in Ward 10 is separated by four votes this morning. Luis A. Aponte ended the night with 363 votes. Pedro J. Espinal had 359. Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:36 AM | Comment Lincoln School students welcome R.I.'s Vieira to Today / Photo
NEW YORK -- Starting a new era on television's most popular morning show, Rhode Island native Meredith Vieira made her debut today as Matt Lauer's partner on NBC's Today show. "I feel like it's the first day of school and I'm sitting next to the cutest guy," Vieira said at the show's opening. The longtime CBS newswoman and recent host on daytime's The View replaces Katie Couric. The show also took the wraps off a rebuilt studio in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center after spending the summer in temporary digs, and began broadcasting in high definition. -- The Associated Press and projo.com reports Today hasn't lost in the morning ratings in more than a decade and is television's most profitable show, so NBC has a lot riding on Vieira. Couric's exit didn't put a dent in the show's ratings dominance during the summer and now NBC hopes that viewers accept Vieira into the family. "There has never been a team that is better prepared to do this job than the one we've got," said Steve Capus, NBC News president. Vieira had a serious tone and approach with Tim Russert this morning as they discussed the November general election and the war in Iraq. Then, she was laughing and joking with Lauer just a few minutes later as she held up the latest People magazine issue, with a photo of him bare-chested on the beach. She cut to a clip of President Bush greeting Lauer with a copy of the magazine in hand. “He’s turned on by your abs,” she laughingly told her new TV partner, who also has connections with Rhode Island and Vieira's former employer, Channel 10. He was co-host of the station's PM Magazine from 1981 to 1985. Then, she flubbed her line a bit as they signed off for a 7:20 a.m. commercial break and left us with an image of the two co-hosts laughing together and seeming to enjoy themselves. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:48 AM | Comment Sunshine today, rain on the wayPROVIDENCE – Make sure to get outside and enjoy the high near 70 today because the next three days are likely to be filled with rain. Sunday’s our next best bet for a sunny day – not to mention a high near 80. Maybe summer isn’t gone quite yet. The National Weather Service has issued another hazardous weather outlook for today for Rhode Island, Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut and New Hampshire. A high-surf advisory remains in effect for the east-facing Massachusetts coasts today. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:12 AM | Comment Man to be arraigned, charged with 8-year-old girl's murderPROVIDENCE -- A 21-year-old Woonsocket man is scheduled for arraignment this afternoon on charges he kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered an 8-year-old neighbor in May. Joshua A. Davis, 21, of 564 Coe St. No. 2, was indicted Aug. 25 on one count of murder, one count of first-degree child molestation and one count of kidnapping a minor. The indictment alleges that on or about May 7, Davis murdered Savannah Smith, in Cranston. The Woonsocket police arrested Davis May 8 on a murder charge. Davis is scheduled for arraignment at 2 p.m. in Providence Superior Court. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:04 AM | Comment September 12, 2006Primary: Driving home the message to vote / Photo
With a British flag painted on its roof and tiny British flags painted on the backs of its two rear-view mirrors, the car just sparkled in the sunshine. And its message blared from its Rhode Island “Ocean State” license plate with the sailboat on it. Although the car arrives at City Hall every day, and has for about a year, even some who work there couldn’t point to its owner -- Robert W. Martin, 36, the city’s Webmaster. He calls himself “just a Warwick guy” but also “a big fan of voting.” On his 18th birthday, while a student at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., he “ran out and registered.” He became a voting fan while growing up with the example set by his dad, Warwick resident Leo Martin. “He always said, ‘You’ve got to make sure you vote because if you don’t, I don’t want to hear you complaining,’” the younger Martin said. Leo, 64, called his son at 7:20 a.m. today to ask if he had voted. Not yet, not yet. At 12:34 p.m., the younger Martin was heading to his polling station over lunch break – not the style of his dad, who voted first thing this morning. He’s also teaching his daughters, 9-year-old Cassie and 5-year-old Kate, the civic responsibility he learned while stepping with his dad behind the old voting booth curtains that once obscured voters as they made their selections. Two years ago, after Cassie went with her dad to vote, she wrote to President Bush and Governor Carcieri to congratulate them on their wins, her dad said. And they both wrote back. “Right there, she felt part of the franchise,” her dad said. The message those letters drove home for her was that she matters, that she has “an important role to play,” he said. To this day, the letters hang on her wall. While Martin’s car spreads his message, it does not reflect his political views. He wouldn’t give those up. “Oh no,” he said. “You never tell how you’re going to vote. As long as you vote. I never follow a party. I always follow my heart. Whatever I believe in, that’s what I’m running with.” What he wears on his sleeve is his love for that little Mini Cooper, which has a name: “This is the Freddie Mercury Mobile,” he says in a way that tells you all of his friends know the car and its name. A longtime Queen fan, Martin has stuck a bumper sticker with a quote from the band’s song “Bohemian Rhapsody” on Freddie: “Scaramouche, Scaramouche, Will You Do The Fandango.” The flags -- and the British plate on the front of the car emblazoned with the word “Freddie” -- often prompt people to ask: “Are you British?” “No, but my car is,” Martin replies. Heading off to vote on this primary day, the Mini Cooper’s owner is definitely all-American. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:30 PM | Comment Primary: Low on disaffiliation forms in Warwick, too / Photo
Pile after pile, the sheets rose on the front counter -- about 8 inches high -- ready for action. The purpose? The creation of perhaps a couple thousand extra voter-disaffiliation forms, plus roughly cut carbon-copy paper. The new forms aren’t as neat as the official voter-disaffiliation forms from the state, with the yellow carbon copies glued to the top sheet. But they’ll do the job of gathering the information a voter writes in for the Board of Canvassers and provide a copy for voters to take home. City Board of Canvassers clerk Joseph E. Gallucci said about a third of Warwick’s 34 polling locations were running low on the forms. He said polling locations are finding that “more people than not” are choosing a ballot for the primary of their choice and then disaffiliating from that party once they’ve voted. U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., who's facing a tough primary battle today, was formerly mayor of Warwick. Polling locations in Cranston -- home of Chafee challenger and Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey -- also reported running low on disaffilation forms. The state had sent Warwick a couple thousand official forms, he said. But, he added, Outside City Hall, a handful of people came to vote around the lunch hour. More people coming and going said they were in City Hall not to vote but because they work or were conducting business there. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:08 PM | Comment Photos: Scenes from polls in Providence, S. Kingstown
Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:55 PM | Comment Primary: Supporting their candidates at the pollsOutside Cranston City Hall this morning two "Keep Chafee" signs competed with two "Laffey U.S. Senate" signs along with red, white and blue signs for a local city council race, the state Senate District 28 race and the Cranston mayoral race. Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey is pitted against incumbent Lincoln D. Chafee, in a U.S. Senate primary that has drawn the eyes of the nation and could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson James Stapleton, 60, who lives in Cranston's Ward 2 and describes himself as an independent, picked up a Republican ballot and "leaned toward Chafee" with his vote. He voted, he said, on three key issues. The race will be interesting to watch today, he said. "I don't believe any man has the right to tell any woman what she can or cannot do with her body," he said. "I'm for stem cell research, and I'm very much opposed to the war in Iraq." Weighing in on a race that could have national implications was more important to Stapleton than having a say in local races on the Democratic side. "I personally believe Laffey has done a very credible job in Cranston, but the other three issues are more important to me," he said. Standing about 20 feet away from the other sign carriers, two university students held "Laffey U.S. Senate" signs. Chris Sirr, 20, and Brian Reynolds, 21, are both Middletown residents and Roger Williams University students fulfilling a political science course requirement to complete 10 hours of campaign work. "And we chose Laffey because we're obviously supporters," Reynolds said. Both said they had voted for Laffey this morning before coming to City Hall. "We know that the incumbent, Chafee, is not as conservative as we would like him to be," Sirr said. "He constantly votes against the president, so that's why we're voting against Chafee." Posted by Jack Perry at 12:56 PM | Comment Primary: Cranston low on disaffiliation formsThe city of Cranston is running low on voter disaffiliation forms, even after the state sent more forms today, according to the city's Canvassing Department. When unaffiliated voters cast ballots in a party primary, they automatically become registered with that party. If they want to remain unaffiliated, thet must fill out a disaffiliation form when they leave the polls. (They can also legally do it later by going to City Hall, but who needs the bother?) Maria Madonna, a clerk for Cranston's Canvassing Department, said that people are not disaffiliating in unusually high numbers, but that the state Board of Elections did not send enough of the forms. "I don't agree with that," said Robert Kando, executive director of the state board. He said each polling place got 100 disaffiliation forms, the same as any election. He also said that any community running low on forms can call the state for more. "We've sent out, I think, 1,000 or 1,500 extra forms to the Cranston Board of Canvassers," he said. "There's really plenty of forms." So why does Kando think Cranston is running low? "Probably because people are disaffiliating at a greater rate than anticipated." -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Jack Perry at 12:04 PM | Comment Primary: In Richmond, a turnout like no otherAt the single polling place for Richmond, the Richmond-Carolina Fire District Station House on Route 112, a polling official said the town had "never" had a turnout for a primary like it's having today. By 11 a.m., 178 votes had been cast. Of the votes that had been cast so far, Town Clerk Mary Morgan estimated that 75 percent had been disafilliated. Asked why, she said she believed it was due to a couple of the candidates that happen to be in the race today. She didn't name names. -- Andrea Panciera Posted by Jack Perry at 11:53 AM | Comment Urciuoli's former secretary testifiesPROVIDENCE -- The secretary to former Roger Williams Medical Center president Robert A. Urciuoli was the first person to testify this morning at the trial of Urciuoli and two others in U.S. District Court. Sheila Capobianco testified about setting up a series of meetings in 1997 regarding the hiring of Celona and getting a state Ethics Commission opinion on whether it was appropriate to hire the longtime state senator. Urciuoli, former president of the medical center; Frances P. Driscoll, a former vice president; and Peter J. Sangermano, a former associate, are accused of stealing the honest services of Celona, a longtime state senator from North Providence. Capobianco recalled Urciuoli saying Celona was being hired for his strong ties to the community, but she said Driscoll didn't seem comfortable with the hiring. After Celona was hired, the state senator offered to help set up a meeting with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island when Blue Cross president Ron Battista wasn't returning Urciuoli's calls, Capobianco testified. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Mike Stanton. PROVIDENCE -- Former state Sen. John A. Celona could take the stand as early as today in the corruption trial of Roger Williams Medical Center's former president and two associates in U.S. District Court. Robert A. Urciuoli, former president of the medical center; Frances P. Driscoll, a former vice president; and Peter J. Sangermano, a former associate, are accused of stealing the honest services of Celona, a longtime state senator from North Providence. Celona has pleaded guilty to selling his office to Roger Williams, as well as the CVS drugstore chain and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. In opening statements yesterday, Urciuoli's lawyer contended that Celona was hired to do honest work after the then-state senator asked Urciuoli for a job. Celona was paid $260,638 from 1998 to 2004. As part of his agreement to cooperate in an ongoing investigation, Celona is expected to testify. He could take the stand late today or, more likely, tomorrow morning. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:39 AM | Comment Funeral today for Providence Army Sgt. killed in IraqEXETER – Today is the funeral for Army Sgt. Moises Jazmin, 25, of Providence, who was killed Aug. 27 by a roadside bomb while he was on patrol in the Iraqi village of Taji, about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. His funeral and graveside burial with full military honors will be held at 11 a.m. at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 201 South County Trail in Exeter.
Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:26 AM | Comment Primary: School is out for primary dayPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island public schools are closed today for primary elections. It's a new law that went into effect in late June without the governor's signature. The Board of Elections says it proposed the change for the students' safety while schools are used as polling stations. School officials say they were not consulted about the new provision, which they say is disruptive for classes and unnecessary. -- The Associated Press Read more in The Journal about the change. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:26 AM | Comment Weather: Time to put away the summer sandals?PROVIDENCE – It happened so fast, this turn from summer mornings to fall mornings, didn’t it? That seems to be the lament these days. It’s just about 45 degrees now, definitely a day to throw on a light jacket before heading out of the house. And, sadly, it’s probably time to put those sandals away. Expect a high of 69 today, with lots of sun, and a night-time low around 43. The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Rhode Island, Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut, with a high-surf advisory warning of a high risk of rip currents along the coast. Swells from Hurricane Florence could lead to higher waters at high tide this afternoon and some beach erosion along the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coasts. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:04 AM | Comment September 11, 2006Journal asks court to open Derderian jury processWARWICK -- The Providence Journal today asked the Superior Court to let the public see written questions and the answers given by potential jurors in The Station nightclub fire trial. The Journal also asked the court to allow the public to be present as lawyers and the judge determine which jurors to dismiss based on those answers. Last week, 421 prospective jurors reported to the Kent County Courthouse to fill out questionnaires that will be used to narrow the jury pool in the trial of Michael A. Derderian. The nightclub co-owner is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of 100 people who were in the nightclub when it caught fire on Feb. 20, 2003. The forms try to find out whether jurors might have a bias in the case. After the lawyers for each side and Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. review the forms, some of those prospective jurors will be called back to the courthouse the week of Sept. 20 to be questioned in person. -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:23 PM | Comment Photo: Naval War College honors its own lost on 9/11
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:21 PM | Comment Dead whale washes up on Block Island / Photo
Reports indicate the whale is a baleen, meaning it uses plates along its upper jaw to strain food from water, said Scott Comings, director of Block Island programs for The Nature Conservancy. Humpback, finback and blue whales fit into this category, though its species was not identified today. Northeast winds brought the whale to the shore, Comings said. He planned to consult with Mystic Aquarium about the carcass, but said it might either be dragged out to sea or buried. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:11 PM | Comment Update: R.I. test sites show no sign of West Nile/EEEPROVIDENCE -- Recent samples from mosquito pools in Rhode Island have been tested negative for West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis disease. But scientists at the state Department of Environmental Management say Rhode Islanders should still protect themselves from mosquito bites. That's because an increasing number of pools in Southern New England have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis. A blue jay found in northern Seekonk, in neighboring Massachusetts, has tested positive for the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, prompting the town's Health Department today to urge residents to take precautions. The Seekonk school district had already decided on Friday, before today’s announcement about the blue jay, to cut off athletic practices past 6 p.m. and to cancel all night games, said Interim Schools Supt. Emile Chevrette. He said the night games, such as two football contests this month, will be rescheduled as day games.
“This will be for the month of September until the first good frost we have,” Chevrette said today of the policy. The town Health Department said it was notified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health today about the blue jay's test result. People attending outdoor events, particularly at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most apt to bite, should “take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing during evening and early morning -- or consider avoiding outdoor activities during these times,” the town Health Department said in a press release today.
Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:15 PM | Comment Cicilline orders flags lowered in recognition of 9/11PROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline has ordered flags on city buildings lowered to half staff to honor those who died five years ago in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the United States. He has also signed a proclamation designating today, the fifth anniversary of the attack, as Patriots Day, in accordance with a White House executive order, according to a press release. "Today is a day for our nation to come together, unified in our mourning and in our resolve to protect and preserve the ideals and values upon which the nation was founded," Cicilline said in a statement. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:22 PM | Comment State House to be lit in red, white, blue as tribute / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- To honor those who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the State House dome will be illuminated with red, white and blue lights for the next five nights, Governor Carcieri announced this morning. “This is a fitting way to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11," Carcieri said in a statement. "They will always live on in our hearts. While they are casting light down upon us, it is our hope that these lights will show the world that we will never forget Sept. 11 and the brave patriots we lost on that day.” Carcieri was joined this morning at a State House ceremony by Rhode Island's Congressional delegation and other public officials. Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:11 PM | Comment Both sides in Urciuoli trial sketch their views to juryPROVIDENCE -- In opening statements in the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption trial this morning, lawyers for the prosecution and the defense painted contrasting views of the defendants and the government’s star witness, ex-state Sen. John A. Celona. Former Roger Williams president Robert Urciuoli, former vice president Frances P. Driscoll and former Village at Elmhurst president Peter J. Sangermano Jr. are charged with conspiracy and mail fraud for allegedly stealing Celona’s honest services by hiring him to do their bidding at the State House. “A corrupt politician doesn’t act on his own,” Asst. U.S. Atty. Luis Matos said in the courtroom of Chief U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres. “He needs someone to pay him and tell him what matters to work on, and someone to help him hide his actions.” Matos sketched out the alleged conspiracy for jurors, describing Urciuoli as “the deal maker,” Driscoll as Celona’s “handler” and Sangermano as “the enabler” – someone who “helped make the deal go through.” Instead of working for the Village at Elmhurst, recruiting senior citizens as residents to the assisted-living center half-owned by Roger Williams, Matos said that Celona secretly did Roger Williams’ political bidding, using his office to lobby towns to increase ambulance runs, oppose or support various legislation and pressure health insurers to increase their reimbursement payments to Roger Williams. Richard M. Egbert, one of Urciuoli’s lawyers, countered that the defendants had no intention of defrauding or deceiving the public and fully disclosed Celona’s duties to the Rhode Island Ethics Commission. -- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton In his six years as a consultant, from 1998 to 2004, Celona saw his weekly pay rise from $700 to $892 to $1,000, said Matos – earning a total of $260,638. Most of the 38 counts in the indictment involve honest services mail fraud – the actual use of the federal mails to send Celona his paychecks. Egbert said that Urciuoli hired Celona for his extensive contacts among the elderly, to promote the Village at Elmhurst and other health services, at a time when Celona was in need of a job to provide for his wife and two children. “And for that good deed he finds himself here today . . . for helping another human being,” Egbert said. “Unfortunately, that human being is John Celona, a cheat and a thief who got caught. “John Celona is going to get on the stand and tell you some whoppers.” Driscoll’s lawyer, Kevin J. Bristow, followed Egbert and argued that his client, a 67-year-old woman who has devoted her life to education and working for nonprofits – is “an extremely honest and ethical person who has never committed a crime.” Judge Torres broke for lunch at 12:40 p.m. This afternoon, Sangermano’s lawyer will deliver an opening statement, and then the government is expected to call its first witness. Celona is expected to take the stand later this week. Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:54 PM | Comment Wake today for Providence soldier killed in IraqA wake will be held for a 25-year-old Providence soldier this afternoon, about three weeks after he was killed by a roadside bomb in an Iraqi village. Calling hours for Army Sgt. Moises Jazmin will be from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Jones-Walton-Sheridan Funeral Home, 1895 Broad St., at Park Avenue, Cranston. Sgt. Jazmin died three months before his unit was due to return home. Besides his parents, he is survived by seven brothers and sisters. A funeral with full military honors will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter. Extra: Post a tribute to Sgt. Jazmin Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:21 PM | Comment R.I. Health Dept. warns of rabid Tennessee horseThe Rhode Island Department of Health issued a statement this afternoon warning of a rabid horse named Bucky that was stabled in a Tennessee horse show late last month. The Centers for Disease Control is notifying the 150,000 people who attended the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tenn., from Aug. 23 to Aug. 31. "If persons were bitten or came in contact with saliva from this horse...they may have been exposed to rabies," reads the Rhode Island Health Department warning. But "attending an event where a rabid animal was present, petting a rabid animal or contact with the blood, urine or feces of a rabid animal does not constitute a risk for transmission." The horse in question was a 3-year-old gelding, creamy tan in color, with a black mane and tail. It is unclear how the animal was infected with the deadly disease. After rabies was confirmed, the horse was killed. People with concerns are encouraged to contact the Tennessee Department of Health Public Information Line at (866) 355-6129. Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:17 PM | Comment Patriots trade Deion Branch to SeattleThe New England Patriots have traded disgruntled wide receiver Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks. In a statement, the club says that Branch has been traded for an undisclosed 2007 draft pick. ESPN has reported that the trade is for Seattle's first-round draft pick. Branch held out the entire preseason because he was unhappy with his contract, which is worth $1.045 million for this season. Branch, 27, played four seasons with New England. He was Tom Brady's best deep threat, and his absence seemed to leave the team noticeably short of downfield options in yesterday's opener. He had his best season last year, making 78 receptions for 998 yards and five touchdowns. The previous season, he was Super Bowl MVP as the Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to win their third championship in four years. Branch had 11 catches in that game for 133 yards.
Read the Associated Press story Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:07 PM | Comment New England mariners: Look out for FlorenceThe U.S. Coast Guard's Boston office is cautioning mariners to monitor conditions and take action to protect themselves as Hurricane Florence begins to curve northeast toward the Canadian Maritimes. The Category 1 stormcould result in swells as high as 16 to 24 feet south of New England and east of Cape Cod, with winds expected to reach 30 to 40 knots, according to the Coast Guard. With both small-craft and high-surf advisories in effect for the region, the Coast Guard cautions that adverse weather effects generated by hurricanes can cover an area hundreds of miles wide – and can affect even those who fall outside the direct path of the storm. So take heed, the Guard advises, with the following tips: Do not go out to sea in a recreational boat to "ride out" the storm. Contact local marinas to ask for advice on securing your vessel. Check with local authorities before entering any storm-damaged area. Do not try to reach your boat if it has been forced into the water. Do not try to board a partially sunken boat; seek salvage assistance. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:11 PM | Comment Green's smallness was comforting todayWARWICK – Business travelers and vacationers mixed this morning at T.F. Green Airport as they arrived and departed from an airport whose size put some travelers at ease. “If we were flying out of Logan [in Boston] or LaGuardia [in New York], I would have probably been a little more nervous,” said Michelle Stolaronek, 32, of Lisbon, Conn., who was preparing to fly to Disney World this morning with her siblings and their families. The security checkpoint seemed to be going slower than normal, said Stolaronek’s sister, Holley Ohar, 34, who has always hated flying. That slowness was just the right approach to make Ohar “feel better about” flying, she said. On this Monday morning, which is mostly a business travel day, passengers were halted from going through airport-security screening for a few minutes, starting at 8:41 a.m., to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, said Joseph S. Salter, federal security director at T.F. Green and a Transportation Security Administration employee. Salter had retired from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey when the terrorists flew airplanes into New York’s twin towers and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. five years ago. He said today that he lost 37 friends, former colleagues and former employees from the Port Authority in those attacks. Remembering all those he and so many others lost on that day, Salter spoke this morning to about 70 TSA employees who had gathered for the commemoration. Then, they held a moment of silence and listened as one of the TSA officers sang “God Bless America.” As for the actual travel today, “it’s a typical Monday morning, which is a good thing,” Salter said. -- Kate Bramson, projo.com staff writer Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:58 AM | Comment Gas prices drop another 10 centsGasoline prices in Rhode Island dropped another 10 cents this week and have fallen 33 cents over the past month, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $2.76 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. The average price was $3.16 a year ago. Find links to the latest gas prices and other ways to manage costs. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:09 AM | Comment Officials to check Point Judith breakwaterNARRAGANSETT - - U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and other elected officials will take a boat tour today to examine the state of the Point Judith breakwater in Narragansett. Officials say Rhode Islanders have raised concerns about the structural integrity of the breakwater and its ability to protect the shoreline and navigation. Reed will discuss the need and efforts to secure federal funding for repairs. The Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state and local officials will join Reed on the boat tour. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 10:03 AM | Comment Opening statements in State House corruption casePROVIDENCE -- Opening statements are scheduled today in the federal corruption trial of a former president of Roger Williams Medical Center. Robert Urciuoli -- as well as two other health care executives -- are accused of hiring former Sen. John Celona to advance the hospital's legislative interests. Celona worked for Roger Williams at the same time he chaired the Senate Corporations Committee. Celona has pleaded guilty to corruption charges and is expected to be prosecutors' star witness at the trial. Read a previous Journal story. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 9:45 AM | Comment 9/11 ceremonies in Rhode IslandPROVIDENCE – Governor Carcieri and victims’ families plan to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the State House today at 10 a.m. with music, poetry readings and a wreath-laying ceremony. Performing musical selections will be the Pilgrim High School Choir, Trinity Repertory Company’s Joe Wilson Jr., vocalist Elizabeth Lewis and flutist John Curran of the Rhode Island Philharmonic music school. Also joining Carcieri will be Major Gen. Robert T. Bray, adjutant general of the Rhode Island National Guard, and Imam Ansari of the Muslim American Da’wah Center of Rhode Island, Father Frank Sevola of St. Francis Chapel in Providence and Rabbi Peter Stein of Temple Sinai in Cranston. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:11 AM | Comment Chilly morning, high surf on the coastPROVIDENCE – You’ll probably want to wear a jacket this morning, and depending on what time you leave your house, you might even turn a little heat on in your car if you're driving somewhere. At 48 degrees at 6:35 a.m., it’s chilly this morning. As the day warms up, we should see a high of 66 and mostly sunshine. But there's also a hazardous weather outlook in the region and a high surf advisory for the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coasts as Hurricane Florence approaches Bermuda and is expected to move northward. Southeast and east swells of up to six feet will bring a risk of rip currents to the coast, according to the National Weather Service. Track Florence throughout the day. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. And we hate to report this, but there’s a frost advisory in effect for tonight not far from us, according to the National Weather Service. Low temperatures in the mid-30s in Franklin County, in northwest Massachusetts, and in Cheshire County, in New Hampshire, will allow frost to form. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:08 AM | Comment September 8, 2006Reed on Iraq: 'We have to follow through' / Photo
BRISTOL -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed visited the campus of Rogers Williams University this afternoon to participate in a panel discussion on Iraq with students. The Rhode Island Democrat gave some introductory remarks based on his experiences on the Senate Armed Services Committee and his eight visits to Iraq since the outset of the war in 2003. He has been a frequent critic of President Bush's handling of the war and repeated some of those themes before an audience of nearly 200 students, faculty and staff. Regardless of whether the United States should have gone to war, and how it conducted the war, Reed said, "We are there.'' "If we are going to stabilize the country we have to follow through not just with a military presence but with the kind of developmental assistance and support that is essential to provide the Iraqis the capability to function as a democracy or at least as a stable secure soverign nation,'' he said. Reed also talked about the greater Middle East, including the tensions fueled in the region by the lack of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The solution to America's troubles in the region, including the growing threat of Iran, rests with diplomacy, he said. "One of the disappointing aspects of the last several years is the lack of any real engagement by the administration, particularly when it comes to issues between the state of Israel and the Palestinian authority ... It's left us not well positioned to renew the diplomacy that is so necessary now.'' -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:42 PM | Comment Trooper cleared in questionable van stopThe state police this afternoon cleared a trooper of any wrongdoing related to a July traffic stop that resulted in detention of 14 suspected illegal immigrants. The ACLU asked for an investigation after the driver of a van and several passengers alleged last month that Trooper Thomas Chabot overstepped his authority by taking immigration enforcement into his own hands. But at a news conference today inside state police headquarters, Supt. Steven M. Pare said that Chabot did nothing wrong. The head of the ACLU's Rhode Island affiliate was concerned with today's announcement and said the issue bears further action, including potential litigation, though he couldn't say for sure without consulting the people affected. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner The traffic stop occurred at 6:30 a.m. near Exit 4 south, where Chabot was posted at a speed checkpoint. Chabot's report states that he pulled the van's driver over for failing to signal a lane change. After the driver provided a license and ID, Chabot asked the passengers for identification, his report states. When only a few could do so, he then "asked if any of them had immigration credentials proving their U.S. citizenship." None did. Chabot then escorted the group to the Bureau of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement office in Providence. The 14 people detained are facing deportation. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:32 PM | Comment Murder suspects refuse to waive extraditionTwo men arrested for the execution-style murder of a Pawtucket woman are refusing to be moved from Florida to Rhode Island, according to a statement released today by the Pawtucket police. Barry Offley, 19, of Woonsocket, and Alonzo P. Shelton, 28, of Centrall Falls, were arrested yesterday in Ocala, Fla., about 45 minutes south of Gainesville. They had been on the run since late July, after being named suspects in the murder of 24-year-old Jessica C. Imran, who was shot in the head inside her Pawtucket apartment, and the attempted murder of her friend, 28-year-old Julie Lange, of Central Falls. Rhode Island authorities were notified today that both men have refused to sign waivers of extradition, the Pawtucket police said. But the Rhode Island attorney general's office is preparing a governor's warrant to force the suspects to return to Rhode Island to face the charges. Read the full story about yesterday's arrests in today's Journal. Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:24 PM | Comment FLASH: Appeals court upholds Bucci, Potter convictionsA federal appeals court has upheld the convictions last year of two former Lincoln Park executives for conspiring to bribe former House Speaker John B. Harwood. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston today rejected arguments that there was insufficient evidence to convict Nigel Potter, former CEO of Lincoln Park's British parent company, Wembley plc, and Daniel Bucci, the park's former general manager. "The trial was well conducted and the outcome is not a surprise," the three-judge panel concluded in its decision. The decision also upholds a conviction against LPRI, the limited liability company remaining from Lincoln Park's former owners. A federal jury last year convicted the three defendants of conspiracy and wire-fraud charges for scheming to bribe Harwood. Prosecutors said the proposed bribes, which were never paid, were aimed at securing state approval for at least 1,000 more video-slot machines and blocking a casino proposed for West Warwick. Potter was sentenced to three years in prison. Bucci was sentenced to three years and five months in prison. The corporate entity was fined $1.5 million. Defense lawyers last month argued to that appeals court that while former Lincoln Park executives Daniel Bucci and Nigel Potter had discussions, they never crossed the line by starting to execute a plan to bribe Harwood In appealing, the defendants sought acquittal or a new trial. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:01 PM | Comment Carcieri releases renewable energy planCOVENTRY -- Governor Carcieri announced a new plan today that he says will expand Rhode Island's supplies of renewable energy. As part of the plan, the state will help finance a turbine and power plant at the Harris Mill dam on the Pawtuxet River in Coventry. Carcieri says the supply of hydro-power should help Rhode Island exceed its renewable energy standard, currently set at 15 percent. The renewable energy standard is the percentage of energy used in the state that's derived from sources such as wind and water. Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:00 PM | Comment Funeral set for Seekonk Marine killed in IraqThe family of Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Valdepeñas of Seekonk, Mass., who was killed on patrol in Iraq on Monday when a roadside bomb exploded, has set his funeral arrangements. The wake will be Wednesday at the Perry-McStay Funeral Home in East Providence from 3 to 7 p.m., and the funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul in Providence. Burial for Valdepeñas, who was a 2003 graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, will be private, according to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, which has helped the Valdepeñas family communicate with the media since the death of their son and brother. He was the youngest of eight children. The funeral home is located at 2555 Pawtucket Ave. in East Providence. The Cathedral is located at One Cathedral Square in Providence. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:54 PM | Comment Sen. Reed to discuss Iraq at Roger Williams todayBRISTOL -- Having recently returned from his 8th trip to Iraq, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed will discuss the "current geopolitical outlook" there this afternoon at Roger Williams University, according to an announcement released by the school. "Sen. Reed will share his thoughts on the possibility of peace in the region and take questions from students, including some from the Middle East," according to the announcement. Reed will appear at the forum, titled "Prospects for Peace in the Middle East," at 2:30 p.m. at the University Law School. More to come on Projo.com... Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:08 PM | Comment R.I. recovers $59K from drug makerThe state of Rhode Island recently recovered nearly $59,000 in a settlement with pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline Inc. that was part of a $161-million-dollar multi-state settlement. Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch announced today that the settlement resolves allegations that the company improperly inflated the “average wholesale price” of its prescription drugs that were paid by government health plans. Essentially, Medicaid and Medicare were overpaying for the prescription drugs from the pharmaceutical company, Lynch spokesman Michael J. Healey said. Rhode Island’s settlement of $58,714.18 has been returned to the state’s Department of Human Services. The drugs involved were Kytril and Zofran, injectible anti-nauseau drugs used in connection with chemotherapy treatments, according to Lynch’s office. Today, Lynch said in a statement that this isn’t the first action the state has taken against this “pharmaceutical giant.” Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay $14 million to 46 states, including $56,000 to Rhode Island, as part of a multi-state settlement related to accusations that the drug maker blocked generic versions of a popular antidepressant from being produced. “And we will persist,” Lynch said, “as long as this corporation, or any other, violates our laws and tries to build its own profits at the expense of the Medicaid program, relied on by millions of poor people nationwide and thousands right here in Rhode Island.” Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:05 PM | Comment Update: Opponents make another bid to stop LNG projectFALL RIVER -- Rhode Island and Massachusetts officials will gather at a proposed LNG site here today to announce their latest legal effort to stop the project. A petition to be filed with the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals asks the U.S. Department of Transportation to adopt standards that would dictate where liquefied natural gas terminals can be located. Fall River Mayor Ed Lambert, Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly and a representative from the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office were expected to be on hand at the Weaver's Cove site. An earlier report indicated that Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch would attend. However, his spokesman, Michael J. Healey, told projo.com this morning that Lynch never planned to attend because he must be at the new Kent County Courthouse today for the official ceremony marking the court's opening. Fall River officials recently announced that they would appeal a ruling that allows the state permitting process to move forward. Lambert says Hess provided incorrect information about the potential impacts of the project. -- The Associated Press and projo.com reports Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:27 AM | Comment High school football kicks off tonightFriday nights in fall belong to high school football, and tonight is the start of the season. There are 10 games across the state tonight, highlighted by the nonleague showdown between La Salle and Shea at Reed Field in Pawtucket. Check The Providence Journal for a full report on that game and projo.com for a gallery of game photos. Projo.com will be posting final scores from tonight's gridiron action as soon as we get them. We'll also have results from today's soccer, tennis and volleyball matches. To see how your team did, choose your high school home page from the list at www.projo.com/highschool. Click below for tonight's full football schedule. Tonight's games Rogers at Middletown, 6:30 at Gaudet Middle School Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:45 AM | Comment Seminar to address citizenship for immigrantsPROVIDENCE – The International Institute of Rhode Island is holding an immigration and citizenship seminar today at noon. Immigration attorney Carl Krueger plans to address issues for senior citizens and their families, such as how someone would become a citizen, what public benefits are available to seniors who are citizens and whether new citizens would qualify for government programs such as Social Security. The free, two-hour seminar will be held at the St. Martin de Porres Center, 160 Cranston St., Providence. It’s open to the public. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:18 AM | Comment Newport mansion to be soldMiramar, one of the great, oceanfront manions in Newport, will be auctioned off on Nov. 3. The 27-bedroom ``summer cottage'' built in 1913 is owned by real estate developer Andrew Panteleakis, who once lived on the property. After unsuccessfully trying to sell the house 2 years ago for $25 million, he decided to hold a sealed bid auction. Sheldon Good & Co. will run the auction, according to the real estate company's Web site. Miramar was built for the family of railroad mogul George D. Widener, who commissioned architect Horace Trumbauer to design the French-style, 30,000-square-foot mansion. Posted by at 8:16 AM | Comment Tropical Storm could kick up surf here by SundayTropical Storm Florence is moving west-northwest, and conditions appear favorable for the storm to intensify during the next day or two and affect our region early next week. The storm was about 830 miles southeast of Bermuda at 5 a.m. today and is expected to pass well east of Nantucket next week, according to the National Weather Service. Nevertheless, the storm could send high swells late Sunday and into next week across coastal waters, including Rhode Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, Block Island Sound, Boston Harbor and Cape Cod Bay. Northeast winds could increase to gale force for a time early next week, when high pressure building out of eastern Canada on Sunday combines with the large circulation ahead of Florence, according to the weather service. Check the weather service’s marine weather statement out of Taunton, Mass., and track Tropical Storm Florence. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:38 AM | Comment Another beautiful day on the wayToday's weather should be a lot like yesterday's but warmer, according to the National Weather Service's forecast. The weather service predicts mostly sunny skies with a high near 82 degrees and calm winds. Saturday and Sunday bring a chance of showers. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment September 7, 2006'Push poll' attacks ChafeePROVIDENCE -- Less than a week before the Republican primary, U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee has become the target of a "push poll" attacking him for supporting abortion rights. A push poll is a telephone survey in which questions are designed to weaken support for one candidate or build up support for another. The negative campaign tactic is illegal in some states, but not in Rhode Island. Chafee, who is running for a second full term, faces Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey in Tuesday's Republican primary, a race that has garnered national attention. Several voters said today that they received automated telephone calls asking whether they would vote in the primary and which candidate they would choose. Those who chose Chafee heard graphic descriptions of an abortion procedure opponents call "partial-birth abortion," which the poll said Chafee supports. Laffey spokeswoman Nachama Soloveichik said his campaign had nothing to do with the push poll. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:48 PM | Comment Fire guts Wiley Center in PawtucketPAWTUCKET -- An early-morning fire that investigators believe was electrical in origin gutted the offices of the George Wiley Center, an organization of antipoverty activists that has campaigned aggressively to stop utility shutoffs in the state. The fire, which broke out around 5 a.m. today in the Wiley Center’s small storefront office at 50 East Ave., temporarily left the organization without a headquarters. No one was hurt in the fire. Fire Chief Timothy P. McLaughlin said it appeared to have started in an extension cord or electrical appliance in the Wiley Center while the office was closed. Maggi Rogers, a volunteer with Wiley Center’s Campaign to End Childhood Poverty, said the center has been offered temporary office space at Project Hope, the social agency operated by the Diocese of Providence in Central Falls at 400 Dexter St. No decision has been made yet, Rogers said. The organization is still cataloguing its losses. But the Wiley Center is known for its resilience, and Rogers said it will persevere. "We’ve got to see what we’ve got. We’ve got to see what we need. And we will rise from the ashes like a phoenix,’’ she declared. -- Journal staff writer John Castellucci Henry Shelton, the Wiley Center’s longtime coordinator, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Witnesses described him as shaken. Despite the fire, most, if not all, of the building’s tenants said they would be open for business, including Blackstone Picture Frame, 34 East Ave., and the Singer Factory Service Center, 38 East Ave., a sewing machine repair shop that has been in business 35 years. The only exception was Rhode Island Taekwondo, a school for martial arts at 36 East Ave. R. Thomas Magill, a retired Pawtucket firefighter running against Mayor James E. Doyle in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, has his campaign headquarters on the second floor of the building. "We were very fortunate’’ the fire was stopped before it spread, Magill said. "Five days before the election, it would have been devastating,’’ he said. -- -- Journal staff writer John Castellucci
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:28 PM | Comment Block Island can keep runway open during constructionBLOCK ISLAND -- The Rhode Island Airport Corporation announced today it has reached an agreement with the Town of New Shoreham on a plan to keep a turf runway open as construction at Block Island Airport gets under way this fall. RIAC had planned to close the airport to all flights during the repaving of its runway from Oct. 11 through Nov. 21. Block Island health and rescue personnel vehemently opposed the closure, saying it would cut off critical access to the mainland. Islanders rely on New England Airlines -- the island’s only regular air service -- for everything from delivering medical prescriptions and Chinese food to hurrying pregnant women off to the mainland to give birth. Under the agreement, New England Airlines will run an afternoon and morning flight each day, with all construction activity halted during arrivals and takeoffs, said Patti Goldstein, spokeswoman for RIAC. The town will provide a van to transport passengers between the terminal and the aircraft. Read more in tomorrow's Journal and on projo.com... -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:22 PM | Comment Update: Pawtucket murder suspects caught in FloridaPAWTUCKET -- Two men wanted in the execution-style murder of a Pawtucket woman were discovered by federal marshalls early this morning near Gainesville, Fla. sleeping in the same bed in a small windowless room. Barry Offley, 19, of Woonsocket, and Alonzo P. Shelton, 28, of Centrall Falls, had been on the run since late July, after they were named as the prime suspects in the murder of 24-year-old Jessica C. Imran, who was shot in the head inside her Pawtucket apartment, and the attempted murder of her friend, 28-year-old Julie Lange, of Central Falls. The men had been featured on various nationally-televised programs in recent weeks, including America's Most Wanted. Rhode Island authorities detailed the arrests in an afternoon press conference inside Pawtucket City Hall. Four U.S. marshalls and one local police officer raided a three-unit building in Ocala, Fla. -- which is about 45 minutes south of Gainesville -- at 7:30 this morning, finding the two murder suspects sleeping in the same bed in a small windowless room, according to authorities. The men are each facing first-degree murder charges and attempted murder charges. They are being held by local authorities pending extradition hearings. -- With reports by Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina The Marion County Sheriff's Department notified Pawtucket police of the arrests this morning. Following a tip that was generated in Rhode Island, police pursued a lead that the men may have a connection to the Ocala area. They monitored the area for three weeks, eventually raiding three residences, including the unit where the men were discovered this morning. The state medical examiner has ruled that Imran's death was caused by a single gunshot wound to the head. Lange, who survived the attack despite being shot four times, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where she initially remained under police guard because of fears for her safety. More to come in tomorrow's Journal... -- With reports by Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:15 PM | Comment Confirmed: PC student being treated for meningitisPROVIDENCE -- The state Health Department today confrimed that a Providence College student is being treated for bacterial meningitis, the first case of the disease reported in Rhode Island this year. The student, whose name was not released, was being treated with antibiotics at Roger Williams Medical Center, said department spokeswoman Helen Drew. The college says it has identified people who had close contact with the student in the days before the disease was diagnosed and provided antibiotics and medical advice aimed at preventing the infection. The illness cannot be transmitted through casual contact, though it can be spread through coughing and kissing. Symptoms, which appear in just a few hours, include severe headaches, high fever, stiff neck and fatigue. There are usually five cases a year in the state, said Helen Drew, a Health Department spokeswoman. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:54 PM | Comment Cicilline is cracking down on political vandalismPROVIDENCE -- Providence Mayor David Cicilline is calling for a crackdown on political vandalism. At a news conference today, the mayor offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrests and convictions of people involved in recent acts of political intimidation. Those acts include a threatening phone call made to a campaign office and damage to a campaign worker's vehicle. Cicilline says the city will have zero tolerance for that behavior and calls the incidents "serious crimes." He says Providence has more candidates for local office now than it's had in decades. Read more about the acts of political intimidation in today's Journal. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:45 PM | Comment Update: Accident cuts sedan in half in GlocesterGLOCESTER – A 21-year-old Burrillville woman is at Rhode Island Hospital after a single-car crash at 12:50 this morning tore her 1995 Volkswagen in half. The woman is in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit after she struck a tree. Brittany Niemi was heading westbound on Route 44 in a 1995 Volkswagen sedan when she lost control of the vehicle near a small curve in the road in the area of the White Rock Motel, according to Glocester Police Lt. Joseph Mattera. The vehicle apparently crossed into the eastbound lane and slid down an embankment where it struck a tree. The impact “split the car in two,” with the front half of the car detaching from the rear portion and trapping Niemi, who was not wearing a seatbelt, inside, Mattera said. “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he added. Fire and rescue workers responded to the scene at 12:50 a.m. and extracted Niemi from the vehicle. Speed was a factor, Mattera said. ---Journal Staff Writer Philip Marcelo Correction: An earlier version said the car was a Volvo. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:20 PM | Comment Motorcyclist flown to hospital after Westerly crashWESTERLY – The eastbound lanes of Route 78 were closed for about 20 minutes this morning due to a traffic accident, the police said. The road has reopened. Westerly police Sgt. Shawn Lacey said a man lost control of his motorcycle around 11:30 a.m. He suffered a serious leg injury and was flown to William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn. -- Journal staff writer Maria Armental Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:43 PM | Comment Bruschi returns to Pats' practice fieldAfter missing most of training camp and all four preseason games because of a broken wrist, Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is practicing today in Foxboro as his team prepares for Sunday's season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Joining Bruschi today are two others who had been out with injuries: rookie wide receiver Chad Jackson and offensive tackle Nick Kaczur. Keep your eye on the PatsBlog for more on these stories and updates during the afternoon. Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:11 PM | Comment Update: Chafee says campaign Web site hackedU.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee says his campaign's computer system has been "hacked into," and the FBI is investigating. The campaign's Web site has been "compromised," and e-mails have been "stolen," the Rhode Island Republican said today. But Chafee staff members don't believe the incident was politically motivated. Chafee is involved in a tight Republican primary race with Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey that has attracted national attention. The primary election is next Tuesday, Sept. 12. Chafee was interrupted during a telephone interview with a Journal columnist this morning and informed of the situation. The campaign Web site and e-mail system were hacked from a remote location sometime between midnight and 10 a.m. today, campaign manager Ian Lang and Chafee Senate spokesman Stephen Hourahan confirmed at the senator's campaign headquarters later today. The staff members say they think they know who did it, and they do not believe it was politically motivated, but they would not elaborate. Staff members at Chafee's Warwick campaign headquarters say they could not access the site for a time this morning, and they could not send or receive e-mails. (Projo.com was able to view the site late this morning; at a glance, nothing seemed out of order.) The senator was in Washington, D.C., but is returning to Rhode Island today as previously planned. His campaign headquarters is on 2364 Post Road, Warwick. Chafee said, "Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of it" and apprehend who ever is responsible. -- With reports from Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst and Journal staff writer Katherine Gregg Posted by Jack Perry at 12:57 PM | Comment Pawtucket murder suspects arrested in FloridaThe police announced this morning that two men wanted for the shooting death of a Pawtucket woman in July have been arrested in Florida. Barry Offley, 19, of Woonsocket, and Alonzo P. Shelton, 28, of Central Falls, are facing first-degree murder charges in the death of 24-year-old Jessica C. Imran, of Pawtucket, and attempted murder charges in the shooting of 28-year-old Julie Lange, of Central Falls. The men are being held in the Marion County Jail in Florida, pending extradition hearings. The Marion County Sheriff's Department notified Pawtucket police of the arrests this morning. Florida authorities, working with the U.S. Marshall's Office, had set up a surveillance operation in Marion County over the past four weeks that led to the arrests, according to a statement released by the Pawtucket police. Offley and Shelton were featured on various national television shows in recent weeks, including America's Most Wanted. The police say the men are wanted for Imran's execution-style slaying that took place in Imran's apartment at 86-88 Lawn Ave. in the early morning hours of July 27. The state medical examiner has ruled that Imran's death was caused by a single gunshot wound to the head. Lange, who survived the attack despite being shot four times, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where she initially remained under police guard because of fears for her safety. Pawtucket police plan to hold a press conference this afternoon at 2:30 to discuss the situation. More to come on projo.com... -- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:32 PM | Comment Police probe fatal motorcycle crash in S. KingstownSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The police are still investigating a motorcycle accident on Route 1 yesterday that claimed the life of a South Kingstown man. David R. Buiniskas, 51, of 48 Erin Dr., was driving a 2000 Harley Davidson north on Route 1 around 5:49 p.m. in the low-speed lane when he crashed near the Jerry Brown Farm Road exit, according to the police. It appears Buiniskas lost control after hitting the chatter strip, said Capt. Jeffrey Allen. Officers responding to the scene found Buiniskas and his vehicle in the roadway. He was taken to South County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. -- Reported by Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:11 PM | Comment Carcieri plans Sept. 11 anniversary eventsPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today announced plans for the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. The governor will join with victims' families at 10 a.m. this Monday in the State House Bell Area, where there will be music, poetry readings and speeches by political and religious leaders. Musical selections will be performed by the Pilgrim High School Choir, Trinity Repertory Company’s Joe Wilson, Jr., vocalist Elizabeth Lewis and flutist John Curran of the Rhode Island Philharmonic music school. Carcieri will be joined by Rhode Island National Guard Maj. Gen. Robert Bray, Imam Ansari of the Muslim American Dawah Center of Rhode Island, the Rev. Frank Sevola of St. Francis Chapel, and Rabbi Peter Stein of Temple Sinai. Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:03 PM | Comment Senate delays vote on BoltonWASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Senate panel postponed a vote today on approving John Bolton as U.N. ambassador, a job he has held temporarily since last year when President Bush appointed him over Democratic opposition. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., gave no reason for the delay and did not say when the vote would be held. Bolton had been opposed by many Democrats but was expected to be confirmed by the Republican-led panel of which Rhode Island's Lincoln D. Chafee is a member. Lugar said he removed the nomination from the agenda of today's committee meeting after conferring with several senators. Bolton's approval by the committee would pave the way for a confirmation vote on the Senate floor. Read more about the Bolton confirmation vote and Chafee's role in a Journal story today. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:00 PM | Comment These political questions all have the same answerPROVIDENCE _ Each time, the correct answer was: Zero. The questions included: How many women now hold statewide office? How many women have been governor? How many women have been lieutenant governor? And how many women have represented Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate? “It is clear that Rh |
