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June 7, 2007

In Peace Dale, shots fired belie its name

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Shots were fired in Peace Dale for the third time in just over a month in what police say is a continuing feud between two families that is linked to an unsolved murder in Providence.

Witnesses said three shots were fired around noon at Champagne Heights, a low-income housing development at 364 Curtis Corner Rd.

People gathered at the scene today said the intended target was Jay Northup, 25. Northup was outside his grandmother’s apartment at the complex, C-7, babysitting his son and other children when shots hit the outside of the building.

“I wasn’t afraid. I’m not afraid to die. I’m just scared for the kids,” he said, holding a toddler boy. He wouldn’t confirm he was the target or say who the shooter was. No one was injured.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Northup is the brother of Jevon Scholl, 19, whose last known address was C-7. Scholl faces firearms charges related to gunfire April 30 at Meadowbrook Apartments.

In that case, police were responding to quell a fight brewing among a group of men at Meadowbrook when shots rang out. Again, no one was injured.

Two days later, in apparent retaliation, someone fired five rounds at 28 Schaeffer St., which was occupied by Allister Sampson; his girlfriend, Rebecca Scholl -- Jevon Scholl’s mother -- and two children, Capt. Jeffrey Allen said. No arrests have been made in that case.

Witnesses claimed and police confirmed today that the dispute is connected to the murder of Mark Wilson, who was found shot to death on the shore of Canada Pond, along Route 146, in Providence in 1998. No one has been charged with the killing.

Recent skirmishes have rekindled a conflict between members of Wilson’s and Scholl’s families, Allen said.

The police this afternoon recovered a green Pontiac believed to have been involved in today’s shooting parked in the yard at 200 Shannock Rd., police said. The car was towed to police headquarters and its owner Kharissa Wilson, Mark’s sister, had agreed to let officers search the vehicle, he said. A shell casing and two bullets were found at Champagne Heights.

“We don’t know where the driver is; we don’t know who the driver is,” Allen said.

Allen said witnesses were not cooperating with investigators, but that the shooting had been captured by video surveillance cameras on the South Kingstown Housing Authority property.

“We know the people who are involved. Once again, there’s no communication,” Allen said. He said he plans to try to engage the families in mediation.

“Someone’s gonna get shot, whether it happens in South Kingstown …,” Allen said.

The shots surprised Housing Authority Executive Director Edward Pearlman, who has made strides in decreasing crime and improving conditions at the housing development over the past several years.

“It’s been amazingly quiet,” he said, noting GED classes being held there and that the Rhode Island Raptors football team practices on the fields behind the development.

Still, those at the scene worry that someone is going to get hurt.

“They could have shot that little baby,” Patricia Young said.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:08 PM | Comment

City would up contribution to Providence library

PROVIDENCE -- The city would raise by 10 percent its annual contribution to the Providence Public Library, under a proposed three-year agreement that Mayor David N. Cicilline delivered to the library board of trustees today.

The agreement also established an advisory committee "to address some issues collaboratively" instead of increased public representation on the board of trustees, according to a City Hall news release.

“For over a century, Providence has relied on a public-private partnership to support our libraries, which play an invaluable role in the lives of our residents. This agreement preserves and strengthens that partnership,” Cicilline said in the statement. “Not only does this agreement assure the continuation of library services in the City of Providence, it also creates a framework for the library to grow and evolve through collaboration.”

The memorandum of agreement proposal the mayor delivered to the board of trustees is based on deliberations of the Library Partnership Working Group created last year to "resolve and formalize the relationship between the [public library] and the City of Providence."

The current one-year agreement is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year. The agreement, described as a compromise in the news release, was presented to a subcommittee of the library partnership group this morning, then transmitted to each member of the Board of Trustees. The next trustees' meeting is scheduled for June 22.

The agreement also includes "joint initiatives" between city and library to lower costs, a $400,000 commitment for branch services in the Washington Park neighborhood and "a commitment by the mayor to jumpstart fundraising efforts," the release says.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:27 PM | Comment

Update: Governor seeks wage freeze, staff cuts

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today called for cutting 1,000 state employees and seeking General Assembly approval for legislation to freeze all state wages at current levels to balance the budget.

It was a preemptive move for Carcieri, a Republican in a state where Democrats command wide majorities in the legislature, on the day before Democratic leaders are to unveil their budget proposal.

Carcieri said the employee reductions would save taxpayers $26 million in fiscal 2008 and another $40 million the following year.

That represents hundreds of additional employee positions being cut from what Carcieri's original budget proposal sought earlier this year. That plan had recommended getting rid of 168 non-union and newly-hired employees by July 1, as well as eliminating another 214 jobs by outsourcing housekeeping and food services at the state hospital and veterans home.

Asked at a news conference today what happens if the legislature doesn't go along with today's employee-reduction proposal, Carcieri said: "I'm going to do it anyway."

The state is projected to be in a deficit of millions of dollars, and Carcieri says his plan today aims at making "fundamental reforms" to avoid future budget problems.

The governor "ruled out" using proceeds from the sale of tobacco settlement bonds -- drawing from the state's share of the national tobacco settlement. He spoke against it in a larger message that the state should avoid tax increases one-time fixes -- ''one-time gimmicks, he called them -- to balance the budget.

"One-time Band-Aids will not stop the hemorrhaging and will only exacerbate next year's problems," Carcieri said in remarks prepared for delivery. "It is time to take a long-term view and enact major reforms."

Carcieri did not mention that his original budget plan earlier this year called for the use of about $130 million in one-time fixes, including taking $63 million from this year's "rainy day" fund and $28.2 million in land sales.

Dennis R. Grilli, executive director of the union representing state workers, tore into Carcieri's proposals, saying in a statement that the governor is "more concerned about getting his pound of flesh than creating sound public policy" and doing so "at the expense of our veterans and our most frail, vulnerable citizens."

"We sat across the table from the administration and listened to their suggestions, and negotiated in good faith. We offered millions of dollars in potential savings in order to help the governor balance this difficult budget," said Grilli, who heads up R.I. Council 94. "Through these savings, we gave him a great opportunity to avoid laying off hundreds of hard-working state employees, and he returned the favor with treachery.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau and Journal archives

Lawmakers, needing to close an estimated $300-million deficit projected if taxes and state services remain at current levels, have had different ideas. The House this week approved H-6473, which authorizes raising $195 million by selling part of Rhode Island's future payments from the tobacco settlement.

That is $35 million more than Carcieri's office projected in November that the state could raise.

House Finance Chairman Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, has said he planned to move $67.5 million from sale of the bonds previously designated for transportation projects to help close the budget.

That aims to close a hole created last month when state leaders learned they would not get an expected $100-million settlement from insurance company American International Group.

At the same time there is a deficit, lawmakers have given out money for various projects in communities -- $2.3 million in small grants -- that can be popular among their constituencies.

Today's proposal by the governor also calls for:

-- Renegotiating the health-care plan used by state employees by increasing the co-pays those employees would have to make at doctors' visits, emergency room visits and for prescription drugs.

-- "Putting out to bid every state service that could possibly be performed more efficiently by the private sector." The governor will form a Competition in Government Task Force to review services where that could possibly work.

"Being well run means having a government that delivers quality service at a price our taxpayers can afford, and which is sustainable over the long-term," Carcieri said in remarks prepared for delivery. "That is not the case today."

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:22 PM | Comment

Group opposes bill to expand Newport Grand

NEWPORT -- A gambling watchdog group is opposed to state legislation that would extend Newport Grand’s video slot contract with the state and weaken the city’s ability to regulate the gambling facility.

The bill before the General Assembly was requested by The Procaccianti Group, which has agreed to purchase Newport Grand for $155 million as part of a $1.4 billion plan to redevelop the site and surrounding land.

Today, Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling issued a statement asserting that the bill would strip the city of the authority it needs to regulate expansion at Newport Grand.

The bill “is an arrogant attempt to usurp the jurisdiction of the city of Newport by transferring control over a huge section of the city to the Procaccianti Group through the state Division of Lotteries,” Rev. Eugene McKenna, president of the group, said in a statement.

