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December 15, 2006

State: Don't eat food from Compare Foods on Broad St.

PROVIDENCE -- State health officials are warning people not to eat prepared food purchased from the Broad Street market Compare Foods.

Items such as sandwiches, deli meats and cheeses and various salads such as tuna, macaroni and seafood may contain a dangerous bacteria known as Listeria monocytogenes.

"Multiple samples collected from this market during an investigation of an illness due to this organism were positive for this bacterium," reads an advisory issued this evening by the health department.

The bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems, according to the state. Healthy officials may suffer only short-term symptoms such as fever, severe headache or diarrhea. But the bacteria can cause miscarriages among pregnant women.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:33 PM | Comment

Forget the sleigh -- Santa's on skates this weekend

PROVIDENCE -- He can slide down chimneys and drive a magical sleigh pulled by reindeer. But can Santa skate?

Find out for yourself this weekend at Providence's Bank of America skating center. The man with the white beard who knows when you've been sleeping will be on hand at the skating center on Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. each day.

Santa agreed to take a break from his busy holiday schedule at the North Pole to come down to Providence for this special occasion, according to the mayor's office.

“I love coming to Providence every year to skate with the boys and girls at the skating rink, and the ice is perfect compared to what I usually skate on in my backyard at the North Pole,” Santa said.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:02 PM | Comment

Time to light Hanukkah's first candle

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins at sundown today, which is at 4:15 p.m. in Providence.

The eight-day festival marks the Jewish people’s victory over their Syrian-Greek oppressors in 165 B.C. and the re-establishment of their political and religious freedom. It is customarily celebrated by the lighting of the menorah, an eight-branched candelabrum (with an additional server candle) with one candle for each of the eight nights.

According to the ancient story, when the Jews re-dedicated the Holy Temple, there was only enough oil remaining to light the Temple menorah for one day. Miraculously, as the story goes, the oil lasted eight days, thus the holiday’s duration now.

The method for using one additional candle in the menorah on each consecutive night of Hanukkah dates back to a compromise made by two first-century scholars, Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai, according to Rabbi Sarah Mack, associate rabbi at Temple Beth-El in Providence.

Hillel argued that the Jewish people should use one candle on the first night of the holiday and use an additional candle each consecutive night. Shammai argued that the Jewish people should light eight candles on the first night and use one less candle on each consecutive night. "And Hillel wins," Mack said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

If you’re lighting the candles tonight, put the candle for the first night of the holiday in the far right of the menorah, as you face the candelabrum. Another candle goes in the Shamash, which is the raised holder for the candle used to light the other candles.

On later nights of Hanukkah, when you have more candles in the menorah, place the first candle in the holder to the far right and then move left with the additional candles. Then, when you light the candles, light the one on the left first and move right, lighting each consecutive candle.

In Providence, Temple Beth-el will hold a family Shabbat, or sabbath, dinner at 6:30 tonight, with a service at 7:45 p.m. At Temple Emanual, there will be a Shabbat and Hanukkah party tonight.

If you live outside of Providence, click here to find out when sunset is in your community. Go online to learn how to play the dreidel game that has held the interest of Jewish children for generations.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:15 PM | Comment

Former R.I. man kills 2, and then dies in Florida shooting

A former Rhode Island man died from gunfire yesterday after killing a security guard and another man in a shooting rampage at a gated community in Florida.

Shawn Ronald Creamer, 39, formerly of Johnston and lately of Titusville, Fla., first killed the security guard at The Great Outdoors RV Nature & Golf Resort in Titusville and then forced his way into the home of an ex-girlfriend, according to the police.

A man, who the police say was inside the home to protect Creamer’s ex-girlfriend, confronted Creamer, according to Lt. Andrew Walters of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. David Earl Hinkle, 46 of Titusville, was also killed.

Those two men exchanged gunfire and both were mortally wounded. It's unclear whether Creamer shot himself or was shot by the man he attacked, according to the sheriff's office.

"During the course of the shootout, both of them were shot and killed," Walters said today.

