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September 11, 2006

Journal asks court to open Derderian jury process

WARWICK -- 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

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Charles Birkby of the Northeast Navy Band plays taps in commemoration of those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The annual ceremony at the Naval War College in Newport honors 10 students and alumni who were killed in the attack on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:21 PM | Comment

Dead whale washes up on Block Island / Photo

Photo courtesy of Susan Filippone

NEW SHOREHAM -- A decomposing whale washed up today near Scotch Beach on Block Island's northeast shore, attracting curious viewers and emitting a strong odor that drifted toward town.

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/EEE

PROVIDENCE -- 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.

-- WIth reports from Journal staff writer Michael McKinney and the Associated Press

“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.

-- WIth reports from Journal staff writer Michael McKinney and the Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:15 PM | Comment

Cicilline orders flags lowered in recognition of 9/11

PROVIDENCE -- 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

Journal photo / John Freidah
Richard DelleFemine of East Providence, who lost his sister Carol Buchard in the World Trade Center attacks, represents the 9/11 families in laying a wreath during a ceremony today at the State House.

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 jury

PROVIDENCE -- 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 Iraq

A 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 horse

The 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 Seattle

The 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.

Your turn: React to the Deion Branch trade

Read the Associated Press story

Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:07 PM | Comment

New England mariners: Look out for Florence

The 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 today

WARWICK – 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 cents

Gasoline 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 breakwater

NARRAGANSETT - - 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 case

PROVIDENCE -- 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 Island

PROVIDENCE – 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 coast

PROVIDENCE – 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