“The bill would remove the Newport Grand gambling facility and any ancillary properties from city zoning regulations, thus allowing the Procaccianti Group, which seeks to purchase Newport Grand, to expand the facility in any way it saw fit and to control the development of adjacent properties it might acquire. This move to circumvent city jurisdiction is a transparently obvious effort to overcome years of opposition by Newporters to expanded gambling.”

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

In 2005, the General Assembly approved a contract that freezes the tax rate on video slots for 10 years and requires Newport Grand to complete $20 million in improvements. But the city refused to issue a building permit, saying the plans violated local ordinances restricting gambling. Newport Grand sued and in February, a Superior Court judge agreed that the city’s actions were illegal and ordered a building permit issued. The city has appealed.

In April, Cranston-based Procaccianti, owner of the Westin Providence hotel and many other hotels in Rhode Island and across the country, announced its intent to buy the 24-acre Newport Grand site and its interest in acquiring an additional 30-plus acres of nearby state and federal land.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:11 PM | Comment

Update: OK to swim at Warwick beaches, too

In Warwick, the state Health Department recommended re-opening City Park Beach, Conimicut Point Beach and Oakland Beach to swimming, after recommending the same for Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett earlier today.

That's based on results from water samples showing bacteria levels within acceptable limits, according to a news release.

Rain and storm water runoff earlier this week increased bacteria levels in the water.

Beach status changes on a daily basis. Check out the Health Department’s beach closures and advisories online or call (401) 222-2751 for recorded information.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:04 PM | Comment

Schilling loses no-hitter with two outs in ninth; Sox win, 1-0

Shannon Stewart hit the first pitch he saw from Curt Schilling into right field for a single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth this afternoon, breaking up Schilling's no-hit bid.

The Red Sox won the game, 1-0.

Updates to this story will be made all night on projo.com's Sox Blog.

Posted by Art Martone at 5:18 PM | Comment

Update: A chance to share their stories / Audio

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Susan Pettine, center, and her daughter, Amy Pettine, get some coaching from StoryCorps facilitator Naomi Greene of New York before Sue tells her story.

Audio: Hear the Pettines talk about why they told their stories, and listen to facilitator Nick Pumilia talk about his role, as interviewed by projo.com reporter Kate Bramson.

PROVIDENCE – City resident Amy Pettine is known to stay in her car after reaching her destination listening to StoryCorps segments on National Public Radio, an oral documentary project recording the voices and stories of Americans.

So when her Providence College roommate, who’s now in a graduate program at Brown University, told her how she was working to bring StoryCorps to Rhode Island, Pettine wanted to participate.

Today in the park by Kennedy Plaza, in a big silver bus equipped with all kinds of recording equipment, she’s interviewing her mom, Susan Pettine, who is retiring after teaching for many years in a Fall River elementary school.

“I thought it was a good time to reflect,” Amy said. “Having the audio is just so amazing – to capture her voice.”

StoryCorps, a Peabody award-winning project, is here in Providence from today through June 30, recording the voices of Rhode Islanders. Locally, StoryCorpsRI is based at the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization at Brown University.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Rhode Islanders can still head to the main StoryCorps site and register to record their own histories. The schedule for the last two weeks that StoryCorps is here hasn't been set yet. Reservations for those sessions can be made beginning at 10 a.m. tomorrow on the StoryCorps site.

If you go to register and the schedule appears full, facilitator Nick Pumilia said spots will certainly open up, as some people cancel their appointments.

Pumilia has been working with the project, facilitating hundreds of the conversations the program has recorded. He doesn’t act as an interviewer, he said. The oral histories are “really just more of a conversation between the two of them,” he said. “We take a backseat.”

At the end of the Pettines' 40-minute recording session, they'll get a CD of their interview to take home with them. With participants' permission, copies are also sent to the American Folklife Center's archives at the Library of Congress and select stories air on NPR's Morning Edition.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 4:57 PM | Comment

Cumberland bookkeeper gets 4 years in prison

BOSTON -- Angela Buckborough Platt, the Cumberland bookkeeper who embezzled $6.9 million, today received a four-year prison term.

U.S. District Court Judge William Young also sentenced Platt, 43, to serve three years of supervised probation and replay J&J Materials of Rehoboth $4.48 million.

Platt, speaking in a soft voice in between sobs, told the court she was sorry and "very ashamed."

Platt, described as one of J&J's most-trusted employees, used the company's money to pay for what the government called an "epic shopping spree," which culminated in a million-dollar wedding for her daughter.

Other purchases included an 104-acre estate in Vermont, 30 acres of woods in Maine and 28 automobiles.

She pleaded guilty in February to one count of interstate transporation of stolen property.

-- Philip Marcelo, Journal Staff writer

Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:50 PM | Comment

House OKs lifting restrictions on stem cell research

WASHINGTON -- Spoiling for a veto fight, Congress cleared legislation today easing restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

The House vote to send the measure to President Bush was 247-176, short of the level needed to override a second veto in as many years on the issue.

U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin, D-R.I., voted yes to lift the ban on embryonic stem cell research. He has been an outspoken advocate for expanding the federal government’s role and involvement in stem cell research since 2001. Langevin rallied support for the bill on the House Floor earlier today, according to his office, and subsequently offered the following statement:

"I am proud to support the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act and to be a part of a Congress that has made this a top priority. This legislation has strong, bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, enjoys the support of up to 70 percent of Americans, and offers hope and the promise of a cure to the millions of patients suffering from chronic disease and disability.”

Fellow Rhode Island Democrat, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, also voted in favor of the legislation. Click here for a roll call on the vote.

Read the full Associated Press story about the vote here.

-- The Associated Press and projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

The bill's leading advocate, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., had this to say after the measure passed: "For many, embryonic stem cell research is the most promising source of potential treatments and cures" for debilitating disease.

"Unfortunately, because of the stubbornness of one man - President Bush - these people continue to suffer as they wait," she added.

Langevin has also recently been tapped to serve as a special adviser to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on stem-cell research and policy and outreach to people with disabilities.

Critics of the legislation said the research requires the destruction of human embryos, and that alternatives have shown more promise.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:41 PM | Comment

Father recounts finding daughter slain / Photo

WARWICK -- Margaret Duffy-Stephenson had not been heard from, had not been to work in two days, and her father was about to discover why.

John Duffy said he went through a door into a lower floor of her 28 Blackmore St. home in Warwick, walked up the stairs and found his 37-year-old daughter lying on her back.

She was covered in dried blood. Her neck had been slashed.

"Margaret," Duffy recalled saying when he discovered her on Nov. 18, 2005.

Duffy testified as the prosecution's first witness today in the murder trial of Cranston man James Stewart Richardson, who is accused of stabbing Duffy-Stephenson.

Duffy touched his daughter's shoulder, hard and cold and soaked in dry blood.

The trial in Kent County Superior Court could last two to three weeks.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Duffy-Stephenson had gone with her family to a wedding in Florida. Duffy-Stephenson returned to go back to work as teacher's aide for autistic students at Archie R. Cole Junior High School in East Greenwich while her family stayed in Florida. Her husband, James O. Stephenson III, and their then 3-year-old son remained in Florida.

She went to a teachers' union dinner on Nov. 16 but then missed two following days of work.

In his opening statement, prosecutor William Ferland cited a number for the jury: 99.9993462

That, he said, is the percentage of the population that did not have the DNA that was in a sample collected from under Duffy-Stephenson's fingernails. But a DNA expert, he added, could not exclude Richardson from having that DNA.

"In every way, the defendant's DNA is consistent" with the DNA found under her fingernails, Ferland said.

During the prosecution's opening, jurors saw a picture of Duffy-Stephenson projected on a screen.

But in his opening statement, defense lawyer John Hardiman countered with Richardson's alibi that he had been home at the time Duffy-Stephenson was slain and that a number of family members could attest to that. Hardiman detailed what Duffy-Stephenson was doing during the time authorities accused him of killing Duffy-Stephenson

Hardiman also sought to lessen the significance of the prosecution's DNA argument, saying there was other people's DNA on other things in the room, such as a safe from which money had been taken.

The police have said they found a basement office that had been rummaged through in the Cowesett area home. The safe that had contained $11,000 was found empty, they said. The office was home to Picture Perfect Landscaping, Duffy-Stephenson's husband's business.