The mayhem began about 2:30 a.m. yesterday, when Creamer drove to the resort area, parked in a nearby parking lot and walked up to the security gate. He killed the on-duty security officer, David Ryan Tripp, 26, of Cocoa, Fla., according to the police.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

As the two men exchanged fire, the woman fled and called 911 from a relative's house. David Earl Hinkle, 46 of Titusville, and Creamer died in the shooting.

Creamer worked at Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island from Aug. 15, 1994, to May 14, 2004, hospital spokeswoman Lynn Hall confirmed today. She would not say what job he held or why he left. In 2001, Creamer lived in Johnston, at 10 Autumn Drive, according to Johnston Deputy Chief Gary W. Maddocks Jr.

In Titusville, Creamer lived at 580 Birchwood Lane with Heather Jean Ovalles, an elementary-school teacher who owned the property.

The police said a "distinct odor of marijuana" led them to obtain a search warrant the house.

Officers discovered one room had been transformed into "an elaborate 'grow' house," where 56 marijuana plants were being cultivated. The room was equipped with special lights and ventilation..

The police said they also recovered three handguns in the home, including a .44 magnum and a .45 semi-automatic.

Ovalles is charged with felony cultivation of marijuana and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to a news release issued by the Titusville Police Department.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:34 PM | Comment

Head of state GOP stepping down

Patricia Morgan said today that she won't seek another term as the head of the state Republican Party.

"I really have enjoyed being a chairman," Morgan said, noting that she believes she's the longest-serving GOP leader in state history. "It's been challenging at times, it’s been frustrating, but I do think I’ve made a difference – and that’s my legacy to the party."

The decision to step down, Morgan said, was made "in concert with the governor" during a closed-door meeting at the State House last Friday.

By tradition, Governor Carcieri would make the decision on whether Morgan, 56, should stay or whether the GOP should turn elsewhere for leadership as it tries to rebound from widespread losses in the November elections.

In an interview with The Journal last month, Morgan said she would like to be reappointed to the post she held for the past four years. Today, she refused to say why she changed her mind.

"It's time to move on," she said. "I loved being chairman, I loved meeting all the people and helping to build the organization. It’s been a great experience. But maybe it’s time to let someone else have that experience."

Morgan will lead the Rhode Island Republican Party until March, when the state party will elect a new chairman.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:34 PM | Comment

Chafee takes fellowship at Brown

PROVIDENCE -- U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee won't be unemployed for long.

The Republican senator officially loses his seat when the next Congress convenes in early January. And when Brown University's spring semester begins in late January, Chafee will serve as a "distinguished visiting fellow" at the Ivy League university's Thomas J. Watson Jr. Institute for International Studies.

What exactly will he do as a fellow?

"Chafee will lead an undergradaute student study group on U.S. foreign policy and will convene groups of students, faculty and policy-makers to discuss issues in international relations. He will also undertake a variety of writing assignments," according to an announcement released by Brown.

Chafee won't be a salaried employee, but he will receive a stipend, according to university officials, who would not say how much the stipend will be.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

During his eight years in federal office, Chafee served on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

"I am absolutely thirlled to be joining the impressive group of people dedicated to analyzing the important international issues of our times," Chafee said in a statement.

Chafee lost his seat in November to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse amid a wave of national anti-Republican sentiment.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 2:32 PM | Comment

Update: Station evidence: A network of emergency calls

Audio files released by the Attorney General's Office today provide chilling detail of the emergency personnel response in the minutes after the deadly fire at The Station nightclub was reported on the night of Feb. 20, 2003.

The files marked "Warwick police logs" contain more than two hours of communication between police from various communities called in to help West Warwick contain the blaze.

Dispatchers relayed bits of information as it became available. It didn't take long to learn how serious the situation was.

"Can we have some units at the Filling Station, they're having a stampede," says a female dispatcher, referring to the club's former name. "There's a fire and they're having a stampede."

Soon after the initial call, the dispatcher learned that people may have been injured:

"We've got a fire at the nightclub at the Filling Station on Cowesett Avenue...Large crowd, several injuries...Reportedly fire in progress, several people trapped inside the nightclub."

About 10 minutes after the beginning of the transmission, the severity of the fire started to become apparent:

"We've got 200 people trapped inside the building, The Station on Cowesett."

And more:

"West Warwick's just called for as many cars as possible...As many units as possible."

