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September 26, 2007

Tonight: Beatles, Plastic People and girls rock

For retro stuff tonight, go across the universe -- well, across the Connecticut line, which might be the same thing -- for The Fab Four, The Ultimate Beatles Tribute, at Mohegan Sun, Cabaret, Mohegan Sun Boulevard (exit 79A off Route 395), Uncasville, Conn. Call (888) 226-7711 or go to www.mohegansun.com.Starts at 7:30 pm. $35

Or stay in Rhode Island and catch Plastic People of the Universe. That band, Suishou no Fune?, Alasehir and Déjà Vu Mountain play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. Starts at 8 pm. $10 advance; $12 at the door. All ages.

Brickpark plays rock at Olives, 108 North Main St., Providence. Call 751-1200. 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.. No cover. Includes karaoke

Tom Ferraro and Keith Munslow play rhythm and blues at Nick-A-Nee's, 75 South St., Providence. Call 861-7290. Starts at 9 p.m.

John Worsley plays jazz at Capriccio, 2 Pine St., Providence. Call 421-1320. From 7 to 11 p.m.

Chris Gauthier plays rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. Call 847-9460. Starts at 9 p.m.

In Newport, there's the Girls Rock & Girls Rule Tour. Playing rock, pop and blues tonight are Marisa Mini, RewBee?, Loki the Grump, Beyond Blonde, G-Spot, The Lydia Warren Band and Emiko. It's at the Newport Blues Cafe, 286 Thames St., Newport. Call 841-5510 or go to www.newportblues.com. Starts at 7:30 pm. $10. The shows is a benefit for the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls

Also in Newport, on the jazzier side is Dick Lupino, Yvonne Monnett and Jeff Fountain, playing at Sardella's Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd., Newport. Calol 849-6312. From 7:30 to 10 p.m.

At Chan's Restaurant in Woonsocket, there's an open mike blues jam with Ken Lyon and Friends. That's at 267 Main St., Woonsocket. Call 765-1900. Starts at 7 p.m. No cover.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment

A.G. investigating whether woman died waiting for rescue

PAWTUCKET -- The Attorney General’s Office is investigating whether a woman bled to death because a Pawtucket Fire Department rescue truck wasn’t dispatched quickly enough to provide her with treatment.

Maria A. Carvalho, 53, died Thursday in her home at 101 Gooding St., after her husband João Carvalho said she began bleeding from a shunt, or bypass, inserted as part of the treatment she was receiving for kidney failure, and Pawtucket fire dispatchers delayed sending a rescue truck, despite several frantic calls to 911.

Speaking through his son, John, João Carvalho described how his wife Maria got on the phone to 911 herself as soon as the bleeding started.

A Portuguese immigrant who speaks little English, and has a foot injury, João Carvalho said he hobbled across the street to the house of a neighbor when his wife told him she was having difficulty getting help.

“My mom said, ‘No one’s helping me,” John Carvalho said.

When the neighbor, 81-year-old Yvette LeBlanc of 96 Gooding St., dialed 911, she was asked for the address of the Carvalho house. “I said it’s a yellow house across the street from my house. I didn’t even know the number,” she said.

Mrs. LeBlanc said João Carvalho was on his way back across the street when the dispatcher told her to have him call for help personally..

“The dispatcher told me he’s got to call up from his house.”

City officials said that the incident is being investigated, and that the two rookie fire dispatchers who were on duty at the time have been suspended, with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Michael J. Healey, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, confirmed that the office has agreed to investigate the matter: “Pawtucket has asked us to review this incident. We have agreed to review it and we’re moving quickly.” he declared.

Healey declined to comment when asked whether the attorney general’s office had taken the case because the alleged delay in dispatching the rescue truck rose to the level of criminal misconduct.

“That’s an absolutely fair question. I just can’t answer it now,” he said.

-- Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:14 PM | Comment

State closes down Artistic Surgical Center

The Artistic Surgical Center in East Greenwich, which offers "extreme makeovers," "breast enlargement" and "facial rejuvenation" among procedures, must cease all surgical procedures because of license and regulation violations, the state Health Department announced today.

The center, at 1567 South County Trail -- does not have a required license, its physician Curtis J. Perry does not have surgical or hospital privileges and he is letting unlicensed medical assistants administrator Versed and Ketaine without a nurse or anesthesiologist present.