Richarson was arrested in December 2005, after the police said they found his DNA beneath Duffy-Stephenson's fingernails. He was indicted in March 2006 on murder and burglary charges, and remains at the Adult Correctional Institutions.

Richardson, 40, began working for Stephenson in 2000, shortly after he was paroled from a Connecticut prison, and worked for the business for more than four years. In 1996, Richardson was convicted of kidnapping a female hitchhiker in Lebanon, Conn., binding and gagging her with her own clothes and beating her.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:50 PM | Comment

Study: How nonprofit arts groups feed Providence

PROVIDENCE -- Calling the results “amazing,” exciting” and “extraordinary,” city officials today unveiled the findings of a national study showing that local arts and cultural organizations pump more than $110 million annually into the state’s economy.

The study, conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for the Arts, also found that nonprofit arts and cultural groups supported nearly 3,000 full-time jobs and generated more than $11 million in state and local tax revenues.

The study also found that nonprofit arts and cultural groups contribute far more to the local economy than the national average.

The figures were especially striking when Providence was compared to other cities of similar size. Based on data supplied by 56 cities and counties with populations between 100,000 and 250,000, Providence’s nonprofit arts and cultural sector ranked second in total spending ($112 million), third in number of full-time jobs (2,759) and second in state and local tax revenues ($11.1 million).

That was far ahead of cities such as Orlando, Fla., Burlington, Vt., Lincoln, Neb. and, and Santa Cruz, Calif. Only Pasadena, Calif., ranked higher in overall arts-related spending ($180 million) and tax revenue ($16 million).

Speaking to an audience of local arts and business leaders at the just-opened Renaissance Providence Hotel, city arts and tourism director Lynne McCormack said the study “busts the myth” that nonprofit arts groups don’t contribute much to the local economy.

“If nothing else, this should put an end to the idea that ‘nonprofit’ means ‘no money,’” McCormack declared. “It’s often said that the arts are good for your soul. This study shows that they’re also good for the economy.”

-- Journal arts writer Bill Van Siclen

McCormack’s boss, Mayor David N. Cicilline, also praised the study, although he warned against taking its findings for granted.

“Whether it’s seeing a play at Trinity Rep, a listening to a concert at Vets Auditorium or spending an evening out at WaterFire, we know that arts and cultural events contribute both to our quality of life and to our economy,” Cicilline said. “But simply knowing that the arts are a good thing isn’t enough. If we want them to remain vibrant, we need to continue and even increase our investment in the arts.”

Extra: Take a look at the study's report for Providence.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:41 PM | Comment

Missing Attleboro woman located in Providence

ATTLEBORO – A call to the Providence Police this morning reporting a suspicious woman in the Fox Point neighborhood was just the news an Attleboro family and the Attleboro Police had been hoping for.

Turns out, the woman reported to be on the porch at 68 Sheldon St. was Barbara Tscherniak, 77, a woman with Alzheimer’s disease whose family had reported as missing on Tuesday night, Attleboro Police Capt. David Proia said.

"There was no sign of any kind of foul play," Proia said. "She did not appear harmed in any way, and we believe she walked the entire distance."

That would be about 10 miles, if she had gone the most direct route traveled by car. There's no way of knowing exactly what path she took, though.

The Attleboro police had launched an intense search for Tscherniak, who had wandered away before, but never for as long as she was gone this time, Proia said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

The police had been looking since the woman’s son, Godfrey Tscherniak, reported her missing from her home on Newport Avenue in South Attleboro at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, with a helicopter, police dogs and officers dedicated to the search, Proia said.

“We were very happy this morning,” Proia said about the call from the Providence Police reporting they had found the woman. “It was a sigh of relief.”

The Providence Fire Department took the woman to Rhode Island Hospital, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the department. She remains there waiting for family members and an evaluation, Proia said. She was found about 8:45 a.m. today, Proia said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:25 PM | Comment

Providence man gets 20 years for drugs, guns

PROVIDENCE -- A Providence man was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge today for trafficking in crack cocaine and guns.