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

And other audio files reveal frantic calls for aid from other communities.

In tapes from the Cranston rescue personnel, dispatchers are heard furiously pleading with various fire departments to send rescue vehicles to The Station site.

Other departments, including Seekonk, Mass., Cranston, East Providence and Warwick are heard asking directions to the Station site and sending rescue vehicles.

Audio files from the West Warwick Police Department have previously been released, on Nov. 6, 2003. (Editor's note: The content of some calls may be disturbing.)

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:52 PM | Comment

Station evidence: Michael Derderian calls Biechele

Among the hours of audio files released today by the Attorney General's Office is a brief phone message taken from the phone of Great White's tour manager Daniel Biechele from Station nightclub co-owner Michael Derderian.

It was left about a week before the devastating fire at the club that killed 100 people and injured about 200 more.

"Hey Dan. My name's Mike from The Station in Rhode Island," Derderian begins in the message, which was left Feb. 14, 2003, at 9:32 a.m. "Calling you to advance next week's show. When you get a minute..."

Biechele was the person who set off the pyrotechnics that ignited foam soundproofing at the club, starting the blaze. He, Derderian and club co-owner Jeffrey Derderian had been indicted on manslaughter charges by the grand jury. All three entered pleas, and evidence collected in the grand jury investigation never was presented at trial.

Audio: Hear a clip of the message.

Posted by Steve Peoples at 1:31 PM | Comment

Judge denies killer's request for reduced sentence

WARWICK -- A Superior Court judge this morning refused to reduce the life-without-parole sentence of a man who raped and murdered a 66-year-old Little Compton woman in 2001.

Jeremy Motyka, now 31, was convicted in 2001 of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault for the death of Angela Spence-Shaw in her home. Motyka was a member of a work crew that was building an addition to the woman’s home. After sexually assaulting and beating her, he dragged her to a bathroom where he submerged her in water and drowned her.

John J. Hardiman, Motyka's lawyer, argued in court today that Motyka had a troubled childhood and was still young enough to be rehabilitated and eventually released from prison.

Spence-Shaw’s two sons appeared in the Kent County courtroom and emotionally objected to any reduction in the sentence.

Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson, in explaining her refusal to reduce the sentence, said that Motyka has not accepted responsibility for the crime or apologized to the family.

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:06 PM | Comment

Pats' Brady, actress end relationship

BOSTON -- After three years of dating, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and actress Bridget Moynahan are free to play the field again.

A publicist for Moynahan today confirmed the celebrity couple have broken up.

A statement said Brady and Moynahan "amicably ended their three-year relationship several weeks ago. We ask for your respect and consideration of their privacy. No further comments will be made."

Brady, 29, a two-time Super Bowl MVP who led the Patriots to three NFL titles, was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2002. Moynahan, 35, has appeared in films such as "Coyote Ugly" and is currently on the ABC television series, "Six Degrees."

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:49 PM | Comment

Sovereign to eliminate 800 jobs, including 21 in R.I.

Sovereign Bancorp said this morning it would eliminate 800 positions, or about 7 percent of its workforce, mostly through layoffs.

In Rhode Island, the bank said that 21 of its 928 employees would by laid off, and in Massachusetts, 77 employees will lose their jobs out of 3,382 employees in that state.

Sovereign, based in Pennsylvania, the third-largest bank in the Rhode Island market, employs about 12,000.

The layoffs, which began today, are part of a $100-million cost reduction program, the company said.

The affected positions are mostly corporate and back office functions, the bank said in a statement. Some of the job cuts will be achieved through attrition, the company said.

"The decision to reduce our workforce was a very difficult one to make, especially during the holiday season," said Joseph P. Campanelli, president and CEO of Sovereign Bancorp. "There is never a good time to take these actions. We pledged to aggressively improve our business fundamentals and to openly communicate our decisions promptly. These steps are consistent with that pledge."

Today's announcement followed a decision by the company in October to cancel the annual holiday parties usually held at about 30 company locations throughout its footprint in order to save money.

Posted by Tim Barmann at 12:34 PM | Comment

Hard drive full of Station fire evidence released / Photo

A frame grab from a video released today shows police examining soundproofing foam recovered from inside The Station nightclub. Pyrotechnics lit by the band ignited foam surrounding the stage.

PROVIDENCE -- The Attorney General's Office has released a computer hard drive with 185 CD-ROMs worth of electronic evidence gathered during its Station nightclub fire investigation.

The Providence Journal received the hard drive at about 11:30 a.m. and is reviewing the files.

A cover letter that accompanies the hard drive gives a description of the evidence, which includes 54 video files and 194 audio files of police and fire transmissions during the 2003 fire that killed 100 people.

The videos include recordings of live shows at the club, such as Red Hot from January 1999 and Lovin' Kry from April 2000. But they also include a press conference by club co-owner Jeffrey Derderian press conference from February 2003 and a broadcast report by Derderian, a former TV reporter, on fire safety.

Other video files are copies of television documentaries about the West Warwick tragedy and videos about soundproofing foam. Such foam surrounded the stage and has been blamed for accelerating the spread of the fire, which started when the band Great White lit its pyrotechnics.

Attorney General Patrick Lynch released today's evidence -- the second major release in recent weeks -- in response to public records requests by The Journal, The Associated Press and The Boston Globe. The evidence was gathered during a grand jury investigation but did not come out at trial because the three defendants entered pleas.

"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 C. 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."

More to come ...

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples and Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker

Posted by Steve Peoples at 11:54 AM | Comment

Cyclocross championships return to Providence

Some 2,000 of the country's best bicycle racers have returned to Providence this weekend to compete in the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships at Roger Williams Park.

The championships, also held last December in Providence, started today and run through Sunday, with the elite men racing at 2 p.m. tomorrow and the elite women racing at 2 p.m. Sunday, according to Wendy Booher, a spokeswoman.

Spectators can watch for free, she said.

Why hold the championships in Providence during December? Cyclocross, a hybrid of road and off-road racing on a tight course, is considered a winter sport and is popular in New England, as well as the Pacific Northwest, according to Booher.

Competitors include teenagers and racers in their late 50s.

For more information, see their Web site.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:05 AM | Comment

Some Pop Tarts recalled

If Kellogg’s Pop Tarts are part of your breakfast routine and you’re allergic to milk, beware of a recall issued by the Michigan company for the Frosted Blueberry toaster pastries.

Kellogg Company has recalled about 1,000 cartons distributed to grocery stores in 22 states, including Rhode Island, because the Pop Tarts might contain undeclared milk. People with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they eat the recalled pastries, according to a company statement.

No allergic reactions have been reported to date.

The product is packaged in eight-count cartons of 14.7 ounces, with a bar code of 38000 31010. Only eight-count cartons with a manufacturing code beginning with AUG 27 07 CPC printed on the top of the carton are included in this alert.

The company recalled the blueberry pastries after learning that a limited number of Kellogg’s Pop Tarts Hot Fudge Sundae pastries with milk were mistakenly packaged in the blueberry tart packaging.

The states covered under the recall are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from The Associated Press

Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:34 AM | Comment

Traffic: Disabled vehicle slows traffic near Exit 21

A disabled vehicle on Route 95 South at the Broadway/Atwells Avenue exit (No. 21) this morning has caused some congestion. There’s also congestion at the Route 146 merge beyond Branch Avenue, according to traffic information from the state Department of Transportation.

For other traffic needs, check out the state roadways, via the DOT's online traffic offerings.

You can find any traffic alerts describing accidents here, browse traffic cams to see real-time photos of the highways and check out the DOT’s road construction schedule here.

Also, check out congestion mapping -- i.e., how heavy the traffic is -- here.

To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:19 AM | Comment

Fog this morning should lift, high in the 50s

PROVIDENCE -- Expect areas of dense fog before 9 a.m. today. Our cloudy morning skies should turn slightly, so we’ll have partly sunny weather later today.

This morning’s temperature of 45 degrees should rise to about 56 later today.

This weekend looks particularly nice, according to the National Weather Service – with sunny skies and temps in the low 50s.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Download today's Journal front page

Today's front page includes stories about the Red Sox' signing of star Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and a report that nearly half of the state's school's are failing to educate all of their students to the state standard.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment