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« April 2007 | Today | June 2007 » May 31, 2007Man gets 20 years for helping to ship cocaine to R.I.PROVIDENCE -- A Colorado man was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison for arranging last year with the then-owner of a Providence liquor store to ship 5.5 kilograms of cocaine to Rhode Island at $19,000 per kilogram. In January 2006 conversations monitored by agents, Fernando Gonzalez-Ramirez, 34, of Aurora, Colo., told Estroredarcio Bernard, who operated California Liquors on Union Avenue in Providence, that a shipment would arrive within a few days. On Jan. 30, 2006, agents spotted a car with Colorado license plates outside California Liquors and followed the car to a Hathaway Street warehouse. Later that day, Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched the building and found 11 packages, each holding a half-kilogram of cocaine, "which proved to be 87 percent pure." Bernard and the driver of the Colorado car, Adalberto Bejarano-Gonzalez, were arrested by agents that day. Adalberto Bejarano-Gonzalez is a cousin of Fernando Gonzalez-Ramirez. Federal agents arrested Fernando Gonzalez-Ramirez in Colorado in August after more investigation. Federal agents also seized nearly $100,000 in cash: $9,300 from a West Warwick home, $70,500 from California Liquors and $20,000 that Bernard’s wife turned over to the FBI. She was not charged. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Bejarano-Gonzalez, who drove the Colorado car, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possessing with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine. In January, he was sentenced to 37 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres. Bernard, who operated California Liquors, pleaded guilty in January to the same charges and is detained while awaiting a scheduled June 25 sentencing. U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced the sentence, which Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi imposed in U.S. District Court. The 20-year sentence was mandatory under federal law because Gonzales-Ramirez was convicted of trafficking in more than five kilograms of cocaine and had a previous drug-trafficking conviction. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:49 PM | Comment Lawmaker plans bill to amend Newport Grand contractPROVIDENCE -- An East Providence lawmaker announced today he will submit a bill Tuesday to allow the state Division of Lotteries to amend the Newport Grand video-slots contract. Rep. Henry Rose, a Democrat, made the announcement this evening on the House floor. Newport Grand's prospective new owner, James A. Procaccianti, met with legislative leaders in April to ask lawmakers to lock in Newport Grand's tax rate for 15 years instead of the 10 years that the current contract allows. It's unclear whether Rose's bill will do this. He declined to give details until the bill is offically submitted. Earlier this month, The Procaccianti Group, a Cranston-based national developer, pitched to business leaders its plan to buy Newport Grand, the former jai alai fronton, and to create upscale housing and a commercial center on land surrounding the gambling facility. The developer announced in April it would buy Newport Grand for $155 million as a key component of a future expanded development. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Elizabeth Gudrais of the Journal State House Bureau and Journal archival reports The Procaccianti Group's presentation included a preliminary economic impact analysis of the project. The draft report said the construction of hotels, restaurants, recreational and entertainment venues, and office and retail space would create 2,800 jobs, generate $280 million in sales and produce annual state and local tax revenues of $31.2 million. The project represents a $2-billion investment, with $1.4 billion of that to be spent in Rhode Island, according to that presentation. Beyond the 24-acre Newport Grand site, Procaccianti is eyeing another 30-plus acres nearby to redevelop. Some of the land is owned by the state and might be put up for sale during the proposed realignment of the Pell Bridge ramps, while other parcels are part of the former Naval Hospital site that sits on Narragansett Bay and could one day be declared surplus property by the federal government. Calling the project O2 Newport, Procaccianti's draft proposal envisioned a five-star hotel, possibly the Ritz-Carlton, a spa and wellness center, restaurants, stores, an indoor water park and an indoor complex for recreational sports. The development would also feature office space and luxury condos and apartments, to create an environment where people can live, work and play. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment Fire incinerates contents of Coventry steel buildingCOVENTRY – Automobiles, cutting torches and welding equipment inside a steel building were destroyed in a morning fire in Coventry when sparks from a metal-cutting grinder ignited nearby combustible material. The 30-by-50-foot building itself survived the intense heat of the fire, but nothing inside the structure on Twin Brook Lane did, according to Robert Seltzer, chief of the Central Coventry Fire District. He estimated damages could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. By this afternoon, fire investigators deemed the fire to be accidental, Seltzer said. A worker had been using the grinder, whose sparks ignited nearby wood or rags, but he had left the building to go to an automotive store. When the worker returned to the building, whose exact address Seltzer could not provide, the building was on fire, the chief said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Two firefighters sustained minor injuries – one a back strain and the other heat exhaustion, said Seltzer, who believes they were both treated and released from a local hospital. With no water supply in that part of Coventry, firefighters had to rely on tanker trucks. The four Coventry fire districts responded, as did crews from Exeter-West Greenwich and Oneco, Conn., Seltzer said. Reported at 9:48 a.m., the fire was under control around 10:30 a.m. and completely out by about 11 a.m., Seltzer said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:07 PM | Comment R.I. spelling bee champ's wings clipped / VideoRosa Nguyen, Rhode Island's competitor in the National Spelling Bee, met her match today in malacophyllous -- the word that ended her run after making it into the bee's semifinals. She was close, with her only mistake an "o" where that second "a" should be, according to results posted on the Scripps National Spelling Bee Web site. Rosa, the blilingual daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and an eighth grader at Deering Middle School in West Warwick, who won the statewide spelling bee in March, spelled several words that might make any of us sweat. In round four, for instance, she spelled transisthmian correctly. And in round five, she got umami right. Extra: See a video interview of Rosa talking today about her experiences at the bee. The bee championship finals are scheduled to air live on ABC tonight from 8 to 10. The bee, which is being held this week in Washington, D.C., features competitors from around the country who aced their state spelling bees. It is a two-day competition that began yesterday. Rosa won the state spelling bee, sponsored by The Valley Breeze newspaper group. Rosa also knows her way around geography. She was the runner-up in the statewide geography bee this year. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:03 PM | Comment Man accused of assaulting infant son held on $1M bailNEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- A Fall River man accused of assaulting his 8-month-old son has been ordered held on $1-million surety bail by a judge. Christopher Cerce, 30, of 81 Webster St., 3rd floor, pleaded not guilty at today's arraignment in New Bedford Superior Court to two counts of assault and battery with substantial body injury. The surety bail means coming up with $100,000 or the full amount in property. The infant, who the police have said they found unconscious in Cerce's apartment, was taken to St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River and then moved to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, where he remains. A Bristol County grand jury indicted Cerce earlier this month . -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:54 PM | Comment Providence mayor taps new director of inspectionsPROVIDENCE -- Public Works Deputy Director Francisco Ramirez has been tapped as the new director of the city’s Department of Inspection and Standards, which has been without a permanent head since last February. Ramirez, who Mayor David N. Cicilline credits with overseeing implementation of the Big Green Can trash can project, will oversee 50 employees running the city’s Zoning Board of Review, its building permits and its housing code enforcement. “Francisco Ramirez has been an invaluable member of my cabinet for the past four years. His extraordinary leadership skills and unique ability to implement strong management systems have earned him the respect of his peers,” Cicilline said today in a statement. “I am confident that Francisco’s ability to build consensus and collaborate across departments will lead to excellence in customer service in Inspection and Standards.” -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Ramirez will be joined by new hires Kerry A. Anderson, who will be chief of structures and zoning, and Jasmin Checo, who will become prosecution coordinator. Ramirez replaces Samuel J. Shamoon, who retired last February after three years on the job. Since then, there have been a string of temporary directors. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:39 PM | Comment Pawtucket man indicted in woman's shooting deathPROVIDENCE -- A Pawtucket man has been indicted on a charge of murdering a woman and on 10 other felony counts, including accusations that he robbed tellers and a customer at a Providence bank. Deaven Tucker, with a last known address of Pidge Avenue, is accused of the shooting death of Jennifer Duarte at Grotto and Hurley avenues in Pawtucket's West End on Nov. 21 last year, according to a news release today from Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. Other counts related to the murder charge involved weapon possession, using a firearm after having been convicted of a violent crime, and others. The day before Duarte was found by police lying in the road, Tucker is accused of committing four counts of first-degree robbery. Three of them were against tellers at the Sovereign Bank at 131 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, and one was against a customer, the authorities allege. The Providence County grand jury handed up a secret indictment, which means the grand jury investigates and brings the original charge. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney At Wednesday's arraignment, the Attorney General's Office took steps to have Tucker considered a "habitual offender," which means he faces a possible "sentence enhancement" of 25 years if found guilty. According to the Attorney General's Office,Tucker's past convictions include: in 1995, two counts of breaking and entering; one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in 1999, and one drug count in 2003. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:21 PM | Comment Man accused of assault in Lincoln Woods stabbingState and Providence police have charged a Providence man in connection with a stabbing that occurred last Friday at Lincoln Woods State Park. Rafael Rosario, 18, of 108 Rugby St., is charged with felony assault with a dangerous weapon. People in Lincoln Woods State Park at the time of the stabbing Friday afternoon said a boy took out a large knife and gashed another youth with it during a chaotic mingling of dozens of high school boys. Authorities reported that the victim’s injuries were not life-threatening. Bail for Rosario was set this morning at $10,000 with surety in Sixth District Court, Providence. He is next due in court on June 14 for a determination of attorney hearing. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Armed with an arrest warrant, members of the state police detective bureau and the Providence police arrested Rosario around 10 p.m. last night, the state police announced this afternoon. Environmental protection officers from the state Department of Environmental Management assisted state and Providence police in the investigation that led to Rosario’s arrest. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:21 PM | Comment Mass. company decides against R.I. expansionCANTON, Mass. -- A Massachusetts bioengineering company has decided against an expansion in Rhode Island. Instead, Canton-based Oranogenesis plans to stay in Massachusetts and expand there. That's the word today from Gov. Deval Patrick. Organogenesis, which makes living skin substitutes, had been thinking about expanding in Rhode Island and had even picked out a site. But the president and CEO of the company, Geoff MacKay, says Patrick's commitment to promote life sciences research in Massachusetts helped convince the firm to stay. It reversed course after Patrick announced a $1 billion life sciences initiative last month. "I think they feel like the climate is right for life sciences and that's exactly what we want Organogenesis and other companies to feel," Patrick told The Associated Press. Organogenesis will add 300 new highly skilled jobs, doubling its existing employee base and expanding its facilities to 250,000 square feet. -- The Associated Press Organogenesis was founded in 1985 and describes itself as a leading tissue regeneration company. It has employees both in the United States and Switzerland. Its primary product is Apligraf, a form of bioengineered skin that is used to close open wounds on diabetics and the overweight. Patrick was to attend a formal announcement at mid-afternoon today. A former executive at two Fortune 50 companies, Patrick has pledged to enact a promise previously made by former Gov. Mitt Romney, another corporate executive-turned-governor: to serve as the state's chief salesman. Patrick has focused on retaining 342 major employers in the state, while also bolstering a sales staff to attract new employers. He has paid particular focus on the life sciences industry, which has a base in Cambridge and along Route 128. Last month he paid daily visits to a biotechnology conference in Boston to promote the state's friendliness toward business. He also announced a 10-year, $1 billion initiative to promote stem cell research and other life sciences work in Massachusetts. It would create a bank of stem-cell lines for public and private research, establish research grants for scientists and upgrade public college facilities for public and private use. In addition, it includes tax incentives to promote development of life sciences companies. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:30 PM | Comment R.I. gets $699,000 to compensate crime victimsRhode Island is getting $699,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to help pay for a program that compensates victims of crimes. The money is from the federal Crime Victims Fund, which comes from fines and other payments made by criminals in federal cases. The compensation provides reimbursement to crime victims or their survivors for expenses "resulting from their victimization, such as medical costs, mental health counseling, and lost wages," according to a news release today from the office of U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente. “A gratifying aspect of this award is that taxpayers don’t finance it, criminals do, through fines and special assessments,” Corrente said in the statement. "The Financial Litigation Unit in my office sees to it that every convicted felon pays any fine imposed, as well as the mandatory $100 that is assessed for each count of conviction.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:08 PM | Comment Photo: The pull of planting a garden
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:37 PM | Comment R.I. rated 'safe Democratic' when it comes to SenateThe Web site of Congressional Quarterly has come out today with an analysis of a dozen U.S. Senate races next year in which Democrats will be trying to keep their jobs. And Rhode Island should easily go Republican. Just kidding. Rather, CQPolitics.com reports that Rhode Island is among six states rated as "safe Democratic." The others are Massachusetts, Illinois, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan. "Two factors that can influence a race rating are incumbency and a state’s political leanings, and these circumstances are working in favor of the Democrats in these six states,'' says the CQPolitics.com article. "All six senators have won at least two Senate elections, and they took an average of 67 percent of the vote in the 2002 election." Up for re-election in 2008 in Rhode Island is Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, who easily won election to his second term in 2002. Elected to the second Senate seat forRhode Island last fall was Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, who defeated Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee in a close race that drew national attention. Rhode Island's two congressmen, Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin, are also Democrats. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:29 PM | Comment Dunk operator considers suing consultant for overrun
The Rhode Island Convention Center Authority today asked its legal counsel, Bruce A. Leach, of the Providence law firm Desimone and Leach, to review the feasibility study provided three years ago by the Minnesota consulting firm Ellerbe Becket. The authority used that 106-page report in crafting its request to borrow $62 million to upgrade the civic center. The cost of that project has ballooned to $81.4 million, and the authority has asked the legislature to approve another $13.4 million in borrowing to help close that gap. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:08 PM | Comment Ethics commission puts off Montalbano casePROVIDENCE -- The state Ethics Commission this morning put off indefinitely its trial-like hearing on the ethics case against state Senate President Joseph Montalbano, issuing a stay but not taking up a request by Montalbano's lawyer that the case be dismissed. The decision came after hearing a number of consitutional arguments from Montalbano's lawyer, Max Wistow. There are eight charges against Montalbano, all related to his votes last spring supporting a referendum on the proposed West Warwick casino and his legal work for the Town of West Warwick. Four of the charges stem from his votes in the Senate committee handling the casino legislation and later on the Senate floor. Those charges accuse him of having a substantial conflict of interest when he voted and of not filing statements disclosing the potential conflict of interest between his work for the town and his votes on the casino legislation. The other four charges stem from his failure to disclose his work for the town in financial statements filed with the Ethics Commission. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Bruce Landis Last week, a motion filed with the Ethics Commission by Wistow asserted that federal and state court rulings based on the federal and state constitutions give Montalbano and other legislators protection against prosecution based on their votes. Wistow has also demanded a jury trial in court for his client rather than the adjudicatory hearing before the Ethics Commission that decide ethics cases now. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:59 PM | Comment One former Providence mayor helps another / Photo
Paolino, of course, was the City Council president who became mayor when Cianci was forced to resign in 1984 from his first stint as mayor of the capital city. The two have had a sometimes contentious relationship, but they’ve been “communicating over the past few years” with letters, Paolino said this morning. It’s tough, Paolino said, to see someone who used to be on top who has fallen. He thinks “anybody that’s got compassion” would do what he did. “Sometimes when people are in need of help, you put your political differences aside,” Paolino said on his cell phone today from New York, where he’s conducting business. “We’ve both done that. We’re old warriors. We’ve been adversaries. We’ve been friends. We’ve been colleagues. And he needed help.” Cianci asked Paolino if he knew anyone in Boston, and Paolino delivered. He called Paul Roiff, originally a Rhode Islander and now owner of the posh Fifteen Beacon hotel that has signed Cianci on for some marketing work while he’s in the halfway house, Coolidge House in Boston. Cianci was released from federal prison at Fort Dix, N.J., at about 3 a.m. yesterday and arrived at the halfway house less than seven hours later. He's scheduled to start working at the hotel Monday. “I called Paul Roiff and told him that Cianci was going to be in Boston, would be in a halfway house, needed some help and if he had any need to hire someone of his talent,” Paolino explained. “And without hesitation, Paul Roiff said yes.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Paolino said helping Cianci, like helping anyone in need, “feels good.” Plus, he goes way back with the Cianci family, he said. He has known the former mayor’s daughter, Nicole Cianci, “since she was born.” She and her children now live in a building partly owned by Paolino’s real estate company, The 903 condominium development behind Providence Place mall, Paolino said. Paolino characterized Cianci as "the kind of guy who knows how to bring himself back up." He said he’s hopeful that Cianci’s “future is brighter than his past.” “He needed a hand of friendship, and I was happy to offer it to him …,” he said. “And hopefully it gives him a fresh start.” Paolino said he knows Cianci wants to be back in Rhode Island, but he said he doesn’t really know what direction the colorful former mayor will take in life. “I don’t know what goes, really, through his mind,” Paolino said. “He’s got a tremendous amount of talent. He’s very bright. He very much wants to be back in Rhode Island.” Mostly, Paolino thinks Cianci wants to focus on being a father and a grandfather, noting that Nicole had her third child recently. As for those letters the two former mayors exchanged while Cianci was in federal prison at Fort Dix, N.J., Paolino said he has never divulged the contents of a correspondence he considers “private.” Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:44 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.'s release from prison to a halfway house in Boston and a report that more Rhode Island National Guard members are being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:40 AM | Comment Traffic: Slow going into the cityTraffic is heavy this morning on Route 95 north and Route 195 east heading into the city, according to the state Transportation Management Center's Web site. The management center has lifted its alert for an accident on Route 146 north in Providence that had slowed traffic earlier this morning. For other traffic needs, check out the state 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 and listen to or read the radio reports for the week about traffic and construction on specific roadways. To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:49 AM | Comment Montalbano seeks dismissal from Ethics CommissionPROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Ethics Commission holds a hearing today on whether to dismiss the ethics case against state Senate President Joseph Montalbano. Montalbano is accused of violating the state ethics code by voting for a casino resolution that would have benefited West Warwick at the same time he was doing legal work for the town. His lawyer filed a motion last week asking the commission to dismiss the case and arguing that state legislators can't be prosecuted for their votes. Montalbano, a North Providence Democrat, is currently scheduled for a trial-like hearing before the commission on Tuesday. He has asked for a jury trial in Superior Court. The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:04 AM | Comment Chance of showersLook for a chance of showers today between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Otherwise, today should be mostly cloudy with a high near 70 degrees in the Providence area, the National Weather Service says. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 30, 2007The Dead, performed live, tonight at Twin RiverWowwwww, man, look who's playing tonight. Break out the tie-dyes, the sandals and the mellow vibe and head over to Twin River in Lincoln if you'd like to go back to a time when songs were jams. Dark Star Orchestra, which Rolling Stone magazine called “the most talented and accomplished tribute band out there,” performs Grateful Dead songs at 7:30 tonight at the Events Center at Twin River. The six-member band has been touring for nine years, not just singing like the Dead, but singing with the Dead. Admission, which is restricted to those 18 and older, is $21.50. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Heavy metal: Providence convention will weigh inPROVIDENCE -- It might not be the most high-profile convention to come to town, but it will apparently be the heaviest. The Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) has scheduled its 2007 annual meeting for Providence, according to the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority. In addition to the conventioneers, the organization plans to lug 250 tons of equipment to the convention center exhibit floor, including CT scan machines and other heavy, medical imaging equipment. That would be the most freight ever assembled for a convention, more than is deployed for the boat show, according to Arleen F. Oliva, a senior sales manager at the convention center. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:40 PM | Comment Senate committee passes dating violence curriculumPROVIDENCE -- Legislation requiring a dating violence curriculum in Rhode Island schools has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, the office of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a news release today. The bill, S-0875, would require each school district to come up with and carry out a "zero tolerance" dating violence policy and establish guidelines and discipline procedures in response to any incidents that happened on school grounds. The legislation is named the Lindsay Ann Burke Act, in memory of the 23-year-old North Kingstown woman who was murdered by Gerardo Martinez, her former boyfriend, in Warwick in September 2005. Martinez is serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for the homicide. The bill's prime sponsor is Sen. Beatrice Lanzi, D-Cranston, and it is among bills the attorney general has pushed for. Lynch said in the statement that he was pleased "with the momentum" the bill has gained and that he hopes "our state will soon have a new law crafted to prevent young people from being victimized by dating violence." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:24 PM | Comment Head of URI's nonviolence center to be honoredThe director of the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies will be honored this evening in Hartford as part of the celebration of a traveling outdoor art exhibit whose purpose is to spread a message of diversity and acceptance around the world. Bernard LaFayette Jr., who has been a civil-rights movement activist, minister, educator and lecturer, was a trusted friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Tonight at 7, after a 5:30 p.m. exhibition viewing in Hartford, LaFayette will receive The Hartford Financial Services Group’s Coexistence Award. The Hartford is hosting the first New England showing of the exhibit Coexistence, which was created in Jerusalem and has traveled around the world. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:19 PM | Comment Crews to wrestle tons of steel over Rte. 95 tonightPROVIDENCE – Try lifting 110 automobiles high above Route 95. Can’t do it? Neither can we, but the state Department of Transportation’s construction crew can. Last night, they successfully lifted into place three pieces of curved steel that weighed as much as that many cars combined – about 220 tons. They’re prepared to do so again tonight, according to the DOT. Tonight’s roadwork will not shut down Route 95, as 13 nights of construction work earlier this month did. Instead, workers will shut down however many lanes they need to do their work – with a guarantee that at least one lane will remain open through the night, DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin said.
The steel beams being lifted into place last night and tonight are the largest pieces of steel to date that crews are installing above Route 95 for the Route 195 relocation project, according to St. Martin. These curved steel pieces will support a new off-ramp from Route 195 west to the Rhode Island Hospital complex. As the ramp curves to the right, it will take drivers onto the new Eddy Street exit. As it curves to the left, it will carry drivers onto Route 95 south, St. Martin said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:16 PM | Comment Reunited with their baby hawk, parents provideBARRINGTON -- It took less than 24 hours for the parents of a baby red-tailed hawk to discover that their baby had been returned to them and bring it food -- a snake. John Maxson of the Born to Be Wild Nature Center in Westerly said the center received two calls today reporting that the parents had found the baby and resumed caring for it. The baby and two siblings were inadvertently knocked from their nest last week when groundskeepers cut down a dying pine tree at the Rhode Island Country Club. The two other babies were killed but the remaining three-week-old was taken to the Westerly center while a makeshift nest was prepared for it back at the golf course. Maxson’s wife, Vivian, who led the effort to restore the baby to the nest, had predicted that the chances that the parents would find the baby were “one hundred percent,” and sure enough, the first caller to the center today said the mother had been seen moving material to revamp the manmade nest on a three-foot-square wooden pallet. Later, an official from the state Department of Environmental Management said the mother was seen delivering dinner. “It’s a done deal,” Maxson said of the reunion. “It’s wonderful.” -- Journal East Bay bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:08 PM | Comment House panel to consider 24-hour wait for abortionsA House committee will hear testimony this afternoon on a bill dubbed the “Women’s Right to Know Act,” which would institute a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for all abortions performed in Rhode Island. House Bill 5849, sponsored by Rep. Peter G. Palumbo, D-Cranston, is virtually identical to legislation introduced in previous years that has yet to make it to the House floor for a vote. “This doesn’t try to overthrow Roe versus Wade. It merely says you have to wait 24 hours to have an abortion,” Palumbo said earlier today. “If they maybe knew what was available, they might not go through with it.” A host of pro-choice advocates are expected to attend the hearing, including representatives from Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women. Today’s hearing is scheduled for the rise of the House – generally around 4:30 p.m. – in State House room 135. -- Steve Peoples, Providence Journal State House Bureau The waiting period outlined in the proposed law would begin only after a doctor conveys to a woman specific information about the abortion procedure, including the “particular medical risks associated with the particular abortion procedure to be employed, including, when medically accurate, the risks of infection, hemorrhage, danger to subsequent pregnancies and infertility.” The doctor also must instruct a woman that “Medical assistance benefits may be available for prenatal care, childbirth and neonatal care” and that “the father is liable to assist in the support of her child, even in instances in which the father has offered to pay for the abortion.” There were 4,838 “induced terminations” performed in Rhode Island in 2006, according to the state Department of Health. Through April of this year, there have been 1,574. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:23 PM | Comment Driver critically hurt when truck flipped ID'dNORTH KINGSTOWN – A 60-year-old Cumberland man was critically injured yesterday afternoon when the massive dump truck he was driving flipped at a Route 403 construction site. Thaddeus Stenovitch, of Willcroft Street, is listed in critical condition today at Rhode Island Hospital, Police Capt. Charles Brennan said. Stenovitch, who was not wearing a seat belt, sustained life-threatening injuries to his head and torso after being thrown about the cab, the police say. He was not breathing when witnesses found him outside the vehicle. He was flown by helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital after one of his co-workers administered CPR. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Stenovitch was operating a truck, referred to as a Euclid, in a construction zone near Frenchtown Road around 2:44 p.m. yesterday. He lost control of the vehicle as he backed toward a steep embankment to dump a load of loam, the police said. The truck began sliding backwards and did at least one complete rotation before coming to a stop, reports show. The police did not find anything faulty with the truck, Brennan said. “We think it was just an accident … The ground gave free” under the vehicle’s weight, he said. The truck, which was righted by crane, is owned by Cardi Corp., the police said. The company is undertaking the Route 403 relocation project for the state Department of Transportation. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:16 PM | Comment Cianci's arrival: A real-life street drama / Photo
Another passer-by thought a movie was being made. But this wasn't a theatrical drama -- although its subject is the star of a recent documentary. This was the return of former Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr., who checked into the Coolidge House this morning to finish his federal prison sentence on work release. He's expected to stay in the halfway house the next three weeks after spending nearly 4 1/2 years in federal prison in New Jersey for racketeering conspiracy. He is due early next month to start working in marketing/public relations at the chi-chi Fifteen Beacon hotel in Boston's Beacon Hill. Cianci got past the crush of media at the building's front when he arrived in a blue-ish Later, Nicole Cianci, who drove in the car with her father to Boston from Fort Dix this morning with his nephew, Brad Turchetta, told reporters: "I feel great. I'm glad to have him home." Asked about the trip, she said her father "was in a great mood, he was happy to be out." Nephew Turchetta said of Cianci: "He's happy to be near home. He's looking forward to getting to real home." But it was Bob Aiello who got an exclusive interview with the former mayor. Aiello, wearing his Building Wreckers Local union shirt, was on the third floor of Coolidge House, where he and a work crew have been doing renovations for about a year, when he got to meet the halfway house's newest inmate. Aiello said he recognized the former mayor, though Cianci was not wearing one of his famous toupees or the baseball cap at the time. Aiello said he shook Cianci's hand. "He said, 'Hello, how we doing?' And I said, 'Great, how you doing?' He said, 'Great.'" -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Even with Cianci nowhere in public view, his presence was felt. Motorists waiting in traffic asked reporters what was going on. Cianci's out, the reporters said. The driver of a florist truck said knowingly, "Oh, Buddy." Asked if he knew of Cianci, Sason, the Starbucks barista, said: "I've heard the name. I Kirkwood Adams III, who works at the nearby Museum of Fine Arts, was walking by and wondered what was going on. Told it was about Cianci, Adams wondered if it had had something to do with a scandal involving drug use. Told that no, it had involved Adams seemed to have heard that Providence had seen corruption before, but he said he liked Providence a lot. "Firewater, right?" he said. WaterFire, that is. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:27 PM | Comment Marking Memorial Day in Fall River / Photo
Roger Lenehan, 84, of Buzzards Bay, Mass., and Armand Vigeant, also 84, of Somerset, carry a wreath before throwing it into the water from the Battleship Massachusetts, Fall River, in observation of Memorial Day. Today's ceremony included a 21-gun salute.
There’s plenty of history about the day on a Web site that was launched to help promote the original intent of Decoration Day and to restore the meaning behind current Memorial Day celebrations. The site promotes changing the day of observance back to May 30, regardless of whether that falls on a Monday. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson On the first Decoration Day, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. New York was the first state to officially recognize the day, in 1873. By 1890, it was recognized by all of the northern states. However, the South initially refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their Civil War dead on separate days until after World War I. It was after that war when the Memorial Day holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war, according to the U.S. Memorial Day Web site. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:00 PM | Comment Baggage screener faces 5 years for false statementPROVIDENCE -- A baggage screener at T.F. Green Airport has been found guilty of making a false statement on a federal security questionnaire because he didn't disclose previous employment with a company that was providing him a disability payment. The verdict on May 25 against John Riccio, 63, of North Kingstown, came after a three-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres in Providence, according to an announcement today from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente and Joseph S. Salter, security director at T.F. Green Airport. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee presented evidence at trial that Riccio began working as a baggage screener at T.F. Green Airport in July 2004. That February, he had filed a report with Wal-mart, claiming he had been injured while working at a Wal-mart store in Warwick. "He claimed total disability, and Wal-mart began paying him disability compensation," according to the U.S. Attorney's office news release. Last year, after an initial background check in 2004, the Transportation Security Administration asked Riccio to fill out a federal security questionnaire. "The evidence showed that Riccio deliberately concealed his Wal-mart employment when completing the questionnaire, which he submitted to TSA in July 2006. Subsequently, when TSA investigators questioned Riccio, he confirmed the information on his security questionnaire, and denied ever having received disability payments from previous employment," according to the release. Riccio is out on bond pending sentencing scheduled for Aug. 28. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The Transportation Security Administration has suspended Riccio from the job pending the case's outcome. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:11 PM | Comment Cianci makes quick entry at halfway house / Photo
Courtesy of WPRI
Cianci heads into the halfway house this morning.
BOSTON -- Wearing a blue shirt, sunglasses and a dark blue baseball cap, former Providence Mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci Jr. slipped quickly into his new residence around 9:30 a.m. today – the halfway house in Boston where he's expected to stay for the next three weeks. He arrived at the Coolidge House at 307 Huntington Ave., in a blue Lexus SUV. The former mayor - known for his showmanship and array of toupees - was released from federal prison at Fort Dix, N.J., about 3 a.m., Fort Dix officer Tim Lewis said. Driving from Fort Dix to Boston typically takes between five and six hours. North of Fort Dix, the reporters and photographers had already started staking out the building on Boston's busy Huntington Avenue before 6 a.m. The television trucks were parked nearby, the cameras lined up and the reporters sat in chairs under the bright sunshine. They were all waiting for Cianci, who spent 4 1/2 years in federal prison for racketeering conspiracy. Even without the fanfare following the colorful Cianci, the area around Coolidge House would be plenty busy. The five-story building sits across from the New England Conservatory of Music, near several tall Northeastern University buildings and the Greater Boston YMCA. The Hancock Tower is visible. Several men left the building this morning carrying backpacks. They are apparently residents of the halfway house on their way to work. Cianci, 66, is expected to spend the next three weeks at the Coolidge House and then be released to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement at a nephew's house in East Greenwich. -- With reports from Journal photographer Andrew Dickerman, projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson and The Associated Press. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:23 PM | Comment Two men arrested for crack cocaine this morningWARWICK -- A Florida man and a New York man were arrested by the Rhode Island State Police this morning on charges of crack cocaine and marijauna possession and intent to deliver a controlled substance. Lashon Simmons, 32, of Orlando and Jumel Pickett, 32, of Brooklyn were arrested at 2:40 a.m. after the police stopped their car on the airport connector road in Warwick. They were heading north on Route 95 when they turned onto the connector road, according to the police. The police said in a news release that Simmons had 4.62 ounces of crack and Pickett had 3.06 ounces of crack. Pickett was also charged as a fugitive from justice as an accused parole violator for an offense in New York State. Both were held at the State Police Wickford barracks and were ordered held without bail at arraignment today pending a bail hearing. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:07 PM | Comment R.I. schools show improvement on state testsPROVIDENCE — With two years of the state's new test under their belts, Rhode Island’s 250 elementary and middle schools have shown impressive gains, with 171 schools earning “high performing” status in the latest round of school classifications released today. With 15 more schools than last year earning the high-performing status, 68 percent of elementary and middle schools are now in that category, up from 62 percent last year. Just 27 schools were categorized as having made “insufficient progress” under the state’s accountability system, compared with 37 schools last year. In addition, 52 schools were “moderately performing,” compared with 57 schools last year, according to the Rhode Island Department of Education. "Our schools, particularly our urban schools, have made significant improvements in meeting their targets," Governor Carcieri said in a statement. "This is a tribute to the continued hard work of students, teachers and administrators. "The increasing number of schools that are now classified as high performing and those that are making significant progress show that all of our schools and our students can succeed." -- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan Of particular note is the advance of the state’s four urban districts: Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket. Last year, 45 urban schools failed to make adequate yearly progress, meaning they failed to move enough students closer to proficiency on the annual state test. This year, the number dropped to 26 urban schools failing to make progress. Twelve urban schools that failed to make sufficient progress in the 2005-2006 school year did make strides this year, including Charles Fortes Elementary School in Providence, where Carcieri and education officials chose to release the school classifications this morning. If the schools can make enough progress next year, they will be taken off the state’s “in need of improvement” list. Urban ring communities -- Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, Newport, North Providence, Warwick and West Warwick -- also made progress, with 74 schools showing improvement among all their student groups, such as white, black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, low-income, English-language learners and special education. That number is up from 61 urban ring schools last year. And suburban schools throughout the rest of the state also improved, with 104 schools moving all student groups closer to proficiency, up from 98 suburban schools last year. Education officials said the progress was not surprising because students and teachers are now more familiar with the New England Common Assessment Program, the new testing system in English and math that rolled out in October 2005, and know how to better prepare for the tests. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:58 AM | Comment Bishop, publisher gives Catholic newspaper new lookThe Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin this morning unveiled a new look – and a new name – for the weekly newspaper published by the Diocese of Providence. The Providence Visitor is now the Rhode Island Catholic, and it sports a crisper, more contemporary design, with a greater emphasis on news about local parishes, schools, and sports teams. The new paper’s slogan is: ``Faith, Family & Life Since 1875.’’ ``The changing spiritual and pastoral challenges of our times require us to be open to new approaches and strategies,’’ Bishop Tobin said in a press conference in the basement of the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul. ``Upon my arrival in Providence it became apparent to me that our newspaper could be even more effective and attractive than it already was.’’ Bishop Tobin, publisher of the diocesan paper, was installed in Providence two years ago tomorrow. An enthusiastic follower of the news – religious and secular – Bishop Tobin decided early on that The Visitor, founded in 1875, needed a redesign. It was, in newspaper parlance, ``gray’’ – visually unexciting, and sometimes jumbled. Although an outside consultant, Creative Circle Media Consulting of Providence, oversaw the redesign, Bishop Tobin had personal involvement. He chose the new name. In his remarks, the bishop joked about having to share headlines with Buddy Cianci, who was released from federal prison after almost five years today. Despite the competition, the bishop’s press conference was covered by several TV stations and other media outlets. The Rhode Island Catholic hits the stands tomorrow. Also in the works is a redesign of the diocese’s Web site -- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller Posted by Jack Perry at 11:43 AM | Comment 2 plead guilty to Stop & Shop fraud and ID theftPROVIDENCE – Two defendants in the Stop & Shop fraud case pleaded guilty this morning to federal charges in connection with helping divert nearly $125,000 from the supermarket chain’s customers in Rhode Island. Appearing in U.S. District Court, Arman Ter-Esayan and Gevork Baltadjian, both of California, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft. They had signed agreements last week with the federal government to enter the pleas. They are subject to up to five years in prison on the first charge and at least two more years in prison on the second charge, as well as fines of up to $250,000 on each charge, according to federal court documents. They would remain on probation for at least three years after their release from prison, if a judge approves the agreement. The deals are the same as the one signed earlier this month by a third defendant – Arutyun Shatarevyan, also of California. Shatarevyan is set to appear in the same federal court Friday when U.S. District Court Judge William Smith will review the plea deal. This morning, Smith reminded Ter-Esayan and Baltadjian that he could reject the deal they’ve struck with the government and impose some other sentence, including adding the possibility of being deported should they commit a crime after their release from prison. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi The case against a fourth man, Mikael Stepanian, of Studio City, Calif., remains unresolved. U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Martin has set a deadline of June 27, by which time the government must charge Stepanian. The four men face separate state charges in the case: computer fraud, theft using a computer and conspiracy - all felonies - and computer trespass, a misdemeanor. State and Coventry police arrested the four suspects Feb. 26 at the Stop & Shop on Tiogue Avenue in Coventry where, federal and state authorities say, the men had gone to retrieve a checkout lane PIN pad rigged to capture shoppers' financial-account information. Videotape evidence links the men to 1,100 account thefts at Stop & Shops in Providence, Cranston and Coventry and, ultimately, to ATM withdrawals made in California, according to the U.S. Secret Service. The men removed or tried to remove original PIN pads from at least six stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Ter-Esayan and Baltadjian were returned to the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston today, where they’ll remain until a sentencing hearing Sept 7. Shatarevyan and Stepanian also remain in the ACI. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:20 AM | Comment R.I., Mass. AGs want to team up against crimePROVIDENCE -- Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch today is slated to host the attorney general of Massachusetts and district attorneys from three Bay State counties to talk about best practices in prosecuting cases. A news release from Lynch's office said he initiated the 1 p.m. meeting "to foster cooperation and collaboration" among the offices. Scheduled to attend are Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., and Norfolk County District Attorney William R. Keating. Senior prosecutors from those offices are also expected at the meeting. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:03 AM | Comment Sunny and warm todayLook for sunny skies in the Providence area with a high near 86 degrees today and a calm wind from the southwest, according to the National Weather Service. There is also an elevated risk of fire today because of dry conditions, but the wind should not gust above 25 mph., keeping the risk below thresholds for red flag warnings, the weather service says. Clouds will increase tonight with a low around 62 degrees. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story about an infestation of tent caterpillars in West Greenwich, a photograph and story about former Sen. Lincoln Chafee's settling into his new office at Brown University and a story about former Providence Mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci Jr.'s scheduled release from a federal prison today. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 29, 2007Dump truck flips at N.K. roadwork site; driver hurtNORTH KINGSTOWN -- A 64-year-old man was flown to Rhode Island Hospital with life-threatening injuries this afternoon after the massive dump truck he was operating flipped while working at a state road project, the police said. The police received a 911 call around 2:44 p.m. that the truck, known as a Euclid, had rolled, trapping its driver inside at the Route 403 construction site off Frenchtown Road, the police said. The man was backing the truck toward a steep embankment to dump dirt when it began sliding down the slope. It turned at some point and did at least one complete rotation before it came to a stop. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and was tossed about the cab, leaving him with serious head and torso injuries, Capt. Charles Brennan said. The man – whom police did not identify – was unconscious when rescue crews removed him from the truck. He was flown by helicopter to the hospital, Brennan said. The vehicle is owned by the Cardi Construction Corp., which is undertaking the road work for the state Department of Transportation, police said. Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators were called to the scene. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:22 PM | Comment New home for red-tailed hawks at R.I. Country ClubBARRINGTON -- A week after being inadvertently knocked from its nest when groundskeepers took down a dying pine tree at the Rhode Island Country Club, a three-week-old red-tailed hawk was placed in a makeshift nest this afternoon in hopes that its parents will find it again. With one red-tailed hawk spotted circling the golf course farther to the north, Vivian Maxson of Born to Be Wild Nature Center, who cared for the chick, said the odds that the parents would find the baby were "100 percent.'' Greens Supt. Peter Lund, who had cut down the tree only to discover -- to his horror --that three birds were nesting there, built and installed the new nest in an adjacent tree using a 3-by-3-foot wooden pallet. Before the chick arrived he was placing fresh needles for the bird. When it arrived, he was the one who stepped precariously among the branches to place the chick in its new home around 4:15 p.m. About 15 minutes later, the baby could be seen peering out of the makeshift nest. Maxson said the chick had a healthy appetite while she cared for it, eating a dozen chopped-up mice yesterday. "She's well fed. She'll be fine at least until tomorrow morning." Extra: See photos of the hawks before and after the tree was cut down. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:50 PM | Comment Update: Pats player's death ruled accidental drowningNEW ORLEANS -- The death of New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill, who fell off a jet ski Sunday in Lake Pontchartrain, has been ruled an accidental drowning. An autopsy found no signs of drug or alcohol in Hill's body, although more tests are planned and will take two weeks to complete, said Orleans Parish coroner Dr. Frank Minyard today. Minyard said Hill might have suffered a mild concussion when he fell off the water craft. The former LSU star and a female friend had ventured onto the lake near the south shore. Investigators said neither was wearing a life vest. Authorities said they ended up in an area of swirling currents near where a shipping canal runs into the lake. While the woman survived by clinging to a pylon until she was rescued, the 24-year-old Hill, who friends described as a good swimmer, drifted away and disappeared. Searchers pulled his body from the water on Monday afternoon. Hill's body was discovered by searchers about a quarter of a mile from where he fell into the water, Capt. Brian Clark of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department said. -- The Associated Press Loved ones including Hill's fiancee, Inell Benn, and friends, including Patriots teammate Randall Gay, had waited anxiously along the shoreline during the search and consoled one another when authorities told them Hill was found dead. "Right now's a terrible time," Benn said. "I don't know what to feel right now." Gay, who also played with Hill at LSU, had planned to spend the holiday weekend in Baton Rouge, but drove to New Orleans on Monday to monitor the search. "Knowing that I have to go back to work and go look at his locker this week, it's tough," Gay said. "I lost a brother, man," said Patriots defensive lineman Jarvis Green, a fellow Louisiana native and former LSU player. "He was a funny guy. ... He'd just sit there and talk to you, say some funny things off his head that'd make you laugh. He was good to be around." The Coast Guard was called Sunday night, Petty Officer Tom Atkeson said. The search began immediately, using boats and helicopters. By the time the body was found, the Coast Guard, Wildlife and Fisheries, the New Orleans Police Department and Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department were involved, Clark said. Hill played on LSU's national championship team and was a second-round draft pick by New England in 2004. He had yet to start for the Patriots, playing in 13 games in his NFL career. "We have suffered a stunning and tragic loss," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a written statement. "Marquise will be remembered as a thoughtful and caring young man who established himself as one of the year-round daily fixtures of our team. I send my deepest condolences to the Hill family." The rescued woman, whose identity was not immediately available, was sent to Tulane Medical Center, where she told authorities Hill had tried to keep her calm as the two were drifting away from each other. "It's so important to have a life jacket and a signaling device," Atkeson said. "One keeps you afloat and the other helps us find you." Hill's agent, Albert Elias, said the player spent much of his time since Hurricane Katrina helping rebuild the homes of family members including his mother, Sherry, and the mother of his 2-year-old son. "From what I hear, he's done a lot to help with things after Katrina, and I know he had a great passion for the city of New Orleans," said former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck, who was Hill's teammate at LSU. "Off field he was a really kind person, kind of like a gentle giant. And not only for LSU, but for New England and everyone who got a chance to meet him throughout his life, everyone has to be extremely saddened and disappointed to hear the news." After heading to the NFL, Hill continued to do much of his offseason training at LSU's Baton Rouge campus, about 80 miles up the Mississippi River from New Orleans. He was known and admired by current Tigers players, university athletics spokesman Michael Bonnette said. "His presence meant a lot for some of the younger guys. He gave them someone to look up to and he was always there for them," Bonnette said. "Here's a 6-foot-6, 300-pound guy, as intimidating as can be, and yet every time you approached him he always welcomed you with a big old smile. "In between the lines, he had his game-face on, but outside the lines, in the community or in the weight room, he was always smiling and having a good time." Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:25 PM | Comment Update: Cleared Duke lacrosse player to attend BrownBALTIMORE -- Reade Seligmann, one of the three former Duke lacrosse players cleared of rape charges, will attend Brown University in the fall and play lacrosse for the Bears. "I hope to make them proud of accepting me as a student," Seligmann said today in a statement provided to The Associated Press by his attorney, Jim Cooney. "I am looking forward to just being a student again." Seligmann's announcement came a day after the Blue Devils lost to Johns Hopkins 12-11 in the NCAA championship game in Baltimore. "I appreciate the support and loyalty of my teammates and coaches at Duke," Seligmann said. "I will miss them. I know that they will understand why I cannot return to Duke. I have been proud to be a part of their team and I am grateful for the support they have given to me over the past year." In a statement this afternoon, Brown University Dean of Admission James S. Miller said the university's Board of Admission "carefully evaluated Reade Seligmann's application, as well as the applications of nearly 1,100 other highly qualified transfer candidates, and voted to offer him admission to the college as a transfer student. We expect that he will begin his studies at Brown in the fall of 2007."
Posted by Jack Perry at 4:43 PM | Comment R.I. law requires life vests, safety course for jet skiersPersonal watercraft -- often called "jet skis" -- may attract those with little boating experience. Here in the Ocean State, the law requires lifejackets be worn by all personal watercraft riders. And anyone using such a craft must complete a state-approved boat safety course. The importance of lifejackets on the fast, highly maneuverable vehicles may have been highlighted by the weekend death of New England Patriots player Marquise Hill, who was found yesterday, a day after he was reported missing following a jet ski accident on a Louisiana lake. Neither Hill nor the woman wore a life preserver, Coast Guard Petty Officer Tom Atkeson told the Associated Press. "It's so important to have a life jacket and a signaling device," Atkeson said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from The Associated Press Details of what happened to Hill are not fully clear yet. But Hill's agent, Albert Elias, said he had been told Hill and a young woman were jet skiing Sunday night in the lake when both of them went into the water, which had a strong current, according to The Associated Press. Authorities said the woman was able to make it to a pylon and hang on until she was rescued, while Hill was last seen floating away from the scene. The woman was rescued and sent to Tulane Medical Center where she told them Hill had tried to keep her calm as the two were drifting away from each other.
With personal watercraft, Hall said, there are some boaters who, unlike years ago, did not go out with an adult on a little boat with a 10-horsepower engine and gradually build up to a more powerful craft. Hall said the manufactuters association for personal watercraft supports the sort of required boating education that Rhode Island uses. Nationally, for all types of boats, there are typically about 600 people killed each year in the United States in various accidents, Hall said. "The vast majority of the victims are drowning victims. And the vast majority of them would be alive if they were wearing a life jacket," he said.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:50 PM | Comment Bristol County DA reviewing unsolved homicidesNEW BEDFORD, Mass., -- The Bristol County district attorney sought to highlight efforts to solve old murder cases with an announcement today that a former Fall River man has been charged in the stabbing death of a woman two years ago. Jermaine Holley, 23, formerly of 671 Durfee St., Fall River, has been charged with murdering Suzy Goulart, 23, of Fall River on April 16, 2005. Goulart was the mother of two children. Holley will be arraigned within 30 days. Holley is currently at the Plymouth, Mass., County House of Correction on an unrelated charge, the district attorney and staff said at an afternoon news conference. They would not say what charge Holley is being held on in Plymouth County. This is the second time this year that Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter's office had brought charges against someone in what it called unsolved murder cases. "We're in the process of reviewing every unsolved homicide in Bristol County in the last 25 years," Assistant District Attorney William McCauley said. "There is no real science to solving these cases other than relying on good police work and relationships between other agencies." To provide information on cases, Sutter's office is urging the public to use a tip line: 866-SOLVE-07. Sutter credited "old fashioned police work" by the Fall River police -- in particular, Det. Anthony Elumba -- and district attorney's office and the Massachusetts State Police, in particular Det. Lt. Stephen O'Reilly. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:03 PM | Comment Girl, 8, stable after falling off boat in Sakonnet RiverAn 8-year-old girl who suffered serious head injuries after falling off of a moving motor boat in the Sakonnet River on Sunday was listed in stable condition today at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, according to investigators with the state Department of Environmental Management. The Environmental Police identified the driver of the boat as the girl’s father, Orien LaPlante, 44, of New Hampton, N.Y. Deputy Chief Kurt Blanchard would not identify the girl because she is a juvenile. Blanchard said that LaPlante was visiting family in Portsmouth when he took his daughter and a 10-year-old female relative tubing off a 15-foot runabout. After they were finished, they began returning to a private dock in Portsmouth. Around 4:15, when the boat was west of Gould Island, LaPlante’s daughter was in the bow. She “somehow fell overboard, at which time she was struck by the boat and sustained some head trauma,” Blanchard said. While the Tiverton Fire Department said Sunday that the injuries were caused by the propeller, Blanchard said that and many other details of the case remain under investigation. LaPlante retrieved his daughter from the water and took her to Standish Boatyard, in Tiverton, off Main Road and south of the Sakonnet River Bridge. Paramedics were waiting there when the boat arrived, Blanchard said. The Environmental Police seized the boat as part of its investigation, said Blanchard. He said it’s not yet clear whether the accident took place in Tiverton or Portsmouth waters. -- Submitted by Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Jack Perry at 2:27 PM | Comment Update: Announcement on tap in Fall River murderNEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- News about an unsolved Fall River murder is one of “two significant announcements” expected to be made today by Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter. The other announcement relates to the office’s general approach toward unsolved murders, spokesman Gregg Miliote in the District Attorney’s Office said this morning. The district attorney expects to address the press at 1 p.m. in his offices at 888 Purchase St. Photos and more details will be released at that time. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:27 AM | Comment Gas prices average $3.08 per gallonGasoline prices in Rhode Island just keep climbing. They’re up another three cents per gallon this week, the 15th consecutive week of increases that began back in mid-February, according to AAA Southern New England. Self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline is now averaging $3.08 per gallon, three cents more than last week, which was the first time this year that the average price climbed above $3 a gallon, according to AAA. Prices have risen 91 cents since the lowest price this year -- $2.17 per gallon back on Feb. 12, according to AAA. At least we can be thankful that Rhode Island prices are 12 cents below the national average -- $3.20 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Prices are ranging 26 cents, from a low of $2.95 for self-serve, regular unleaded to a high of $3.21 per gallon, according to AAA. On AAA’s Gas Savings Tips & Tools Web page, find the most up-to-date local gas prices. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:47 AM | Comment Health Dept. runs out of digital thermometersCRANSTON -- Some people may be wishing they didn't turn in their mercury thermometers on Saturday. So many people brought their mercury thermometers to the Cranston Fire Department station at 160 Sockanosset Cross Rd. that the Health Department ran out of the digital thermometers it was supposed to give out as replacements. Instead, some people who participated in the Mercury Thermometer Exchange Program were given orange slips and told to call a toll-free number so a thermometer could be mailed to them. For much of this morning, nobody seemed to be answering the number at the Health Department. Callers got a recording and no opportunity to leave a message. When I finally got through around 9:50 a.m., I was told by the woman who took my name that nobody knew when the thermometers would be available. Until then, I hope nobody in my house gets sick. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:36 AM | Comment 'Everyone feels relieved' at The Wheeler SchoolPROVIDENCE – Many of The Wheeler School’s eighth-graders are Block Island-bound today, but not the 29 who arrived home late last night – lucky to have escaped serious injuries after their tour bus toppled off the highway outside Quebec City late Sunday night. The students and four teachers were treated for minor injuries at local hospitals, according to school officials. One of the chaperones, a French teacher, suffered a fractured clavicle and remained in Canada for treatment. Since the school decided to have the students from the Quebec trip wait a day before joining their classmates for the mandatory trip to Block Island, those eighth-graders weren’t required to be in school today, Head of School Dan Miller said this morning. The 10 seventh-graders on the Quebec trip were due back in school today, Miller said. The French teacher who broke her collarbone is flying home today and should arrive late this afternoon or early this evening, Miller said. Miller said he’s not releasing her name to allow her some privacy. However, he spoke with admiration about the fact that she called the school to check on the seventh-grade lesson plan for today. “Even though she wasn’t feeling that great, she called in,” Miller said. “She had the presence of mind and the investment in the students” to call to make sure everything was in order for her students. Life at the private school today is good, Miller said. “I think people are just glad to see the kids and faculty,” he said. “Everyone feels relieved and grateful and fortunate and just happy to have the kids back where they belong.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:02 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of Memorial Day services in Rhode Island and a story about a bus accident that injured some students and teachers from The Wheeler School during a field trip to Quebec. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:50 AM | Comment Cianci to return to changed cityPROVIDENCE -- Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci Jr. ruled Providence for 21 years. When he is released from federal prison this week, he will re-enter a changed city after spending the better part of the past five years behind bars. High rises are springing up. Condos are dotting the edge of the Narrangansett Bay and expensive boutiques are replacing old mom-and-pops downtown. Cianci was convicted of a single count of racketeering in 2002. Federal prosecutors say he reigned over rampant corruption at City Hall. He is scheduled for release Wednesday. Perhaps the biggest change Cianci will witness is with the man who holds his old job. New Mayor David Cicilline has staked his reputation on clean government and ending corruption. Others in Providence are excited for the larger-than-life ex-mayor's return. At first Cianci will work in marketing at a glamorous Boston hotel while he is under house-arrest, but some speculate he will host a radio show in Providence soon, like he did in the past. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 9:23 AM | Comment Traffic: Rollover on 195 east in East ProvidenceEAST PROVIDENCE – A pickup truck rolled over on the east side of the Washington Bridge on Route 195 east shortly before 9 a.m., tying up an already heavy traffic morning, according to the state’s Transportation Management Center. The truck is in the shoulder, but the police have closed the right lane for emergency vehicles, according to TMC operator Denis Stephen. For other traffic needs, check out the state 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 and listen to or read the radio reports for the week about traffic and construction on specific roadways. To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2. Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:09 AM | Comment Expect sunshine and warmth todayPROVIDENCE – We’ll kick off this short work week with sunshine and a high of 78 today and another sunny day tomorrow – with a high of 86. Then, we’ve got a 20 percent chance of showers for much of the rest of the week. Also today, the National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Rhode Island, most of Massachusetts, northern Connecticut and southern New Hampshire. Dry conditions across interior southern New England create a near red flag warning. The only ingredient missing to create such a fire danger will be winds in excess of 25 miles per hour, the service reports. For now, expect winds of just 9 to 14 miles per hour. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:08 AM | Comment Reed to unveil plan for fighting homelessnessPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed will focus on homelessness this week, by unveiling a plan to fight the problem with more than two billion dollars in funding. Reed says Rhode Island has the highest rate of homelessness in New England. He says that since Welcome Arnold -- the state's largest overnight shelter -- closed, Rhode Island needs more resources to help homeless people. Reed's proposal to be unveiled today in Providence would increase funding for homelessness assistance grants by $350 million dollars and increase funding to programs that help prevent people from becoming homeless. Reed is a senior member of the Banking Committee, which oversees federal housing policy. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 28, 2007We're off for the Memorial Day holidayDear projo.com readers: The 7to7 news blog staff is off for the Memorial Day holiday. We'll return to blogging the latest local breaking news and items of interest around the state tomorrow morning at 7. In the meantime, we invite you to catch up on the news of last week via our blog, and check out the sports blog for breaking sports news and the Red Sox blog for today's game reports. And if you are fortunate enough to be off yourself today, we hope you enjoy the holiday. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 8:32 AM | Comment May 25, 2007Pirate fest takes over NewportYou don't have to be Captain Jack Sparrow to go where the pirates are. Or Keith Richards, for that matter Tomorrow (Saturday), a Pirate Fest kicks off in Newport. Starting at 10 a.m. in the Brick Market Place off America’s Cup Avenue, there will be a treasure hunt, a thieves market, a pirate trial re-enactment, a costume party and storytelling. Newport pirate walks will be offered at the Gateway Visitors Center: $15, $10 for children. All of this follow's today's release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. The movie will be shown tomorrow at Island Cinemas 10 on Route 114 in Middletown. A 5:30 and 7 p.m. cocktail cruises for adults will be on the Rum Runner II from Bannisters Wharf, $25. Reservations are recommended: (401) 847-0298. At 8 p.m., there's the Buccaneer’s Ball at Newport Yachting Center -- with costumes encouraged. Admission is $25 in advance and $35 at the door. For reservations, more information and events listing, go to www.piratefest.net. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Pedestrian hit on Rte. 1 in E. MatunuckSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The police are investigating an accident in which a pedestrian has been struck by a vehicle on Route 1 in East Matunuck. More details were not available. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:41 PM | Comment Fatal Coventry house fire started when lamp lit chairA fatal house fire in Coventry started when a hot lamp fell onto a chair made of highly flammable foam, the acting state fire marshal said today. Mark Holihen, 50, died in the blaze at 14 Meredith Drive Tuesday night. Holihen lived with his parents, John and Phyllis Holihen, who escaped without serious injury. The foam in the chair was similar to what had been placed on the walls of The Station nightclub, according to state police Lt. John Blessing, who is acting fire marshal. Polyurethane foam, ignited by a rock band’s fireworks, helped fire race through the West Warwick nightclub, ultimately claiming 100 lives in 2003. Blessing said that evidence has been sent to the state crime lab for further study, but that, as of now, the Coventry fire is being classified as accidental. -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker, with reports from Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Polyurethane foam is a common culprit in fatal house fires. It is not easily extinguished and may smolder undetected, only to burst into flames after people think they have doused the blaze. When it burns, it gives off toxic gases, including cyanide, that disable those who breathe the fumes. The foam produces a lot of heat and smoke. Holihen’s parents were in the living room when they smelled smoke and thought someone was cooking outside. When they opened the door to their son’s bedroom, they were hit with thick smoke that billowed out into the rest of the house. John Holihen tried to pull his son out of the bedroom, but couldn’t. When firefighters from the Anthony and Central Coventry districts arrived, the fire hadn’t spread very far past the bedroom. It was quickly brought under control, with minimal damage to the rest of house, where the Holihens have lived for 47 years. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:55 PM | Comment Update: Suspect sought in Lincoln Woods stabbing
LINCOLN -- The police are looking for a male suspect, who they say stabbed a 17-year-old Providence boy in the upper torso shortly after noon today in Lincoln Woods State Park. The teen who was stabbed was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital. His injuries were described as non-life-threatening injuries, according to State Police Lt. John LaFreniere. The suspect was described as a light-skinned black male about 15 to 18 years old, with a short pony tail, a white T-shirt, black shorts and about 5 feet, 10 inches, tall and weighing about 150 pounds. The stabbing appears to have been precipitated by a rock-throwing incident. There was a large gathering of youths in the park, said LaFreniere, and a report of the stabbing came in at 12:10 p.m. The suspect is believe to have fled on foot; a search of the park did not find him, LaFreniere said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:42 PM | Comment Brown, UMass Dartmouth to Webcast graduationsSeveral area educational institutions will hold graduation ceremonies this holiday weekend. Brown University's 239th commencement will be held on Sunday. The day's events begin at 9:45 a.m., when the commencement procession steps off on the College Green. There will be a live video Webcast during the ceremony, from about noon to 2 p.m. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's 107th commencement exercises will begin Sunday at 9:45 a.m. in the Vietnam Veterans Peace Memorial Amphitheater. There will be a live Webcast of the commencement proceedings up until the conferral of degrees. Southern New England School of Law will hold its commencement tomorrow at 11 a.m. And Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth will host its commencement Sunday at 11:30 a.m. On Monday, St. George's School in Middletown will hold its graduation at 11:45 a.m. Coverage of the events will be featured in The Providence Journal and on projo.com, which hosts a special section, Graduation Time. Posted by maria caporizzo at 5:05 PM | Comment Thermometer was cookin' with new high of 93 / Photo
Rhode Island sizzled and steamed its way to a new heat record for this date. The temperature hit 93 degrees at 4:10 p.m. in the Providence-Warwick area, eclipsing the 92-degree record for Providence recorded on this day in 1981, according to Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. The measurement for the Providence area is taken at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick. Boston hit a record high for the date, too, at 92 degrees, according to Weather Service records just posted. Tired of the heat already? A cold front -- or what will pass for one -- is due to move through southern New England overnight. That will bring temperatures down into the 80s for tomorrow. Get the latest conditions and forecasts at: http://projo.com/weather/ -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:35 PM | Comment Suspect in Fall River murder ID'dFALL RIVER, Mass. -- An arrest warrant has been issued for a Fall River man the authorities accuse of murdering city man Jerome Woodward on May 12, and the police are offering a reward for information that leads to the man's arrest. Luis Alberto Montalvo Borgos, 25, is the man authorities are looking for, according to a news release today from the office of Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter. The police would not elaborate on the reward. However, the release advises that people do not attempt to subdue the suspect or even approach him. The Fall River police ask that anyone with information to call its tip line at (508) 672-TIPS (8477). People can also called the department's major crimes division at (508) 342-2796 or the Bristol County District Attorney’s office at (508) 997-0711. The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police Detectives and Fall River Police are doing the investigation. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:10 PM | Comment Woman not guilty, due to insanity, of daughter's murderPROVIDENCE -- One-time Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate Tonya Fuller-Balletta has been found not guilty by reason of insanity of murdering her 12-year-old daughter by setting fire in her house. Fuller-Balletta, 39, formerly of 36 Ophelia St., Providence, was found not guilty today on all eight counts of the indictment, which also included first-degree arson, by Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl, according to the state Attorney General's Office. A psychiatrist for the defense argued during trial that Fuller-Balletta suffered from a "psychotic disorder" when she set the fire. Fuller-Balletta became enraged on Oct. 29, 2004, and tried to barricade her home when police arrived to serve her with an old warrant related to an accusation that she had written a bad check. She allegedly told her daughters the police had come to kill them, and then set a fire in a bedroom at her home at 36 Ophelia St. Fuller-Balletta and her daughter, Marina, were taken out the bedroom windows by police, but the police could not get to Fuller-Balletta's daughter, Talia, who was burned and died a month later in the hospital. Fuller-Balletta "was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of her behavior" because of her mental illness, psychiatrist Dr. Joseph V. Penn told the court. For at least a year before the fire, Fuller-Balletta exhibited signs of mental illness, he said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with archival reports "There was a pattern of odd and bizarre behaviors," he told the court. Those included that people were eavesdropping on her; threatening a neighbor with a brick; staring for long periods of time at a potted plant; gardening in the middle of the night, and cutting the cable television wires because she thought her house was bugged. A Providence County grand jury on April 8, 2005, indicted Fuller-Balletta According to the Attorney General's Office, during the October 2004 incident The defendant remains at the Eleanor Slater Hospital, Cranston, according to the Attorney General's Office. Running as an independent for governor in 2002, Fuller-Balletta participated in at least one candidates' forum with eventual winner Donald Carcieri. She did not collect enough signatures to make the ballot. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:49 PM | Comment Update: 2 boys suspended after Tolman High scarePAWTUCKET -- Two Tolman High School students have been suspended after being accused of stealing a piece of a pipe organ -- a piece found in a locker that fueled a school evacuation yesterday amid worries it was a pipe bomb. The boys have been suspended for 10 days because of the allegation of stealing from school property, Principal Frederick W. Silva said in an interview. The students never intended a bomb hoax. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was called in late yesterday to examine the item, described at the time as a pipe made of copper stuck inside a pipe made of galvanized metal. The device was found in an empty school locker, spurring an evacuation. A bomb squad later attached a charge to the device and activated it and found there was no secondary explosion, indicating the device was not a bomb. But it turns out that parts from a dismantled organ were kept in an area behind a wall, where the pipe piece allegedly was taken from. "At this time, we are convinced this was a case of stealing and an attempt to conceal contraband and not an attempt to stage a bomb hoax," Silva said in a letter to parents. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:38 PM | Comment Two charged in threat at Cumberland HighTwo Cumberland high school students have been charged with threatening to bomb their high school and conspiracy, Police Chief John R. Desmarais said this afternoon. An investigation determined that the two juvenile suspects – a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old – were responsible for scrawling some grafitti that alleged that a bomb was in the building, Desmarais said. The grafitti was discovered Wednesday, and the school was evacauted for about two hours. The young men surrendered themselves in Family Court, Providence, this morning where they were arraigned, Desmarais said. Two detectives, Bill Wilkie and Mike Strain, developed the case against the two teens from information gathered by the police department’s patrol division, Desmarais said. The detectives worked overnight Wednesday and through Thursday to put the case together, he said. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Jack Perry at 2:51 PM | Comment Providence police detective indicted on assault chargesPROVIDENCE – A Providence police officer has been indicted on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. The Providence County Grand Jury today indicted Det. Jason Simoneau, 32, of 70 Cumberland St. in Providence. It is alleged that Simoneau assaulted two people with a dangerous weapon – in this case, a firearm – on or about Dec. 24, 2006, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. Simoneau comes from a family with a long tradition of police work. He is the son of retired Maj. Dennis Simoneau, nephew to Patrolman Kenneth Simoneau and retired Lt. John Simoneau and stepson to retired Patrolwoman Kathy Simoneau -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith and Journal archives Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:29 PM | Comment Update: Woman dies in jump from Jamestown bridgeA South Kingstown woman died after jumping from the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge this morning, state police said. State Police Lt. David Neill said this afternoon that Sue A. Velicer, 52, of 10 Mellbridge Drive in the the Peacedale section was pronounced dead after being brought to Newport Hospital. Neill, who is the patrol commander at the Wickford barracks, said police received several 911 calls at about 10:40 a.m. reporting that the woman had jumped after driving a car onto the bridge from the North Kingstown side. At about 10:30 this morning, the Jamestown police received a call from a driver on the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge that a woman had jumped over the rail. Responding Officer John Areson said a witness reported seeing a woman pull to the side and turn on her blinkers. The witness drove around the parked car, then saw the woman run to the edge and jump over. A nearby boat threw an inflatable raft and brought the jumper, who was alive, to a work barge on the North Kingstown side of the bridge. Neill said a state trooper attempted CPR. He also said the car Velicer was driving was registered to her husband, who has been notified. -- Journal staff writer Brandie Jefferson, with reports from projo.com Posted by Jack Perry at 2:11 PM | Comment Principal: Tolman High 'bomb' was part of old organPAWTUCKET -- A device that looked like a pipe bomb, spurring the evacuation of Tolman High School yesterday and leading to a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms examination of the object, was actually part of an old organ. That's according to a letter from Principal Frederick W. Silva to parents. "At this time, we are convinced this was a case of stealing and an attempt to conceal contraband and not an attempt to stage a bomb hoax," the letter said. It was decribed yesterday as a pipe made of copper stuck inside a pipe made of galvanized metal. The device was found in an empty school locker. A bomb squad attached a charge to the device and activated it and found there was no secondary explosion, indicating the device was not a bomb. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:43 PM | Comment Update: Central Falls police cleared in deadly shootingPROVIDENCE -- A grand jury has concluded that two Central Falls police officers were justified when they shot and killed a 26-year-old man in his apartment on April 8, according to the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office. The Central Falls police say that Selvin M. Garrido Morales, a Guatemalan immigrant, came at the officers with a knife in his third-floor apartment on Rand Street. The police have said they shot Morales when he refused to put down the knife. The two officers involved in the fatal shooting are Patrolmen Derrick V. Levasseur, 23, and Maximiliano Gonzalez, 33. Police Chief Joseph Moran III said today the officers will be returning to active duty during their next shifts, after being assigned to administrative duty inside the station during the investigation. Gonzalez reports for work at 4 p.m. today, and Levasseur will return after taking some previously scheduled vacation this weekend, according to Moran. At an afternoon press conference, Moran also provided some new details about the shooting. He said a toxicology report from the state Medical Examiner’s Office indicated Garrido was intoxicated at the time. Before the police arrived, he had attacked another individual in the apartment, and when the police confronted Garrido in the kitchen, his eyes were “very glossy and bloodshot,” Moran said. The chief also confirmed how many shots were fired and by whom. “A total of six shots were fired, four by Officer Levasseur and two by Officer Gonzalez,” Moran said. “All six shots struck Mr. Garrido in the right arm and torso.” A police report recounting what happened the night of the shooting was made public yesterday. It was ordered released by Superior Court Judge Gilbert V. Indeglia after the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union sued for disclosure. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:06 PM | Comment Star Wars, Episode 7: Leia and the postage stamp
U.S. Post Office photoA sample of the Star Wars stamps.
It's to mark the 30th anniversery of that Death Star-sized stone that landed in the pop culture pond, the first Star Wars movie. (By that, of course, we mean the fourth movie in order of the six-part saga). "It's too soon to give any statistics, but we are expecting sales to rival the biggest seller, the Elvis stamp," said Rose Russo, a Postal Service spokeswoman in Rhode Island. Some post offices will also provide prizes to the first customers to arrive in costume. Russo said around noon that she had not heard of any customers coming in costume, though some may have. Star Wars characters were expected to visit post offices in Newport and Wakefield between 9 a.m. and noon. Participating in the stamp sales are post office locations that include 24 Corliss St., Providence; 200 Midway Road, Cranston; 320 Thames St., Newport; 551 Kingstown Rd., Wakefield; and 127 Social St., Woonsocket. The 41-cent Star Wars stamps come in 15 designs. Featured characters include Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Russo said those or some of those in costume at Providence main post office, 24 Corliss St., identified themselves as volunteers from the 501st Legion. According to the Web site for the legion -- known as "Vader's Fist" -- it is "the world's definitive imperial costuming organization." Imperial refers to the various minions of the Galactic Empire in Star Wars lore, whose most visible face is arguably that of Darth Vader. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Jack Perry Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:54 PM | Comment Coventry man gets 7 years in meth schemePROVIDENCE — A Coventry man will serve seven years in prison for allowing a co-defendant to use his backyard shed to store and produce methamphetamines last October. Roger A. Murray, 32, who has a history of drug trafficking, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Mary C. Lisi to 84 months in federal prison, lower than the mandatory range of 151 to 181 months for career offenders. He was sentenced on three counts of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamines; aiding and abetting; and possession of equipment and chemicals to make meth. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Co-defendant Gregory M. Thompson, 49, was sentenced last week to 151 months or roughly 12 ½ years. Both men had pleaded guilty to federal methamphetamine charges in February. Murray has at least two prior convictions for drug trafficking, but Lisi said sentencing below the recommended guideline is appropriate because Murray had limited involvement with the scheme, has held a good job and takes care of his young children. Prior to Lisi’s ruling, Murray’s attorney, Albert E. Medici, asked the court to consider his level of involvement compared with the co-defendant's. He argued that Murray was “not present when this chemical processing was done,” according to police reports. “He is a good father,’’ Medici said. "He has struggled with substance abuse." According to Medici, Murray is a former minor league baseball player. He has two children. Murray's family was in the courtoom, including his mother, Linda Murray, sister Kristy-Lynn Murray, and a couple of family friends. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:23 PM | Comment Court upholds cutting parental rights in Wright casePROVIDENCE – The state Supreme Court this morning upheld a Family Court ruling terminating the parental rights of Woonsocket couple Katherine Bunnell and Gilbert Delestre, who are accused of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of 3-year-old Thomas “T.J.” Wright. Wright was Bunnell’s nephew. His mother was serving time in prison. Bunnell and her boyfriend are charged with beating the little boy in their home, while serving as his foster parents in 2004. Prosecutors say the couple, angry that the child had made a mess while they were out, beat him so viciously that they broke his skull and his leg. The couple at the time also had two biological children living with them, now ages 6 and 4, and two other children of Bunnell's sister. The Supreme Court decision issued today states that “‘the state’s role in protecting [a child] may properly be preventive of harm as well as remedial.’ There is no requirement that a court wait until a child is actually harmed before such court provides the protection of the state. We agree with the trial justice [in Family Court] that ‘if ever there was a case that cried out for … protection, it’s this case at this time.’” The criminal cases against Delestre and Bunnell are proceeding. A pre-trial conference for Delestre has been set for June 14, and Bunnell's trial is set to start on July 9, according to courts spokesman Craig N. Berke. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:02 PM | Comment Survey: Rhode Island drivers no longer the worstWe're not the country's worst drivers anymore. Rhode Islanders have moved up -- to 47th among states, according to written drivers test results in a GMAC Insurance survey. Now New York drivers are the worst, the survey says, ousting Little Rhody from last year's worst ranking. And for bragging rights, Rhode Island is one ahead of Massachusetts drivers this time, too. According to a news release, one in six drivers in the country would not pass the written driver's test if they took it today. That's about 36 million licensed drivers, according to the release about the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test. The results are one measure of driving performance. It doesn't go into how people drive once out on the road. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:42 AM | Comment Home prices, sales slide; biggest drop in NortheastWASHINGTON -- Sales of existing homes fell by a larger-than-expected amount in April while the median price of a home sold during the month fell for a ninth straight month as the troubles in the subprime mortgage market acted as a further drag on housing. Sales were weak in all parts of the country. The Northeast experienced the biggest decline, a fall of 8.8 percent in April from the March sales pace. Sales were down 1.7 percent in the West, 1.2 percent in the Midwest and 0.7 percent in the South. The National Association of Realtors reported today that sales of existing homes fell by 2.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.99 million units. That was the slowest sales pace since June 2003. The median price of a home fell to $220,900, an 0.8 percent fall from the midpoint selling price a year ago. It marked the ninth straight decline in the median price. Extra: See the sale prices by region across the United States. The drop in sales was accompanied by a big jump in the number of unsold homes left on the market. They climbed to a record total of 4.2 million. It would take 8.4 months to exhaust that supply of homes at the April sales pace. Analysts are concerned that the glut of unsold homes will further depress prices in coming months. But Lawrence Yun, senior economist for the Realtors, said that the small year-over-year price decline of less than 1 percent was still modest compared to the 50 percent rise in home prices that occurred during the five boom years that ended last year. Yun said some of the weakness in April reflected a weather payback after sales had shown gains at the beginning of the year, reflecting warmer-than-normal winter weather. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:33 AM | Comment Photo: Worshipping the sun god
Posted by Jack Perry at 11:31 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a photograph and story about this weekend's seasonal opening of state beaches and parks just weeks after a strong coastal storm damaged Narragansett Beach and other beaches. There's also a national and local story on the immirgration debate. Download today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:36 AM | Comment Meet the Rocky Point movie crewThe public is invited to meet the people behind You Must be This Tall, the upcoming feature-length documentary about Rocky Point Park, this evening at a free four-hour event at the Warwick Art Museum, 3259 Post Rd. in Warwick. -- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:17 AM | Comment Portsmouth girl struck by car still criticalPORTSMOUTH – The 15-year-old girl struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer on East Main Road Tuesday afternoon remains in critical condition this morning at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, according to hospital spokeswoman Andrea Barbosa. Samantha Kavanagh, 15, was struck around 3 p.m. as she ran across the busy, four-lane East Main Road. The daughter of former Portsmouth School Committee Vice Chairman Terrence Kavanagh, Kavanagh was initially taken to Newport Hospital. She was then transferred to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery, according to Sylvia Wedge, chairwoman of the Portsmouth School Committee and a Kavanagh family friend. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Off-duty Portsmouth police officer, Mark Mooney, 36, of Tiverton, was driving the car that struck Kavanagh, according to state police Capt. James Swanberg. Tuesday’s accident, at the bottom of Quaker Hill near Brooks Pharmacy, marked the third car-pedestrian accident in the last two years on the same mile-long stretch of East Main Road, where speed has long worried law-enforcement officials. In September 2005, 64-year-old Jean Correia was killed while crossing the same stretch of East Main Road where Tuesday’s accident occurred. Six months ago, 90-year-old Adelia Payton was struck and killed on the same highway about a mile away, after attending an afternoon Mass at St. Anthony Catholic Church at 2836 East Main Rd. Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:03 AM | Comment Traffic: Car fire on Route 146 north in ProvidencePROVIDENCE – Emergency crews have responded to a car fire on Route 146 north between the Charles Street and Branch Avenue exits. No injuries have been reported, according to the state police. The car appears to be in the right lane or right shoulder, and smoke from the fire could be seen on the state Department of Transportation’s traffic camera from the Department of Health building, according to Transportation Management Center operator Nick DiVirgilio. Traffic is moving past the car, although motorists are occasionally slowing down to look at it, DiVirgilio said. For other traffic needs, check out the state 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 and listen to or read the radio reports for the week about traffic and construction on specific roadways. To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:16 AM | Comment Mass. looks at Cape sites for wind-energy plantBARNSTABLE, Mass. -- The state is looking at various sites off the coast of Cape Cod to build a wind-energy plant beyond the privately financed project proposed for Nantucket Sound, Gov. Deval Patrick says. The aim to is to make Massachusetts a world leader in renewable energy technology, Patrick told The Cape Cod Times. "It's not just the wind farms," he said. "It's the companies that build the turbines and consult on the conservation strategies and install the solar panels. It's the whole integrated industry, which I think can have a place in Massachusetts if we steward it." The state is one of the best places for deep-water wind turbines and his administration wants to exploit that advantage, he said. The state may even locate and permit sites before a developer comes in with a plan, Patrick said, a move in line with New Jersey, Rhode Island and Delaware. -- The associated Press The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is mapping wind resources town by town and the state also is identifying state-owned land where wind farms could be located, said Ian Bowles, the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs. The governor renewed his support for Cape Wind, the 130-turbine project proposed for Nantucket Sound, calling it a "signature project." Patrick said the state is also looking at ways improved education in the state, and he is expecting the reports of two task forces studying the issue in the coming weeks. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:51 AM | Comment Red Cross helps occupants in Silver Lake house firePROVIDENCE – The Red Cross has been called to assist the occupants of a house in Silver Lake that caught fire early this morning. Fire was reported on the second floor of a two-story house at 12 Farmington Ave. at 5:02 a.m., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. No one was injured, Taylor said. He’s not sure how many people were living in the house and need Red Cross assistance. The fire was under control by 5:26 a.m. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:30 AM | Comment There's good reason to feel sneezy todayPROVIDENCE – If you’re sneezing and your eyes feel itchy today, it’s likely that you suffer from allergies. Today is a high pollen count – a high of 11.6 on a 12-point scale at pollen.com. Expect more of the same tomorrow and a drop to 10.9 on Sunday. But will that little of a drop really bring any relief? We can hope, can't we? Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:17 AM | Comment You'll need ways to stay cool todayPROVIDENCE – We could be breaking a record for heat today. It’s already 70 degrees, and the National Weather Service is predicting a high of 94 today, even higher than it expected earlier this week. The record high for May 25 was set at 92 back in 1981. If you’re feeling too hot today, think back to the record low. Perhaps envisioning that day in 1956 when the mercury hit just 33 will help you cool off. If that doesn't work, we hope you can find other ways to stay cool today. As for the Memorial Day weekend, we’ve still got a nice Saturday predicted and potential showers Sunday and Monday. Check back with us throughout the day for the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:05 AM | Comment State health dept will hold thermometer exchangeCRANSTON -- The state Department of Health is urging people to look into their medicine cabinets and exchange their mercury thermometers for safer ones during an event on Saturday. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., residents can trade their old mercury thermometers for a free digital one during the Mercury Thermometer Exchange Program. The event will be held at the Cranston Fire Department at 160 Sockanosset Cross Rd. This year, the event will also feature Spanish and Cambodian translation services for participants who may not speak English. -- Journal staff writer Talia Buford The event, which is held a few times a year, provides residents with a safe method to dispose of the potentially harmful item, said Robert Vanderslice, spokesman for the state Department of Health. “It’s difficult to deal with mercury once it’s spilled,” he said. “The best way is to get rid of thermometers and other devices that may contain it.” Mercury, a toxic metal that produces harmful fumes once it vaporizes, is found in many everyday items such as batteries, thermometers and thermostats. Earlier this month, Cranston East High School was closed for three days after a broken barometer spilled mercury in a lower level storage room. The barometer contained elemental mercury, which is considered less dangerous than other types of mercury. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 AM | Comment Bad air expected today, free bus ridesPROVIDENCE -- State environmental officials have declared an air alert day today, making RIPTA bus rides free. The Department of Environmental Management says they expect the air quality to get bad this afternoon as temperatures are forecast to hit 90. The air could be particularly bad in southern Rhode Island The DEM is asking drivers to ditch the car and take the bus, and to avoid mowing the lawn or using charcoal lighter fluid. They're also recommending people limit their outdoor exercise as a way to avoid breathing problems. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment May 24, 2007Hot and smoggy tomorrow, fine forecast for weekend
How do highs into the mid-90s sound? As a result, All RIPTA bus rides will be free tomorrow, thanks to a prediction that is exacerbated when more cars, trucks and other vehicles are running. The state Department of Environmental Management said today that air quaility "will approach unhealthy levels" by tomorrow afternoon. "Elevated ground-level ozone concentrations" are a major cause of the problem when temperatures go higher on a sunny day. Unhealthy ozone levels can cause coughing, throat irritations, chest pain, shortnees of breath, and more. "These symptoms are worsened by exercise and heavy activity. The children, elderly and people who have underlying lung diseases, such as asthma, are at particular risk of suffering from these effects," according to the DEM. So the DEM says people should limit outdoor exercise and strenuous activity and stay in an air-conditioned area. People should keep outdoor exercise and children's outdoors time to the morning. And in case you were wondering: It does look as if the weather will ease up for the long Memorial Day weekend. Saturday will have sunny skies, with temps in the 80s: Sunday, skies become partly cloudy, with temps in the 70s, and a chance of showers, and on Monday, the holiday, the forecast calls for partly sunny skies again, with a chance of showers in the morning and highs in the mid-70s. Get the latest weather conditions and forecasts, at: http://projo.com/weather -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Comment Update: ATF will examine device at Tolman HighPAWTUCKET -- The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will examine a device that sparked a bomb scare at Tolman High School to see whether or not it was an incendiary device, Mayor James Doyle said. The move is being taken in an abundance of caution. The device, said to be made of copper and galvanized pipes, did not explode when a bomb squad attached and activated a small explosive charge to it, indicating that it was not for real. Its discovery spurred the evacuation of the school at 150 Exchange St., followed by early dismissal for its 1,300 students. Exchange Street was also closed off from Broadway to Roosevelt Avenue for about 30 minutes and people were moved to the other side of the avenue from the school. The avenue has since reopened to traffic. School Superintendent Hans W. Dellith said the device was spotted early this afternoon by a teacher in the open, empty locker of a student who had dropped out of the school. No threat was found with the device or elsewhere in the school, Dellith said. -- With reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci While a rescue vehicle arrived, apparently as a precaution, and a few students remained after the dismissal, the atmosphere at the scene was relatively calm. A bomb squad attached to the State Fire Marshal's office investigated the device. Pawtucket police plan to run forensics on the device to try to find fingerprints. The incident follows threats earlier this week at Cumberland and North Attleboro High Schools that led to evacuations and a lockdown at Exeter-West Greenwich High. Dellith indicated he believed the incident, which he described as a "bomb scare," to be a result of the threats at the other schools. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:38 PM | Comment Update: Old Woonsocket rink on fire, 3 in custodyWOONSOCKET -- A significant fire has been burning this evening at the former Roller Kingdom skating rink, according to the police and fire departments. The police have three suspects in custody already. A police dispatcher said all companies are being called in and calls for mutual aid were sent out. The call for the fire came in about 5:30 p.m. The rink at 1983 Diamond Hill Road, in eastern Woonsocket, has been closed for a few years and was boarded up. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:32 PM | Comment Update: All set on opinions sought on immigration reformThank you for your response, projo.com readers. Providence Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner is all set with the opinions she received from you on the U.S. Senate's proposed immigration reforms for a story scheduled to be published tomorrow. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:38 PM | Comment Teen, struck by car driven by officer, still criticalPORTSMOUTH -- A Portsmouth High School freshman struck by a car driven by an off-duty Portsmouth police officer remains in critical condition this evening at Hasbro Children's Hospital, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Samantha Kavanagh, 15, was running across the four lanes of busy East Main Road when she ws hit by the car operated by Mark Mooney, 36, of Tiverton, according to the police. Samantha is the daughter of former School Committee Vice Chairman Terrence Kavanagh. Tuesday’s incident, at the bottom of Quaker Hill near Brooks Pharmacy, marked the third car-pedestrian accident in the last two years on the same mile-long stretch of East Main Road, where speed has long worried law-enforcement officials. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:21 PM | Comment Hasbro spinning a successful strategy / Photo
Stockholders approved the company’s slate of director nominees, amended the 2003 stock incentive performance plan and the selection of KPMG LLP as the company’s independent auditor. They rejected a proposal to have the company publish a “sustainability” report, which would include a review of Hasbro’s policies on social, environmental and economic issues. With their work came the annual treat of a close up look at its latest products. This year, it came in the form a trailer for Transformers, the movie based on the Hasbro toy line of the same name. The action-packed snippet drew applause and a few child-like exclamations from the mostly gray-haired audience. “This is going to be a really cool movie,” said Alfred J. Verrecchia, Hasbro’s president and chief executive officer. The three-year effort to bring Transformers toys to life on-screen as building-sized mechanical beings “is an approach to brand-building you’re going to see a lot more of from Hasbro,” Verrecchia said. Using its legacy toys and games, the company is pushing into digital gaming, movies and even traveling road shows. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi It’s also pushing farther afield geographically, ramping up sales efforts in South America, Asia and Eastern Europe, where it’s trying to reach people unfamiliar with Monopoly, Play-Doh or My Little Pony. They’re all examples of Hasbro’s intent to “stretch the boundaries” of what it means to be a toy company, Verrecchia said. So far, efforts at the world’s second-largest toy company, appear to be working. It reported first-quarter profit that beat analysts’ estimates as demand for Spider-Man toys and Play-Doh clay spurred the biggest sales gain in almost eight years. Hasbro’s first-quarter net income was the highest in its history, and it was the biggest revenue gain since the second quarter of 1999. Those results came after a year of record earnings in 2006, when it had $230 million in net earnings and had $210 million in cash on hand. It’s a dramatic reversal from the beginning of the decade when the company had $1.3 billion in debt and three of its main retail customers were struggling to survive. “2006 was a very good year for Hasbro,” Verrecchia said. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:56 PM | Comment Yo! Barrington town moderator busts a rhyme / VideoBARRINGTON -- Allan Klepper is a poet. Now town meeting voters know it. Last night, Klepper, Barrington's moderator, dispensed with the instructions usually given at the opening of an annual Financial Town Meeting and, instead, laid out the rules in rap. It wasn't exactly the style of music the audience might have had on their iPods -- if they had them at all. But that didn't stop Klepper, 71, from getting funky with his peeps. And the crowd loved it as he spit his mad rhymes and a backbeat played over the loudspeaker in the high school auditorium. Video: Click here to see part of his performance (in QuickTime format). -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:54 PM | Comment Crisp says A-Rod apologized to PedroiaRed Sox center fielder Coco Crisp, on his weekly appearance today on WSKO AM and FM Radio, said the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez apologized to Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia for his hard slide into Pedroia on Tuesday night, which created a controversy during the recent Red Sox-Yankees series. You can read more about this, and hear an audio clip of Crisp, on projo.com's Sox Blog. Posted by Art Martone at 3:47 PM | Comment Heigl, the Grey's Anatomy star, is filming in ProvidencePROVIDENCE – Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl will be filming scenes for the film 27 Dresses at the Rhode Island Convention Center early next month, the convention center authority announced today. The film’s producers plan to use the building’s first-floor lobby to simulate New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to John J. McGinn, the director of sales for SMG, the facility’s operator. Actress Malin Akerman, who has appeared on the HBO show Entourage, will be included in the “airport” scene, scheduled to be filmed on June 11, SMG sales manager Amanda Marzullo said. “Our building really does look like an airport,” she said. The filmmakers will pay $15,000 to rent the lobby for three days, starting June 10, McGinn said. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:54 PM | Comment New Providence hotel warms up for real openingPROVIDENCE -- The Renaissance Providence Hotel opened today, but that doesn't mean everything is up and running. Of the hotel's 272 rooms, rooms for about a dozen invited guests staying there now are open. You can't reserve a room for, say, tonight, tomorrow or this weekend. The Renaissance will open to paying guests on June 1 but has for some time been taking reservations for then and onward, said Renaissance sales director Thomas Riel. Today is a "soft opening," Riel said, part of a period in which the staff fine-tunes things and invited guests and others tell the chef how good the mushroom soup was while suggesting, say, a little more spinach with a certain dish. If someone walked in wanting a reservation, hotel staff could use phone numbers to order reservations, but the system at the desk kicks in in a couple of days or so. The hotel is not open to walk-in tours, though media representatives have gotten to see much of the inside. The lobby, with its two matching chairs fit for a very tall king, and two elegant adjoining areas are set to go. An electronic kiosk that will let hotel guests print out their tickets to theater and other arts events before heading out for an evening hasn't been installed but it has a space ready for it. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Testing the food and other service is critical, and the invited guests provide honest feedback, he said. The invited guests have room service. "They also can go to our club lounge, and we have [private dining] set up for them." Unlike some hotels that go to gradual occupancy, Riel said the Renaissance is gearing up for a lot of guests soon. Riel said that for a busy convention weekend of June 5-7, for instance, the hotel is already filled up. Construction workers today were in the building working on checklists, Riel said. The restaurant/bar is among areas seeing finishing touches. Plastic covered some of the red banquettes that offer State House views this morning. Hotel staff suited up in uniform today and, for the first time, raised the Renaissance flag outside. There was a staff photo. And a reception will be held tonight for 120 guests, with Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline expected to attend. "Today we call dress rehearsal," Riel said. He added: "This is a very fun day." With Brown University's commencement coming up, Riel said the hotel could have sold out for the coming weekend if he had the inventory of rooms available. Riel said rooms on the hotel's first floor may be the last to open -- everything had to come throgh the first floor to reach upper floors. A look in one first-floor room that appeared ready to go was eye-opening, including a safe to keep your laptop computer and a device that lets a guest plug in a laptop, iPod or other multi-media device and display the image from it on the room's flat-screen television. The tall headboards of the two beds featured inlaid images of a single column from the outside of the hotel, once The Masonic Temple. And there was a touch of whimsy from the building's past: A photo of colorful graffiti hanging on the bathroom wall. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:43 PM | Comment Update: Bail set in Homeland Security casePROVIDENCE – A Warwick man charged with impersonating a Homeland Security official and trying to turn the threat of international terrorism into a profitable financial scam was returned to the Adult Correctional Institutions today after an appearance in U.S. District Court, Providence. Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond set a federal bond at $10,000 today for George Tabora, 44, of 1579 Centerville Rd. The judge also ordered home confinement for Tabora and that he have no contact with the alleged victim, according to Thomas Connell, spokesman in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Providence. Tabora has been held at the ACI on state charges since his arrest last Wednesday. Today, Tabora was returned to the ACI because he has not posted bail on the state charges stemming from the same alleged conduct for which he faces the federal charges, Connell said. Tabora is charged with threatening to link the operator of a Warwick gas station to the al-Qaida terrorist organization and harm his family unless he gave Tabora $25,000 in cash. The gas station owner, who has not been identified, is of Middle Eastern descent but has no links to any terrorist group, authorities have said. Tabora is due back in court on Tuesday for a preliminary examination of the federal charges pending against him. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:37 PM | Comment Projo.com wins EPpy for multimedia slavery seriesMIAMI -- Projo.com has won an EPpy award for its multimedia series, "Unrighteous Traffick: Rhode Island's Slave History," it was announced today. The award was given in the category of best special feature in a Web site, enterprise, with fewer than 1 million unique monthly visitors. The series "Unrighteous Traffick" is the story of the dominant role that Rhode Island – one of the original 13 colonies and the country's smallest state – played in the business of slavery. Journal staff writer Paul Davis set out to explore the depth of the state's slave history. It is a story rich in historical documentation and imagery, still alive in the memories of descendants, and visible even in common place names across Rhode Island. And it continues to be a matter of controversy, as Brown University – now headed by the great-granddaughter of a slave – explores its legacy and responsibility. Projo.com strove to capture as many of these story elements as possible and attract a wide range of readers by offering an online version employing multimedia and text, original music to set the tone, audio interviews with key characters, a survey asking for reaction to the story, a curriculum guide for students and more. Projo.com refines its use of multimedia to tell a narrative story by working with Davis to create an audio version set to imagery matching the content of each installment. This is the second year in a row that projo.com has won an EPpy award. Last year, it won in the category of Best Use of Rich Media in an Internet Service under 1 million unique monthly visitors, for the multimedia series, Saving Block Island. Projo.com competed against two other finalists for the award: "Habitat vs. Development," by PE.com, the Web site of The Press-Enterprise, a fellow Belo site, and "Jordan’s War," by Roanoke.com, of The Roanoke Times. The 2007 EPpy Awards for the Best Media-Affiliated Internet Services were presented by Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek at its annual Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show, being held this year in Miami. This is the 12th year for the international contest, which has been broadened beyond its original focus on the interactive newspaper industry to reflect the maturing of the Internet industry and a variety of media sources. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:31 PM | Comment Governor says land sale will net $7.5 millionNEWPORT -- Governor Carcieri's office announced today that the state will net $7.5 million for transportation projects through an agreement to sell 5.34 acres from the Department of Transportation to the city of Newport. The sale of the parcel in the city's north end on J.T. Connell Highway, combined with matching federal money, will be valued at about $7.5 million, the governor said in a news release. The land was part of a right of way owned by the transportation department when it considered developing a cross-island highway, also known as the Route 895 project. That would have linked South County with Southeastern Massachusetts. Since the DOT is not doing that project, "the land was deemed to be surplus," the release says. Carcieri called the deal a win-win because Newport "will generate opportunities for economic development from this piece of property." Jerome F. Williams, the transportation department director, said in the release that “in a time of declining revenues, we are taking a number of steps to live within our means. As part of that effort, we are in the process of identifying surplus property to sell." Newport's planning director, Paige R. Bronk, said, “It’s rare for Newport to have a large tract of land open up for commercial development. We look forward to the RFP process and identifying businesses that will help expand the tax base and provide jobs for our citizens.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:26 PM | Comment Is Sanjaya really a RISD kid?PROVIDENCE – No, Sanjaya really isn’t a RISD student. Or so it seems, despite a video circulating on the Internet featuring someone who claims to be the popular American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar. The actor on the video also claims to be Bill Vendall, “a 25-year-old industrial design student at RISD,” who created the Sanjaya character as part of a larger art installation for his thesis program. “I am art,” the character on the video says. “This won’t be the last you’ll see of me. … I might pop up on your favorite situation comedy. I might run for president. I might show up as you.” The video fades to black and the words that flash on the screen say: “Bill Vendall is Sanjaya is Bill Vendall.” Trouble is, the Rhode Island School of Design has no record of a Bill Vendall, a William Vendall – or even a Malakar. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Spokeswoman Ann Hudner has fielded about half a dozen media calls since Monday – two days before the season finale of American Idol named the show’s latest winner – asking about the validity of the video. Hudner acknowledges it’s a compliment that RISD was chosen as the school someone would try to pass off as his own university. But she’s frustrated at the media attention generated by the video when RISD has so much going on that doesn't get much media interest, such as American author Gore Vidal's visit to campus as next week’s graduation speaker. Is it possible the video was created by a RISD student by another name who is throwing people off the trail by using the name Vendall? “Sure,” Hudner said. “You can never say no. I don’t want to be part of the hoax.” But RISD is a small, tight-knit community of 1,100, she said. Had the Sanjaya character on American Idol really been a RISD student, he would have needed to take a considerable bit of time off from his studies to appear on the show. “It would have been virtually impossible for one of our students to have taken that leave without anyone having known it,” Hudner said. “There’s not that level of anonymity. Could it just be a student doing a spoof? Well sure, that’s always a possibility. But if that’s the case, why wouldn’t he use his real name?” Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:50 PM | Comment New England economy to lag nation through 2011BOSTON -- New England's economic gains will continue to trail the nation's growth over the next four-and-a-half years, and the region's housing prices will keep declining through early next year, a regional economic forecast organization predicted today. The New England Economic Partnership said New Hampshire and Connecticut are the only states in the region expected to exceed the nation by certain measures of economic performance during a forecast period running through 2011. Here's a summary of what the report said about Rhode Island: Although the state's 4.2 percent unemployment rate in March was Rhode Island's lowest monthly rate since October 2000, job growth has been slow so far this year. Manufacturing employment is expected to decline by 1,200 jobs this year, with construction jobs falling by 1,000 because of the slow housing market. The state's fastest-growing job sectors are in financial activities, professional and business services, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality. Click here for summaries of all six New England states. New Hampshire is expected to have the region's strongest economy, with the value of the state's goods and services keeping pace with the nation's gross product growth rate, and job growth forecast to slightly exceed the nation's. Connecticut is expected to exceed the national growth rate for personal income. The other four New England states will slightly lag the nation by most economic measures through 2011, according to the latest twice-a-year forecast presented at the economic organization's spring conference in Boston today. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:48 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story about President Bush's speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony in New London, Conn. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:25 AM | Comment M. Charles Bakst at the Renaissance / Photo
I felt like I'd waited 80 years for it. Got a quick tour of the spanking-new Renaissance Providence Hotel, built within the shell of the abandoned Masonic Temple project on Smith Hill. You'll love it -- luxurious rooms, amenities, lots of marble, several Masonic touches such as copies of blueprints for the temple from the 1920s. It's a soft opening, as they say, and guests have been staying there, but the restaurant won't be open until next month. But forget about that. Let's head straight to the Presidential Suite. It's not quite ready yet either but you can get a good feel for it, and I could easily get used to it. A president could look out the window, see the State House, and think of the U.S. Capitol. Of course, in Washington, the Capitol is not across from the White House, it's way down Pennsylvania Avenue. But I digress. The suite, with white, gray and powder blue tones, includes a living room, dining room, kitchen, home theater and two bathrooms. The bedroom has a four-poster bed. The bathroom just off it is larger than some hotel rooms I've stayed in. Did I mention it has marble in the shower? Hey, you could make plans to check it out yourself. It's $2,150 a night. I asked Renaissance sales director Tom Riel, who showed me around, what he thinks the prospects are that a real president will stay here. With the 2008 election under way, he said, he can imagine seeing at least a presidential hopeful "sometime very soon.'' -- Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst Posted by Peter Phipps at 9:19 AM | Comment Mass. treasurer wants state to beat tribe to casinoBOSTON -- State Treasurer Timothy Cahill is proposing to beat the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe into the casino business by partnering with private developers to build one or more destination resort casinos in the state, Cahill spokeswoman Alison Mitchell said today. Cahill was scheduled to outline his proposal at a meeting of the Greater Boston Chamber this morning. The Cape Cod-based Mashpee Wampanoags, whose federal recognition becomes official today, have already purchased options on land in Middleborough to possibly open a casino by 2010. The tribe is also considering New Bedford as a site for a casino. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:01 AM | Comment W. Greenwich girl to donate her hair on Today showEleven-year-old Laura Cowell of West Greenwich is ready to get her hair cut on NBC’s Today show this morning – for a good cause. She’ll donate what’s cut off to Locks of Love, the Florida charity that provides wigs and hairpieces for children in need who have illnesses that cause them to lose their hair. Cowell is not alone. The Today show has lots planned for its Locks of Love segment, which was just promoted on the show at 8 a.m. as coming up soon. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:04 AM | Comment Traffic: Pretty typical tie-ups on Route 195 westRoute 195 west from the Massachusetts state line to Route 95 is pretty backed up this morning, but isn’t it always at this hour? The state Department of Transportation’s congestion mapper shows traffic moving at an average of 30 miles per hour, with the slowest traffic creeping at 17 mph. For other traffic needs, check out the state 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, listen to or read the radio reports for the week about traffic and construction on specific roadways. To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:47 AM | Comment State police charge Mass. men with gun possessionWARWICK – Neither man wanted to claim the loaded gun in the center console of the car they were traveling in when the state police pulled them over at 1:45 this morning for a motor vehicle violation. So the two men from Dorchester, Mass., have been charged with possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle and were held overnight in the Wickford barracks pending an arraignment this morning, Lt. Scott Hemingway said. Driver Wayne L. Thompson, 37, of 102 Bloomfield St., is also charged with possession of marijuana, driving while in possession of a controlled substance and possession of a knife over three inches. Passenger David D. Popplewell, 34, of 59 Holmes Ave., is also charged with possession of marijuana, Hemingway said. The men are expected to be arraigned in 3rd District Court, Kent County, this morning, Hemingway said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:31 AM | Comment First, full WaterFire is Saturday nightPROVIDENCE -- The first full WaterFire will be performed Saturday at sunset at 8:09 p.m. For the latest information, call (401) 272-3111 or go to www.waterfire.org There was a partial WaterFire last night. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 AM | Comment Sunny skies predicted for next couple daysPROVIDENCE – This morning’s patchy fog in some areas is expected to lift by 9 a.m. Then, are you ready for more warm weather? We should hit a high of 85 today, 92 tomorrow and 86 on Saturday, the National Weather Service reports. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather may be peeking a few days too soon for us to have a cloud-free Memorial Day weekend. The weather seems poised to turn a bit by Sunday. The weather service predicts a high of 76 that day with a 30 percent chance of showers, and then on Monday, Memorial Day itself, we’ve got a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms on a day that should see a high around 77. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:06 AM | Comment Governor says he'll veto medical marijuana billPROVIDENCE -- A bill to make the state's medical marijuana program permanent is headed toward the governor's desk after being passed by the House this afternoon. The governor will veto the bill, according to his spokesman, Jeff Neal. But 51 members of the House voted in favor of the legislation, enough to later override the governor's veto. Certain patients with cancer, AIDS and other debilitating illnesses are currently permitted under state law to smoke marijuana to ease their symptons. Both the Senate and House had bills pending that would eliminate a provision that would cause the program to end on June 30. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Steve Peoples and The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 23, 2007R.I. geography bee contender scores high on charm / VideoWASHINGTON -- Sam Curry may not have made it to today's finals, but he did seem to win the affection of attendees at this year's National Geographic Bee. The seventh grader at Broad Rock Middle School in Wakefield displayed poise and quick wit during his introduction, when he was asked what's up with his liking for both the Dalai Lama and football. "You've gotta draw a line somewhere," Sam said to smiles and laughter. But he guessed wrong on the answer to one of his questions yesterday, and he was not among the 10 finalists who competed today. The eventual winner: Caitline Snaring of Washington, a homeschooled eighth-grader from Redmond. Video: Watch a clip of Sam's performance at the bee, hosted by the National Geographic Society.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:38 PM | Comment Raising the flag early for Memorial Day / Photo
More on Memorial Day weekend observances / Check on Memorial Day parades around Rhode Island / Check on the latest weather forecast for the weekend Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:16 PM | Comment Court battle over Charlestown ballots seems overCHARLESTOWN -- The battle over the budget ballot here appears to be over -- at least for now. According to a court stipulation stamped this afternoon, pending court action over what goes on the ballot is being dismissed. Carolyn Mannis, lawyer for the Charlestown Citizens Alliance -- which pushed for four citizens proposals to be put on the referendum ballot -- and Town Solicitor Robert E. Craven, who appealed to the state Supreme Court to overturn a Superior Court decision allowing those questions on the ballot, both signed the stipulation. The reason for the move was not immediately clear. But it means the state Supreme Court appeal, which was scheduled to be heard Tuesday, is over. And it annuls the ruling by Superior Court Judge Allen P. Rubine last week that the petitions had to be allowed on the ballot in accordance with Town Charter. Rubine did not address concerns about the petitions' legality. This means the four petitions will not appear on the ballot. Yesterday, Supreme Court Associate Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg set the appeal hearing date for Tuesday and this Friday morning for the filing of briefs. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental The town contested the legality of the proposed warrant items, which would: -- Cut the salary of Town Administrator Edward M. Barrett to a maximum of $300 per month with no benefits. Barrett currently earns a $76,000 annual salary with $400 a month for transportation costs. His salary is proposed to increase to $79,040 under the proposed fiscal 2008 budget, while his vehicle stipend would be reduced to $300 a month. -- Create a position of assistant town administrator paying $80,000 a year, without benefits. -- Set aside up to $20,000 to hold a special election by Sept. 30 to remove Councilman James M. Mageau from office and elect a replacement. -- Issue as much as $500,000 in bonds for the design and development of public recreational facilities at Blue Shutters Beach, with the town's contribution being offset by any other funds raised. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:59 PM | Comment Party's over for Cianci before it's even begunThe party’s over for Buddy. A planned celebration for former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. at the Boston hotel where he will work after his release from federal prison next week, has been canceled at the government’s request, said a spokesman for the hotel. "There’s no party,’’ said George Regan, spokesman for Fifteen Beacon hotel owner Paul Roiff. ``The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not appreciate parties.’’ Regan had announced yesterday that Cianci, now finishing up his sentence on a federal corruption conviction, will start working at the luxury hotel early next month. The former mayor is scheduled to leave federal prison at Fort Dix, N.J., next Wednesday, then stay briefly at a halfway house in Boston before taking on his new job. Speaking on Roiff’s behalf, Regan said yesterday that the hotel was planning a first-day celebration when Cianci starts his job in sales, marketing and public relations. Today, Regan said the hotel acquiesced after the Bureau of Prisons put its federal foot down. Said Regan, "We meant no disrespect.’’ -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:25 PM | Comment Update: Dad tells of trying to save son from fire / Photo
Journal photo / Kathy BorchersJohn Holihen comforts family friend Marilyn Ferrucci after she arrived to offer condolences. Holihen's son Mark, 50, was killed in the fire. At rear is the window of the son's bedroom, where the blaze started. COVENTRY -- The father of Mark Holihen spoke in anguish today about trying to save his adult son from the fire that claimed his life last night. John Holihen said he tried to pull his son from his bed in his smoke-filled bedroom. "I tried to reach for his foot, I tried to get him out," said Holihen. At some point, he recalled, "I just said to my wife, 'Get out.'" Mark Holihen, 50, a landscaper who graduated in 1974 from Coventry High school and an avid athlete who played fast-pitch softball, leaves behind his parents, John and Phyllis, and his brothers, James and Christopher. He was living at his parents' ranch house at 14 Meredith Drive. "We don't know what the cause was," said John Holihen. "He didn't smoke and he didn't light candles. I never would have expected this." Anthony Fire District Chief Robert Warren said this morning that the fire, reported at about 9:40 last night, appeared to have been accidental. Emergency personnel are slated to hold a news conference shortly. The parents had lived in the house for 47 years. They had been in the living room watching television when they heard something and walked down the hallway to check on their son, Warren said. John Holihen said he and his wife smelled smoke. He said that at first they thought it was coming from outside and not a house fire but then realized smoke was coming from the bedroom and down a hallway. The first fire engine company to get to the house found the son in his room in the northeast corner of the house. Warren believes he was dead when they found him. The fire was brought quickly under control and contained to the bedroom. John and Phyllis Holihen will be placed in a hotel by the Red Cross. Correction: An earlier report incorrectly gave the age of Mark Holihen. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:54 PM | Comment Update: Threat sends N. Attleboro students home earlyNORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- More than 1,200 students at North Attleboro High School were sent home early today because of the second threat this month at the school. Police were alerted to the threat, written on a bathroom wall, and it "appeared to be vague and indirect," according to a statement from the North Attleboro Police Department late this afternoon. No reason for the threat was given, no date, time, place or person was included, and no weapon was mentioned, the statement said. But to assure safety, the school was put into "lockdown" mode while dismissal procedures were followed and more assessments were made. Students and staff were dismissed at 11:50 a.m., and a search of the school premises was made "with negative results." The police noted, "Although all threats must be taken seriously and must be evaluated upon their own merits, various responses may be in order." One result will be an increase in the police presence at the school tomorrow. The Police Department is also asking parents to speak with their children and that any information about the threats be given to the detective division at (508) 695-1212. Earlier today, Cumberland High School was briefly evacuated after "suspicious" graffiti was found on a bathroom wall. Yesterday, a lockdown was put in place at Exeter-West Greenwich High after a death threat was found written on a bathroom wall there. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Supt. Richard Smith alerted parents about the 11:50 a.m. dismissal with a telephone call placed to the contact number parents have asked the district to use for such emergencies. The phone system disperses a recorded message from a school administrator within minutes to as many numbers that parents have asked the school to use, so calls went out to cell phones, home numbers and work numbers, the superintendent’s secretary said this afternoon. The dismissal was “in response to a new written threat that was found on school property,” Smith told parents in the first of two recorded messages he has sent out. “The threat is similar to the threat discovered earlier this month, in that it was vague, indirect and did not reference any individuals or groups of students or staff.” In a follow-up call placed later this afternoon, Smith told parents and guardians that North Attleboro Police Chief Michael P. Gould Sr. reviewed the “written threat” and “assessed the nature of the threat.” School will be in session tomorrow, Smith said in his second call. Parents will be contacted later today by High School Principal Robert Gay, he said, “who will be advising students and parents of any changes in procedures for tomorrow morning.” In his first call to parents, Smith said: “I made the decision to dismiss school to err on the side of caution and to allow the North Attleboro Police to take action in conducting a search of the building, continue its investigation into the matters and to make plans for the reopening of school tomorrow.” Smith declined to speak to projo.com today. His secretary said he would not be available at any point today to speak to a reporter. Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:35 PM | Comment ACLU: C. Falls police shooting report ordered releasedA Superior Court judge today ordered Central Falls Police to release to the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Libterties Union the police report for the fatal shooting by two officers of a man whom the police say attacked them with a knife. That is according to a news release from the ACLU chapter. A call to the courthouse could not determine details of the order but confirmed that a 2 p.m. hearing was held. The ACLU release said Judge Gilbert Indeglia verbally issued the order from the bench. The ACLU filed suit May 3 to get the report for more details about what happened the night of April 8 when two Central Falls police officers shot and killed 26-year-old Selvin Garrido Morales, who they said came at them with a knife in his third-floor apartment on Rand Street. The police have said they shot Garrido when he refused to put down the knife. Police Chief Joseph Moran has said that under the Access to Public Records Act, he was exempted from providing the information. The ACLU said it expected to have the report "within the next day."
Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:27 PM | Comment Traffic alert: Repair cuts back lanes on Rt. 295SJOHNSTON -- An emergency repair of a bridge plate has left only one lane open to traffic between 4 and 5 p.m. today on Route 295 south between exits 5 and 6. Drivers should take alternate routes, the state Transportation Management Center said in an advisory. The advisory suggest motorists use Route 95 or Route 146. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:22 PM | Comment 'Nice and smooth' at Exeter-W. Greenwich todayWEST GREENWICH -- Local police and school administrators at the Exeter-West Greenwich Junior/Senior High School today said the school day ended on a positive note, following yesterday’s lockdown prompted by a written threat on a bathroom wall. There was “no out-of-the-ordinary behavior,” said Supt. Thomas J. Geismar, who toured the building and grounds this morning. “The day went nice and smooth,“ said West Greenwich police Cpl. Richard Brown, who was among three officers, including the school resource officer and state trooper, patrolling the school today. Yesterday morning the school was placed in a four-hour lockdown after the message “bang, bang, you’re dead 5/22 10:a.m.,” was found in a girls' bathroom. State and local police, along with school officials, conducted a search of students' personal belongings, lockers and their cars, but found no clues. The lock down was lifted shortly afternoon. This was the fifth incident of vandalism with threats at the school campus since December. An investigation continues, with school officials encouraging the person who did it to come forward. “We are investigating really hard, there is lot work going on behind the scenes, hopefully it will lead to something,’’ Brown said. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:15 PM | Comment Update: Bush to cadets: We're in eye of storm / Photo
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- President Bush portrayed the Iraq war as a battle between the U.S. and al-Qaida today and shared nuggets of intelligence to contend Osama bin Laden was setting up a terrorist cell in Iraq to strike targets in America. Bush, who faces a public weary of war and is at odds with Democrats in Congress over funding troops, said that while the Sept. 11 attacks occurred in 2001, Americans still face a major threat from terrorists. "In the minds of al-Qaida leaders, 9/11 was just a down payment on violence yet to come," Bush said during a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in which he defended his decision to order a troop buildup in Iraq. "It is tempting to believe that the calm here at home after 9/11 means that the danger to our country has passed." "Here in America, we are living in the eye of a storm," he said. "All around us, dangerous winds are swirling and these winds could reach our shores at any moment." Critics of the war insist that U.S. troops are in the middle of fights among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. Extra: Read a transcript of Bush's address to the graduating class. Read the updated Associated Press report. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:23 PM | Comment Photo/Video: Bush shares view on Iraq with cadets
Bush returned to the school for the second time as its commencement speaker. He had been the featured guest at its 2003 ceremonies. Bush's father, former President George H. Bush, addressed the graduating academy members as vice president in 1983 and as president in 1989. Bush, who is battling Democrats in Congress over spending for the unpopular war in Iraq, also seized the opportunity to shared intelligence asserting that Osama bin Laden was working in 2005 to set up a unit inside Iraq to hit U.S. targets. Video: Watch a clip of Bush's speech to the class today. -- With Associated Press reports
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:40 PM | Comment Update: Girl hit by car is Portsmouth high freshmanPORTSMOUTH -- The girl struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer yesterday afternoon is Samantha Kavanagh, 15, daughter of a former Portsmouth School Committee member, according to current School Committee chairwoman Sylvia Wedge. Samantha, a Portsmouth High School freshman, is in criticial condition at Hasbro Children's Hospital. The police said she was running across East Main Road near Clements' Market yesterday afternoon when she was struck by an off-duty Portsmouth police officer. The driver was Mark Mooney, 36, of Tiverton, said state police Capt. James Swanberg. Swanberg declined to provide his address. Mooney is on administrative leave, said Portsmouth Police Chief Lance Hebert, so that he can take advantage of counseling, part of a police program that lines up confidential counseling for any officer involved in a traumatic event. When the local police realized who the driver was, they asked the state police to take over the investigation, Swanberg said this morning. Samantha is the daughter of former School Committee member Terrence Kavanagh. The speed limit posted on that stretch of road is 25 miles per hour. The girl was not in a crosswalk, Swanberg said. Mooney has not been charged in connection with the accident. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Gina Macris Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:25 PM | Comment Charlestown council president files complaintCHARLESTOWN -- The battle over what will go on the budget referendum ballot here enters a new front seemingly by the day. Here comes today's. Town Council President Katharine H. Waterman has filed a complaint asking a state Supreme Court disciplinary counsel to investigate "the possibility that [Town Solicitor Robert E. Craven] may be operating with a conflict of interest." The move follows Craven's decision to file an appeal last Friday to the state Supreme Court after a Superior Court judge ruled that four citizens petitions must go on the ballot. Waterman is one of the council members who support putting the items on the ballot and have argued that the solicitor was wrong to file an appeal without the council's consent. Yesterday, Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg, the duty judge, granted a motion to delay the printing of ballots pending a hearing before the full court next week to address the legality of the petitions. Briefs are to be filed by 9 a.m. this Friday, with oral arguments being heard Tuesday at 10 a.m. Waterman's letter is dated May 21 and addressed to David D. Curtin, chief disciplinary counsel at the state Supreme Court. The letter asserts, in part, that Craven represents three council members individiually and privately regarding his appeal of the case DePatie vs. the Town of Charlestown. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental The petitions in question seek to: • Cut the salary of Town Administrator Edward M. Barrett to a maximum of $300 per month with no benefits. Barrett currently earns a $76,000 annual salary with $400 a month for transportation costs. His salary is proposed to increase to $79,040 under the proposed fiscal 2008 budget, while his vehicle stipend would be reduced to $300 a month. • Create a position of assistant town administrator paying $80,000 a year, without benefits. • Set aside up to $20,000 to hold a special election by Sept. 30 to remove Councilman James M. Mageau from office and elect a replacement. • Issue as much as $500,000 in bonds for the design and development of public recreational facilities at Blue Shutters Beach, with the town’s contribution being offset by any other funds raised. Craven could not be reached for comment regarding the letter. Craven has said that on the issue of filing a Supreme Court appeal, he said there was no time to schedule a council meeting. "I took the initiative to file the appeal and give the parties an opportunity to be heard," he said recently. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:05 PM | Comment District Court Judge Richard A. Gonnella diesDistrict Court Judge Richard A. Gonnella died last night at home in Cranston. He was 61. Court officials said Gonnella had cancer and had been ill for several months. Gonnella, a former criminal defense lawyer and legal counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, was appointed to the District Court by former Governor Lincoln C. Almond in 2000. Fellow judges described him as a man of great ability and compassion. “Judge Gonnella was special in the way he treated litigants and his colleagues, and in the use of his vast intellect,” Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams said. “This is another great loss sustained by the Rhode Island judiciary — one of many in the last six years. It is keenly felt since we are small in number.” Williams ordered flags on judicial buildings to be flown at half staff for 30 days. “It is a sad day,” said District Court Chief Judge Albert E. DeRobbio. “He is someone everyone loved here. He was, as far as I’m concerned, one of our finest jurists. He was very knowledgeable in the law and very compassionate in how he dealt with people. He was truly a gentleman.” DeRobbio said Gonnella “served the people well, and the state should be proud of him, as all the judges and the staff are.” -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Jack Perry at 12:58 PM | Comment Two more to plead guilty in Stop & Shop fraud caseTwo more defendants in the Stop & Shop fraud case this week agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with helping siphon thousands of dollars from the supermarket's Rhode Island customers. Arman Ter-Esayan and Gevork Baltadjian, both of California, face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft as a result of agreements they signed yesterday. They face up to five years in prison on the first charge and at least two more years in prison on the second charge, as well as fines of up to $250,000 on each charge. They would remain on probation for at least three years after their release from prison, if a judge approves the agreement. The agreements are the same as the one signed last week by a third defendant in the case -- Arutyun Shatarevyan, also of California. He is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in U.S. District Court, Providence, with another hearing set for June 1. No court date has been set for a judge to review the agreements for Ter-Esayan and Baltadjian, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office. The case involving a fourth man charged in incidents, Mikael Stepanian, of Studio City, Calif., remains unresolved, the spokesman said. Stepanian has asked for, and Magistrate Judge David L. Martin has granted Stepanian a 30-day extension in his case. The men also face separate state charges in the case: computer fraud, theft using a computer and conspiracy -- all felonies; and computer trespass -- a misdemeanor. All four men remain in the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:00 PM | Comment Update: Hundreds protest Bush in New London / Photo
Bush is scheduled to deliver the commencement speech during today's graduation ceremonies. David Kim, a religious studies professor at Connecticut College who lives in Providence, said this is the right time to protest. "There are few occasions when academics can come out as an intellectual community and engage in a public protest and in public acts of disagreement," Kim said. The protestors line Route 32 several hundred yards from the academy. Across the road, they face about 50 Bush supporters, many organized by a group called Gathering of Eagles, led by retired Gunnery Sgt. Larry Hoffa. Hoffa said he would bring his group to every protest to support Bush. A line of police stand between the two groups as they shout at each other. Security is heavy in the area. Protestors are carrying large yellow signs, saying, "Bring the troops home now," and "End the occupation of Iraq." Come back to projo.com for updates on Bush's appearance at the school, which is being covered by Journal reporters and photographers. Video: Bush's speech will be streamed live, starting at 11 a.m.
Posted by Jack Perry at 10:57 AM | Comment Update: Portsmouth officer was driver who struck teenPORTSMOUTH – An off-duty Portsmouth police officer has been identified as the driver who struck a 15-year-old Portsmouth girl yesterday afternoon as she was running across East Main Road near Clements’ Market. When the local police realized who the driver was, they asked the state police to take over the investigation, state police Capt. James Swanberg said this morning. The girl was in critical condition at Hasbro Children’s Hospital this morning, Swanberg said. Swanberg would not release the girl's name. The driver was Mark Mooney, 36, of Tiverton. Swanberg declined to provide his address. The speed limit posted on that stretch of road is 25 miles per hour. The girl was not in a crosswalk, Swanberg said. Mooney has not been charged in connection with the accident. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:52 AM | Comment Update: Cumberland High students back in classCUMBERLAND – Cumberland High School students were back in the classroom by 10:20 this morning, about two hours after the school was evacuated because suspicious graffiti was found in a boys’ bathroom in the main building. People had been moved over to the Wellness Center on the school's campus. Superintendent Donna A. Morelle said the district would release more information around 11:30 a.m. The Rhode Island Bomb Squad was at the school shortly before 10 a.m. to investigate, according to a statement issued by the school department. The action follows a lockdown at Exeter-West Greenwich High School yesterday after a death threat was found on a bathroom wall there. More to come ...
Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:31 AM | Comment Inmate escapes from work-release jobCRANSTON – The state Department of Corrections and the state police are searching today for a minimum security inmate from the Adult Correctional Institutions who escaped from her work-release job at an East Providence nonprofit agency yesterday afternoon. Trista Rebello, 22, who had no permanent address in ACI records, arrived at the ACI on May 8 to serve a 60-day sentence for shoplifting. She came to the ACI because of a probation violation and was due to be released on July 4, according to the state Department of Corrections. Rebello was reported missing from her work site, which Poole said she is not allowed to name, at about 12:50 p.m. yesterday. She allegedly took clothes from the work location, changed and left the premises, Poole said in a statement. The state police fugitive task force and the DOC’s special investigations unit is checking into “a lot of leads,” ACI spokeswoman Tracey Z. Poole said this morning. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Rebello had been working seven days a week at the nonprofit and was driven to and from the site by correctional staff. Ordinarily, she would be picked up between 3:30 and 4 p.m. and returned to the Women’s Minimum Security Facility. Rebello will face discipline and possible criminal charges when she is returned to the DOC’s custody, according to Poole’s statement. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:17 AM | Comment Bush to tell Coast Guard grads about Bin Laden threatWASHINGTON -- Seeking to rally support for the war, President Bush is pointing to U.S. intelligence asserting that Osama bin Laden ordered a top lieutenant in early 2005 to form a terrorist unit to hit targets outside Iraq, and that the United States should be first in his sights. The information, which Bush was to cite today in a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, was declassified by the White House yesterday. It expands on a classified bulletin the Homeland Security Department issued in March 2005. The bulletin, which warned that bin Laden had enlisted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, his senior operative in Iraq, to plan potential strikes in the United States, was described at the time as credible but not specific. It did not prompt the administration to raise its national terror alert level. Bush, who is battling Democrats in Congress over spending for the unpopular war in Iraq, will highlight U.S. successes in foiling terrorist plots and use the intelligence to argue that terrorists remain a threat to Americans, said Frances Fragos Townsend, the White House homeland security adviser. The commencement ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. in New London, Conn. -- The Associated Press Previewing the president's remarks, Townsend said the declassified intelligence showed that in January 2005, bin Laden tasked al-Zarqawi with organizing the cell. Al-Zarqawi was killed in Iraq in June 2006 by a U.S. airstrike. "We know from the intelligence community that al-Zarqawi welcomed the tasking and claimed he already had some good proposals," Townsend said. Reading from notes, she said that in the spring of 2005, bin Laden instructed Hamza Rabia, a senior operative, to brief al-Zarqawi on al-Qaida plan to attack sites outside Iraq, including the United States. Townsend did not disclose where in the United States those attacks were being plotted. Around the same time, Abu Fajah al-Libi, a senior al-Qaida manager, suggested that bin Laden send Rabia to Iraq to help al-Zarqawi plan the external operations, Townsend said. It is unclear whether Rabia went to Iraq, she said. She said the information was declassified because the intelligence community has tracked all leads from the information, and that the players were either dead or in U.S. custody. The Bush White House in the past has declassified and made public sensitive intelligence information to help rebut critics or defend programs or decisions against possibly adverse decisions in the Congress or the courts. On a few occasions, the declassified materials were intended to be proof that terrorists see Iraq as a critical staging ground for global operations. Democrats and other critics have accused Bush of selectively declassifying intelligence, including portions of a sensitive National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, to justify the U.S.-led invasion on grounds Saddam Hussein's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction. That assertion proved false. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:15 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on former Providence Mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci, who is taking a job with a Boston hotel when he is released from prison, and a story about the retirement of Rhode Island's first female state trooper. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment Looking for a beach day? Consider FridayHow about 90 and sunny? Well not right away, but that's the forecast for Friday, the National Weather Service says. We'll be building toward perfection: party cloudy today with a high of 71; mostly sunny with a high of 87 tomorrow. Then comes Friday, which will surpass anything we'll see this weekend. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:55 AM | Comment May 22, 200715-year-old girl struck by car in PortsmouthPORTSMOUTH -- A 15-year-old Portsmouth girl who was struck by a car as she and another 15-year-old girl ran across East Main Road this afternoon suffered serious internal injuries and is at Hasbro Children's Hospital. State police responded at about 3:10 p.m. to the accident on the well traveled road in the area of Chase Circle. The two girls tried to run across the road, with one making it while the other was struck by a man driving a black Volkswagon Jetta. The police did not identify the driver. The girl was struck by the right front of the car in the center of the road, according to State Police Lt. Steven Lefebvre. The driver was not injured, Lefebvre said. Route 138 was shut down for some time while the police investigated. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment Fire engulfs shop in TivertonTIVERTON -- Firefighters from at least four departments have been battling a smoky blaze that has engulfed Bruce's Saw Shop on 1493 Bulgarmarsh Road. Since responding at about 4:30 p.m., firefighters have streamed water from firetrucks onto the building, and have removed what appeared to be weed whackers, chainsaws and other equipment. Dave Holt and his father, Bruce, have owned the shop for 29 years. Dave Holt said he was in the bathroom when he heard a noise and smelled smoke. "I came out and the flames were coming from the ceiling and were all over the walls," he said. "It's everything we had," he added. One of their cats is missing in the fire. It appeared that no people were injured. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Accident has closed part of Rt. 138 in PortsmouthPORTSMOUTH -- A serious accident has closed Route 138 -- East Main Road -- between Turnpike Road and Hedley Street, the state Transportation Management Center said in a 3:49 p.m. traffic advisory The police said the accident involved a car and a pedestrian and that the area of Route 138 could be closed for as long as two hours. Drivers should use Route 114 as an alternate route, the transportation center advised. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:58 PM | Comment High court shocked, throws out wiretap in Lincoln casePROVIDENCE — A unanimous state Supreme Court today threw out wiretap evidence the state wanted to use in its case against former Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan Oster, saying prosecutors’ “shocking” negligence in storing the tapes they wanted to use at trial violated state law. But the state didn’t go home empty handed in the decision, as the court upheld objections prosecutors had raised about what they said were excessive disclosure rules imposed on the state by the trial judge. The decision, issued more than five years after Oster was arrested on solicitation of bribery charges, was the last major procedural obstacle to the start of Oster’s trial on two counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a bribe and two counts of conspiracy to obtain a bribe. The charges date from the time he was sworn in as Lincoln town administrator on Jan .2, 2001 until his arrest on Feb. 16, 2002. State law requires that tapes of eavesdropping evidence be stored in a sealed box that is then put in a bank vault or safety deposit box. But the tapes of 1,576 taped conversations in the case of Oster and ex-Lincoln Planning Board member Robert Picerno were put in a sealed box, but that box was kept for more than a year under the desk of a paralegal in the attorney general’s office. When the tapes were presented in Superior Court in 2003, the seal on the box had been broken and the state was unable to explain how or when that happened. “We are compelled to comment upon the gravity of the state’s laxity and negligence in the mishandling and storage of this evidence,” Justice Maureen McKenna-Goldberg wrote for the court. “The state’s failure to appropriately store and protect the integrity of this evidence is shocking. “These failings not only compromised the strength of the state’s case, but also infringed upon the statutory protections afforded to the accused,” the decision said. “The rights of the targets of the investigation are deserving of consideration and cannot be overlooked.” But the court agreed with the state in ruling that Superior Court Judge Judith C. Savage exceeded her authority in April 2004 when she set disclosure rules that the high court said in effect required the state to provide a roadmap of its case when the state was only required to disclose what evidence it might use, not exactly how it was going to use it. -- John Hill, Journal staff writer Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:16 PM | Comment Harry Potter's 'Knight Bus' coming to ProvidencePROVIDENCE – The Knight Bus of Harry Potter fame will be rolling into the capital city on June 4 to visit two Providence library branches in advance of the much-anticipated release of J.K. Rowling’s seventh and final book in the popular children’s series. The bright purple bus modeled after the enchanted triple-decker bus that transports magical folk in the Harry Potter works is launching a national seven-week tour leading up to the 12:01 a.m. release on July 21 of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." One of the stops on the Providence leg of the tour – at the Mount Pleasant Branch Library – is open to the public. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis and people must register in advance, according to Providence Public Library spokeswoman Tonia Mason. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson This version of the Knight Bus was created by Scholastic Corporation, publisher and distributor of children’s books, and it will finish its tour at the Scholastic headquarters in New York City for the actual release of the final Harry Potter book. Here in Providence, the bus stop at the South Providence Branch Library, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 4, is limited to school groups that will schedule well in advance. Scholastic hopes they’ll be able to squeeze up to 225 lucky fans onto the bus at the Mount Pleasant Branch from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Mason said. Once inside, those Harry Potter fans may get the chance to record a short video on their thoughts and feelings about the Harry Potter books. Select video clips from each stop on the bus tour will go on Scholastic’s Harry Potter web site, and everyone who records a message will get unique usernames and passwords so they can view their own video clips online even if they haven't made it to the general site, according to the library. To register for a chance to get on the bus, parents and children must go to the Mount Pleasant Branch, located at 315 Academy Ave., in person and sign a consent form ahead of time, Mason said. Time is of the essence. It’s all on a first-come, first-served basis. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:02 PM | Comment R.I. Supreme Court to decide gay divorce issuePROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Supreme Court announced today it will hear arguments on whether a same-sex couple married in another state may divorce in Rhode Island. In an order entered May 21, the Supreme Court outlined a schedule for briefs to be filed in August and assigned the case to its regular calendar for oral arguments. The Family Court first sent the question to the Supreme Court on Dec. 14, 2006. The question of law, as clarified by the Family Court, reads: “May the Family Court properly recognize, for the purpose of entertaining a divorce petition, the marriage of two persons of the same sex who were purportedly married in another state?” Ormiston and Chambers were married in Massachusetts shortly after thast state became the first in the nation to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In January, the court sent the underlying case back to the Family Court. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:06 PM | Comment R.I. Supreme Court to hear Charlestown ballot issuePROVIDENCE -- State Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg today granted a stay of the printing of budget referendum ballots in Charlestown so that the full court on Tuesday can hear the issue of whether to allow four citizens petitions on the ballot. The parties in the case must file briefs for the court by 9 a.m. Friday. Oral arguments will be heard at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The town is contesting the legality of the four proposed warrant items, which would: • Cut the salary of Town Administrator Edward M. Barrett to a maximum of $300 per month with no benefits. Barrett currently earns a $76,000 annual salary with $400 a month for transportation costs. His salary is proposed to increase to $79,040 under the proposed fiscal 2008 budget, while his vehicle stipend would be reduced to $300 a month. • Create a position of assistant town administrator paying $80,000 a year, without benefits. • Set aside up to $20,000 to hold a special election by Sept. 30 to remove Councilman James M. Mageau from office and elect a replacement. • Issue as much as $500,000 in bonds for the design and development of public recreational facilities at Blue Shutters Beach, with the town’s contribution being offset by any other money raised. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with archival reports from Maria Armental The parties in the case must address "whether or not the petition is a proper question" for a budget referendum in light of an article in the state constitution dealing with home rules and charters, state laws and in relation to the Charlestown Town Charter. The order also states that, regarding petition 4, the sides must "address what specific provision of the Charlestown Town Charter authorizes 'a special election to remove and replace' an elected member of the Town Council." Last week Washington County Superior Court Judge Allen P. Rubine ruled that the petitions must be allowed on the ballot in accordance with the Town Charter, but Rubine did not address the concerns on the petitions’ legality. On Friday, Town Solicitor Robert E. Craven appealed Rubine’s decision and filed a motion to stay the printing of the ballots. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:52 PM | Comment Exeter-W. Greenwich school lockdown lifted / Photo
State and local police locked down the facility today around 8 a.m., with students kept in individual classrooms, because of a threat written on a bathroom wall that indicated “everyone would die” on 5/22 – today’s date – at 10 o’clock. -- With reports from Journal photographer Bill Murphy Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:55 PM | Comment NOAA predicts busier than normal hurricane seasonWASHINGTON -- Government forecasters today called for a busier than normal hurricane season. National Weather Service forecasters said they expect 13 to 17 tropical storms, with seven to 10 of them becoming hurricanes. The forecast follows that of two other leading storm experts in anticipating a busy season. The likelihood of above normal hurricane activity is 75 percent, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. "With expectations for an active season, it is critically important that people who live in East and Gulf coastal areas as well as the Caribbean be prepared," said Bill Proenza director of the national hurricane center in Miami. After the battering by storms Katrina and Rita in 2005 there were widespread fears last summer of another powerful storm striking, but the unexpected development of the El Nino climate phenomenon helped dampen conditions. The El Nino has ended, however, leaving the potential for more tropical storms threatening the Gulf and East coasts. El Nino is a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that occurs every few years. The warm water affects wind patterns that guide weather movement and its effects can be seen worldwide. In El Nino years, there tend to be fewer summer hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. Read the full story from the Associated Press ... Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:03 PM | Comment Cianci will work at luxurious Boston hotelPROVIDENCE -- Former Providence Mayor Vincent ``Buddy'' Cianci will start work at a luxurious Boston hotel when he gets out of federal prison on corruption charges, The Associated Press reported today. Cianci will start working May 30th in sales, marketing and public relations for Fifteen Beacon, a boutique hotel in the shadow of the Massachusetts Statehouse. That's according to George Regan, a spokesman for hotel owner Paul Roif. Regan tells the AP that Cianci is an expert in sales and marketing from his time boosting downtown Providence. He says Cianci will be a great addition to the hotel. William Sander, the hotel's general manager, said this morning: "We have tentatively scheduled for the end of May. The exact date is still tentative but, like I said, it's the end of May." Cianci was sent to federal prison in 2002 following his conviction on a single count of racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors said he oversaw widespread corruption during his time in City Hall, but supporters of the colorful former mayor credit him with revitalizing downtown Providence and making it a center of arts and culture. He is expected to be released from federal prison this month into a halfway house in Boston. -- The Associated Press, with reports from projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:29 AM | Comment Public can hear plans for Providence waterfront parksPROVIDENCE -- The public tonight can learn more about the winning concept design for the city's new waterfront parks -- and sound off on it. The team that won the job -- Brown, Richardson and Rowe -- is slated to give a presentation at 5:30 at the Providence Foundation auditorium, 30 Exchange Terrance, the office of Mayor David N. Cicilline announced. The firm's lead designer Nina Brown will present. The projects are slated to be built in 2011. There will be another chance to offer feedback. A presentation will be also be held on June 6 at the Waterplace Restaurant's second floor. "The purpose of the meetings is to give the public an opportunity to help further refine the concept design for the two parks," the news release says. The state Department of Transportation is building the parks as part of highway relocation. There is also a video presentation for the project. Written comments may be sent before June 15 to: Waterfront Park Design Public Comment, Dalrymple Boathouse, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02903. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:23 AM | Comment States ready to follow Calif. greenhouse gas standardsAt least 11 states, including Rhode Island, are ready to implement standards crafted by California that would lower the emissions of greenhouse gases from cars, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. But first they need permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. California officials hoped to make their case today to get a waiver from federal rules and win approval for regulations that would force the auto industry to change how it makes cars. Officials from eight other states - including attorneys general from New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut - were scheduled to testify in support of California's request for a waiver from the federal rules. States like Rhode Island can implement the California standards only if they adopt California's standards and only if California obtains the waiver from the EPA, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch's office. Lynch says states have to use the California standard if they're serious about reducing greenhouse gases. He says the EPA has ignored its obligation to regulate greenhouse gases. "The California process is well advanced and it's the most immediate, viable pathway to start controlling greenhouse gases," California Attorney General Jerry Brown told The Associated Press. "California has a plan in place. We're ready to go." That plan is a 2002 California law that requires automakers to cut emissions by 25 percent from cars and light trucks and 18 percent from sport utility vehicles starting with the 2009 model year. Air pollution standards typically are set by the federal government. But because California began setting vehicle emissions standards before the federal government, the state is allowed under the Clean Air Act of 1970 to set its own standards. Other states can then choose to follow either the federal or California standards. "This is a states' rights issue," said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. "California is a laboratory for innovation." EPA officials have declined to say how they will rule. Today's hearing came after more than a year of inaction since the state submitted its petition in 2005. Auto manufacturers have sued California and Vermont in an attempt to block the regulation, arguing that emissions standards are de-facto fuel economy standards which can only be set by the federal government. Charles Territo, a spokesman with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers in Washington, D.C., said the industry will ask the EPA to deny California's request in favor of a national program to curb greenhouse gases. "Manufacturers believe there needs to be a national, federal and multi-sector approach to regulating greenhouse gases," Territo said. Territo said the industry also plans to challenge California's legal standing, saying the state has not met certain legal criteria for a waiver under the federal Clean Air Act. He declined to offer specifics. Since the inception of the act, the EPA approved 90 types of waivers for California and failed to act on five of its requests, according to California EPA secretary Linda Adams. "We are on very strong legal ground, and if they plan to deny our waiver they are going to have to really look around for a reason," Adams said in a conference call with reporters Monday. Schwarzenegger last month said the state will sue if the EPA does not act on the state's request by October 25. The auto regulations are a key part of California's overall strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists blame for the Earth's warming temperature over the last three decades. The state is the world's 12th largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, 40 percent of which come from transportation sources. The state last year embarked on an effort to reduce its emissions by 25 percent by 2020. A 2006 law relies on the auto regulations to accomplish 17 percent of the overall target. President Bush last week signed an executive order giving federal agencies until the end of 2008 to continue studying the threat of greenhouse gas emissions and what to do about them. Critics fear the directive could undermine state efforts. In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post yesterday, Schwarzenegger and Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Bush's directive "sounds like more of the same inaction and denial." Posted by Jack Perry at 10:37 AM | Comment Threat causes Exeter-W. Greenwich lockdownWEST GREENWICH – State and local police have responded to Exeter-West Greenwich High School this morning and locked down the facility, with students kept in individual classrooms, because of a threat written on a bathroom wall that indicated “everyone would die” on 5/22 – today’s date – at 10 o’clock. Town administrator Kevin Breene said the district has been “plagued” since early this year with threats being written on bathroom walls. In two past instances, students were arrested – and found not to be connected to each other – after similar threats, he said. In addition to the one school resource officer who arrived at the school for a typical shift around 6:30 a.m., the police have been at the school since about 8 a.m., Breene said. A threat written on a bathroom wall this morning drew the attention of the West Greenwich police chief, who is at the school now, Breene said. They’re “looking for anything,” such as weapons, Breene said. At the school, backpacks and lockers are now being searched. “Hopefully it’s a hoax, but in this day and age, you can’t treat it like that, but we’ve reached a point in time where some students may think this is funny and it’s not funny," Breene said. "It’s a very serious and costly matter, and it causes a lot of panic.” A threat written yesterday said something to the effect of “everyone will die,” Breene said. A more detailed threat was discovered this morning, he said. Although Breene didn’t have the exact wording of what was written on the walls, he described it like this, “On 5/22 at 10 o’clock, bang bang everyone dies, or something like that.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson “My [police] chief called me around 8 o’clock” today, he said. “He told me he was over at the school. They had found another more detailed threat.” Local officers on scene had called the state police and requested their assistance in locking down the school, Breene said. “We’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure these kids are safe,” Breene said, “but on the other side of the coin, so to speak, the rubber has met the road and we’re going to toughen up because this cannot be tolerated.” The police have been involved since earlier this year, when threats such as “everyone will die” began appearing on bathroom walls, Breene said. This is the fourth or fifth incident, he said. A while back, someone wrote, “Jim will die on Friday,” he said. “Then it turned out it was a bottle of Jim Beam.” At that time, in mid-December, roughly 300 students from the senior high school – nearly half the enrollment – skipped classes when the rumor of a death threat swept through the school, according to school principal Denise Boule. Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:15 AM | Comment Traffic fine, except for that bus at exit 22A RIPTA bus has been sitting in the Route 95 north breakdown lane near exit 22 for a couple hours, according to the state Department of Transportation. Traffic otherwise seems to be moving along as normal. For other traffic needs, check out the state 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 and listen to or read the radio reports for the week about traffic and construction on specific roadways. To report a traffic incident, call the Transportation Management Center at (401) 222-5826 and choose option #2. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:14 AM | Comment AG says MySpace info will help track offendersMySpace.com will give names of sex offenders, and other details about them, that the company has found on its Web site -- information that Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office may use to find potential parole violations by people prohibited from using a computer to contact minors. All of the states' attorneys general pushed for the MySpace release of information. Eight of them, including Lynch, signed a letter on behalf of all the attorneys general and sent it to the company on May 14. Lynch will share the MySpace information with "appropriate law enforcement agencies," according to the news release from his office. "The information we will get from MySpace is a great resource for law enforcement According to Lynch's office, MySpace has confirmed that "thousands of registered sex offenders" are members of the social networking site -- the site worked with a company to determine the presence of sex offenders. MySpace has deleted those people from its site but "preserved information about them and will provide it to the attorneys general." MySpace has also agreed to continue searching its site for registered sex Lynch said in the release that the attorneys general "are continuing to urge MySpace to require parental permission for children to be on its site, among other -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:13 AM | Comment Sunny and high near 70PROVIDENCE – We’ve got another beautiful day today, with a high near 70 expected, and it’s only going to get warmer all week. It looks like Friday will be the hottest day of the week, with a high near 86. Despite how warm these days are getting, the mornings are still a tad chilly, so you might want to start the day with a light jacket. It’s just 46 degrees now. Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com. Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:07 AM | Comment AG Lynch to testify before the EPAPROVIDENCE -- Attorney General Patrick Lynch testifies before the Environmental Protection Agency this morning in favor of stricter limits on car pollution standards. He'll be joined in Arlington, Virginia, by attorneys general from across the country, including Jerry Brown of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Rhode Island and other states have adopted standards used by California to cut vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases. Lynch says states have to use the California standard if they're serious about reducing greenhouse gases. He says the EPA has ignored its obligation to regulate greenhouse gases. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment May 21, 2007Bird forces plane to return to GreenWARWICK -- A United Airlines Airbus 320 returned to T.F. Green Airport shortly after taking off late this afternoon because a bird flew into the plane's engine area, according to a Rhode Island Airport Corporation spokeswoman. Spokeswoman Patti Goldstein said the pilot recognized the situation, the aircraft circled and returned to the airport without incident. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:01 PM | Comment Dunk closes today for renovationsPROVIDENCE -- The Dunkin' Donuts Center closed today for renovations. The arena is not expected to reopen until November, after workers have completed the 18 luxury suites and built a pedestrian bridge connecting the arena to Rhode Island Convention Center. “A significant amount of work, mainly exterior steel erection for the new lobby and the luxury suite towers, was accomplished during a busy event schedule,” James P. McCarvill, executive director of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, said in a statement. “However, there is a tremendous amount of construction that needs to be completed during this phase that requires us to take the facility offline.” More about the renovations from The Journal and the R.I. Convention Center Authority ... --Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:51 PM | Comment Update: Ex-boyfriend held in woman's murderPROVIDENCE -- The man accused of stabbing his former girlfriend to death last night was found by police in a closed garage with a vehicle running, it was disclosed at his arraignment this afternoon. Hamlet Lopez, 51, of Providence, was charged in District Court this afternoon with one count of murder, domestic violence in the death of Miledis Hilario, 41, at her Courtland Street apartment. Hilario and Lopez had recently ended "a substantive dating relationship", according to a police statement released this afternoon. Her death from multiple stab wounds is the fourth murder reported in Providence this year. This afternoon, Lopez was led by handcuffed hands to face Judge Michael Higgins in District Court, Providence. As he came in, a Hilario family member began to cry toward the back of the courtroom. "No," she said. Lopez wore a white prisoner suit, standing out from other defendants who wore regular clothes. And where they looked up, he buried his face in his hands, almost like someone in prayer. After the quick arraignment passed, several family members of Hilario went into a room, apparently to be consoled. They did not speak to members of the press gathered at the courthouse. Lopez is being held pending a June 4 bail hearing. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Hilario was found dead in her second-floor apartment at 42 Courtland St. when ambulance crews arrived just before 11 p.m. yesterday. About two hours later, the Providence police forced their way into a garage at 39 Bellevue Ave. and arrested Lopez, Det. Maj. Stephen Campbell said late this morning. Lopez owns the property but does not live there. Lopez was identified as a possible suspect, and patrol officers learned he might be at 39 Bellevue Ave. Campbell said Lopez had Hilario's car. Once there, patrol officers heard noise coming from a detached garage. Believing Lopez might be hiding inside, the officers forced their way in and arrested Lopez without incident, the police statement said. The state Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy, the statement said. -- -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson and Jack Perry, projo.com producer Posted by Jack Perry at 4:31 PM | Comment Zoo tries again to get Alice the elephant pregnant
Journal file photoDennis Schmitter guides an endoscopic camera inside Alice's reproductive tract when the zoo made its first attempt last February. PROVIDENCE -- A well-publicized attempt in February to artificially inseminate Alice, one of the Roger Williams Park Zoo’s three African elephants, did not succeed. Tests have confirmed that Alice is not pregnant. But that’s not the end of the story. Zoo staff gave it another try yesterday, and time — specifically three months’ time — will tell. Tim French, deputy director of animal programs, said he’s more hopeful that this artificial insemination could result in conception. Results will be known sometime in August. “It definitely went better,’’ said French. “On Sunday we got a much better semen sample than we got in February, and the timing of it was a bit more accurate than we’re where we were in February as well.’’ A statement from the zoo noted that Alice ``was standing, alert, and enjoying a steady stream of food from zoo animal care staff, including pineapple, popcorn and plenty of hay,’’ throughout the procedure. French added, ``I think Alice was getting some miniature bagels, which she enjoyed quite a bit.’’ -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner The procedure was every bit as choreographed as the last attempt. Sperm collected on Sunday morning from a bull elephant at the Pittsburgh Zoo was flown to Providence in a special cooler, examined under a microscope, and deemed viable. Next, Dr. Dennis Schmitt of Missouri State University, who is one of the world’s leading experts on elephant artificial insemination, performed the procedure while support staff steadied Alice. The procedure involves inserting a tube containing sperm into Alice’s reproductive tract, with the aid of an endoscope. It is carefully timed to coincide with the elephant’s estimated day of ovulation. “All the same people were involved. The same elephant handlers, and Dennis Schmidt, the same reproductive specialist,’’ said French. “Alice was wonderful. Her behavior was excellent and biologically she was right as predicted.’’ Lisa Bousquet, the zoo’s deputy director of institutional advancement, said the zoo has fielded public inquiries since the first insemination attempt in February. ``We definitely got public response. It’s been very supportive,’’ said Bousquet. ``A lot of it was just curiosity and over just the logistics and how complicated and just being aware of how incredibly complex it is’’ to artificially inseminate an elephant. ``We’ve had a fair amount of inquiry through the Web site where people come back and say `Any word yet?’ ” Feedback from zoo docents also indicate that “our visitors have been engaged and excited about the possibility,’’ of an elephant pregnancy, “and they’re really pulling for success,” said Bousquet. So stay tuned. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:45 PM | Comment Victim, driver in fatal Fall River crash ID'dFALL RIVER, Mass. -- The police today identified the Westport woman killed in a three-car crash on Friday and provided more details about the accident. Kathleen Malenfant, 66, of 330 Sodom Rd., was alone in her car on one-way Hanover Street when her car was hit by another vehicle driving the wrong way on the street, Lt. Jeffrey Cardoza said. Cardoza said the operator of the car that struck Malenfant's is Rebecca Guadiello, 18, of Fairhaven. The crash occurred around 8:30 p.m. near the corner of New Boston Road, in front of Charlton Memorial Hospital. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:00 PM | Comment Police believe child with lighter ignited Richmond fireRICHMOND – The police say a child playing with a lighter is believed to have caused a fire this morning that heavily damaged one half of a duplex on Carolina Nooseneck Road. Crews from the Hope Valley-Wyoming and Richmond Carolina districts were called to 280 Carolina Nooseneck Rd. at 6:56 a.m. after a 5-year-old alerted her mother to a fire in the living room, Hope Valley Fire Chief Frederick Stanley said. The child’s mother was asleep upstairs and two other young children were at home, Stanley said. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Richmond Police Sgt. John Arnold, who is investigating with the state fire marshal’s office, said it is assumed that a five-year-old playing with a lighter started the fire in a chair in the living room. The mother, Tami Holland, another adult, Rey Reyes, and the children had evacuated the building along with their neighbors in the adjoining 278 Carolina Nooseneck Rd. when firefighters arrived, fire officials said. The downstairs at 280 Carolina Nooseneck was significantly damaged by the blaze, while the upstairs suffered smoke damage, he said. The fire was contained to that unit, though water did penetrate areas in the adjoining apartment in theduplex owned by Mark Ansay, Stanley said. A cat died in the fire. The Rhode Island chapter of the American Red Cross provided the families with food, clothing and shelter today. They were expected to move in with relatives, according to Marisa Albanese, director of community relations for the Red Cross. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:06 PM | Comment Police chiefs gather at RWU for crime-fighting seminarBRISTOL -- Several New England police chiefs are at Roger Williams University this afternoon to hear from Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman and Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis about "innovative tactics" to fight violent crime. "With violent crime escalating and police departments competing for a shrinking pool of federal funding, police across New England are being forced to develop innovative tactics to protect their cities," according to a university release. Chiefs scheduled to attend are from cities such as New Bedford, Mass., and Hartford, Conn. -- places that have struggled with stubborn crime problems. Also slated to attend are chiefs from Springfield, Lowell and Worcester, Mass., and from Bridgeport and Stamford, Conn. Esserman was Stamford chief before coming to Providence. George Kelling, described by the university as a renowned criminologist, is keynote speaker. Roger Williams' Justice System Training and Research Institute, the Providence and Boston police are sponsoring the conference "on how police can employ progressive techniques to battle crime in the post-Sept. 11 era." Also up for discussion is how police departments can "combat discriminatory policing and racial profiling and create workforces that are representative of the communities they serve." Another topic is immigration -- "particularly the challenge of earning the trust of undocumented immigrants to ensure they feel safe requesting police services and comfortable providing information to help solve crimes," the release says. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:54 PM | Comment R.I. high court judge to rule on Charlestown petitionsCHARLESTOWN -- State Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg is to rule this afternoon on a motion to stay to prevent four citizens’ petitions from being printed on the ballot for the town’s June 4 financial referendum. The town has contested the legality of the petitions, which seek to cut the administrator’s salary and eliminate his benefits, create a new position of assistant administrator, remove a councilman from office and issue up to $500,000 in bonds to fund a beach improvement project. Washington County Superior Court Judge Allen P. Rubine ruled last week that the petitions were to appear on the ballot in accordance with the Town Charter, but Rubine did not address the concerns on the petitions’ legalities. -- Journal staff writer Maria Armental Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:14 PM | Comment Photo: Providence crash sends 2 to hospital
Both occupants of the 1997 Jeep were treated at Rhode Island Hospital for minor injuries, Providence Police Sgt. Paul Zienowicz said. The damages to the vehicles were “far worse than the injuries,” Zienowicz said. Air bags deployed in both vehicles, and all three occupants were wearing seatbelts, he said. The driver of the 1992 Toyota Camry, Erick Nelson, was not taken to a hospital, he said. The Jeep, which was getting off Route 95 south at exit 21 – onto Service Road 7 – was spun around 90 degrees and came to rest on the bridge abutment, Zienowicz said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:17 PM | Comment Onset of travel season drives gas past $3 mark / Photo
Journal photo / Steve SzydlowskiThis gas station on Jamestown reflects the latest spike in the price of gas.
Make that $3.05 per gallon, a 7-cent increase from last week's average, according to AAA Southern New England's survey. That's 64 cents higher than the average price at the beginning of the year. And the current average price compares to $2.97 per unleaded gallon at this time last year. The range in current unleaded prices around Rhode Island is $2.96 to $3.18, according to the AAA survey. Seeing the price push past the $3 barrier before Memorial Day may not be much of a surprise. Earlier this month, Robert P. Murray, a AAA Southern New England senior vice president for corporate affairs, said in an interview that the national increase in prices is driven by an oil industry that appears to have begun the move toward the summer-driving season gas price increase at the onset of daylight-savings time rather than waiting until Memorial Day. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:56 AM | Comment Update: One woman hospitalized after Cranston crashCRANSTON – A woman escaped serious injury this morning when her car was rear-ended, sending it into an oil truck in front of her. Although initial reports indicated the woman was trapped in her car, she was not, according to Leo F. Kennedy, deputy chief of emergency medical services for the Cranston Fire Department. Her air bag deployed, and she suffered minor injuries, he said. She was taken to Rhode Island Hospital this morning after the three-vehicle crash on Park Avenue sometime before 9 a.m., Police Maj. Ronald T. Blackmar said this morning. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson The woman was driving west on Park Avenue and stopped to let the oil truck in front of her make a left turn onto Haddon Hill Road, Blackmar said. Another vehicle then rear-ended the woman’s car, sending it into the truck, Blackmar and Kennedy said. Neither the driver of the oil truck nor the driver of the car behind the woman’s was injured, Kennedy said. Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:51 AM | Comment Woman fatally stabbed in Providence / Photo
A state prosecutor is calling the woman's death at 42 Courtland St. a domestic-related homicide, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office. The suspect will be arraigned in District Court, Providence, Healey said. The police aren’t saying much this morning about the city’s fourth homicide. The woman, whose name has not been released, was dead when crews arrived at the scene, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. They were called just before 11 p.m. Shortly before 8 a.m. this morning, a police car sat outside the multi-family residence on Courtland St. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:35 AM | Comment Cicilline to help clear Mt. Pleasant of graffitiPROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline will visit the Mount Pleasant neighborhood today to help clean up graffiti. The mayor and his Office of Neighborhood Services will join volunteers from Providence Crime Watch, Youthbuild and the Providence Police Department from 10 a.m. until noon. Cicilline launched a Graffiti Task Force about a year ago to combat the problem. So far, the program has resulted in more than 53 arrests and the removal of 814,000 square feet of graffiti from Providence neighborhoods, according to the mayor's office. Members of the Graffiti Task Force will use high-pressure sprayers on the graffiti, and volunteers will paint, using supplies donated by Mount Pleasant Hardware. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:25 AM | Comment Staples launches nationwide computer recycling planBOSTON -- Staples Inc. is expanding its electronics waste recycling program by accepting used computers and monitors that can now be dropped off for a $10 fee at any of the office products chain's 1,400 U.S. locations during store hours. The step by the world's largest office products supplier follows similar initiatives by many computer makers and retailers to confront the growing environmental and public health risk posed by discarded computers and other electronic gadgets containing toxic metals and chemicals. Framingham, Mass.-based Staples expects today to announce the expansion of a four-year-old program allowing customers to drop off smaller devices such as cell phones, pagers and digital cameras for free, regardless of the brand or whether the device was bought at Staples. -- The Associated Press Free recycling for those devices will continue at Staples' U.S. and Canadian office products stores. Starting today, desktop and laptop computers and monitors of any make will also be accepted at Staples' customer service desks during store hours, but for a $10 fee for each large item. Staples has offered temporary computer drop-off programs at various locations in recent years - a step other retailers such as Staples rival Office Depot Inc. have also taken. Staples also has offered computer recycling on an ongoing basis in Seattle area stores for the past two years. The expanded program will make Staples the first national retailer to accept computers for recycling on a daily, ongoing basis, Buckley said. Peripherals such as keyboards, mice and speakers will be free, and televisions and floor-model copiers won't be accepted. The computer drop-off program isn't being offered in the 21 foreign countries where Staples operates. Staples, which stands to boost customer traffic from people turning in old devices, says the $10 fee for large items will defray recycling costs. "When you start to talk about a heavy monitor and a large tower unit for a desktop computer, obviously there is a cost in handling, recycling and shipping," said Mark Buckley, Staples' vice president of environmental affairs. Robin Snider, a spokeswoman for the Computer TakeBack Campaign, a nonprofit advocacy group, urged Staples to consider dropping the $10 fee. "Some people will agree to pay that, but a lot of people will expect to be paid, because their computer may not be old, and computers can become obsolete so quickly now," Snider said. Snider, of the Computer TakeBack Campaign, said such drop-off programs "are not a panacea" if recycling isn't done in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Activists say too much of the nation's recycled electronic waste ends up being shipped overseas to poor countries, where it pollutes the environment and can expose workers to dangerous chemicals as they disassemble the devices to salvage precious metals. Staples said its program will ship the devices for domestic recycling by Vestal, N.Y.-based Amandi Services, which Staples calls "one of the country's most experienced and innovative electronics recyclers." Amanda complies with federal standards for electronics recycling, and will take steps to ensure personal data stored on old computers isn't compromised, Staples says. "We're not shipping products overseas, and we have a strict chain of custody to make sure we know where these materials are going," Buckley said. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Rhode Island officials holding hurricane conferenceCRANSTON -- The state's emergency management agency is hosting a hurricane conference today. The National Guard recently reclassified Rhode Island as a ``hurricane zone'' state, a designation that has made extra federal funds available. State officials have upgraded facilities and communication equipment in preparation for a hurricane. Scheduled speakers at today's conference include Governor Carcieri, Robert Warren of the emergency management agency, and John Holt of the Red Cross. The conference is at the Radisson Airport Hotel, Warwick. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Partly cloudy, high near 67The sun has returned after a wet weekend. The National Weather Service forecasts a partly cloudy day with a high near 67 degrees in the Providence area. Tonight should be mostly clear with a low around 43 degrees. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment May 18, 2007R.I. delegation calls immigration deal a first stepPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island’s congressional delegation -- Democrats all -- are cautiously optimistic about the agreement that would overhaul immigration laws to provide the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States with a path to permanent legal status and also crack down on employers who hire illegals and strengthen enforcement along the nation’s porous borders. Sen. Jack Reed, the senior member of Rhode Island’s delegation, called the deal ``a promising beginning’’ but said it will take a lot of work on the details of the 380-page legislation to get it in shape to win House and Senate approval. ``The reality is that the status quo is not acceptable,’’ said Reed. ``I think what you have right now is a situation where people are living in the shadows and they are exploited.’’ What is needed, Reed said, is an approach that enforces meaningful restrictions against employers who hire undocumented workers, beefs up border security -- and gives illegals the hope for legal status. ``I feel confident going forward that we are going to have a strong system of border control,’’ said Reed. The proposed immigration compromise has been months in the making in negotiations between senators and President Bush’s administration. The agreement was forged largely by a partnership among Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and John McCain of Arizona, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, and Mr. Bush, who has long sought an immigration deal. The Senate agreement would give temporary legal status to virtually all illegal immigrants in the United States, while allowing them to apply for residence visas and an eventual path to citizenship. A temporary worker program would allow as many as 400,000 immigrants into the country each year, but they would have to leave within two years. It would also change the philosophy behind the current visa system -- which stresses family unification -- by establishing a point program that would favor skilled and educated workers. And most of these changes would take effect only after the enforcement of tough new border patrols and a crackdown on employers who hire illegal workers. Read the extended entry for reaction from the rest of the R.I. delegation. -- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Rep. James Langevin of the 2nd District called the compromise a ``good step forward’’ and says it will become the starting point for difficult negotiations on the immigration issue. For ``national security and human rights reasons,’’ Langevin said, there is a need for a comprehensive approach to immigration. ``It is important for national security that we have background checks….and focus on going after people who are not here for good reasons,’’ said Langevin. ``We also need to put people who have been here for a long time on a path to being here legally.’’ Rep. Patrick Kennedy of the 1st District, whose father is Sen. Kennedy, said the legislation is a good ``starting point.’’ ``In the end we need comprehensive immigration reform that honors our nation’s while respecting rule of law,’’ said Kennedy. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said any legislation solution must balance the need for border enforcement, increasing penalties for employers who hire illegals and establishing a program to give workers here illegally a path to legal status. ``The bipartisan compromise reached yesterday is a first step, but the bill is not yet in final form,’’ said Whitehouse. ``I’m going to work closely with my colleagues over the next several days to review this proposal, and see what changes are made to address the concerns that have been raised, before I decide whether to support this measure.’’ The stark reality, Langevin said, is that with between 8 and 14 million illegals living in the United States, there is no realistic way to deport all of them. ``It would be both unfair and unrealistic to think we are going to round up between 8 and 14 million people,’’ said Langevin. ``We couldn’t deport that many people and think it is not going to have an impact on the economy.’’ Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:58 PM | Comment PawSox decide to cancel tonight's gamePAWTUCKET -- Tonight's Pawtucket Red Sox game against Durham Bulls at McCoy Stadium has been canceled, the PawSox announced on their Web site. It's the last meeting between the teams, so the game will not be made up, according to the announcement. It's the fourth rain-out at home for the PawSox this season and the sixth overall this season. Fans holding box-seat tickets or general admission tickets for tonight’s game can trade those in for any remaining regular-season game at McCoy, based on availabilty. For fans holding B101 Radio and Bubel Aiken Fundraiser tickets, the raindate will be the 7:05 p.m. game on May 24 against the Syracuse Chiefs. The PawSox' big brother, the Red Sox, also postponed their game tonight because of the wet weather, setting up a doubleheader for tomorrow. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:32 PM | Comment DEM closes nine ponds, marshes to shellfishingNine Rhode Island ponds and marshes are closed to shellfish harvesting beginning at sunrise tomorrow because they are not certified for shellfishing, the state Department of Environmental Management announced today. The ponds and marshes are: -- Quicksand Pond and Briggs Marsh in Little Compton The move follows the DEM's announcement yesterday that consumers should not eat any oysters bought from Bridgeport Seafood, in Tiverton, after federal officials found a sample collected there tested positive for norovirus "and other evidence of sewage contamination." The oysters were harvested from "uncertified shellfish waters by a single harvester that sold all his shellfish to Bridgeport Seafood," according to yesterday's release. "When selling the shellfish to Bridgeport Seafood, the harvester affixed a tag indicating that they were harvested from certified waters." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:00 PM | Comment Update: Blackstone eyed as flood watch covers R.I.The Blackstone River could reach flood stage by mid- to late-morning tomorrow, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist. Two to three inches of rain are possible, and potentially more in parts of Rhode Island, by late tomorrow morning. The entire state is under a flood watch through tomorrow afternoon. The Blackstone is "due to start increasing pretty rapidly after sunset tonight," based on what a river gauge located on the Woonsocket portion of the river is showing, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the weather service in Taunton, Mass. Flooding concerns are already being felt. "Due to the high river conditions," all Blackstone River tours scheduled through Monday have been canceled, Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, said in a statement this afternoon. "Those with Interests near rivers and streams rivers should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop," the National Weather Service says on its Web site. The site states that additional rainfall of 1 to 1.5 inches are possible in Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts tonight. The majority of the storm was off-shore as of this afternoon. It is resulting from a stalled cold front with tropical conditions, which provide a lot of the moisture, he said. The high reached into the low 50s today and tomorrow could continue to be chilly. Sunday is expected to be cloudy and breezy. Clear skies should return Monday, the Weather Service says. Get the latest weather conditions, forecasts and live radar. Check river conditions throughout the Northeast here.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:37 PM | Comment Rte. 95 north backed up due to Warwick accidentWARWICK -- Traffic is backed up for about a mile on Route 95 north because of a multi-car accident that happened just north of the Jefferson Boulevard exit. State police are on the scene. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Tom Heslin Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:28 PM | Comment This Sunday at Providence Place: Toxic-weapons drillPROVIDENCE -- Here's some breaking news via the crystal ball: Two days from now, nearly a dozen people will "suddenly fall ill" in the Providence Place mall's food court. It will be a large-scale drill Sunday to test response to a weapons-of-mass-destruction emergency. The Providence Fire Department and the Rhode Island National Guard’s 13th Civil Support Team will stage the drill from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., according to the office of Mayor David N. Cicilline. Here's the scenario: The people will become ill in the food court after reports of "suspected toxic chemicals inside the mall," according to the mayor's office. "The Fire Department must identify the toxic material, treat, triage and safely transport the victims to the hospital. The victims will be played by volunteers from the Providence Emergency Management Agency and the city's Homeland Security office. The mock situation is designed to test first responders' readiness ahead of a large-scale exercise in October that will involve many public safety agencies from around the state. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:31 PM | Comment Gay couple gets restraining against a Warwick neighborWARWICK -- A Kent County Superior Court judge today granted a temporary restraining order against a Warwick man accused of threatening and harassing a gay couple who live across the street from him. Judge William E. Carnes granted the order against Paul W. O'Rourke at the request of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch during a hearing this morning, according to a news release from Lynch's office. The order stays in effect until June 28, when a hearing is scheduled on a request for a preliminary injunction against O'Rourke. O'Rourke must not have contact with the couple, Michael L. Gempp and James L. Meo, who live on Diamond Hill Road in Warwick, according to the release. The attorney general's office of Civil Rights Advocate brought the court action on behalf of the couple after O'Rourke allegedly "repeated anti-gay epithets, insults, profanities, and threats" toward the couple. One of the men called the "911" on April 24, and the Warwick Police arrested O'Rourke that day and charged him with one count of disorderly conduct, according to the attorney general's office. "No one deserves to be subjected to the inflammatory and defamatory threats, profanities, and insults that this defendant has allegedly been directing at The law carries a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for someone found in violation. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:10 PM | Comment Sherman Avenue exit ramp reopens on Rt 146 northLINCOLN -- The exit ramp to Sherman Avenue off Route 146 north has reopened to traffic after emergency repairs were finished this afternoon, the state's Transportation Management Center announced. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:45 PM | Comment Red Sox game postponedThe Red Sox game against the Atlanta Braves has been postponed. The game will be made up tomorrow, weather-permitting, as part of a day-night double-header at 1:05 and 7:35 p.m. Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:45 PM | Comment Coke dealer caught in his bathroom gets 10 yearsPROVIDENCE -- A Providence man, caught trying to flush crack and powder cocaine down the toilet, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison today for trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Rafael Diaz, 32, pleaded guilty in February to possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine, and possessing with intent to distribute powder cocaine, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said in a news release. Diaz was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee said at the plea hearing the government could prove that on Oct. 13, 2006, federal Drug and Enforcement Agency agents got a search warrant for Diaz’s second-floor apartment on Montrose Street. Agents approached the house after they said they saw Diaz make what appeared to be a drug deal on the porch. Diaz ran up stairs to his apartment, yelling, “Police, Police!” according to the release. Diaz ran into the bathroom and used his weight against the door to block it, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Agents estimated the weight to be well over 300 pounds. "When agents finally forced the door open," the news release said,"They saw a woman flushing bags of cocaine down the toilet. After a struggle with Diaz, agents managed to retrieve the bags of drugs." From the toilet and other parts of the apartment, agents seized a combined 100 grams of crack cocaine and 155 grams of powder cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. They also grabbed drug trafficking materials. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:35 PM | Comment Feds: Man used terrorism threat as extortion weaponPROVIDENCE -- Authorities have arrested a Warwick man on charges of impersonating a Homeland Security official and trying to turn the threat of international terrorism into a profitable financial scam. George Tabora, 44, of 1579 Centerville Rd., is accused of threatening to link the operator of a Warwick gas station to the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and harm his family unless he gave him $25,000 in cash. The gas station owner, who was not identified, is of Middle Eastern descent, but has no links to any terrorist group, the authorities said. On Wednesday, Tabora was arrested on federal charges of attempted extortion and impersonating a federal agent. He is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions, pending his appearance next week in U.S. District Court. A criminal complaint filed today in federal court alleges that the extortion plot was hatched on May 7 and also involved Tabora’s wife and son. Neither the wife, Rabiaa, or son, who was identified only as "NT’’ has been charged with any crimes. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski The complaint, written by William O’Neill, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says that the gas station owner, who was not identified, got a phone call from a man claiming he was Carl Johnson, an official with the Department of Homeland Security. Johnson told him that he had information that could link him to terrorist organizations, and unless he gave him $25,000, he would have him locked up and "go after’’ his wife and two daughters. The initial call was placed on May 7 at 9:30 a.m. The gas station owner contacted the Warwick police. On May 14, Tabora’s wife, Rabiaa Tabora, who had just been hired to work at the gas station, met with the owner. She told him that agent Johnson had recently stopped by and had been looking for him. She said that he wore a badge and a gun. She told her new boss that the agent said that he had 72 hours "to make the money drop.’’ The gas station owner told Mrs. Tabora to provide the police with a statement, but she refused to do so. Based on the phone conversations and instructions from the phony agent, the Warwick police determined that the money drop was near two garbage bins next to the Taboras’s home. On the night of May 14, the complaint says that Tabora, posing as the agent, again called the gas station owner and told him to drop the money in a drain pipe next to a trailer at 1583 Centerville Rd., in Warwick. Working with the Warwick police, the gas station owner told the caller that he would try to get him $10,000. On May 16, the complaint says that Tabora called the gas station owner six more times. He demanded $15,000 in the drain pipe. The police recorded the conversations, the complaint says. One of the recorded conversations was transcribed in the complaint: Tabora: ``I’m Homeland Security … of course I carry a gun.’’ Gas station owner: ``Oh, you carry a gun all the time.’’ Tabora: ``Of course…I have a permit to carry a gun.’’ Gas station owner: ``This is serious …. This is not a joke, huh?’’ Tabora: ``I’m a federal officer.’’ They arranged for the drop off between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. The police videotaped the gas station owner dropping off two bundles of money that were supposed to total $15,000. A few minutes later, a teenager, who the authorities say is Tabora’s son, walked down his driveway, across his front yard and pulled the bundles from the drain pipe. The Warwick police arrested him with one of the bundles still in his hands, the complaint says. A short time later, George Tabora was arrested. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:34 PM | Comment Providence police probe report of mom-child abductionPROVIDENCE – The police are investigating a report by a 24-year-old Providence woman who said that she and her 7-year-old daughter were briefly abducted by men posing as police officers. The woman told the police that she and her daughter were taken from a vehicle in South Providence and put in the back of a minivan, driven around, robbed of $70 and then released unharmed in the Elmwood neighborhood, according to the police report. Fleridilia Alvarez, of 102 Peace St., Apt. 3, told the police she was traveling on Gladstone Street when a tan minivan pulled onto Gladstone from Baxter Street and blocked her lane of travel. Two men approached with guns and with what the woman described as badges, the report indicates. She told police that one of the men put her in the back of the minivan as another man grabbed her daughter and also put her in the minivan. The minivan then drove to the area of Lenox Avenue and Niagara Street, where three men in the van took $70 from Alvarez’s purse and then released the woman and her daughter. Correction: An early version of the police report incorrectly said that Alvarez had been put into handcuffs. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith The incident was reported to police around 7 p.m. The woman told the police the incident appeared to be a case of mistaken identity. The case remains under investigation, Major Stephen Campbell said today. “Clearly, there is an incident that occurred here, and we are interested in identifying the men who posed as police officers and abducted this woman and her child,” Campbell said. “Based on her statement, it was a case of mistaken identity.” Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:30 PM | Comment Former Chile president is a Brown professor-at-largePROVIDENCE -- Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former president of Chile, has been apppinted to a five-year term as a professor at large by Brown University. The university announced today that Lagos will be based at the University’s Thomas J. Watson Jr. Institute for International Studies beginning July 1. He served as president of the Republic of Chile from 2000 to 2006. "During his term, Lagos was known for aggressively pursuing free-trade agreements, improving healthcare and education legislation, and addressing the crimes of Augusto Pinochet’s military regime," the university said in a news release. Before the 1973 military coup against Salvadore Allende in Chile, Lagos had been nominated Chilean ambassador to the Soviet Union. But Allende was overthrown by Gen. Pinochet right after the appointment, and Lagos was never confirmed. After the coup, Lagos lived in the U.S. and Argentina. He served at the United Nations as consultant and economist in UNESCO, and later at the International Labor Organization. In 1978, he returned to Chile, becoming president of the Democratic Alliance, a coalition opposed to Pinochet.
Lagos founded the Party for Democracy (Partido por la Democracia) in 9187. He served as minister of education under the government of Patricio Aylwin (1990-1994) and as minister of public works under President Eduardo Frei (1994-2000). In January 2000, Lagos became the first socialist to hold the office since Allende. “This is a very valuable appointment, as Brown and the Watson Institute continue to build bridges to South America,” said Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons. “I am pleased that President Lagos will share his firsthand knowledge in Latin American politics with the Brown community and help guide the University’s continuing efforts in its internationalization initiative.” Lagos will give public lectures, work with students in and out of the clasroom, and be part of events and research discussions at the Watson Institute. Some of his time at Brown will include collaboration with Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the former president of Brazil, who is also a professor-at-large at the Watson Institute. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:59 PM | Comment Newport police ID 7 arrested for dealing cocaineNEWPORT -- The police today released the names of seven people arrested yesterday after a nine-month-long drug investigation by federal agents and local detectives. After obtaining arrest warrants for 19 suspects, the Newport police and agents from the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration began arresting suspects early yesterday morning, according to Lt. William Fitzgerald. The investigation focused on powder and crack cocaine. Those arrested are suspected to be street-level cocaine dealers, according to the police. The seven suspects apprehended yesterday were arraigned in District Court, Newport. The following were charged with delivery of crack cocaine: Carlos Torres, 31, of 24 Channing St., Newport; Barry Furtado, 25, of 36 Ayrault St., Newport; Scott D. Hazard, 22, of 165 Sandturn Rd., South Kingstown; Sheila A. Francis, 44, of 143 Third St., Apt. 4C, Newport; and Michael A. Vicente, 20, of 143 Third St., Apt. 2B, Newport. The following were charged with conspiracy to deliver crack cocaine: Kevin L. Alexander, 42, of 15 Meeting St., Newport, and Reinaldo Lopez, 44, of 143 Third St., Apt. 7G, Newport. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:32 PM | Comment Sherman Ave. exit off Route 146 north is closedLINCOLN – The exit ramp to Sherman Avenue off Route 146 north has been closed this afternoon for emergency road repairs that are expected to last about two hours. The state’s Transportation Management Center recommends that anyone needing to access Sherman Avenue should get off Route 146 north an exit before Sherman Avenue. That’s the exit for Route 123 east (Breakneck Hill Rd.). Motorists can take a left onto Great Road, which then connects with Sherman Avenue. Motorists should expect delays and should use caution, the TMC reports. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:08 PM | Comment Former state police head to direct security at GTECHPROVIDENCE -- The former head of the state police, Col. Steven M. Pare, has been hired as the senior director of global security for GTECH Holdings Corp., the company announced today in an internal employee newsletter. The appointment is expected to be announced publicly next week. GTECH, the world's largest lottery operator, did not disclose Pare's salary. Pare retired from the state police in February after 26 years of service, the last five as superintendent. He was paid $149,000 in that position, and he is now receiving an annual pension of $102,602. Last year, GTECH was acquired by Italian lottery operator Lottomatica SpA. But the business headquarters remain in Providence, where GTECH recently built a high-rise office building. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:02 PM | Comment Ceremony at Hendricken for fallen Marine postponedWARWICK -- A memorial service scheduled for tonight during half-time at a lacrosse match at Bishop Hendricken High School for Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Valdepeñas has been postponed due to weather. Valdepeñas, 21, a 2003 graduate of Hendricken from Seekonk, Mass., died in Iraq last September. He was co-captain of the Hawks’ lacrosse team and an all-state lacrosse player. The game is now scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. and the ceremony in Valdepeñas's honor will be made at 6:45 p.m. Coach Kevin Murray will present the Valdepeñas family with the Marine’s No. 25 lacrosse jersey. The Hendricken lacrosse team was originally scheduled to play a regular season match against North Kingstown tonight. Sunday’s match will be an inter-squad match between Hendricken teams. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:58 PM | Comment Man sentenced to more than 18 years for traffickingPROVIDENCE -- A man has been sentenced today to more than 18 years in federal prison for crack-cocaine trafficking, after agents arrested him in a Newport motel and seized 23 grams of crack and 13 grams of power cocaine there. David Gallagher, 36, formerly of Newport and whose last address was Whitmarsh Street, Providence, was arrested last year after the Newport Police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents imnvedtigated, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office said in a news release. He was sentenced to 220 months by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith as a "career offender" because of several past felonies, including robbery, a firearms offense, drug trafficking, and assault on a correctional officer, the release said. Gallagher pleaded guilty in November to possessing with intent to distribute 9.5 grams of crack cocaine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Beckner said at the plea hearing that the government could prove that, four times in March and April of 2006, Gallagher sold crack cocaine ranging from 6.7 to 9.7 grams. Gallagher was indicted by a federal grand jury in May last year and agents arrested him at the motel and grabbed the drugs and trafficking materials, according to the release. Detectives from the Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, East Providence, Warwick, Middletown, and Bristol police also assisted in the case. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:43 PM | Comment DOT completes overnight closure work on Route 95PROVIDENCE – The overnight closures of Route 95 are finished – at least for now. There could be another one or two, but weeks down the road, Department of Transportation spokeswoman Dana Alexander Nolfe said this morning. However, another set of full highway closures is expected later this summer, the DOT reports. There will still be lots of overnight work on the Route 195 relocation project, but at least one lane will stay open to allow traffic to move through the work zone, Nolfe said. Throughout the summer, overnight work at times will close up to three of the four lanes in either direction of Route 95, she said. The DOT initially planned to close the highway for a total of 13 nights – the last of those was last night – but thought Wednesday they’d need another day or so of road closures. The next scheduled night of work is Sunday, weather permitting, and Nolfe now says the department does “not expect a full closure” that night. Last night, the highway closed as planned around 11 p.m. but reopened at 1:55 a.m. – the earliest re-opening of the 13 nights. The DOT has met its pledge to re-open the roadway by 5:30 a.m. each morning. Last night’s rain prevented the crews from installing another steel beam over the highway, but Nolfe said they were able to double-check the connections and installations done so far. Read more about the roadwork on projo.com’s special reports page. -- projo.com staff writers Kate Bramson and Michael P. McKinney The lane restrictions are so that workers can safely continue assembling the ramp that will lead from Route 195 west to Route 95 south, and a new ramp to the Rhode Island Hospital area. Work will happen on Sunday through Thursday nights, from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. All lanes will be restored each day before the morning commute. No work will take place on Friday or Saturday nights or on holidays. Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:30 PM | Comment Man sailing to Newport rescued by cruise shipSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, -- Competitive sailor John Fildes traveled a long way to meet a neighbor -- losing his racing yacht, and almost his life, in the process. Fildes was sailing his 40-foot trimaran to Newport, when a storm collapsed his sails and swamped his engine near Bermuda. As he drifted in the Atlantic, a passing cruise ship responded to his distress call and took him aboard. The next morning he met the Crown Princess's captain, Alistair Clark, and the men discovered they live within one mile of each other in the coastal English village of Warsash, Hampshire. "The whole thing was probably fate," Fildes told The Associated Press. "He was there and I was there, and there was absolutely nobody else." Fildes, 32, set out from St. Maarten on May 9 and ran into trouble during violent weather the night before his Monday rescue. He had planned to enter the yacht, Dangerous When Wet, in a race between Newport and Bermuda, but the vessel has probably been lost at sea. Fildes said he had never met the captain before, but he left a thank you note inviting him to dinner in Warsash. -- Associated Press Writer Michael Melia Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:24 PM | Comment Warwick man gets 12 years in methamphetamine casePROVIDENCE -- A Warwick man with a lengthy record of drug trafficking convictions has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison today for a plan to manufacture methamphetamine on a co-defendant’s property in Coventry. Gregory M. Thompson was sentenced to 151 months by U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office said in a news release. Thompson was sentenced as a "career offender," making for a longer sentence than the most recent offenses would otherwise carry. Federal agents and state police detectives seized chemicals and materials in October used to make methamphetamine from the co-defendant’s house and from a shed behind it. Both men pleaded guilty to federal methamphetamine charges in February, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Co-defendant Roger A. Murray is scheduled to be sentenced on May 25. At plea hearings, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Rogers said the government could prove that on Oct. 3 state police detectives and Drug Enforcement Administration agents' Clandestine Laboratory Team used a search warrant at Murray’s home on Shady Valley Road, seizing 16 pint bottles of iodine. From a shed, authorities seized 120 capsules of ephedrine, a large container of drain cleaner, an acidity tester, and other materials that the U.S. Attorney's office said are used to make methamphetamine, Rogers said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Murray admitted he was letting Thompson use the shed to make meth and that he had allowed the iodine to be delivered to his house. Murray also said that Thompson planned to send extracted ephedrine to an unidentified person in California, Agents found a package of phosphorous late that day beneath the bed in Thompson’s home. Phosphorous is also used in the manufacture of meth. Murray, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, possessing equipment, chemicals, and materials used to manufacture methamphetamine, and possessing iodine, intending to use it to manufacture methamphetamine. Thompson, 49, pleaded guilty to those charges, and an additional charge of possessing ephedrine, intending to use it to manufacture methamphetamine. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:02 PM | Comment Photo: Escorting an important guest
Posted by Jack Perry at 11:48 AM | Comment Illness ends Warwick chiropractor's Everest trekIt appears as if the Mount Everest dreams of Warwick chiropractor Timothy Warren have been dashed by a throat infection. “Safe but NO summit!” reads the online dispatch Warren posted today from 5,300 meters at 2:10 p.m., which would have been about 4 a.m. our time. “Felled by a throat infection related to the weeks of violent coughing. It started 3 days ago and seemed to improve but this morning when in sub-freezing air at 5 a.m. as Phinjo and I climbed the Khumbu icefall, we both knew it was over,” he wrote, referring to his Sherpa. Warren, a South Kingstown resident who left for Nepal on March 15, had expected to start his final push for the summit at 4 a.m. today, according to his dispatch posted yesterday. He likened this final trek to the “Super Bowl, the World Cup, the 7th game of the World Series.” But the dry, freezing air near the summit “combined with heavy panting” constricted his trachea, throat and lungs “like a vice,” he wrote. Warren has kept in touch with family, friends and schoolchildren back home via his web site. Earlier this year, Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire's White Mountains, with the local chiropractor as Warren prepared for his Mount Everest trek. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:56 AM | Comment US Air reduces flights from Pittsburgh to ProvidenceIMPERIAL, Pa. -- U.S. Airways is cutting back on service between Pittsburgh and Providence as part of a broader plan to reduce or eliminate service between Pittsburgh and 15 cities. The airline says it plans to cut nonstop service from Pittsburgh to Buffalo, New York; Baltimore; Altoona; San Diego and Seattle. The airline also plans to reduce service between Pittsburgh and 10 other cities, including Providence, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. The cuts allow the airline to put crews and aircraft into markets that have more demand, according to U.S. Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder. -- The Associated Press Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:12 AM | Comment Bike to Work Day cycles ahead despite rain / Photo
Mayor David N. Cicilline, too, planned to keep his commitment to bike to work from his home on the East Side of Providence. City worker Tom Deller and Bill Mott, who works for the Ocean Project, were preparing earlier this morning to meet the mayor and bike to the State House with him. The mayor expected to meet there around 7:30 a.m. with city employees and then cycle to Biltmore Park for the Bike to Work festivities. We hope they’ve all packed an extra pair of clothes in an airtight bag. It’s pretty soggy out there. This is Cicilline’s fifth year participating in Bike to Work Day, which is sponsored by the Providence Foundation and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to encourage people to consider using alternative forms of transportation. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal photographer Bill Murphy Bike to Work Day fluctuates from city to city. Other cities held their events yesterday or the day before. To help promote bicycle commuting in Providence, the Providence Foundation and the DOT have installed more than 100 bicycle hitches throughout the capital city, including at the Amtrak station, the Bank of America Skating Center and Exchange Terrace. The U.S. Bureau of Transportation cites statistics -- albeit from 2001 -- that the average cost to own and operate a car is $7,533 per 15,000 miles, not counting today's ever-increasing fuel costs, according to local Bike to Work organizers. Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:44 AM | Comment CHisPa breakfast to focus on immigration issuesWARWICK – The Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy expects to highlight immigration reform issues at its fifth annual breakfast, to be held this morning at 9 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. The keynote speaker at the breakfast, which has a theme of “Cultivating Success through Unity,” is Ambassador Marta Altolaguirre Larraondo, who is Guatemala’s vice minister of foreign relations. The nearly 400 guests will also hear from the consul general of Guatemala in Rhode Island, Carlos Avila Sandoval, and the consul general of Mexico in Boston, Rodrigo Marquez. CHisPA also expects to honor those who have shown leadership and have advocated for issues important to the Latino community. A few tickets for the breakfast are still available. Tickets can be purchased for $40 at the door. For a room that holds 400, 380 people had registered shortly after 8 a.m., according to Jennifer Bramley. “The next 20 people can get in,” Bramley said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:26 AM | Comment Photo: Under the umbrellas
Pedestrians huddle under their umbrellas in downtown Providence during this morning's rain. The National Weather Service forecasts heavy rain today and tomorrow with a chance of showers Sunday. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:03 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story reporting that relatives and friends of four missing sailors are still hopeful that they will be found after their boat disappeared in a storm off North Carolina. Download today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Construction report: Route 95 is openPROVIDENCE -- Route 95 was open and traffic was flowing normally this morning before 6 a.m. Weather permitting, the southbound lanes were to have closed last night for the Route 195 highway relocation project. However, the lanes reopened earlier than ever before in this project -- at 1:55 a.m., according to the state Transportation Management Center. No new spans were lifted into place last night. That means the night work and the highway closures will continue well into next week. Crews are building an overpass to connect the new westbound lanes of Route 195 to Route 95 south. The highway has been closed for 13 nights of work starting at 11 p.m. Originally, that was all it was going to take. But, DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin says the job needs at least one more night of work. So Route 95 will again close Sunday night between exits 18 and 20. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:05 AM | Comment Bradford will keep workers on payroll after fireWESTERLY -- Bradford Dyeing Association President Michael Grills says the company will pay "all its current employees full wages for the immediate future while the company recovers from an unfortunate fire Tuesday night." That's according to a news release, which states that BDA remains closed for production but hopes to be operating soon. The plant employs 242 workers. The fire, which lasted some nine hours, struck the print shop, considered the main part of the factory. The privately held textile finishing plant specializes in printing and finishing fabrics for the military, law enforcement, homeland security and others. “We care a great deal about our employees. We want to do everything we can as a company to help them during this difficult period,” Grills said in a statement. “The outpouring of support from our employees, and their strong desire to help us get back up and running means a great deal to me, and my family.” The company is continuing to ship goods that had been finished before Tuesday, according to the release, and is confident it will meet all its outstanding orders on time. The state Department of Labor and Training announced that displaced workers from the company can attend any of four programs starting today that will show how to file for unemployment benefits. The sessions are slated to be held at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. at the Bradford Social Club, Two Bowling Lane, in the village near the plant on the Westerly-Hopkinton line. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Donita R. Naylor Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:55 AM | Comment May 17, 2007Health Dept.: Avoid oysters from Bridgeport SeafoodConsumers should not eat any oysters bought from Bridgeport Seafood in Tiverton after federal officials found a sample collected there tested positive for norovirus "and other evidence of sewage contamination," according to a state Health Department news release. The oysters were harvested from "uncertified shellfish waters by a single harvester that sold all his shellfish to Bridgeport Seafood," according to the release from the Department of Health. "When selling the shellfish to Bridgeport Seafood, the harvester affixed a tag indicating that they were harvested from certified waters." The state Departments of Health and Environmental Management came to that conclusion after an investigation, according to the release. The harvester was not identified in the release. No illnesses have been reported. The health department has embargoed all shellfish collected by the harvester and is in the process of contacting establishments that bought shellfish from Bridgeport Seafood. It did not announce any timetable on the length of the warning. Shellfish harvested in certified waters are safe to consume, the Health Department says. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Norovirus infection can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Severe illness or hospitalization is not common and people who are infected usually recover in 2 to 3 days without serious or long-term health effects. Symptoms happen 1 to 2 days after swallowing contaminated food or water, the health department states. Good personal hygiene -- "proper and frequent handwashing" -- and staying home when you are sick are best to prevent norovirus from spreading. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:59 PM | Comment Update: All lanes now open after rollover at 95's Exit 14WARWICK -- All lanes have reopened on Route 95 south in the exit 14 area, the state Traffic Management Center advised at 6:21 p.m, after emergency crews cleared an overturned vehicle that led to traffic stretching miles during the evening commute. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:53 PM | Comment A White House ceremony for local VTech grad / VideoWASHINGTON, D.C. -- Bare-headed and dressed in Army green, Matthew Schloesser stood straight today, just a few feet away from his new commander in chief. The South Kingstown High School graduate was one of 23 Army ROTC cadets commissioned at a first-of-its kind ceremony hosted by President Bush at the White House. "I ask you today to bring honor to the uniform," Bush said to the cadets, who were sworn in by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. The 23-year-old also just recently graduated from Virginia Tech, where he had stood to talk on camera for projo.com about the massacre at the campus last month. Schloesser earned his degree in industrial and systems engineering. And he isn't the only Virginia Tech graduate commissioned at the ceremony: classmate Jason P. LaCerda, 21, of Mahopac, N.Y.,who speaks four languages and is a Rhodes scholarship finalist was also among them. Extra: Read the prepared speech of Bush's speech to the cadets. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with archival reports Army ROTC is an elective curriculum taken in addition to required college classes and offered at nearly 1,400 colleges and universities, according to the release. Maj. Gen. W. Montague Winfield, commanding general, U. S. Army Cadet Command, said that each year the Army ROTC produces more than 60 percent of officers entering the Army. "Simply put, the Army ROTC program produces tomorrow's leaders," he added. All told, 55 ROTC cadets and midshipment were to attend the White House ceremony from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:48 PM | Comment Missing fisherman's boat returns to Galilee / Photo
But Blanco’s wife, Alba Chavez-Blanco, would not look. She plans to visit the Barbara Ann another day, when no one is around, said spokesman Richard K. Corley -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Blanco grew up in El Salvador, started fishing at 12 and had worked on the Barbara Ann for several years, Corley said. “He loved the water. He was a professional and he knew what he was doing. But it’s a dangerous way to make a living.” That point was driven home today as family members, friends and other fishermen gathered at the docks and around the black-hulled boat, which returned shortly after noon under bleak gray sky. According to the Coast Guard, Blanco, one of three crewmen on the Barbara Ann, was setting traps when he fell from the boat. He was not wearing a life jacket or a dry suit when he fell into the dark water around 8:15 p.m., about 95 miles south of Montauk, N.Y., said Petty Officer Lauren Downs. One of the crew members tossed a life ring to Blanco but he could not reach it. Shortly after, Blanco went under, she said. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:07 PM | Comment Update: Overturned vehicle causes major I-95 jamWARWICK -- Two "tight lanes" have opened in the area of exit 14 on Route 95 south, where an overturned vehicle is causing major traffic congestion stretching 5 to 6 miles, the state Traffic Management Center says in a 5:34 p.m. update. The traffic problems, at the height of the evening commute at the exit to Route 37, could last for the next hour. All southbound traffic is being diverted to Route 295 south to avoid the area, according to the TMC. The overturned vehicle blocked two lanes and emergency crews are working to resolve the problem. More information is not yet available. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:56 PM | Comment Update: Seals going free a sight to see / Photo
CHARLESTOWN -- Roughly 200 spectators -- including parents with children taken out of school -- nudged against yellow a caution barrier to watch in wonder as 15 seals were released into the ocean this afternoon, most to journey north. The 2 p.m. release at Blue Shutters Town Beach was the largest release ever at one time of rescued seals by a Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration team, according to a spokesman. People snapped photos as seals were brought out onto the beach in carriers in groups of four, except for one group of three. When the signal came, one group of seals was loosed on the water. Most took to the water with speed while a few seemed to need some encouragement. All but one are harp seals, also known as ice seals, which hints at their predilection for wasting little time in swimming north. But one is a local gray seal. The 15 seals were are among 21 taken in by Mystic Aquarium from a Maine program. Aquarium spokesman David Labbe said that when Mystic got them, the seals were relatively healthy and that tests were done. The most seals the Mystic team released at once before is four. The aquarium said its animal rescue program is paid for largely through donations. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Brandie Jefferson Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:20 PM | Comment 3 R.I. graduate school commencements tonightThree Rhode Island institutions of higher education will host commencement ceremonies for their graduate schools this evening. Bryant's Graduate School ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. on the university's Smithfield campus. Rhode Island College's will be tonight at 5:30 in the Murray Center. Johnson & Wales' Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. For continuing coverage of Commencement 2007, go to www.projo.com/extra/graduation Posted by maria caporizzo at 4:19 PM | Comment Journal's Freyer awarded fellowshipFelice J. Freyer, The Providence Journal’s medical writer, has been awarded a 2007 Kaiser Media Fellowship to research and report on the causes and costs of premature births. She is among nine journalists from around the country selected for the fellowship, which supports print, television, radio and online reporting on health policy. The fellowship is awarded by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a California-based nonprofit that provides information and analysis on health care issues to policy makers and the public. Freyer has received a 14-week fellowship, which she will pursue flexibly over the next year, producing a series of articles and online reports. Freyer, 51, of Smithfield, has covered health and medicine at the Journal since 1989. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:58 PM | Comment High-profile lawyer to defend Stop & Shop fraud suspectOne of the four defendants in the Stop & Shop fraud case has hired a prominent California lawyer to defend him against federal charges in the case, according to documents filed this week with U.S. District Court in Providence. Mark J. Geragos, who has defended celebrities Michael Jackson and Winona Ryder, as well as Susan McDougal – the Clinton associate involved in the Whitewater scandal – has taken up the case of Arman Ter-Esayan. He has also represented former Congressman Gary Condit. Ter-Esayan, of Valley Glen, Calif., was one of four men arrested by state and Coventry police Feb. 26 at the Stop & Shop on Tiogue Avenue in Coventry where, federal and state authorities say, the men had gone to retrieve a checkout lane PIN pad rigged to capture shoppers’ financial-account information. Videotape evidence links the men to 1,100 account thefts at Stop & Shops in Providence, Cranston and Coventry, and ultimately, to ATM withdrawals made in California, according to an affidavit filed last week by a U.S. Secret Service agent. The men allegedly removed or tried to remove original pin pads from at least six stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The men were living in California before they flew to Rhode Island in early February, according to the affidavit signed by Craig Marech, the Secret Service agent. In addition to the 22-year-old Ter-Esayan, they include: Mikael Stepanian, 28, of Studio City; Gevork Baltadjian, 20, of Winnetka; and Arutyun Shatarevyan, 20, of Los Angeles. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi In March, a federal judge granted a government request to hold the four suspects in the Stop & Shop debit-card scam until at least June 1 before formally charging the men. They each face two federal charges: credit-card fraud and aggravated identity theft. The men face up to five years in prison on the first charge and a mandatory two-year sentence on the second charge. The men also face separate state charges in the case: computer fraud, theft using a computer and conspiracy – all felonies; and computer trespass – a misdemeanor. The four suspects face deportation if they’re convicted of a federal crime, according to federal officials. Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:56 PM | Comment State program to help Bradford Dye workersWESTERLY -- Displaced workers from Bradford Dyeing Association, the site of a massive fire Tuesday, can attend any of four programs by the state Department of Labor and Training tomorrow that will show how to file for unemployment benefits. The nine-hour fire put some plant 242 employees out of work. The labor and training department announced that sessions will be held at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. at the Bradford Social Club, Two Bowling Lane, Westerly. Bradford Dyeing's human resources staff plan to tell employees about the special program, according to a labor and training news release. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Once employees file for unemployment insurance, they can expect a one-week wait before the benefits begin. Most employees can expect to get about 60 percent of their weekly wage replacement up to a maximum of $492 per week plus a dependency allowance, said Raymond Filippone, income support assistant director at Department of Labor and Training. If unable to attend tomorrow, employees can file unemployment insurance claims at any netWORKri Career Center, at www.dlt.ri.gov/ui, or, for in-state residents, by calling 243-9100 or (866) 557-0001 if from out of state. Those put out of work can received benefits two ways: through an electronic payment card or direct deposit. Workers interested in the direct deposit should bring bank account information with them to Bradford Social Club, the labor and training department said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:49 PM | Comment Swansea 'dead-beat dad' arrested in VegasOne of Massachusetts' most wanted alleged "dead-beat dads" -- a former dental lab technician from Swansea -- has been arrested in Las Vegas, the Bristol County district attorney's office announced. Robert J. Scrima, who was among those on the state Department of Revenue's "10 most wanted" poster, owes $26,907 for his daughter's care, according to a district attorney news release. Scrima waived rendition Tuesday adn will be taken to Massachusetts to face a felony charge of failing to comply with a state support order in Fall River District Court, according to the district attorney. The Department of Revenue's Child Support Enforcement Division has sought Scrima for about six years, according to the release. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:15 PM | Comment Unclaimed lottery ticket sold in R.I. worth $200,000If you buy PowerBall tickets at Bob’s Mart in Providence, you could be holding one worth $200,000 this morning. Someone struck it big with a ticket for last night’s $43 million drawing, the Rhode Island Lottery reports today. The ticket purchased at the shop at 659 Smith St. matched the first five numbers but not the PowerBall number. Another ticket buyer is holding one worth $10,000, the Lottery reports. That ticket matched four numbers and the PowerBall number. It was purchased at Gold Mart on Newport Avenue in Pawtucket. The PowerBall jackpot has now risen to $53 million for next Wednesday. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:32 AM | Comment Drug dealers sought in Newport sweepNEWPORT – Local police and federal drug enforcement agents are sweeping through the city this morning arresting dealers of crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Although the police obtained 20 arrest warrants – for 18 adults and two juveniles – at the end of a nine-month investigation, they have only rounded up a few of their suspects so far, Lt. William Fitzgerald said this morning. The suspects range in age from 16 to 44 and appear to be mostly men, Fitzgerald said. The police have arrested one this morning, and two others facing charges are already at the Adult Correctional Institutions for other crimes, he said. Charges against the suspects include multiple counts of delivery of crack cocaine, which is a felony, and conspiracy to deliver, Fitzgerald said. The police are not yet releasing names of the suspected drug dealers, since they don't want to tip them off, he said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:01 AM | Comment Storm slams Worcester County, goes easy on R.I.Rhode Island escaped the worst of yesterday’s stormy weather, with scattered power failures and some downed trees reported by the National Weather Service. A tornado watch was posted for Providence County, but the tornado never materialized. Damage in the area came from powerful straight-line winds, according to the National Weather Service. In Rhode Island, power has been restored to all National Grid customers, including about 650 who lost power in Foster and Glocester, spokeswoman Maureen McDowell said this morning. Others in the state also lost power yesterday, but McDowell did not know how many. Power has also been restored for some 3,500 customers in Massachusetts, she said. Worcester County -- including the city of Worcester and the communities of Gardner, Sutton, Shrewsbury, Northborough and others – appears to have been the hardest-hit area by the storm. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette this morning reports a dramatic fire sparked by lightning at a Leominster, Mass., home that caused an estimated $300,000 in damages. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson In the city of Worcester, several cars were trapped in six feet of water at Cambridge and Atkinson streets, the National Weather Service reports. Penny- to nickel-sized hail struck Gardner, Mass., and trees throughout the county fell. The National Weather Service reported that much of Cumberland lost power. Cumberland Police Sgt. George Stansfield – who lost power at his own home as well – said power failures were reported in northern Cumberland, along Abbott Run Valley Road and Diamond Hill Road, and also along Mendon Road near Route 295. “As far as I know, the whole town is up and running,” he said this morning. Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:22 AM | Comment Coast Guard calls off search for Providence fishermanThe U.S. Coast Guard has stopped searching the waters south of Montauk, N.Y., for the 37-year-old Providence man who fell from a Point Judith lobster boat Tuesday night. No sign of Victor Blanco has been found, Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Downs said this morning. If something is spotted in the waters – like an article of clothing that could belong to Blanco – the Coast Guard would re-assess and possibly resume the search, Downs said. However, at this time there are no future plans to continue the search, she said. "To suspend a search when we could not rescue the seafarer in distress is always a difficult decision," Rear Adm. Timothy Sullivan, commander, First Coast Guard District said in a statement issued last night. "We send our heartfelt condolences to Victor Blanco's family, friends and shipmates." -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:29 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a photograph and story about a young Rhode Island woman, Rose Quigley, who has overcome a difficult childhood as a ward of the state to become a case manager in the Family Court and will receive a master's degree tonight from Rhode Island College. There's also coverage of the gay marriage debate at the Rhode Island State House. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 6:55 AM | Comment More clouds, more rainIt's going to be cool, cloudy and wet for the next four days. The National Weather Service says rain is mostly likely tomorrow. But it could also rain today, and there's a chance of rain both Saturday and Sunday. Monday looks sunny. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:04 AM | Comment Route 95 work postponed; Work resumes tonightPROVIDENCE – The rain and the wind postponed last night's Route 95 work. The DOT expects to resume work tonight, weather permitting. This time, only the southbound lanes will close. Tonight will mark the 13th night of highway closures. The DOT had planned to close the highway for a total of 13 nights to install the connecting span over Route 95 just east of Rhode Island Hospital. But, DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin says the job needs at least one more night of work, Sunday night. Read more about the highway relocation project at projo.com's special reports section. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:55 AM | Comment Bradford Dye will be closed until further noticeWESTERLY -- Bradford Dyeing Association remains closed and told its employees yesterday afternoon they should not report to work until further notice after the fire Tuesday night that evacuated nearly 60 homes and injured six firefighters. The company said in a statement that after more than 80 years as part of the "economic fabric of the greater Westerly area," it intends to resume operations. "However, at this time, it is unclear when that might happen," company spokesman Gregg Perry of Prism Public Affairs said in the statement. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Donita Naylor “We care a great deal about our employees, and we are concerned about the hardship this unfortunate fire will have on the men and women who work at BDA,” Perry continued. “We are working to find a solution to help them, and we will be talking to our employees to provide them with updated information. We will also explore what assistance the state may be able to provide for these employees. Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:30 AM | Comment May 16, 2007Woonsocket police chief disciplinedWOONSOCKET -- Finding that he displayed conduct “unbecoming of the chief of police” when he improperly destroyed drug evidence on March 23, Public Safety Director Michael Annarummo has suspended Police Chief Michael L.A. Houle without pay for two days. Annarummo’s report, which was released today, is the result of a month-long investigation conducted by City Solicitor Christopher Lambert after the chief admitted to incinerating eight large cardboard boxes containing bags of various drugs in an effort to clean out the poorly maintained room. In accordance with the Policeman’s Bill of Rights, the report did not disclose the disciplinary action taken against Houle. The chief, who was contacted this afternoon, said he announced the suspension because “I think the public needs to know.” Houle said he has no intention to appeal Annarummo’s decision. “I don’t necessarily agree, but I understand where they’re coming from,” he said. -- Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:05 PM | Comment Providence teacher on tonight's 'Price is Right'SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Providence school teacher Kara Riordan is preparing to watch her appearance on "The Price is Right" tonight. She’s one of the contestants coming on down to vie for $1 million on the show’s Million Dollar Spectacular. The show, airing at 8 p.m. on Channels 4 and 12, will be Bob Barker’s final primetime appearance as host of the popular CBS game show. Barker is retiring next month after 35 years hosting the show and 50 years in television. The special offers competitors a shot at bigger prizes and the chance to spin the wheel for $1 million. Riordan, who summers in Matunuck, is heading to a Price is Right party at the Joyce Family Pub on Matunuck Beach Road in South Kingstown tonight. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:51 PM | Comment Update: Tornado watch in RI has been liftedPROVIDENCE -- The National Weather Service has canceled its tornado watch in Rhode Island for Kent, Providence and Washington counties, which had been extended earlier in the day until 7 p.m. In downtown Providence, the sky had darkened shortly before 6 p.m. and had a slightly greenish hue to it, causing many to talk about whether a tornado actually would strike. The wind was picking up, and people downtown were running, presumably for cover before the storm hit. Severe thunderstorms have already begun in nearby areas, and rain is pelting down -- "five minutes west of you and back into Connecticut," National Weather Service meteorologist Alan Dunham told projo.com shortly before 6 p.m. He was predicting that rain would start here by about 6. Now, the threat of a tornado is over for the day, Dunham said around 6:30 p.m. The weather service has received reports of damage from downed trees in Burrillville and Pawtucket and is still fielding calls, Dunham said. The tornado watch has also been canceled for northern Connecticut and parts of central and western Massachusetts. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for a tornado to develop, not that a tornado is here, according to National Weather Service meteorologist William Babcock. “It’s just saying the ingredients are there and ready,” Babcock said. “We want people to be ready so they’re not caught by surprise.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Babcock said around 1:30 p.m. that the probability of a tornado striking today is “not very high,” although tornados have come straight through the city of Providence. Like in 1986, he said, recalling when a “decent-size tornado” moved through. Today, we’re more likely to see straight-line winds – “which can be just as damaging,” Babcock said – than a tornado. If meteorologists at the weather service actually see a tornado developing on radar or if someone calls in a tornado sighting, then the weather service would issue a tornado warning, Babcock said. If the weather service issues a tornado warning, people should get away from any windows – because if a twister were to pick up something and throw it through the air and through, for example, large office-size windows, it “would turn the broken glass into all these little daggers,” Babcock said. Southern New England can get one to three tornadoes a year, typically in the summertime, according to the National Weather Service. Posted by Kate Bramson at 6:41 PM | Comment Sen. Whitehouse critical of AG Gonzales on 'Hardball'U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, was highly critical of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and the U.S. Justice Department in an appearance at the top of the hour on MSNBC’s "Hardball with Chris Matthews," which began at 5 p.m. Whitehouse said Gonzales serves more as someone “to do the president’s bidding and to watch the president’s back” than to make the tough calls. He said the investigation into the firing of U.S. attorneys will continue and interest in the issue remains. He said everyone’s focus at this point seems to be “on getting to the bottom of this.” “I want our Department of Justice back,” Whitehouse said. Getting rid of Gonzales would be in the best interest of the country “and probably the president,” Whitehouse said. Earlier this month, the Georgetown Law Democrats honored Whitehouse as “Democrat of the Year,” saying the school’s young Democrats have been so impressed by the acuity of the new senator’s questioning as a member of the Judiciary Committtee that they decided to award the honor early in the year. In brief remarks, Whitehouse, a former U.S. Attorney, sharply criticized Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ management of the Justice Department, including the controversial firings of a number of U.S. Attorneys. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 5:53 PM | Comment 'No to the bad budget;' Union rallies at State HousePROVIDENCE – About 100 union employees, veterans, Eleanor Slater Hospital residents and lawmakers rallied this afternoon at the State House against Governor Carcieri's efforts to have private companies provide several services now offered by the state. The news conference, rally and lobbying day began at 2:30 p.m. and is expected to last until 5 p.m., according to Jim Cenerini, a spokesman and lobbyist for Rhode Island Council 94, the largest state employees union and the host of today’s rally. Cenerini led the crowd of people in green t-shirts with the union’s name emblazoned on them with chants. “No privatization!” he screamed into the microphone, and the crowd echoed back, “NO!” “No to the bad budget and a bad governor!” Cenerini screamed, to which the crowd replied, “NO!” Cenerini said three proposals outlined in the governor's budget are of immediate concern. -- projo.com staff writers Kate Bramson and Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau One is the proposed privatization of food and housekeeping at Eleanor Slater Hospital, including the Pastore Medical Center in Cranston and Zambarano Hospital in Burrillville. Another is privatizing the food service at the state veterans home in Bristol. The third is to privatize the workers' compensation unit at the state Department of Administration. State Representatives Raymond E. Gallison Jr., D-Bristol, and Edwin R. Pacheco, D-Burrillville, attended the rally as well. “The savings being proposed in this budget don’t make sense,” Pacheco said. “We’re playing games with people’s lives.” Throughout the rally, attendees questioned the savings being reported by the governor’s office. In response, Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal said, “Their information is, at best, anecdotal. We can either choose to stay with the status quo or we can choose to make reforms that will bring the budget into balance and save money for taxpayers.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Comment Police: Woman tried to rob bank from hired carThe 22-year-old would-be bank robber from Connecticut arrived in a hired limousine service car. She got out of the back seat, walked up to the drive-up window at the Citizens Bank, 5 Garden City Drive, Cranston, and passed an envelope through the drawer to the teller. Inside the envelope was a note: "“Two bombs in bank. Give me all your money. No dye pack, no bait money, no alarms. Go fast.” The teller hit the alarm and called the police. That's according to the Office of U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente, and today, about a year and a half later, Evonne D. Maurice, of Westbrook, Conn., pleaded guilty to attempted bank robbery before U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi in Providence, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office. At the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Reich said the government could prove Maurice hired a limousine to drive her from Westbrook to T.F. Green Airport. On the way, she told the driver she had missed her flight and asked him to drive to a bank to withdraw money to pay him. It was not clear what kind of car was used from an Essex, Conn., limousine service -- whether limo refers to a simple sedan or something fancier. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney After the teller triggered the alarm, Maurice got back into the limousine and the driver -- unaware of the robbery attempt -- drove away from the bank before the police arrived, according to the news release. Detectives pulled fingerprints from the note and matched them to Maurice, according to the release. She was arrested in Tampa, Fla., and, according to the U.S. Attorney's office, told Tampa Police that she and her boyfriend had been selling drugs and had run up debts -- and that she robbed banks to cover those debts. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 8. Maurice is being detained, pending the sentencing. The maximum penalty for attempted bank robbery is 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Cranston and Tampa police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the attempted robbery. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:38 PM | Comment Update: One student taken to hospital after bus crashSEEKONK -- A middle-school student was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital after an accident involving school bus No. 4 this morning. The seventh-grade girl had minor injuries. The bus was taking youngsters to Kevin Hurley Middle School. The bus and a car collided on Central Avenue at Willis at 7:44 a.m., according to the police. Students were moved to another bus and taken to school. The school nurse checked each of those students and contacted parents, according to an e-mail from the school district to parents. Interim School Supt. Emile Chevrette said the parents of one student, who was not feeling well, chose to pick up the student. That was a different student than the one taken to Hasbro. The bus driver was cited in the accident, according to the police. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:19 PM | Comment Trial of Westerly police officer to remain in WakefieldWAKEFIELD – A Superior Court judge today denied a Westerly police officer’s request to change the venue of his second trial on charges of assaulting a 17-year-old girl the night of a public servants’ appreciation night. The first trial of Officer Don M. Thompson Jr., 39, ended in a mistrial in February after the jury deliberated for two days after a four-day trial. Today, Washington County Superior Court Judge Stephen P. Nugent denied the request of Thompson’s attorney, John D. Lynch Jr., that the trial should be moved or delayed because the local newspaper, the Westerly Sun, interviewed some of the jurors from the first trial. Lynch has suggested Kent County as a possible venue and in court today also suggested Providence or Newport. The judge said no. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental Another matter in the trial is expected to be resolved within the next two weeks. Lynch is asking state prosecutors to clarify whether they intend to argue that Thompson used force or coercion. The charges against Thompson – two counts of second-degree sexual assault – stem from an incident on June 15, 2006, when Thompson, then 38, allegedly sexually assaulted a teenaged hostess at Paddy’s Beach, a Misquamicut State Beach bar. At the time of his arrest, Thompson was suspended without pay from the force, where he had worked for about six years. Posted by Kate Bramson at 1:09 PM | Comment Providence graffiti fighters draw cash rewardPROVIDENCE – The president of the Providence Crime Watch was rewarded today with $1,000 for his group’s efforts to help police apprehend two juveniles for allegedly tagging the Mount Pleasant neighborhood with graffiti. The monetary reward is part of Mayor David N. Cicilline’s efforts to crack down on graffiti offenders. Nearly a year after Cicilline launched his Graffiti Task Force program, the city has arrested at least 53 people accused of graffiti vandalism, and crews have removed 814,000 square feet of graffiti from Providence neighborhoods, according to the mayor’s office. Correia’s group is credited with taking pictures of graffiti within a four-block radius in their neighborhood, watching suspicious activity and sharing information with the police, which led to the arrests of the two juveniles. Using that information, the police then arrested the juveniles and later linked them to other incidents of graffiti vandalism in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, according to the mayor’s office. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:17 PM | Comment Bancorp R.I. fights off bid from dissidents / Photo
