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« September 4, 2007 | Today | September 6, 2007 » September 5, 2007Tonight: More blues at Chan's; rock, jazz elsewhereChan's Restaurant, which is no stranger to blue notes drifting through it, plays host to some more tonight in Woonsocket when Chris Daurte and Bluestone Company performs. Call 765-1900. 8, 10 pm. $15 early show; $10 late show; $18 both shows. In Newport, Greg Abate, Paul Nagel and Dave Zinno play jazz at Sardella's Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd., Newport. Call 849-6312. 7:30 to 10 pm. At AS220 in Providence, Baylies Band, Rick Gribenas and Jeremy Boyle perform some rock. It's at 115 Empire St. Call 831-9327. 9 pm. $6. All ages. Also in Providence, Andy DiPaola plays jazz at Capriccio, 2 Pine St. Call 421-1320. 7 to 11 pm. For more of what's happening, check projo.com's calendar of events. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Update: Fire victims' kin arrive at Biechele parole hearingWARWICK -- About a dozen relatives of Station nightclub fire victims have assembled so far in this city's police station community room, where they can tell the state Parole Board tonight whether to grant parole to the rock band tour manager who triggered the disastrous blaze. A few family members who have indicated they do not want members of the press in the room are going to go in first. As is the practice with any inmate, Daniel Biechele will not attend tonight's special hearing. Biechele set off the fireworks that caused the West Warwick fire in 2003, which killed 100 people. It is Biechele's first eligibility for parole. He pleaded guilty last year to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to serve four years in prison. He's served 16 months. State Parole Board members on Sept. 19 will go to the Adult Correctional Institutions' minimum security building to meet with Biechele and other inmates up for parole consideration that day, said Ann Marie Bolvin, executive secretary for the state Parole Board. Board members will meet with each person individually and render a decision. The Parole Board takes relatives' comments into consideration when making a decision. Board Chairwoman Lisa Holley says the majority of letters the board has received from victims' families have supported Biechele's parole bid. The two co-owners of The Station pleaded no contest to manslaughter charges. Extra: See projo.com's continuing report on the fire and its aftermath. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims and The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:36 PM | Comment Cranston woman found in Warwick after 1 1/2 daysWARWICK -- Police found a Cranston woman early this morning, a day-and-a-half after her mother reported her missing. Officers were investigating an unrelated suspicious person call near 456 Post Road at 12:39 a.m. when Jan McMahon, 41, approached and said she was lost, according to Capt. Robert S. Nelson. Police ran McMahon’s name through a nationwide database, the National Crime Information Center, and identified her as a missing person. Officers called her sister Lorraine McMahon, who arrived on the scene and took custody, Nelson said. Cranston police put out a call for help finding McMahon Tuesday, describing her as a frequent rider of Rhode Island Public Transit buses and known to frequent Kennedy Plaza, Eddy Street near Rhode Island Hospital, the Olneyville section of Providence and the Taunton Avenue area in East Providence. -- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:28 PM | Comment Lawyer: Ex-Station owner may have lied about foamPROVIDENCE -- A lawyer for many of the victims of The Station nightclub fire alleged in court today that Howard Julian, former owner of the club, may have committed perjury in testimony he gave to the grand jury that investigated the blaze and also in sworn testimony given to victims’ lawyers who are trying to recoup money damages. In a hearing this morning in U.S. District Court, Providence lawyer John Barylick told Magistrate Judge David L. Martin that he had recently obtained information from a former Station employee which leads him to believe that Julian gave “possibly perjurious testimony before the grand jury and in depositions.” Julian, who is defending himself in the civil suits filed by the victims’ lawyers, was present in the courtroom as Barylick made this allegation, but in addressing the court at the end of the hearing, he did not respond. He declined to comment after the hearing. Barylick said that he believes Julian may have lied to the grand jury and to the victims’ lawyers based on contradictory sworn statements he recently obtained from a former employee at The Station. Julian, Barylick told the court, has testified on several occasions that he bought the soundproofing foam he installed on the walls of the drummer’s alcove of his nightclub either from a catalogue or from a local vendor of insulation products but that he “can’t remember who or where this seller was.” But Barylick told Martin that someone who worked for Julian -- and who was present when his boss installed the foam -- says in an affidavit that Julian told him he’d found the white polyethylene foam – which is white and sold in blocks -- in a dumpster and had obtained it for free. Barylick said that Julian has testified numerous times that after he bought the polyethylene foam -- a packing foam which is highly flammable when it burns and emits toxic fumes -- he screwed it onto the walls of The Station to act as soundproofing, and that the installation occurred in June 1996, a few months after he bought the club. Julian later sold the club to Michael and Jeffrey Derderian in the spring of 2000, and they installed polyurethane foam on top of the foam that Julian put up, the victims’ lawyers say. -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton Barylick made the allegations about Julian during a hearing regarding the victims’ attempts to obtain information from Sealed Air, one of the defendants in the civil lawsuits. The lawsuits allege that Sealed Air manufactured and/or distributed the polyethylene foam that Julian installed at The Station. Barylick argued in court that the company should have put warnings on its product before allowing it to be used by the public. Last September, the Derderian brothers pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter charges related to the 100 deaths from the fire at their nightclub, a blaze which also injured more than 200 others. Their pleas were based on the fact that the polyurethane foam they installed in their nightclub was highly flammable and did not meet state fire code standards. The foam quickly caught fire when Daniel Biechele, the tour manager for the rock band Great White set off pyrotechnics on the stage the night of Feb. 20, 2003. Biechele pleaded guilty to the same charges as the Derderians, for setting off the fireworks without a permit. Julian has never been charged. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:23 PM | Comment High stakes at E. Greenwich bargaining table tonightEAST GREENWICH -- Striking teachers were picketing late this afternoon outside East Greenwich High School, as negotiators prepared to meet this evening for another round of mediated contract talks. But if teachers decide not to return to work tonight, School Superintendent Charles Meyers said the school district would have "no choice" but to go court. A few dozen teachers carried signs -- and in some cases small children --as they marched up and down before the entrance to the school in a show of solidarity around 4:30 this afternoon. At 5 p.m., union and School Committee representatives began their talks, which both signalled could last well into the night. Donna Hayes, co-president for local teachers union said, "We are ready to stay the night if that's what it takes. We are hoping the School Committee makes the movement that they need to so we can back tomorrow. We want to be teaching, we want to be with the kids." The question of whether classes will be held tomorrow remains up in the air at this time. The first day of school was cancelled Tuesday and again today after teachers voted to strike. For more background, read today's Journal story. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:13 PM | Comment Traffic alert: Route 95 closure tonight at exits 3-4Route 95 will be closed between Exits 3 and 4 late tonight and into the early morning for bridge maintenance, the state Department of Transportation announced today. The closing will be from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Northbound traffic should take Exit 4 and follow Route 3 to Route 102 and return to Route 95 at the Exit 5 onramp, the transportation department says. Southbound 95 traffic should take Exit 5, follow Route 102 south to Route 3 south and return to Route 95 at the Exit 4 on ramp. For more information, go to www.dot.state.ri.us/traffic/. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:02 PM | Comment Hearing is continued for man accused of sex assaultA bail violation hearing today for Gary P. Lamountain, a convicted sex offender whom the police accuse of breaking into a home and sexually assaulting a woman last month, was continued to next Wednesday. Early on Aug. 12, the police have said, Lamountain broke into that woman’s apartment and raped her -- a woman he had helped the day before with moving an air conditioner into her apartment. He was arrested after a four-hour search and was charged with first-degree sexual assault and breaking and entering. The woman was treated and released from Women & Infants Hospital in Providence. Residents learned from the police two days after the incident that Lamountain was a convicted sexual offender. He was released from prison and on probation for a rape in town that occurred four years ago, according to authorities. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment Update: Man freed from meat grinder, taken to hospitalBURRILLVILLE -- A 20-year-old man whose left arm got caught in a meat-grinding machine at the Daniele Inc. meat plant in Commerce Park, has been freed from the device and is being flown to the Rhode Island Hospital Center trauma unit, according to the police. His specific injuries were not yet clear. The man, who has not been identified, was freed from the device around 4:40 p.m. A Lifestar helicopter stood by to take him to the hospital. And Rhode Island Hospital dispatched a mobile-surgical team to the site, said police dispatcher Glen Biddiscombe. Personnel from several local emergency services converged on the scene to assist. Daniele Inc. is a large business presence in Burrillville with two plants in town. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:56 PM | Comment Motorist charged in cyclist's death on Rte. 1CHARLESTOWN – The police today charged the driver of the sport-utility vehicle that hit and killed a cyclist on Route 1 yesterday with driving to endanger, death resulting. Pamela J. Hurst, 59, was arrested on a warrant this afternoon at her 17 Danielle Ave. home in Westerly, Charlestown Lt. Jack Shippee said. The police say Hurst was driving her Buick Rendezvous south on Route 1 around 4 p.m. Tuesday, when she veered into the breakdown lane, striking a cyclist traveling in the same direction. The cyclist, Frank J. Cabral, 41, of 90 Sheffield St., Warwick, was pronounced dead at the scene. The police say Cabral was staying at a cottage on Matunuck Beach Road and had decided to go for a ride. Witnesses said Hurst left the road about 200 feet north of where Cabral was cycling, Shippee said. The damage to the SUV is on the front hood, windshield and roof on the driver’s side, he said. Hurst was treated and released from Westerly Hospital and showed no signs of intoxication, Shippee said. “We’re not sure why she drifted out of her lane of travel,” Shippee said. The speed limit along that stretch of road is 50 mph. Hurst was expected to be arraigned before a justice of peace and to appear in District Court, South Kingstown, next Thursday. Phone calls to Hurst’s home were not answered. Federal campaign finance records identify her as an employee of the Lockheed Martin Corp. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:53 PM | Comment W. Nile virus found in 2 East Bay mosquito poolsMosquito samples in East Providence and Barrington have tested positive for the West Nile Virus, the state Department of Environmental Management announced today. The samples were collected the week of Aug. 28 and the results were confirmed this afternoon. The DEM says that although many mosquito species bite only birds, the Culex species that tested positive in East Providence and Barrington also bite people. It's the height of the mosquito-borne diseases transmission season and therefore transmitting the disease is more likely, the DEM says. "The positive test results do not mean that there is more risk in the East Bay than in any other area, since West Nile is found throughout the state, neighboring states, and, indeed, throughout the whole country," Alan Gettman, the DEM mosquito abatement coordinator, said in the statement. It is the third mosquito pool taken from the southern section of East Providence -- near the Seekonk, Mass., border -- to test positive for the virus. The DEM will set extra mosquito traps in the vicinity of where the positive samples were found. Results from an additional 108 mosquito pools from the week of Aug. 28 are pending. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The DEM urges people to put screens on windows and doors. People should cover up at dawn and dusk and put mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages whern outside. People should use mosquito repellant with not more than 30 percent DEET. But do not use repellant on infants. Also, get rid of mosquito breeding grounds from yards by removing anything that holds water, such as old tires, buckets, junk and debris. Clean gutter so they drain correctly. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Comment Report: Man's arm caught in meat grinder in BurrillvilleBURRILLVILLE -- Rescue personnel are at the scene of a report of a 20-year-old man with an arm caught in a meat grinder at a location on Danielle Drive in Commerce Park. A Lifestar helicopter that would take the man to a Hartford hospital if necessary is standing by, according to the police. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:02 PM | Comment Parking ban in North Kingstown announcedNORTH KINGSTOWN -- Daytime parking will be banned on Main Street on weekdays beginning Monday through the end of the month as workers replace gas and water lines. Parking will not be allowed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday from Sept. 10 through Sept. 28, Capt. Charles Brennan said in a statement today. Workers will be replacing gas lines and a water main and improving drainage as the first part of the overhaul of the historic street, police said. The sidewalks will be replaced, new trees will be planted and the roadway will be repaved when complete. The sidewalks have become treacherous over the years, particularly during the Wickford arts festival, as tree roots have begun jutting through the pavement, Brennan said. Any vehicles left on the street when construction begins each morning will be towed, the police said. Officers will be posted on the street to guide traffic through during construction. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:00 PM | Comment Search on for man in Coventry wildlife refugeCOVENTRY — Local authorities are conducting a massive search at George B. Parker Woodland for a man reported missing this morning, the police say. The search began about 11:30 a.m. Parker Woodland is a 860-acre wildlife refuge operated by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, with nature trails in the town’s western section. Its address is listed at 1670 Maple Valley Road. No other information is available at this time, Sgt. Frederick Heist said. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:56 PM | Comment Former nursing home execs to pay $1.138M in finesPROVIDENCE -- Two former Hillside Health Center officials will have to pay more than $1 million in fines and restitution after pleading no contest today to state charges of embezzlement and conspiracy to commit embezzlement. Antonio L. Giordano, 63, and John Montecalvo, 68, were also sentenced to 10 years each in prison, with one year to serve, but those sentences will run concurrently with the sentences they are already serving in federal prison, so they won't spend any additional time in prison. The pair pleaded no contest to the charges today before a Superior Court judge in Providence during a live video conference from federal prison in Fort Dix, N.J. Montecalvo also pleaded no contest to patient neglect. Between them, the pair will pay a total of 1,138,000 in fees and fines, including restitution of $500,000 to the state Medicaid program; a $500,000 fine to the state; $100,000 to the Alliance for Better Long Term care, which advocates for people in nursing homes; $30,000 in restiitution to 10 patients or their families; and $8,000 to reimburse the state Attorney General's Office for prosecution costs. The two were indicted on 35 counts each in August of last year. A majority of the state charges accuse the two men of directing federal money to the mortgage company and then loaning the money back to Hillside at twice the interest rate the federal government was charging. The indictment also asserts the men in January 2002 took a $400,000 Medicaid check and did not deposit it into the nursing home's operating account but, rather, deposited it for personal use into an account at the mortgage company. Montecalvo is alleged to have "intentionally failed to provide treatment and care" to 10 patients at Hillside between September 2003 and March 2004, the state indictment said. Giordano, who operated the home, and Montecalvo, his chief financial officer, were sentenced last year to federal charges. Giordano admitted in the federal case last year that he diverted more than $780,000 in federal money to a company run by his daughter. Giordano was sentened in the federal case to 2 1/2 years in federal prison and Montecalvo to two years. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick CORRECTION: The original post incorrectly gave the age for Antonio L. Giordano; he is 63, Posted by Jack Perry at 2:49 PM | Comment Cost of going to R.I. colleges would rise 5-6%PROVIDENCE — Higher education officials this morning proposed tuition and fee increases between 5 and 6 percent for the 2008-2009 academic year at the state’s three public colleges: the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. The proposed increases would boost tuition and fees at URI by 6 percent, or $494 next year, for a total of $8,678 a year for in-state students. Tuition and fees for out-of-state students would rise 7.8 percent, for a total of $24,776. Average room and board at URI would increase by 5.2 percent, for a total of $10,078. At RIC, in-state students would pay 5.6 percent more than this year, or $296 more, for a total of $5,552 a year. Out-of-state students would pay 5.8 percent more, or $788, for a total of $14,452. Average room and board would increase by 5.7 percent, or $451, for a total of $8,313. CCRI’s tuition and fees would go up 5.4 percent, or $154, for a total of $3,000 a year for in-state students. Out-of-state students would pay 5.8 percent more, or $450 more than this year, for a total of $8,216. The Board of Governors for Higher Education will vote on the proposed increases at its regularly scheduled meeting, which will be held Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. at CCRI’s Warwick campus. Higher education officials usually approve tuition and fee increases in the fall, although in 2006, they had to boost tuition and fees higher than they had planned just two months before fall classes began, after the General Assembly failed to give the colleges as much money as the Board of Governors had anticipated. -- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:42 PM | Comment In Somerset, lawmakers vow push to repave Rt. 138SOMERSET, Mass. -- Sen. Joan M. Menard and Rep. Patricia A. Haddad vowed today to meet with MassHighway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky in hopes of getting Route 138 repaved. The agency promised to do it years ago. The town and gas company spent millions replacing utility lines in anticipation of the repaving project after it was announced by the state in 1999. But then, after the improvements were completed and the road was torn up, MassHighway reneged on the plan. Menard, Haddad and town officials, including two members of the Board of Selectmen, met today to come up with the best strategy for getting the work done. The road is so uneven, residents are reluctant to drive it and rescue workers avoid it if they are transporting people with back problems or other injuries where a bumpy ride adds to the distress. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. One reason for today’s meeting: decide whether to ask for other improvements for Route 138 in the process. There are two trouble spots along the state highway, both involving poor drainage. One is at the base of Buffinton Street, which routinely floods during a heavy rainstorm. The other is further north, where the culverts at Labor In Vain Brook can’t handle a heavy water flow, especially water being released from the reservoir. Some officials think correcting those problems should be part of the project. Police Capt. John Solomito, for example, said flooding at the intersection at County and Buffinton Streets “gets worse and worse every year.” Others argued that adding to the scope would only delay the repaving because MassHighway would have to study those problems before their remediation could folded into the original project. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:25 PM | Comment Coventry man nabbed at border on sex-assault chargesNew York State Police are holding a Rhode Island man wanted in Oregon for allegedly sexually assaulting minors until he can be extradited to Oregon. Long Tran, 31, of Coventry was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Control Monday in New York as he was re-entering the country from Canada, according to New York Customs officials. Tran is wanted in Oregon for 10 counts of sexual abuse involving four minors. A nationwide warrant for his arrest was issued in September 2004. On Monday, Tran was applying for readmission into the United States from Toronto, Canada, at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing in Lewiston, N.Y.. He told border officials he had been on a one-day shopping trip. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:27 PM | Comment Biechele parole hearing tonight in WarwickWARWICK -- At a hearing tonight, relatives of people killed in the Station nightclub fire can tell the state Parole Board whether it should grant parole to the rock band tour manager who triggered the fire. As is practice with any inmate, Daniel Biechele will not attend tonight's special hearing, which will be held in the Warwick Police Department community room at 6 p.m. Biechele set off the fireworks that caused the 2003 fire, which killed 100 people. State Parole Board members on Sept. 19 will go to the Adult Correctional Institutions' minimum security building to meet with Biechele and other inmates up for parole consideration that day, said Ann Marie Bolvin, executive secretary for the state Parole Board. Board members will meet with each person individually and render a decision. It is Biechele's first eligibility for parole. Biechele pleaded guilty last year to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to serve four years in prison. He's served 16 months. Chairwoman Lisa Holley says the majority of letters the board has received from victims' families have supported Biechele's parole bid. Michael Derderian, the co-owner of the West Warwick club, is serving a four-year prison sentence but is not yet eligible for parole. His brother, Jeff, was spared jail time. Read the Providence Journal's full coverage of the fire here.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:26 PM | Comment Update: Firm pleads not guilty in Big Dig deathBOSTON — The company that provided the epoxy blamed in the fatal Big Dig tunnel collapse pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge today. Powers Fasteners Inc., based in Brewster, N.Y., was indicted by a grand jury last month in the July 2006 death of Milena Del Valle. Del Valle was killed when 26 tons of concrete panels crashed onto her car as she and her husband drove through the westbound Interstate 90 tunnel. Prosecutors said Powers Fasteners knew the type of epoxy it sold for the Big Dig project was unsuitable for the heavy ceiling panels it would have to hold, but never told project managers. The four brothers who run the company and about a dozen employees attended the arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court. Their lawyer entered the plea in court. If convicted, Powers Fasteners faces a maximum fine of $1,000, the maximum penalty for a company charged with manslaughter in Massachusetts. The indictment comes after more than a year of investigations by state and federal agencies. The charge does not directly affect a separate wrongful death lawsuit that Del Valle’s husband and daughter filed against Powers, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and eight other companies. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:17 AM | Comment East Greenwich teachers picket at schools/ Photo
About 40 teachers are holding signs and picketing near the Archie R. Cole Middle School, walking from Cedar Avenue to Post Road and back. Twenty to 25 are picketing near the George R. Hanaford Elementary School. And a large group -- perhaps 20 or so more -- are walking the sidewalks at the Middle Road overpass near the East Greenwich High School, giving morning commuters on Route 4 a glimpse of their efforts. They're carrying signs saying, "If you can read this, thank a teacher," and "High performing schools, low performing school committee." -- With reports from Journal staff writer Kathy Borchers and projo.com staff writer Pam Cotter Posted by Jack Perry at 10:07 AM | Comment Station families may be close to settlementPROVIDENCE -- Several defendants being sued by relatives of the 100 people killed in a 2003 nightclub fire have tentatively agreed to a $13.5 million settlement, one of the lawyers for the families told The Associated Press today. The settlements, if approved by a judge, would mark the first in what relatives' lawyers hope will be several agreements with dozens of defendants in the lawsuits stemming from the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick. In addition to the 100 people killed, more than 200 were injured. Extra: Read the court document Roughly 300 fire survivors and victims' relatives have sued in federal court over the fire, which began when pyrotechnics for the rock band Great White ignited flammable foam around the stage and the club's walls. The foam quickly spread the blaze through the one-story roadhouse. Among the companies that have tentatively agreed to settle are a manufacturer of soundproofing material, a vendor of the pyrotechnics that ignited the blaze, the realty company that leased the building to club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and an alarm company, according to court papers. John Barylick, an attorney for the families, said the settlement was dependent on the court appointing a special master to oversee the distribution of the money. "There is certainly agreement among the parties to settle, but it's dependent on clearing some legal hurdles," Barylick said. The lawyers are recommending that Francis McGovern, a law professor at Duke University, serve as special master. They say he has fulfilled similar duties more than 50 times, including in litigation over silicone breast implants and DDT toxic exposure. McGovern did not immediately return a phone message seeing comment. Lawyers for two defendants, pyrotechnic maker Lunatech Inc. and pyrotechnic vendor High Tech Special Effects Inc., also did not immediately return phone messages. -- By Eric Tucker, The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:45 AM | Comment Bar's license may be in jeopardyPROVIDENCE -- The city Board of Licenses is scheduled to meet this afternoon and police want the officials to consider whether Finnegan’s Wake, a downtown bar, should remain open after a brawl early Monday morning led to five arrests and an injured police officer. Read about the early Monday morning incident on projo.com. The bar, at 397 Westminster St., was more than 200 people over capacity before closing Monday, according to the police. Lt. Thomas A. Verdi, the commander of the police Narcotics and Organized Crime Bureau, which includes license enforcement, says the police will ask the board to order the bar closed until a full hearing can be held to address the bar’s alleged violations. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:54 AM | Comment Still no school in East GreenwichThere is still no school for students in East Greenwich, the only district in the state where teachers have not returned to the classroom. Teachers are scheduled to meet with the school department at 5 this evening to continue mediated negotiations. The first scheduled day of school was yesterday, but it was canceled after the union voted to strike following 30 hours of negotiations over the Labor Day weekend failed to produce new contract terms. Although class was canceled, more than 150 of the union’s members showed up for the School Committee’s regular monthly meeting last night at the East Greenwich High School auditorium. The labor dispute was not on the meeting agenda. The teachers’ strike in Tiverton was called off yesterday afternoon after lawyers for both sides reached a consent agreement which calls for school committee members and union representatives to return to mediation. Those talks are scheduled to being this evening at 6. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:27 AM | Comment 2 ex-nursing home officials to plead to charges todayPROVIDENCE -- Two former Hillside Health Center officials are expected to plead today to state charges of embezzlement, conspiracy to commit embezzlement and patient neglect, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office said yesterday. Antonio L. Giordano, 33, and John Montecalvo, 68, are expected to makes their pleas in an agreement by live video conference from federal prison in Fort Dix, N.J., where they are serving federal sentences, according to a news release from the Rhode Island Judiciary. The attorney general's office said it would not announce details of the plea agreement. The pleas will be accepted in courtroom 9 of Providence County Superior Court at 1 p.m. after the men's indictments on 35 counts each in August last year. That courtroom is typically used for video conferences involving inmates at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. A majority of the state charges accuse the two men of directing federal money to the mortgage company and then loaning the money back to Hillside at twice the interest rate the federal government was charging. The indictment also asserts the men in January 2002 took a $400,000 Medicaid check and did not deposit it into the nursing home's operating account but, rather, deposited it for personal use into an account at the mortgage company. Montecalvo is alleged to have "intentionally failed to provide treatment and care" to 10 patients at Hillside between September 2003 and March 2004, the state indictment said. Giordano, who operated the home, and Montecalvo, his chief financial officer, were sentenced last year to federal charges. Giordano admitted in the federal case last year that he diverted more than $780,000 in federal money to a company run by his daughter. Giordano was sentened in the federal case to 2 1/2 years in federal prison and Montecalvo to two years. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Sunny and 75Mild and breezy; that's what we can expect today with the National Weather Service predicting a sunny day with a high temperature of 75 degrees and a 10 mph wind. Tonight should stay clear, with a low temperature of 52. Tomorrow it should be a little warmer with a high of 78. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on the status of teachers' strikes in Tiverton and East Greenwich and a story about the problems communities are facing in funding the schools. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment Gray Panthers to address copays todayThe Gray Panthers of Rhode Island want to shed some light on the rules of Medicaid . This morning, the senior advocacy group will speak at a hearing on copays. The group says Medicaid pharmacy copays can be waived if a person is under 100 percent of the poverty level – about $11,000. The Panthers want to ensure this information is available to the public. The Senior Agenda Coalition; Save Our Mental Health Services Coalition; Rhode Island Legal Services;and the; Poverty Institute will also take part at the hearing at 9 this morning. The hearing will take place at the 1st floor conference room in LP Building 57 at the Pastore Complex at 1511 Pontiac Avenue in Cranston. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006