According to a Health Department news release, Perry has been licensed to practice medicine in Rhode Island since 1990 and he is board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties in Otolaryngology. "Additionally, he claims a certification by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS), a board that was created in 1986 to assist ear, nose and throat physicians to obtain additional recognition for 'their knowledge and skills.' "

Along with the aforementioned procedures, rhinoplasty, liposuction and abdominoplasty are also performed at Artistic Surgical Center, the Health Department stated.

Because Perry does not have surgical or hospital privileges at any accredited Rhode Island hospital, the Health Department said, he "is unable to assist patients for post-surgical complications in a hospital."

When Perry is away, he does not have "post-surgical coverage service" with another surgeon. "This lack of identified coverage leaves Kent Hospital and other area hospitals responsible for the respondent's post-surgical complications."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:55 PM | Comment

Exeter-W. Greenwich contract talks set for next week

Negotiators for teachers and administrators in the Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District will sit down again on Monday, Oct. 1, and possibly Oct. 5, state-appointed mediator Matthew T. Oliverio said today.

The six School Committee and nine teachers union bargainers last met Monday at the National Education Association-Rhode Island offices in Cranston. Next meeting will be at the school administration offices in West Greenwich.

Finding a time when 16 people, including three lawyers, can meet is difficult, Oliverio said. Negotiations are confidential until an agreement is reached.

-- Journal staff writer Donita Naylor

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:20 PM | Comment

New report profiles gays and lesbians in R.I.

There were 27,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual residents of Rhode Island in 2000, according to a study released today.

Drawing on 2000 Census data, the report, by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA, found most of those couples lived in Providence County: 1,600. Kent County was next with 347 same-sex couples.

Twelve percent of the same-sex couples are raising children.

The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy describes itself as a "think tank dedicated to the field of sexual orientation law and public policy. The Institute supports legal scholarship, legal research, policy analysis, and education regarding sexual orientation discrimination and other legal issues that affect lesbian and gay people."

Among other statistics in the report:

* More same-sex couples in the state are female than male, by a 53 percent to 47 percent in 2000.

* Individuals in same-sex couples average 40 years old, compared to 49 years old in married couples.

* "Contrary to a popular stereotype," the report says, men in same-sex couples earned an average income of $37,358, below the $48,769 average for married men.

* Women in same-sex couples earned more, on average, than married women -- $30,695 per year compared to $26,443.

* Same-sex couples in the state have fewer economic resources to provide for their families than do their married counterparts.

* About 7 percent of adopted children in Rhode Island live with a gay or lesbian parent.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:56 PM | Comment

Immigrant returns on humanitarian permit

PROVIDENCE -- Edgar Velásquez wanted his day in court, and now he will get it.

Velásquez, a Mexican man who slashed his face open with a chainsaw while working for the owner of a Warwick tree service, returned to Rhode Island today on a humanitarian permit issued by the U.S. government, so he can to pursue a worker’s compensation case against William J. Gorman Jr, his former employer.

Velásquez had been living in the country illegally and was deported last year after being picked up by immigration agents outside the J. Joseph Garrahy courthouse on the day of his comp hearing. By law, Velásquez is entitled to pursue a workers’ compensation claim, irregardless of his undocumented status.

“I am not afraid, I’m going to tell the truth as I lived it … of what happened on the day of the accident and how I was treated by Mr. Gorman,” said Velasquez in an interview this afternoon.

-- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:41 PM | Comment

Former Somerset man turns himself in at courthouse

John P. Makuch, a former Somerset, Mass., man who was ordered by a judge to leave the town last June but then became a fugitive this week, for an alleged attack in Somerset on his daughter's boyfriend, turned himself in at Fall River District Court this morning.

Makuch, 50, with a last known address of 45 Malbone St., Lakeville, Mass., was released following a court hearing today and he has a Nov. 14 violation hearing.

The police said that on Monday last week, Solomon Haddad, 25, reported that he had stopped his car at Read Street and Riverside Avenue, with 25-year-old Holly-Lyn Makuch with him. Makuch left his red Ford Explorer, crossed County Street, reached through the window and tried to punch Haddad, according to the police.

He missed, but allegedly tried again, slapping Haddad in the face. Haddad, son of state Rep. Patricia Haddad, went to the police station.

Police Chief Joseph C. Ferreira said this week that although Haddad didn’t want to press charges, his department did.

For the case that resulted in a judge's ruling last June, Makuch had pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal harassment, three counts of witness intimidation, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, five counts of disturbing the peace and one count of disorderly conduct. Since 1998, the police have said, they had been called to his neighborhood about 120 times as a result of various complaints, most involving him.

Makuch has said the charges were part of a conspiracy against him and his family.

Today, Makuch's wife Lorraine said of the assault/fugitive allegation this week: "I think it was something blown out of proportion -- it made him look like a big, bad criminal when there was no need for it."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:21 PM | Comment

Today's high temperature tied a 1930 record

Today's high of 89 degrees tied the record for this day, recorded in 1930 and in years prior to that, the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said.

The temperature, taken at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick as a benchmark for the area, came around 2 p.m.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:09 PM | Comment

English, math scores for high school juniors stay flat

For the third consecutive year, results from English and math tests administered to high school juniors statewide in March remain flat, a frustrating outcome as the state pursues aggressive reform of secondary education and has targeted several areas -- including math and literacy -- for improvement.

Statewide, 53.3 percent of eleventh graders scored proficient or better on the English portion of the test, and 43.3 percent scored proficient or better in math – roughly the same percentages as 2006 and 2005.

According to the federal education reform law, No Child Left Behind, which requires yearly testing of students in grades 3-8 and one high school year, the goal is to have all students performing at a proficient level by 2014.

State education officials cited several potential reasons for the stagnant scores -- including the fact that juniors have continued to take an eight-year-old test that is not aligned to what students are now learning in the classroom. But they also acknowledged that progress is urgently needed.

“We don’t have any time to waste,” said Peter McWalters, state commissioner of education. “If we really want rapid change, we have to work with teachers to make sure they understand what they need to do. We need to provide them with sample lessons and make sure our grade span expectations are lined up with all subjects -- English, social studies, science and math.”

Scores in the urban districts (Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket) trail the statewide average but showed improvement, with 37.1 percent proficient in English (up 0.3 points) and 24.9 percent proficient in mathematics (up 1.4 points).

Complete results will be available tomorrow on the state Education Department's Web site and on projo.com.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan

In a national test for fourth and eighth graders, Rhode Island students are making progress in math, but not in reading. State education officials say they are particularly concerned that students lost ground in eighth grade reading scores, which dropped two points since the tests were last administered, in 2005.

The results, commonly referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, were released yesterday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). As in past years, Rhode Island’s scores trailed the five other New England states. The state also lags the national average in all categories. The national group, which conducts research for the U.S. Department of Education, does not rank states but places states into one of three tiers. Rhode Island again placed in the middle tier on all four tests.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:01 PM | Comment

Traffic alert: Accident blocking Rte. 146 south lane

LINCOLN -- Drivers should take care because an accident is blocking the right lane of Route 146 south in the area where it meets George Washington Highway, the state Transportation Management Center advised at 3:52 p.m.

Transportation Management Center estimated the blockage could last 30 minutes.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:54 PM | Comment

R.I. money to help women ex-cons avoid criminal life

The state Department of Corrections is getting more than $294,000 for a program that aims to help women who've been imprisoned make a smoother transition into society and avoid committing more crimes.

The U.S. Justice Department awarded the money, according to a news release today from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed's office. Known as Prisoner Reentry Initiative, it's given to state and local governments to come up with and carry out programs for ex-convicts. A goal is to help prevent them from resuming a life of crime by helping them find work and access to community services

Rhode Island's Department of Corrections will use the money to:

* Enhance vocational training for female inmates by expanding computer literacy and culinary arts training.

* Expand the use of risk/needs assessment to all sentenced women.

* Provide training on "gender-responsive principles" to all staff in the women’s prisons.

* Hire a specialist who will give planning/outreach services to the highest risk women immediately after release from prison. Corrections plans to overhaul its current risk/need assessment method.

“This federal funding will allow the Rhode Island Department of Corrections to overhaul and strengthen its prisoner reentry program for women,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, a member of the subcommittee that oversees federal spending on criminal justice. He added: "Giving these women job-skill training, substance abuse treatment, and other support services will give them the opportunity to successfully transition back into society as law-abiding citizens."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:24 PM | Comment

Flu pandemic: How prepared are we? / Video

WASHINGTON -- If an influenza pandemic hits, there won't be enough stockpiles of key supplies -- medicine, food and more -- so it is up to individual citizens and communities to prepare as best they can, Rhode Island's chief emergency medical officer told a House panel today.

But the waning of last year's flu threat is itself an obstacle to proper planning for an eventual pandemic because public interest in the topic has waned, Dr. L. Anthony Cirillo told a subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Cirillo, chief of the state Health Department's emergency response center, was one of several federal, state and local officials who testified about the nation's level of preparedness for a flu pandemic.

``I very much fear another Hurricane Katrina situation,'' said Rep. James R. Langevin, chairman of the panel on emerging threats. The Rhode Island Democrat said delays in identifying principal federal officials after the hurricane led to needless losses of life.

Langevin said planning for an influenza pandemic is problematic because it is hard ``to fathom both the potential casualties and the impact.''

Langevin questioned whether the Homeland Security and Health and Human Services Departments have sorted out their role and responsibilities in for fighting a pandemic.

Cirillo said the amount of federal money for pandemic preparedness is decreasing, so the state doesn't have enough money to ensure care of the number of patients expected in a pandemic.

Cirillo also cited trends in the medical system as limiting its ability to respond to a pandemic. For example, he noted that hospitals have cut down on their stockpiles of vital supplies in order to save money.

Nevertheless, Cirillo said government at all levels has taken steps to improve pandemic preparedness. For example, he described how Rhode Island has created a medical emergency command center that would coordinate pandemic response. Some state-level stockpiling of vital supplies has occured, he said.

Cirillo said every citizen has a role in preparing for a flu pandemic in a number of basic ways -- stockpiling food and water, for example. He said citizens can consult a federal Web site, http://www.pandemicflu.gov, that offers checklists for preparedness.

Video: Dr. L. Anthony Cirillo speaks about the country's and Rhode Island's state of preparedness for a pandemic.

-- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington bureau

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:18 PM | Comment

Motorcycle rally to benefit children of fire victims

A motorcycle rally to benefit the children who lost a parent in The Station nightclub fire will serve as the first official fundraiser for a new, nonprofit organization created by Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, the owners of the club, and Jody King, who lost his brother Tracey in the fire.

The ride is the brainchild of volunteers of the Station Education Fund, a nonprofit organization set up to provide educational support to the 76 children who lost a parent or guardian during the deadly blazed that killed 100 people in February 2003.

King, Jeffrey Derderian and Kristina Derderian, Michael’s wife, spoke with a reporter today outside of Tollgate High School in Warwick, where the ride will begin on Sunday.

In September, Derderian and his brother, Michael, pleaded no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter for their part in the fire. In exchange, Michael Derderian is serving a four-year term at the Adult Correctional Institutions. Jeffrey, 39, received a suspended sentence and was ordered to perform 500 hours of community service and serve three years' probation.

“Revving Up for Kids" will kick off at 9:30 a.m. at the high school and end at Excalibur Powersports, 20 Excalibur Blvd., Plainfield, Conn., for a finale party. For more information, call (401) 441-7823 or visit www.stationeducationfund.org. Rain date is Sunday, Oct. 7.

-- Journal staff writer Talia Buford

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:42 PM | Comment

Mother of boys struck by car thanks supporters/ Photo

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Elizabeth Jimenez speaks with reporters about her son Eric, who remains in Hasbro Children's Hospital after being struck in a hit-and-run incident on Sept. 9 that killed his brother. Providence City Councilman Leon Tejada, D-Ward 8, left, is her interpreter.

PROVIDENCE -- One toll taken on Elizabeth Jimenez isn't measured in dollars, but by a little boy's absence. Every day she grapples with the loss of 8-year-old son Ivan, killed by a hit-and-run driver this month.

But today she said her days are also spent in the hospital room of 12-year-old son Eric, who survived that driver on a West End sidewalk but is only beginning the road to recovery.

It's those days that literally add up. So Jimenez and Providence City Councilman Leon Tejada went before news cameras in the Hasbro Children's Hospital chapel today with a message urging people to help.