PROVIDENCE -- Bancorp Rhode Island's management this morning beat back an effort by a pair of Shareholders threw enough support behind Bancorp RI's management to elect all Bancorp RI (BARI: Nasdaq) is the parent of 16-branch Bank Rhode Island. "On behalf of Bancorp RI's board of directors and management team, we thank all Hedge-fund investment firm PL Capital LLC, of Naperville, Ill., has a history of
Having accumulated an 8.1-percent share of Bancorp RI, PL Capital has been Richard Lashley and John Palmer, the principals who head PL Capital, nominated After the meeting, the two men said they will continue pushing Merrill Sherman, Sherman described their efforts as a "distraction" during the last year. "We'll be back," Lashley said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:35 AM | Comment Report: Wakefield man dies in Pennsylvania crashA Wakefield man was killed in a car crash in Pennsylvania, the Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported on its Web site yesterday. The newspaper reports that Dana B. Fanning, 56, drove south when another vehicle, driven by Dennis C. Keeney, 53, of Dillsburg, Pa., struck him from behind on Route 81. The paper says that Fanning's car rolled over. He had been trapped inside and was pronounced dead at the scene of the 12:24 a.m. accident. Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:49 AM | Comment Gay marriage, civil union, bills go to House JudiciaryPROVIDENCE -- Three bills involving gay marriage and civil unions will be heard today in the House Judiciary Committee. The meeting will happen at the rise of the House of Representatives session, about 5:30 p.m., in Room 313 at the State House, according to a State House news release. The first bill, H-6081, would allow same-sex marriages in Rhode Island, and it would not require clergy members to officiate at a marriage if they don't want to, according to the release. Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, is the bill's prime sponsor. Another bill, H-5643, is sponsored by Rep. William J. McManus, R- and would allow civil unions. The third bill, H-5356, sponsored by Rep. Paul W. Crowley, D-Newport, would establish a law to allow and govern civil unions, setting requirements for them and procedures for same-sex couples who want to end marriages. Your turn: What's the climate for gays and lesbians in Rhode Island? -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:43 AM | Comment Mill owner hopes to re-open soon / Photo
But owner Michael Grills said he didn't know when he could re-open. Grills hadn't even been able to get inside the building before he talked to reporters near the fire scene at about 9:30 a.m. today. Three women who work at the mill later approached Grills, and they all hugged. Police chief Edward Mello met with the press earlier and said that the cause of the fire was still unknown. It began in the printing shop. The fire started last night, and the firefighters were still checking hot spots this morning, Mello said. Residents from about 60 nearby homes were evacuated last night but returned home early this morning. Area schools are in session. Read Westerly fire forces evacuation of 60 homes. See Channel 12 video of the fire. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Donita R. Naylor and staff photographer Frieda Squires. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:08 AM | Comment R.I. fisherman is missing in waters off MontaukA fishing vessel crewmember believed to be from Providence is missing south of Montauk, N.Y., after going overboard in rough seas as he was setting trawls for the Barbara Ann, which is home ported in Point Judith. A radio distress call from the vessel went out last night. The crew reported to the Coast Guard that they threw a life ring to Victor Blanco, 37, but he was unable to reach the ring, said Petty Officer Lauren Downs of the Coast Guard First District headquarters in Boston. Shortly after 8:20 last night, the crew told the Coast Guard they saw Blanco go under water and not resurface. The 76-foot vessel was about 95 miles south of Montauk, Long Island's eastern point, said Downs. Twenty- to 25-knot winds were blowing in the area when Bianco went overboard and there were 8- to 10-foot seas. Blanco was not wearing a life jacket or a dry suit, which is a full-body flotation device, the Coast Guard said. Five minutes after the initial distress call, a Falcon jet and an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter were launched from Air Station Cape Cod, Downs said. They have continued searching today. The Coast Guard cutter Dependable, which was on patrol, has been diverted but due to weather and 11-foot seas is not expected to reach the area until about 9 a.m. tomorrow. Downs said the Barbara Ann is still searching as its sister vessel and another boat that was nearby. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:03 AM | Comment Download today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and a story on Rhode Island's improving aquaculture fishery. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 6:50 AM | Comment Update: Route 95 reopens; night work almost doneWork crews again met their deadline this morning reopening Route 95 in time for the morning commute. In spite of the complexity of lifting and then connecting giant support beams, the relocation project is a perfect 12 for 12. Traffic on Route 95 was flowing freely again this morning a little after 4 a.m., beating the deadline by 90 minutes. The highway closed last night between Exits 18 and 20 at 11p.m. The crews have two more nights of work on their schedule. Working with two movable cranes, the contractors have been building the overhead highway that will connect the westbound lanes of the new Route 195 to Route 95 south. A teal-colored structure now spans Route 95 just east of Rhode Island Hospital. Crews last night put up the 11th overhead span. Weather permitting, Route 95 is scheduled to close again tonight at 11 and tomorrow night. Work will then continue along the southbound lanes of 95, just west of the highway. CORRECTION: An earlier item incorrectly stated the number of nights the highway has been closed. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:42 AM | Comment Severe thunderstorms are forecast for todayIt's going to be a wild one across southern New England. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the region with severe thunderstorms possible in Rhode Island after 3 p.m. "An isolated tornado somewhere in southern New England is not out of the question,'' the Weather Service warned this morning. The weather service says a squall line will form across western Connecticut and Massachusetts this afternoon and then move easterward toward the coast.
Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:54 AM | Comment Brown students win grant for new MP3 technologyPROVIDENCE -- Brown University students Sebastian Gallese, Schuyler Maclay and Zachary McCune, have won up to a $30,000 grant from mtvu -- MTV's 24-hour network shown at colleges -- and Cisco System for creating an MP3 system named Osiris. The students' technology takes the name of a musician and a song title that is playing and looks up lyrics from the song and visual images of the musician -- and presents them in a video while the tune plays. Currently, the technology uses images for the videos from Flickr, a photo-sharing Web site. The students want Osiris to eventually work with YouTube, Wikipedia, The New York Times, and Google Maps, according to the news release. And they would like documents, images and videos on a person's own computer to create “the most mesmerizing graphics of any music." The mtvU/Cisco grant will be used to hire programmers, create a Web site and server to host Osiris, and to buy computer hardware. “We're excited about this project because it gives us a major platform to distribute new media art and to contribute to the culture of user-based Web applications,” McCune said in the news release. “We hope that Osiris can help reinform the way that people interact with their music in the digital age.” Brown's team was one of several winners from universities who were surprised on camera with the news that they had won.It's all part of an initiative called Digital Incubator, developed ny mtvU and Cisco. To see them get surprised, check out the footage, which will be part of a special episode on mtvU and mtvU.com. Or see it on demand and learn more about each program at http://www.mtvu.com/on_mtvu/digital_incubator. The goal is for Digital Incubator to "represent the best and most innovative ideas received in response to a call for submissions issued last year -- an effort to find new media games, applications, programming or any kind of original content that would thrive in the digital world," according to the release. The Brown University students' advisor on the porject was Mark Tribe, associate professor of modern culture and media.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:22 AM | Comment May 15, 2007Heavy fire burning at Bradford Dyeing in WesterlyWESTERLY -- A heavy fire is burning at the Bradford Dyeing Association facility this evening, near the Connecticut state line. Firefighters and the police are on scene and are already preparing a location for media, according to the Westerly Police. Bradford Dyeing Association burned in May 2005, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents and closing two nearby schools, because of concerns that chemicals in the facility might ignite. Firefighters were able to contain that fire. The blaze and the late-night evacuation raised residents' concerns about the safety of the mill at the time. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental and archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:57 PM | Comment Senate seconds House OK on stillborn billPROVIDENCE -- The Senate unanimously passed, without debate, a bill that would allow the parents of stillborns at 20 weeks of gestation or more to request birth certificates. Currently, the parents of stillborns receive only a "certificate of fetal death," although many babies die minutes before birth. Had they taken even one breath outside the womb, parents would receive birth certificates -- proof, they say, that their children existed. There were 85 such fetal deaths in Rhode Island in 2005, the most recent data available from the state Health Department. The bill was introduced on behalf of Melissa Silva, Bristol, whose son, Christopher Michael Silva, was stillborn in 2004. Similar legislation cleared the House earlier in the month. The nurses, as they do with many stillborn parents, gave Silva and her husband a lock of their dead son's hair. They took photographs of the infant with a digital camera and put them in a special album. And they made footprints. But the Silvas wanted legal proof that their son existed.
They were guided in their two-year quest to change Rhode Island law by the MISS Foundation, an Arizona-based organization accused by the National Organization for Women of trying to establish "fetal personhood" on behalf of abortion opponents. The MISS Foundation’s Web site offers families of stillborns a template letter for lawmakers, tips for effective commu nication and talking points. The head of the organization denies connections to either side of the abortion debate. The foundation has successfully worked with lawmakers and families of stillborns to pass stillborn birth certificate legislation in more than a dozen states, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:33 PM | Comment Tractor-trailer accident ties up Route 146Drivers should take caution if heading onto Route 146 north -- a 4 p.m. traffic alert warns of a crash involving a tractor trailer on the road's split with Route 146A. The right lane is closed, according to the Department of Transportation's traffic management center, the traffic flow is slow and there is backup for about three-quarters of a mile. Drivers are advised to take alterate routes by the traffic management center. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:17 PM | Comment Judge puts Charlestown citizen petitions on ballotFour citizen petitions will go on the June 4 budget referendum ballot in Charlestown, a Washington County Superior Court judge ruled today. The petitions, each of which had the required 200 signatures, were in effect removed by the council yesterday when a motion to forward the petitions to the state Board of Elections failed on a tie vote. Council President Katharine H. Waterman and Vice President Harriet A. Allen voted in favor and Councilmen James M. Mageau and Bruce W. Picard voting against. Councilman John O. Craig Jr. did not attend the meeting. Some town residents filed a motion in Washington County Superior Court asking the court to halt the town from barring the items from the ballot. The petitions seek to: •Issue up to $500,000 in bonds for the design and development of public recreational facilities at Blue Shutters Beach, with the town’s contribution being offset by any other funds raised. •Cut the salary of Town Administrator Edward M. Barrett to a maximum of $300 per month, with no benefits. •Create a position of assistant town administrator paying $80,000 a year, without benefits. •Set aside up to $20,000 to hold a special election by Sept. 30 to remove Councilman Mageau from office and elect a replacement. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:12 PM | Comment Montalbano and Ethics Commission headed for courtPROVIDENCE -- The Ethics Commission made a decision without a vote yesterday, holding its course toward a trial-like hearing next month on Senate President Joseph Montalbano’s alleged ethics violations and setting up a likely court battle over Montalbano’s claim that he should get a jury trial on the charges. The lawyer for one of Montalbano’s predecessors, former Senate President William Irons, meanwhile, filed a legal memorandum in support of a similar demand for a jury trial on the ethics charges against Irons rather than a hearing before the commission. The demands break new legal ground, since nobody had asked before that a jury trial replace the adjudicatory hearing which the commission uses to decide cases. Irons lawyer, John A. Tarantino, said in the memorandum that the ethics violations Irons is accused of are really criminal in nature, despite the fact that the Ethics Commission handles them as civil matters. Criminal charges get a jury trial. Tarantino also argued that the violations Irons is accused of were considered criminal when the state Constitution became effective in 1843, qualifying them for a jury trial then, and that any legal action which qualified for a jury trial then still qualifies for one now. Although lawyers in the cases say the two jury demands raise similar – novel – legal issues, Montalbano’s case hasn’t gotten far enough to address them. Instead, the commission and its staff wrangled for more than an hour yesterday with Montalbano’s lawyer, Max Wistow, who accused the commission of breaking its own rules in giving notice for yesterday’s hearing. Much of the meeting was devoted to disputes over procedural issues, including whether the “demand” for a jury trial Wistow had filed was really any different than a motion. (He vigorously asserted it was.) --- Bruce Landis, Journal staff writer Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:54 PM | Comment AG tries to keep man from threatening gay coupleAttorney General Patrick C. Lynch has filed a court complaint to try to restrain a Warwick man from threatening, harassing or contacting a gay couple after the man allegedly "uttered anti-gay epithets, insults, profanities and threats" at the couple. That's according to a new release today from Lynch, who filed the complaint in Kent County Superior Court seeking a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and permanent injunction against Paul W. O'Rourke of Warwick. O'Rourke has allegedly "threatened them with physical injury," according to the attorney general's news release. Lynch is seeking a court order that would enjoin O'Rourke from threatening, harassing, or contacting Michael L. Gempp and James L. Meo, according to the release. Lynch's civil complaint, on behalf of the couple through the Office of Civil Rights Advocate, was served on O'Rourke today, according to the release. Gempp and Meo have lived on Diamond Hill Road in Warwick since May 2004. O'Rourke lives across the road and was arrested by the Warwick Police and charged with disorderly conduct on April 24, according to Lynch's news release. The police had responded to a 911 call made by one of the plaintiffs. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney "We established our Office of Civil Rights Advocate specifically to respond The law carries a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for a defendant found in violation. A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Friday in Kent County Superior Court. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:19 PM | Comment Fall River man indicted for alleged abuse of infantA Fall River man has been indicted for allegedly abusing his 8-month old son, whom the police said they found unconscious in his apartment, the office of Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter announced today. Christopher J. Cerce, 30, of 81 Webster St., 3rd Floor, was indicted by a Bristol County Grand Jury late last week on two counts of assault and battery of a child-causing substantial injury, and one count each of wanton/reckless child endangerment and possession of marijuana, according to a news release. He is slated for May 31 arraignment in New Bedford Superior Court. Cerce was arrested by Fall River Police last month after officers were called to his apartment. The infant, found unconscious inside, was taken to St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and subsequently moved to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence. As of today, the boy remains hospitalized, according to the news release. Cerce is being detained on $100,000 cash bail, set by a Fall River District Court judge the day after Cerce’s arrest. Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman, chief of the office's abuse unit is to prosecute the case. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:17 PM | Comment RIC's Upward Bound program nearly $600,000 richerThe 40-year-old Upward Bound program at Rhode Island College has been awarded nearly $600,000 in the first of a four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education. While the college will “most likely” receive the same funding commitment -- $592,392 -- for each of three additional years, future money is dependent on appropriations from Congress, according to spokeswoman Regan LaChapelle in U.S. Sen. Jack Reed’s office, which announced the grant today. The program at RIC is one of the nation’s oldest Upward Bound programs and has helped 2,000 low-income students succeed in high school and go on to college. The program serves students from low-income families, families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree and low-income first-generation military veterans who are preparing to enter post-secondary education. “For over 40 years now, Rhode Island College has been at the forefront of the Upward Bound program, giving thousands of Rhode Island students the opportunity to not only complete high school, but succeed at the next level and earn a college degree,” said Reed -- a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – in a statement. “The Upward Bound program helps provide kids with the motivation, skills and opportunity to continue with their education, and I am pleased that RIC has received this federal investment to continue their important work.” -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:05 PM | Comment Providence police search for suspect, gun in killing
At a news conference late this morning, the police said Ramirez -- also known as Kelvyn Ramirez -- is "armed and dangerous." They described him as an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, who weighs 190 pounds and whose last known address was 497 Potters Ave. -- a six-year-old address. The police asked for the public's help in finding him. This afternoon, the police returned to the neighborhood where the city’s third homicide this year took place. They called a Department of Public Works crew to the corner of Houston and Van Buren streets to search a storm drain, hoping to find the murder weapon. With a manhole cover lifted, the crew is using a big scoop to pull out the contents of the catch basin. Nothing had been found shortly after 2 p.m. The alleged shooter and Caceres, of 135 Colfax St., third floor, knew each other, according to the police. Minutes before the shooting, the two had been talking, sitting on a retaining wall near where the shooting happened. Other people were in that area as well. The homicide happened next to a tan-colored house at the corner of Van Buren and Houston streets. Both men have criminal records and both were armed yesterday: Ramirez with a pistol and Caceres with a sawed-off shotgun, the police said. An argument -- the police were not sure why -- ensued, and Ramirez allegedly shot Caceres "multiple times." The sawed-off shotgun was found near Caceres' body. The police do not have the pistol they say Ramirez used. The police obtained an arrest warrant around 2 a.m. Chief State Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas P. Gilson said it was a shooting and a homicide. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writers Gregory Smith and Randal Edgar Deputy Chief Paul J. Kennedy said yesterday that the police received several 911 calls at about 5:10 p.m. and arrived minutes later to find “evidence of a homicide.” The police blocked off Van Buren and Houston streets for about two hours, walking the neighborhood in a search for weapons and other evidence. They also talked to residents, including some in a nearby house with a direct view of the alley where the shooting reportedly took place. More than 100 residents -- many of them children -- gathered outside, watching from the street, from sidewalks and from front porches as the police worked inside and sometimes outside the yellow tape that cordoned off about half a dozen houses. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:46 PM | Comment DOT action advances Quonset airport expansionPROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Transportation this morning took control of 183,000 square feet of land at Quonset that will be used for the expansion of the Rhode Island National Guard airport. The State Properties Committee approved the transfer of the land, owned by the state Economic Development Corporation. In January, the DOT condemned several privately owned parcels that will also be used by the Guard, and today's decision will enable the $33-million project to go forward. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:09 PM | Comment New Bedford factory workers allege OT violationsBOSTON -- Employees at a New Bedford factory that was the site of an immigration raid in March said today they would sue the company for violating state and federal overtime and wage laws. The class action lawsuit will be filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of more than 500 current and former workers at the Michael Bianco Inc. factory. It alleges employees were denied overtime pay and docked 15 or 30 minutes of pay for clocking in as little as one minute late. Many employees clocked out after working a full day shift, then clocked back in for an evening shift, according to the lawsuit. They were paid with two separate checks, one from Michael Bianco and one from a separate company called Front Line Defense Inc. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:26 PM | Comment R.I. senators want LNG funds 'permanently' blockedWASHINGTON, D.C., -- Rhode Island's two U.S. senators announced they have asked federal budget appropriators to "permanently block" money for the controversial Weaver's Cove liquefied natural gas terminal proposed over the state line in Fall River. The LNG tanker port "would risk serious damage to Rhode Island’s waterways and coastal communities," the senators said in a news release today. Also signing the letter are Massachusetts Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, both Democrats, according to the news release. The letter follows a preliminary Coast Guard review last week that expressed safety and other concerns about Weaver's Cove's plan to use smaller tankers to traverse Mt. Hope Bay. It was not clear how much sway the letter would have over appropriations for the project. “LNG tankers serving Weaver’s Cove would pass by several Rhode Island towns and cities and along miles of populated coastline, putting thousands of Rhode Islanders at risk,” Reed said in the statement. "It is essential that we take into consideration the safety of citizens while balancing the long-term, regional energy needs of New England. I am pleased that the Coast Guard voiced its concern last week over the Weaver's Cove proposal. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that plans to build this LNG facility are put on hold.” Whitehouse said in the statement: “I am dedicated to fighting to prevent this facility from harming Rhode Island’s precious marine economy and environment.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The May 11 letter to Sen. Byron L. Dorgan, D-North Dakota and chairman of the subcommittee, and Sen. Pete V. Domenici, R-New Mexico and the subcommittee's ranking member, states the facility would be in an area too densely populated and demand that LNG-carrying vessels make "several complex navigational maneuvers" to go under bridges. It also cited concerns from the recent Coast Guard review, saying the Guard "concluded that 'extraordinary maneuvers' would be required." Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:24 PM | Comment PC basketball legend Barnes arrestedMarvin J. Barnes, the former Providence College basketball legend whose professional career was derailed by drugs and criminal problems, was arrested early this morning by the state police on a felony charge of cocaine possession. Barnes, 54, of 176 Hillcrest Ave. in Providence, was arrested in Johnston on Route 6 west at Atwood Avenue when the police stopped to check on a disabled vehicle, Capt. James Swanberg said this morning. As troopers approached a disabled Lincoln Navigator at around 3:05 a.m., Barnes immediately got out of the SUV and identified himself, Swanberg said. While investigating, the police found a clear plastic bag with a white powdery substance they believed to be cocaine, he said. A field test showed “presumptive evidence” that it was indeed cocaine, and the substance will be sent to the Department of Health’s toxicology lab, Swanberg said. Barnes pleaded not guilty in Kent County District Court this morning and was released on $5,000 personal recognizance, Swanberg said. He is next due in court on July 17 for a pre-arraignment conference. After the Friars in the early 1970s, Barnes went on to become the second pick in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft – by the Philadelphia 76ers. His professional career was derailed by drugs and criminal problems. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:59 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a map with photos and a story about the impact a rash of recent arson fires has had on Newport residents. Download today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:31 AM | Comment Charlestown citizens' petitions head to courtCHARLESTOWN -- A Washington County Superior Court judge will decide today whether four citizens’ petitions are to be placed on the ballot of the June 4 budget referendum as warrant items. The petitions, each of which bore the needed 200 signatures, were effectively removed by the council yesterday. A motion to forward the petitions to the state Board of Elections failed on a tie vote, with council President Katharine H. Waterman and Vice President Harriet A. Allen voting in favor and Councilmen James M. Mageau and Bruce W. Picard voting against. Councilman John O. Craig Jr. did not attend the meeting. Anticipating the council’s actions, a group of town residents filed a motion in Washington County Superior Court yesterday asking the court to stop the town from barring the items from the ballot. In the complaint, the group argues there is no mechanism for the removal of a warrant item after the public hearing. -- Journal Staff Writer Maria Armental Posted by Kate Bramson at 9:20 AM | Comment Gas is knocking at the door of $3 per gallonPROVIDENCE -- The average gasoline price in Rhode Island is still knocking at the door of the $3-per-gallon mark. The $2.99 average for self-serve is the same as last week's, according to the survey released by the state Office of Energey Resources. That is for the price of regular unleaded; the price for unleaded plus, self-serve, is averaging $3.12 per gallon and the cost fo preium is averaging $3.24, according to figures. The average cost for home heating oil in the state is $2.56 per gallon. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:55 AM | Comment Route 95 reopens; overhead work almost doneRoute 95 had reopened and traffic was flowing freely before 6 a.m. today. The highway has been closed 11 nights so construction crews can extend the westbound lanes of the relocated Route 195 over the north and south lanes of Route 95. Traffic now passes under 10 teal-colored spans of the new highway between Exits 18 and 20. Just two more spans need to be assembled and lowered into place to complete the overpass job. Weather permitting, Route 95 will be closed again tonight at 11:30 so construction cranes can lift the new beams into place over Route 95, just east of Rhode Island Hospital. This phase of the relocation project is expected to be completed this week. Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:54 AM | Comment High winds and dry weather create fire dangerGet ready for a dangerous mix of high winds and dry weather. The National Weather Service today has issued both a gale warning for the Bay and coastal waters and a red flag warning for northern and central Rhode Island. The Weather Service says that because of the low humidity, the wind and the high temperatures the fire danger is at the critical stage. The high today could be in the 80s. Tomorrow, rain is likely. Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:41 AM | Comment Vigil to be held Friday in Newport for missing crewNEWPORT -- Family members of one of the four crew members with Rhode Island ties aboard the missing sailboat Flying Colours will hold a vigil Friday "to support the safe return of the crew." Carol and Ron Dale, parents of Jason Franks, said that family, friends "and all well wishers" are invited Friday to the Newport Shipyard from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Newport Shipyard, 1 Washington St. "This is not a memorial, but a vigil for their safe return," the Dales wrote. Rhode Island political figures "who were so helpful in obtaining the search assets will also be invited." The U.S. Coast Guard searched thousands of miles of seas for several days for the captain and crew of the 54-foot boat, believed to be somewhere off the Carolina Coast. The vessel disappeared last Monday in rough seas. The Coast Guard has said its last contact with the boat was an electronic distress signal that the Guard picked up at 3:30 a.m. Monday. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:39 AM | Comment May 14, 2007Photo: injured worker lowered safely at PPAC
PROVIDENCE -- A different drama unfolded today about 65 feet above the PPAC theater stage. And it was real. A firefighter in a harness guided a basket carrying an injured air conditioning worker from a scaffold 8-feet from the ceiling to the stage of the Providence Performing Arts Center. According to Deputy Assistant Fire Chief J. Curtis Varone the worker was climbing down a ladder when he slipped and fell a couple of rungs and hurt his side and back. He had been working on a leaky air conditioner. "He had a back injury ... and he was not able to get himself out of there," Varone said. At one point, firefighters considered poking a ladder from a ladder truck through a doorway, but the doorway was too narrow and too low. Instead, they set up a network of ropes and harnesses attached to an I-beam high in the theater. Then they lowered the worker in what is called a Stokes basket. The worker was accompanied by one of the responders, who was in a body harness to keep the basket steady and the worker calm. "Think of lowering a lifeboat on a stage with curtains and all those things" to be taken into account, Varone said. The worker and the responder alongside him were lowered to an area that would be stage right from a performer's point of view in the theater, and to the left from an audience's point of view. The man took neck and head injuries and has been taken to Rhode Island Hospital, but the extent of injuries was not clear. He works for ther Trane Corporation, according to the police. The report of the worker's fall came in at 11:58 a.m., according to Jim Taylor, communications chief for the Providence Fire Department. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal Staff Writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:49 PM | Comment What gets on Charlestown ballot takes center stageCHARLESTOWN -- The Town Council will decide tonight whether to approve four residents’ petitions to appear on the June 4 ballot. Town Solicitor Robert E. Craven has said the petitions don’t fall within the legal definition of a warrant item and recommended the council not approve them. In response, a group of residents filed a motion today in Washington County Superior Court to stop the council from vetoing the warrant items. “If there are questions with regard with enforceability, those would be addressed if (the warrant items) pass,” said Caroline Manning, the lawyer who filed the motions seeking a temporary restraining order and declaratory judgement and injunctive relief. “But the council doesn’t get to say if they are enforceable. They are not a judge and a jury.” The fate of the case will depend on the council’s actions tonight, Manning said. If the warrant items are adopted as they stand, the case would be moot, she said. The warrant items seek to: Issue up to $500,000 in bonds for the design and development of public recreational facilities at Blue Shutters beach, with the town’s contribution being offset by any other funds raised. Cut the town administrator’s salary to a maximum of $300 per month with no benefits. Create a position of assistant town administrator for $80,000 a year, without benefits. Set aside up to $20,000 to hold a special election by Sept. 30 to remove Councilman James M. Mageau from office and elect a replacement. The council meets at 7 tonight at the Charlestown Elementary School, 363 Carolina Back Rd. The council’s 7 p.m. regular meeting will follows a special meeting in Town Hall at 6 p.m. to discuss litigation. -- Journal staff writer Maria Armental Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Update: Police investigate Providence shootingPROVIDENCE -- A man from the area where the police are investigating a shooting this evening said he heard five or six shots, went over and found a person lying face down in a pool of blood -- and saw what appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun next to the man. Aaron Harris said he called 911. Others may have done the same, and the police are on scene and have blocked off at least Van Buren Street on the city's lower South Side, where the shooting was reported. The identity and condition of the person who has been shot is not clear. The reports of a shooting came in at 5:10 p.m. at Van Buren and Houston. A crowd of perhaps 75 people have gathered in the area where the police are. The police stopped a red Toyota on Oxford Street with an occupant possibly connected to the shooting. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writers Amanda Milkovits and Randal Edgar Posted by maria caporizzo at 6:28 PM | Comment Old Masonic Temple opening postponedPROVIDENCE -- The opening of the Renaissance Providence hotel, formerly the Masonic Temple, has been postponed. The hotel will not open Thursday as planned, but has been postponed until May 24. The temple has never been occupied, after construction halted just before the stock market crash of 1929. Extra: Multimedia projects on downtown's new hotels and big dreams for the temple -- With reports from Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by maria caporizzo at 4:13 PM | Comment Assault charge dropped against Woonsocket mom
She was one of three Woonsocket moms arrested for fighting alongside their daughters in less than a month this winter. The police had alleged that Ana Rivera, 44, of 241 Park Ave., drove her 13-year-old daughter to the school Jan. 8 to fight another girl, and then got into the fight herself. She faced a simple assault charge. After the Jan. 8 incident, four teenaged girls, Rivera and another mother, 34-year-old Maribel Santiago, were arrested. Santiago earlier pleaded no contest to a simple assault charge and her case was filed for one year. Rivera was scheduled for trial in District Court, Providence, today, but the case was dismissed after Santiago, the mother of the alleged victim, said they didn't want to go forward. After the hearing, Rivera said, "I never touched her." She added that she hadn't brought her daughter to school to fight. She said she fought the case to the end because of her innocence. Another Woonsocket mother was found not guilty last month after she had been charged with slapping her daughter's teenage rival near a school bus stop on Feb. 2. -- Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes Posted by Jack Perry at 2:54 PM | Comment Two pols say: Little Compton store oldest of allLITTLE COMPTON -- Gray's General Store will get two proclamations declaring it the country's oldest continuously running general store when a congressman and a state senator descend on this sea-tossed town this afternoon. For the store, in the town's Adamsville section, it means settling something of a controversy in the whose-general-store-is-oldest contest. According to a news release from state Rep. John Loughlin II, R-Tiverton, "a controversial Yankee Magazine story, published in 1967, had incorrectly named the Brown & Hopkins store, which opened in 1809, as the oldest even though it was 21 years 'younger' than Gray's." The release adds: "Hopefully, this official recognition by both the state of Rhode Island and the United States Senate will set the record straight." U.S. Sen Jack Reed, a Democrat, will present the other proclamation to the store today. The news conference with the proclamation is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the store. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:00 PM | Comment Somerset citizens are voting todaySOMERSET -- The polls opened at 10 a.m. today for the annual town elections, where As of noontime, canvassing workers said the early turnout ranged from The most volatile race of the season has been for Board of Selectmen, where The election is being held in the shadow of a $2.2 million judgment against Anger about the suit could hurt O'Neil, who has promised In the School Committee race, incumbents Ann Correira and Richard Planning Board member John Ferreira, whose term has been plagued by recent -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:59 AM | Comment Sen. Reed pushes bill aimed to combat foreclosuresPROVIDENCE -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed this morning is unveiling legislation that would create home ownership protection centers aimed at helping families to hold on to their homes against the forces of foreclosure. According to a news release from Reed, a Democrat, the Home Ownership Protection and Enhancement Act is a $615-million initiative to "reauthorize, enhance, and improve" the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s housing counseling programs. It provides that: • All low- and moderare-income families would qualify for help, whatever their circumstances. • Help would also be available to families "across the income spectrum" who are having unforeseen financial difficulties -- stemming from such events as an unexpected medical emergency or the loss of a job. The homeownership protection centers would contact borrowers who are 60 days or more delinquent to go over their financial situation and get them services that could prevent losing that home, according to Reed's office. State-designated agencies or state housing finance agencies would apply for grants to create state home ownership protection centers. Reed, a member of the Senate Banking Committee -- which has oversight on housing matters -- was slated to explain the proposal starting at 10 a.m. at Casey Family Services, 1268 Eddy St. Others joining him are Brenda Clement, executive director for Housing Network of Rhode Island; Richard Godfrey, executive director of Rhode Island Housing; and residents who've had financial troubles with mortgages. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney There would be $260 million in competitive grants to states who run state home ownership protection centers, allowing for one-time grants or subsidized loans to qualified families: The grants and subsidized loan would be aimed at "families in distress with reasonable prospects for resuming mortgage payments within a year," Reed's office states. An application for a grant or loan would automatically trigger a one-month ban on foreclosure. There would be $300 million to increase the money available for HUD-approved counseling agencies. Nearly half of the funding will go to those counseling agencies "with a proven track-record of success in working with borrowers to avoid foreclosure." Lenders and servicers could not foreclose until analyzed the borrower’s financial situation, examined the property value of the home to be mortgaged, and assessed whether a various tools that could provide alternatives to foreclosure would work. And the lenders would have to notify borrowers at closing that they cannot foreclose unless they have gone throuhgh that process, described as "reasonable loss mitigation" by Reed's office. Lenders would alos have to do notifications about availability of homeownership counseling geared to people before their house purchases, and tell them about the state home ownership protection centers. Lenders will be required to provide borrowers with information on the full array of counseling services available in their state at every critical step – at application, at closing, and upon delinquency. In states that have home ownership protection centers, lenders would be required to refer delinquent borrowers to a center. Lenders would register every homeowner's name and contact information with their state homeownership protection center upon closing on a home. And lenders would have to alert a home ownership protection center when a borrower becomes 60 days delinquent. The legislation also would set $5 million for creating a federal database on defaults and foreclosures to improve the oversight of public and private efforts to keep people in homes. Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:43 AM | Comment Download today's front pageNews from Iraq and a feature on the Beavertail Lighthouse lead today's Journal. Posted by Peter Phipps at 10:04 AM | Comment Route 95 reopens; four nights to goRoute 95 was open before 6 a.m. this morning as the Route 195 relocation work nears completion. The highway is scheduled to be closed between Exits 18 and 20 for another four nights. Work crews are building a bridge to carry the westbound lanes of the new Route 195 over Route 95 to take traffic south on 95. Last night, the crane lifted a ninth, teal span over the southbound lanes of Route 95. Department of Transportation remote cameras showed traffic moving smoothly at around 6 a.m. this morning. Last night, in addition to the work Exits 18 to 20 east of Rhode Island Hospital, a second project closed the the center travel lanes between Exists 22 and 26.
Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:05 AM | Comment Frost was in the airYes it was cold last night with a frost advisory in effect until 6 a.m. Although Providence was not included, the the National Weather Service warned that temperatures in the low 30s were possible for most of the state. It will warm up today with clear, sunny skies and a high in the low 70s. Tomorrow will be clear and windy with gusts expected to approach 35 mph.
Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:50 AM | Comment Sox rally to win, but Beckett misses the markThe Sox won again, but Josh Beckett had to leave after four innings with a torn flap of skin on his right middle finger, failing to become the first eight-game winner in the major leagues and tie the franchise record - held by Babe Ruth and two others - for wins to start a season. "My skin broke and it just ripped more and more each pitch," Beckett said. "Hopefully, I can make my next start. But that is a big 'hopefully.'" Beckett had won seven starts in a row to begin the season. Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:40 AM | Comment May 11, 2007Coast Guard keeps up search for missing R.I. sailorsCoast Guard searchers continue tonight looking for four sailors with Rhode Island ties on board the sailboat Flying Colours, which has been missing off North Carolina since Monday. The search so far has covered more than 68,000 nautical square miles, the Coast Guard said this evening. Today, an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, Ga., and the crew of an Air National Guard C-130 aircraft from Long Island, N.Y., joined other Coast Guard search and rescue personnel from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and the Guard's cutters Tampa and Staten Island, according to a news release. The missing sailors are Patrick Topping III, 39, Jason Franks, 34, Rhiannon Borisoff, 22 and Christine Grinavic, 25. Topping, known as Trey, is the boat's captain. The search began Monday when the Coast Guard personnel at its Rescue Coordination Center in Portsmouth, Va., got an alert from the ship's emergency beacon at 3:30 a.m. Monday, which had put the boat’s location, in rough seas, at about 160 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, N.C. The last beacon signal was at 7 a.m. Monday. The Coast Guard asks anyone with information about the Flying Colours to contact the Coast Guard Command Center at (757) 398-6390. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:57 PM | Comment Closing 95: This Sunday night, prepare for a splitPROVIDENCE -- Get ready for for the split on Route 95. Starting next week, work on the highway's northbound side will mean a construction zone set up behind a Jersey barrier in the center travel lanes. That will split traffic, which will move to the left and right of the construction area, the state Department of Transportation said today. Creating the center construction area will begin with lane closings on Route 95 south between exits 25 and 22 this Sunday between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. On Monday night, the work and lane closings move to Route 95 north The construction will continue in both directions of Route 95 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. The DOT said that motorists using Routes 6 and 10 as the alternate route during overnight Route 95 closures between exits 18 and 20 -- Sunday through Thursday nights -- must stay to the right of the construction zone in order to get to exit 22 and access Routes 6 and 10. One other thought: Sunday is Mother's Day, when many motorists are heading out of town to visit their moms, then returning late. Remember, if you need to drive by Providence after 9 p.m., you can take Route 295 instead and miss all the lane closings. For more information on the highway project, and its impact on drivers, see our list of FAQs and answers and our interactive map. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:44 PM | Comment Trinity Rep actress will be on The Sopranos SundayPROVIDENCE -- Catch Trinity Rep company member Phyllis Kay, who will be on HBO's The Sopranos this Sunday in the episode "Kennedy and Heidi." She also appeared briefly in last weekend's May 6 episode "Walk Like A Man." Kay has been a company member of Trinity Rep since 1991. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:25 PM | Comment Prognosis dips for Amgen; stocks follow suitAmgen Inc. shares fell for a second day after analysts downgraded its shares and forecast that regulatory actions could cause sales of its anemia drugs to drop by a fifth this year. Shares in the biotech giant, which has a manufacturing plant in West Greenwich, fell $1.03 or 1.8 percent, to $56.30 at 4 p.m. in Nasdaq stock market composite trading and are down 18 percent this year. The stock plunged 9 percent yesterday after an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that warning labels be strengthened on the company’s anemia drugs, Epogen and Aranesp. Analysts with Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., and Lazard Capital Markets this morning downgraded the stock of Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Action by the FDA may restrict the number of patients eligible for the drugs and influence insurers to stop paying for certain uses, including breast cancer, analysts said. Amgen’s anemia drugs had $6.6 billion in sales in 2006, or 47 percent of its revenue. The restrictions recommended by the FDA panel “eviscerate” the class of anemia drugs, and is “likely devastating for Aranesp sales,” wrote Lazard analyst Joel Sendek, in a note to clients today. Lazard forecast a 21 percent drop in Aranesp sales in 2007. Amgen management has previously said it expects profit of $4.30 to $4.50 a share this year. Predicting Amgen will have to lower that forecast, Sendek wrote that he now expects profit of $4.09 a share for the year. At its annual meeting this week, held in Providence, Amgen's president and CEO was peppered with questions about the recent bad press and sagging stock price. Check the latest stock prices for Amgen. -- Bloomberg News Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:45 PM | Comment National Grid contract talks progressingThe contract for hundreds of National Grid workers in Rhode Island ends at midnight tonight. If a strike were to happen, customers may wonder whether lamps would instantly blink off, refrigerators go warm and that Jimi Hendrix tune on the CD player fall, sadly, silent. No, according to a National Grid spokesman. "Initially, the customer would see no difference whatsoever," said spokesman David Graves. He said it's conceivable that in a storm or high-power demand situation, however, bringing power back on might take longer. Graves said the company and union negotiators have continued talks, everyone agreeing to sit down in good spirit, today "as we have every day for the past several weeks." And the head of the local that represents some 380 National Grid workers said he is "optimistic" that the union and the company will come to agreement on a new contract. "We made some huge strides this morning," said Phil Bowe, president of Local 310 of the Workers Union of America, in an interview late this afternoon. "The company addressed a lot of key issues that the union felt it needed." Bowe said the two sides planned to continue talking into the evening. Contracts representing some 1,200 National Grid electricity workers are set to expire. Both sides said they had been preparing for a possible strike. Graves said the company has been working on contingency plans for months in case of an actual strike. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Timothy Barmann and archival reports Last month, the union local representing about 380 workers in National Grid's Rhode Island electricity-distribution decided to join six other locals in Massachusetts in authorizing the union to call a strike, if necessary. But while there have been strike authorizations passed for the last two contracts, the union has not gone on strike since 1975. If it became necessary, employees in non-union positions with experience in field work would help fill in. And workers from National Grid's New York State operation can be called upon in Rhode Island were it needed. "Normally, when situations arise we use outside contractors to come in to assist our own workforce. Currently, we are looking at using non-union personnel. That is our plan right now and those are the people we have on site right now. They have been trained in various job functions and many of them have worked in these job functions before moving into management." Still, Graves added: "I don't want to create the illusion that we are going to be staffed at 100 percent, at our normal level" and said that were it to come to such a situation, "we would just ask that in cases where there may be an outage that our customers be patient." But, Graves said, "We are hopeful for an agreement before the expiration of the contract." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Timothy Barmann and archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:08 PM | Comment Senate Pres. Montalbano asks for ethics jury trialPROVIDENCE -- Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano in asking for a jury trial on the ethics charges against him instead of a decision by the state Ethics Commission. The commission, meanwhile, has scheduled its own version of a trial, an adjudicatory hearing, on the Montalbano case for June 5 and 6. Shifting to jury trial would apparently divert the case into Superior Court. Former Senate President William V. Irons broke new legal ground last month when his lawyer, John A. Tarantino, asked for a jury trial to defend Irons against the state ethics charges against him. Montalbano’s lawyer, Max Wistow, said that the public, in the form of a jury, ought to decide the charges against his client. Montalbano is accused of violating the state ethics code by failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in income from West Warwick for legal work associated with the Narragansett Indians’ failed casino proposal. He’s also accused of participating in Senate votes when he had a clear conflict of interest. Wistow has said the violations were inadvertent, a critical legal distinction. The commission regulations say that it must decide whether a complaint alleges facts that would constitute "a knowing and willful" violation of the code. Otherwise, the charges are to be dismissed. While a jury trial would be somewhat similar to a commission adjudicatory hearing -- with witnesses, evidence and prosecution and defense lawyers – the differences would be profound. Instead of the members of the Ethics Commission, who have been involved in the cases since their inception and who deal continually with the intricacies of enforcing the state Code of Ethics, a citizen jury would decide the cases. Commission lawyers have indicated they will probably contest motions for jury trials in arguments before the commission, and the cases seem likely to end up in court one way or another. -- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis
In the Irons case, Katherine D’Arezzo, the commission’s senior staff attorney, has said she doesn’t think officials have a right to a jury trial on cases before the commission. She suggested that the commission staff will probably oppose Irons’ request. Assuming the commission agrees with its staff, the defense lawyers could then appeal the commission decision to Superior Court. On the other hand, the commission might fight to retain control of its cases rather than see them shunted to the courts and itself relegated to a much smaller role in enforcing the Code of Ethics. The Journal has reported that Rhode Island banks that have used Montalbano for legal work have been questioned by federal authorities as part of Operation Dollar Bill, the ongoing State House influence-peddling probe. Montalbano was part of the Democratic Senate leadership that Irons headed, holding the majority leader’s job. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:02 PM | Comment A phone call helps catch a thiefSo picture this. Your house has been burglarized and many of your valuables are missing, including your cell phone. So you call the cell phone and someone answers. You bargain a little and arrange a meeting to get the phone back – for a price. That’s what one burglary victim did. But his next call was to the police, who sent a detective to the meeting instead. The police arrested the man with the stolen phone and then the burglar. Now, the police say the buglar is suspected of taking thousands of dollars of valuables in more than a dozen housebreaks. We’ll tell you more about the story, in tomorrow’s Providence Journal. --- City Editor Tim Murphy Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:59 PM | Comment Update: Search of Middletown High finds no threatMIDDLETOWN -- A bomb threat telephoned from one classroom to another at Middletown High School this morning prompted school officials to send students home for the day while police searched the building and grounds using five bomb-sniffing dogs. The search, which involved local police and fire officials as well as State Police and dogs from the state Fire Marshall’s Office and the Rhode Island Airport Police, turned up nothing. The official response to the threat, reported about 9:20 a.m., contrasted sharply with an incident on Wednesday in which a student was suspended after he told another student he had a bomb. In the earlier case, the student who allegedly made the threat was removed from the school, but the building was not evacuated. Middletown Police Chief Anthony M. Pesare declined comment on the decision to search the building today except to say that the police response in such situations is decided on a “case-by-case basis, based on our experience and training.” It is possible that young people talking about Wednesday’s incident motivated one of them to make today's telephone call, Hazel said, but the earlier threat had nothing to do with the law enforcement response to today’s scare. Pesare acknowledged that police are trying to zero in on the classroom in which the call was made but declined to divulge any additional details of the investigation, which he said will continue over the weekend. -- Journal staff writer Gina Macris Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:46 PM | Comment Prov. man who abused baby daughter gets 20 yearsPROVIDENCE -- A Providence man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for assaulting his baby daughter, leaving her with life-threatening brain injuries, including tears in the veins in her brain that caused bleeding and swelling. Jeffrey Moten, 27, of 76 Osborne St., first floor, was sentenced to a total of 20 years, with 18 of those to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, for inflicting injury in November 2005, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office said in a news release. The Family Court ordered that Moten must serve a minimum of 10 years of that before he becomes eligible for parole, the attorney general's office said in a news release today. The victim was 5 months old at the time. The baby started to have seizures soon after the abuse that brought her to Hasbro Children's Hospital and she remains on anti-seizure medications. The baby "continues to suffer significant developmental delays that require therapeutic interventions. Her long-term prognosis is unknown, and she continues to be seen by doctors at Hasbro," according to the attorney general's office. "This was a brutal crime with an enormously tragic outcome - a precious baby A Family Court jury found Moten guilty on Dec 5, after deliberating a little more than two hours. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Arrested by Providence Police on Dec. 2, 2005, Moten was arraigned Moten was held at the ACI and received a six month sentence at the ACI on Dec. 12, 2005, in District Court as a violator of a 2004 domestic assault conviction, for which he had received a one-year suspended sentence and one-year probation. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:33 PM | Comment Mags heap extra helping of praise on area eateriesPROVIDENCE -- This city is tasting good. So says not one, but two magazines that are trumpeting Providence's food scene. Mayor David N. Cicilline's office was quick to issue a news release today basking in the yummy public relations value of it all. “There’s been a thrilling change in the American culinary landscape,” states Food & Wine magazine in its June edition featuring Providence as one of America’s “truly dynamic food scenes," according to the release. And AAA’s Car & Travel magazine names Providence one of “Five Cookin’ Cities” in its May issue. In a year-long series called “Food and Wine Across America”, Food and Wine magazine writes about the changes in the Providence eating scene over the years -- a scene that has grown beyonf Federal Hill to eateries all over the city, according to the mayor's news release. In the mayor's office's words: "Food and Wine raves over the culinary delights at Nicks on Broadway, La Laiterie, Chez Pascal, Gracies and Garrison Confections." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:00 PM | Comment Former W. Warwick official pleads innocent to bribesWARWICK -- Robert B. Boyer, the former West Warwick Economic Development Commission chairman accused of bribing his town's building official, pleaded not guilty today at arraignment in Kent County Superior Court. Judge Vincent Ragosta set bail for Boyer, 70, of 15 Water St., at $10,000 personal recognizance, according to a news release from the state attorney general's office. His next court date is a June 27 pre-trial conference. A statewide grand jury on April 25 indicted Boyer on eight counts of bribing Stephen Murray, the West Warwick building official, last year "as an inducement to gain favor in relation to the business of West Warwick." Boyer is alleged to have given Murray $500 on or about March 17 and on or about April 28. He allegedly gave Murray $300 on or about May 22, June 9, July 7, July 20, Aug. 8, and Aug. 23. The State Police Financial Crimes Unit investigated the case. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:53 PM | Comment Cetnral Falls crack dealer sentenced to 10 1/2 yearsPROVIDENCE -- A crack dealer from Central Falls, identifed by authorities as a Prospect Heights Posse gang member, has been sentenced to 10 1/2 years in federal prison for selling 80 grams in Pawtucket's Prospect Heights housing complex, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office announced today. Jorge L. Henriquez, 23, is the second defendant sentenced to at least 10 years' imprisonment after a joint investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Pawtucket Police into drug trafficking in Prospect Heights, according to a news release. The sentence imposed was by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith in District Court, Providence. Henriquez pleaded guilty in January to two counts of possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. On Aug. 23, Henriquez, who has a tattoo on his right wrist that reads "PHP," sold 26 grams of crack cocaine and a .25 caliber pistol for a combined $1,100, the news release states. Agents monitored the sales. Judge Smith last week sentenced Samuel Ross, 27, to 10 years in prison for selling 61 grams of crack and a nine millimeter handgun. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty to charges in the Prospect Heights investigation: John L. Kimbrough, 38, of Pawtucket, who is also known as “Country,” and Fernando Torres, 22, of Pawtucket. Charges are pending against other men. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:36 PM | Comment In turnaround, Davol breaks ground in Warwick / Photo
WARWICK -- Davol Inc., a leading medical technology manufacturer, began construction this morning on its new headquarters off Route 95. The groundbreaking ceremony marked a major turnaround for Davol's parent company, C. R. Bard, Inc., which had planned to relocate Davol to New Jersey. Instead, the Cranston-based division will only move as far as Warwick, where it will lease a larger office building that could accomodate another 100 employees. Davol employs about 200 people at its current location. Posted by Peter Phipps at 1:47 PM | Comment Your life story in a booth, recorded for historyPROVIDENCE -- Got a story to tell? Well, today comes word that in June you can step right up to the "StoryCorps Mobile StoryBooth" and start spilling the beans. More specifically, when the StoryCorps National Oral History Project comes to Providence from June 7 to 30 as part of its effort to create an oral history of the United States, people will participate in pairs. That means the person telling his or her life story and and interviewer who is often a friend or family member, according to a news release. Each person's story will be recorded in the booth, with a "trained facilitator" guiding the pairs through it and doing the recording. (So fear of gadgetry won't get you out of telling your tale). The goal is to "instruct and inspire Americans to record one another’s stories in sound." The booth will be near Burnside Park, across from Kennedy Plaza. Next Thursday, people can begin reserving times for their interviews. All told, about 126 interview slots will be available. Call (800) 850-4406 or go to www.storycorps.net to reserve a time. When the booth arrives, more reservations will become available, according to the news release. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney A session lasts 40 minutes, and participants get a CD of their interview. With participants' permission, a second copy will be sent to the American Folklife Center’s archives at the Library of Congress, "where it becomes part of a high-quality digital archive." StoryCorps RI, based at John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization at Brown University, is the designated local partner for StoryCorps’ Rhode Island visit. More information is at www.storycorpsri.net. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:07 PM | Comment Former accountant sentenced for false tax returnsPROVIDENCE -- A federal judge today sentenced a man from Smithfield who has been a certified public to one year in prison for filing false tax returns for four years and understating his income by $313,880, according to a news release. U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office announced the sentence imposed on Irwin Kalmer by Judge Mary M. Lisi in U.S. District Court. Kalmer pleaded guilty in December to filing a false tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Reich said at the plea hearing the government could prove that, for tax years 1999 through 2002, Kalmer deposited into his business account only about 30 percent of the payment checks he received from clients. He cashed the rest and failed to report that amount on income tax returns. Kalmer understated his income by $41,874 in 1999, $77,085 in 2000, $89,448 in 2001, and $105,473 in 2002, according to the news release. In 2004, after Kalmer was contacted by an IRS investigator, Kalmer filed his 2003 return, which reported gross receipts that were about three times higher than the previous year. Kalmer surrendered his accounting license, and has paid the outstanding tax liability, which came to about $88,000, not counting interest and penalties. He must report to prison July 13. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:41 PM | Comment Providence man sentenced to 7 years for gun crimePROVIDENCE -- A 30-year-old Providence man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office announced today. William Williams, who was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres, had a Tec-9 handgun and 100 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition in his Lancashire Street apartment, Providence detectives said. In October, Williams, who has a prior robbery conviction, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee said at the plea hearing that the government could prove that, on May 18 last year, after Williams allegedly sold cocaine to a man, Providence detectives used a search warrant in his third-floor apartment. Williams drove up to the building, and detectives detained him. The police said they found a bag of cocaine on Williams and cocaine trafficking materials in the apartment kitchen. The police said they found in a closet the Intratec 9-millimeter handgun, a magazine with 35 live rounds, and a bag holding 65 additional rounds. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives helped investigate the case. Chafee prosecuted it as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice effort against gun crimes. Under that program, the U.S. Attorney’s office, police, the state attorney general's office and others pursue federal firearms offenses to try to imprison those responsible for gun violence and to stop others from gun crimes. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:14 PM | Comment Update: Bomb threat closes Middletown HighMIIDDLETOWN -- A bomb threat phoned in to Middletown High School this morning has led to early dismissal for the day, and dogs are being used to check the building. State and Middletown police are investigating. A statement said that at approximately 9:20 a.m. the threat came was made. Because the building search was expected to take considerable time, students were dismissed for the day. School is on for students in the district's other schools. Assistant Supt. Joseph P. Maruszczak said there is an internal phone system and that the call was placed in one room and sent to another. It was apparently around second period at the school when the call came in. When the principal's office got the report of a bomb threat, the police and the assistant superintendent were called and a fire alarm was sounded to get everyone out of the building. The district used several methods to get the word out to parents and others. About six months ago, the town bought a software called Code Red that is tied into a database of all phone numbers in the community. The announcement was also put on the school district Web site, and parents were notified using a list serve system. Bomb sniffing dogs are not only searching the building, but their handlers could be seen allowing them to sniff athletic fields. The assistant superintendent, asked if there was any connection between a student who was removed from the school two days ago for allegedly threatening another student, said he could not make any statement at this time and leaves it in the hands of law-enforcement authorities. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Gina Macris Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:50 AM | Comment Rhode Islander among Virginia Tech graduates todayWhen Virginia Tech holds its commencement today, a South Kingstown High School graduate is due to be among the graduating seniors. Matthew Schloesser, 23, should be picking up his degree in industrial and systems engineering. He took many of his classes in Norris Hall, where a deranged student killed 32 people and himself in a shooting spree last month. And that's not the only honor in the wings for Schloesser. In a first-time event at the White House on May 17, he will be among more than 100 ROTC cadets commissioned by President Bush. Schloesser is the only Army ROTC cadet from Rhode Island selected for the honor. Schloesser follows his father and grandfather into the military. In August, he heads to Fort Benning, Ga. Interestingly, the speaker at the Virginia Tech graduation is also military: retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, who once oversaw Operation Iraqi Freedom. Get the latest on the graduation. Extra: Last month, Schloesser shared his feelings about the massacre in words and on video. Read the story, and watch the video.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:43 AM | Comment State gets $1.8 million, including for port protectionWASHINGTON, D.C., -- The state will get more than $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security "to better protect Rhode Island's bridges, tunnels, railways, ports" and more, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed's office announced today. "This money will allow us to make important security improvements to Rhode Island's public transit system and upgrade the state's port security capabilities," Reed said in a statement. That includes the Providence Emergency Management Agency, which will get $428,603 -- a port security grant -- for Port of Providence protection. That money will be used to expand a video surveillance system in the port area that is used by the Coast Guard and the state Department of Environmental Management to monitor the mid- to lower-Narragansett Bay area, according to the news release. "Expanding it means law enforcement can be aware of threats throughout the Bay," said Reed. Rhode Island Fast Ferry in Quonset will get $27,803 "to ensure that passengers are protected." The release did not specify how the money would do that. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:33 AM | Comment Charges resolved in Boston bomb scareBOSTON -- Two men who planted obscene electronic devices that prompted a widespread bomb scare in a botched promotion for the Cartoon Network apologized today and performed community service to resolve criminal charges against them. Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, said they never expected the stunt to cause any turmoil. "I deeply regret that this incident caused such anguish and disruption to so many people," Berdovsky told the Charlestown District Court. Stevens said he saw the devices simply as "harmless entertainment." The two were accused of planting about three dozen battery-powered devices in Boston and Cambridge that caused the confusion on Jan. 31. The devices, a promotion for Cartoon Network, had lights that created images of a cartoon character making an obscene gesture. -- The Associated Press In exchange for the community service and public apology, prosecutors agreed not to pursue the criminal case against them. Berdovsky performed 80 hours and Stevens completed 60 hours at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Boston. Berdovsky said he was relieved the case was resolved without a trial. "I am looking forward to what the future has to bring. I'm just going to be working really hard and working on my art and working to build a really peaceful community for all of us to live in," Berdovsky told The Associated Press in a telephone interview after the hearing. The contrite apologies offered in court today were in stark contrast to their behavior at their first court appearance in January, when they mugged for the camera and waved to friends in the courtroom. Attorney General Martha Coakley scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. to discuss the case. The battery-powered, light-up devices were part of guerrilla advertising campaign by Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting Systems, a division of Time Warner Inc., to promote Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." The discovery of the devices - in a subway station and a bridge support among other locations - sparked terrorist fears, prompted the deployment of bomb squads and forced the temporary shut down of highways, bridges and some transit stations. Similar signs were placed in nine other cities around the United States, but only in Boston did they elicit such a response. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:20 AM | Comment Update: Suspicious package at Brown harmlessAn unattended bag that had raised suspicions in a Brown University building this morning turned out to be harmless. Students and staff have been allowed back into Faunce House after the police talked to the person who had left it in the building and examined the package, Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman said. The building on Waterman Street had been evacuated shortly before 8 a.m., according to Mark Nickel, a Brown spokesman. Traffic in the area was also affected. The police were in the midst of x-raying the bag when the university was able to identify and contact the person who had left it, according to Esserman. It was left by a student who also works in the building. An employee who checked the building this morning became suspicious because the bag included a box, duct tape and wires. It turned out that the student used the contents as part of his job. "All together it looked suspicious," Esserman said. He said the employee who found it in an unlocked room did the right thing in having it checked out. "I think in this day and age we all prefer to err on the side of caution," Esserman said. The incident disrupted the campus for about two hours this morning. Faunce House includes a theater, mailroom and post office. "They did evacuate the building and reroute traffic on Waterman," Nickel said. "It did cause quite a commotion." Posted by Jack Perry at 9:56 AM | Comment Photo: Flags in fog
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:32 AM | Comment Mrs.Grinavic: 'We continue to try to be optimistic'The mother of missing Rhode Island sailor Christine Grinavic is trying to remain hopeful, although four days of searching by the Coast Guard has found no evidence of the sailboat with Grinavic and three others on board. Mary Grinavic wrote in an email this morning that Sen. Jack Reed called her to say that he had contaced the Coast Guard about the search and that he was available if the family needed anything from his office. Mrs. Grinavic wrote, "We continue to try to be optimistic that there will be a positive outcome." The Coast Guard this morning said there were no new developments over night in the search for the Flying Colours, which was heading from the British Virgin Islands to Annapolis, Md., when it went missing in a storm about 160 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, N.C. All four people aboard the 54-foot sailboat have Rhode Island ties. In addition to Grinavic, 26, they are Patrick "Trey" Topping, 39; Jason Franks, 34; and Rhiannon Borisoff, 22. Topping and Franks have captain’s licenses. The Coast Guard has already searched 47,000 square miles and is continuing its search this morning, said Petty Officer Kip Wadlow, a Coast Guard spokesman. Joining the search today is a C-130 from the 106th Air National Guard out of Long Island, N.Y., Wadlow said. Yesterday, the Navy sent two planes to help with the search. A Coast Guard Falcon Jet out of Air Station Cape Cod also helped yesterday afternoon, Wadlow said. Two Coast Guard cutters and a Coast Guard C-130 have also been searching. "We're still treating this as an active search and rescue case," Wadlow said. "We're hoping to find these people and reunite them with their friends and loved ones." Watch an Associated Press video report. Read more about the search and the sailors. Posted by Jack Perry at 8:23 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about the upcoming WaterFire season. There's also a photograph and story about the problems hundreds of developmentally disabled people in Rhode Island face finding residential placement. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment Highway reopens; night work to resume SundayConstruction crews finished their second week of night work on time this morning. Route 95 was reopened between Exits 18 and 20 at 4:58 this morning, the Department of Transportation Reports. This phase of the relocation Route 195 is now scheduled to be completed Thursday, weather permitting. The highway has been closing at 11 p.m. for the past nine nights so the crews can lift 34 to 223-ton beams in place over Route 95. The overhead work is taking place just east of Rhode Island Hospital. Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:50 AM | Comment WaterFire: 10 days and countingPROVIDENCE -- The first WaterFire will be a week from Monday. The first full WaterFire will be May 26. In all, there will be at least 11 full lightings this year, beginning with the big debut on Saturday, May 26, co-sponsored by Brown University and Bank of America. Three partial lightings were also announced, including one on Monday, May 21, and another on Wednesday, May 23. Both will be held in the Waterplace basin. -- Journal arts writer Bill Van Siclen Here are the confirmed dates and starting times for WaterFire’s 2007 season: Monday, May 21 (8:05, Waterplace basin only) Wednesday, May 23 (8:06, Waterplace basin only) Saturday, May 26 (8:09 p.m.) Friday, June 1 ((8:14 p.m.) Friday, June 8 (8:19 p.m., Steeple St. to Waterplace basin only) Saturday, June 23 (8:25 p.m.) Saturday, July 14 (8:20 p.m.) Saturday, July 28 (8:09 p.m.) Saturday, Aug. 18 (7:42 p.m.) Saturday, Sept. 1 (7:20 p.m.) Saturday, Sept. 15 (6:56 p.m.) Saturday, Sept. 29 (6:31 p.m.) Saturday, Oct. 6 (6:19 p.m.) Saturday, Oct. 27 (5:47 p.m.)
Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:45 AM | Comment Thunderstorms could follow the fogSouth County and coastal Rhode Island woke up to dense fog again this morning. Unlike yesterday, the fog could be followed today by rain and scattered thunderstorms. The National Weather Service says there's a 60 percent chance of rain across the state today. The clouds will hang around tomorrow and itcould rain again Saturday. Sunday looks clear. It will be warm today with a predicted high of 79. Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:38 AM | Comment May 10, 2007 |
