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December 14, 2006

AG to release more Station fire evidence tomorrow

PROVIDENCE -- The Attorney General's Office will release tomorrow 185 CD-ROMs worth of electronic evidence gathered during its Station fire investigation.

The office announced the release -- which was expected -- this evening in response to open records requests by The Providence Journal, The Associated Press and The Boston Globe.

The information includes 57 video clips, which primarily constitute footage of various bands that played at The Station in the years and months preceding the fire. It also includes more than 200 audio clips of more than three hours of radio and telephone transmissions of local authorities the night of the February 2003 fire that killed 100 people and injured about 200 more.

"Responding to this particular [open records] request has been, from all of our office's perspectives - planning and logistics, human resources, and legal - challenging, to say the least," Attorney General Patrick Lynch said in a statement. "I firmly believe, however, that our ongoing release of information is serving the public interest, and that we are meeting our challenge in a timely, responsible, and, above all, sensitive way."

Tomorrow's release will be the second major dissemination of Station fire evidence in recent weeks. Lynch's office released hundreds of pages of evidence late last month.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 7:10 PM | Comment

Red Sox: Matsuzaka signing a done deal

BOSTON -- Daisuke Matsuzaka’s $52-million, six-year contract was announced this afternoon by the Boston Red Sox, who hope he will follow Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez as an ace on the Fenway Park mound.

Add the team’s winning $51.11 million bid for negotiating rights to the Japanese ace, which must be paid to the Seibu Lions by Dec. 21, and Boston’s investment comes to $103.11 million. That doesn’t include $8 million in escalators based on Matsuzaka winning awards.

And there’s still at least four months to go before he throws his first pitch in the regular season.

“Today what we’re really doing is announcing the signing of a national treasure,” general manager Theo Epstein said. “We understand his importance in Japan. We know what he represents.

“To the fans in Japan, we pledge to do everything we can to support Daisuke ... and to ensure that he’ll be a success. Not that he needs much help,” Epstein said.

Daisuke was then handed a jersey with the No. 18 — the one last worn by Johnny Damon.

“I’m very happy and excited to be a member of the Boston Red Sox,” he said through a translator.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:36 PM | Comment

La Salle buildings director indicted for bribery

PROVIDENCE -- The director of buildings and grounds at La Salle Academy has been indicted on 20 counts of soliciting or accepting a bribe.

Richard "Rocky" Rochefort, 48, of 16 Round Hill Road, Foster, and two other people associated with a bribery scheme were arrested by the state police earlier in the week following a grand jury investigation.

Police allege that Ralph Catallozzi of Future Contracting and Estimators, of Johnston, bribed Rochefort in relation to the business of La Salle Academy between April 2003 and August 2005, according to an announcement today by the Attorney General's Office. The details of the bribes have not yet been released.

Catallozzi was charged with one count of bribery.

La Salle Academy released a statement this afternoon that Rochefort has been placed on an "indefinite unpaid leave of absence."

"The indictment is isolated to one individual employee at La Salle Academy and in no way implicates or affects any member of the student body, faculty, and administration," reads the statement. "The indictment is the culmination of an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police with the full cooperation of La Salle Academy."

Rochefort's wife, Gail A. Rochefort, 48, was indicted on one count of conspiring to solicit or accept a bribe and one count of aiding and abetting the solicitation or acceptance of a bribe.

Each of the defendants appeared in Superior Court yesterday and pleaded not guilty. They've been released on $10,000 personal recognizance bail.

Their next court appearance is set for Feb. 7.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:29 PM | Comment

R.I. neurosurgeon talks about senator's brain bleed

PROVIDENCE -- The chief of neurosurgery at Rhode Island Hospital says he's treated hundreds of patients for the same type of brain hemorrhage affecting U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, the Democrat from South Dakota in critical condition today following overnight brain surgery.

"It can be devastating or you can recover from it," said Dr. John A. Duncan this afternoon of the condition known as an intracerebral bleed caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. "[Johnson] could end up doing quite well, and that’s more my experience."

Duncan said that roughly 50 percent of those who experience bleeding in their brain as a result of an AVM fully recover; 20 percent die and the other 30 percent experience serious neurological injuries consistent with stroke victims, such as loss of speech or motor functions.

The severity of AVMs are ranked on a 6-point scale, Duncan said, with the severity largely determined by the size and location of the brain bleed. Because Johnson's doctors have not released the severity of his AVM, Duncan couldn't comment specifically on the 59-year-old senator's prognosis.

Johnson became disoriented during a conference call with reporters last night. He was rushed to the hospital and underwent brain surgery later that night.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Duncan said he's dealt with hundreds of AVM patients and that Rhode Island Hospital deals with several each month. The vast majority of patients were unaware that they were living with the condition because generally there are no symptoms.

Once a hemorrhage occurs, Duncan said, there are two treatment options: surgery or radiation therapy.

"The fact that they had to operate last night, to me, is an ominous sign," he said, noting that he prefers to wait to operate on AVM patients.

But Duncan acknowledged it's very difficult to gauge Johnson's condition without more information.

"I wouldn’t jump the gun and say this is a devastating condition," he said. "Fifty percent of patients do pretty well."

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 4:11 PM | Comment

911 tape: Foxy Lady shooter says, 'It's over' / Audio

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- The killer in the Foxy Lady Southcoast shootings calmly and repeatedly told a police dispatcher, "It's over," before turning his semiautomatic rifle on himself.

Police today played the 911 tapes from the early Tuesday morning attack in which the gunman, Scott C. Medeiros, took the lives of strip club manager Tory C. Marandos and bouncer Robert Carreiro.

Medeiros's voice is eerily calm as he calls dispatcher Ron Pacheco, a retired New Bedford police officer, and asks to speak to the police.

"I had a little issue I took care of," Medeiros is heard telling Pacheco as the dispatcher asks the gunman why he is shooting.

Medeiros had been ordered, apparently by Marandos and Carreiro, to stay out of the club after his relationship with a female bartender, who was also the mother of Carreiro's child, turned sour.

When the dispatcher tries to get the gunman to leave the club peacefully, Medeiros responds: "Why the [expletive] am I going to walk out of here? To spend the rest of my life in jail if I'm lucky?"

In the final moments of the call, Medeiros says, "It's over," a phrase he repeats after Pacheco tries to keep him talking.

Then, away from the telephone receiver, there's the muffled sound of a gunshot, with the dispatcher anxiously saying, "Hello? Hello?"

Police later stormed the club and found Medeiros dead.

Audio: Listen to a clip from the 911 call between Pacheco and Medeiros (35 secs., mp3)

-- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:24 PM | Comment

Man admits to illegal marriage scam

A New Bedford man pleaded guilty in federal court today to felony conspiracy for arranging more than a dozen fraudulent marriages for illegal aliens seeking green cards.

Carlos Alberto Da Veiga arranged the marriages, charging each immigrant approximately $5,500 and paying the U.S. citizen $1,500 on the day of the marriage. Additionally, the immigrant had to pay the citizen $200 a month while the immigrant's application for a residency card, also known as a green card, was pending.

Federal agents began investigating Da Veiga after an employee in the Cumberland town clerk’s office reported suspicious behavior by a couple applying for a marriage license. Agents subsequently saw Da Veiga drive a couple from the Cumberland Town Hall to a justice of the peace in Providence, where they married.

Da Veiga was arrested in October after agents seized a ledger from his car containing the names and biographical information of various U.S. citizens and immigrants. Da Veiga later told the authorities that he brought couples to Rhode Island because there is no waiting period after obtaining a license before a couple can marry.

Da Veiga pleaded guilty to conspiracy to enter into marriages for the purpose of evading immigration laws. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Da Veiga will be held in federal custody pending a March 9 sentencing hearing.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 3:23 PM | Comment

Matsuzaka reaches preliminary deal with Sox

BOSTON -- Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka is in Boston, and it looks like he'll be staying a while. The Red Sox reached a preliminary agreement with the 26-year-old right-hander on a six-year contract that would guarantee him a minimum of $52 million - enough to get him to fly cross-country well before Thursday night's deadline to seal the deal.

"Theo and I were still negotiating terms when we arrived," agent Scott Boras said after a long day of talks with Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "We finalized the deal when he arrived in Boston."

The Red Sox planned a 5 p.m. news conference Thursday to announce the agreement, a person familiar with the talks said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Peter Phipps at 11:44 AM | Comment

Tests: 24 high schools making 'insufficient progress'

PROVIDENCE -- About half of Rhode Island’s 57 high schools are failing to educate all their students -- particularly those in special education -- to the state standard, and many of the schools cited as failing are in wealthier urban ring and suburban districts, not just in the troubled urban districts.

According to the latest set of test results and school classifications released at an 11 a.m. news conference today by the state Department of Education, 24 high schools are making “insufficient progress” toward the goal of having all students proficient in math and English by 2014.

High schools in Cranston, Foster-Glocester, Lincoln, Middletown, Smithfield, South Kingstown and Warwick joined the list of schools not making enough progress last year, along with high schools in high poverty districts: Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, West Warwick and Woonsocket.

Two trouble spots emerge from the data: 18 high schools are struggling to bring their students receiving special-education services to the state standard, and most of the targets missed were in math, not English.

About 11,500 high school juniors took the standardized tests last March. After a month of delay, the results are being released today.

-- Journal education writer Jennifer Jordan

Test scores and classifications for elementary and middle school students were released earlier this year.

Under the federal law No Child Left Behind, states are required to test students in grades 3 through 8 and one high school grade each year. Responding to this law, Rhode Island developed new tests for the elementary and middle school grades with New Hampshire and Vermont, called the New England Common Assessment, which is administered each October.

The three states are also developing a new test for high school juniors, which will roll out in the fall of 2007.

-- Journal education writer Jennifer Jordan

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:36 AM | Comment

Man arraigned in Lincoln woman's killing

Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Jeremy Pontbriant, 31, second from left, who is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Dawn Alves, a 24-year-old woman from Lincoln, is arraigned this morning in Sixth District Court, Providence. Read today's Journal story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:19 AM | Comment

Thefts in Warwick and Exeter could be connected

The state police are investigating whether a break-in overnight at the Exxon station in Exeter is connected to the break-ins at two businesses in Warwick last night.

After the businesses on Route 2 in Warwick were broken into, the Warwick police were chasing a suspect around 11 p.m. last night but lost sight of the person, according to State Police Sgt. Karen Pinch.

Soon afterward, the Exxon on Route 2 in Exeter was broken into, Pinch said.

“At this time, we’re not sure they were connected, but we’re investigating that possibility,” Pinch said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Although the break-ins were all on Route 2, the road isn’t a straight shot from Warwick to Exeter, Pinch said. The person would have had to get off Route 2, travel other roads and then get back on it, she said.

The Warwick police are investigating the two break-ins in that community, and the state police are working on the one in Exeter since that community doesn’t have its own police department.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:15 AM | Comment

Download today's Journal front page

Today's front page includes stories on the New Bedford police public-information officer who used a bullet-ridden police cruiser to rescue people during the deadly shooting early Tuesday morning, and the Red Sox' apparent agreement with Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Download the front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:28 AM | Comment

Today could be a record-breaker

PROVIDENCE – Today’s expected high is the same temperature as the record set back in 1991 – a warm 59 degrees.

“So we’ll be pushing it,” meteorologist Alan Dunham with the National Weather Service said this morning when asked if we might break a record today.

The normal high for today is just 43 degrees, according to the weather service.

We’re just glad we’re not about to break the record for the low temperature today – that was 1 degree set back in 1976.

Tomorrow, we’re looking at a high of 57 degrees, and temps should fall to high 40s and low 50s this weekend. By then, at least we’ll have temperatures closer to normal, Dunham said.

“But those who are looking for a white Christmas, don’t hold your breath yet,” Dunham said. “We’ve still got 11 days to go. We are running out of time.”

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:11 AM | Comment