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« July 16, 2007 | Today | July 18, 2007 » July 17, 2007Update: Cab driver who was shot in head diesCENTRAL FALLS -- Jose Rodriguez, the cab driver shot in the head while transporting three men to Central Falls, died today at Rhode Island Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Nancy Cawley said. Rodriguez, a father of two children, died at about 2 p.m. He had been in critical condition. Central Falls police continued its investigation today working with Providence police to find suspects in the shooting. The manager of Gonzalez Cab Inc. where Rodriguez worked, Evelyn Gonzalez, said that Rodriguez had picked up three men on Spruce St. in Providence to bring them to Central Falls. Gonzalez, who was working dispatch when the midday shooting occurred, said Rodriguez’s wife called frantically because she had been talking on the phone with her husband, and he had intimated that the three men he had picked up were acting suspiciously. She asked him where he was and he said Exit 27 on Route 95 and then the line went dead, according to Gonzalez. Mrs. Rodriguez called Gonzalez and told them her to try to reach her husband. When Gonzalez could not, she said she immediately called Central Falls Police. Rodriguez has worked with the cab company since 2004, according to Gonzalez. “It is difficult because we are all like family here,” she said. The company shut down after the shooting but was opened for business today at 6 a.m. Gonzalez said she is planning to join with other cab companies to ask Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline to help cabbies get partitions in their cars to protect them from their riders. “The cabbies are fearful,” Gonzalez said. “There is not much protection for them.” -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Whitehouse to join Reed in Senate debate / Photo
WASHINGTON -- The Senate could take on the atmosphere of a sleepover camp tonight, as it prepares an all-night debate on legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Carl Levin. Rhode Island Democrat Reed will be joined by his fellow Democrat, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who is scheduled to take to the floor early tomorrow morning. Reed joined other Senators earlier today for a press conference on the issue. The amendment offered by Reed and Levin would begin redeploying American troops out of Iraq within four months, with a target ending date of April 30, 2008. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced that he and the Senate’s Democratic leadership will hold the body in session overnight to force senators who oppose the Levin-Reed amendment to explain to the American people why they do not support bringing troops home. Iraq War veterans, military families, and members of Americans United for Change, Moveon.org and Vote Vets will join members of Congress to remember soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:49 PM | Comment Make tracks to Westerly for 'Happy Feet' at beachWESTERLY -- Want to bring the movie to the beach? Tonight you can. At 8:45 p.m., the Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce conducts its “Movies on the Beach” series. The movie is Happy Feet, an animation film about dancing penguins. It's certainly for all ages. (A certain projo.com reporter's 2 1/2-year-old niece couldn't get enough of the movie recently, at times breaking into a Happy Feet dance at will during a family get-together). The movie viewing will be at Misquamicut Beach. You’ll find a transportable screen near the Sandy Shore Motel, 149 Atlantic Ave., Westerly. Admission and parking are free. If it rains, the showing is tomorrow. For more information, go to www.westerlychamber.org. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Man accused of flashing women at Chafee preserveNorth Kingstown police arrested a 28-year-old man whom they believe has been flashing girls and women at the John H. Chafee Nature Preserve. Police allege that Mark Boyajian, of East Greenwich, approached a Philadelphia woman walking the trails at the waterfront park last Tuesday evening and dropped his pants, exposing himself. She called 911 and followed the man as he fled to the parking lot. When she told police details of what had happened, Capt. Charles Brennan said the story sounded familiar. He turned up three similar complaints logged in the past 11 months. “It seemed like too much to be a coincidence,” Brennan said. Last month a woman complained that a man at the park approached her and a group of Girl Scouts, asking where the beach was. He then dropped his pants, Brennan said. Boyajian was arrested Saturday, charged with one count of disorderly conduct and released on bail. Brennan says he’ll be back in District Court at the end of the month to face additional charges related to the June incident. The women from the park both picked Boyajian out of a photo lineup, and the Philadelphia woman identified his car. Brennan said the department will continue to investigate the other incidents. Sgt. John Murphy thought of Boyajian as a suspect because of his previous convictions in 2000 and 2001 for exposing himself to women at a clothing store and a shopping plaza parking lot. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:09 PM | Comment Woonsocket city official resigns in wake of e-mailsWOONSOCKET -- Hours into an investigation launched after Council President Leo T. Fontaine informed the city of harassing e-mails being sent from City Hall in his name, Human Services director and longtime city employee John R. Dionne has resigned. Mayor Susan D. Menard, who Monday night asked Director of Administration Michael Annarummo to look into the bizarre matter after Fontaine addressed his concerns earlier that evening, announced in a news release today that “the responsible party offered his resignation immediately. The resignation of John Dionne was accepted.” Menard said that Annarummo and City Solicitor Christopher Lambert will investigate how much Dionne cost the city by using his work computer for non-city-related activities and that she will “demand restitution.” “This type of behavior has not and will not be tolerated. Any city employee who misuses their office will be swiftly and similarly treated,” Menard said. Dionne, who previously served as chairman of the Board of Canvassers and before that as public safety director, was forced from his public safety job in 1995 after the Rhode Island Ethics Commission said that he used improper influence when he unsuccessfully tried to have his son made a police officer. Dionne, who did not return calls for comment, also served on the City Council from 1977 to 1987, and was council president for six years. -- Journal staff writer Kia Hall Hayes The mayor also said in the release that she hopes to express her “deepest regrets and apology on behalf of the city,” to Fontaine, who on Monday said that he became aware of the bizarre issue after local radio host Dave Kane received e-mails from "Leo Fontaine" during a show two months ago. Kane began reading the e-mail on the air, but stopped after the message became increasingly profane and notified Fontaine. Todd Brien, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor last year, said he also received e-mails that he believes were from Dionne. The council president said another city employee has also received e-mails that were signed Fontaine. All were sent from City Hall, using taxpayer dollars, Fontaine said Monday. The council president said during the meeting that he will consider pursuing legal action on behalf of the city. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:00 PM | Comment Probation-violation hearing set for dual murder suspectPROVIDENCE -- The probation violation hearing for a man charged in connection with the double homicide of two women found inside a Providence apartment after a fire has been scheduled for Aug. 1, according to attorney general's spokeswoman Beryl Kenyon. Raymond Clements, 23, is facing murder and first-degree arson charges in connection with the June 14 slaying of Heather Jesus, 20, of 375 Plainfield St., Providence, and her 17-year-old cousin, Amanda Sousa, at Jesus' Silver Lake apartment. Clements received a court-appointed lawyer today, Chris Millea, ahead of the hearing. Kenyon said the Attorney General's Office will pursue the probation violation based on a first-degree robbery charge. That charge is for an incident authorities say Clements committed some 11 hours before he is accused of commiting the murders and arson. Authorities have said Clements had two prior convictions. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Clements is one of two men arrested for allegedly committing the slayings. Anthony J. Carter, 22, of Pawtucket was arrested in Polk County, Fla., last month and faces robbery charges in Florida. Dr. Thomas Gilson, Rhode Island chief state medical examiner, said Jesus died of "sharp-force injuries and asphyxia due to neck and chest compression," and that Sousa died of "multiple blunt-impact and sharp-force injuries." Police Maj. Stephen Campbell has said the fire was set deliberately to destroy evidence, and that the blaze began in the living room, where the bodies were found. Both victims were attacked before the fire, he has said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:53 PM | Comment Update: Man charged with assault was on FBI listSMITHFIELD -- A man arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend turned up on an FBI wanted list, the police said today. Richard J. Joseph, 34, of 179 Pleasant View Ave., was taken into custody after a search in which officers enlisted a K-9 dog from the North Providence police, said Capt. Robert W. VanNieuwenhuyze, spokesman for the Smithfield police. VanNieuwenhuyze said that officers were dispatched about 9:45 p.m. on Monday after a man was reported to be assaulting a woman near Mac’s Liquor Mart on Pleasant View Avenue. When officers arrived, they were told by witnesses that the pair had left in a white vehicle. Patrol Officer Jeffrey Scott located the vehicle and began following it, VanNieuwenhuyze said, but the vehicle then turned abruptly onto Riverview Avenue, where the suspect took off by foot. The woman, whom VanNieuwenhuyze declined to identify other than to say that she was Joseph’s live-in girlfriend, told officers who her boyfriend was and said he was intoxicated. The FBI connection then showed up when the officers checked his name against computer records. Patrol Officer Michael Zachannini brought in his K-9 dog and soon found Joseph, who was caught after a brief chase. -- Journal staff writer Thomas J. Morgan Special Agent Gail Marcincavage of the Boston office of the FBI said that the charges against Joseph were lodged by the state Department of Revenue and involved abandonment and failure to pay child support. Marcincavage said state officials had requested that the suspect’s name on the national wanted list so that his name would pop up no matter where in the country he might be arrested. When Joseph was arraigned before Judge Frank J. Cenerini of District Court this morning, he pleaded no contest to Smithfield police charges of domestic assault, domestic vandalism and domestic disorderly conduct. He received a one-year suspended sentence on the first two charges, and a six-month suspended sentence on the third. Cenerini also ordered him to serve a year of probation. Cenerini also ordered Joseph held without bail on the FBI warrant. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:49 PM | Comment Citizenship campaign for legal immigrants gets pushPROVIDENCE -- A collection of church, union and community organizations today promoted a national campaign to motivate legal immigrants to become citizens and use the power of their vote. The International Institute of Rhode Island estimates that about 150,000 people in the Ocean State are foreign born, says its executive director William Shuey. About 50,000 are already U.S. citizens. Of the remaining 100,000, at least 70,000 are here legally and eligible for citizenship, he says. On Saturday, the International Institute, the Diocese of Providence, Progresso Latino and Project Hope will offer citizen application advice at four locations in Providence and Central Falls. Rocio Saenz, president of Local 615 of the Service Employees International Union, says there are 8 million legal immigrants nationally eligible for U.S. citizenship. The national movement -- "ya es hora’’, or, now’s the time -- has a goal to naturalize more than 1 million new citizens this year and in time for next year’s elections. Saenz says the push has been motivated by a 69 percent increase in naturalization fees (from $400 to $675) set to go into effect on Aug. 1 and the "ugly tone of the immigration debate’’ which cast aspersion on all hard-working immigrants, no matter their legal status. President Bush’s effort to overhaul the nation’s immigration policy failed last month when the Senate could not unite on the proposal which offered legal status to millions of illegal immigrants while trying to tighten the nation’s borders. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Those wishing to apply for citizenship can do so Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations: International Institute of Rhode Island, 645 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Phone: 784-8615. Progreso Latino, 626 Broad St., Central Falls, 728-5920, ext. 310. Diocese of Providence, 184 Broad St., Providence, 421-7833, ext. 129 Project Hope, 400 Dexter St., Central Falls Extra. More on applying for U.S. citizenship Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:37 PM | Comment Update: Owner of boa constrictor foundNORTH KINGSTOWN -- The tale of the boa constrictor dropped off at the police station last night has taken another twist. At first, Capt. Charles Brennan said police were told that the 5-foot-long snake had been spotted on Ten Rod Road by by West Warwick resident Michael Medeiros around 10:30 p.m. He then dropped it off at the police station. A shift lieutenant called in Animal Control Officer Mary MacLaughlin to handle the snake, who put it in a plastic tote with a lid. The snake spent the night in a lieutenant’s office at the police station, and MacLaughlin took it to the dog pound this morning. “It was very mild-mannered and relaxed,” said MacLaughlin. The snake, about as thick as a soda can, “is very healthy and looks well-cared for,” she added. Boa constrictors, found in Mexico and South America, feed at night on lizards, birds, bats and squirrels. Today, McLaughlin called several pet stores and Roger Williams Park Zoo to find a temporary home for the reptile, which can grow as long as 13 feet. In the meantime, the police were looking for the owner. Said MacLaughlin, “We get a lot of missing cat and dog calls, but not too many calls for snakes.” In the course of checking with pet stores, however, police were told at one place that the boa constrictor sounded familiar, Brennan said later today. A man had been in, trying to sell such a snake. Turns out that it was Medeiros, who had brought in the boa constrictor the night before. He'd just bought a python, Brennan said, and had been trying to sell the boa constrictor. Apparently when he couldn't, he decided to drop it off at the police station instead. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:14 PM | Comment Motorcyclist seriously hurt in Rehoboth collisionREHOBOTH, Mass. -- A motorcyclist seriously injured when he collided with a car on Route 44 was undergoing surgery today, hospital and police officials said. Robert A. King, 36, of the Riverside section of East Providence, was thrown from his bike and taken to Rhode Island Hospital on Monday around 11 p.m. King was undergoing unspecified surgery this afternoon, according to a hospital spokeswoman. King was westbound on Winthrop Street (Route 44) while Jesse Aparicio, 18, of Rehoboth was in the oncoming lane and turning left into a parking lot, the police said. The vehicles collided just east of the junction of Route 118. The police said in a press release that an investigation into the accident is continuing. The release did not indicate whether the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet or provide addresses for either driver. No one from the Police Department could provide further details this afternoon. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:38 PM | Comment Update: Reed's troop plan comes at 'critical juncture'
The Rhode Island Democrat, during a midday news conference, said the Bush administration's Iraq policy is "diminishing our standing" in the international community and is "rapidly losing the support of the American public." Senate Democrats are preparing to stage an all-night debate to dramatize their efforts to force President Bush to begin bringing troops home from Iraq and to change what Reed called “a policy that cannot be sustained.” Tonight's session is an attempt to draw attention to a Republican tactic to require the Democrats to muster 60 votes for their legislation to force troop withdrawals and a new, reduced mission in Iraq. Opponents joined a group of Iraq war veterans at their own press conference today. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., said: "The sad truth is that too many of our colleagues are asleep when it comes to Iraq." Lieberman and Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate from Arizona, went on to support the president's surge strategy in Iraq. The two senators said the strategy needed the time and resources to succeed. Reed and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., his partner in the legislation, acknowledge that they are short of the votes necessary to force an up or down vote. The Senate is now slated to vote tomorrow on whether to limit debate on the Levin-Reed amendment to the overall defense authorization for fiscal year 2008. The amendment is a plan offering "the Iraqi people the best chance to move forward," Reed said in remarks, which were available via streaming video on projo.com. -- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington Bureau, and projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The measure at hand is a tougher version of legislation that Reed and Levin have offered several times before. It would require the United States to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq 120 days after enactment of the bill. By next May 1, it would require the United States to complete its transition to a more modest mission in Iraq, encompassing continued anti-terrorism efforts, training of Iraqi forces and protection of the American forces. Reed has heretofore resisted placing a hard deadline on the completion of such a mission change. He explained in an interview today that he now supports a deadline for accomplishing the mission shift. Reed reasons that troop rotation schedules and other such factors make it impossible for the U.S. military to sustain the current level of about 160,000 troops in Iraq. Therefore, Reed said today, it is now time to begin to force the administration to plan for the troop reductions that will become necessary next spring. Reed said he continues to believe that tens of thousands of troops will have to remain in Iraq for an indefinite period of time. President Bush and Republican Senate leaders have lobbied hard in recent days to resist change of strategy in Iraq, at least until next month, when U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus plan to issue a report on the effectiveness of the so-called surge in U.S. troops. Mr. Bush ordered the surge last winter in order to improve security in and around Baghdad as a way of promoting the Iraqi government’s efforts to reconcile that nation’s competing ethnic and religious groups. Besides the start of troop reductions in Iraq, Reed said the amendment calls for: * Transitioning to special missions next spring for such things as counter-terrorism operations. * A "comprehensive diplomatic effort" -- Reed said "one of the dramatic failings" of the Bush administration has been a one-dimensional policy of military force alone. "We have bipartisan support based on the reality in Iraq, the needs of our military and the best interests of the United States in the world," said Reed, who completed his 10th wartime visit to Iraq last week. Posted by Kate Bramson at 3:20 PM | Comment TPI Composites, in Warren, may build Iowa factoryRhode Island's TPI Composities Inc., based in Warren, may build a factory in Iowa that would employ more than 700 workers. TPI Composites could begin operations as early as next year, local officials said Monday. The company -- which manufactures wind turbines, airport buses and military Humvee cabs -- has not confirmed which product would be made in Newton, Iowa. The operation would help offset Whirlpool Corp.'s decision to eliminate 1,800 jobs at its former Maytag factory and corporate headquarters in Newton. Whirlpool, which bought Maytag last year, will phase out the jobs by October. "I think this is just an example of everybody pulling up their bootstraps and saying we're going to continue to thrive and move on," Bev Price, chairwoman for the Newton Development Corp., said Monday after local officials pledged support for the TPI project. TPI -- which has four factories in China, Mexico and the U.S. -- is considering Newton and three other candidates to host its fifth factory. Company officials have not announced other possible sites. TPI would pledge to create 723 jobs over three years, paying workers between $12.25 to $13.40 an hour, plus benefits, officials said. The company is awaiting approval of more than $6 million in state and local incentives and could take up to three months to consider the deal, said Wayne Monie, TPI's chief operating officer. -- The Associated Press "Iowa economic development folks have shared with us the vision of Iowa," Monie said. "They are interested in long-term stable manufacturing and high technologies and providing opportunities of support for companies who are expanding, as we are." The state incentives plan includes a request for a $2 million forgivable loan, which the Iowa Department of Economic Development will consider Thursday. The agency will also consider tax credits under the High-Quality Job Creation program. The local plan, worth as much as $4.4 million, could include the purchase of land and local tax breaks. A local nonprofit group also may agree to own the new building and lease it to the company. The package is still being negotiated by local and Jasper County groups. The company is considering several sites in the Newton area for the operation. It is seeking about 40 acres to lease. The building could add as much as $18 million to property tax valuations for the county and city, which could be used to finance the local incentives. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:52 PM | Comment Update: 'Cabbies are fearful,' says victim's managerCENTRAL FALLS -- Jose Rodriguez, the cab driver shot in the head while transporting three men to Central Falls remained in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital today. The manager of Gonzalez Cab Inc. where Rodriguez works, Evelyn Gonzalez, said that Rodriguez picked up three men on Spruce St. in Providence to bring them to Central Falls. She said those same men had assaulted a cabbie a few months earlier. Gonzalez said she is planning to join with other cab companies to ask Providence Mayor David Cicilline to help cabbies get partitions in their cars to protect them from their riders. “Our cab drivers are vulnerable. There have been other assaults on them and police have not done anything,” Gonzalez said. “Maybe with this people will take action.” Central Falls police continued its investigation today working with Providence police to find the people involved in the shooting. Gonzalez, who was working dispatch Monday when the shooting occurred, said Rodriguez’s wife called frantically because she had been talking on the phone with her husband, and he had intimated that the three men he had picked up were acting suspiciously. She asked him where he was and he said exit 27 on 95 and then the line went dead, according to Gonzalez. Mrs. Rodriguez called Gonzalez and told them her to try to reach her husband. When Gonzalez could not, she said she immediately called Central Falls Police. Rodriguez has worked with the cab company since 2004, according to Gonzalez. “It is difficult because we are all like family here,” she said. Word of his shooting spread like fire yesterday and about eight cabbies went to Central Falls Police headquarters to find our how he was. The company shut down after the shooting which occurred around midday but was opened for business yesterday again at 6 a.m. “The cabbies are fearful,” Gonzalez said. “There is not much protection for them.” -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:32 PM | Comment RWU professor calls for law school name changeA longtime writing professor at Roger Williams University who is also a graduate of the university’s law school is calling for the removal of Ralph R. Papitto’s name from the law school. Mel Topf, who has taught at Roger Williams since 1969, when the Bristol campus opened, has written to University President Roy J. Nirschel, asking him to introduce a Board of Trustees resolution to remove Papitto’s name from the law school. Read his letter. “In both capacities I am frankly embarrassed to have any building or school named after such a person as Mr. Papitto,” Topf wrote to Nirschel. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan He also suggests that Nirschel arrange for any former law school graduate to be allowed – for a reasonable fee -- to replace his or her diploma with one that does not carry Papitto’s name. Topf is the only Roger Williams professor who has spoken publicly with a personal plea to strip the law school of Papitto’s name in the wake of Papitto’s use of a racial slur at a board of trustees meeting. Papitto stepped down recently as chairman of the board of trustees, following the demands by other trustees for his resignation. Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:26 PM | Comment Gerber's organic rice and oatmeal cereals recalledThe state Health Department is warning parents of young children of a recall of Gerber Organic Rice and Organic Oatmeal cereals because of a potential choking risk. A limited quantity of the baby food may contain lumps of cereal that won’t dissolve in water or milk and pose a potential choking hazard. Gerber has received complaints about children choking, but not reports of injury. Consumers with either cereal product should not use it and should call the Gerber Parents Resource Center 1-800-443-7237 or 1-231-928-3000 to return the product and receive a full refund. For more details about the recall, see the announcement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:21 PM | Comment Update: Fire at former Grove St. School under controlPROVIDENCE -- A late-morning fire has been brought under control at the two-story brick building that is the former Grove Street School. City firefighters responded at 11:42 a.m. to 113 Grove St., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Fire Department. The fire, which was in the basement and first floor, was under control at 12:32 p.m. Preliminary indications were the fire may have started in the basement. The building inspector is headed to the location. The former school has been the subject of debate over whether to tear it down. The former school was damaged when a demolition contractor began ripping it apart without a building permit on Feb. 3. The demolition was partially complete when residents told police and city officials, and the work was stopped. In May, a trial pitting the city against the family, which now owns the building and began to tear it down, was postponed, after a defendant in the case died. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal photographer Mary Murphy Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:22 PM | Comment Former Celtic pleads not guilty to alcohol chargeNORWICH, Conn. -- Former NBA All-Star Vin Baker, whose 14-year career was marred by bouts of depression and alcoholism, pleaded not guilty today to drunken driving. Baker, 35, appeared briefly in Norwich Superior Court, then ducked out a back entrance to avoid photographers. He is due back in court Aug. 9. Baker, who lives in Durham, was spotted driving erratically after leaving Foxwoods Resort Casino on June 19, according to a state police report. He failed a sobriety test and was charged with driving while impaired, police said. State police described Baker's demeanor as cooperative. A four-time All-Star forward who attended the University of Hartford, Baker averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds. The 6-foot-11 forward was a member of the gold medal-winning Olympic team in 2000 and enjoyed his best seasons with Milwaukee and Seattle. Baker's alcoholism forced the Boston Celtics to cut him midway through the 2003-04 season. He later admitted drinking in his hotel room after playing poorly and showing up to practice with alcohol on his breath. He also played for New York, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers before being released by Minnesota six games into the 2006-07 season. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 12:32 PM | Comment R.I. legislative caucus jumps into Papitto discussionPROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Minority Leadership/Legislative Caucus plans to respond during a news conference tomorrow to the use of a racial slur by Roger Williams University’s former Board of Trustees chairman Ralph R. Papitto. Papitto, for whom the Roger Williams law school is named, used the slur during a May Board of Trustees meeting. The news conference will take place tomorrow at 11 a.m. near the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. bust on the second floor of the State House. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:18 PM | Comment Some resisted naming law school after PapittoBack in 1996 when the Roger Williams University Board of Trustees decided to change the name of the law school to honor Ralph R. Papitto, many students at the law school were angry and hoped to convince the board to reverse its decision. The students said they were grateful to Papitto – who at that time had been a member of the university's board of trustees for the 27 years, the last eight as chairman - for the years he put in lobbying for and creating Rhode Island's first and only law school. However, they thought it would be more appropriate for the university to name the law school building, or another building on campus, after him - and leave the name of the law school alone. Papitto has come under fire in recent days since his use of a racial epithet during a May meeting of the University Board of Trustees became public with a Providence Journal report on Saturday. In 1996, some students said they were upset with the name change because Papitto was not a lawyer, was still alive, and at one point had a civil problem with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Read the full story from 1996. Within two hours yesterday, a group of 75 students signed a petition demanding that university officials immediately change the name of the law school. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:13 PM | Comment Live video: Reed holding press conference on IraqWASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I. and Carl Levin, D-Mich., are holding a noontime news conference on Capitol Hill to discuss Iraq, as the Senate prepares to hold an all-nighter debating the war. Reed and Levin have co-sponsored an amendment on withdrawing from Iraq. Watch a live video broadcast of the press conference now. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:07 PM | Comment Mass. man pleads guilty to extortion in mob casePROVIDENCE -- A Taunton, Mass., man implicated in a Rhode Island-based mob extortion ring pleaded guilty to a felony extortion charge this morning in U. S. District Court. Lawrence Crites, no age available, appeared before Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi and changed his innocent plea to guilty. She scheduled a sentencing date of Oct. 12. On Friday, a co-defendant, Ricky E. Silva, 47, of North Providence, will face sentencing. Three months ago, Silva signed a plea agreement that noted he will receive no less than four years and no more than five years in prison. The authorities say that Anthony M. ``The Saint’’ St. Laurent, a capo regime in the Patriarca crime family, directed the extortion plot from his home at 2 Rotary Dr. in Johnston. In January, St. Laurent was sentenced to five years in prison. At the sentencing, federal prosecutors said that had the case gone to trial, the government could prove that in April 2006, St. Laurent directed Silva and James G. Manning, 64, of Cranston, to collect $100,000 from a pizza parlor owner and bookmaker/drug dealer in Taunton, Mass., area. If the two targets failed to pay, St. Laurent instructed Manning and Silva to ``bash’’ them. On April 6, 2006, Manning, Silva and an unnamed FBI informant traveled to Massachusetts to look for the intended victims. Once there, Crites met them. He was supposed to help them find the extortion targets. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski The next day, Manning, Silva, St. Laurent and Crites were charged with extortion. But Lisi said Crites could leave his home at 6 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m. so he can report to work sites for his job as a roofer. She emphasized that he was only to leave early for work ``with prior approval with probation.’’ Posted by Jack Perry at 12:00 PM | Comment Smithfield police nab man wanted by FBISMITHFIELD – A man wanted by the Boston office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on felony charges has been arrested here and additionally charged with domestic simple assault, domestic malicious damage to property and domestic disorderly conduct. After being called around 9:45 p.m. last night to Mac’s Liquor Mart on Pleasant View Avenue for a report of a woman being assaulted by a man, Smithfield patrol officers learned both people had left the area in a mid-sized white vehicle. Officer Jeffrey Scott found a vehicle matching the description traveling south on Pleasant View Avenue and followed it as it turned abruptly onto Riverview Avenue, where a man ran from the vehicle, according to Smithfield Capt. Robert W. Van Nieuwenhuyze. Smithfield police requested assistance from the North Providence Department and their K-9 unit. After a brief chase, the police arrested Richard J. Joseph, age 34, of 179 Pleasant View Ave., Smithfield. He was to be arraigned in District Court this morning. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 11:02 AM | Comment 2 injured in Smithfield motorcycle crashSMITHFIELD – A Massachusetts motorcyclist is undergoing emergency surgery this morning at Rhode Island Hospital and his passenger is in fair condition after a two-vehicle crash shortly after 11 p.m. last night. James Rempelakis, 42, of Agorista Lane in Norton, Mass., was traveling south in the area of 970 Douglas Pike last night with passenger Theresa Goddard, 34, of Reservoir Street in Norton. A Pawtucket resident – Kayla Cummings, 20, of Knowles Street – was driving a small car north on the road and attempted a left turn into adjacent plaza. The vehicles collided, according to Smithfield Capt. Robert W. Van Nieuwenhuyze. An accident reconstruction team is still investigating the crash. It appears that alcohol was not a factor, according to the police. Both people on the motorcycle appear to have been wearing helmets, the police said. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 10:48 AM | Comment Photo: Worker injured in concrete collapse at PC
Posted by Jack Perry at 10:02 AM | Comment Photo: Carrying on a life on the street
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:55 AM | Comment Narragansett Police ID Scarborough drowning victimNARRAGANSETT – The police this morning identified the 43-year-old Providence man who drowned last evening at Scarborough Beach as Jose A. Orellana, of 140 Willow St. The medical examiner’s office will likely examine the body and may conduct an autopsy, Police Lt. William McGovern said this morning. Orellana was apparently swimming with a friend’s two children – ages 11 and 14 – and all three had trouble in the water, according to the police report on the incident, McGovern said. There were no lifeguards on duty at the time – rescue crews were called at 6:24 p.m. A year ago today, a man drowned in Narragansett along a scenic but treacherous stretch of cliffs and rocks near Newton Avenue. He was working to rescue the granddaughter of his girlfriend. -- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson Posted by Kate Bramson at 8:38 AM | Comment Mass. woman sues IRS over sex-change deductionBOSTON -- After a tormented existence as a father, a husband, a Coast Guardsman and a construction worker, a 57-year-old suburban Boston man underwent a sex-change operation. Then she wrote off the $25,000 in medical expenses on her taxes. But the IRS disallowed the deduction - ruling the procedure was cosmetic, not a medical necessity - in a potentially precedent-setting dispute now before the U.S. Tax Court. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Mostly sunny, high near 86The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny day with a high near 86 degrees in the Providence area. The wind will be calm and from the southwest. Isolated thunderstorms are a possibility at any time, the weather service says. There's a slight chance of showers tonight after midnight. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on a call to remove former Roger Williams University chairman Ralph R. Papitto's name from the law school because he used a racial epithet during a trustees meeting. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006