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« November 30, 2006 | Today | December 4, 2006 » December 1, 2006Portsmouth school dept. sues town for $1.1MThe Portsmouth School Department sued the town today, asking the Superior Court to order municipal officials to increase the local appropriation to the schools by $1.1 million. The requested funds include an estimated deficit in ordinary expenses of $770,167, as well as $125,000 to pay for an efficiency audit of the school system and a little more than $200,000 for legal fees connected with the lawsuit. Earlier this week, the School Committee voted 4-3 to take legal action under provisions of the so-called Caruolo Act to recover revenue cut by voters at a special Financial Town Meeting in August. By a margin of fewer than 100 votes, residents overrode the Town Council and reduced the school budget by $1.1 million. The issue of school funding has divided the town for months – to the point where critics of the decision to take legal action questioned the morality and ethics of Democratic School Committee members who voted in favor of it. -- Journal staff writer Gina Macris Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:57 PM | Comment Suspect insisted he was not driver in fatal crashPROVIDENCE — Additional testimony today revealed that Patrick G. Coyle repeatedly told officers he was not driving at the time of the Oct. 29 accident that killed three of his friends in Woonsocket. In the second day of the violation hearing to determine whether the single-car accident violated the terms of Coyle’s probation, prosecutors called Coyle's behavior after the crash "egregious." Coyle, 21, told police and rescue personnel that Travis Thifault, whose mangled body was found in the passenger seat minutes after the accident, had been driving. Assistant Attorney General Stephen Regine called this a “hallmark case” for drinking-and-driving accidents. “He denies driving and blames it on someone else,” Regine said of Coyle. Thifault, 20, as well as brothers Steven and Victor Vasquez, 21 and 24, respectively, died in the high-speed crash. Throughout today's hearing, defense attorney Mark Smith challenged the prosecution’s claim that Coyle was driving. A judge will determine whether Coyle violated his probation on Monday. Coyle faces up to eight years in prison for a 2005 drug charge. -- Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:53 PM | Comment AG Lynch calls on Carcieri to fill PUC vacanciesPROVIDENCE -- State Attorney General Patrick Lynch called on Governor Carcieri to abide by state law and appoint two new members to the state's Public Utilities Commission. The commission, which currently has three members but is required by law to have five, sets utility rates for the state. Lynch said that the addition of two members would help control energy costs. "In these times of high energy prices, I believe an expanded membership of the PUC will help ensure that the voices and concerns of all Rhode Islander ratepayers are heard, and hopefully protected,” Lynch said. The governor's spokesman Jeff Neal said this afternoon that Carcieri doesn't agree with Lynch. "It isn’t clear to Governor Carcieri that expanding the number of PUC members is a good idea," Neal said. "The PUC has already enacted one rate reduction this year and is considering another."
In addition, Neal noted that each member of the commission makes roughly $80,000 each year with salary and benefits and the positions weren't budgeted in the state budget approved by the General Assembly. "The money’s not there to pay them now," Neal said. But isn't the governor required to fill the positions by law? "The statute has been passed, but the General Assembly has not been provided the money," Neal said. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:10 PM | Comment Update: High court allows for public review of ballotsPROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court refused to block a lower court's ruling this afternoon, clearing the way for candidates locked in tight races to review rejected ballots over the strong objection of the state Board of Elections. Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. ruled earlier in the week that the challenger in an East Providence City Council race may have access to photocopies of dozens of ballots that had been rejected by voting machines. The Board of Elections promptly filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court, asking the high court to stay Fortunato's decision. Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg met in chambers for about a half hour today with lawyers for the state Board of Elections, East Providence Mayor Joseph Larisa and his challenger, Isadore Ramos, who leads Larisa by 16 votes. Also present in the meeting were lawyers for District 72 House seat candidates Amy G. Rice, who leads political newcomer John Robitaille by 9 votes. McKenna then referred the matter to the full court, which released an order this afternoon stating that it would not issue a stay, in effect allowing Fortunato's ruling to stand. The court gave no immediate explanation for its decision. The state Board of Elections has consistently argued that such inspection of photocopied ballots would compromise the objectivity of the election process and be extremely labor intensive. The head of the Board of Elections said this afternoon that he would comply with the Supreme Court's request, though it would likely take weeks, not days to collect the ballots in question associated with the East Providence and District 72 races. Board Chairman Thomas V. Iannitti said he was disappointed that the Supreme Court took just two hours to review the case, given the vast implications of the ruling. The board would begin to collect sufficient staff to collect the ballots in question, Iannitti said, noting that more than 100 people are needed. The matter is almost certain to return to court in the coming weeks, as candidates may seek to have some rejected ballots counted. -- Projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples with reports from Journal staff writer Alisha A. Pina Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:54 PM | Comment Weather update: High winds on the wayThe National Weather Service issued an alert this afternoon warning Rhode Island residents that damaging thunderstorms may roll into the area in the coming hours. Thunderstorms should enter western portions of Massachusetts and Connecticut at around 6 p.m. and sweep eastward from there at about 50 mph, according to the weather service. The storms are capable of producing heavy rain, wind gusts around 60 mph and even an isolated tornado. Western Massachusetts and western Connecticut are likely to be the worst hit areas as the huge storm in Ohio moves into this region, according to Glenn Field, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. “Even an isolated tornado or two cannot be ruled out,” the National Weather Service reported. “This is a potentially dangerous situation and people in southern New England should monitor later statements on this developing weather situation.” Get the latest weather conditions, live radar and Providence Webcam view / How to report power outages -- projo.com staff writers Kate Bramson and Steve Peoples Southern New England can get one to three tornadoes a year, but in the summertime, typically, Field said. The last big tornado that occurred late in the tornado season was Oct. 3, 1979, just north of Hartford, Conn., he said. With winds expected to reach 70 miles per hour about 1,000 feet off the ground by this afternoon, thunderstorms and even rain showers can bring those winds down to ground level at 50 to 60 miles per hour, Field said. More than the chance of a tornado, people should really focus on those winds. “The majority of the threat for today is damaging winds,” he said. “We don’t want to emphasize a tornado because that’s an outside possibility.” Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:19 PM | Comment Newport mansion Miramar sells for $17M
Photo courtesy of Sheldon Good & Co.Miramar, styled after 18th-century French neo-classical mansions, fronts the famous Cliff Walk.
Property records at City Hall listed the buyer as 646 Bellevue Ave LLC. The agent for the corporation, lawyers from the law firm of Adler Pollock & Sheehan, could not yet be reached today for additional information. Miramar, built nearly a century ago, includes a mansion, a carriage house and a vacant waterfront lot. The 7.8 acre-estate did not sell when it was put on the market two years ago for $25 million. It is owned by real estate developer Andrew Panteleakis, who is 79 and ill. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:58 PM | Comment Photo: Enchanted by a forest of Christmas trees
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:35 PM | Comment One more Station fire document released todayPROVIDENCE -- One additional page of evidence collected during the investigation of The Station nightclub fire was released today. The Attorney General’s Office intended to release the page on Wednesday, when the office released about 3,000 pages of documents in response to a public records request from The Providence Journal and other news outlets, spokesman Michael J. Healey said today. The second page of a state police memo about an interview with the West Warwick town clerk had been inadvertently omitted, Healey said. According to the memo, a tape recorder might not have activated or the West Warwick town clerk may have forgotten to turn it on when brothers Michael A. and Jeffrey A. Derderian appeared before the Town Council on or around March 21, 2000. The Derderians were before the Town Council for the transfer of the dance and live band license at The Station nightclub from the prior owner, Howard Jullian. The tape recording the town clerk had of that meeting began midway through the council meeting, after the item on the agenda when the Derderians addressed the council, according to the memo written by State Police Sgt. Brian K. Casilli to Capt. Steven O’Donnell. According to newspaper accounts and statements made by their attorneys, the Derderians addressed the council and spoke about sound-deafening foam being placed in the club, the memo states. Detectives also spoke with Clayton about a memorandum “that was supplied with Town of West Warwick records” and was “created by or for The Station nightclub.” Dated March 21, 2000, that memo details “that sound dampening measures, including sound retardant insulation, had been employed.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson The fire began when a band's pyrotechnics ignited the flammable foam surrounding the stage. The fast-moving blaze killed 100 people. Clayton told the state police that the memo was most likely submitted with the dance and live band license application. He told the police he could not recall if the memo was presented at that 2001 council meeting The additional page was released today after The Journal noticed that the memorandum appeared to end mid-sentence and asked about it. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:20 PM | Comment Third man charged in PlayStation shootingDANIELSON, Conn. -- A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a man waiting to buy a new PlayStation 3 two weeks ago in Putnam -- which is just across the Rhode Island border. Armando Guzman, 29, of Southbridge, Mass., was charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault and other crimes following his arrest in Webster, Mass., late last night, Connecticut state police said. Guzman waived extradition to Connecticut after a court appearance in Massachusetts today and was being held on $1 million bond at the state police barracks in Danielson. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Danielson Superior Court. Guzman and two other men are accused of attempting to rob a group of people waiting outside the Putnam Wal-Mart to purchase PlayStation 3 consoles in the early morning hours of Nov. 17, the first day they went on sale. -- The Associated Press Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:00 PM | Comment High school Super Bowl coverage on projo.comCheck projo.com's high school sports blog tomorrow for results from all four Super Bowl games, which we will report soon after the games end. We'll also have photo galleries from all four games, and Sunday morning we'll have game stories from all four games Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:41 PM | Comment Update: Divers search Newport Harbor after boat sinks / Photo
The dive team was called at around 4 a.m. because of a report that two people had possibly been aboard the boat named Hope, which had been tied up at the N. Parascandolo and Sons dock, Newport Police Sgt. Charles Silvia said this morning. It's unclear at this time if anyone actually was on the boat. After searching for about two hours, the dive team ended its search at 6:35 a.m., Jamestown Fire Capt. Keith Godena said. The U.S. Coast is working in the harbor now to assess the amount of fuel that leaked into the water and to contain what’s there, Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Pinneo said. They don’t know yet whether the fuel is concentrated enough that they’ll be able to clean it up, he said. Investigators have been told that 1,000 gallons of diesel was on board the boat, but all of that may not have leaked out of the boat’s fuel tanks, Pinneo said. The boat’s owner is apparently considering hiring a diver to plug up vents on the boat to stop the fuel leak, Pinneo said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:35 PM | Comment Deal reached to sell Fall River, Taunton newspapersThe Journal Register Co. of Pennsylvania announced today it has struck a deal to sell its seven Massachusetts publications, including The Herald News of Fall River and the Taunton Daily Gazette, to GateHouse Media Inc. of New York for $70 million. The deal does not include its 19 Rhode Island publications, which it also put up for sale in August. Among Journal Register's Rhode Island newspapers still on the auction block are The Call of Woonsocket, The Times of Pawtucket, Kent County Daily Times of West Warwick and the Warwick Daily Times. "The Company is continuing its review of the potential sale of its remaining properties in its New England Cluster located in Rhode Island," the Journal Register said in a statement announcing the sale of its Massachusetts holdings. GateHouse is an emerging newspaper company that has grown through a series of acquisitions in the last couple years. It already owns a number of Massachusetts newspapers, incuding dailies in Quincy, Brockton and Framingham. The company recently went public in an intial public offering with the stated intent of using the money raised to fund more newspaper acquisitions. "The Fall River and Taunton assets fit extremely well with our existing base of Massachusetts-area publications and are the premiere local media franchises in their respective markets," Michael E. Reed, CEO of GateHouse Media said in a statement. "In addition, due to their proximity to our existing operations, we will be able to benefit from the cost savings and revenue generation opportunities that are inherent in being part of a cluster." Seven Massachusetts newspapers are involved in the deal: the two dailies, three weeklies and two shopper publications. Posted by at 1:20 PM | Comment Lisi named first woman chief judge for R.I. federal courtPROVIDENCE -- A new chief judge for the federal district court in Rhode Island, and for the first time, there's a woman in the job. U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi takes over the top spot on the court today, following the retirement of Judge Ernest Torres. Lisi was also the first woman to serve as a district judge in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island. The chief judge has a leadership role in court management in addition to her regular duties on the bench. She also speaks for the other judges on the court. Lisi is being appointed for a seven-year term. By law, the chief judge is the most senior active district judge who is under 65 years of age and who has not previously served as chief judge. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 1:02 PM | Comment Rosa Parks march set for this afternoonPROVIDENCE -- A group will mark the 51st anniversary of the arrest of Rosa Parks by marching through Providence this afternoon. The Rosa Parks Human Rights Day Committee plans to meet at 2:30 p.m. on Broad Street across from the Crossroads building. The group is scheduled to begin marching at 3:30 p.m. down Prairie Avenue to the South Side Boys and Girls Club at the corner of Oxford Street. Rosa Parks was arrested on Dec. 1 1956 for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Posted by Steve Peoples at 11:53 AM | Comment High winds could damage property, knock out powerStrong winds this morning that are only expected to get stronger throughout the day threaten damage throughout southern New England. Western Massachusetts and western Connecticut are likely to be the worst hit areas as the huge storm in Ohio moves closer to this region, according to Glenn Field, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. Tracking the storms throughout the country, the weather service this morning issued a special statement saying it cannot rule out the unusual possibility of a tornado today – quite late in the season. “Even an isolated tornado or two cannot be ruled out,” the National Weather Service reported. “This is a potentially dangerous situation and people in southern New England should monitor later statements on this developing weather situation.” Southern New England can get one to three tornadoes a year, but in the summertime, typically, Field said. The last big tornado that occurred late in the tornado season was Oct. 3, 1979, just north of Hartford, Conn., he said. With winds expected to reach 70 miles per hour about 1,000 feet off the ground by this afternoon, thunderstorms and even rain showers can bring those winds down to ground level at 50 to 60 miles per hour, Field said. More than the chance of a tornado, people should really focus on those winds. “The majority of the threat for today is damaging winds,” he said. “We don’t want to emphasize a tornado because that’s an outside possibility.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:03 AM | Comment Midwest storms affecting air travel in R.I.Winter storms in the Midwest may be causing flights to be delayed or canceled. As sleet, snow and freezing rain are coating areas of the Midwest, certain flights this morning from T.F. Green Airport to Chicago have already been canceled. United Airlines, which has already canceled at least three flights from Providence to Chicago, warns air travelers to check their flight status before going to the airport. Travelers can check online, call 1-800-United-1 for arrival and departure information or register for automatic updates to their phones or e-mail accounts. Other flight information is available on the airport’s Web site and the sites for individual airlines. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:36 AM | Comment Welcome, December, and 68 degreesPROVIDENCE – By 6:35 a.m., it was already 61 degrees, and temps are expected to rise to 68 later today. What a start to a new month after the second warmest November in Rhode Island on record. However, we hope you’re ready for some drastic changes. Heavy rain showers and thunderstorms – yes, in December – are possible after 3 this afternoon, and they could be severe with damaging winds. They’ll develop ahead of a cold front that’s moving in this evening. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook and a high wind warning. We’ll have a nice sunny Saturday and a potentially rainy Sunday. Then, we’ve got a chance of rain and snow combined on Sunday evening and Monday. Check back with us throughout the day for the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:04 AM | Comment Check out today's Journal front pageToday's Journal front page includes coverage of President Bush's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. It also has reaction from survivors of The Station nightclub fire to revelations in recently released documents that the West Warwick fire marshal didn't notice highly flammable foam covering the club's walls and ceilings. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006