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December 4, 2006

Teen killed in S. Kingstown crash ID'd

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The police today identified a 17-year-old boy who died after being seriously injured early Saturday after he lost control of his car on Saugatucket Road.

He was South Kingstown High School senior Joshua Braddock, of 624 Curtis Corner Rd.

Braddock was heading west on Saugatucket Road, just west of Broad Rock Road, at 1:17 a.m. on Saturday. He lost control of his 1999 Pontiac as he approached a right-hand curve along the slick roadway, the police said. The car flipped over after it veered into the woods off the left side of the road.

Braddock, who was traveling alone, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he died, the police said.

The police are trying to determine where Braddock was coming from and whom he was with before the crash, Capt. Jeffrey Allen said.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:06 PM | Comment

A first: Some candidates inspect ballots

PROVIDENCE -- For the first time in state history, some candidates personally inspected ballots cast in their races today.

Candidates in the races for the East Providence City Council and House District 72 spent an hour and a half at the state Board of Elections this afternoon pouring through dozens of copies of provisional ballots and ballots that had been rejected by voting machines.

In each race, the inclusion of the ballots checked today would make a difference. But not, apparently, enough of a difference to change the initial outcome of either race.

East Providence former assistant Schools Supt. Isadore Ramos would increase his 16-vote lead over current Mayor Joseph Larisa Jr. by 9 votes if counting provisional ballots -- those cast by those voters in the wrong precinct.

And incumbent state Rep. Amy G. Rice would lose two votes in her battle against Republican John Robataille in the House race, but would continue to lead by seven votes.

Neither Larisa nor Robataille conceded today, stating that they would see their challenge through to the end. The inspection process will continue later in the week when state elections officials make available copies of absentee ballots on Wednesday.

“I’m not disappointed [that the inspected ballots so far, if challenged,
would not change the end result],” Larisa said today. “I’ve said from the start I
want everyone who voted to have their votes count. I am happy we’re looking
at every vote.”

The Board of Elections strongly opposed the inspection, stating it would
compromise the objectivity of the election process.

Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato ordered the board to make available for public scrutiny all absentee, provisional ballots as well as those counted manually by election officials and rejected by the voting machines at the candidates’ recount.

The state Supreme Court upheld Fortunato's ruling.

-- Journal staff writer Alisha A. Pina

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:03 PM | Comment

Market for Manny Ramirez may be waning

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The chances of the Red Sox trading Manny Ramirez appeared to shrink today. Baseball's executives and general managers have gathered here for the sport's annual winter meetings, and the Ramirez market appeared to be tapering off on the first day of meetings.

Read more of Sean McAdam's report on the Red Sox blog, and check back for updates as they become available.

Posted by Art at 4:43 PM | Comment

UMass Dartmouth expands its ROTC program

The U.S. Army and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth have expanded Reserve Officers Training Corps programs on the Dartmouth campus.

Many Dartmouth students in ROTC used to attend the program at Providence College and transferred credits back to their own school, UMass Dartmouth spokesman John Hoey said.

Now, Dartmouth students can enroll in the program at their own school.

Dartmouth opened its own ROTC office at the beginning of this semester, Hoey said.

The Dartmouth campus was responding to student interest in the ROTC program, Hoey said. Over the years, Dartmouth students and high school students considering Dartmouth frequently ask about the presence of ROTC on campus, he said.

“We’re here to serve students, and we believe this is responding to a student demand and desire,” Hoey said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:52 PM | Comment

E. Greenwich man dies in Route 4 crash

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- An East Greenwich man died today after the station wagon he was driving slammed into a pick-up truck sitting in the breakdown lane on Route 4 north.

The 49-year-old driver, Jeffrey P. Carden, of 53 Nichols Lane, East Greenwich, was pronounced dead at Kent Hospital in Warwick.

The police said George Ainsworth pulled his 2004 Ford pick-up truck into the breakdown lane about a quarter mile north of West Allentown Road at 9:57 a.m. so he could make a cell phone call.

Witnesses said a 1995 Taurus station wagon was being driven erratically on Route 4 north just before it smashed into the left rear of Ainsworth’s truck, Lt. Carlton Aruda said. The wagon continued about 30 feet, eventually stopping down a small embankment on the east side of the highway.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Ainsworth, 58, of West Kingston, was taken to South County Hospital, where he was treated and released. He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Officers do not think Carden was wearing a seatbelt. His airbags deployed, Aruda said.

The police department is awaiting an autopsy report from the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:27 PM | Comment

Driver gets 8 years for crash that killed N. Providence teen

PROVIDENCE – The driver whose reckless maneuver caused the accident that cut short the life of a North Providence High School student was sentenced this morning to eight years behind bars.

Jacob D. Bilodeau, 25, of 16 Vinton St., Providence, tearfully apologized today in Superior Court for the July 19, 2004, accident, which occurred when he cut in front of a Jeep carrying Louis J. Salvatore, 17, and three of his classmates and put his foot on the brakes as they were traveling south on Route 295.

“I cannot be more sorry for what happened,” Bilodeau said, addressing Judge Robert D. Krause in a courtroom filled with Salvatore’s friends and family members. “I wish there was something that I could do to mend it. But I can’t. I can only ask for forgiveness. … I will never, ever do anything like that again.”

Krause was unmoved. Referring to a sentencing memo prepared by Stephen Regine, the assistant attorney general who prosecuted Bilodeau, Krause noted that on five different occasions the defendant had been stopped for “roaring down the highway at speeds of over 90 miles per hour.”

On the night of the accident, Krause told Bilodeau he showed “a wanton disregard for the safety of others and a heedless indifference to the consequences of your actions.”

“Frustrated with the exceedingly slow pace” of Salvatore’s vehicle on the Exit 7 on-ramp to Route 295 southbound, the judge said Bilodeau “decided to teach him a lesson” by cutting in front of him and putting his foot on the brakes once both cars were on the highway.

The cars were so close Salvatore swerved to avoid crashing into Bilodeau’s car, and in the process lost control of his vehicle, according to trial testimony.

-- Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Although Bilodeau testified that he had only tapped the brakes to get Salvatore to stop tailgating him, Krause clearly didn’t buy it: “You are, in a word, behind the wheel of a car uncivilized and dangerous,” the judge said.

He gave Bilodeau the maximum on both of the charges for which he was convicted – 10 years for reckless driving, death resulting, and 15 years for leaving the scene of an accident – but suspended part of the sentence and ordered that the two terms be served concurrently.

The bottom line was a prison term of eight years, as long as the one that Regine sought.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:48 PM | Comment

Bishop Tobin released from hospital

PROVIDENCE -- The Most Rev. Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence, was released from Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence this morning after treatment for back and leg pain, according to the Diocese of Providence.

Tobin, who was admitted to the hospital Nov. 28, will continue his recovery at home and will gradually resume his public schedule, the diocese says.

Tobin, in a statement, said he was grateful for the hospital staff and also for the cards, gifts and prayers he received.

"It is good to be home during this blessed Advent season, and I look forward to resuming my full schedule of activities as soon as possible," Tobin said.

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:30 PM | Comment

Travel lanes re-opened after fatal crash on Route 4

NORTH KINGSTOWN – All travel lanes are open again after a fatal accident on Route 4 northbound near Oak Hill Road.

The North Kingstown Police have said little about the crash, other than that it was a fatal accident.

The right lane and shoulder of the roadway were closed this morning after a two-car crash, according to a statement issued by the state Department of Transportation’s Transportation Management Center. One car was off the road this morning on the right side, according to the TMC.

As emergency vehicles worked to clear the scene this morning, the left lane was open for northbound travel.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:13 PM | Comment

Driver to serve 8 years as probation violator after fatal crash

PROVIDENCE -- A Woonsocket man has been sentenced to serve eight years in prison after a Superior Court judge ruled he violated the terms of his probation for driving drunk during a crash that killed three of his friends.

Patrick G. Coyle was serving an 8-year suspended sentence for selling drugs when he crashed his car on October 29, according to the police, who believe Coyle was drunk.

The three men killed in the crash at Winter Street and Harris Avenue in Woonsocket were brothers Victor and Steven Vasquez, 24 and 21, and Travis Thifault, 20.

Superior Court Judge Gilbert V. Indeglia ruled today that Coyle was driving drunk in violation of the terms of his probation. Indeglia ordered Coyle to serve the full eight years.

"In my mind there's no question that on this night the defendant Mr. Coyle was driving the automobile, and he was doing it in the most reckless of manners," Indeglia said.

A grand jury investigation is under way to determine what charges, if any, will be filed against Coyle.

-- With reports from projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 12:57 PM | Comment

Gas prices keep climbing

PROVIDENCE -- The price of gas continues to climb.

The price of a gallon of regular gas is up to an average $2.30 a gallon, an increase of several cents since last week. That's according to AAA Southern New England and the state Energy Office.

Gas prices have been steadily rising for the last several weeks. The price of gas is about 13 percent higher than at this time last year.

The price of home heating oil is averaging $2.45 a gallon, eight cents higher than last week and a few pennies higher than at this time last year.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:55 PM | Comment

Update: Report praises Hope High's progress

Journal photo / Kris Craig
Hope's Arts Principal Scott Sutherland, far right, makes fellow Leadership Principal Wayne Montague, far left, and IT Principal Arthur Petrosinelli laugh during an interview this morning discussing the school's final progress report.

PROVIDENCE -- In his final report to the state education commissioner, special master Nicholas Donohue called Hope High School a success story in progress.

Over the past 18 months, progress at Hope has been “enormous,” said Donohue, who was appointed by Commissioner Peter McWalters to oversee the school’s state-mandated reform. “The staff has responded heroically.The three lead administrators have handled a Herculean effort well and continue to learn and grow.

“The students demonstrate seriousness about school and a sense of belonging,” he added. “While parent participation is lower than most would like, the creation of deep, meaningful community partnerships with a number of local institutions of higher education has exceeded expectations. By any reasonable measure, progress overall at Hope has been excellent.”

That said, much work remains to be done. Donohue said the physical condition of Hope High School remains “an embarrassment.” The elevator took weeks to repair. The auditorium, which was deluged with rain shortly before graduation last spring, is being taken care of slowly, and technology is not repaired in a timely manner.

Donohue said the lack of preparedness of students entering the high school is a significant problem. Practically no freshmen arrive capable of performing at grade level in English and math.

Extra: Look back at Journal coverage of Hope High, including a special report, "Hope: Inside a high school."

-- Journal staff writer Linda Borg

The other major challenge is the persistent tide of new students arriving at Hope long after the school year begins.

“Kids are constantly being assigned to the building,” Donohue said. “That means the school is constantly revisiting the norms for expected behavior.”

But the single greatest impediment threatening not only Hope’s progress but that of the city’s other large high schools is what Donohue calls the school department’s lack of capacity at the administrative level. This is not a criticism of the quality and dedication of the school department’s staff, he said. Rather, it means that central office doesn’t have enough people to help individual schools do things like analyze their testing data or train a new a cadre of principals.

In March 2005, McWalters hired Donohue to monitor Hope’s compliance with his intervention order, which included breaking the 1,200-student school into three smaller learning academies. McWalters ordered the major school redesign after Hope repeatedly failed to make progress on student performance, attendance and dropout rates.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:20 PM | Comment

Man accused of assaulting 2 women who gave him ride

A 26-year-old Massachusetts man has been arrested on several charges stemming from an attack on two women he asked for a ride home from a Providence nightclub early yesterday morning.

Kevin A. Lima, of 6 Garrison Lane in Acushnet, Mass., is accused by the police in Westport, Mass., of assaulting the women and dragging one from the car she had been driving.

He is also accused of stealing the car and giving the police a false ID that he obtained in his job as a car salesman, where he allegedly stole the driver’s license of a prospective customer who took a car out for a test drive.

Today, the police identified the women Lima is accused of assaulting as Tonya Stanton, 20, of North Easton, Mass., who had been driving the car, and Natalya Tavares, 18, of Fall River, Mass., who had been in the front passenger seat.

Lima met the women at a Providence nightclub, The Complex, and asked them for a ride to Dartmouth, Mass., according to Westport Police Sgt. Jeff Majewski. He apparently began arguing with the women when they asked him to leave the car while they were en route to Dartmouth.

From the back seat, according to Majewski, Lima punched Tavares repeatedly while trying to wrest control of the steering wheel from Stanton.

The attack caused Stanton to stop driving while on State Road in Westport. Police said Lima pulled her out of the driver’s seat and punched her repeatedly and then fled the area with the vehicle.

Stanton, who was trying to hold onto the vehicle, was dragged approximately 200 feet. She has been released from Charlton Memorial Hospital, according to Majewski. Tavares required no emergency medical care, the police said.

Lima was to be arraigned in Fall River District Court on multiple charges including carjacking, assault and battery, larceny of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:49 AM | Comment

Point Street overpass to open tomorrow

The state Department of Transportation announced today that it expects the Point Street overpass over Route 95 to open tomorrow for the morning commute.

Engineering problems on the project have caused delays and overruns – the cost has grown more than 75 percent.

Striping of the roadway that was set for today couldn’t be done because of this morning’s rain and snow, the DOT said in a statement. In the beginning, bridge lanes will be delineated with barrels, and the striping will be done later this week, weather permitting, the DOT said.

The overpass was demolished in 2002. Construction of the new structure began immediately thereafter.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:51 AM | Comment

Bush accepts Bolton's U.N. resignation

WASHINGTON -- Unable to win Senate confirmation, U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will step down when his temporary appointment expires within weeks, the White House said today.

Bolton's nomination has languished in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than a year, blocked by Democrats and several Republicans.

U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, a moderate Republican who lost in the midterm elections Nov. 7 that swept Democrats to power in both houses of Congress, was adamantly opposed to Bolton.

Critics have questioned Bolton's brusque style and whether he could be an effective public servant who could help bring reform to the U.N.

President Bush, in a statement, said he was "deeply disappointed that a handful of United States senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the Senate."

-- Read the full Associated Press story

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:46 AM | Comment

Download today's front page

An aquaculture project and Hillary Clinton's presidential plans lead today's Journal.

Download file

Posted by Peter Phipps at 9:03 AM | Comment

ACLU to file lawsuit over students' signs at RIC

PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island branch of the ACLU is holding a news conference today to announce the filing of a lawsuit against Rhode Island College.

The ACLU says the college violated students' free speech rights when it ordered them to take down signs bearing the message ``Take Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries.''

The conflict began last year after campus police removed the signs.

A spokeswoman for the university said at the time that the school was committed to free speech but had rules about where signs are permitted.

The ACLU says its lawsuit will also challenge a new sign policy that the college adopted.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:05 AM | Comment

Traffic: Watch out for slick roads

With rain having changed to snow across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, it's gotten harder to see, and the roads are getting slick.

Route 195 West in Providence had already backed up before 7 a.m.

Surface temperatures should remain above freezing, so roadways should remain wet, according to the National Weather Service.

Drier air should cause the wet snow to end between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., the weather service says.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:10 AM | Comment

It's snowing / Photo

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Trevor Warren, 10, a fifth-grade student at Kent Heights School in East Providence, enjoys the feel of the snow on his face this morning as he stands at his post as a member of the school safety patrol watching out for other children as they walk to school.

PROVIDENCE -- The rain has turned to wet snow across Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, and the National Weather Service is calling for periods of snow to continue, mainly before 9 a.m.

It shouldn't amount to more than one inch, the weather service says. Some snow is accumulating on grass, but the roads should stay wet, according to the weather service.

No school cancellations were reported.

The temperature is 32 degrees in Providence and visibility is less than a half mile.

Drier air from the northwest should stop the snow from northwest to southeast between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

"This is not expected to be a big deal," the weather service says, adding that the sun will be out this afternoon, although it will stay cold.

For more weather information and updates, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:05 AM | Comment