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December 22, 2006

Update: Cesar Chavez statue unveiled / Photo

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
State Sen. Juan Pichardo, left, congratulates Julio Cesar Aragon and Providence City Councilman Terrence Hassett, right, after they unveiled the bronze statue of Cesar E. Chavez at the State House this afternoon.

A grand goal for the Mexican-American Association of Rhode Island was realized today at the State House when a red cloth was pulled off the bronze statue of activist Cesar E. Chavez.

It has been almost nine years in the making, this memorial for the iconic Mexican-American who led a grape boycott in California in the 1960s that resulted in better labor conditions for farm workers.

The statue, unveiled this afternoon, will remain in the Bell Room at the State House for about three months, according to Julio Cesar Aragon, head of the Mexican-American Association of Rhode Island.

Then it will be moved by March 31 to its permanent place – a small memorial garden for Chavez that has yet to be built in Davis Park, across from Nathanael Greene Middle School at 721 Chalkstone Ave.

That’s Chavez’s birthday, and everything must be in place by then, Aragon said today.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:12 PM | Comment

New class of correctional officers ready to roll / Photo

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
Christina Carr, of Cranston, stands at attention as Joseph Charette, of Woonsocket, adjusts her tie and collar before their graduation ceremonies today.

PROVIDENCE -- A new group of correctional officers will be spending the holidays behind bars.

Graduation ceremonies were held today for 69 men and women who completed nine weeks of rigorous training for the state Department of Corrections Correctional Officer Training Class.

The 75th graduating class includes 17 women, the most to ever graduate at one time. All were feted in a somber ceremony in the auditorium at Rhode Island College’s Sapinsley Hall.

Ashbel T. Wall, the director of the Adult Correctional Institutions, told the audience of corrections officers and their family and friends that this class was selected from 2,000 applicants last spring. "This is truly a group of the elite,’’ Wall said. "They had what we were looking for.’’

Emmanuel Correia was recognized as the class valedictorian.

Training included CPR and weapons certification, as well as classroom topics such as law and communication skills. They also were required to take weekly exams.

The new graduates will work their first shifts on Sunday, Christmas Eve, and will be teamed up with senior officers for two weeks. After that, they will be working on their own.

Prison officials have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new graduates. Last month, the ACI announced that its population has averaged more than 3,700 over the previous four months, the highest in the history of the prison complex in Cranston. The new officers will bolster the existing staff of 850 officers.

-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski

Posted by Jack Perry at 5:24 PM | Comment

Photo: Generations in harmony for the holidays

Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Marie Dionne, 101, a resident at the Alpine Nursing Home, Coventry, talks with Madison McCulley and Megan Hetherman, right, fifth-graders at Western Coventry Elementary School. Sixty-six students visited the Alpine residents today, singing Christmas carols and hanging art work they made. The program is funded by local philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:22 PM | Comment

Health Dept.: Certain soft cheeses recalled

As you’re planning holiday appetizers and dinners in the next few days, the state Health Department is warning people not to eat certain soft cheeses, known as Portuguese or Brazilian cheese, made by Julima, Inc.

The cheeses have been recalled because they were made with unpasteurized milk, according to the Health Department. Unpasteurized milk may contain disease-causing agents that can cause severe illness and, in certain cases, death.

To date, no illnesses linked to these products have been reported to the department.

The cheeses may have “sell by” dates of Dec. 23 or Dec. 25. The two types of recalled cheeses are:

Julima Cheese, Inc.: Queijo Fresco, Sabor de Minas Farm Fresh Cheese and
Manny’s Dairy Farm: Portuguese Fresh Cheese, Queijo Accoreano.

The products are found in hard plastic containers of various sizes, including one-pound, two-pound and 12-ounce containers. They were sold in Portuguese and Brazilian stores and in certain Market Basket outlets in eastern and central Massachusetts and two stores in Rhode Island.

The stores in Rhode Island are Luzitania Bakery, at 312 Barton St., in Pawtucket, and Taunton Ave. Bakery, at 208 Taunton Ave., in East Providence.

Businesses and consumers who have purchased these products are advised to remove them from sale shelves and discard the product.

People should contact their doctors if they have consumed these cheeses and are experiencing any of the following symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, high fever, stiff neck or intense headache.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:13 PM | Comment

Christmas party tomorrow for Station victims, families

Station fire survivor Gina Gauvin is holding a Christmas party tomorrow for Station survivors, their families and relatives of those who died.

The party is from noon to 3 p.m at St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 1804 Atwood Ave., Johnston. Santa is expected to make an appearance.

Gauvin is using money raised from her Regal Reptiles Halloween benefit to buy gifts for the children. There might also be toys donated by others.

She is asking those who attend to bring a favorite plate or snack to add to the buffet.

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:40 PM | Comment

State, feds agree to keep Coast Guard at Cape base

BOSTON -- State and federal officials signed an agreement today that preserves the Coast Guard's aviation presence at the Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod.

The agreement, between the Coast Guard, the National Guard Bureau and the state, created the Massachusetts Military Reservation Installation Partnership. It will allow the Coast Guard to assume control of the aviation facilities from the Air Force, while the Air National Guard operates common utilities and the state provides fire protection.

Read the full Associated Press story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:12 PM | Comment

Update: 2 tractor-trailers in accident at Rte. 95's Exit 15

WARWICK – All lanes are open after an accident involving two tractor trailer trucks on Route 95 North at Exit 15.

The right and center lanes near the Jefferson Boulevard exit were blocked, slowing traffic, according to the state Department of Transportation’s Transportation Management Center.

At 12:52 p.m., the DOT reported that lanes were back open. More details are not available.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:01 PM | Comment

Update: Motorist crashes as Scituate police pursue

SCITUATE -- A 24-year-old Cranston man is lucky to be alive after his car went hurtling through the air early this morning in Scituate as he eluded a police officer who had been following him for speeding, according to the police.

Savy Yon, of 84 Governor St., was driving west around 1 a.m. on Tunk Hill Road in the wrong lane several times, the police said. Scituate Police Officer Keith Yeaw watched him veer into the wrong lane several times and turned on his sirens to pull the driver over.

Instead, the driver accelerated to about 55 miles per hour in the 35 mile-per-hour zone, Lt. Stephen Lang said this morning. Yon continued at that speed for about 4 to 5 miles as Yeaw pursued him, Lang said.

Then, when the roadway became a straightaway shortly before the intersection with Route 102 – where Tunk Hill Road comes to a T – Yon accelerated, Lang said.

At that point, Lang said, police backed off on their pursuit.

“He then accelerated his car at a high rate of speed and pulled away from the police officer like nothing, he was just gone,” Lang said. “He hit the gas, went clean through the intersection and never hit his brake lights.”

The vehicle went head-on into the woods, flipping over end to end and cutting trees in half in the air, Lang said.

The car was torn apart, and Lang was found trapped with his torso underneath the dashboard of the car and his legs in the seat area, Lang said. He was extricated and transported to Rhode Island Hospital by helicopter.

He’s in stable condition with several bones in his face fractured, all his ribs broken and several bones in his back broken, Lang said. He is not paralyzed and has no brain damage, according to Lang.

"So he's really lucky," Lang said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:13 PM | Comment

R.I. ranks second in population loss

Little Rhody has gotten, well, even littler, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Rhode Island lost 5,969 residents, or 0.6 percent of its population, from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006.

The only state to lose more was Louisiana, which lost 220,000 residents, nearly 5 percent of its population. Louisiana was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005.

Texas gained more residents, 579,275, than any other state.

Read more on the U.S. Census Bureau's Web site.

Posted by Jack Perry at 12:08 PM | Comment

T.F. Green is idyllic compared with Denver

On this busy travel day at T.F. Green Airport, those waiting to get through security this morning have been lucky – with "short waiting lines,” according to Joseph Salter, Rhode Island’s federal security director for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

The situation here is idyllic compared with Denver, Colo., where the airport has been closed since 2:45 p.m. Wednesday because of a blizzard. With that airport slated to re-open today at noon Denver time, travelers from around the country trying to get to or through Denver have certainly had their plans thwarted.

Flights into and out of Green, however, seem to be on time for the most part. Perhaps that’s because you can’t travel directly to Denver from Providence.

It’s tough to say how many Providence passengers may be affected by the Colorado blizzard, but “it’s a ripple effect,” Salter said.

AAA estimates that 64.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this holiday, an increase of 2.2 percent from 63.5 million last year.

AAA says 81 percent of travelers will go by motor vehicle, 14 percent will go by airplane and 5 percent will go by train, bus or other mode of transportation.

At Green, the TSA has hired extra security workers to ease congestion during the holiday travel period.

To ease your time at the airport, travelers should check the TSA's Web sitewhere new restrictions about traveling with liquids, gels and aerosols are well-defined, according to Salter. Also, TSA offers general travel tips there.

Although more people travel for Christmas than Thanksgiving, the Christmas travel period tends to be less congested because travel days are spread out over 10 days instead of five.

About 38.3 million people traveled 50 miles or more from home for Thanksgiving, according to AAA.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:38 AM | Comment

Carcieri names acting director of human services

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri announced today that he has appointed Gary Alexander as the acting director of the state Department of Human Services.

Alexander has served as the assistant to the director since 1998. He will oversee the department after today, when Director Ronald Lebel is scheduled to retire, until a permanent director is named.

Before joining DHS in 1998, Alexander served for two years as former Lt. Gov. Bernard Jackvony’s policy director. Previously, Alexander worked as a health care budget and policy analyst for the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

Alexander earned his law degree from Suffolk University in 2002. He also holds a master of divinity degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Mass. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University in Boston with a bachelor of arts in political science.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:33 AM | Comment

Car crash on Route 6

State police have responded to a two-car crash around 10:15 a.m. on Route 6 East at the Dean Street exit.

More details are not yet available.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:29 AM | Comment

RIPTA buses to adjust schedules for holidays

Regular bus routes in Rhode Island will be running on Sunday/Holiday schedules for the next two Mondays – Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s administrative offices will be closed on those holidays as well.

For information on other routes -- including the Route 210 Kingston Flex Service and the Route 211 Kingston Connection, which won’t run on either holiday – check the RIPTA Web site.

For other holiday weekend traffic news, check out the state’s roadways, via the Department of Transportation'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 8:54 AM | Comment

Download today's Journal front page.

Today's front page includes local stories about a Superior Court judge's decision to release testimony from a grand jury's investigation into The Station nightclub fire and the high amount of donations from state workers to the candidates in last month's race for governor.

Download today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:07 AM | Comment

Rain possible today, likely tonight

PROVIDENCE – We’ve got a 30 percent chance of rain today – and then almost certain rain tonight, mainly after 9 p.m.

We should have highs near 45 today and in the low 50s over the weekend.

Expect more rain tomorrow, sunshine on Sunday and possible rain on Monday, which is Christmas Day. We should have a high of 48 on Christmas.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:03 AM | Comment