Juan Forbes, 21, of Burnett Street, who is also known as "Weezy," pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy, distributing 50 grams or more of crack cocaine, and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente.

Forbes was among several defendants charged last year with federal offenses through a joint investigation by the Providence police and the U.S. Drug enforcement Administration called Operation Crackdown.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Beckner said at the plea hearing that the government could show that, last September, Forbes sold 58 grams of crack cocaine and, three times in September and October, that Forbes sold a handgun.

Because of a past drug-trafficking conviction, Forbes was given a mandatory 20-year sentence, according to the release.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:25 AM | Comment

Carcieri to address budget concerns

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri has scheduled a 1:30 p.m. news conference to raise concerns about the state budget scheduled for a vote by the House Finance Committee tomorrow.

The governor's concerns include a legislative proposal to fund operating costs by borrowing against future payments from a landmark settlement with tobacco companies, according to the governor's spokesman.

Read more on the budget issue.

-- With reports from Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau

Posted by Jack Perry at 10:02 AM | Comment

Major cocaine bust nabs women with Providence ties

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Two women who gave the police Rhode Island and Florida addresses are being held today on $1 million bail after a routine traffic stop turned into a major drug bust in this small town.

The women -- Yajaira Rosario, 21, and Jany Avila, 29 -- were arrested on charges that they were trafficking more than seven pounds of uncut cocaine. The police say the drugs are worth more than $350,000.

The drugs were found after a trooper pulled the women over for speeding on Interstate 95 around 3 a.m. yesterday, according to the police.

The women gave addresses in Providence and Leesburg, Fla.

Read more at Seacoastonline.com, the Web site for seven newspapers in New Hampshire and southern Maine.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:31 AM | Comment

Forum to address public financing of R.I. campaigns

How elections are funded in Rhode Island is the topic of a forum tonight that’s expected to address the question, “Is Rhode Island ready for fair elections?”

The forum is a chance for Rhode Islanders to learn more about the mission of Rhode Islanders for Fair Elections, a statewide coalition that’s working to build support for fully financing election campaigns with public funds. The General Assembly has considered legislation to do just that during the last three legislative sessions, but the bills have not reached either chamber’s floor for a vote.

Common Cause of Rhode Island will host the 7 p.m. forum at The Squantum Association, at 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway in East Providence. The evening kicks off with a reception at 6 p.m. that’s free to all Common Cause donors (including those who make a donation at the door).

Other New England states have moved toward public financing of elections, and leaders from those movements will sit on tonight’s panel.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan organization working to promote representative democracy by ensuring open, ethical, accountable government.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:37 AM | Comment

Traffic: Typical commuting congestion

Surprise, surprise. Route 195 west is backed up and getting worse as the morning commute progresses.

Doesn’t it always seem to be the case?

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 7:28 AM | Comment

Sox lose fourth in a row / Photo

OAKLAND – A bad bounce. A couple of bad calls, at least in Boston’s initial point of view. That’s what left a bad taste in the Red Sox’ mouths as they suffered a 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum last night.

Throw in a bad travel schedule, and suddenly the Red Sox are looking more mortal than they did a week or so ago, not to mention a tad frustrated. That frustration led to a pair of spirited arguments last night with plate umpire Dan Iassogna, who ejected Boston manager Terry Francona in the eighth.

Read Steven Krasner's full story.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:10 AM | Comment

Warming to a high of 72 with mostly sunny skies

PROVIDENCE – We promise – well, as much as any forecaster can – that this morning’s 48 degrees will give way to warmer, summer-like temps.

We should see a high of 72 today and mostly sunny skies.

Nighttime temps this week continue to be in the mid-50s to low-60s.

Saturday looks like it should be our indoor weekend day – bring on the rain for our gardens and grass. There’s a 60 percent chance of showers beginning Friday night and continuing into Saturday. Sunday, on the other hand, will be more like the day we’re expecting to have today.

Get the latest conditions and forecasts from projo.com.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 7:05 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features photographs and stories on the 2008 presidential campaign's visit to Rhode Island. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a Republican candidate, visited the Ocean state for a pair of fundraisers and former President Bill Clinton was also here raising money on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, a Democratic candidate.

Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment