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December 25, 2006

Santa drives a cruiser in Cumberland

Cumberland police have been moonlighting as Santa Claus.

Midday yesterday a resident found a large bag on the road with 13 wrapped gifts and few clues about how to get it to the owners. After some sleuthing and a little help from a local TV station, the police got a tip about who might own the missing gifts.

After a little more police work - and a drive to Woonsocket - the police were able to reunite the gifts with their rightful owners: a 5-year-old, 6-year-old and a 9-year-old.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 12:31 PM | Comment

Man shot and killed this morning at Club Pulse

PROVIDENCE — A club with a history of violence was the scene of the city’s 11th homicide early Christmas morning.

Just after 1:30 this morning shots were fired inside Club Pulse, killing one person and injuring two others, according to police.

The police are not yet releasing the names of the deceased or the other victims, saying they are waiting to notify relatives. No arrests have been made.

-- Scott Mayerowitz, Journal staff writer

Club Pulse, at 86 Crary St., just north of Rhode Island Hospital, has been the scene of several violent outbreaks in recent years.

Arguing in the past for the club’s closure, the police have said its clientele has a “propensity for violence.”

Maj. Paul Fitzgerald, head of the uniform division, told the city’s Board of Licenses in March of 2005 that “if the club continues to stay open, we will continues to have shootings, we will continues to have incidents there.”

Those comments came after an incident that month where someone fired six shots toward a small group standing outside the entrance. The group included three police officers called to the scene to help deal with a disturbance.

The South Providence nightclub was closed but only for two weeks and not because of the violence but because the fire alarm and sprinkler systems were not in compliance with state law. The Board of Licenses ultimately decided that the link between the shooting and the club was too tenuous to blame the owner.

However, after another breakout of violence in November 2005, the board did take action against the club. In March of this year, the board fined the club $1,500 for failing to prevent violence when a large fight began on the dance floor. The club’s security removed the combatants but the police said they were then forced to disperse a group that resumed fighting in the parking lot.

The club, which can hold up to 450 patrons, has been required in the past to hire six police officers on Fridays and three officers on Saturday and Sunday nights. It is owned by Alex Tomasso, who also owns Bar One in Providence and Feast of Famine, a chain of restaurants.

Tomasso has owned several Providence nightclubs, including Sanctuary, which was closed by the city in March 2004 by after violent incidents including a fatal shooting and another shooting months later in the club’s parking lot.

The victim of this morning’s shooting at Club Pulse was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital. The other two victims were in stable condition this morning, according to police.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 12:05 PM | Comment

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A story about a generous man of meager means leads the Sunday Journal.

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Posted by Peter Phipps at 11:00 AM | Comment