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December 7, 2006

Look, up in the sky -- it could be shuttle Discovery

If there's a break in the clouds tonight, two things could happen -- the space shuttle Discovery could launch from its pad in Florida and you might be able to see it here in Rhode Island.

The shuttle is on track for a 9:35 p.m. liftoff. But cloud cover and increasing winds could force a postponement of the first night launch in four years.

But if it does take off with its seven-astronaut crew, the shuttle and its trail may become visible along the Eastern Seaboard.

Skies over southeastern New England are shifting from today's clear blue to mostly cloudy, with snow in the forecast overnight.

Still, if a window does appear, viewers in the Northeast are advised to look low in the south or south-southwest skies about six to eight minutes after launch. The Web site space.com says Discovery should look like a bright, pulsating star with a yellowish-orange glow. Those armed with binoculars may be able to see its v-shaped contrail.

But the first task, space.com warns, is to confirm that the shuttle has launched. You can view NASA's broadcast live here.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:00 PM | Comment

Survivor Hatch appeals tax evasion conviction

PROVIDENCE -- Survivor winner Richard Hatch appealed his tax evasion conviction today, saying the judge prevented him from raising allegations of cheating during filming of the debut season of the CBS reality TV show.

The Rhode Island resident was convicted last January of failing to pay taxes on his $1 million Survivor prize and other income. He was sentenced in May to more than four years in federal prison.

His lawyers filed a brief with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston seeking to have the convictions overturned and reiterating accusations of cheating first raised outside the jury's presence during the trial.

Hatch maintains he caught the show's producers cheating by smuggling food to other contestants during taping, and that they struck a deal to pay his taxes if he went on to win the competition.

Hatch's lawyer, Michael Minns, told U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres of the allegations during a break in testimony but never asked his client about it when he was on the stand.

Thomas Connell, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Rhode Island, said the government would file a reply brief, probably sometime in January.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:55 PM | Comment

ACLU in line for big pay day in training-school suit

PROVIDENCE — A federal judge says the American Civil Liberties Union may receive court-awarded legal fees when it prevails in U.S. District Court. The decision overturns a 2002 state Supreme Court opinion that barred lawyers from sharing legal fees with the ACLU.

The ruling, by Senior U.S. District Judge Ronald R. Lagueux, means the ACLU’s National Prison Project can receive $201,578 in legal fees for representing juvenile inmates in legal action over conditions at the Rhode Island Training School, ACLU officials said today.

And it means that in the future the local ACLU will not lose a major source of money for the lawsuits it files over issues of discrimination, open government, free speech, free press and freedom of religion, officials said.

“It’s a very welcome decision,” said Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU’s Rhode Island Affiliate.

Brown said the ACLU files many of its lawsuits in federal court. But he said the group is still barred from sharing in legal fees awarded in state courts because of the Supreme Court ruling.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:40 PM | Comment

Photo: Warm-weather antics

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Jamie Khang, left, 15, and Kavy Thamma,16, both of Providence, enjoy the warm weather -- and perhaps not so warm water -- at Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln this afternoon. Area temps were in the unseasonably mild 50s today, with scattered clouds against blue skies, and a light west wind.

Tonight, clouds are expected to move in, bringing a chance of showers. The thermometer will drop into the upper 20s, and winds will turn northwest, with gusts up 30 mph after midnight.

Brace yourself: There's even a chance of snow showers tomorrow morning. But skies are expected to clear by tomorrow night, with temps in the 20s.

Get the latest weather conditions and forecasts.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:50 PM | Comment

Update: Police accused of cutting PlayStation3 line

PROVIDENCE -- Two police officers are under investigation for allegedly using their influence to skip a long line of shoppers waiting to buy the PlayStation3 video game system the day it went on sale.

A Providence and a Warwick police officer were among seven people whom two security officers allowed to bypass a long line of customers waiting to buy the popular video game system at the Providence Place Mall on Nov. 17, according to Channel 10 (WJAR).

Those two security officers lost their jobs “very soon after” the incident, according to spokesperson Larry Rubin for AlliedBarton Security Services, the company that provides security at the mall for common and exterior areas.

Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman didn't identify the officer, but he says the officer will be disciplined.

Warwick Police Chief Steve McCartney says a second officer was from his department, and he calls the allegations disturbing. His department is conducting an internal investigation and could take disciplinary action.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

McCartney said this morning that he cannot name the officer or speak further about the incident while that investigation continues because of the requirements of the state Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. The bill of rights is a statute that, in part, forbids city officials from disclosing disciplinary charges against a police officer unless that officer is found guilty in a hearing convened in accordance with the statute.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:05 PM | Comment

Update: Bulldozer ruptures Pawtucket gas line

PAWTUCKET – A gas main break late this morning on Grotto Avenue caused an evacuation of a nearby condominium complex.

The gas has since been turned off, and no one was injured, according to fire marshals at the scene of the break.

“The area is safe now,” National Grid spokeswoman Debbie Drew said in a phone interview.

Contrary to an earlier report, the nearby Nathanael Greene Elementary School in Pawtucket was not evacuated. Children on the playground two-tenths of a mile from where the gas main was ruptured were told to go back inside, fire marshals said.

The gas main was ruptured during construction work at a commercial condominium complex under construction at 241 Grotto Ave. The owner of the property, Nick Africo, was operating a bulldozer and ran over a two-inch plastic gas line installed a couple months ago. Fire marshals at the scene said they could hear the gas whistling out of the pipe when they responded to the incident.

National Grid turned off the gas. No one lost service since the line hit was for the condominium complex under construction, Drew said.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci and projo.com

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:50 PM | Comment

Residents can meet tonight with Mayor Cicilline

PROVIDENCE -- City residents can meet one-on-one tonight with Mayor David N. Cicilline during the Mayor's Night Out.

The session begins at 5 p.m. at E3 Academy, 812 Branch Ave.

Cicilline established the monthly meetings to give residents a chance to share their concerns with him and city department directors.

Residents can meet privately with Cicilline for 10 minutes. The meetings will take place on a first-come, first-served basis.

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:11 PM | Comment

Prison work crew discovers body in Providence / Photo

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
The Providence police and Rhode Island State Police investigate the area where a body was found this morning off Elmwood Avenue near the entrance to Roger Williams Park.

PROVIDENCE -- A decomposed body was found off Elmwood Avenue this morning by a work crew from the Adult Correctional Institutions, according to the state police.

Inmates from the prison were clearing brush in the area near Route 95 when they found the body at about 11:30 a.m., according to state police Capt. Stephen J. Lynch.

The police don't yet know whether foul play was involved, according to Lynch. The state police and the Providence police are investigating. Investigators were searching the area with metal detectors.

The state Medical Examiner's Office has taken the body.

-- With reports from Journal staff photographer Mary Murphy

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:18 PM | Comment

Bishop's body will return to cathedral he built

PROVIDENCE -- One hundred and twenty years after his death, the body of Bishop Thomas F. Hendricken, the first Bishop of Providence, is being returned tomorrow to the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Constructing the cathedral is seen as the crowning achievement of Hendricken’s 14 years as bishop.

“As the founding Bishop of Providence, Bishop Hendricken was a leader of historic proportions for the Catholic church in New England,” said Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, current bishop of the Diocese of Providence. "He made the establishment of our present cathedral his personal and ardent goal – a goal that he would never live to see as the first Mass celebrated in the cathedral was his funeral.’’

Hendricken, a native of Ireland, spent more than a decade planning and raising money for the cathedral. The building was nearly complete when he died, at the age of 59, in June 1886. His wake and funeral drew thousands to the nearly finished cathedral.

-- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller

For 120 years, Hendricken was entombed in a dusty crypt in the cathedral basement. Bishop Tobin decided to honor him by placing his body in a custom-built green Brazilian sarcophagus that sits to the right of the altar at the front of the church. His body has been stored in a mausoleum since it was removed from the crypt in June.

Tomorrow’s Mass coincides with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics. The Mass begins at noon. It will be Bishop Tobin's first public appearance since being hospitalized last week for back pain, which is being successfully treated.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:49 PM | Comment

Apartments for homeless families open in Providence

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Esteban and Sonia Suero hug in the living room of their new apartment after seeing the apartment for the first time today.

PROVIDENCE -- Crossroads Rhode Island officially opened its new Family Center at 754 Broad St. in South Providence this morning at a ceremony of political leaders, homeless advocates and the families who will live there.

Crossroads purchased the former funeral home and converted it into five apartments for homeless families, plus 15 shelter rooms with access to a communal kitchen, dining and living area, showers and a playroom for children. The $2.3 million project included a $350,000 gift from the Citizens Bank Foundation, for which the center is now named.

After Governor Carcieri cut the yellow ribbon with giant gold scissors, a young couple moving into one of the apartments burst into tears and hugged each other. Sonia and Esteban Suero, who are moving in with their two young daughters, toured their sunny new apartment with wide eyes.

"There's plenty of room for the children to run," Esteban Suero said.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

"This was a building that at one time celebrated the end of people's lives," Mayor David N. Ciccilline said. "And now, we've converted it over to celebrate the beginning of people's lives."

His words were appreciated by Stanley Larson, the former president of the family-owned Juhlin-Pearson Funeral Home, who came to the ceremony to see first-hand the renovations of his family's old building.

"It's fun to be here to see this," Larson said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:25 PM | Comment

Robitaille doesn't concede in House race

PROVIDENCE - Republican John Robitaille is still holding out hope today even after a review of absentee ballots left him trailing incumbent state Rep. Amy G. Rice for a House seat covering parts of Middletown, Portsmouth and Newport.

Robitaille officially trails Rice by nine votes in the last unsettled race from the election one month ago.

Based on a review of provisional ballots Monday and absentee ballots today, Robitaille would have picked up seven votes, still two short of victory.

Robitaille said he planned to talk strategy with his lawyers.

-- With reports by Journal staff writer Alisha Pina

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:05 PM | Comment

Update: Larisa concedes in E. Providence / Photo

Journal photo / Kathy Borchers
Mayor Joseph Larisa, Jr., concedes and congratulates Isadore Ramos on winning after reviewing absentee ballots this morning at the Board of Elections.

East Providence Mayor Joseph Larisa Jr. today conceded defeat in last month's election to former assistant Schools Supt. Isadore Ramos.

Larisa conceded this morning after reviewing more than 700 absentee ballots.

Larisa lost the City Council at-large seat to Ramos by 16 votes out of more than 16,000 cast. In East Providence, the council elects the mayor from among its members.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Alisha Pina

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:43 AM | Comment

State DOT director retiring

PROVIDENCE -- The director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation will retire this month after 36 years with the department.

James R. Capaldi, the DOT's director since 2003, started as a summer intern in 1965, and went to work for the department full time in 1969. He had worked as chief design engineer, chief of construction operations and chief engineer before becoming director.

“This year has been an outstanding one at RIDOT with the demolition of the old Jamestown Bridge, construction of the Iway and the floating of its signature bridge up Narragansett Bay, completing the Freight Rail Improvement Project, and making improvements to the Cliffwalk,” Capaldi said in a DOT press release. “I can’t think of a better capstone year than the one we all just experienced.”

Governor Carcieri said, “Jim Capaldi has been an outstanding director. Rhode Island’s transportation system has never looked better. The roads are cleaner, better maintained, and the improvements continue every day.”

Capaldi’s last day will be Dec. 22. A search for a new director will begin soon.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:18 AM | Comment

Funeral today for former PC president

The funeral for former Providence College president the Rev. John F. Cunningham is this morning in St. Dominic Chapel on the Catholic college’s campus.

Cunningham was a philosophy professor who spent almost 50 years at the institution and was the college’s 10th president, serving in that capacity from 1985 to 1994. He helped the college emerge from its roots as a commuter college serving Rhode Islanders into the well-regarded regional academic institution it is today.

Cunningham died Monday at Rhode Island Hospital. He was 78.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:19 AM | Comment

Update: West Warwick pedestrian hit; driver arrested

WEST WARWICK – A West Warwick man was struck this morning by a Honda on Broad Street. The police have arrested the driver, a Coventry resident, who they say knew the victim.

“This is being investigated as a crime, not an accident,” West Warwick Police Lt. John Malloy said this morning as officers continue to speak with witnesses and those involved.

The driver, 47-year-old Russell Spellman, fled into Coventry, where police there detained him, Malloy said. West Warwick police then arrested him.

The man who was struck around 6:30 a.m. at 19 Broad St. has a compound fracture to one leg and is being treated at Rhode Island Hospital, Malloy said. The police have not yet released his name. He was conscious and was able to speak with the police at the hospital, according to Malloy.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

The two men have mutual friends and have known each other a long time, Malloy said.

“It appears there was some sort of confrontation prior to the collision,” Malloy said.

That area is a residential neighborhood just at the Coventry town line. The speed limit on Broad Street is 25 miles per hour. The police have not determined how fast Spellman was driving at the time of the collision.

Coventry firefighters transported the pedestrian, who is in his 30s, to the hospital, firefighter Kevin Cady said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:14 AM | Comment

Salve Regina honors R.I. vets on Pearl Harbor Day

The best of thousands of snapshots taken during World War II by a flight surgeon armed with a stethoscope and a $5 camera are on display at Salve Regina University for just a few more days – and today they’re part of the 65th anniversary remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day.

The exhibit of Dr. Michael DiMaio’s work, “Through the Eyes of a Soldier,” is featured through Wednesday. Tonight from 6 to 8 p.m., the university hosts a celebration honoring Rhode Island veterans.

Both are held at University Gallery, Mercy Hall, at Lawrence and Leroy avenues in Newport.

Speakers tonight include retired admirals Thomas Weschler and John Salesses of Newport, Lt. Richard Sheffield of Middletown and other World War II veterans. The Rhode Island ROTC color guard will perform. Two films will be shown: “D-Day + 62 years: R.I. Veterans Return to Normandy” and “The World War II National Memorial.”

DiMaio’s photo exhibit can be seen during gallery hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:17 AM | Comment

Download today's Journal front page

Today's front page includes stories on the Iraq Study Group's report and attempts by a same-sex married couple in Rhode Island to get a divorce.

Download today's front page.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:37 AM | Comment

A mild day before the cold returns

PROVIDENCE -- The crisp white moon hides this morning behind a hazy-looking cloud cover.

Enjoy the image if you’re up early today. And call it the calm before the storm.

It’s 45 degrees already – yes, that’s mild. It was just 18 at this time yesterday. Temps should rise to about 53 today. We’ve got a slight chance of showers today before 9 a.m. and then after noon.

Then, look out, particularly if you’re a little north of here, in northwest and north central Massachusetts and southwest New Hampshire. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook as it’s predicting gusty northwest winds will scatter snow squalls late today and tonight and may produce an inch or so of snow.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:10 AM | Comment