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September 25, 2006

Lawyer: Urciuoli sought ramifications of Celona's ambitions

John 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 63

NORTH 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 casino

A 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.

-- Journal staff writers Scott Mayerowitz and Andrea L. Stape, with reports from The Associated Press

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 car

Randy 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.

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
role it plays in our prosperity,” he said. “And as a consequence of that, they
are prone to do silly things.”

-- 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

University of Rhode Island today kicks off its 10th annual Diversity Week. or Fiesta4a de Diversidad, featuring Cape Verdean dancers and musicians, the URI Breakdancing Club and Alima Interactive Dance Associates. Above, Aukeeteamitch Brown, left, and her son, Sassacus Brown, both of the Narragansett Indian tribe, watch Pedro Fermino, of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, as he sings a song while others dance.

Posted by Pam Cotter at 4:00 PM | Comment

RIPEC: State could lose $1 billion if casino approved

Rhode 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

EAST PROVIDENCE -- A Massachusetts man wanted for a murder last night in the Rumford area was shot and apprehended by New York City police this morning.

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 fall

PROVIDENCE -- 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 Providence

PROVIDENCE – 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 90

WARREN -- 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 amnesty

This 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 award

NARRAGANSETT -- 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 grants

CRANSTON -- 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, pols

Port 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 tonight

PROVIDENCE -- 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 spill

PROVIDENCE -- 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 while

PROVIDENCE -- 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