The fund for Ivan Jimenez at Citizens Bank, was set up in part to help defray Eric’s medical expenses. The fund was established with the help of City Clerk Anna M. Stetson, who also is handling cash donations at City Hall.

Donors to the Ivan Jimenez Memorial Fund, as announced in the Journal last week, may send a check made out to the fund and indicate on the check that it is intended for account number 91853493 at Citizens. Checks may be dropped off at any Citizens branch office in Rhode Island or Massachusetts or mailed to the branch where the account has been arranged: 333 West River Ave., Providence, 02909.

There's also a First Annual Ivan Jimenez Memorial Golf Tournament in Rehoboth, Mass., on Oct. 5 at 12:30 p.m. It's a $100-per-person benefit at the 18-hole course at Hillside Country Club, plus a steak fry immediately following the tournament.

Or you can buy burgers and soft drinks at a Providence picnic Oct. 6, the proceeds going to help with Eric's medical bills, Tejada said. The picnic will be held at at the social club at 100 Niagara St.

When Eric finishes at Hasbro Children's Hospital, he will need to undergo physical rehabilitation at a Boston hospital, said Tejada. Eric was initially in critical condition but is now in fair condition. The Jimenez's also have two other children.

"I wanted to thank everybody for the support," Jimenez said in an interview. She added: "I know everybody's been praying for my kids.

"It's very tough moments right now," she added. "We are right now focusing on getting Eric healthy."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Dennis H. Cherry Jr., 26, of no permanent address, faces two felony charges for allegedly having left the scene of the accident, and he is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. He also has been charged with three traffic violations: leaving his lane of travel, operating left of center, and failure to show due care.

The police have said Cherry, an alleged crack addict with a criminal history, gave himself up to Chief Dean M. Esserman in an agreement arranged by the pastor of the church where Esserman's family worships.

In the aftermath, crisis teams went into the boys' schools to help children come to terms with what happened. Family and Ivan's classmates have tried to find a way forward.

Last week, the Journal reported that Ivan’s funeral and burial expenses apparently had been paid by donations raised so far, according to Deborah A. Wyatt, executive director of the West End Community Center, where the boys attended the daycare program.

Jimenez said that Eric can walk and communicate. She said he must eat a special diet of softer foods for the time being.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:09 PM | Comment

Live video: Reed panel hears Bush's Iraq funding request

The Senate Appropriations Committee is holding a hearing today on President Bush’s request for additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., was appointed to the committee at the end of last year. Reed, a West Point graduate, also sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee and has made several wartime visits to Iraq.

Watch the hearing live here.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:06 PM | Comment

Woman's body found in Coventry

The Coventry police have confirmed that they found a woman's body last night at about 7 p.m.

In a statement issued this afternoon, the police say they received a call reporting a body near Lewis Farm Road.

When they arrived, the police found the body of a woman in a ravine below an old railroad trestle.

The Coventry detectives are working with the state Medical Examiner to determine a cause of death and to identify the woman.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:17 PM | Comment

Rhode Island to receive federal help for utility bills

Rhode Island is set to receive nearly $2 million from a federal fund aimed at helping low-income households pay utility bills.

Sen. Jack Reed was one of more than 50 senators who asked the White House Office of Management and Budget to release money from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program contingency fund.

About $131 million will be dispersed in all.

“I am pleased that the president responded to our request and will release this critical funding,” Reed said in a statement. “This money will help thousands of working families and seniors in Rhode Island.”

The state will receive $1.9 million.

The federal block grant program gives funding to states yearly to help operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households.

Find guidelines for the assistance program here.

Last year the program assisted nearly 30,000 with their utility bills.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:16 PM | Comment

Weather update: Dry and hot equals poor fall color

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
Today's sunrise over Lincoln Woods signals that another hot day is on the way. But the morning's golden color is deceptive -- it's not likely to translate into the season's sought-after foliage.

“New England color is terrible.”

When a statement like that -- about the changing leaves -- comes from a horticulture professor, it’s worth listening to.

Brian Maynard, who is such a professor at the University of Rhode Island, says the prolonged dry weather spells bad news for leaf-peepers who will find brown leaves -- if they find any at all – on many of the trees that should be changing color between now and late October, peak leaf season in Rhode Island.

But it’s not just the Ocean State that’s out of luck. Maynard said he was at a conference last week, and “all throughout New England, everyone is saying it’s the worst season,” he said.

One bright spot, he said, is swampy land, “especially coming out of Massachusetts into Pawtucket,” he said, and “off Route 4 in South County, it’s coloring up right.”

For a look at foliage reports around the region, try this Web site.
For others, the situation may be even more dire than lack of autumn color.

Maynard’s recommendation for people trying to keep a tree alive: Set a sprinkler near the root system and give it four solid hours of watering.

The region is due for some rain tomorrow night and Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service. But dry – albeit cooler – weather should return Friday afternoon.

“Instead of the upper 80s and 90s,” Charles Foley at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said, “We’re looking at temperatures you would expect at the end of September, generally around 70 degrees.”

But we still had to get through today, where the high of 89 degrees tied the record for this day recorded in 1930 and in years prior to that, the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said.
The temperature, taken at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick as a benchmark for the area, came around 2 p.m.

Earlier, before it was confirmed, Foley said: “I think we’ll challenge the record,” or at least, "we’ll come close."

At 7 a.m., it was already near 70 degrees with humidity at about 90 percent.

Some gusty winds of up to 28 mph are also on the way, and there's a 20 percent chance of rain overnight and an overnight low of about 66.

Tomorrow we may see rain again, and a bit of fog, before 9 a.m. The forecast high is a "cooler" 80 degrees.

For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:30 AM | Comment

Bird amputation case postponed

WARWICK -- A pre-trial conference in Kent County District Court has been postponed for a woman accused of stealing a parrot in May and amputating its foot to dispose of an identification tag.

Police say minutes after a woman walked into a pet store and inquired about a bird, a clerk went to check on the parrot, only to find it -- and the woman -- gone.

Sgt. Robert C. Rocco said what followed was the most bizarre crime he had seen.

After tracing purchases of a similar bird, the police say they were led to Pamela Worden. When they arrived at her apartment, they said they heard birds chirping.

When Worden opened the door, officers said they saw two birds; one bleeding and missing a foot. On a counter nearby, they saw a pair of scissors, a bird foot and a bird identification band.

“I’ve been doing this for 24 years.” Rocco said at the time, “and this was probably the most bizarre thing I’ve ever run into.”

The parrot was taken to Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, in East Greenwich, for treatment. The other bird and a poodle that police also found in the apartment were taken into custody.

Worden was charged with one count of felony possession of stolen goods and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:28 AM | Comment

Frozen hamburgers recalled

ALBANY, N.Y.-- There's a recall involving boxes of frozen hamburgers.

Officials say a New Jersey-based meat company is voluntarily recalling some of its hamburgers after a cluster of illnesses in the Northeast caused by E. coli bacteria.

The New York Health Department says at least six people have fallen ill there. All are recovering. Contaminated burgers were found in one victim's home freezer.

The USDA says the recall affects more than 331,000 pounds of frozen beef patties that were distributed not just in New York, but nationwide.

They carried the number ``Est. 9748'' inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were produced June 22nd, July 12th or July 23rd.

The recalled products include certain 10-pound boxes of Butcher's Best 100-percent All Beef Patties; certain 10-pound boxes of Kohler Foods burgers; certain 10-pound boxes of Sand Castle Fine Meat; some two-pound boxes of Topps 100-percent Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers; and some three-pound boxes of Topps 100-percent Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:14 AM | Comment

Traffic Alert: Accident on Route 10 slows commute

An accident on Route 10 northbound is slowing the morning commute for some.

The Transportation Management Center is reporting the accident near the Union Avenue exit in the left lanes.

For up to date traffic information, visit the TMC Web site.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:06 AM | Comment

R.I. Guard members to deploy for Iraq

PROVIDENCE -- Soldiers of the Rhode Island National Guard are scheduled to leave the Ocean State today for deployment in Iraq.

Lt. Col. Denis Riel says about 175 members of the 103rd Field Artillery Brigade will serve as military police during a security mission near Baghdad. Their rotation will last for one year.

Army officials say the overseas deployment is the first for C Company, 1st Battalion, since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Some of its soldiers previously volunteered to serve abroad with other units.

The soldiers of C Company will train at Fort Dix in New Jersey before leaving for Iraq.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a story reporting how Rhode Island students scored on national math and reading tests.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment