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« September 2007 | Today | November 2007 » October 31, 2007Tonight: Go get scared or watch Papelbon ... againLooking for a way to get scared tonight? Take a jaunt over to the Factory of Terror, open until 10 tonight, in Fall River, Mass. It's at 33 Pearl St. Admission is $17 for adults and $12 for children under age 10. Cash only. For more about Halloween haunts, check out projo.com's listings. For the rest of you, Sox player Jonathan Papelbon, fresh from doing several parade jigs and performing air guitar with a broom, will be on the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS tonight. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Photo: Fatal 95 wreck from the air
Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:08 PM | Comment Station fire: Derderian finishes community serviceJeffrey Derderian has finished -- and exceeded -- the 500 hours of community service he was ordered to do after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter charges in the Station nightclub fire. Derderian, one of two brothers who had owned the club, completed 534 hours of community service, the Rhode Island Judiciary said in a news release this afternoon. An Oct. 22 letter from the Phoenix Society, an organization that helps burn survivors, said that Derderian had performed 402 hours of service. Another Oct. 22 letter from West Greenwich Fire and Rescue showed he had done 132 hours of community service. Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. "has accepted the correspondence as verification that Derderian has fulfilled his court-ordered obligation. No further court reviews are planned," the news release said. In the last update, on Sept. 1, Derderian had at the time completed 446 hours. One hundred people died in the fire and in September 2006, Derderian and his brother Michael pleaded no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Michael Derderian is serving a four-year term at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. Jeffrey received a suspended setnence, ordered to perform the community service and serve three years’ probation. Read more about the Station nightclub fire here. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:21 PM | Comment Photo/Cars in fatal crash were registered in R.I.
Police say both vehicles are registered in Rhode Island. The two cars collided, then went off the highway, up an embankment and hit the concrete abutment of an Interstate 295 overpass. The cars flipped over and burst into flames. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names haven't been released pending positive identification by the medical examiner and notification of family. One driver was in a 2008 Nissan sedan and the other was in a 2008 Honda sedan, says a state police news release. The two left lanes are now open on Route 95 north in Massachusetts after being closed because of a fatal car crash next exit 4, the Rhode Island Transportation Management Center said this afternoon. The Route 95 right lane and the Route 295 north ramp leading to Route 95 north remain closed. The incident remains under investigation. -- The Associated Press with projo.com staff reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:15 PM | Comment Station fire defendants will pay about $20 millionTwo additional defendants have reached a tentative agreement with victims of the 2003 Station nightclub fire. Polar Industries and The Home Depot have agreed to pay $5 million, according to Mark Mandell, a lawyer for dozens fire victims. Along with $1 million that the court registry is holding from Great White's insurance company, the total amount of settlement money that couild be awarded to the group is now $19.5 million. U.S. District Judge Ronald R. Lagueux today appointed Duke University Law Prof. Francis E. McGovern to oversee the distribution of money among the more than 300 victims who filed suit seeking damages related to the fire. In a surprise move announced by Mandell, McGovern has agreed to work with the victims for no cost beyond incidental expenses. Read projo.com's Station fire coverage One hundred people died and more than 200 were injured in the Feb. 20, 2003 fire that began when a pyrotechnics display inside the club during a Great White concert. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Tracy Breton The additional defendants who have tentatively agreed to settlements so far are: Luna Tech Inc., of Alabama - and two of its European subsidiaries - which the lawsuits contend manufactured the pyrotechnics used by Great White the night of the Station fire. High Tech Special Effects Inc., a Tennessee company that is alleged to have sold the fireworks used by Great White at the club the night of the fire. Celotex Corp., which manufactured SoundStop board and then sold it for distribution to consumers. According to the lawsuits, the Derderians purchased SoundStop for their nightclub from Home Depot and then installed it in the ceiling of the drummer's alcove and elsewhere inside The Station. Triton Realty and Raymond Villanova, owners of the building on Cowesett Avenue where The Station was located. Joseph LaFontaine, of Warwick, owner of New England Custom Alarms, the company that installed the fire alarm system at the club when it was owned by Howard Julian, before the Derderians bought it. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:05 PM | Comment Ocean State Job Lot warns of scamA scam, apparently run out of Canada and involving a fraudulent $40,000-per-check-cashing scheme, illegally used Ocean Job Lot's name to randomly target people around the United States, the company announced today. "Our company’s name has been used illegally and without our knowledge in this financial scam. When this surfaced, Job Lot immediately reported the phony giveaway to the United States Postal Investigation Service, the [Federal Bureau of Investigation] and other law enforcement agencies," Ocean State Job Lot said in a news release. Canadian authorities are also investigating. People began getting letters about a week ago from a company describing itself as Boyer Financial, Inc. of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. With each letter was a fraudulent check for about $3,850. The checks appeared as though they had been issued by by Ocean State Jobbers, Inc., parent company of Ocean State Job Lot. People who got the letters were told they would receive “a grant” -- free money totaling $40,000 from the federal government if they simply cashed the enclosed check, faxed information back to the sender and called the “grant advisor." The remainder of the $40,000 would then be sent to the person. But the checks were worthless, Ocean State Job Lot said today. Job Lot and to local law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island, Maine, California, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Hampshire are aware of 33 scam letters brought to their attention. The scam's intention was not clear, but "it may be an attempt to get personal information on the targeted individual, ultimately resulting in identity theft; or it may be a scheme to use the personal information to loot the recipient’s bank account," Ocean State Job Lot said. Ocean State Job Lot is "outraged that residents of these states, and perhaps others, have been targeted as potential victims. We are equally outraged that our company and our good corporate name have been used in this shameful attempt to swindle unsuspecting consumers." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:50 PM | Comment Carcieri's lawyers argue for executive privilegePROVIDENCE -- The state’s high court heard arguments today about whether Governor Carcieri should be called to take the stand at the trial of the seven Narragansett Indians facing criminal charges stemming from the state police raid on a tribal smoke shop in July 2003. Defense lawyer William P. Devereaux and Marc DeSisto, representing the governor, presented their cases under occasionally heated questioning by the Supreme Court justices. DeSisto urged the judges to overturn a ruling by the Superior Court judge that Carcieri could be called to testify about the orders he gave then State Police Col. Steven M. Pare leading up to the raid. DeSisto argued executive privilege should shield the governor -- and high ranking governmental officials -- from testifying unless he has direct and highly relevant personal information about the case that cannot be gotten from other sources. The issue of executive privilege has not been tested in Rhode Island. “Hailing the high executive into court unnecessarily disrupts administrative functions,” DeSisto said. Justice Francis X. Flaherty asked why the governor’s appearances on talk radio and before a commission reviewing the raid in the days and weeks that followed were not equally as disruptive. DeSisto responded that the governor has the obligation to “reach out" to the public on certain issues. “Doesn’t he have the obligation to tell the same story under oath?,” said Chief Justice Frank Williams. The governor should only be called to testify in “rare cases,” otherwise the system will lead to abuse, DeSisto said. Devereaux argued the governor’s testimony could be vital to defense arguments that troopers used excessive force by disregarding Carcieri’s order that they back off if they met resistance. “The jury deserves to consider the orders,” he said. The information being sought, he said, was not confidential. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney The justices questioned Devereaux with equal intensity. Goldberg asked why TV crews had been at the scene the day of the raid and whether the defense was inviting a “circus-like atmosphere” into the courts. Flaherty wondered whether the same evidence could be gotten by other means, which Devereaux likened to providing testimony by “boom box.” The cases grew out of the state police raid of a Narragansett smoke shop in Charlestown on July 14, 2003. Governor Carcieri ordered the police to execute the search warrant on the roadside store after the tribe began selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes, in violation of state law. The raid disintegrated into a violent confrontation. Seven tribal members, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, face misdemeanor charges of obstruction, disorderly conduct, assault and resisting arrest. The court will issue a decision in six weeks, Williams said. In the meantime, the Supreme Court has urged the parties, including the attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting, to mediate the cases. “We weren’t kidding when we put that in the order,” Williams said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:12 PM | Comment Alert: Fatal crash stops traffic on 95 north, AttleboroATTLEBORO, Mass. -- State police say at least one person is dead and there is a possibility of additional fatalities after a fiery multi-vehicle crash in Attleboro. Sgt. Mike Rafferty says the crash occurred at the junction of Interstates 95 and 295 at about 11 a.m. Firefighters were sifting through the charred wreckage of the two overturned vehicles. The crash forced the closure of the two right lanes of Interstate 95 North and the ramp from Interstate 295 North to I-95 North. State Police plan to close all northbound lanes of I-95 during the investigation. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 12:30 PM | Comment Tropical storm Noel on its way to FloridaThe National Weather Service is warning southern Floridians to look out for winds gusting over 25 miles per hour, strong rip currents;15-foot seas; and even a “remote …possibility of a weak tornado or waterspout.” Tropical storm Noel is expected to strengthen during the next 36 to 48 hours, according to the service’s National Hurricane Center. Wind and rain advisories may turn into a tropical storm warning within a day or two. The storm, which is responsible for more than 45 deaths in the western Caribbean, is expected to approach Florida in the next few days.3 See video of the storm's aftermath in the Caribbean and current conditions in Florida. Officials say that despite some rain in Florida, the storm is not expected to bring relief to areas of the Southeast experiencing drought. -- with reports from The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:09 PM | Comment Update: Gas leak repairedTenants at a Lincoln complex are returning to their apartments after the source of a gas smell was pinpointed and sealed. Police said a caller complaining of a gas smell came just before 9:30 this morning from an apartment at the complex on 25 Spring St. in the Manville section of town. A National Grid technician found the source: a loose connector on the back of a stove unit. The gas was turned off, and the technician replaced the faulty is connector, according to spokesman David Graves. The building was vented and residents were allowed to return to their apartments. The technician is manually relighting pilot lights in each unit. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:00 AM | Comment Widow sues woman who crashed into Mass. hospitalBROCKTON, Mass. -- The widow of a doctor killed when a 76-year-old woman crashed her car into Brockton Hospital has sued the driver for $10 million. The wrongful death suit by Kathleen Vasa, widow of 58-year-old Mark Vasa of Norwell, was filed against Jane Berghold last week. Berghold, a breast cancer patient at the hospital, drove her car into the radiation therapy unit at the hospital on October 15. Vasa, the chief of the unit, and 59-year-old hospital secretary Susan Plante sustained fatal injuries in the accident. Berghold's attorney declined comment to The Enterprise of Brockton. She has said previously that her car didn't stop when she tried to brake. Berghold is scheduled to appear before a clerk magistrate in December to determine if she will be criminally charged. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 10:06 AM | Comment Special master for Station Fire suit to be appointedA U.S District Court judge today will consider the appointment of a special master to devise a plan to divvy up settlement money offered to the victims of the Station nightclub fire. Lawyers representing two foam manufacturers being sued by the victims dropped their objections Monday to the appointment of Duke University Law Prof. Francis E. McGovern as special master. Extra: Read about the Station nightclub fire on projo.com Lawyers representing General Foam and Foamex say they’ll hold onto their right to object to settlement offers and won’t have to pay any of McGovern’s fees. In recent weeks, some of the approximately 90 defendants made tentative offers worth about $13.5 million to people who lost loved ones or were injured in the Feb. 20 2003 fire that killed 100 people. -- with archive reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:54 AM | Comment Carcieri's lawyer to argue before high courtPROVIDENCE -- A lawyer for Governor Carcieri is scheduled to go before the state Supreme Court to argue that Carcieri shouldn't have to testify in a trial over a violent raid at a Narragansett Indian smoke shop in 2003. Seven tribe members face criminal charges ranging from disorderly conduct to assault for the state police raid on the shop, which was not charging taxes on cigarettes. Defense lawyers want Carcieri to testify about an order he says he gave to police to pull back if they met resistance. Instead, a fight erupted between tribe members and police. A Superior Court judge has said Carcieri's testimony could be relevant. Carcieri's lawyer says executive privilege protects him from being forced to testify. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Nothing scary about this forecastLook for a sunny day with a high near 65 degrees and a comfortable night for trick-or-treating. Tonight should be partly cloudy with a low around 48 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. 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 about the poor condition of Rhode Island's historical cemeteries. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 30, 2007Get scared tonight and tomorrowAside from watching "Halloween" played on some television station tonight, it may be a good time to plan out how to scare yourself and your loved ones tomorrow. Or get a jump on things by getting scared tonight. Open till 10 tonight and tomorrow night is the Factory of Terror in Fall River, Mass. It's at 33 Pearl St., (no phone number available) open Thursdays and Sundays, 6:30 to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays 6:30 to 11 p.m. through October, as well as tonight and tomorrow, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Admission is $17 for adults and $12 for children under age 10. Cash only.
Check out projo.com's guide to Halloween scariness. As for tonight, there's always the music scene. ContraBand plays acoustic rock at Rocky Point Pub, 1705 West Shore Rd., Warwick. Call 739-9800, www.rockypointpub.com. 7 p.m. Dancing Nancy plays a tribute to Dave Matthews at Gillary’s Tavern, 198 Thames St., Bristol. Call 253-2012. 9:30 p.m. Rod Luther plays jazz at The Chanler, Spiced Pear Restaurant, 117 Memorial Blvd., Newport. Call 847-2244. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sevendust, 10 Years, Neverset and Black Light Burns play rock at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. 331-5876, 272-5876, www.etix.com. 8 pm. $22.50 advance; $25 day of show; $30 reserved. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment House committee OKs repeal of law on 17-year-oldsPROVIDENCE -- A legislative committee today took a first step toward repealing state law that treats 17-year-olds as adults in criminal matters. Both the House and Senate, which are meeting in special session today, would have to approve the change for it to become law. The bill that came out of the House Finance Committee is not retroactive to existing cases. There have been 49 17-year-olds jailed at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston since July 1, when the law took effect, and others arrested whose cases would continue in adult court if the bill as approved in committee becomes law. There was debate in the committee over the bill's wordin, so whether the absence of it's applying to those alreeady jailed or arrested will remain remains to be seen when the the House and Senate take it up. The bill as passed in committee seals police and court records for the cases of 17-year-olds, including for the people already in jail and arrested. “I want to commend the House Finance Committee for making a necessary course correction to a law that was short sighted and, in the long term, damaging to Rhode Island’s interests,” Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a statement this evening. The General Assembly's special session is considering a spate of bills, including efforts to override Governor Carcieri's vetoes of bills. Added to the calendar of bills that wil be considered is one to move the state's presidential primary from March 4 to a Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primary, which many states have gone to. Neither chamber has taken up the measure yet as floor debate heads into the evening. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKiney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:44 PM | Comment Delcarmen drums through the streets of Boston
Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:52 PM | Comment Another Sox parade: Crowds line up in Taco BellsWhile the Sox players paraded through Boston today, a whole other kind of parade wound through -- and, in at least one instance, out the doors of -- several Taco Bells around Rhode Island. Some local outlets of the national chain were swamped with customers this afternoon -- all thanks to a World Series stolen base by Red Sox rookie sensation Jacoby Ellsbury. Taco Bell agreed to give customers one free taco from 2 to 5 p.m. today if someone stole a base in the series. More than 40 cars lined up at the drive-through of the Taco Bell on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston -- a line-up that stretched out onto Aqueduct Road. At the peak of things, five police officers were on scene to keep traffic flowing. In North Providence, at the Taco Bell on Mineral Spring Avenue, manager Erika Duarte estimated the outlet had given out about 1,000 tacos in the first 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. She said she initially called the police out of concern for the potential for things getting out of hand but that in the end people were well behaved. One detail officer was on scene to keep traffic moving. In Cranston, Lisa Ruggiero and her three sons Brian, 10, Daniel, 8, and Andrew 3 waited in line to go through the drive-through. They had watched most of the series on video because the games ran past their bedtimes. "We love Jacoby Ellsworth, we're glad he's the one who own this for us. We saw him in Pawtucket [for the minor league Pawtucket Red Sox] and we know he's going be a big star," said Lisa Ruggiero. But others coming and going did not display the red "B" one might expect. Yes, there were peole dressed in Yankees garb and even a car bearing a Yankees sticker seen exiting the Taco Bell. However, another patron in Cranston, Hector Cabrera, swore to a reporter his loyalty to the Red Sox despite wearing a Yankees cap. A friend's hat, he explained, while eating a free taco. The line stretched from the counter to the door at the Taco Bell in the Wakefield section of South Kingstown, said Stephanie Histen, assistant manager of the restaurant on Old Tower Hill Road. At least 200 customers have gotten free tacos at an overflowing Taco Bell on Post Road in Westerly since 2 p.m., said Stephanie Thompson, the assistant manager there. She said the restaurant ordered 650 to 1,100 extra tacos in preparation for today. In Warren, the Metacom Avenue Taco Bell has had a full parking lot and six or seven cars waiting in the drive-through. In Attleboro, Mass., the police reported traffic slowdowns in the area of the Taco Bell there. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writers Barbara Polichetti, Richard C. Dujardin, Maria Armental and staff reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:18 PM | Comment Sox' next stop: Providence, Hartford, both, neither?Now for the Sox' next victory lap: Will it be in Providence, Hartford, both, neither? Bids to get a visit from the World Series champs emerged today even as the Duck Boats filled with players and Jonathan Papelbon and his broom/guitar were making their way through Boston streets. Governor Carcieri said this morning his office will be in contact with the Red Sox in hopes of getting a rally similar to the one held in Providence in 2004, the Associated Press reported. Three years ago, Sox pitcher-at-the-time Bronson Arroyo brought the World Series trophy to the State House. Meanwhile, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell -- an admitted Yankees fan -- has sent a letter to Sox owner John Henry seeking to have the team come to Hartford. Rell's office issued a news release today saying that in 2004, "Red Sox players, team management and other representatives of the organization came to Connecticut for rallies in New Haven and Hartford following their historic World Series win," the release said, as well as traveling to other states. Rell declared the 2004 day of the rally “Boston Red Sox Day” in Connecticut, the news release noted. "If team owners agree to bring the team back to Connecticut this year, Governor Rell said she would be honored to issue another official proclamation in the team’s honor." “Connecticut is a state divided among Red Sox and Yankee fans with a fair amount of New York Mets fans in the mix. Nevertheless, Connecticut considers itself to be a big part of Red Sox Nation,” Rell said in the statement. “A rally in Hartford would be an opportunity for Red Sox fans to show their admiration for the team and honor them for their championship season.” Rell's statement conceded she is a "faithful Yankees fan. However, as a baseball fan and someone who appreciates this historic pastime, I would be honored to have the Red Sox organization come to Connecticut so we can join Red Sox Nation in saying ‘congratulations’ for winning a second World Series in four years and ‘thank you’ for another unforgettable Fall Classic." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney and the Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:04 PM | Comment Lawmakers will seek earlier presidential primary todayPROVIDENCE -- It turns out lawmakers today expect to introduce legislation to move Rhode Island's presidential primary from March 4 to the earlier, "Super Tuesday" date on which many states will now hold primaries. A new version of the bill is expected to be introduced during today's General Assembly special session. The move follows the failure of legislation in the regular session earlier this year to clear the House after passing in the Senate. The calendar of bills, including attempts to override Governor Carcieri's vetoes, posted yesterday did not include the presidential primary proposal. Senate Majority Leader Teresa Paiva-Weed confirmed the Senate will take up the bill during today's session. House leaders had not yet been reached, but Greg Pare, spokesman for the Senate president, said the House has agreed to take up the bill as well. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:03 PM | Comment GTECH Holdings cuts about 50 R.I. employeesPROVIDENCE -- GTECH Holdings Corp. fired about 50 of its Rhode Island employees today, saying its acquisition by Lottomatica SpA last summer had made possible a range of consolidations. Over all, the company is laying off 125 employees across its global operations, GTECH spokesman Robert Vincent said. Lottomatica, based in Italy, bought GTECH last August for $4.8 billion. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:53 PM | Comment Reactions to issues on tap at Special SessionPROVIDENCE -- Nurses are planning to show their support at the State House today for a bill that would end mandatory overtime. Absent from the list of bills on the table at today’s Special Session of the General Assembly is one that would end mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes -- legislation an advocacy group had lobbied for last week -- and a measure to move the presidential primary to a "Super Tuesday" on which many states will hold primaries. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson, with Journal archival reports At 3 p.m. today, local nurses plan to hand-deliver letters of support from nurses in more than 25 states. Governor Carcieri vetoed the bill, which passed unanimously, in July, citing a nursing shortage and saying at the time that mandatory overtime “should be negotiated through the collective-bargaining process. In Lynch’s letter to Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva-Weed and Stephen D. Alves, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Attorney General calls Article 22 “ill-advised” and “myopic.” But the legislation was enacted into law properly, and it is not flawed, Lynch asserted, and so in his letter he “strongly” recommends that if the law is repealed, it is not done so retroactively. Since the law took effect July 1, more than thirty-six 17-year-olds have spent at least one night in the state prison, accused of crimes that previously might have resulted in a locked stay at the Training School. Those youths have adult criminal records now instead of a juvenile record that would have been sealed by the Family Court. The House and Senate posted their calendars yesterday afternoon. The reconsideration of 17-year-olds as adults in criminal matters is on a committee calendar and must clear committee to then go to the floor. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:00 PM | Comment E. Providence man dies today after Sunday collisionPROVIDENCE -- A 51-year-old East Providence man died this afternoon at Rhode Island Hospital, where he has been since a motorcycle crash Sunday, according to the police. Michael Stevens suffered severe head injuries when his 1977 Harley Davidson motorcycle collided with a 1990 Toyota Corolla just after 5 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Waterman Avenue and North Broadway in East Providence. He was taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was in critical condition until today. The female driver of the car was not injured, said Sgt. Thomas Rush, head of the East Providence Police Department’s traffic division. He would not identify her because the investigation of the accident is ongoing. Rush said no witnesses to the accident have yet to come forward, and asked anyone with information to call the traffic division at (401) 435-7654. “We need someone who saw it but wasn’t involved,” he said. -- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:59 PM | Comment Parade scenes: Papelbon mugs; Schilling exults
Red Sox heroes Jonathan Papelbon, top, and Curt Schilling celebrate from the Duck Boats. Posted by Peter Phipps at 2:52 PM | Comment Sox parade: Papelbon's air guitar.. with a broomBOSTON, Mass. -- Jonathan Papelbon is doing air-guitar on a Duck Boat in Boston Common ... with a broom. Already known for the Papelbon dance -- that jig-like series of steps that replaced "Cowboy-Up" of yesteryear as a team badge -- Papelbon's improvisations this afternoon include celebrating the Sox's four-game World Series sweep of the Rockies. (Some purists might quibble over whether it's truly an air guitar if anything other than one's own arms mimic the riffs and licks, but that's a discussion for another time). He's not alone. People are selling brooms and waving brooms celebrating the sweep as the victory parade wends toward its finish at City Hall Plaza. As for any musical aspirations, Papelbon's in good company. Guitar legend Jimi Hendrix was known to strum a broom as a boy before he got his fingers on a Fender Stratocaster. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:39 PM | Comment Diversity Career Fair runs until 5 at the Crowne PlazaWARWICK — Where else can you find more than 15 companies holding on-the-spot interviews? Only at today’s projoJob’s Diversity Career Fair, now through 5 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza, Route 5, in Warwick. More than 15 companies conducting interviews for job openings. Plus, there are free seminars. Learn how to write an effective résumé, and attend seminars on proper workplace attire and professional presentation. Click here to see the full list of exhibitors and seminars at the projoJobs Diversity Career Fair. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:16 PM | Comment Sox parade: Guitars pound and cheers of 'Manny!'
College students are near people taking time off from office jobs, who are next to construction workers holding up signs -- people from different status, backgrounds, incomes, but all united for the Red Sox victory parade. It will make its way to Boston Common and then City Hall. People watch the action from atop the Atlantic Fish Company, where the fresh catch of Chilean sea bass lists for $34 -- for one person. And it's a day when Lord & Taylor, the staid clothing store, accommodates the Irish punk sounds of the passing Dropkick Murphys. At one point, the parade appears to slow as Manny Ramirez plays to admirers from the Duck boat on which he and Ortiz are riding. Look: there are members of the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox of 1967. There's former Sox pitcher Luis Tiant waving to the crowd. Current manager Terry Francona draws cheers and there's a big outburst of support for Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:12 PM | Comment Nazarian retiring after half-century at RIC
Longtime Rhode Island College President John Nazarian announced today he will retire when his contract expires in June, capping 58 years at the college, the last 18 as president. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but there was always something going on, and I want to leave the college in good hands,” Nazarian said in a phone interview Monday. Last month, on his 75th birthday, Nazarian met with Frank Caprio, chairman of the Board of Governors for Higher Education, and informed Caprio he would not be seeking another three-year term as president. “The name John Nazarian is synonymous with Rhode Island College,” Caprio said. “We are grateful for his years of dedicated service and will miss him, both as a colleague and a friend.” Nazarian, a native of Pawtucket, graduated from the Rhode Island College of Education, as it was then called, with a degree in math, in May 1954. That fall he began his career there as an instructor of math and physics. He was promoted multiple times, becoming an administrator in the early 1970s, and serving as vice president of administration and finance for 13 years before becoming president in 1990. “When I started here, I was a teenager,” Nazarian said. “But to make a commitment for another three years, well, it seemed presumptuous. You don’t know what will happen to you. Thank God I’m in good health and the college is in good shape. I’m happy I’ve been given the privilege to do what I’ve done. But I think it’s time.” Click below to read Nazarian's retirement announcement. -- Journal staff writer Jennifer D. Jordan Your turn: Share your favorite John Nazarian story Nazarian is known for his attention to detail, and his sometimes criticized for his micromanaging style. He personally signs over a thousand diplomas each spring, frequently meets with and e-mails students, and attends even relatively minor meetings on construction projects, to ensure they are built on time and within budget. Nazarian said he is looking forward to some unstructured time when he retires. He hopes to travel, spend time with his relatives — many of whom live in Rhode Island — golf, and read a stack of mystery novels that has grown tall in his Pawtucket home. The Board of Governors will establish a search committee within the coming weeks and will launch a national search for a new president, Caprio said. Nazarian is credited with overseeing a period of growth at the college, both in terms of enrollment, which reached its highest level this fall with almost 10,000 students, and in new buildings and major renovation projects. Highlights include a $30-million, 363-bed residence hall that opened last month, a $4.8-million renovation of Alger Hall, and almost $6 million to expand and renovate the Student Union. In 2000, the college dedicated a $10-million Center for the Performing Arts in honor of Nazarian, a gesture the president says ranks among his happiest memories. “If you ask the question if Rhode Island College is a better place for having John Nazarian as president for the past 18 years — the answer is a resounding yes,” said Jack Warner, Rhode Island’s commissioner for higher education. “Rhode Island College has been his life’s work, a place into which he poured his heart and soul. The students, faculty and staff are better off because John Nazarian was president.” --
Thank you for the opportunity to serve the College for all these years. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:01 PM | Comment Sen. Kennedy back at work after surgeryWASHINGTON — Sen. Edward Kennedy was back at work in the Senate today for the first time since his surgery earlier this month to clear a partially blocked artery in his neck. “I’m feeling fine,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. “I think it’s just about getting the energy level back ... The strength has been coming back daily.” Kennedy, 75, had been resting at the family’s Hyannis Port compound since his Oct. 12 surgery in Boston. The blockage in Kennedy’s left carotid artery, which supplies blood to the face and brain, was discovered Oct. 4 after a routine physical examination and MRI on his back. -- The Associated Press Kennedy’s Tuesday schedule includes planned remarks on the Senate floor about children’s health insurance and Amtrak funding, the weekly luncheon with Senate Democrats and a meeting about education legislation. Kennedy also plans to watch Tuesday night’s televised Democratic presidential debate. The Senator was flooded with get-well greetings from Democrats and Republicans alike as he recovered, though “there was a kind of continuing sense from some of the Republicans that I maybe ought to stay in Massachusetts a bit longer,” he joked. “He was calling to wish me well, but we talked a little shop as well,” Kennedy said. Kennedy also took time to watch the Boston Red Sox sweep the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. “What a time for the Red Sox,” Kennedy said. Kennedy said the staples on his neck were removed by doctors on Cape Cod. He has a routine follow-up appointment with his doctors in about 10 days, but does not anticipate any problems. One of Kennedy’s doctors said after the surgery that the senator’s overall health was excellent. Kennedy is on blood-pressure and cholesterol medication. Kennedy has been bothered by an aching back since a 1964 plane crash, which killed a pilot and one of Kennedy’s aides. Then-Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., who was traveling with Kennedy, pulled him from the wreckage but Kennedy suffered a back injury, punctured lung, broken ribs and internal bleeding. Because of the persistent pain, the senator often leans on a wall or sits on a stool when he otherwise would be expected to stand for an extended period. Kennedy is the lone surviving son in his storied political family. His eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a World War II airplane crash; President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Robert was assassinated in 1968, when he was running for president. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:59 PM | Comment Victory parade gets rolling in Boston
BOSTON -- Thousands of people have crammed the historic streets of Boston’s Back Bay in anticipation of seeing their baseball heroes roll by in World War II-era amphibious duck boats as the city celebrates the World Series victory of the Boston Red Sox. It was the second time in the last 4 years that the Red Sox have been World Series champs. It is a rare to see the main streets of Boston free of cars. People are lined up from Fenway Park, through the Back Bay neighborhood, onto Boston Common and into City Hall Plaza for the parade. It looked somewhat like the annual Boston marathon, another event where onlookers are lined up eight- and nine-people deep. News helicopters hovered over the event as people of all ages streamed into the city: some pushing strollers, college kids from local universities ditching classes, and people wearing all manner of Red Sox regalia and gear to cheer on their team. Jessica Posner, a Northeastern University junior, sat with a hamburger watching the event on the big screen at Daisy Buchanan’s on Newbury Street. “I can’t wait to see Johnny Papelbon do his river dance,” she said. “He is so hot.” The gathering has been peaceful so far. Hundreds of police officers and firefighters are patroling the streets. People are leaning from office windows with “We did it again,“ and “We are champions” signs. Needless to say, Back Bay bars are doing a brisk business. To view the live streaming video of the parade, click here -- Journal staff writer Scott McKay Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:33 PM | Comment Storm leaves Dominican, hits Cuba, BahamasMIAMI -- The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Noel has weakened a bit after causing floods and mudslides and at least 20 deaths in the Dominican Republic. The storm continues to dump rain over portions of Cuba, the island of Hispaniola and the Bahamas. Noel had been forecast to hit Haiti hardest but veered toward the other country on Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic, apparently catching residents off guard yesterday. Forecasters say a tropical storm warning remains in effect for portions of Cuba and the Bahamas. They add that a tropical storm watch could go into effect for parts of southeast Florida later today or tonight. Noel temporarily knocked out the Dominican Republic's entire power system, plunging more than 9 million people into the dark for about two hours. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:27 PM | Comment Photo/parade coverage: 'Boston is crazy right now'
Journal photo / Bill Murphy To view the live streaming video of the parade, click here: Posted by Pam Cotter at 12:04 PM | Comment Update: Passenger in fatal crash released from hospitalA Westerly teenager, who was in a one-car accident in Connecticut last night in which the teenage driver and another teenage passenger died, was treated and released from Hasbro Children's Hospital. Brandon Algier of Westerly, who was a passenger, was taken by helicopter to Hasbro Children's Hospital, where he was treated but not admitted. Jay Naylor, 18, and Elizabeth Greenhall, 16, were killed when the car they were in drove off the road. The two Hopkinton teenagers were "great" and "creative" kids, Chariho Superintendent Barry Ricci said this morning. All three were wearing seatbelts, according to a police report. Counselors from throughout the district were sent this morning to to Chariho Regional High School, where the two Hopkinton residents went to school. Ricci said several students have sought time with the counselors, but along with the professionals, "the students also support themselves." Naylor was interested in computers and electronics, and Greenhall was a interested in graphics and communications, Ricci said. "She had an artistic flare... They were both just good young people." Connecticut State Police say Naylor was driving south on Route 49 in North Stonington, and Greenhall was sitting in the passenger seat when the car hit a telephone pole, drove off the road, rolled on its side, and slammed into a tree. The two were pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is still under investigation. -- projo.com staff writers Brandie Jefferson and Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Randall Edgar Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:46 AM | Comment More photos: The Nation awaits the world champions
Posted by Pam Cotter at 11:43 AM | Comment Photos galore for Sox fans as the Nation celebrates
Want more photos of all the Red Sox excitement? click below to see all the best photo galleries of the World Series and its aftermath. You'll find even more at projo.com/redsox: The World Series: Red Sox homecoming The World Series: The post-championship celebration The World Series: The pitchers The World Series: Game 4: Red Sox 4, Rockies 3 Posted by Pam Cotter at 11:27 AM | Comment Update: Teens killed in accident were 'great,' 'creative'Two Hopkinton teenagers killed in a car accident in Connecticut last night were "great" and "creative" kids, Chariho Superintendent Barry Ricci said this morning. Jay Naylor, 18, and Elizabeth Greenhall, 16, were killed when the car they were in drove off the road. Counselors from throughout the district were sent this morning to to Chariho Regional High School, where the two Hopkinton residents went to school. Ricci said several students have sought time with the counselors, but along with the professionals, "the students also support themselves." Naylor was interested in computers and electronics, and Greenhall was a interested in graphics and communicaitons, Ricci said. "She had an artistic flare... They were both just good young people." Brandon Algier, 13, of Westerly, was taken by helicopter to Hasbro Children's Hospital. Connecticut State Police say Naylor, was driving south on Route 49 in North Stonington, and Greenhall, was sitting in the passenger seat when the car hit a telephone pole, drove off the road, rolled on its side, and slammed into a tree. The two were pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is still under investigation. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:23 AM | Comment Watch the Sox parade here / photo
Wish you could be in Boston to see the Red Sox' World Series victory parade? We've got the next-best thing: live, streaming video of the noontime rally that will start at Fenway Park and will travel through Back Bay to the Commons and end at City Hall Plaza. Our media partner, WPRI-TV in Providence, is providing the live feed via Fox. The link will be posted on our homepage closer to the start of the rally. The “rolling rally” on World War II-era amphibious duck boats will take the same route as the 2004 championship parade, except they won’t go into the Charles River, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said. Menino said pitcher Jonathan Papelbon will dance, and the Dropkick Murphys also will play along the parade route. “He has to do a dance,” Menino said. “He promised the people he would do a dance.” The Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies Sunday night with a 4-3 win in Denver. Posted by Pam Cotter at 10:20 AM | Comment Photo: Fire damages Warwick tavern
An early morning fire damaged Lakewood House and Tavern in Warwick. Police Lt. Joe Coffey said a fire alarm went off at about 4:15 a.m. When crews arrived, no one was in the building at 651 Warwick Ave. There is damage to the roof and the rear door of the building, but Coffey says it’s not clear yet how much structural damage was done. So far, it doesn’t appear that any nearby buildings were damaged. Arson detectives and the fire marshal are on the scene now. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:06 AM | Comment Governor seeks Sox celebration in Ocean StatePROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri is hoping that Rhode Island will once again be able to join in the celebration of a Red Sox championship. The governor says his office will be in contact with the team over holding a rally similar to the one in 2004, when then-Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo brought the World Series trophy to the State House in Providence. Carcieri points out that Rhode Islanders make up a big part of Red Sox nation. The World Series champions are being honored today with a Duck Boat parade in Boston. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Sunny skies and a high near 63Today is looking a bit warmer than yesterday with the National Weather Service forecasting sunny skies and a high temperature of 63 degrees. Expect some clouds overnight when the temperature should drop to 41 degrees. Tomorrow will look like today, with clear skies, a high temperature near 64 and winds between 11 and 14 mph. 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 big photograph of Red Sox' designated hitter David Ortiz holding up the World Series trophy after the team returned to Boston. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 29, 2007Tonight: Big band swings, swinging blues and rockIf you need a break from Sox euphoria, or, more likely, you're a Yankees fan, here are some things to do tonight. Big Band Swings plays at the Cornerstone Playhouse, 213 Robinson St., Wakefield. Call 284-1850, www.thetruebrewcafe.com. 7:30 p.m. SBT, Johnny Clothes Hanger and the Anti Babies and Acetone play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 8 p.m. $5. All ages. Mark Taber plays blues at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. Call 453-6500. 7 to 11 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Photos: Sox return to Fenway with trophy
See the earlier blog item.. Posted by Sheila Lennon at 6:59 PM | Comment Barrington student allegedly compiled 'hit list'BARRINGTON -- Police say they will refer a 16-year-old high school student to Family Court, probably on a charge of disorderly conduct, after he allegedly compiled and printed list, labeled a "hit list," of six students and teachers using a school computer. Police were called to the high school around 3 p.m. Friday after the list was discovered, but by then the teacher who found it and the student who reportedly wrote it had left, Chief John LaCross said today. But the probe continued over the weekend, with the student telling police that the list was meant to be a joke. There was no disruption of classes and the Homecoming football game went off as scheduled Friday night. LaCross said he expects the investigation, including further interviews, to be complete by Wednesday. ``We take this matter as a serious offense, especially in light of the things that happened at Virginia Tech and other schools,'' said the chief. ``Even constructing a list as a joke is no joke. We will investigate it thoroughly.'' Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:46 PM | Comment Station fire: Foam firms won't oppose special masterPROVIDENCE -- Lawyers representing two foam manufacturers being sued by victims of The Station nightclub fire today dropped their objections to the appointment of a special master who would devise a method to equitably distribute settlement money offered to the plaintiffs. This makes it more likely that Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux will approve the appointment of Duke University Law Prof. Francis E. McGovern as special master in The Station fire civil cases. Lagueux is scheduled to take up the matter at a hearing tomorrow Wed afternoon. Lawyers representing General Foam and Foamex, two foam manufacturers that are being sued by the fire victims, had filed objections to McGovern’s appointment by the court. But in newly filed papers, lawyers James A. Ruggieri and Gerald C. Demaria say they are withdrawing their objections because the victims’ lawyers have clarified the limited role McGovern would play. They say that as long as they can preserve their right to object to settlement offers and won’t have to shoulder any of the fees that McGovern charges -- and because the victims are not asking McGovern to play a role in the court’s review of settlements -- they won’t argue against his appointment. Lawyers for those who lost loved ones or who suffered injuries in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire -- which took 100 lives and caused injuries to more than 200 others -- are asking the court to approve McGovern’s appointment so that he can develop a matrix to divvy up money that is being offered by some of the defendants to settle the lawsuits now pending against them. In recent weeks, a handful of the approximately 90 defendants who remain in the civil suits have made tentative offers totaling $13.5 million to settle the victims’ claims. The victims’ lawyers are currently negotiating with more of the defendants and are hopeful that additional settlement offers will be forthcoming. No settlement money has been paid out yet; Lagueux would have to approve all proposed settlements before the victims get any money. McGovern has performed similar duties as a special master more than 50 times in other complex tort cases around the country, including the DDT toxic exposure litigation, the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device litigation and the silicone breast implant cases. He has also participated in developing a reparations system for people, businesses and government entities affected by the Iraq war. If appointed by Lagueux, he would develop a grid to decide how all of the settlement money that is offered would be divided among each of the plaintiffs, depending on the degree of injury, number of dependent family members as well as other variables. McGovern would interview the victims and their families and then devise a matrix that would be used to apportion how much each would get. The court would still independently have to approve all settlement offers after determining that they were being made in good faith. Demaria and Ruggieri say in their court filing that they have been assured by the victims’ lawyers that all costs associated with McGovern’s hiring will be borne by the victims pro-rata and that all of the victims’ attorney fees will be based solely upon whatever their clients recover in damages. -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment Victory scene: Schilling puts the fans on cameraBOSTON -- While flashbulbs popped at him and his World Champion teammates, Sox pitcher Curt Schilling pointed a camcorder at the faithful hundreds as he and family drove by the cheering crowd outside Fenway Park this evening. For the faithful lining Yawkey Way, it was about sightings. Look, there was Jon Lester. And catcher Jason Varitek. And team owners John Henry and Tom Werner appeared for the crowd. David Ortiz, a.k.a. Big Papi, held aloft the World Series trophy as exited the team bus that arrived around 5 p.m. outside the park. Pitcher Mike Timlin walked through the crowd with a little girl sitting on his shoulders. And There was Kevin Youklis. Besides cheers for the 2007 World Series champion Red Sox, the crowd on Yawkey Way chanted: "Don't Sign A-Rod!" The Yankees -- remember them? -- and slugger Alex Rodriguez have apparently parted ways. As the afternoon unfolded, about 1,000 fans lined Yawkey Way, batting around beach balls, as they awaited the return of the Sox, who batted around the Rockies in a quick four-game sweep. Media at the scene were hearing the team's flight might have been slightly delayed. The team was due to land at Logan Airport about 3:30 p.m. A Direct TV blimp floated overhead. And on Van Ness Street, next to the 95-year-old stadium, fans noted the cars of their favorite stars. Fans said the white Escalade parked on the street belongs to David Ortiz. The minivan nearby is probably the one driven by Curt Schilling’s wife. Among the crowd, wearing a red Sox cap and a green jersey is Greg Martakos, from Salem, N.H. Martakos, a police officer in Hooksett, said he watched the game last night while he was working the overnight shift at the dispatch center. After work – at 8:30 a.m. – he drove straight to Fenway. Martakos had tickets to Game Six, but now, of course, there won’t be a Game Six. He doesn’t say, directly, that he wanted Boston to lose just so he could see a game, but, he doesn’t flat out deny that he’s torn. He admits, he said, he’s a little greedy. “I wish I went to the game,” he said, “but this is just as great.” But if this isn't enough, he can come back tomorrow at noon for the Boston Red Sox World Series victory parade. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:37 PM | Comment Cranston East student suspended for toy gun in schoolCRANSTON -- A Cranston High School East student who brought a toy gun to school today has been suspended for 10 days. Officials detained the student after an early-morning report of a gun on the premises brought a school-wide lockdown. Police and school administrators went from classroom to classroom looking for a pupil in a black, hooded sweatshirt, according to students. “We did find him very quickly,” said Raymond L. Votto Jr., the chief operating officer for the Cranston School Department. Votto said a student reported seeing the gun at about 7:50 a.m. Officials, mindful of the Columbine and Virginia Tech school shootings, ordered the lockdown or “shelter-in-place” and summoned police, Votto said. Sophomores Benjamin Pittman and Steven Mulhall, both 15, recalled some anxious moments, as teachers moved to lock classroom doors. “I kind of thought it was the Virginia Tech thing,” Pittman said, standing outside the high school yesterday afternoon. But the students, who train for a lockdown during the school year, said the incident lasted only about a half-hour. Pat Lavey, 17, a senior, praised the administration for moving quickly to lock down the school and for sending students home with letters explaining the situation. “That’s definitely showing that they take everything seriously,” he said. Votto said Cranston East administrators could recommend that Superintendent M. Richard Scherza impose further sanctions on the student with the toy gun, up to and including expulsion. Col. Stephen C. McGrath, the police chief, said there would be no criminal charges in the case. McGrath and Votto both praised the student who reported seeing the gun. -- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment Expect road closure in Coventry next monthCOVENTRY -- Beginning next month, for about six weeks, Main Street between Sandy Bottom Road and South Main Street will be closed as a throughway during daylight hours to allow for the next phase of sewer installation fanning westward, officials announced today. Crews will be digging trenches along the Route 117 stretch beginning Nov. 5. Work, including installation of sewer lines and service laterals to homes and businesses, is expected to continue through Dec. 15, weather permitting, said Town Engineer Sheila Barrett. This project is the latest effort to bring sewers to areas now dominated by septic systems. It is costing the town roughly $3.2 million, thanks to a loan from the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency. The project includes the line extended from the Sandy Bottom Lane pumping station toward Main Street, which began in September, and a sewer-line extension out near the police station, west to Ken Ray Drive and then back east toward Main and South Main streets. Coventry police will help motorist and pedestrians if they need access to homes and businesses. Motorists passing through will be directed to detours. They include: *Drivers heading eastbound on Route 117 will detour onto South Main Street, east onto Wood Street and north onto Sandy Bottom Road. *Drivers heading westbound, will detour south on Sandy Bottom Road, west onto Wood Street and north onto South Main Street *Truck or oversized vehicles eastbound on Route 117 will detour onto Hill Farm Road south to Harkney Hill Road onto Route 3 * Trucks westbound on Route 117 will detour south onto Sandy Bottom Road to Tiogue Avenue, (Route 3) south and north onto Hill Farm Road at Harkney Hill Road and back to Route 117 Coventry police advise all large truck traffic to use exit 5 on Route 95, to Victory Highway, northbound and pick up Route 117 there, to access points west of South Main Street, because detoured roads will be too narrow for the wider turns. Motorist with safety concerns may call the Coventry Police Department at (401) 826-1100. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:10 PM | Comment Victory scene: Big Papi holds trophy outside FenwayBOSTON -- David Ortiz, a.ka. Big Papi, held aloft the World Series trophy as he walked along the cheering hundreds gathered outside Fenway Park this evening. It was about 5 p.m. when the team bus pulled up outside Fenway Park. Pitcher Mike Timlin walked through the crowd with a little girl sitting on his shoulders. And There was Kevin Youklis. And look, team owners John Henry and Tom Werner appeared for the crowd. Besides cheers for the 2007 World Series champion Red Sox, the crowd on Yawkey Way chanted: "Don't Sign A-Rod!" The Yankees -- remember them? -- and slugger Alex Rodriguez have apparently parted ways. As the afternoon unfolded, about 1,000 fans lined Yawkey Way, batting around beach balls, as they awaited the return of the Sox, who batted around the Rockies in a quick four-game sweep. Media at the scene were hearing the team's flight might have been slightly delayed. The team was due to land at Logan Airport about 3:30 p.m. A Direct TV blimp floated overhead. And on Van Ness Street, next to the 95-year-old stadium, fans noted the cars of their favorite stars. Fans said the white Escalade parked on the street belongs to David Ortiz. The minivan nearby is probably the one driven by Curt Schilling’s wife. Among the crowd, wearing a red Sox cap and a green jersey is Greg Martakos, from Salem, N.H. Martakos, a police officer in Hooksett, said he watched the game last night while he was working the overnight shift at the dispatch center. After work – at 8:30 a.m. – he drove straight to Fenway. Martakos had tickets to Game Six, but now, of course, there won’t be a Game Six. He doesn’t say, directly, that he wanted Boston to lose just so he could see a game, but, he doesn’t flat out deny that he’s torn. He admits, he said, he’s a little greedy. “I wish I went to the game,” he said, “but this is just as great.” But if this isn't enough, he can come back tomorrow at noon for the Boston Red Sox World Series victory parade. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:38 PM | Comment Carcieri appoints new state fire marshalPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today announced that he appointed Frank M. Sylvester, chief of Lincoln's Lime Rock Fire District, the new state fire marshal. Chief Sylvester, a Pawtucket resident, will replace George S. Farrell, who resigned last spring to become Providence fire chief. State Police Supt. Brendan Doherty has been interim fire marshal, with Lt. John Blessing handling the day to day operations. “Chief Sylvester has the broad experience needed to fill the role of State Fire Marshal,” Carcieri said in a statement this evening. “From his time in the Lincoln and Pawtucket Fire Departments, to his military tours, and to his familiarity with marine firefighting and port security, his well-rounded experience in this state is a valuable commodity. I’m pleased he has agreed to serve in this position.” Sylvester retired from the Pawtucket Fire Department in 1988, joining the Lime Rock Fire District as chief. He graduated from Roger Williams College with a bachelor of science degree in administration. He served two years in the U.S. Army and then 18 years with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He is a member of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs, the New England Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:15 PM | Comment Tomorrow's special session: What's on the list; what's notPROVIDENCE -- The General Assembly will tackle a slew of bills during tomorrow's special session, including mandatory overtime for nurses and reconsidering the state's treatment of 17-years-olds as adults in all criminal matters. But absent from the list tomorrow is a bill that would end mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes -- legislation an advocacy group had lobbied for last week -- and a measure to move the presidential primary to a "Super Tuesday" on which many states will hold primaries. Much of what the legislature will do is consider overriding Governor Carcieri's vetoes of bills. The House and Senate posted their calendars for tomorrow's action this afternoon. The reconsideration of 17-year-olds as adults in criminal matters is on a committee calender and must clear committee to then go to the floor. This afternoon, Governor Carcieri today urged the General Assembly to approve a tax incentive for A. Duie Pyle, a Pennsylvania trucking company building a distribution center in Johnston, during the special legislative session tomorrow. It would give tax credits to Duie Pyle to offset about $330,000 in sales tax on the materials used to build the $9-million distribution center, the governor's office said. In order to get that, the company has pledged to create at least 120 jobs, most paying between $50,000 and $60,000. The Journal has reported that the failure of the tax incentive to win legislative approval has been the subject of a federal investigation of state Sen. Stephen D. Alves, D-West Warwick, for allegedly killing the bill for not getting Johnston pension-fund business. Alves has denied any wrongdoing ,calling the allegations "ridiculous and baseless." The U.S. Attorney's office and other federal authorities have been conducting a broad probe of alleged State House corruption dubbed "Operation Dollar Bill." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:02 PM | Comment Providence police sergeant injured by a carPROVIDENCE -- Police Sgt. David F. Edes suffered a broken arm and a serious shoulder injury when he was struck by a passing car in front of the Roxy nightclub at 79 Washington St. downtown, the police said today. Maj. Paul C. Fitzgerald, commander of the Uniformed Division, said Edes underwent shoulder surgery Sunday morning and remains a patient at Rhode Island Hospital. Edes was in the street, standing outside a police cruiser and speaking to the officers inside the cruiser when he was struck by a westbound car at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Fitzgerald. He was working off-duty as a uniformed officer on a paid detail for the nightclub at the time. The car was driven by Jeffrey Warhurst, 26, of 3 Colonial Rd., Coventry, the police said. He was given two traffic summonses charging him with failure to exercise due care and failure to have proof of auto insurance. Both are alleged civil infractions that are handled by the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal. -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:19 PM | Comment Association president pleads no contest to chargesJOHNSTON -- After his acquittal on a felony assault charge, the vocal president of the Slack Reservoir Association has pleaded no contest to charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct. Mark D. Barnes made the plea on Thursday in the aftermath of a jury trial in Superior Court, Providence, said Michael Healey, a spokesman for the state attorney general. Previously, Barnes had faced a felony charge of assaulting a person over 60. He was accused of punching a man in the face during an argument about a property boundary in April of 2006. Jurors acquitted him of that count, Healey said. After proceedings in September, jurors were unable to reach a Prosecutors opted against retrying the case and negotiated the plea. That means the charges against Barnes will be erased if he stays out of trouble over a year’s time, Healey said. “Given this travel, we think that a nolo contendre filing is both a fair outcome and a wise use of limited resources,” Healey said. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:17 PM | Comment Victory scene: 1,000 fans line Yawkey, awaiting SoxBOSTON -- About 1,000 fans are lining Yawkey Way, batting around beach balls, as they await the return of the World Series champion Red Sox, who bat around the Rockies in a quick four-game sweep. Media at the scene are hearing the team's flight might have been slightly delayed. The team was due to land at Logan Airport about 3:30 p.m. A Direct TV blimp is floating overhead. On Van Ness Street, next to the 95-year-old stadium, fans say the white Escalade parked on the street belongs to David Ortiz. The minivan nearby is probably the one driven by Curt Schilling’s wife. Among the crowd, wearing a red Sox cap and a green jersey is Greg Martakos, from Salem, N.H. Martakos, a police officer in Hooksett, said he watched the game last night while he was working the overnight shift at the dispatch center. After work – at 8:30 a.m. – he drove straight to Fenway. Martakos had tickets to Game Six, but now, of course, there won’t be a Game Six. He doesn’t say, directly, that he wanted Boston to lose just so he could see a game, but, he doesn’t flat out deny that he’s torn. He admits, he said, he’s a little greedy. “I wish I went to the game,” he said, “but this is just as great.” But if this isn't enough, he can come back tomorrow at noon for the Boston Red Sox World Series victory parade. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:03 PM | Comment Somerset police are seeking robbery suspectSOMERSET, Mass. -- The police are asking the public's help in finding a male who robbed a Shell gas station at knife point on Wilbur Avenue early yesterday. The suspect, described as a white male, five feet, four inches tall, weighing 145 pounds and 18 to 25 years old, took cigarettes and an undetermined amount of cash from the Shell at 1813 Wilbur Ave., the police news release said today. The suspect was last seen wearing a white baseball cap with a "B" on it and a white hooded sweatshirt with gold lettering across the front. Shortly before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, someone in a white Dodge Intrepid or Dodge Stratus drove through the Shell parking lot, looking inside the store as he drove. The car was then parked, the driver walked into the store and around the counter and uttered an expletive in demanding the drawer be opened. The clerk opened it, the male looked inside and asked where the money was. He brandished a knife about six to eight inches long. The male took the tray from the drawer to look underneath for more money. The clerk told police the male took all the cash from the drawer, grabbed about seven cigarette packages and drove off on Wilbur Avenue toward the Route 195 junction. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:48 PM | Comment Health Department announces nursing home programThe state Health Department announced today a pilot program that aims to promote "individualized" care for nursing home residents. In a news release, the department said most Americans say they never want to live in a nursing home and they do not think of “individualized” or “home-like” when a nursing home comes to mind. But a national movement is trying to "deinstitutionalize" nursing homes and make them better respond to residents' needs, the Health Department said. In Rhode Island, the program will emphasize residents making a "wide variety of decisions and choices, such as when to wake up and go to sleep or when and how to bathe." And the program encourages a setting where older people will feel comfortable living, instead of a hospital-like environment. It will begin Thursday and run for six months as part of the annual survey process for each Rhode Island nursing home. “We want to encourage nursing homes to think about how well they are providing quality care while honoring the individual needs and choices of our elders," Dr. David R. Gifford, the state Health Department director, said in the statement. "This pilot will give all homes an opportunity to consider how well they are creating an individualized, home-like environment where the best personal, health, and medical services are provided." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:40 PM | Comment Photo: Hanging the banner at Fenway
Posted by Peter Phipps at 3:09 PM | Comment Fresh food, fresh calendar/ Photo
But even though many of the urban markets are closing for the winter, there's still plenty of local food available all year long. To help you keep local food in mind, a group of fresh-food enthusiasts have produced Ripe 2008 – a calendar that showcases produce items every month that are grown right here in Rhode Island. The coalition of college students and local graduates posed as naturally as the foods (read: nude), for the pictures. Each month offers a recipe, as well as a philosophy: “Eat slow – revel in the experience, savor the flavor. Breathe it in, bite, taste it. Enjoy, and harvest the beauty.” Calendars are available at Brown University Bookstore, the Farmstead store in Providence and online at Farm Fresh Rhode Island. -- with reports from Journal staff writer Peter B. Lord Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:00 PM | Comment Red Sox Fans await the champs' arrival
On Van Ness Street, next to the 95-year-old stadium, fans say the white Escalade parked on the street belongs to David Ortiz. The minivan nearby is probably the one driven by Curt Schilling’s wife. Among the crowd, wearing a red Sox cap and a green jersey is Greg Martakos, from Salem, N.H. Martakos, a police officer in Hooksett, said he watched the game last night while he was working the overnight shift at the dispatch center. After work – at 8:30 a.m. – he drove straight to Fenway. Martakos had tickets to Game Six, but now, of course, there won’t be a Game Six. He doesn’t say, directly, that he wanted Boston to lose just so he could see a game, but, he doesn’t flat out deny that he’s torn. He admits, he said, he’s a little greedy. “I wish I went to the game,” he said, “but this is just as great.” But if this isn't enough, he can come back tomorrow at noon for the Boston Red Sox World Series victory parade. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:52 PM | Comment Update: Bishop Tobin's live chat has endedAs part of his ongoing series, An American Bishop: Inside the World of One Cathedral Square, Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller hosted Bishop Tobin for an hour-long chat today. Bishop Tobin addressed questions about Catholic education, faith, charity, Mother Teresa and his own background. A transcript of this chat will be posted shortly with the rest of this series, which can be found at www.projo.com/extra/2007/american_bishop/ Posted by Pam Cotter at 2:00 PM | Comment Sox victory parade, with Papelbon dance, tomorrowBOSTON, Mass. -- Jonathan Papelbon will take his wacky Irish gig on the road Tuesday when the Boston Red Sox hold their World Series victory parade. The parade will start at noon from Fenway Park and will travel through Back Bay to the Common and end at City Hall Plaza, according to Boston.com. The “rolling rally” on World War II-era amphibious duck boats will take the same route -- beginning at Fenway Park and ending near City Hall -- as the 2004 championship parade, except they won’t go into the Charles River, Mayor Thomas Menino said Monday. Menino said Papelbon will dance, and the Dropkick Murphys also will play along the parade route. “He has to do a dance,” Menino said. “He promised the people he would do a dance.” The 2004 rally fell on a rainy day, but tomorrow's forecast is for a clear sunny day with a high of 59 degrees and a low of 46 degrees. There will be northwet winds of 5 to 10 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 25 miles per hour around noon. Menino acknowledged having the celebration on a week day would inconvenience some businesses and school children away, but he said players were eager to get home to their families and begin their vacation. The Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies Sunday night with a 4-3 win in Denver. The team was expected to arrive back in Boston about 3:30 p.m. Monday and head over to Fenway Park. Menino also said a “rolling rally” was easier for city officials to manage, because it spread out the crowds. He estimated security would cost $500,000. Fans began celebrating immediately after the Red Sox won their second World Series title in four years. Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said 37 arrests were made early Monday in the city, mostly for disorderly conduct. No serious injuries were reported. Thirteen people were arrested after they refused to leave the Kenmore Square area near Fenway Park, police said. After police told a large crowd of people to disperse, several officers were struck by rocks and bottles. Sixteen cars parked along Newbury Street were vandalized, with broken side view mirrors and windows, or damaged windshield wipers. The police department had announced it would have more than 50 cameras trained on the city to record any vandalism. Boston authorities cracked down on rowdy sports celebrations after an Emerson College student was struck and killed when police fired a pepper pellet into an unruly crowd celebrating the Red Sox’ 2004 victory over the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. -- The Associated Press and projo.com staff reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:15 PM | Comment Construction set to begin on Quonest Gateway projectNORTH KINGSTOWN -- The Quonset Development Corporation is holding a ceremony today to celebrate the start of construction on the controversial Quonset Gateway project, a complex of retail outlets and office buildings at the entrance to the Quonset Business Park. In March, state planners rejected the original Gateway proposal, criticizing several of its key elements, including the inclusion of two so-called big box stores: a 117,000-square-foot Lowe's and an 89,000-square-foot Kohl's. Those stores remain part of the project, overseen by the New Boston Development Partners. But the QDC made a range of revisions to win approval last month, adding more office space and partially hiding the large retail stores and parking lots. The ceremony begins at 4 p.m. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:04 PM | Comment Southern Union pleads not guilty to mercury chargesPROVIDENCE -- Gas company Southern Union pleads not guilty to charges that it illegally stored mercury in a vacant building in Pawtucket. The Texas-based company is also accused of failing to report a 2004 mercury spill that occurred when vandals broke into the building and stole containers of the toxic metal. The company faces a fine of more than $67 million if convicted on all charges. Lawyers for Southern Union entered the plea today on the company's behalf in federal court. An indictment earlier this month accuses the company of storing mercury without the required permit between 2002 and 2004. It also failed to notify the local fire department of the mercury spill, as required by law. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:45 PM | Comment Rhode Island Hospital gets $11M grantA federal research center has awarded Rhode Island Hospital more than $11 million – one of the largest in the hospital’s history -- to study skeletal joint diseases. The center will be headed by Qian Chen, director of cell and molecular biology and head of orthopedic biology at Rhode Island Hospital. He’ll lead a team of doctors and research specialists from various fields to study bones development, cartilage degeneration, and ways to repair and rebuild it. This is the sixth grant of its kind to a Rhode Island institution – it’s the second to Rhode Island Hospital. "The aging of the baby boom generation and soaring obesity rates mean we can expect to see a sharp increase in the number of patients with osteoarthritis and other joint diseases,” said Chen said. “That’s why it’s critical that we not only expand our search for new and better treatments for joint diseases, but that we also recruit and mentor the next generation of orthopedic researchers – which our COBRE award allows us to do,” he said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:30 AM | Comment Gas prices up againGasoline prices have increased another five cents this week in Rhode Island, driven by higher crude oil prices, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $2.769 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. That's five cents more than last week and nine cents more than it was on October 15. Prices in Rhode Island remain about nine cents below the national average. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:11 AM | Comment No sanctions after alleged racist remarkNORTH KINGSTOWN — Town officials will take no action against Harriet Powell for allegedly making racist remarks during a Groundwater Advisory Committee meeting. Several members at an Oct. 4 meeting charged Powell, the committee’s chairman, with making disparaging remarks about Irish, Italian and Hispanic immigrants. In her defense, Powell said committee members and attendees misunderstood her comments, which were made during a private conversation before the meeting. She said her remarks were aimed at those who are intolerant of other ethnic groups. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Powell, 80, also serves on the Planning Commission and Asset Management Commission, as well as on other civic boards. In response to complaints by Town Councilman Steven Campo and others, Town Manager Michael Embury and Town Solicitor James Reilly interviewed those who attended the earlier groundwater meeting. But there were “discrepancies” in the testimony given by attendees, the council said in a statement. There was “inconclusive evidence to conclude the comments as reported were made in a derogatory context,” said council members, who voted 4-1 to take no action against Powell. The council did, however, issue a warning that racism and inappropriate comments would not be tolerated by town officials and employees. “The council in its determination does recognize that there should be no tolerance for any type of discriminatory language or actions, whether actual or perceived, by any member of a board, commission, or employee of the town of North Kingstown,” the board said. “In addition the council believes that under no circumstance should a board or commission, or member of such, be engaged in conversation or debate during an official meeting that is outside the scope of the posted agenda under the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.” A new policy to address the issues will be considered at a future meeting. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:02 AM | Comment Sox on their way home as World Series champsBOSTON --The Boston Red Sox return home to Fenway Park this afternoon, World Series champions again. Mayor Tom Menino tells WBZ Radio he'll meet with team officials before announcing details of a public celebration, which could come as early as tomorrow. Celebrations swept across New England after the Red Sox clinched the Series sweep with a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies last night in Denver. In Boston, people sprayed each other with beer and some climbed street signs and utility poles. At least one small fire was set and a crowd flipped a pickup truck on its side. Police arrested 37 people, mostly for disorderly conduct. One college student says two championships in four seasons is "pure heaven." About 1,500 students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst poured into the streets there. The school says the crowd was boisterous yet peaceful, but six people were arrested for disorderly conduct. Thousands of students at the University of New Hampshire celebrated in the streets, with many carrying brooms and chanting ``sweep, sweep, sweep.'' -- The Associated press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:47 AM | Comment URI groups meet to discuss "sticker ordinance"A recently revised town ordinance that brands houses with bright orange stickers after they've been cited for hosting loud parties may be effective at keeping noise levels down, but does it unfairly single out students? Are there other ways to manage noise problems? The University of Rhode Island Student Senate is hosting a forum tonight to discuss the ordinance, which has been a point of contention between some students and residents since it was passed in September. External Affairs Chair Tom Aherns and Student Body President Neil Leston organized the event as a way to bring students and residents together to discuss student responsibility and accountability, student rights, the jurisdiction of URI officials, the year-long orange sticker and alternatives to the current ordinance. The forum, tonight from 7 to 9, is open to the public. It will be held in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:04 AM | Comment Hearing for woman accused of parrot mutilation continuedA court appearance by a woman accused of stealing a baby parrot and cutting off its leg has been postponed until next month. The pre trial hearing has been postponed at least three times for a crime Warwick Police Sgt. Robert C. Rocco called "the most bizarre thing" he'd seen in 24 years on the job. Police say Pamela Worden, 56, walked into a Petco store, stole a baby parrot, and cut off its foot to remove an identity tag used by the store to keep track of the $500 bird. Officers found the bird in Worden’s apartment. It was alive, but bleeding. They also found the amputated foot, the bird’s ID tag, and a pair of scissors on a counter. Attorney general spokesman Michael J. Healey said should Worden be convicted, prosecutors intend to ask for jail time, given the severity of the crime. Worden faces one count of felony possession of stolen goods and one count of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor. Her hearing has been continued until Nov. 5 in Superior Court, Warwick. -- with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:27 AM | Comment Photo: The stamp of a World Series champ
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:33 AM | Comment Man arrested after car runs into utility poleA Glocester man was arrested for driving under the influence early this morning after his car drove into a utility pole, knocking it over, according to the Smithfield police. Adam Leszczyk, 22, was taken to the hospital after he lost control of his car just after 1 a.m. today on Putnam Pike near Barnes Street, according to Lt. Mike Mousseau. The car knocked down a utility pole, flipped over, and landed on its roof. Leszczyk suffered superficial injures to his face, according to police. He was arrested for refusing to take an alcohol test and driving under the influence. The downed utility pole was a support structure and did not disrupt any service. It was replaced at about 4:30 this morning. The road was cleared by 2:30 a.m. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:53 AM | Comment Dozens arrested after Sox take the SeriesBOSTON -- Police say at least 37 people have been arrested in the post-World Series celebration in Boston. But they report no serious injuries. Officers in riot gear worked to clear crowds that filled the streets after the Red Sox finished off their World Series sweep in Denver by beating the Colorado Rockies 4-to-3. One unruly crowd tipped a pickup truck on its side. Police shut down access to Fenway Park as the game neared its end in Denver. Customers in bars and restaurants around the Red Sox home field were told they would not be allowed to return once they left. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:02 AM | Comment Clear but a chilly startThe good: we can expect clear sunny skies today. The not-so-good: It's going to be chilly. It's not so bad, though. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature of 53 degrees; still four degrees higher than average for today. A few clouds may roll in tonight when the temperature should drop to 37. Tomorrow should be a little warmer, with a high temperature of about 62 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment October 26, 2007Tonight: Jack-o'-lanterns plus the usual hauntsWith no Sox to watch tonight, maybe it's time to be scared. You can head over to the haunted tunnel at Daggett Farm in Pawtucket’s Slater Park -- entrances on Armistice Boulevard and Newport Avenue -- from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns are on view. Admission is $5, free under 12. For information, call (401) 728-0500, ext. 257. Can't get there from here? Try projo.com's very own light the jack-o'-lanterns game -- featuring Pawtucket's own McCoy Stadium -- created by projo.com designer Kathy DeVault. See how many pumpkins you can light. For other Halloween activities, check out projo.com's Fall Guide. There's also the music scene: Backlash play rock at East Bay Tavern, 305 Lyon Ave., East Providence. Call 228-7343. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Halloween party. Black & White featuring Gary “Guitar” Gramolini play rhythm and blues at the Backstreet Bar and Grill, 2247 West Shore Rd., Warwick. Call 736-0404. 9 p.m. The Paul Broadnax Trio play jazz at Capriccio, 2 Pine St., Providence. Call 421-1320. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Steve Burke plays jazz at Gianfranco’s Ristorante and Bar, 183 George Waterman Rd., Johnston. Call 349-4838. 7 to 11 p.m. Also check out the projo.com club listings for more to hear tonight. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Daylight Saving Time change: Not yet and here's whyDo not set your clocks back this Sunday. Starting this year, Daylight Saving Time has been extended to the first Sunday in November. Don’t worry about forgetting; we’ll give you plenty of warning. That said, feel free to wonder why most of the United States moves its clocks forward in spring and backward in fall. Energy savings, right? A prevailing argument since before DST's widespread implementation was that moving the clocks forward in the spring would give people a little extra time in the evening before they had to turn on all the lights -- or light candles -- saving on elecriticy -- or wax. While living in France in 1784, Benjamin Franklin suggested in an anonymous letter to the authors of the Journal of Paris that the city could save nearly one-billion livres tournois – just by “using sunshine instead of candles.” “An immense sum! that the city of Paris might save every year” he writes. (I’ll take it on faith as I don’t know what livres tournoiswould be worth today). And during the first and second World Wars, officials in the United States offered DST as a way to conserve fuel for the war efforts. The practice was left up to municipalities to continue if they wanted. In the mid-1960s, the Uniform Time Act was passed as the request of the transportation industry. States were asked to make a decision regarding DST and make it uniform throughout the state. And again, more than 200 years after Franklin’s tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Parisians be taxed on window shutters that keep out the sun, in 2005 President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act. That called for extending Daylight Saving Time, starting this year, by a month with the intent of conserving energy. Also wondering how it may affect your computer's time? If you have a system with the latest updates, it should take care of itself. Specifically, clocks now spring ahead at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, and fall back at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. But will it help? Read on to find out. -- By Brandie Jefferson, projo.com staff writer A study prepared for the California Energy Commission in 2007 concluded not only that it wasn't clear that increased DST would be a significant energy savings, but that there was a one in four chance that DST could lead to a small increase in energy use. The National Bureau of Standards reviewed the DOT report and went further, saying there were no significant energy savings or differences in traffic fatalities as proponents of DST often say there are. And just this week; a research paper out of Europe contends that the 1.6 billion people who live in places where DST is implemented may be affected physiologically by the change. “This seemingly small hour translates to a repeat of 10 weeks in the annual progression of the relationship between our sleep-wake cycle and dawn,” researcher Till Rosenberg said. “Four weeks in spring and six weeks in autumn. In effect, it’s as if the entire population of Germany, for example, is transported to Morocco in spring and back again in autumn.” “After taking seasonal adjustment into account, our results show that the human circadian clock does not adjust to the DST transition.” It may be a good thing that the Energy Policy Act also gives Congress the right to switch back to the old system if it's not impressed with the savings. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:50 PM | Comment Apartment fire at Charlesgate North quickly dousedPROVIDENCE -- Firefighters responded to a fire in a 10th-floor apartment of the Charlesgate North apartments on North Main Street this afternoon. The fire was reported at 2:45 p.m. and was confined to apartment 10H at 670 North Main St., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. It was brought under control at 3:19 p.m. A person was taken to Miriam Hospital for minor injuries. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:59 PM | Comment Appeals court won't review FERC's LNG decision nowBOSTON -- A federal appeals court declined today to take up a review of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's conditional approval of a controversal liquefied natural gas terminal proposed for Fall River, Mass. Fall River and Massachusetts state officials, joined by Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, had sought a review from the appeals court -- and potential for rejection -- of the FERC's conditional approval. But the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, concluded in its opinion made public today that "we will not review the merits of FERC's conditional project approval because we find it is not ripe for review at this time. We also find no abuse of discretion in FERC's decision to deny a reopening of the record." The decision comes two days after the Coast Guard released its findings concluding that it would be too risky to let LNG tankers ply the waters of Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River -- a decision that some officials have said the Fall RIver LNG proposal may not be able to overcome. The court notes that its decision "does not preclude" the Fall River and Rhode Island officials from again petitioning the FERC to reopen the record to "subsequently seeking redress with this court -- when the future of [Weaver's Cove Energy's] proposed LNG project is more certain." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:48 PM | Comment Assembly poised to repeal new teen criminal lawPROVIDENCE -- The General Assembly is poised to reverse a controversial new law that required 17-year-olds be treated as adults in all criminal matters. The measure, which became law as part of the state budget adopted in June, has been attacked by critics in recent months for being poor public policy and not cost effective. The head of the Adult Correctional Institutions A.T. Wall has acknowledged that it actually costs the state more to house 17-year-olds at the state prison than at the Training School. The Assembly plans to take up the issue during its special session next Tuesday. While the exact language of the new bill has yet to be released, Senate Finance Committee chairman Steven Alves confirmed today that leaders in both chambers have agreed to "basically repeal" the law. The proposed repeal would be retroactive, Alves said, meaning that any of the 17-year-olds charged in adult court since July 1 would have their cases transferred to the Family Court and their files would be sealed. The House Finance Committee plans to hold a public hearing on the new bill -- modeled after a Senate bill that died late last session -- an hour before the special session begins with the expectation that it be passed and referred to the House floor later that day. The proposal would then require the approval of the full Senate. Governor Carcieri's office would not say this afternoon whether it would veto the proposed law. "This is the first the governor has heard about the possibility that the General Assembly might address this issue at Tuesday's special session. As a result, it is premature for me to comment on what the governor's position will be," Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal said this afternoon. -- Steve Peoples, of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Steve Peoples at 5:24 PM | Comment Update: Man accused of arson, murder attempt heldFALL RIVER, Mass. -- A Norton, Mass., man is being held on $750,000 cash bail at the Bristol County House of Correction after pleading not guilty today to attempted murder, arson and kidnapping charges stemming from a fire he is accused of setting that seriously injured two young children. Garrett Fregault, an assistant district attorney, had asked for $1 million cash bail for Luis Berrios, 20, during the afternoon arraignment in front of Judge Christopher D. Welch. The police responded to 18B Watuppa Heights at about 12:50 a.m. today for a report of a disturbance and a fire, with children trapped. A large crowd had gathered outside the apartment, and smoke was coming from the windows, according to a police statement. The police learned that nine people were inside the apartment at the time of the fire, including three young children and a babysitter. Police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Mauretti said an angered Berrios had arrived at the apartment, where his ex-girlfriend lives, and took his 6-month-old daughter, set a bedroom on fire and fled. It’s unclear whether the ex-girlfriend, whom the police are not identifying, was inside at the time. The police immediately tried to enter the burning apartment, but were initially driven back by the intense heat and smoke, the police said. Once the fire department arrived, police Lt. Michael Cabral entered the apartment and rescued a 3-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl -- who are brother and sister -- from the apartment. The 6-month-old girl is Berrios' daughter. The police and firefighters performed CPR on the children, who had suffered smoke inhalation. The girl was taken to St. Anne’s Hospital before being airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital. The boy was first taken to Charlton Memorial Hospital before being transported to Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Both children are in critical condition, Mauretti said. No one else inside the apartment was injured, the police said. The fire was contained to the apartment and left $30,000 worth of damage. -- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims The police issued an alert to surrounding law-enforcement agencies with a description of Berrios’ vehicle. A “very astute” Massachusetts state trooper, Jason Morse, stopped Berrios at about 3 a.m. on Route 95 North in Attleboro near Route 495. Along the way, Berrios had dropped his infant daughter off at a relative’s house in Providence. Berrios was arrested and charged with nine counts of attempted murder, kidnapping of a minor by a relative, home invasion and arson of a dwelling, all felonies. Fall River police and fire and the state police are investigating the fire. Greg Miliote, spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter's office, said Berrios had been arrested in April in Taunton, Mass., on charges of possession of marijuana and a Class B drug, selling the Class B drug and motor vehicle violations. Those charges are pending. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:19 PM | Comment Mother found guilty of child's murder / Photo
Mawson faced second-degree murder in the 2002 death of her 19-month-old daughter Jade. The official cause of death was homicide as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. For Mawson to be found guilty, jurors had to decide she acted with malice or intentional disregard for her daughter’s life, Superior Court Judge Edwin Gale said. If they did not believe the state proved she acted with malice, Mawson could have been found guilty of manslaughter. In closing arguments yesterday, defense lawyer Kevin Bristow addressed Mawson’s seemingly inconsistent grand jury testimony, and later, pointed the blame back to Mawson’s then-boyfriend, Daniel Fusco. When she tells Fusco to call the ambulance isn’t important, Bristow argued, nor is how many times she called him that day. “What’s important is that when Kim learns of the 9-1-1 call, she doesn’t stop running to her daughter,” Bristow said. “She doesn’t run away. She doesn’t run and get a lawyer. She doesn’t run to Boston or Connecticut. [When the ambulance arrived] she was pointing at the house where they needed to go.” But Mawson’s interactions with investigators and her unreliable recall of the day her child died suggested she was hiding something, Assistant Attorney General William Ferland said. “Let this woman know that you will expose her activities for all of the world to see,” he said. “Do this child justice.” -- Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:11 PM | Comment Health Dept. to review psychiatric procedures in ERsPrompted by a lawsuit against the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals, the state Health Department announced today it will review staffing and admitting procedures for psychiatric patients in Rhode Island hospitals. H. Reed Cosper, the Rhode Island mental health advocate, is suing the state in an effort to stop the practice of psychiatric patients being held in hospital emergency rooms without treatment for days. The suit in Providence County Superior Court seeks to ban the detaining of mentally ill people against their will in any location aside from a licensed psychiatric facility, or to require that patients be put in a psychiatric facility within 24 hours. Dr. David R. Gifford, the Health Department director, said in a news release the review comes after this morning's meeting between Health Department staff and Ellen R. Nelson, director of the Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. Nelson called the meeting to "inquire about hospital licensing requirements and how they may relate to the admission of psychiatric patients at Rhode Island hospitals," the news release says. Allegations in the lawsuit "raise the question of why hospitals are not admitting these patients or having the appropriate staff to evaluate and manage them," the Health Department said. All licensed hospitals must have available on call, 24 hours a day, physicians in specialties "appropriate to the scope of services provided by the hospital." New regulations mandate that hospitals provide charity care for uninsured individuals below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and partial charity care for uninsured individuals between 200 percent and 300 percent of the federal poverty level. “We are going to take a closer look at the root of what is happening in emergency departments when a psychiatric patient shows up,” Gifford said in the statement. “Are hospitals not complying with licensing requirements or the charity care regulations? If so, these are serious concerns and they must be addressed.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal reports Correction: H. Reed Cosper's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this post. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:04 PM | Comment AG Lynch's office warns of scam on elderlyAttorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office warned today that elderly customers of the former Brooks Pharmacy chain should not give personal information such as Social Security numbers and credit card numbers to telephone callers claiming they work for Ride Aid Corp. Lynch's office received one complaint of a caller claiming he or she needed the information to ensure the files of Rite Aid, the national drugstore chain that bought Brooks Pharmacy, are updated. The scam "appears to be the result of an organized effort," Lynch's news release said. “Based on our preliminary investigation, this is a scheme that is targeting and attempting to extract confidential information from Rhode Island senior citizens who are living in high-rise communities and assisted-living situations,” Lynch said in the statement. “Fortunately, the woman who called us to make a complaint was wary and refused to provide any details" to the caller. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:54 PM | Comment Span's opening delayed, but ribbon cut on time / Photo
Journal photo / Andrew DickermanGold-painted scissors were ready for the ribbon-cutting on the new Route 195 bridge over the Providence River.
The actual opening of the arch bridge and first section of the $610 million project to traffic, however, has receded into the future. Scheduled for Sunday, it has been put off at least until the following weekend because of rain forecast for this weekend. Today’s event was a normal ribbon-cutting, a chance for politicians and high officials to congratulate each other for the project. Perhaps 100 people, many from the DOT and Cardi Corp., the general contractor that built the project, and the Federal Highway Administration, which is paying for most of it, attended the event. It wasn’t open to the public, but the DOT said the ribbon-cutting "served to remind Rhode Islanders" that the road will open next week end, weather permitting. The top outsider, J. Richard Capka, administrator of the FHWA, said the present stretch of Route 195 is "one of the biggest bottlenecks" in the East Coast transportation corridor, and that the project will reduce congestion there. Governor Carcieri said his administration has speeded up the project by five years by deciding to borrow against the state’s future federal highway aid, and that moving the timetable ahead will save money while getting highway improvements faster. -- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis When the new section of road and bridge that were the subject of the ribbon-cutting open, they will carry northbound traffic on Route 95 to the eastbound lanes of a new section of Route 195. Most of the one-mile-long project, which includes a new Route 95-Route 195 interchange, the new bridge, and a new section of 195 connecting to the existing Route 195 near the Washington Bridge, are to open next year and in 2009, with the rest of the project to be completed in 2012. Jerome F. Williams, the DOT’s director, said he wants to open the new road next Saturday or Sunday morning “if nature cooperates." Opening the road, the DOT said, "requires a minimum of 12 hours of clear and dry overnight weekend weather." The National Weather Service was forecasting rain for this Saturday and Saturday night. A DOT engineer had explained that the DOT needs to paint stripes on the road the night before it opens, and that rain could wash the paint away, spoiling the striping job and confusing drivers. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:42 PM | Comment Sox rocked Rox, now need attitude for altitude/ Photo
Coors Field in Denver has its upper deck 20th row seats painted purple -- the Rockies team colors -- to signify where the stadium reaches a mile above sea level. Fenway Park is more than a little closer to sea level. And while the Sox bats have been hot, the team is headed into cooler air and currently lower humidity. There was snow there recently, though the forecast isn't calling for that right now. A high of 55 degrees and low of 33 are in the forecast tomorrow for Denver. Saturday night is projected to be mostly clear. Current humidity out there is 43 percent. In comparison, humidity in Boston is 62 percent, and tomorrow's temperatures are expected to be a high of 71 degrees and low of 50 degrees. Up 2-0, the Sox have looked pretty comfortable in cozy Fenway, but will the change in venue -- the altitude, the weather and Coors Field's huge outfield -- take them off their game and help generate a change in momentum? Maybe, maybe not. The best-of-seven series resumes tomorrow at 8:35 p.m. in Denver. Daisuke Matsuzaka goes for the Sox against Josh Fogg for the Rockies. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:08 PM | Comment 4 groups get housing aid for elderly and disabledFour Rhode Island organizations were awarded more than $8 million in federal grants to help cities and towns provide housing assistance for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. The $8.1 million, awarded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, will go to nonprofit organizations in Providence, Little Compton, Cranston and Warwick. Sen. Jack Reed, a member of both the Banking Committee, which oversees federal housing policy and the Appropriations Subcommittee which oversees federal spending for HUD programs, said in a statement that people who live in housing that is subsidized for elderly people and those with disabilities are already on fixed incomes. “This money will help ensure that more of our low-income seniors and people with disabilities have access to affordable housing,” he said in a statement. For a complete list of the organizations receiving grant money, click below. Church Community Housing Corporation, Little Compton Spurwink/RI, Cranston HUD provides the Section 202 and Section 811 funds to nonprofits in two forms: • Capital advances: This is money that covers the cost of developing the housing. It does not need to be repaid as long as the housing is available for at least 40 years for occupancy by very low-income seniors (under Section 202) or very low-income people with disabilities (under Section 811). • Project rental assistance: This is money that goes to each non-profit group to cover the difference between the residents' contributions toward rent and the cost of operating the project. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:42 AM | Comment Polls open tomorrow for some, not all NarragansettsThe polls will open tomorrow for Narragansett Indians to vote for a chief sachem. But it’s not entirely clear who will be allowed to vote. Former tribal councilman Lester Fayerweather, who believes former members' tribal rights should be restored, says people may bring copies of earlier tribal rolls to prove their eligibility. Councilman John Brown says people looking to vote who aren’t on the current membership list could jeopardize the election. Paulla Dove Jennings, 67, is challenging current Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, 46, for the 5-year post. Thomas became the tribe's youngest elected chief since colonial times when he defeated Jennings and another candidate in 1997. Ballots can be cast from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Narragansett Four Winds Community Center on Route 2 in Charlestown. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:21 AM | Comment Jury considers whether mom killed her daughterDid Kimberly A. Mawson kill her 19-month-old daughter? That’s the question 12 jurors will consider when they reconvene at Superior Court, Warwick, this morning. Mawson is charged with second-degree murder in the 2002 death of her daughter, Jade. The official cause of death was homicide as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. In closing arguments yesterday, defense lawyer Kevin Bristow addressed the prosecution’s claim that Mawson gave seemingly inconsistent testimony to a grand jury. He also echoed his opening statements, pointing the blame at Mawson’s then-boyfriend, Daniel Fusco. Fusco was alone with Jade the day she was fatally injured. Mawson said a jewelry box fell on the baby’s head; prosecutors say Mawson had a history of abusing the girl. For Mawson to be found guilty, jurors must decide she acted with malice or intentional disregard for her daughter’s life, Judge Edwin Gale said. If they do not believe the state proved she acted with malice, Mawson can still be found guilty of manslaughter. That lesser charge means the jury believes Mawson acted without malice, and didn’t consider the outcome of her alleged actions. If jurors cannot agree unanimously that Mawson caused Jade’s injuries beyond a reasonable doubt, they must find her not guilty, Gale said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:14 AM | Comment Photo: Projecting faith in the Red Sox
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:03 AM | Comment R.I. man sues Jim Belushi over Land Rover salePAWTUCKET -- Comedian Jim Belushi is being sued by the father of his former driver, who accuses the star of selling him a used 2001 Land Rover that turned out to be a lemon. Ted Lewandowski worked as Belushi's driver when the star was filming the Walt Disney movie ``Underdog'' in Providence. He claims the SUV he bought for his father needed more than $6,000 in repairs -- and he demands that Belushi pay. Belushi's Los Angeles attorney, Brian Wolf, says the claim is false and frivolous because it already has been decided in his client's favor. He said a California court found in February that Belushi doesn't owe Lewandowski any money for repairs to the car. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Clouds moving inThere may be some sun sun earlier today, but clouds should increase as the day goes on. The National Weather Service is predicting a high temperature just shy of 60 degrees. Rain is coming this evening -- as much as a half inch -- likely after 9 p.m. The overnight low will be about 50 degrees. Tonight's rain may last into tomorrow morning. Temperatures should reach the low 70s with wind gusts as high as 33 mpg. More rain, and maybe thunderstorms, overnight Saturday with a low temperature around 50 degrees. The sun is expected to make an appearance Sunday with clear skies and a high temperature of about 60 and an overnight low -- very low -- close to freezing. Chilly weather returns Monday, with clear skies and a high just around 50. To keep up with weather forecasts over the weekend, visit projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs and other coverage the Red Sox' Game Two win in the World Series. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 25, 2007Tonight: Touching all the basesOnce again, there's no sense us telling you there's a baseball game tonight, as the Sox meet the Rox for Game 2 of the World Series at 8:29 in Boston. Stay home. Unless you’re not interested. In which case, there are other things to do tonight. The Colonel is spinning records at Local 121 -- there will be '50s rock'n'roll, '60s soul and maybe some '70s punk. And probably a cowboy hat. And a local champion returns to Providence. Laura Moran was the 1992 Providence Poetry Grand Slam champ and the 1996 Seattle champ. Catch her at AS220 tonight at Free Speech Thursday. And if you've got something to say, step up to the open mike. To see what else is going on, visit projo.com's club calendar. Or just come back to projo.com later tonight as Journal sportswriters and photographers blog their reports before, during and after the game. Add your reactions, too. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:58 PM | Comment Advocates protest plan to merge their officesPROVIDENCE – It its final days last June, the General Assembly inserted language into the state budget that required the governor to propose merging the state’s five advocacy offices – including office of the child advocate and the mental health advocate – under one new Department of Advocacy. This afternoon, the advocates spoke out against the plan, which child advocate Jametta O. Alston fears would essentially kill her ability to protect Rhode Island’s children by stripping her office of its autonomy. The measure would make it extremely difficult, she said, to file lawsuits against the same government leaders who would ultimately create her budgets. Alston filed a sweeping lawsuit against the governor and other state officials in June alleging systemic failures that led to physical and mental child abuse. “We have to really fight and tell people what’s happening,” she said before the meeting. “I think this is on a train that’s pulled into the station and I’m afraid it’s going to take off and destroy our advocacy.” Alston was among representatives from six advocacy offices invited to the basement of the Department of Health building by the governor’s budget office, as it begins to shape the reorganization efforts. The ultimate plan will be presented in the governor’s budget proposal due to be released in February. The motivation, according to the House leadership, was simply to cut costs by streamlining services as the state struggles to close multi-million-dollar budget deficits. State mental-health advocate H. Reed Cosper had sent out an alert urging supporters to go to today’s meeting to defend what he described as a direct threat to his office’s autonomy. Between 40 and 50 people attended the afternoon meeting in all. -- Steve Peoples, of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Steve Peoples at 6:52 PM | Comment Photo: Making a point of being in tune
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:42 PM | Comment A last-minute pitch to abolish minimum drug sentencesPROVIDENCE -- Civil rights leaders and politicians made a last-ditch effort today to get the General Assembly to override Governor Carcieri’s veto and abolish the state’s minimum mandatory drug sentencing laws. The big question remains: Will the issue be presented for an override at Tuesday’s special session of the General Assembly? House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, said that the leadership had not committed to an agenda for the special session. Translation: It’s anyone’s guess whether the issue of minimum mandatory drug sentencing will be heard next week. Rep. Joseph S. Almeida, the Providence Democrat who sponsored the House version of the bill, said that Carcieri was not listening to the wants of the people when he vetoed the General Assembly’s decision to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for drug crimes. Almeida, Sen. Harold Metts, D-Providence, and other supporters of the override, including representatives from Direct Action for Rights and Equality, DARE, held a low-key rally on the Smith Street side of the State House late this afternoon. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowsli “Why doesn’t he listen to the people,’’ Almeida said. ``Isn’t this the house of the people?” Steven Brown, executive director of the Providence chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, called the nation’s war on drugs ”a fiasco” and that Rhode Island should follow the lead of many other states that have repealed tough mandatory drug laws that were adopted in the 1980s. Brown said that every public official, ``but our governor,’’ has seen the light. He said the drug laws have lead to overcrowding at the Adult Correctional Institutions and placed a strain on the state budget. Since 1988, the state’s prison population has more than doubled from about 1,500 prisoners to more than 3,500. Metts, the Providence senator, emphasized that Rhode Island residents need better schools and property tax relief instead of locking more teenagers up with Draconian minimum mandatory drug sentences. Metts, who is a minister and assistant principal at Central High School in Providence, said that teenagers make mistakes and should be given second chances -- not long-term prison sentences. “As a society, we have to give people a chance to redeem themselves,” he said. “Instead of more punishment, we need more love.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:14 PM | Comment Gasification plant headed to Brayton PointSOMERSET, Mass. -- A Massachusetts company is building a $25 million facility at the Brayton Point Station to research and test a process for turning coal and other biomass into clean natural gas. The town’s other power plant, Somerset Power LLC, is also planning to install a state-of-the-art gasification system, but it uses a different process to create a synthetic gas. The GreatPoint plant will use a catalyst to create pure methane and, as byproducts, carbon dioxide – a major contributor to global warming – and a small amount of solid “char,” which can be recovered. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery The process can be designed to trap the carbon dioxide, although nobody is sure what to do with it. Dominion is sponsoring research to see if the pollutant can be taken out of the environment by pumping it into coal seams in Southwest Virginia. If the technology is perfected, it could be widely embraced in an era of concern over global warming, high energy prices, and dramatic economic expansion in countries such as China. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said he and his staff want to make the Bay State a leader in clean energy technology. “If we get this right, and I believe we can because we have all the capabilities to do so,” he said, “then we can be a supplier to companies and industries all over the world.” The facility is expected to employ about 100 people, according to GreatPoint Energy, Inc., and take about one year to build. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:04 PM | Comment No verdict yet in case of mom accused of killing babyJurors did not reach a verdict today, their first day of deliberations in the murder trial of Kimberly A. Mawson. A former Warwick resident, Mawson, 37, is accused of killing her 19-month-old daughter, Jade, in 2002. Her trial began Oct. 16 in Superior Court, Warwick. Closing arguments were presented to the jury earlier today. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:33 PM | Comment Local business forum at RIC SaturdayLocal entrepreneurs looking for advice on how to grow their businesses may find some of what they need at Rhode Island College Saturday. Information on tax credits, loans, marketing and other tools for business will be available at Tools to Grow: The Mayor’s Small Business Resource Forum, hosted by Mayor David Cicilline. The forum is free and will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., at Rhode Island College in Alger Hall. For a list of agencies and departments who will be represented, click below. Experts from public, private and non-profit agencies will be on hand to answer questions and will include: The Small Business Administration Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:32 PM | Comment Skills you can use: Surviving a zombie attackIn the entirely imaginable event that the dead are reanimated and determined to eat your brains, what can you do to help ensure humanity lives on? Haven’t a clue, do you? That’s OK, Max Brooks does, and he’s willing to share his tips for surviving a possible zombie epidemic. Brooks, the author of The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead, is speaking tomorrow evening at Brown University. He’ll talk about the zombies place in contemporary media and pop culture in the first event of the Providence Zombie Film Festival. Brooks’ lecture, at Macmillan 117, on the corner of Thayer and George Streets, will likely be the most academic event of the festival, which will showcase zombie movies – such as Graveyard Alive: a Zombie Nurse in Love – Friday through Halloween at the Cable Car Cinema. In case you can’t make it, just a few tips from Brooks’ survival guide: 1. Organize before they rise! Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:58 PM | Comment Case of mom accused of killing child in jury's handsPROVIDENCE -- It may be counterintuitive to believe a mother would kill her daughter, Assistant Attorney General William Ferland told a jury today, but the day that 19-month-old Jade Mawson was fatally injured, “she needed her mother to be there for her,” he said. And when Kimberly Mawson’s former boyfriend called her to say her baby had collapsed and needed help, Ferland said, “She said, ‘Wait.'" Ferland presented the state’s closing arguments against Mawson, 37, who faces second-degree murder charges for the 2002 death of her daughter, Jade. The child died of blunt force trauma on Dec. 4, 2002, two days after arriving at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. He also addressed the defense’s assertions that Daniel Fusco, Mawson’s ex-boyfriend, killed the girl. Fusco, Ferland said, was not smart enough to get away with such a crime. In court last week, Fusco testified that he had initially lied to police about his whereabouts the day Jade was fatally injured because he was selling marijuana. The state offered him immunity from prosecution for that offense for his cooperation with the investigation. This Tuesday, Fusco was arrested at his home in West Warwick and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of cocaine after a search at his house, Det. Sgt. Mark Bennett said today. He is being held at the Adult Correction Institutions pending a bail hearing, Bennett said. After hearing closing arguments today, Mawson’s case is now in the hands of a jury in Superior Court, Warwick. They had been listening to testimony since last Wednesday. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson and Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:46 PM | Comment State gets $3 million to upgrade healthcareRhode Island has been awarded nearly $3 million in federal grants to help update its healthcare systems. More than $2.7 million will be used to strengthen the Medicaid system and reduce patient error rates using electronic health records, prescribing programs and other support tools. A second grant of $150,000, will help fund a study on the feasibility of creating a way to identify patients who can’t afford or get health insurance because of preexisting health conditions. In a statement today, Rep. Patrick Kennedy said health information technology was the key to making the healthcare system deliver the right care to the right people. “Not only does health IT provide affordable, quality care by streamlining health information and communication,” he said, “it helps save lives and save money while working to ensure that quality health care is available for everyone.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:32 PM | Comment NBC 10 announces new anchor/reporterChannel 10 WJAR announced today that Dan Jaehnig, who spent five years at Fox 25 in Boston, is returning to Channel 10 to co-anchor the 5 p.m. news with Patrice Wood and to report live weeknights for the 11 p.m. news anchored by Gene Valicenti and Wood. Jaehnig starts Oct. 29. The announcement, on the Channel 10 Web site, said Jaehnig worked at NBC 10 from 1998 to 2002 covering such stories as the Operation Plunder Dome investigation. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:03 PM | Comment Pawtucket man's child sex-assault conviction upheldThe state Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Pawtucket man sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison for first- and second-degree sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl. Armando Merced, 72, was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court in January 2006. In his appeal to the high court, Merced argued the trial judge erred by allowing certain testimony from a doctor that he claimed improperly bolstered the victim's testimony, according to the Supreme Court opinion's description. He also complained that the prosecution was allowed to ask leading questions. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:50 PM | Comment R.I. man to face sexual assault charge in Conn.NEW LONDON, Conn. -- A Rhode Island man who's a suspect in a sexual assault case in Connecticut has been extradited from Australia after three years on the run. State police say 42-year-old Ronald Whitewolf was brought back to the country by U.S. marshals, then picked up Wednesday by state troopers. Whitewolf was a resident of Rhode Island. He is facing charges in New London of failing to show up for court in 2004 and second-degree sexual assault. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:40 PM | Comment Drought advisory issued for Ocean StateThe state is issuing a drought advisory after months of below-average rainfall leaves Rhode Island at higher risk for forest fires and water shortages. An advisory is one step beyond normal on a five-step drought scale. After three months of below average rainfall, the Water Resources Board’s Drought Steering Committee is asking municipal officials and residents to closely track water use. “Although fall and winter months are not peak water use periods,” Juan Mariscal, general manager of the board said, “our concern is that this is the period of time when reservoirs and groundwater are recharged.” Over-use could lead to more severe droughts in the spring. He said this may be a good time for homeowners to assess their water systems and for cities and towns to "increase vigilance" regarding water use. More efficient plumbing fixtures can reduce waste and increase efficiency. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Rhode Island is ranked this week as D1, for "Drought - Moderate" on a scale that ranges from D0 for "abnormally dry" to D4 for "Drought - Exceptional." Click here to see a drought map for the state and to get to drought conditions around the country. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:33 PM | Comment Celts to play exhibition game at the DunkPROVIDENCE -- The Celtics will hold an exhibition game in Providence next fall for the first time in more than a decade, according to Lawrence J. Lepore, the executive director of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The arena managers are reserving several dates in October for the Celtics, Lepore said in an interview this morning. "It'd be great," he said said. "We'd sell out." The exhibition games are typically held in Worcester at the DCU Center. But last Friday, a game between the Celtics and New Jersey Nets was canceled at halftime because of condensation on the floor. That decision left some of the 10,625 fans in attendance booing and cursing, according to The Boston Globe. The next day, Leopore said, the Celtics called the Dunkin' Donuts Center to schedule a game for next year. --Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:20 PM | Comment Dancing with the Stars returns to Rhode IslandPROVIDENCE -- The ABC show Dancing with the Stars returns to Providence next year, and tickets are scheduled to go on sale next month. The program's road show is scheduled to come to the Dunkin' Donuts Center on February 9, 2008, Lawrence J. Lepore, the arena's executive director, said this morning at the monthly meeting of the arena's owner, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority. Tickets go on sale Nov. 5, nine days before the arena reopens after the most recent phase of a three-year renovation. "All in all, bookings are looking strong," Lepore said. Dancing with the Stars last came to Providence in February, giving ten local couples the chance to dance before a large audience. The next episode of the popular ballroom dancing show airs on ABC next Tuesday. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:17 PM | Comment Weather postpones opening of Iway portionPROVIDENCE -- The opening of a portion of the Iway to cars and trucks, which was slated for this Sunday afternoon, will be postponed a week because of this weekend's rain forecast, the state Department of Transportation announced today. The section is from Route 95 north to Route 195 east, and the new Providence River bridge. The Iway is also known as the Route 195 relocation project. “Aside from opening up the Iway to motorists, our main goal in this process is to minimize the impact to commuters,” Jerome F. Williams, the DOT director, said in the statement. “The only way to do this is to prepare with time and weather in mind and see if nature cooperates with us next weekend so we can open the road on Saturday or Sunday morning.” The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project, however, is still on for tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the Providence River Bridge.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Comment Defense rests in mom accused of baby's deathKimberly Mawson gave inconsistent testimony to the police and a grand jury which later indicted her for second-degree murder in the death of her baby daughter, her lawyer acknowledged. But lawyer Kevin Bristow said during closing arguments, years went by between 19-month-old Jade’s death, in 2002, and that testimony in 2005. The inconsistencies, he said, were immaterial. “What’s important is that when Kim learned about the 911 call, she doesn’t stop running to her daughter,” he told the jury at Superior Court, Warwick. “She doesn’t run away. She doesn’t run and get a lawyer. She doesn’t run to Boston or Connecticut.” And, as a rescue worker testified earlier, she ran out into the street to get them, “She was pointing at the house.” That was on Dec. 2, 2002. Two days later, Jade died. The official cause of death was blunt force trauma. Bristow returned to the theme of his opening statement last Tuesday, casting Mawson’s former boyfriend, Daniel Fusco, as the culprit. He told different stories to different people, Bristow said, and won’t be prosecuted for drug offenses he admitted to. The prosecution is set to give closing arguments next, and then the case will be handed to the jury. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:07 PM | Comment Papelbon's post-game steps impress the expert
We're talking about Papelbon's dancing, of course. Papelbon has delighted Red Sox fans with his pitching all season, and more recently, with his version of an Irish step dance to celebrate big victories, such as winning the American League pennant. So we requested a review of Papelbon's post-game moves from Terry Songini, a Sox fan and Irish dance expert who teaches at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland. "I was very impressed with his timing. It was spot on. Timing is very important in Irish step dancing," Songini wrote in an e-mail after watching Papelbon on videotape uploaded to YouTube. "He also appears to be light on his feet, making it easy for him to prance around doing heel to toe movements. He really did not do an actual traditional Irish step. I think if he took a class or two, he could pick it up very quickly. Go SOX." Posted by Jack Perry at 12:01 PM | Comment Mass. company to open plant in SomersetGreat Point Energy, of Cambridge, Mass., this morning announced its plan to build a $25 million coal gasification plant and research center at Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset. The plant will demonstrate for companies the technique for converting materials like coal and petroleum byproducts into natural gas. It is expected to create 100 jobs. Governor Deval Patrick was on hand for this morning's announcement. -- With reports from Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:23 AM | Comment Attorney: Judge denies Skakel's bid for a new trialNEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A judge denied Michael Skakel's bid for a new trial today, rejecting the latest startling claim that two other men committed a 1975 killing that sent the Kennedy cousin to prison, his attorney said. Stamford Superior Court Judge Edward R. Karazin Jr. ruled against Skakel based on a week of testimony in April. The ruling was to be released at 11 a.m. today. Attorney Hope Seeley said she was extremely disappointed, citing the quality of the evidence. "We believe Michael Skakel was wrongly convicted, and we will continue to pursue every legal avenue available to us," Seeley said. Those avenues include arguing that Skakel was ineffectively represented by his trial attorney, Michael "Mickey" Sherman. Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, is serving 20 years to life in prison after he was convicted in 2002 of fatally beating his 15-year-old neighbor Martha Moxley in Greenwich in 1975 with a golf club. -- The Associated Press To win a new trial, Skakel's attorneys had to prove that new evidence not available before his conviction could have changed the verdict. Prosecutor Susann Gill said she was pleased with the judge's decision. "The state is grateful to see that the judge didn't find anything in the petition that undermined the reliability of the jury's verdict," she said. Skakel sought a new trial based on Gitano "Tony" Bryant's claim that his two friends told him they got Moxley "caveman style." Bryant gave a videotaped statement to a Skakel investigator in 2003, but has since invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The two men he implicated have done the same. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Skakel's cousin, played a central role in investigating Bryant's claim and telling Skakel's attorneys about it. Prosecutors have said Bryant's claim is fabricated and that nobody saw him and his friends in the predominantly white, gated neighborhood the night of the murder. Bryant, who attended the same private school as Skakel, and one of the men he implicated are black; the other has been described as mixed race. But Skakel's attorneys said key parts of the claim were corroborated by others and that Skakel deserved a new trial. Bryant's claim was the latest twist in a case that was improbable from the start, with an unusual murder weapon in a wealthy New York City suburb where violent crime was rare. Skakel's family once owned Great Lakes Carbon, one of the world's largest privately held companies, but the family also had a history of troubled behavior. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:06 AM | Comment 3Q profits down for Journal parent Co.DALLAS -- Belo Corp., owner of The Providence Journal and projo.com, said today its third-quarter profit fell 2 percent on lower advertising sales and costs related to the spinoff of its newspaper group. The media company reported earnings slipped to $18.8 million, or 18 cents per share, from $19.2 million, or 19 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected net income of 20 cents per share. The current period's results included about $2.3 million, or a penny per share, in transaction costs related to the recently announced spinoff of its newspaper group. Revenue fell 3 percent to $364.3 million, from $376.4 million in the previous year. Analysts were looking for sales of $367.7 million. Newspaper group revenue fell 7.8 percent in the quarter, while television group revenue climbed 1.8 percent. The company said it expects to spin off the newspaper group in the first quarter of 2008. Belo expects fourth-quarter television group revenue to be down in the mid-single digits due to the absence of strong revenue achieved in the year-ago period in a political season. Newspaper group revenue is expected to be down consistent with the first nine months of the year, adjusting for one less Sunday in the quarter. Operating costs are anticipated to fall below the prior year after adjusting for charges related to the spinoff. Shares fell 32 cents to $18.21 at the open of trading. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 10:55 AM | Comment Did Rudy G. make a deal before backing the Sox?Comments by presidential candidate/Yankee fan/American League fan Rudolph W. Giuliani to the Providence Journal in June, in contrast to his recent words in New Hampshire that he will support the Red Sox in this World Series, have made a New York Times article today about less-than-pleased Yankees fans. While campaigning in the state just north of Massachusetts, Giuliani told reporters that he backs the American League, qualifying his support for the Sox in this series. "I'm an American League fan and I go with the American League team," he was quoted as saying. The Times article today said that Giuliani's "most revealing comment" on the subject of being a Yankee loyalist "was perhaps the answer he provided to The Providence Journal." Giuliani's comments, during a campaign fundraising stop in Providence, were in a piece by Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst, who asked about baseball among other topics. Giuliani was asked: If the devil said you can be president if you become a Red Sox fan, would you do it? "I'm a Yankee fan. My father made me a Yankee fan probably before I was born. I always believe it's a sign of my being straight with people, about not wanting to fool them, that I was one of the first mayors to be willing to say I was a Yankee fan. Most mayors pretended they rooted for both sides. I have great respect for Mets fans, Red Sox fans. I have great respect for people who really are fans of the team they say they are fans of. But probably that's a deal I could not make." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:30 AM | Comment Craig Price disciplined for incidents in Fla. prisonCraig C. Price, who was first locked up at age 15 for four Warwick murders in the 1980s, has been disciplined for two May incidents in a Florida prison in which he was accused of using a homemade weapon to assault another inmate. Price, who was moved to the Florida prison after requesting an out-of-state transfer, has had 50 days of "good time'' -- time that could be lopped off his prison time -- taken away as a result, according to Tracey Poole, spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. By law, inmates can accrue days of good time each month for good behavior or participation in certain programs. Loss of good time is calculated using a formula, Poole said. The incidents happened on May 21 and 22, Poole said. The other inmate was not seriously injured. Price may be in Florida but he came under Rhode Island corrections rules in determining what his discipline would be. Poole said Rhode Island has been told that Florida authorities are not at this time pressing charges. Price is now 32. In 1987, at age 13, he stabbed to death his Warwick neighbor, Rebecca Spencer. That crime was unsolved two years later when he killed Joan Heaton and her daughters, Jennifer and Melissa.
Two weeks later, the police arrested Price. He admitted to the killings and was sentenced to juvenile detention until his 21st birthday, the harshest penalty allowed at the time. But the state investigated ways to keep Price locked up. After screaming at a correctional officer in 1993, he was found guilty of making threats. The state also charged him with criminal contempt for refusing to take a court-ordered psychiatric exam. Those charges, and three fights in prison, have pushed his projected release date into 2022. Extra: Read the Journal's 2004 in-depth series about Craig C. Price. Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:15 AM | Comment Group pushes for end to mandatory drug sentencesA group will gather outside the State House this afternoon to push for a General Assembly override of Governor Carcieri's veto of legislation that would reduce mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes. The legislature passed H-5127 and S-207. The governor vetoed the bills on July 3. "House bill 5127 and its Senate companion bill 207 restores discretion to judges in drug releated cases so that judges can match people with a sentence that makes sense to their individual situation, and paves the way for more effective solutions like treatment and rehabilitation," said the news release from Direct Action for Rights & Equality. Supporters also argue the changes would bring down prison costs by freeing judges to divert people into drug treatment, which costs less than imprisonment and reduce what they say is prison crowding that strains the state budget. Carcieri's veto message, as described in a Journal article about a spate of vetoed bills the legislature may try to override, said state law currently allows judges so much discretion that minimums "exist more in theory than in reality." One section of the legislation would change the prison term of 10 to 50 years to a term that says up to 20 years. While the language of current law saying a person can also fined up to $500,000 would remain, the language saying not less than $10,000 would be removed, according to the bill. In another section, a sentence ranging from 20 years to life would be changed to up to 30 years. The fine of not more than $1 million would remain, but the not less than $25,000 would be removed. The different sections of the bills referred to the manufacturing, selling, possession, or intent to do those three things, for various quantities of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Direct Action for Rights & Equality said bill sponsors state Rep. Joseph S. Almeida, D-Providence, and Sen. Harold M. Metts, D-Providence, will join the community leaders at 4 p.m. on the Smith Street side of the State House. The DARE news release asserted that Rhode Island "is the only state in New England where an offender can receive a life sentence for possession and selling marijauana" and that the state's shortest mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years is twice that of other New England states. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 8:58 AM | Comment Vinny Paz's ex-fiancee scheduled for court todayThe ex-fiancee of former boxer Vinny Paz is scheduled to be in court today on a trespassing charge. The police have said Ashley P. Spencer, 26, of Elliot, Maine, -- who had previously accused Paz of assaulting her but then did not move ahead with the case -- threw a rock through a sliding glass door at Paz’s Tivoli Court home in Warwick on Oct. 16 while he was out of town. Neighbors called the police. Spencer was told not to return to the house, according to the police, but that night police and rescue personnel found her in a locked room in the house. She was charged with violating a no-trespassing order and released on $200 cash bail, the police have said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:47 AM | Comment New campsite reservation option, with fee, to beginA new online camp site reservation system will be available to campers beginning Nov. 14 at 9 a.m., the state Department of Environmental Management announced. A $9 fee per reservation will be required for online reservations and reservations made through the toll-free phone line will be charged a $10 service fee. People will be able to reserve sites at the state's five campgrounds online and by calling the reservation line, with the idea being campers can plan vacations in advance. Campsites may be reserved up to a year ahead at Fishermen's Memorial State Park Campground, Charlestown Breachway, East Beach, Burlingame State Park Campground, and George Washington Management Area Campground. Reservations may be made at www.riparks.com, or by calling toll-free 1-877-RICAMP5, the DEM news release said. Walk-in registration will still be accepted at the campgrounds for the day of arrival so long as sites available. There will be no service fee charged for walk-in registrations on the day of arrival at the campgrounds. There will be no increase in fees for renting a campground, which begins at $14 a night for state residents and $20 for non-residents. Campgrounds are open from April 15 through Oct. 31. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:41 AM | Comment Closing arguments in child-murder trial set for todayWARWICK -- Closing arguments are set for today in the child-murder trial of Kimberly A. Mawson after the defense called six witnesses to the stand yesterday following days of testimony from prosecution witnesses. Mawson, 37, formerly of Warwick, is accused of second-degree murder of her 19-month-old daughter Jade, who died on Dec. 4, 2002, two days after an ambulance took her to Hasbro Children's Hospital with a serious head injury. Judge Edwin Gale told Mawson in Kent Count Superior Court that she has the right to testify should she decide to this morning. The proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:02 AM | Comment Chance of rain during the day, with a high in the 50s
The unusual warmth of recent days gives way to something more like October today, with highs in the 50s in the forecast. The low is expected to be in the 40s. The forecast says there's an 80 percent chance of rain for the day, though you may already see the drops out there as you head for the morning commute. The National Weather Service said people should expected periods of showers, mainly before 9 a.m., and it put the high near 55 degrees. Northeast wind between 9 and 11 mph. Overall new rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible. Tonight should be mostly clear with a low around 42 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of the Red Sox' Game One World Series win and a photograph of winning pitcher Josh Beckett. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 24, 2007Tonight: Sox vs. Rox or Bonamassa's bluesObviously, there's something to do tonight: Stay in or go to the pub to watch the Sox open the World Series at Fenway against the Rox. Game time is 8:35 p.m. Wondering where to go to join a crowd for the game? See what The Journal's Bryan Rourke has to suggest. Craving the latest Sox pre-game, game and post-game analysis? Check in with projo.com for reports from Journal sportswriters and photographers and add your comments to the SoxBlog. For the rest of us, all three of us, there *are* other options. Joe Bonamassa plays some hard-charging, inventive modern blues on the electric guitar tonight, with Todd Wolfe and Crosby Loggins also playing. The show's at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. Call 331-5876, 272-5876, www.etix.com. 8 p.m. $20; $35 gold circle. Comic Book Super Heroes, Champion Kickboxer and Far Off Place play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 9:30 pm. $6. All ages. In Newport, Chris Gauthier plays rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. Call 847-9460. 9 p.m. For the rest of who's playing what around Rhode Island tonight, check out our club listings. And come back tomorrow night, for, yes, another Sox vs. Rox World Series game. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Comment Providence pair accused of stashing drugs in Fall RiverFALL RIVER, Mass. -- A Providence couple was arrested today after the police seized a half-million dollars' worth of marijuana from a Fall River house the two rented and allegedly used to stash the drugs. The police executed a search warrant at 551 Ludlow St. at about 12:30 a.m., finding six 20-gallon plastic bins filled with 145 one-pound bags of marijuana, along with 66 pounds of loose marijuana, bale wrappers and a digital scale, according to a Fall River police statement. The house was otherwise vacant. The police valued the drugs at $500,000, based on an average sale of $150 per ounce. Just before entering the house, the police saw a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche, driven by Jeremy C. Barnes, approach the address. Barnes, the police said, was the “target” of the search warrant. Barnes noticed the police detectives and quickly drove off, but the police stopped him nearby at Stafford Road and Tucker Street, and he and his passenger, Maritess A. Oandasan, were searched. The police seized a cell phone and $1,153 in cash from Barnes and $816 in cash from Oandasan, as well as notebooks the police said they suspect were used as drug ledgers. Barnes, 33, and Oandasan, 25, who live together in the Promenade Apartments, Apt. 609, at 255 Promenade St. in Providence, were both arrested and each charged with trafficking of more than 100 pounds of marijuana, drug trafficking in a school zone and conspiracy. The Ludlow Street house is within 1,000 feet of Holy Trinity School on Lamphor Street. The couple was arraigned today in Fall River District Court and each is being held on $1 million cash bail, Detective Lt. James Keighley said. -- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Providence man pleads guilty to drug-trafficking chargesPROVIDENCE -- A 28-year-old Providence man pleaded guilty today to federal drug-trafficking charges before U.S. District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres. Providence police seized about 200 grams of crack cocaine, some powder cocaine and $25,000 from the apartment of Manuel Coradin on Marshall Street in 2005. The prosecution argued that on July 8, 2005, Providence police were conducting a drug investigation when they stopped a car driven by Coradin. He gave the officers permission to search his apartment. The police seized a cooking pan that had trace amounts of crack, two bags of cocaine and $25,000 from a safe. They also found three more bags of cocaine in a bedroom. Coradin pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He is being held pending his sentence on Jan. 15. He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life, plus a $4-million fine. -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:55 PM | Comment LNG ruling a long-sought victory for Fall River officialsFALL RIVER, Mass. -- As a politician, Edward Lambert has thrown lots of hats into lots of rings. The tan baseball cap, labeled "Hess LNG,’’ was presented to him a few years ago by Hess Corp. CEO John B. Hess. It wasn’t really a gift, Lambert said. It was more of an arrogant assertion that Hess and Weaver’s Cove Energy were going to build the terminal despite nearly-universal opposition. "I told Mr. Hess at the time that I had a very special place for this hat and it would not be joining my hat collection,’’ Lambert said. "It is my hope that before the end of business on Friday, I get to toss this off the Brightman Street Bridge into the Taunton River,’’ he said. "This decision, I think, now gives me the rationale for doing that.’’ Whether Lambert may be able to get past the MassHighway barricades to get on the bridge Friday -- the state has closed it for repair work -- remains an open question. But what isn’t an open question is that the Coast Guard ruling, which declared that LNG tankers would pose an unacceptable navigational hazard, was a devastating blow to the six-year-old terminal proposal. -- Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr. Coast Guard Capt. Roy A. Nash didn’t even consider other key issues, such as security or environmental concerns in making his ruling. He rejected the Weaver’s Cove plan after simply considering the hazards posed to navigation along the path that LNG tankers would have to take from Narragansett Bay to the Taunton River. "As a practical matter, this project is now dead,’’ declared Thomas McGuire, the city’s corporation counsel, saying one strength of the ruling is that "it’s not just one reason. [Nash] has many reasons this project cannot go forward.’’ There may be an appeal and Hess and Weaver’s Cove may continue to offer legal challenges, he said. However, "The Coast Guard has written a decision that is not going to get overturned.’’ Not only would a court have to dismiss Nash’s experience and his detailed arguments, said McGuire, "Even in the extremely unlikely event that an appeal reversed the decision . . . [Nash has said] the Coast Guard would use its discretionary authority to prohibit repeated LNG traffic.’’ "This is an ending to something that never should have begun,’’ said Rep. David N. Sullivan. "It’s a great victory for the people.’’ Lambert said Fall River "was told six years ago by the industry and others that we could not fight this, that it would happen over our objections, that we ought to just take it, and the longer we disagreed, the more economic benefits would disappear.’’ He said the comments showed "the arrogance of this company’’ and that they, along with some federal regulators, were wrong when they insisted that the city could not stop the project. After approval appeared certain when federal regulators gave it the green light, the Commonwealth’s congressional delegation put on the brakes by declaring that the Brightman Street Bridge was an historic structure and could not be demolished after a new version of the bridge was constructed. That posed a huge problem for Hess and Weaver’s Cove because the drawbridge opening of the old bridge could not accommodate LNG supertankers. Weaver’s Cove then suggested solving that problem by using smaller tankers, ones that haven’t even been built. But the Coast Guard said the navigational issues were insurmountable. If nothing else, the ships would have to come to a complete halt between the bridges and then be pushed sideways in order to make it up the river. And Nash, in his ruling, said that if one of the tankers broke down in the narrow dredged channel leading to the Braga Bridge, the only way to extract it would be to tow it backwards down the Bay, which would be unacceptable. Lambert said, as he has with other victories, that it’s time for Hess and Weaver’s Cove to throw in the towel even as he tosses the Hess LNG cap into the Taunton. He is leaving to take a new job at UMass Dartmouth’s Center for Policy Analysis. The proponents may try to keep it alive, he said, but even with his departure from the mayor’s office at week’s end, the city "will not take our foot off the throat of the beast until that beast is deceased.’’ Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:54 PM | Comment Burrillville man charged with molesting 2 childrenBURRILLVILLE -- A 39-year-old Harrisville man has been charged with sexually assaulting and molesting two children under the age of 14, the police said today. Todd R. Pacheco of 113 East Ave. was arrested by Pawtucket police after Burrillville authorities began investigating the alleged incidents in mid-July, said Burrillville police Lt. Kevin S. San Antonio. Pacheco faces one first-degree child molestation charge and one first-degree sexual assault charge and five counts of second-degree molestation, San Antonio said. One of the children was from Burrillville and the other was from North Providence, he said. Each of them was assaulted in various incidents that took place in Burrillville and Pawtucket between 2002 and 2006, San Antonio said. He declined to reveal the gender of the victims, and he said he is unable to be more specific about the timing of the different incidents. Pacheco was indicted on the charges on Oct. 18. He was already in custody at the time. He has been held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston, since his initial arrest, San Antonio said. Pacheco’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 7 in Superior Court. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:32 PM | Comment Cianci to be Channel 6 chief political analystPROVIDENCE -- Former Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. is adding another new job title to his resume: Chief political analyst and contributing editor for WLNE-TV. The station says the once-imprisoned former mayor will start his new job on Nov. 1. General Manager Stephen Doerr calls Cianci "legendary'' and says no one knows the region better. Cianci served more than four years in federal prison after being convicted on corruption charges. He was released earlier this year and started hosting a talk show on WPRO-AM last month. WLNE, the local ABC affiliate on Channel 6, recently changed ownership and has been making management changes in a bid to improve its lagging ratings. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:12 PM | Comment Update: Coast Guard ruling against LNG plan praisedThe Coast Guard has determined that the waterway approach to the proposed Weaver's Cove liquefied natural gas terminal in Fall River, Mass., is "unsuitable" for the type, size and amount of traffic it would bring. The ruling today could all but doom the controversial proposal, which calls for tankers to travel up Narragansett Bay into Mount Hope Bay and along the Taunton River to the Massachusetts port city. It also led to a stream of statements this afternoon in support of the decision, which Weaver's Cove has 30 days to request it be reconsidered. In a press release, Coast Guard Capt. Roy Nash said, “Vessel masters would face extraordinary navigational maneuvers when transiting the waterway The safety risks are too great to favorably recommend the waterways as suitable.” Nash, captain of the port and commander of Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, made the recommendation today in a two-page letter. The Coast Guard assists the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- which makes the final decision on the site's viability -- by determining whether the waterway is suitable for LNG transits. Last summer, the FERC voted, 2-1, not to revisit its earlier decision to approve the Weaver's Cove site for an LNG facility. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson The Coast Guard's ruling comes on the heels of a decision to drop a plan for a major LNG terminal in Providence, which would have also required the tankers to travel up Narragansett Bay. In Fall River, the Coast Guard’s main concern is a tight space between the old and new Brightman Street bridges. The 80-foot wide, 700-foot long tanker would have just about 1,000 feet to maneuver diagonally through an opening with less than 18 feet of clearance, according to the Coast Guard. The Guard was also concerned that tankers would have to travel within 100 feet of the U.S.S. Massachusetts museum, the Braga Bridge, and the State Pier. After the analysis, Nash wrote, “I have concluded that such transits cannot be conducted safely on a routine, repeatable basis, and that the risk of a mishap in Mount Hope Bay, and particularly in the Taunton River in the vicinity of the two Brightman Street Bridges, is unacceptably high.” Earlier this month, National Grid abandoned its pursuit of establishing a major liquefied natural gas marine terminal in Providence. The decision ended a four-year effort by the company's KeySpan subsidiary to revamp its existing storage facility on the Providence River into a terminal that would receive LNG deliveries by tankers. Governor Carcieri issued a statement this afternoon applauding the Coast Guard's stance in the proposal for neighboring Massachusetts. “Hopefully, today’s Coast Guard decision will be the last nail in the coffin for this project,” he said. “With this federal ruling in hand, Weaver’s Cove should finally abandon their ill-conceived and potentially dangerous plan.” Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a statement that he calls upon Hess LNG "to cease proceeding any further. I hope it recognizes the futility of pressing on. Let me assure all Rhode Islanders that while we celebrate this day, should Hess proceed any further with this ill-conceived and dangerous project, we stand prepared to fight for the rights of our Ocean State, as we have from the outset.” “The people who live on the water along the proposed LNG tanker route don’t want this terminal. The fishermen and boaters don’t want it. The environmentalists don’t want it. The political leaders in two states don’t want it. And now the Captain of the Port for the Coast Guard says it’s not safe,” state Rep. Raymond Gallison, a Democrat who represents District 69 in Bristol and Portsmouth, said. “It’s time for Weaver’s Cove to face reality: This proposal is unsafe and unwelcome here and the time has come to drop it.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:58 PM | Comment Update: Defense opens case in child-murder trialWARWICK -- The defense in the child-murder trial of Kimberly A. Mawson opened today with four witnesses and sought to enforce that Mawson's boyfriend, Daniel Fusco, a prosecution witness, varied his accounts of events. Mawson, 37, a former Warwick woman, faces second-degree murder charges for the December 2002 death of her 19-month-old daughter, Jade. The defense in Kent County Superior Court today called to the stand a Hasbro Children's Hospital nurse, a doctor, an emergency medical technician, and a former investigator for the state Department of Children, Youth and Families. The state rested its case today after jurors heard Mawson's 2005 grand jury testimony in which she said she spent her last night with Jade at the hospital, reading stories and watching movies. “I only had 24 hours left with my only child,” she says on a recording of that testimony. “I couldn’t waste it on sleep.” But last week Kimberly Riley, a nurse at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, said when nurses moved furniture so that Mawson could share a bed with her daughter, she declined. Prosecutors later called an assistant registrar from the University of Connecticut to take the stand. Mawson had told the grand jury that she'd been a student at the school, but the assistant registrar testified today that she hadn't attended the school, according to school records. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Including what they heard yesterday, jurors have heard about three hours of recordings. In one recording, after Mawson heard her daughter had collapsed, she said she told her boyfriend -- who was alone with the baby -- to call an ambulance. “She’s unconscious? Is she breathing?, first question,” Mawson told the grand jury. “I said, ‘Call 9-1-1. I’m on my way.’” In testimony earlier this week, prosecutors previously played a voicemail message Mawson left for Fusco that same evening: "Do not call the ambulance until I get there and see her,” Mawson said in the recording. “She may have just passed out. I’ll be there in a minute.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:40 PM | Comment Providence Head Start has been shut downPROVIDENCE -- Providence Head Start has been shut down by the federal government, and an interim contractor brought in to run the program. Federal authorities discovered that the agency was not properly conducting criminal background checks on its employees. The preschool morning and afternoon programs are closed today through Friday, and are expected to reopen Monday. They will be managed on an interim basis by Community Development Institute Head Start, a Denver-based company that runs Head Start programs temporarily when the local agency cannot continue for any reason. Providence Head Start serves over 1,200 children in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, providing both morning education programs and after-school care. Officials at Providence Head Start refused to comment on the situation. Federal authorities sent the local Head Start office a letter on Oct. 19, explaining that their federal funding had been revoked and would be transferred to another agency, citing code that allows them to pull funding “if staff or participants' health and safety are at risk.” The letter goes on to detail two separate site visits, one conducted in the summer of 2006, one in the summer of 2007, in which federal investigators found that Providence Head Start was not properly conducting background checks. There have been no suggestions that there were actually criminals employed by the program, only that the proper criminal checks were not conducted. Providence Head Start was also holding classes in a basement area prohibited by the State Fire Marshall, the letter states. The basement of the Mary T. Dean Center was used for two classrooms, despite being one level below the exit. Investigators were told in 2006 that the classrooms would no longer be used to educate children. But in their 2007 visit, they again observed children in those areas. It is not yet clear whether Providence Head Start will be able to return as the overseer of the program, or if another grantee will be introduced. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:51 PM | Comment Update: Coast Guard rules against Fall River LNG siteThe waterway approach to the proposed in Fall River isn’t safe for the amount of traffic it would bring, the Coast Guard announced today. The ruling could all but doom the controversial proposal, which calls for tankers to travel up Narragansett Bay into Mount Hope Bay and along the Taunton River to the Massachusetts port city. “Vessel masters would face extraordinary navigational maneuvers when transiting the waterway,” Capt. Roy Nash said in a statement. “The safety risks are too great to favorably recommend the waterways as suitable.” Nash, captain of the port and commander of Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, made the recommendation today in a two-page letter. The Coast Guard assists the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- which makes the final decision on the site's viability -- by determining whether the waterway is suitable for LNG transits. Governor Carcieri issued a statement this afternoon, applauding the Coast Guard's stance in the proposal for neighboring Massachusetts. “Hopefully, today’s Coast Guard decision will be the last nail in the coffin for this project,” he said. “With this federal ruling in hand, Weaver’s Cove should finally abandon their ill-conceived and potentially dangerous plan.” Last summer, the FERC voted, 2-1, not to revisit its earlier decision to approve the Weaver's Cove site for an LNG facility. The Coast Guard's ruling comes on the heels of a decision to drop a plan for a major LNG terminal in Providence, which would have also required the tankers to travel up Narragansett Bay. In Fall River, the Coast Guard’s main concern is a tight space between the old and new Brightman Street bridges. The 80-foot wide, 700-foot long tanker would have just about 1,000 feet to maneuver diagonally through an opening with less than 18 feet of clearance, according to the Coast Guard. The Guard was also concerned that tankers would have to travel within 100 feet of the U.S.S. Massachusetts museum, the Braga Bridge, and the State Pier. After the analysis, Nash wrote “I have concluded that such transits cannot be conducted safely on a routine, repeatable basis, and that the risk of a mishap in Mount Hope Bay, and particularly in the Taunton River in the vicinity of the two Brightman Street Bridges, is unacceptably high.” Earlier this month, National Grid abandoned its pursuit of establishing a major liquefied natural gas marine terminal in Providence. The decision ended a four-year effort by the company's KeySpan subsidiary to revamp its existing storage facility on the Providence River into a terminal that would receive LNG deliveries by tankers. That appears to be a victory for the citizens, organizations and public officials who fought the proposal. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:20 PM | Comment Brown ranked third in number of U.S. FulbrightsPROVIDENCE -- Brown University is third in the nation among colleges/universities for students with U.S. Fulbrights awards this year, the university announced in a news release today. Twenty-five students from Brown -- 23 undergraduates and two graduate students -- are now studying overseas on Fulbright grants. Brown said in its news release that it also ranks first in the Ivy League for most undergraduate Fulbright awards. The students are studying, teaching or doing research in 18 countries. Among their projects are studying the contemporary music scene in Latvia, teaching English in Korea and examining the integration of Polish immigrants in Norwegian society. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Among this year’s Fulbright recipients are Brown graduate students Rebecca Peters and Sudeepto Mukherji, who got Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation fellowships for research in Angola and Russia, respectively. Undergraduates and recent alumni who got 2007-08 Fulbright awards and the countries they are in: * Elise Jett Baran ’07 (Poland) Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:12 PM | Comment URI College Republicans host speaker tonightThe College Republicans of the University of Rhode Island are holding "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" and tonight will feature as guest speaker Robert Spencer, who wrote "Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam." According to the URI Republicans Website, Spencer is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom. It appears to be stirring controversy, as an e-mail has gone out urging students to join a plan to protest the GOP's hosting Spencer, who is among authors/commentators who have drawn criticism and support from various quarters. The Muslim Public Affairs Council has put out a document titled "What You Need to Know about Islamo-Fascism Week" that criticizes what it says is a national push on college campuses. But at the national organizers' own Website, known as the "Terrorism Awareness Project," it says the nation will be "rocked by the biggest conservative campus protest ever -- Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, a wake-up call for Americans on 200 university and college campuses." According to the URI Republicans online description of the week's events, on Monday they held a petition drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. "denouncing Islamo-Fascist violence against women, gays, Christians, Jews," the Web site says,a nd yesterday there was a scheduled 7 p.m. lecture on "Women's rights and political Islam" by URI women studies professor Donna Hughes. The Web site says a documentary is scheduled for tomorrow and on Friday a "memorial service for the victims of Islamic terror." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:55 PM | Comment Update: State rests in tot's murder trialWARWICK -- The state has rested its case against a former Warwick woman who faces second-degree murder charges for the 2002 death of her baby daughter. Today, jurors heard Mawson's 2005 Grand Jury testimony when she said she spent her last night with 19-month-old Jade at the hospital reading stories and watching movies. “I only had 24 hours left with my only child,” she says on a recording of her testimony, given in 2005. “I couldn’t waste it on sleep.” But last week Kimberly Riley, a nurse at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, said when nurses moved furniture so that Mawson could share a bed with her daughter, she declined. Prosecutors later had an assistant registrar from the University of Connecticut take the stand. Mawson had told the grand jury that she'd been a student at the school, but the assistant registrar testified today that she hadn't attended the school, according to school records. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Jurors have heard about three hours of recordings, including a segment where Mawson says after she heard her daughter had collapsed, she told her boyfriend – who was alone with the baby – to call an ambulance. “She’s unconscious? Is she breathing?, first question,” Mawson told the grand jury. “I said ‘call 9-1-1, I’m on my way.’” In testimony earlier this week in Superior Court, Warwick, prosecutors previously played a voicemail message Mawson left for Fusco that same evening: "Do not call the ambulance until I get there and see her,” Mawson said in the recording. “She may have just passed out. I’ll be there in a minute.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:50 PM | Comment Update: Mollis' stepson gets14 months / Photo
Journal photo / Bill MurphyGian Piscione in court today for his sentencing. PROVIDENCE -- Gian Piscione, the stepson of Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for charges stemming from a January shooting. The police say Piscione was angry that his girlfriend was with another man, so he shot into the car that they had been riding in. In August, Piscione pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence. Superior Court Judge Robert D. Krause told Piscione that “anger, jealousy and a loaded gun are a volatile combination, and it has serious consequences.” Before he was sentenced, Piscione stood at a lectern to address the judge, and said: "I am very sorry for what I did. I know it was stupid," and added, "I'm not the stupid kid I used to be." Over the past eight to nine months, he said, he has people who love him and he doesn't want to lose that. Mollis was in court today with his stepson, and made a brief statement. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:16 PM | Comment Local Red Cross volunteer heads for CaliforniaAt least one Rhode Island Red Cross volunteer is leaving for Southern California to help as firefighters combat the wall of wildfires leaving people without their homes. Paula Drzal of North Providence, the local volunteer heading for San Diego this evening, is a mental health worker, according to the Red Cross. According to a Red Cross news release today, more than 500 Red Cross workers have been in California since Sunday morning and the organization is "expanding its services rapidly as the needs change and escalate." Here's what the Red Cross said is on the way: • 25,000 cots More than 3,000 people from Southern California spent last night at 11 Red Cross shelters in areas outside of threatened neighborhoods, the Red Cross said. "The Rhode Island Chapter is supporting these efforts by deploying volunteers to Southern California," the news release said. For more on the fires, see pe.com. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency can respond with equipment or personnel to the wildfires if a request known as an "EMAC" came in. Called an Emergency Management Assistance Compact, it's a way that emergency management agencies in the states and Canada can share resources, said Brittan Bates, public information officer for Rhode Island E.M.A. Bates said Rhode Island has sent people and equipment before -- to Lousiana following Hurricane Katrina and to Florida for hurricanes there. She said the Rhode Island E.M.A. has obviously been aware of the situation in San Diego and surrounding areas and is prepared if a request came in. E.M.A.s get notifications about various calamities around the country. The Providence Fire Department has not received a request to send firefighters or others to California, said Chief George Farrell. He said the department and other departments do not "self-dispatch" to out-of-state emergencies, but, rather send assistance when requested. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:28 PM | Comment Weather update: Sox fans should plan on rainWet weather in late October is to be expected. But what may really be giving New Englanders agita is how that weather will affect tonight's opening game of the World Series at Fenway. Showers are forecast on and off today with a high temperature of about 61 degrees -- it's down to 57 degrees in Providence now. Tonight, the temperature will continue to drop to about 50 and, worse than that, rain is likely, especially after midnight. That holds true for both Providence and Boston, so fans at the game should at least bring an umbrella. We'll let you know later how it affects the game, if at all. In Boston, the temperature could dip into the 40s, with a light north wind. Just in time for the second World Series game, also in Boston. Looking ahead to the weather in Denver, when the Sox face the Rockies on Saturday? It's predicted to be partly cloudy and in the 50s. Click here for a full forecast. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:09 PM | Comment Poll: PC predicted to place 8th in Big EastNEW YORK -- Georgetown and Louisville are the co-favorites to win the Big East men's basketball title. Providence College is ranked 8th. The preseason conference coaches poll was released today in New York. Georgetown and Louisville both received eight first-place votes and 217 points in the balloting of the league's 16 coaches. Louisville, coached by former PC coach Rick Pitino, returns its top seven scorers from the team that went 24-10. Georgetown has four starters back from its Final Four team, including preseason player of the year Roy Hibbert. The 7-foot-2 center decided to return for his senior season. Marquette is third in the poll, followed by Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, Villanova, Providence and Notre Dame. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:39 AM | Comment R.I. team can repair sewer lines with the best
The six men of Fecal Matters hail from Rhode Island and got second place out of 30 teams in one event at a national competition for wastewater operations professionals in San Diego this month, the state Department of Environmental Management said in a news release this week. The Rhode Island team placed 13th overall for all events. For what, you may wonder. "The team placed second in a tight collection-system repair race," a Department of Environmental Management news release said today. Another of the challenges tested teams on how fast they could repair sewer lines. It marks the second consecutive year Rhode Island's team won a spot in the national competition, the DEM said, and the team "markedly improved their times over last year." Team members are Peter Eldridge, Robert Sheridan, Donald Shurtleff and Brian Lavallee of the West Warwick water treatment plant and Scott Goodinson of Veolia Water North America, the contract operator of the Cranston Water Pollution Control Facility. Read a feature on this Rhode Island 'dream team'. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Teams competed to show their proficiency in such things as: * Water purification process-control strategies. * Laboratory skills. * A fast-paced safety rescue simulation. * Emergency repairs of a pump. The state's top environmental official offered praise. "I am delighted that Rhode Island did so well in the national arena of the wastewater operator profession," W. Michael Sullivan, the Department of Environmental Management director, said in the statement. "The Ocean State is highly dependent upon this profession. They are a group of men and women who treat some 100 million gallons of raw sewage every day, and in so doing protect the health of every Rhode Islander, the quality of our waters, and our statewide economy." Posted by Mike McKinney at 10:50 AM | Comment Whitehouse to take part in confirmation hearingThe Senate Judiciary Committee is set to consider a top nomination to the federal government. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse will chair the committee’s confirmation hearing for Ronald Jay Tenpas’, nominated to serve as assistant attorney general in the environmental resources division. Attorneys in that division represent the country in cases of environmental concern, including pollution cleanup, wildlife protection, and other environmental issues. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:42 AM | Comment California fire postpones states' lawsuit against EPASACRAMENTO - California's attorney general is delaying a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency because of massive wildfires in Southern California. Attorney General Jerry Brown tells The Associated Press that California will not sue the agency today as it had planned. Instead, he says he'll likely sue next week. California wants to force the EPA to decide whether California and 11 other states, including Rhode Island, can impose stricter vehicle standards. California asked the EPA nearly two years ago to let the state regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. EPA Administrator Steven Johnson has said he will make a decision on the waiver by the end of the year. Read more about the fires as pe.com. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:35 AM | Comment Trial continues for mom accused of daughter's deathJurors are set to hear testimony from a woman who faces second-degree murder charges for the death of her 19-month old baby. Kimberly A. Mawson, 37, is not scheduled to take the stand, but the state will continue playing a recording of her 2005 grand jury testimony. Yesterday, jurors heard Mawson talking about her early life, and the events of Dec. 2, 2002 – the day her daughter, Jade, was fatally injured. The forensic scientist who examined evidence taken from Mawson’s home also testified. Judge Edwin J. Gale, in Superior Court, Warwick, told the jury that the case may be handed down to them as early as today. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:32 AM | Comment Mollis' stepson to be sentenced todayGian Piscione, the stepson of Secretary of State Ralph Mollis, is scheduled to be sentenced today in Providence County Superior Court. Piscione is charged with three counts, including one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. He admitted in a plea agreement earlier this year to firing a shotgun into the trunk of a Lexus out of jealousy over a girlfriend. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:02 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about the Colorado Rockies, who will face the Red Sox in the World Series starting tonight, and a feature about a former Rhode Island man now living in Colorado and selling Rockies T-shirts to make money after losing his job. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 23, 2007Tonight: A cavalcade of music around the stateTonight, the cavalcade is under way. The Cavalcade of Bands -- jazz and swing -- is playing at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, 60 Rhodes Place, in Cranston. Call 941-2717. In the ballroom there's Hank Doiron Strollers, Arthur Medeiros and His 15-Piece Dance Orchestra with Hank Doiron & Terri Giviens, the Tommy Rotondo Group and The Dick Parent 15-Piece Swing Orchestra with Bob Mainelli. In the foyer: Ed Drew and the Dixieland Pops, the Pat Mitchell Group with George Masso & Arnie Krakowski, the Johnny Badessa Group with Vinny Lato & Charlie Harris, the Shawnn Monteiro Group, the Mac Chrupcala Group with Nicolas King, and The Tony Cipolla Quartet with Terri Giviens. The show runs from 6 to 11:30 pm. $10 advance; $15 at the door. Rudy D'Agostino (of The Rock) plays acoustic rock at McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon, 52 Pine St., Providence. Call 861-1782. 10 p.m. to 1 am. No cover. Dancing Nancy plays another tribute to Dave Matthews at Gillary's Tavern, 198 Thames St., Bristol. Call 253-2012. 9:30 pm. Half Boozed plays rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. 847-9460. 9 pm. Harpoon and Tapir play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 10 p.m. $4. All ages. For more events, check projo.com's Lifebeat page and calendar. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment World Series tickets at Denver gone after glitch / Photo
"The online system, after a slow start, certainly worked very, very well for us," club spokesman Jay Alves said. Alves said tickets were selling as fast as 1,500 per minute today and all were gone in 2 1/2 hours. Yesterday, the Rockies were forced to stop the online-only sale of tickets after about two hours when 8.5 million hits overwhelmed the servers set up to take the orders. The Rockies later said they were victims of an attack. Neither the team nor the company hired to run the sale, Irvine, Calif.-based Paciolan Inc., have offered any specifics about what happened. The Rockies are pitted against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, which begins tomorrow night at Fenway Park in Boston. The visitors were in Bean Town today taking practice. The games move to Denver on Saturday. Dave Marcus of McAfee Avert Labs, the research arm of antivirus software maker McAfee Inc., said Paciolan could have been the target of a "denial-of-service" attack yesterday. Under that scenario, attacking computers overwhelm Web servers with repeated but false requests to connect. When the Web server signals the attacking computer to proceed, the attacker doesn't respond, tying up the server. "In a certain kind of denial-of-service attack, you never complete that handshake," Marcus said. Alves said he was unaware of any criminal investigation into what happened yesterday. The FBI did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press. -- Associated Press Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:02 PM | Comment Ethics board delays vote on prosecuting 2 lawmakersPROVIDENCE -- The Ethics Commission today put off a decision on whether to prosecute two legislators, dismissed a complaint against a Cumberland Town Council member and lead a North Smithfield Planning Board member to say he’ll drop off the board when his term expires because of possible conflict of interest problems. The commission staff has been investigating state Sen. Frank A. Ciccone III and state Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr. on separate accusations that they violated the state Code of Ethics. It has reached the point of bringing the cases before the commission for a probable cause vote that could lead to their prosecution. Instead, saying that the two legislators have asked for delays, the commission voted to put the cases off until January. Gallison, a Bristol Democrat, was accused in a complaint filed by Patricia Morgan, then head of the state Republican Party, of using his seat on the House Finance Committee to benefit his employer, Alternative Educational Programming, and himself. The commission dismissed that complaint in April. But at the same time, Peter J. Mancini, the commission’s deputy chief investigator, filed his own complaint accusing Gallison of breaking the ethics law repeatedly by failing to disclose his income from the College Readiness Program, AEP’s predecessor, for 2000, 2001 and 2002. Ciccone, a Providence Democrat and official with Local 808 of the Rhode Island Laborers International Union, was accused by Operation Clean Government, the government reform group, of sponsoring legislation favoring his union, not disclosing that source of income, and potentially benefiting unionized employees by participating in a legislative investigation of the Carcieri administration’s hiring of temporary workers. While denying most of the accusations, Ciccone has acknowledged that he omitted the union jobs from his last two years’ financial disclosure reports, which are intended to let the public detect conflicts of interest among public officials. He said that was an oversight and a mistake. -- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis After an inconclusive commission vote, John A. Flaherty, the North Smithfield Planning Board member, said, "I think I’m going to step aside." Besides his Planning Board membership, Flaherty works as director of research and communications at Grow Smart Rhode Island, the nonprofit organization pushing for sustainable growth. Grow Smart includes on its board of directors the principals of private engineering firms which represent developers before local agencies like the North Smithfield Planning Board. A key question for Flaherty was whether he could participate in Planning Board meetings when representatives of the engineering firms, notably Pare Corporation and DiPrete Engineering Associates, represent applicants before the board. He didn’t get a clear answer, contributing to his decision to drop off the Planning Board. Four of the five commission members present voted in favor of a staff recommendation that would have required Flaherty to return for advisory legal opinions from the commission on a case-by-case basis when that question came up. Because five affirmative votes are required to approve an advisory opinion, the motion failed and no opinion was adopted. But with four of eight commission members supporting an outcome Flaherty said could be impractical, he said he will not seek reappointment to the Planning Board when his term runs out in December. The commission also dismissed a complaint brought by Cumberland Zoning Board member Paul W. Santoro against Cumberland Councilwoman Kelley Morris. It accused her of improperly helping her law partner, Thomas Moses, during a Cumberland Zoning Board meeting on June 13. The commission staff’s report on their investigation found contradictions and conflicts in the accusations, and concluded that the complaint didn’t allege enough facts to amount to a knowing and willful violation of the state Code of Ethics. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:51 PM | Comment Reed evaluates Bush's new war funds billWASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats gave a chilly reception today to President Bush’s request for urgent action on a new, $45.9-billion war funds bill that, according to Sen. Jack Reed, will not be needed until early next year. "They won’t run out of money before February,’’ the Rhode Island Democrat said of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reed, a leading military policy maker in the Senate, said Democrats will recruit Republican support for making troop withdrawals from Iraq a pre-condition for passage of a new war-spending bill. Congress attached just such a string to the last big war appropriation, late in the spring, drawing a veto from Mr. Bush. Democrats failed to muster the votes to override the veto and then gave Mr. Bush the money he sought, without any language obliging him to reduce troop levels in Iraq or set a timetable for winding down the war. Democrats lost a similar confrontation with Mr. Bush last month, after the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, rallied Republicans to stick with Mr. Bush’s strategy of adding troops in order to reduce violence in Iraq and give the embattled government more time to establish its own army and police forces. Reed said Republicans who face reelection next year "may be less enthusiastic now’’ about support for still more spending on a war that is unpopular with the public. But Mr. Bush has clearly signaled his willingness to confront Congress once again on the emotional issue of the war. "Congress should not go home for the holidays while our troops are still waiting for the funds they need,’’ he said Monday as he unveiled the new spending bill, which would bring to almost $200 billion the war spending total for fiscal 2008, which began Oct. 1. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:44 PM | Comment Sox vs. Rox: Two mindsets in cyberspaceAs anyone knows who's watched the Papelbon dance, jig, Riverdance -- whatever you call it -- over and over again, Red Sox fans are taking to YouTube and other Internet spots to gear up for the World Series against the Rockies. Type in Red Sox on YouTube, where there are at least 4,360 Sox entries, and there's everything from the aforementioned happy dance to the Dropkick Murphys band playing at Fenway, to pictures of fans from the Game 7 win against Cleveland. On Digg.com, there's a link for getting Red Sox "wallpaper,'' which in this century means the background on your computer desktop. Click on the link and it takes you to Jeffzachowski.com (Not to be outdone by Digg, projo.com has just posted a wallpaper of its own -- it's illustrator Frank Galasso's own version of a Sox victory dance. Click here to get it for yourself.) 
nytimes.comThere's also a site to see here -- the depiction of the history of the Red Sox as a Beatles album cover. Read the story that goes with the picture: "Red Sox in the Sky with Diamonds." Over in the land of the "Rox" -- that's what they call the Rockies, that team from Colorado -- several of the 651 YouTube postings take a more urgent tone: The difficulties some fans had getting selling World Series tickets because of computer system problems the team had. According to news reports today, the team was able to sell tickets through its online system. It's not all ticket mania for Rox fans: One video, titled "Colorado Rockies Song," shows a guy wearing a Rockies hat strumming his tune on an acoustic guitar. The series starts at Fenway tomorrow night. Keep tabs on all the action right here. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Comment Carcieri calls on legislators to forego raisesPROVIDENCE -- Amid controversy over his behind-the-scenes attempt to win raises of up to 19 percent for his cabinet, Governor Carcieri today called on state legislators to return their own pay raises. Carcieri said in a news release the General Assembly should forego pay increases they have gotten since 2002 and begin paying a share of their health insurance premiums, as other state employees do. The part-time legislators have received six pay raises in the last six years and pay no share of their taxpayer-funded health insurance premium, unlike other state employees, Carcieri stated. The state Constitution, as amended in 1994, stopped the practice of paying Assembly members $300 per year and providing them with pensions. Instead, it nows entitles them to yearly cost-of-living adjustments that began in 1995 with a base salary of $10,000. But, the governor noted today, the Constitution does not require lawmakers to accept those pay increases. "It is simply hypocritical for these legislators to criticize an effort to give department directors the same pay increases all other state employees received, while accepting their own pay raises and refusing to help defray their own health care costs,” Carcieri said in the statement. Carcieri's plan to give state department directors cumulative raises came to light yesterday. -- With reports from Katherine Gregg of the Journal State House Bureau, projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney and previous Journal reports The governor in late January or early February of each year submits to the General Assembly -- and the public -- a book called the "Personnel Supplement’,’ which contains proposed and anticipated salaries of everyone in state government. But the Personnel Supplement Carcieri submitted this year did not include the 18 to 19 percent directors’ raises his administration proposed in a May 24 memo to the House and Senate finance chairmen that came to light for the first time yesterday. And when asked during the final weeks of this year’s budget debate in late May and early-June if the administration had proposed any last-minute budget amendments, Carcieri's press office said no. Until yesterday, the governor’s office did not disclose or explain why he felt this was the year to give the directors cumulative raises equal to those given other state workers. In the May 24 memo to the House and Senate finance committees' chairmen, Carcieri’s Budget Director Rosemary Booth Gallogly recommended “final adjustments required to address the projected deficit.” The memo also proposed including in this year’s spending bill a law requiring Department of Administration to automatically “provide cabinet directors cost of living increases that are comparable to those accorded other non-union state employees in the executive branch.” The Journal reported today that would have given immediate raises of $14,527 for the state’s $95,387-a-year Elderly Affairs Director Corinne Russo and $24,884 for W. Michael Sullivan, the $130,152-a-year director of the Department of Environmental Management. Last June, Carcieri vowed to eliminate 1,000 state jobs, replace union employees with private workers for “every state service that could possibly be performed more efficiently by the private sector.” He called on the legislature to pass a law allowing him to freeze union-negotiated wage increases. Today, the governor's statement said several state legislators were quoted as condemning Carcieri's plan to give state department directors the pay raises all other state employees have gotten, but "state department directors have not received a cost of living adjustment since 2002. During that time, state employees received four separate pay increases of 3, 3, 4 and 4 percent." Lawmakers got pay increases of 1.5 percent in 2002, 2.4 in 2003, 1.84 in 2004, 2.94 in 2005, and 3.5 in 2006, according to the governor's office. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:25 PM | Comment Tape of mother's testimony played in tot's murder trialThe jury in the child-murder trial of Kimberly W. Mawson is hearing a tape of her April 2005 grand jury testimony in which she talks about everything that happened between her and different men that had been in her life: a boyfriend, an ex-husband and the father of her daughter, Jade. Mawson, 37, formerly of Warwick, has been charged with second-degree murder in 19-month-old Jade's death in 2002. The jury has begun to hear from the tape about Dec. 2, 2002, the day Jade was taken by ambulance to Hasbro Children's Hospital after she collapsed in an Elmwood Avenue apartment with a head wound. Two days later, Jade was declared brain dead. Earlier today, a forensic scientist testified that she found blood stains inside Jade’s one-piece pajamas and matching cap, but, she told a jury, she couldn’t say whose blood it was. Sharon Mallard was a forensic scientist for the state Department of Health in 2002 when Jade died. Mallard, who still works for the department, but in a different capacity, said she did not receive a request for DNA analysis from the Attorney General’s Office nor from the Warwick police, so she could not say if the blood was the baby’s or not. Judge Edwin J. Gale has told the jury the case may be handed down to them as early as tomorrow. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:50 PM | Comment Wakefield won't pitch in World SeriesRed Sox starting pitcher Tim Wakefield announced today at Fenway Park that he will not be on the team's roster for the World Series due to recurring shoulder problems. For much more, go to the SoxBlog. Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:46 PM | Comment Film about quadriplegic diver from R.I. gets grantThe Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve Foundation is awarding a Providence-based company more than $2,000 to help distribute a documentary film about a man’s endeavor to become the first ventilator-dependent quadriplegic diver. The Quality of Life grant will help distribute Ocean Opportunity's film, Diving a Dream, which follows Matthew Johnston, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, as he works through the technical, physical and fiscal challenges to accommodating his needs for SCUBA diving. Diving a Dream is the creation of Michael Lombardi, the Providence-based founder of Open Opportunity. The $2,200 grant will help facilitate distribution of the film to more than 100 muscular dystrophy, respiratory care, adaptive scuba, and paralysis support groups. -- projo.com writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:58 PM | Comment Forensic scientist found blood in child's pajamas, capA forensic scientist says she found blood stains inside 19-month-old Jade Mawson’s one-piece pajamas and matching cap, but, she told a jury, she couldn’t say whose blood it was. Sharon Mallard was a forensic scientist for the state Department of Health in 2002 when Jade died. She testified today in the trial of Kimberly A. Mawson, Jade’s mother, who faces second degree murder charges for the girl’s death. Mallard, who still works for the Department, but in a different capacity, said she did not receive a request for DNA analysis from the Attorney General’s office nor from the Warwick Police Department, so she could not say if the blood was the baby’s or not. Prosecutors spent the remainder of the morning playing a recording of Mawson’s grand jury testimony. The tape will continue after a lunch break. Judge Edwin J. Gale has told the jury that the case may be handed down to them as early as tomorrow. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal Staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:42 PM | Comment Amgen wins patent case in federal courtAmgen Inc., the world’s biggest biotechnology company, won a jury verdict in a patent-infringement trial that may prevent Roche Holdings AG from selling a competing anemia medicine until 2013. The federal jury in Boston today upheld the validity of four patents Amgen owns for a means to produce the protein erythropoietin, or EPO, and decided that three of them were infringed. U.S. District Judge William Young previously said the fourth patent was infringed by the Roche drug, Mircera. Amgen, headquartered in California, has a facility in West Greenwich. Amgen sued Roche in 2005 to prevent the medicine from entering the U.S. market and competing with Amgen’s Epogen and Aranesp. Those two drugs had combined sales last year of $6.63 billion, or 46 percent of Amgen’s revenue last year. Roche said it expects the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve Mircera next month. During the trial, jurors were told by Amgen lawyers that Roche was trying to use its medical inventions, which had revolutionized the treatment of people with anemia. Amgen scientist Fu-Keon Lin’s work on EPO resulted in “a pioneering breakthrough,” attorney Lloyd Day said in closing arguments. Leora Ben-Ami, a lawyer for Basel, Switzerland-based Roche, argued that Amgen impermissibly extended its hold on the technology and used invalid patents to stifle competition. The applications were filed in 1984, and one of Lin’s patents expired in 2004. The earliest two patents in the case expire in 2012. Anemia is a lack of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, a condition that results in weakness and fatigue. The drugs made by Amgen are genetically engineered copies of erythropoietin, a protein made by the kidney that increases the number of red blood cells. -- Bloomberg News Amgen’s Epogen and Aranesp, a longer-acting version of the drug, are approved by the FDA to treat people with chronic kidney failure and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Roche’s Mircera may provide the first threat to the U.S. monopoly that Amgen has held since 1989 with Epogen, which had $2.5 billion in U.S. sales in 2006. If allowed on the market, Roche’s drug may grab 10 to 15 percent of U.S. sales for chronic kidney disease and undercut Amgen’s Epogen on price, said Geoffrey Porges, an analyst with Sanford Bernstein & Co. in New York. U.S. sales of Aranesp will fall 39 percent to $1.7 billion in 2008 from $2.8 billion in 2006, he said. Amgen also makes the chemotherapy infection drugs Neupogen and Neulasta and licenses its patents to Johnson & Johnson for a version of Epogen, called Procrit. Amgen shares rose on the news. Check the latest price. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:05 PM | Comment URI researchers to study global-warming effectsUniversity of Rhode Island researchers will use $1.1 million in federal grants to study changes to the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean brought on by melting arctic ice from global warming. The researchers at the Graduate School of Oceanography have been awarded grants the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation and from the North Pacific Research Board, the university said in a news release today. The grants were awarded to S. Bradley Moran, a professor of oceanography, and Robert Campbell, associate marine research scientist. Moran and Campbell will look at "shifts in the productivity, abundance and species composition of ice algae, phytoplankton and zooplankton in open water areas of the Bering Sea and in areas where the ice cover is receding due to warming temperatures," the university said. The URI team will spend up to 70 days at sea each spring and summer for the next three years gathering information. The URI scientists' research is part of a six-year, $50-million initiative by the NSF and NPRB to figure out how the eastern Bering Sea shelf -- the area between the Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Island, Alaska -- will respond to climate change. That area supports the largest commercial fisheries in the world, the university said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Their studies fall under a project that includes working with scientists from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, University of Miami, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Oregon State University, and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. “The overarching goal of this study is to improve our understanding of climate-driven ecological changes occurring in one of the world’s most productive and economically-driven regions,” Moran said in the statement. “Warmer water temperatures in the Bering Sea in spring due to climate warming could result in an earlier and more rapid seasonal ice retreat, with potentially harmful effects on one of the world’s richest and most productive fisheries," he added. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:02 PM | Comment Reporter's query: Seeking stories from World SeriesAre you going to the World Series? Willing to tell us your story from the games? We'll even take stories from non-Red Sox fans :) If so, please e-mail The Journal newsroom, at pjnews@projo.com, with your name, telephone number and e-mail address, and a reporter may contact you. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:46 PM | Comment Police seize suspected SUV in fatal Seekonk hit, runSEEKONK — The police have seized a sport-utility vehicle suspected in an Oct. 14 hit-and-run crash that killed a 38-year old Seekonk woman. Police Chief Ronald R. Charron said this morning that the police seized the vehicle on Saturday, although he refused to say where or how the police located the vehicle. “We feel it may be connected to this accident,” Charron said. Charron said the state police’s crime lab is analyzing the SUV, including comparing the car’s exterior with paint chips found at the accident scene. He said he did not know how long the analysis would take. The police have said that Maria Aguiar, of 155 Chestnut St., was struck and killed by a white “SUV-type” vehicle Oct. 14 at about 6:22 p.m. while she was walking down her street with her daughter, who was riding a bicycle. The 10-year old girl was uninjured, but witnessed the accident. Aguiar’s funeral was on Friday. -- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:32 AM | Comment New way to get excited about snow daysWith temperatures in the 70s, it’s easy to forget that winter is just around the corner. But it is, and so are freezing temperatures, snow, and school cancellations. Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts will showcase a new Web-based way to let kids and parents know when there have been delays or cancellations at schools, businesses and government offices. The new system will also give residents the option to receive closing announcements on their cellphones or in e-mail alerts. Roberts will join members of the Rhode Island Broadcasters Association to present the new system in the State House today at 3:30 p.m. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:59 AM | Comment Update: Discovery in orbitNine minutes after takeoff, the Discovery Shuttle is now in orbit, two days away from a scheduled rendezvous with the International Space Station. Less than an hour before scheduled liftoff, Inspectors at the launch pad had been concerned that ice formed on a hydrogen line might delay takeoff. But the ice dissipated, the weather held steady, and less than four minutes after liftoff, Discovery was traveling faster than 4,500 miles per hour, and all but gone from view. See continuing coverage on NASA TV. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with Associated Press reports The astronauts are set to spend two weeks on a construction mission that's considered the most complex and challenging in the nine years of assembly of the international space station. Commander Pam Melroy describes their task thusly: “STS-120 is such a cool mission.” What else can you say? Melroy is one of seven astronauts and just the second woman to command a shuttle. They’re planning to add a module, called Harmony, that will make it easier to attach European and Japanese laboratory modules to attach to the station in the future. What a cool mission. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:45 AM | Comment Recognition for restorationGroups dedicated to the preserving some of the country’s oldest buildings will be recognized tomorrow night at Preserve Rhode Island’s annual meeting. The 2007 Preservation Merit Awards recognize individual and groups “who exemplify sound historic preservation practices and support Preserve Rhode Island's mission to protect Rhode Island's historic structures and unique places for present and future generations," according to a news release.” Awards will be granted in four categories: Preservation education and advocacy The meeting, at 5:30 p.m., will be at the Central Congregational Church, 296 Angell St. And people or groups looking for help with preservation projects have until Monday to apply for the Preserve Rhode Island Citizen’s Bank Mini Grants – up to $1,000 toward planning fees, project designs, and emergency interventions. Grants must be matched with another grant or through fundraising. For more information, visit Preserve Rhode Island’s Web site. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:10 AM | Comment Warwick holds primary today for special electionThree Democrats vie today for a spot on the ballot in the Warwick special election to replace District 22 Rep. Peter T. Ginaitt, who resigned in September. Frank G. Ferri, an activist and a business owner; Edgar N. Ladouceur, owner of a Warwick-based home improvement business; and Olin Thompson, a lawyer, are competing for a spot opposite Republican Jonathan Wheeler, former treasurer of the state GOP and independent Carlo Pisaturo, a former councilman, in the Nov. 27 general election. Visit the Secretary of State’s Web site to find out where to vote. -- with archive reports from Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:29 AM | Comment Noose in Halloween display prompts protestSTRATFORD, Conn -- A Halloween display on Main Street in Stratford that featured a man hanging from a noose kicked off protests and complaints and has led the homeowners to change it. Black leaders and neighbors say the "hanging man" resembled a black man hanging from a noose and a protest march was being planned. The homeowners initially said they would not succumb to pressure by the community and police to take it down. But after a meeting Monday with the mayor, police chief and community leaders, the homeowners have agreed to remove the figure from the noose and incorporate it into the Halloween display. The figure will be sitting on the house steps with a knife through the heart. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:03 AM | Comment A chance of rain, high near 73There's a good chance of rain today. The National Weather Service is forecasting a 30 percent chance of precipitation after 3 p.m. and a high temperature near 73 degrees. Wind is also in the forecast, with gusts up to 35 mph. More rain late tonight with an overnight low of about 60 degrees. Tomorrow morning will probably bring more rain, and a high temperature in the mid 60s. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about a Coventry man who received the Silver Star for gallantry in Iraq. There's also a story about fans heading to stores to buy Red Sox' merchandise after the team's American League championship. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 22, 2007Tonight: Rock, blues and the Papelbon jigIt's a Monday night, so unless you're a pro football fan, the choice of things to do is not so plentiful. If you're a Sox fan awaiting the World Series, you can stay in and watch last night's Papelbon victory dance over and over again on YouTube. Otherwise, here are some of the night's music selections: Audionom, Freedom Cage, Always and Sexy Prison play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call (401) 831-9327. 9 p.m. $6. All ages. Big Band Swing plays at Cornerstone Playhouse, 213 Robinson St., Wakefield. Call (401) 284-1850, www.thetruebrewcafe.com. 7:30 pm. Mark Taber plays blues at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. Call (401) 453-6500. 7 to 11 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:04 PM | Comment Veteran bank robber gets 15 years for latest heistA North Kingstown man with seven prior convictions was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison today by a judge in Connecticut for robbing a Mystic bank of $71,750. Joseph E. Lambert Jr., 49, was sentenced to 188 months' imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Christopher F. Droney in Hartford, according to a news release from Kevin J. O’Connor, the U.S. Attorney in Connecticut Lambert pleaded guilty on March 5 to one count of armed bank robbery, the release said. On Oct. 26 last year, Lambert robbed the People’s Bank on Roosevelt Avenue in Mystic, Conn., and shortly after the robbery, Stonington police found Lambert and and recovered the stolen money. Lambert was sentenced as a career offender because of seven past convictions, five for bank robbery. Since 1981, Lambert has committed 19 bank robberies, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He was in federal prison from August 1986 through November 2004 after bank robbery convictions in New Jersey and New Hampshire. When he robbed the Mystic bank in October 2006, Lambert was on federal parole. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Hasbro ends down in wake of soaring 3Q profitPROVIDENCE -- Shares of Pawtucket-based Hasbro ended the day down one cent in trading today after the toymaker announced its third-quarter profit climbed 62 percent. Hasbro officials attributed the increase to higher sales led by Transformers and Spider-Man toys and a favorable tax adjustment. The firm is the world's second-largest toymaker. Company officials say its business hasn't been hurt by high-profile recalls for lead paint by several other toy companies, including rival Mattel. The company's earnings beat Wall Street expectations. Excluding a one-time tax adjustment, Hasbro stock earned 78 cents per share. That's 7 cents more than analysts had expected. Check a quick quote for Hasbro on its stock performance. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment Update: Groups scold Carcieri for interpreter commentsA group of more than 20 advocacy organizations said Governor Carcieri’s comments about the state’s employment of language interpreters feed into "the xenophobic atmosphere" surrounding debates about immigration. Last Wednesday on WHJJ, Carcieri said he didn’t know “why in God’s name” the state should provide English-language interpreters at taxpayer expense, “for people who want benefits from us.” He did not distinguish between citizens, legal or illegal immigrants. His comments were met with vocal calls for a retraction and apology. “As organizations representing, and advocating for, a diverse array of the immigrant community in Rhode Island,” the letter reads, “we are appalled by the glib nature of your negative sentiments about the rights of new immigrants in the state to access the court system and other state services.” The letter was signed by 22 organizations, including the directors of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Poverty Institute and Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy. Late this afternoon, Governor Carcieri said in a statement that he stands by his comments on the Helen Glover program. In a response to a listener's question, the statement said the governor "simply noted that he was surprised to see the large number of language interpreters employed by state government." As a descendant of immigrants, the governor "recognizes and appreciates the important role that legal immigrants" play in Rhode Island and America, the statement said. "Sadly, it appears that the ACLU is only interested in protecting the speech of people who agree with their point of view." For a complete list of signatories and the full text of the letter, click below. The Hon. Donald Carcieri Dear Governor Carcieri: We write to express our deep distress at comments attributed to you in a news story in the October 18, 2007 Providence Journal. The entire relevant text is included as a footnote to this letter, but in essence, you are quoted as criticizing the availability The immigrants coming to Rhode Island are, on the whole, no different from those who have come here in the past. They are eager to learn English and assimilate into society, as demonstrated by the enormous waiting lists for English as a second language courses at our community organizations. Your comments – which suggest both that immigrants in Rhode Island have no interest in learning English and that those who do not speak English somehow bear special responsibility for the state’s fiscal crisis – are insulting and only feed into the xenophobic atmosphere that permeates the immigration debate in our state and has encouraged a palpable discriminatory attitude towards people of certain ethnicities and races. In fact, some of the interpreter services that you have criticized are constitutionally mandated. For example, we have decided as a society that a non-English-speaking person should not have to fend for him- or herself in a courtroom when facing the loss of liberty and possible imprisonment. Of course, other interpreter services provided by the state – such as in medical care situations – also benefit all of us by making us safer. We strongly urge you to retract these unfortunate and insensitive comments. At a time when immigrants in our state already face a mean-spirited environment, we would hope that the state’s chief executive would not lend credence to that attitude. However unintentionally, your comments can only encourage further discrimination and poisoning of the public debate on the legitimate issues surrounding the presence of immigrants in Rhode Island and the important and positive role that these residents play in our society. Matt McLaren Miguel Sanchez-Hartwein, Executive Director Juan Garcia John Prince, Chairperson Pheamo Witcher, Director Viviana Knowles Julie Nora, Director William Shuey, Executive Director Rachel Miller, Director Karen Malcolm, Executive Director Shannah Kurland
Ramon Martinez, Executive Director Melba Depena, Executive Director Kohei Ishihara, Co-Founder Jim Vincent, President Steven Brown, Executive Director Donna Fishman, Chairperson Sabina Matos Dr. Antonia Barajas, President Vivian Weisman, Executive Director Dennis Langley, Executive Director Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 5:54 PM | Comment Photo: Shopping for Sox
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:45 PM | Comment Coventry man awarded Silver Star / Photo
A local Navy corpsman was awarded the Silver Star at a ceremony this afternoon. Hospital Corpsman Third Class Joshua T. Chiarini, of Coventry, received the nation’s third-highest military honor for "conspicuous gallantry" in action in Al Anbar, Iraq in February 2006. The Coventry High School graduate also served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from January to June 2002. The ceremony began at 2 p.m. in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:28 PM | Comment Update: Detectives testify in child-murder trial
They reviewed items seized and put into evidence, and went over transcripts from cell phone calls made by Kimberly W. Mawson, who is accused of killing her 19-month-old son Jade, and Mawson's then-boyfriend Daniel Fusco. Jurors were shown the same evidence that police inspected during their investigation. Among the objects: A pair of one-piece pajamas that Jade was wearing before her fatal injuries and a jewelry box that Kimberly Mawson told the police had fallen on the girl’s head and shattered. Warwick Police Detective Eric Johnson took the stand today. Johnson, who began testimony Friday, arrived at Hasbro Children’s Hospital on the evening of Dec. 2, 2002, two days before Jade Mawson died of blunt force trauma to her head and body. Walter Williams, a member of the Warwick Police Department Bureau of Criminal Investigation, also took the witness stand today, as did police Detectice Barbara Frazier. The state said it expects to finish its case, in Superior Court, Warwick, this week. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:48 PM | Comment No disaster declaration for Rhode Island fishermenFishermen in Rhode Island, Maine and Massachusetts may think their industry is in turmoil, but the federal government disagrees. “NOAA believes the New England fisheries are turning the corner,” Hogarth said. In fact, Hogarth said, “fishing ports in these states are among the nation’s most productive.” And groundfish revenue in Rhode Island ports increased 73 percent from 2005 to 2006, he said. So when will the restrictions on fishing be eased? Patricia Kunkel, the agency’s Northeast regional administrator, said it is in the middle of a 10-year rebuilding program. When will fishermen see increased days at sea? Kunkel said that at least initially, they won’t see increased days at sea, but will at some point be allowed to catch increased amounts on those days they’re already allowed to be at sea. Read the Journal's series on challenges facing the Rhode Island fishing industry. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:50 PM | Comment A Colorado series: Fastballs and snowballs?/ Photo
The first two games are to be played in Boston on Wednesday and Thursday. The five-day forecast says the highs in the 70s today and tomorrow will drop to 61 degrees on Wednesday, Game 1, with a low of 43 degrees. Thursday's high is forecast to be 54 with a low of 44 degrees. Then there's a travel day on Friday, with game at Coors Field in Denver slated for Saturday. The weather in Denver lately has been better for skiing than baseball. Snow forced the Colorado Rockies to practice inside yesterday. The storm has moved out, and it's turning warmer and sunny. Saturday's high should reach the 60s in Denver, but the low should be in the 30s. The game doesn't start until 8 p.m. in the Eastern time zone. Here's the Denver forecast for Oct. 27, 28 and 29 -- Games 3, 4 and 5, if necessary, in the best of seven series. If needed, the series would resume in Boston on Oct. 31, with a Game 7 on Nov. 1. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:00 PM | Comment Peta2: Brown U. vying for most vegetarian friendlyPROVIDENCE -- Brown University is among 30 American colleges in the running this year in an animal-rights advocacy group's contest for the nation's most vegetarian-friendly college. Students selected Brown for the list of nominees, according to a news release today from Peta2, a youth-geared part of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Other nominees include Indiana University, the University of Califonia-Los Angeles and the University of Puget Sound. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney According to the Peta2 news release, colleges were chosen according to student nominations, feedback through MySpace and Facebook, and communication with the schools. Winners will be announced in November. Those who vote at peta2.com/college will automatically be entered to win a student prize pack that includes a $50 iTunes gift card, peta2 gear, and vegan snacks. When someone goes to the page to vote, he or she is asked to submit first and last name, country, zip code, e-mail address, and school name. Optionally, a person can give birth date and gender. Below that are the nominated universities, each with a bubble next to three vegetarian or vegan meals the schools offer. The lists do not outline all of the foods served on each campus menu. "Brown University is meeting its students' demand for smart food choices in the most delicious ways imaginable—and educating them in the process," Dan Shannon, of PETA2, said. "After all, what more valuable lessons can students learn than how to help stop animal suffering and protect their own health at the same time?" "Why are so many students giving meat, eggs, and dairy products failing grades?," the PETA2 news release said. "Vegetarians are on average fitter and trimmer than meat-eaters, so being vegan is the way to go if you want to avoid putting on the 'freshman 15.'" Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:31 PM | Comment Minority-owned businesses recognized this weekA week dedicated to minority-owned small businesses is taking off across the country. Along with the U.S. Small Business Administration, in Rhode Island, Minority Enterprise Development Week is sponsored by the Rhode Island Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce. Highlights of MED Week include tomorrow’s identity theft protection workshop and Wednesday’s Minority Business Expo. Small minority businesses throughout the state will be recognized at an awards dinner Wednesday night. And the 2007 Rhode Island Minority Small Business Person of the Year, Cheryl W. Snead, president and CEO of Banneker Industries in North Smithfield, will be honored. For more information on the events, workshops and networking opportunities, visit the Rhode Island Small Business Association’s Web site. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:11 PM | Comment Portion of Iway will open to cars and trucks Sunday
The first section of the Route 195 relocation project known as the Iway will open to drivers on Sunday afternoon, weather permitting, the state transportation director said this morning. The section that will open is from Route 95 north to Route 195 east, and the new Providence River bridge will open as well, Jerome F. Williams, the state Department of Transportation director, said in a news release. “This opening marks a major milestone for the largest construction project in the state’s history," Williams said in the statement. Thousands of people recently had the chance to walk the new Providence River bridge of the Iway. Governor Carcieri, Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka and other officials will join DOT representatives at the Providence River Bridge for a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday at 10 a.m. The DOT said the Iway is designed to improve safety on Route 195. And it will open up "significant real estate in Providence for future development and new parks," the news release said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Iway construction started in 2003. Other projected Iway developments: * The ramp from Route 95 South to Route 195 East is scheduled to open in 2008. * The westbound movements are scheduled to open in 2009. * The whole Iway project is scheduled to be finished in 2012. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:34 AM | Comment Gas prices jump 4 centsDriven by higher crude oil prices, gasoline prices in Rhode Island have increased four cents per gallon, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $2.719 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. Rhode Island is still 10 cents below the national average. The price locally was just $2.189 a year ago. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:30 AM | Comment Photo: The look of a champion in Pawtucket
Posted by Jack Perry at 10:05 AM | Comment Transformers drive Hasbro's 3Q profit risePAWTUCKET -- Hasbro Inc., the nation's second biggest toymaker, said today its third-quarter profit climbed 62 percent on higher sales led by its Transformers and Marvel brands and a favorable tax adjustment. The company easily beat analysts' expectations for the quarter. Earnings surged to $161.6 million, or 95 cents per share, in the three months ended Sept. 30 compared with $99.6 million, or 58 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Hasbro's shares were up 13 cents to $28.54 in early trading. -- The Associated Press The current period's results included a tax adjustment of $29.6 million, or 17 cents per share. Excluding the adjustment, earnings were $132 million, or 78 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected a profit of 71 cents per share. The estimates typically exclude one-time items. Quarterly revenue rose 17 percent to $1.22 billion from $1.04 billion in the prior year. Analysts expected sales of $1.14 billion, according to Thomson. Revenue climbed on shipments of its Transformers and Marvel product lines as well as growth in brands including Furreal Friends and Littlest Pet Shop. Hasbro reported international segment net revenues of $374 million, an increase of $93.6 million from 2006. The earnings report was the company's first since the July 3 release of "Transformers," a live-action film based on the popular 1980s cartoon. The movie has made about $700 million worldwide since it was released this summer and about $316 million domestically. Hasbro is second to Mattel Inc. among U.S. toymakers. Last week, Mattel reported a 1 percent drop in fiscal third-quarter profit, due to the impact of charges, costs and supply chain delays related to multiple product recalls. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:45 AM | Comment Boston police arrest few fans after Sox win / VideoBOSTON -- For the most part, Red Sox Nation was well-behaved last night, after their heroes won another trip to the World Series. But police in Boston reported about a dozen arrests after the Red Sox whipped Cleveland 11-2 in game seven of the American League championship series. Most of the arrests were for disorderly conduct. Officers were out in full force, some in riot gear, others on horseback. They were trying to avoid the mayhem that followed the 2004 playoffs, when a young woman was killed by a pepper-pellet shot by police. City officials asked bars not to admit patrons after the seventh inning, and local college students were warned they could also face disciplinary action from their schools if they were arrested. Video: Watch a report on preparations for the victory celebration, and fans after the game. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:32 AM | Comment School canceled at Smithfield High todaySmithfield High schoolers are getting the day off. Superintendent Robert O’Brien says a blown out electrical panel is to blame. Students who are bussed to the school are being supervised in the cafeteria right now, O’Brien said. Buses will return at about 9 a.m. to take them back home. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:45 AM | Comment Road work to affect Newport trafficThe Newport police are suggesting that drivers avoid the area of Bellevue Ave. and Memorial Boulevard because of road work. Travel through the intersection will be limited, the police say. The work is scheduled to continue until Oct. 28. Parking is also restricted in the area. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment A summery day in late OctoberHow's this for late October? The National Weather Service is forecasting high temperatures approaching 80 degrees with clear, sunny skies. Tonight should be foggy and cloudy with a low temperature just on the cooler side of 60. We'll probably see some rain tomorrow after 3 p.m. Otherwise, Tuesday should be cloudy and cooler, with a high temperature of 69, degrees. 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 photograph of Red Sox' pitcher Jonathan Papelbon jumping in the air and celebrating the Red Sox' victory over the Cleveland Indians, which won Papelbon and his teammates a trip to the World Series. Download today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 19, 2007Weekend: local bands, a Hendrix and more HendrixTonight bands will hit the club circuit, some playing blues and others cranking up the distortion on the guitars. The rest of the weekend, people can learn -- and hear -- something about someone who popularized both of those sounds for the masses. Alter Ego plays rock at Effin's Last Resort, 325 Farnum Pike Smithfield. Call 349-3500. 9 p.m. Steve Anthony and Persuasion play rock and pop at Bovi's Town Tavern, 287 Taunton Ave., East Providence. Call 434-9670. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Automatics play blues and Doug Stanhope does comedy at The Shorebreak, 3 Beach St., Narragansett. Call 783-1022, www.theshorebreak.com. 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The Bandstand Revue plays oldies and swing at Wharf Tavern, 215 Water St., Warren. Call 245-5043. 8 p.m. to midnight. Battery plays a tribute to Metallica, and other bands include Projekt 13 and Lourds, playing rock at J.R.'s Bourbon Street Rock House, Mardi Gras Multi Club and Johnny Bahama's Complex, 1500 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston. Call 463-3080. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday at 3 p.m. Janie Hendrix, the half-sister of the late rock icon Jimi Hendrix and president of the company that promotes Hendrix's music and legacy, is scheduled to be at Border's Books at the Providence Place Mall. She will speak about the new book Jimi Hendrix: The Illustrated Experience, which she co-authored, and do a book signing, according to the official Hendrix Web site. That's not the end of it for Hendrix fans. On Sunday, Experience Hendrix -- a tour by a host of blues and rock luminaries -- is coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center to cover Hendrix songs and perform blues numbers. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at PPAC. Also on the bill is bluesman Buddy Guy -- aficionados know that Hendrix was once spotted in the audience of a Buddy Guy show in the late '60s. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival in California, where Hendrix, a Seattle native who first become a star in London during the '60s, exploded onto the American rock scene. It was at Monterey that his setting his guitar afire became well known. His Woodstock, N.Y., performance, including his reading of the Star-Spangled Banner, in August 1969 is perhaps his best known performance. Hendrix died in September 1970 in London at age 27. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment AG office: Woman admits to leading large drug ringPROVIDENCE -- A Providence woman has admitted to leading what authorities called the city's largest street-level drug trafficking ring -- whose members were welfare recipients allegedly driving around in such distinguished marques as a Porsche Cayenne, a BMW 745i and a Lincoln Navigator, according to a news release from the Attorney General's Office. Joanna Gonzalez, 28, of 49 Anchor St., admitted to leading what authorities called "Operation Rosa," and is scheduled to be sentenced in Superior Court on Nov. 16, according to the news release. The police have said Gonzalez was allegedly a pregnant mother who drove a Porsche SUV while on welfare. Gonzalez waived indictment in Superior Court on Sept. 12 and pleaded no contest to four counts before Judge Susan E. McGuirl. Gonzalez pleaded to one count of RICO, one count of conspiracy to commit RICO, one count of possession of one ounce to one kilogram of cocaine, and one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to deliver. Gonzalez has been held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston, since her arrest. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Two others involved in the ring were sentenced by McGuirl today. Tania Rivera, 28, pleaded no contest to one count of conspiracy to commit RICO and one count of conspiracy to deliver cocaine, and got identical concurrent sentences for each charge: 10 years, with 3½ to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions and 6 ½ suspended with probation. Rivera, who has been held at the ACI since Sept. 4, listed an address of 49 Anchor St. in Providence. Xiomara Guitard, 24, who lists the same Anchor Street address, pleaded no contest to two counts of conspiracy to deliver cocaine. Judge McGuirl sentenced her to 10 years, with 1 year to serve and 9 years suspended with probation, with the sentences to be served concurrently, but consecutive to another 1-year term that Guitard is now serving. “A drug dealing operation of this magnitude -- which provided its ringleader and major operators with the means to lead lavish lifestyles -- put an enormous amount of illegal drugs on the streets of our capital city,” Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in the statement. “Through solid investigative work, cooperation, and collaboration, the family at the heart of this enterprise, plus many employed in various aspects of this large illegal ring, are off the streets and out of business. With next month’s sentencing of Operation Rosa’s leader, Joanna Gonzalez, this criminal family venture will be finished.” Last month, Joanna Gonzalez’s mother and sister -- whom prosecutors said were part of the drug-dealing organization -- waived indictment, entered no-contest pleas, and were sentenced. Evelyn Gonzalez, 26, of 135 Terrace Ave., Cranston was sentenced to 15 years, with 6 years to serve at the ACI and 9 years suspended with probation on one count of delivery of cocaine. She was identified as the ringleader’s sister and pleaded no contest to one count of RICO, one count of conspiracy to commit RICO, one count of delivery of cocaine, and one count of unlawfully conspiring, with Joanna Gonzalez, to violate the Rhode Island Uniform Controlled Substance Act by delivering cocaine. Evelyn Carabello, 46, of 102 Berkshire St., Providence, the mother of Joanna and Evelyn Gonzalez, pleaded no contest to one count of RICO and one count of conspiracy to commit RICO. She was sentenced to 10 years, with 6 months to serve at the ACI, 1 year of home confinement, and 8½ years suspended with probation on each count, to be served concurrently. Carabello was remanded to the ACI where she had been held without bail since a July arrest. Michael Taylor, 22, of 9 Anchor St., Providence -- identified as Joanna Gonzalez’s boyfriend -- waived indictment and pleaded no contest to three counts stemming from Operation Rosa before Judge McGuirl in on Sept. 14, plus three counts from two earlier 2007 cases. For the Operation Rosa, Taylor pleaded no contest to one count of RICO, one count of possessing one ounce to one kilogram of cocaine, and one count of conspiring, with Joanna Gonzalez, to violate the state Uniform Controlled Substance Act by possessing cocaine with the intent to deliver. Taylor was sentenced to 15 years, with 6 years to serve at the ACI and 9 years suspended with probation on each of the cocaine-related charges and to 10 years, with 6 years to serve at the ACI and 4 years suspended with probation on the RICO count. All sentences are to be served concurrently and are concurrent to 2 additional counts of delivering cocaine and one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to deliver that were included in the plea agreement. Joanna Gonzalez, Evelyn Gonzalez, Evelyn Carabello, and Michael Taylor could face additional charges from allegations of welfare and Social Security fraud, which are currently under investigation, the attorney general's office said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:50 PM | Comment Cranston kids are getting a Sox surprise right nowHere's how a lot of us would like to end today. Dunkin' Donuts is at this hour surprising Cranston Western Little League players and coaches with tickets to tomorrow night's crucial American League Championship Series game six of the Red Sox against the Cleveland Indians. The 5 p.m. surprise is happening at the Dunkin' Donuts at 1288 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston. The Cranston team won the Rhode Island Little League title in August. The Sox, having fought their way back into the series with a 7-to-1 win last night in Cleveland, return to Boston today. Cleveland leads the best-of-seven series, 3 games to 2. The players and coaches will get to sit in the Dunkin' Dugout, a seating area where the company hosts abut 20 people from community groups during the season. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment 'Everything begins and ends' the night she died
Some write about their days, the classes they would have shared with her at Mt. Hope High School, in Bristol, or the sports they would have played together. Some send messages telling her about seeing the number 21 or 57, numbers Kayleigh wore playing for Mt. Hope’s basketball team and the a youth soccer team in her hometown Warren. And some simply say, “I love you,” or “I miss you.” “Obviously,” John Raposa said today, “she’s still with us.” Raposa spoke at a conference on teen substance abuse hosted by Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. and Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. The conference, “Substance Abuse Among Teens: Connecting the Dots,” drew 450 people to the Crowne Plaza hotel in Warwick to hear strategies to prevent drinking and drug use by adolescents. The participants included police officers, state legislators, teachers and students. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse stopped by, as did Col. Brendan P. Doherty, superintendent of the state police. Raposa was invited to tell the audience how his family has been affected by a drunken driving accident. He came with his wife, his parents and his mother-in-law. Christine Raposa wore a button with a photograph of Kayleigh on the front. Her husband wore a wristband that said, “Kayleigh. Your’re Irreplaceable.” Raposa fought back tears as he talked about the accident. “Everything begins and ends with what happened on February 23rd,” he said. That night, Raposa and her friend 17-year-old Julie E. Alfano were at a party in Bristol. Witnesses said Alfano was drinking shots of Bacardi and Gatorade before leaving to give Kayleigh a ride home. A police investigation showed Alfano was driving her father’s Mazda at least 55 mph in a 25 mph zone when she lost control at 11:25 p.m. and smashed into a utility pole at Michael and Casey drives. Alfano survived with minor injuries. Raposa was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. -- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:35 PM | Comment Contractor, wife, sentenced in tax evasion caseA North Smithfield-based construction contractor and his wife were sentenced in federal court to three years' probation, six months of it home confinement, for failing to report $266,861 in income over three years. Robert Portman and wife Candy Portman were also ordered by Judge Mary M. Lisi to pay all outstanding taxes, according to a news release today from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office. The Portmans pleaded guilty to tax evasion in July. Prosecutor Andrew J. Reich said at plea hearings that the government could prove that for tax years 2000 through 2002 Robert Portman failed to report all business receipts of his firm, Reliable Builders. Portman asked many customers to pay with checks made out to him personally rather than to the business, the U.S. Attorney's office said, then he deposited the checks into a personal account rather than the business account. Candy Portman maintained the company's books. The U.S. Attorney's office said the couple failed to report $42,239 of income in 2000, $82,237 in 2001 and $142,385 in 2002. The government's net tax loss was $74,721. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:47 PM | Comment Report: No. of R.I. priests accused of sex abuse doublesThe Diocese of Providence has admitted that more than twice as many priests as originally reported have been accused of sexual misconduct against children in the last 35 years, according to a national group that tracks such cases. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 3:27 PM | Comment Martineau's change of plea slated for Nov. 2PROVIDENCE -- Former House Majority Leader Gerard M. Martineau is scheduled to make his plea change to guilty on corruption charges on Nov. 2, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office said today. Martineau's change of plea, which is expected under a signed plea agreement, is slated for 2 p.m that Friday before Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi, a news release said. Martineau on Oct. 12 appeared before Magistrate Judge David L. Martin, waiving indictment and agreeing to be charged by criminal information. Martineau pleaded not guilty during that court appearance. His expected upcoming plea change before a U.S. District Court judge is for two felony counts of honest-services mail fraud. Martineau acknowledged in the plea agreement that he sold his office to the CVS drugstore chain and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island in return for $900,000 worth of contracts to sell paper and plastic bags to the companies. A 30-page criminal information said that Martineau was paid $175,500 by Blue Cross for 10 million paper bags, but fewer than 2 million were delivered. Martineau also got $715,000 in commissions from 1999 to 2002 for selling paper and plastic bags to CVS. He admitted that, in return, he influenced the fates of health-care legislation. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:47 PM | Comment Pawtucket to induct 2 into Hall of FameThe late Rev. Aaron F. Usher Jr., civil-rights activist, Yale graduate, former dairy farmer and world traveler, will be inducted into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame today. Usher’s work in the 1960s with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. set him on a path to a lifetime of service, which took him to, among other places, east Africa and Moscow to work with politically disenfranchised people. Usher, who was 73 when he died in 2004, served as chaplain at the Pawtucket Fire Department for nearly 35 years. He is being inducted into the Hall of Fame along with former School Committee Chairman J. William Busald, an active member in the local community. The two men will be honored at a dinner tonight at 7. Busald served on the School Committee for 12 years and was the recipient of the Pawtucket Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force this year. In 2005, before he left the School Committee, Busald negotiated the deal that enabled the School Department to move offices and several education programs into the former Registry of Motor Vehicles building. The deal was controversial. For years, the City Council balked at authorizing the bonds needed to finance it. Kenneth R. McGill, the chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee, said the committee doesn’t avoid controversial people and that the controversy wasn’t a factor in its decision to induct Busald into the Hall of Fame. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:45 PM | Comment Asst. U.S. Attorney honored for appeals workThe chief appeals lawyer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island today received an award from the Executive Office of United States Attorneys. Donald C. “Skip” Lockhart, who has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Rhode Island for nine years, was recognized for cases he has argued before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, including the racketeering conspiracy case against former Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. and the bribery conspiracy case against former Lincoln Park executives Nigel Potter and Daniel Bucci. “Mr. Lockhart is an essential contributor to the District of Rhode Island’s recent success in the prosecution of significant and complex cases,” U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said. “He is a prolific and accomplished writer, and a seasoned advocate before the First Circuit. It is not unusual for Mr. Lockhart to write briefs for more than 40 appeals a year, and in the process, develop favorable legal precedent that furthers law enforcement’s efforts.”
Lockhart, 42, of Needham, Mass., received the award at 10 a.m. during the 24th annual director’s awards ceremony yesterday in Washington, D.C. In all, 132 prosecutors and litigation support personnel were recognized by the Executive Office of United States Attorneys. In United States v. Cianci, the 1st Circuit upheld the racketeering conspiracy conviction and affirmed the convictions of two co-defendants. The court accepted the government’s argument that municipal entities may be part of an “associated-in-fact enterprise” for purposes of violations under the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). In United States v. Potter, the 1st Circuit upheld the mail fraud convictions of former Lincoln Park executives who schemed to pay $4 million in bribes for former House Speaker John B. Harwood. No bribes were paid, but the court held that the conspiracy was intended to sway Harwood to use his power to help Lincoln Park and that their conduct was within the scope of honest services mail fraud. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:39 PM | Comment Boyfriend defends false statements in mom's murder trialWARWICK -- In his opening statements Tuesday, defense attorney Kevin Bristow told a jury that Daniel Fusco, Kimberly Mawson’s former boyfriend, killed her 19-month-old baby. Bristow also remarked that Fusco had told different stories to the police, DCYF workers and state officials during the investigation. At Kent County Superior Court today, where Mawson stands trial for murder, Fusco told jurors that he had initially lied to the police about who was at his house the day before his girlfriend’s 19-month-old daughter was fatally injured because he was selling marijuana. He has since made a deal with the Attorney General’s office, he said, and was promised he wouldn’t be prosecuted for the drug charges if he cooperated with the investigation. Fusco also said that a few days after Jade died, someone had advised him to take notes of everything that happened to him. He referred to those notes during questioning, recalling, he said, that months after the baby’s death, Mawson appeared to be overly distraught. “It didn’t seem natural." -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports form Journal staff writer Talia Buford In his second day of testimony, Fusco said soon after Jade died, Mawson suggested he get another girlfriend, because she was considering killing herself. They broke up for a few months, but later moved in together in Johnston. During this time, the police continued to investigate the girl's death. Fusco returned to the stand after a break for cross examination. “I was exhausted,” Fusco told the jury. “Mentally and physically exhausted; I just wanted to forget that that ever happened.” Fusco, who has a short criminal history of misdemeanors in several New England states, said he had seen injuries on the baby before she died. He said he eventually broke up with Mawson because “I had a lot of anxiety.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:14 PM | Comment Judge awards compensation to injured illegal immigrant
Workers Compensation Judge Bruce Q. Morin entered his order at pretrial that William J. Gorman Jr., owner of Billy G’s Tree Care, pay Velasquez two weeks’ salary and thousands of dollars in medical costs. The case is now expected to move to trial. Velasquez’s lawyer, Stephen J. Dennis, said he will seek more compensation for Velasquez, who will require further surgery on his eye. “We won. This is huge. I know of no other jurisdiction,” he said, where someone has won such a case. Dennis noted however, that the case is not over yet. Judge Morin said it was clear “that a horrific incident occurred” on March 31, 2006, and ordered Gorman to pay an average weekly wage of $400 a week, plus all of Velasquez’s medical bills for hospitalization, surgery and continued medical care. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:25 PM | Comment Caretaker pleads not guilty to murderA woman accused of killing a man she had been cooking and cleaning for pleaded not guilty at her arraignment this morning in Superior Court, Warwick. No bail was issued for Heather M. Catterall, who was remanded to the Adult Correctional Institutions, where she’s been held since her arrest in July. Prosecutors say Catterall smothered 76-year-old Albert Dubois, stole cash, and forged checks from his account. He had let her live with him in exchange for her cleaning his home and cooking. Catterall is facing a murder charge along with one larceny and two forgery charges. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for early December. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:01 PM | Comment Ex: Defendant discussed marriage for immunityAt one point after the death of Kimberly Mawson's daughter, Mawson and Daniel R. Fusco talked about getting married, because if they were married, Fusco told a jury this morning, the two couldn’t testify against each other. The two broke up shortly after the 19-month-old died. Mawson is now on trial in Superior Court, Warwick, for the 2002 death of her daughter, Jade. In his second day of testimony, Fusco said soon after Jade died, Mawson suggested he get another girlfriend, because she was considering killing herself. They broke up for a few months, but later moved in together in Johnston. During this time, the police continued to investigate the girl's death. “I was exhausted,” Fusco told the jury. “Mentally and physically exhausted; I just wanted to forget that that ever happened.” Fusco, who has a short criminal history of misdemeanors in several New England states, said he had seen injuries on the baby before she died. He said he eventually broke up with Mawson because “I had a lot of anxiety.” He’s preparing to take the stand for cross examination by the defense attorney Kevin Bristow, who said in opening statements Tuesday that Fusco killed Jade. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:00 PM | Comment R.I. gets $8.3 million from feds for drug treatmentA White House deputy "drug czar" today is announcing at a Warwick conference $8.3 million the state will use over several years to provide vouchers to people seeking drug treatment and recovery. Dr. Bertha K. Madras, deputy director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, is keynoter speaker at a conference where residents affected by teenage drug and alcohol abuse talk about the problems surrounding it. Called an Access to Recovery grant, Rhode Island's will total about $8.3 million over the next three years. The grant is awarded to the governor’s Office in collaboration with the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals’ Division of Behavioral Healthcare. The federal money will target people recently released from the Adult Correctional Institutions, the state Training School for Youth, and parents/guardians involved with Department of Children, Youth and Families. The grant aims to individualize substance-abuse treatment and recovery care, a news release said. It allows faith-based and organizations and providers to help those Rhode Islanders in need. “Rhode Island is on the forefront of substance abuse prevention and recovery,” Dr. Madras said in a statement. “By implementing an ATR program, Rhode Island can get help to those who need it most -- through an individually-structured and organized treatment and recovery regimen -- and help more Rhode Islanders achieve and maintain recovery from addiction.” “Substance Abuse Among Teens: Connecting the Dots” began this morning at 8:30. Attorney General Patrick Lynch and Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah, Jr., are hosting the event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick. John Raposa, whose daughter was killed in a car crash, will also speak to the sold-out crowd of 450. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:55 AM | Comment Conference tackles problem of teen drug abuseCity, state, and federal government officials and advocates are joining residents today whose lives have been affected by teenage drug and alcohol abuse to discuss ways to address the issues surrounding teenage drug and alcohol abuse. The deputy director of demand reduction in the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Bertha Madras, is the keynote speaker. John Raposa, whose daughter was killed in a car crash, will also speak to the sold-out crowd of 450. “Substance Abuse Among Teens: Connecting the Dots” began this morning at 8:30. Attorney General Patrick Lynch and Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah, Jr., are hosting the event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:43 AM | Comment Caregiver to be arraigned for murder todayA 28-year-old woman charged with killing the 76-year-old man who she cooked and cleaned for is set to be arraigned today in Superior Court, Warwick. Heather M. Catterall was indicted Aug. 3, more than two months after prosecutors say she smothered Albert Dubois with a garbage bag, stole cash and, a day or two later, forged two checks from his account. Dubois’ stepson said Catterall had been living in Dubois’ house in exchange for her services cooking and cleaning. Catterall is facing a murder charge along with one larceny and two forgery counts. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:48 AM | Comment Former boyfriend to retake the stand this morningDaniel R. Fusco told a jury that his former girlfriend told him not to call 9-1-1 after her baby daughter collapsed. Two days later, 19-month-old Jade Mawson was pronounced brain-dead. Fusco is scheduled to take the witness stand again this morning in Superior Court, Warwick, where Jade’s mother, Kimberly A. Mawson, faces a second-degree murder charge for the 2002 death of her daughter. Fusco did call 9-1-1, however, and jurors heard the recording, as well as a voicemail message Mawson left for Fusco in court yesterday. Judge Edwin J. Gale instructed jurors not to evaluate the tape for truthfulness, but to establish there was a 9-1-1 call made. In opening statements, Mawson's lawyer said Fusco murdered the baby, citing his conflicting reports to detectives and officials from the state Department of Children, Youth and Families following the incident. The trial is scheduled to resume at 10:00 a.m. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:46 AM | Comment Reform-minded Catholic group gathers in ProvidencePROVIDENCE -- A reformed-minded Catholic group that was spawned by the priest sex-abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston five years ago is holding its third national convention starting today at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Voice of the Faithful's convention should draw 500 to 700 participants, according to the group's president, Mary Pat Fox. The convention will include more than 30 workshops and talks by such luminaries as the Rev. Richard McBrien, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame. The group is banned from holding meetings in certain places, such as Catholic parishes in the Fall River Diocese, but Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin has written a letter extending his greetings to the group. Read more on the group and its meeting. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:39 AM | Comment Sentencing postponed for doctor in steroid casePROVIDENCE -- A federal judge delays sentencing for a New York doctor who's pleaded guilty to writing medically unnecessary prescriptions for steroids and human growth hormone. Victor Mariani had been scheduled for sentencing today in U.S. District Court. But a judge has granted a request from federal prosecutors to postpone the sentencing until November 2. That is the scheduled sentencing date for two other defendants -- Ana Maria Santi and Daniel McGlone -- who have been charged in the case and have also pleaded guilty. McGlone, a New Jersey businessman, has admitted paying Mariani and Santi, a former doctor, to write steroid prescriptions for clients they had never met or diagnosed. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:19 AM | Comment Magnitude 2.5 quake overnight in MassachusettsLITTLETON, Mass. -- The U.S. Geological Survey reports a small earthquake rattled some communities west of Boston. The epicenter of the 2.5 magnitude quake was about one mile from Littleton Common and about five miles from Ayer. It was felt at 1:23 a.m. today. There were no reports of any damage. Littleton police dispatcher Sam Welch said the department received a number of phone calls from people who heard or felt the temblor and were wondering what it was. But he said there were no reports of any problems associated with it. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Periods of rain today, but better over the weekendIt's not as bad as it looks. Yes, there's rain now, and more forecast for this afternoon when the high temperature should reach 73 degrees. No, there won't be much sun Yes, there's more rain coming overnight, when the temperature should drop to the mid 60s. . But tomorrow looks rain-free after possible drizzle in the early morning. The sun is not scheduled to make an appearance, but the temperature should hold in the mid 70s. Saturday night is looking partly cloudy with a low temperature of about 50 degrees. And then, Sunday, finally: sun. The National Weather Service is forecasting clear skies and temperatures in the mid 70s and an overnight low around 50. More sun expected Monday morning and more warm weather, with an expected high in the mid 70s. To check weather updates throughout the weekend, visit projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a photograph of Red Sox' starter Josh Beckett, who led the team to victory last night, keeping the Sox alive in the ALCS against Cleveland. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 18, 2007Tonight: Film fest at Providence's Cable Car CinemaThe Africana Film Festival, this week at Providence’s Cable Car Cinema, 204 South Main St., shows two films tonight: Colonial Misunderstanding at 7 p.m., and Tsietsi, My Hero, at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $8. Information: www.brown.edu/aff or (401) 272-3970. The festival, which began yesterday, runs through Sunday. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment Tocco fined for failing to file campaign finance reportPROVIDENCE -- Smithfield Town Council President Stephen G. Tocco is being fined daily by the state Board of Elections for failing to file a quarterly campaign finance report by a July 31 deadline. Richard E. Thornton, director of campaign finance for the board, said today that a certified letter was dispatched Aug. 21 notifying Tocco that he had to pay a onetime fine of $25. Because Tocco still did not file the report after this initial fine was levied, he was also fined $2 a day. Thornton said it is not uncommon for office-holders to fail to file on time. “On a quarterly basis, where we may expect to receive 800 to 900 reports, there may be 100 not filed on time,” he said. He said if an official continues to balk, the matter could be referred to the attorney general’s office for prosecution. He said that as of today Tocco owes $101 in fines. “I’m just finishing up the paperwork now,” Tocco said today when reached for comment. “Obviously, with all the duties and responsibilities I’ve been quite busy. I’m very involved in the recall drive. It will be filed in a very timely manner.” -- Journal staff writer Thomas J. Morgan Tocco is the target of a recall campaign aimed at ejecting him from the council because of revelations by The Providence Journal that he was involved in wrongdoing in the 1980s and 1990s. The election is scheduled for Nov. 13. James W. Archer, chairman of the Republican Town Committee, who raised the issue of Tocco’s failure to comply with the campaign finance law, said, “These campaign finance reports are the people’s only way of insuring that there are no illegal funds received and that there is no improper use of the cash and checks given to a political campaign.” He added, “Considering all that Mr. Tocco has been through, and all that he is presently going through with regards to his being recalled, I find it astonishing that he has not filed his most recent campaign finance report. To see his arrogance as he defies the Board of Elections order to comply with the law is stunning. This is yet another example of Mr. Tocco disregarding any law he finds inconvenient. You would think that he would have learned something from his past or at least that he would behave while he is subject to recall and is being investigated for violating our Town Charter.” The council on Tuesday, with Tocco sitting silent, appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Tocco’s alleged violations of the Charter. If the prosecutor finds sufficient evidence, Tocco could be removed from office after a public hearing. Thornton said the missing report covers the period from April 1 to June 30. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:20 PM | Comment Photo: Whitehouse to nominee -- define 'torture'
AP photo Attorney General-designate Michael Mukasey, right, is questioned by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., left, during the second day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
WASHINGTON -- In an intense exchange today with three Democrats, President Bush's nominee for attorney general left the door open for allowing an interrogation technique on terrorism suspects that simulates drowning. Michael Mukasey, a retired federal judge, issued highly-conditioned statements that so-called waterboarding violates the U.S. Constitution only if it is defined as torture. The answer is unclear. In an executive order this summer, Bush allowed the use of some harsh interrogation techniques but his administration refused to say whether waterboarding was among them. Congress has banned waterboarding as part of a detainee treatment law. During today's proceedings, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin probed for Mukasey's opinion. "I'm hoping that you can at least look at this one technique and say: That clearly constitutes torture. It should not be the policy of the United States to engage in waterboarding," said the Illinois Democrat. "It is not constitutional for the United States to engage in torture in any form, be it waterboarding or anything else," Mukasey replied. Under subsequent questioning by Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Mukasey said the practice of waterboarding, if defined as torture, can't be permitted by the president. "If it is torture as defined by the Constitution, or defined by constitutional standards, it can't be authorized," Mukasey said. Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a former federal prosecutor, tried again. "Is waterboarding constitutional?" Whitehouse asked. "It either is or it isn't." Mukasey again demurred, saying he doesn't know what's involved in the technique. "If it amounts to torture, it is not constitutional," the nominee replied. "I'm very disappointed in that answer," Whitehouse said. "I think it's purely semantics." The president himself has repeatedly said "We don't torture" and argued that intense interrogations are sometimes necessary to elicit information about terrorist plots. -- The Associated Press The exchanges were part of what was expected to be the final round of questioning of Mukasey. Later in the day, the panel was set to hear from witnesses that included former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh. So far, Mukasey has told senators he would reject any White House meddling in Justice Department matters and would resign if his legal or ethical concerns about administration policy are ignored. He also said he's resistant to passing a law shielding reporters from being forced to reveal their sources, saying it would be much easier to fix internal Justice Department practice if need be. "The system worked passably well up until now," Mukasey told the Senate Judiciary Committee, which approved legislation that would establish such a shield. The House overwhelmingly passed a similar bill last week, but President Bush said he would veto it. Mukasey, a former federal judge who also has represented reporters as a defense lawyer, indicated he would side with Bush against any federal legislation. "One thing about internal procedures is that if you need to change them they're relatively easy to change," he said at his confirmation hearing. "You can adjust the regulation, you can adjust the procedure, you can put more levels in. You can change standards. It becomes much harder when it's etched in stone in the form of legislation. And that is part of the reason for my unease." Majority Democrats, aided by some Republicans, have urged passage of a media shield because they say it would protect reporters and government whistleblowers who reveal improper or illegal official activity. Fifty news outlets, including The Associated Press, support the legislation. The Bush administration has issued a veto threat, saying that subpoenas for reporters are relatively rare and that a shield would make it harder to track down leakers of classified information. Mukasey said that he has reservations about the legislation because it sets too high a legal threshold for prosecutors to meet to overcome the shield. Proving that the disclosure is needed to prevent an attack is difficult in advance, the nominee said yesterday. The measure also pending defines a journalist too broadly and might inadvertently protect, for example, bloggers who are also spies or terrorists, Mukasey said. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who supports the shield, asked Mukasey to submit his specific objections to the committee in writing. Mukasey agreed. On a related topic, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley warned Mukasey that the administration has not been friendly to whistleblowers and urged the nominee to stand up for anyone who exposes government mismanagement. Grassley, R-Iowa, said he once suggested to Bush that he have a Rose Garden ceremony to honor whistleblowers because "for the most part they are patriotic people." "And I got some sort of a comment back about if he did that every nut would come out of the woodwork," Grassley told Mukasey. "So with that sort of an attitude at the highest level of government, you know, it's very important that people a little lower down, as you are...make sure that the spirit of the law is carried out as well as the law." Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:58 PM | Comment State appeals Indian land deal to U.S. Supreme CourtRhode Island filed an appeal today asking the U.S. Supreme Court today to review -- and consider overturning -- a lower court ruling that allowed the U.S. Department of the Interior to take Charlestown land in trust for the Narragansett Indian tribe. As trust land, it would be removed from state jurisdiction, meaning the land would not be subject to state taxation or land-use laws and most criminal laws. The tribe, which bought the land several years ago, has said it wants to use the land for housing. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:55 PM | Comment Boyfriend details child's collapse in mom's murder trialWARWICK -- Kimberly A. Mawson told her boyfriend back in December 2002 that she was having a bad day -- and that a jewelry box had fallen on the head of her 19-month-old daughter, Jade. Later that day, the boyfriend, Daniel Fusco, said he was watching television near Jade while Mawson went out to a Wal-Mart. He said he saw Jade take a couple of steps -- then collapse and fall face forward. He said her breathing was shallow. Fusco, who testified in Kent County Superior Court today, is a prosecution witness in the trial of Mawson, 37, the former Warwick resident who is accused of killing her daughter in 2002. The prosecution accuses Mawson of inflicting injuries on Jade out of frustration after being alone with the girl for several days. Fusco said he called Mawson's cell phone, but got no reception in the Wal-Mart. He dialed information, called the Wal-Mart number, Mawson was paged over the store intercom and she called him. Don't call 911, she will be right home, he said she told him. Fusco then called his father, who said to call 911. At some point during the calls, Fusco said he tried to revive Jade, including splashing some water on her arms. He called 911, then talked to Mawson again, who said she was almost home. Before that scene unfolded, the couple and Jade had spent Thanksgiving with Mawson's family in Connecticut. They got into a minor car accident on the way back to Rhode Island and had to stay the night with Mawson's Connecticut relatives. Then, on Dec. 2, Fusco went to try to get the car fixed. Mawson stayed home with the child. Fusco said he'd been gone about an hour when Mawson called and said she was having a bad day. Mawson used to work at the shop, owned by Tracy Boughton. Boughton said Mawson called her in December 2002 worried she was having a “meltdown,” and needed someone to take care of Jade. The baby died on Dec. 2 of that year. Boughton remembered facts but not always the dates on which events occurred, she told the court. But Boughton added, “What I do remember is what she said, and what transpired.” -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Rachael Sarzin, who worked at Hasbro Children’s Hospital as a clinical social worker when Jade died, testified that Mawson asked more than once about donating her daughter’s organs. She also pointed to what she saw as inconsistencies in Mawson’s description of what happened the day Jade came into the hospital. According to Sarzin, Mawson said a jewelry box fell off a dresser, onto the baby, and shattered. But during testimony yesterday, Warwick Detective Robert Courtemanche showed pictures of an intact jewelry box sitting on a table at Mawson’s house the day the baby was taken to the hospital. Sarzin did, at one point, acknowledge the defense’s theory, stated Tuesday, that Fusco may have been responsible for the injuries. “If she did not do it, yes, it had to be one of them.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:45 PM | Comment Help for after-school helpA new initiative aimed at garnering support for after-school programs through funding and expanded program offerings will be announced this evening. The Supporting Student Success in Rhode Island Initiative, announced at Johnson and Wales University by Rep. Gordon D. Fox, D-Providence, will work to include after- school programs in the state education aid formula, create a coordinating office to help allocate resources and pay for a pilot program for summer and other learning opportunities. “We know that after-school programs are extremely important to the success of Rhode Island’s children” Fox said in a statement. “We are taking an important first step with the Supporting Student Success project and I hope it will serve as a catalyst for future action.” Fox will be joined by Senate Majority Leader Teresa Paiva-Weed, D-Jamestown, Newport; Mayor David N. Cicilline; Education Commissioner Peter McWalters; Sue Stenhouse, deputy director of community relations for the Office of the Governor; and Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:30 PM | Comment Providence 17-year-old shot on Hartford AvenuePROVIDENCE -- A city man was shot at least twice last night in the leg and an arm in the 300 Hartford Ave. area and taken to Rhode Island Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, the police said today. Carlos Molina, 17, who was shot, told the police he and another man were in that area when what he described as two men wearing black hooded sweatshirts came out of the bushes and shot at Molina. Multiple shots were fired, though it was not clear how many. Molina ran away toward Laurel Hill Avenue. Detectives are investigating the case. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:25 PM | Comment E. Greenwich post office to be dedicated to veteranThe East Greenwich post office will officially be dedicated to the late U.S. Navy Cmdr. Richard L. Cevoli during a ceremony Sunday. U.S. Sen Jack Reed authored the law naming the post office after Cevoli and will be on hand for the 1 p.m. dedication. The post office is located at 5775 Post Rd. Cevoli was an East Greenwich native who received the Navy Cross for bravery during World War II as well as two Distinguished Flying Crosses and eight Air Medals, Reed's office said in a news release today. Cevoli was born in East Greenwich in 1919 and was a lifelong resident. He graduated from La Salle Academy and Rhode Island State College -- now the University of Rhode Island. He died in 1955 when his plane crashed during a training mission, leaving behind his wife, Grace, and their four children: Steven, Carole, Elizabeth and Richard Jr. “Naming this post office after Richard Cevoli is a fitting tribute to a man who contributed so much to Rhode Island and our nation,” Reed said in a statement. “The valor he demonstrated as a Naval officer in World War II and during the Korean War will now be recognized not only in his hometown of East Greenwich, but by all Rhode Islanders.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:20 PM | Comment Johnston educator named R.I. superintendent of the yearJOHNSTON -- The Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association has selected Supt. Margaret A. Iacovelli as superintendent of the year. The association made the announcement earlier this morning at a general membership meeting. Iacovelli has been superintendent since October 2002. Her stint has coincided with budget troubles in the district. A consolidation of the system’s elementary education program has riled a large group of parents who were against changes that forced their children to move from one school, the Graniteville School, to another. “She deserves it,” said the chairwoman of the School Committee, Janice Mele. “She takes a lot of grief from the same people.” “We’re trying to save money and not compromise on the education of the children,” she added. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:15 PM | Comment Mom accused of murder fretted about 'meltdown'WARWICK -- Kimberly Mawson would sometimes bring her baby daughter into work at a local costume shop. One day, the former shop’s owner said from the witness stand today, the girl had a hand-shaped bruise on her face. Mawson, on trial for murdering her 19-month-old daughter, Jade, used to work at the shop, owned by Tracy Boughton. Boughton said Mawson called her in December 2002 worried she was having a “meltdown,” and needed someone to take care of Jade. The baby died on Dec. 2 of that year. Boughton’s memory was not always solid; she seemed to confuse dates and the order of events. But she said, “What I do remember is what she said, and what transpired.” -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Rachael Sarzin, who worked at Hasbro Children’s Hospital as a clinical social worker when Jade died, testified that Mawson asked more than once about donating her daughter’s organs. She also pointed to what she saw as inconsistencies in Mawson’s description of what happened the day Jade came into the hospital. According to Sarzin, Mawson said a jewelry box fell off a dresser, onto the baby, and shattered. But during testimony yesterday, Warwick Detective Robert Courtemanche showed pictures of an intact jewelry box sitting on a table at Mawson’s house the day the baby was taken to the hospital. Sarzin did, at one point, acknowledge the defense’s theory, stated Tuesday, that Mawson’s boyfriend, Daniel Fusco, may have been responsible for the injuries. “If she did not do it, yes, it had to be one of them.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:57 PM | Comment RIPTA: Ferry use up by 17.8 percentThe Rhode Island Public Transit Authority announced today that this season's Providence/Newport ferry service saw a 17.8-percent increase in ridership compared with last season's. In the season from May 16 through Oct. 16, 47,002 people rode the ferry compared to last year's ridership of 39,551, a RIPTA news release says. In season, the high-speed catamaran runs seven days a week, including holidays. It makes five roundtrips a day from Monday through Friday and on Sunday; on Saturdays, it made six roundtrips. In Providence, the ferry docks at Conley’s Wharf at Providence Piers at 180 Allens Ave. In Newport, the ferry docks at Perrotti Park, which is on America's Cup Avenue. New England Fast Ferry runs the high-speed catamaran “Ocean State,” which is used for the service. RIPTA’s ferry service began in 2000. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:02 PM | Comment Whitehouse speaks on lead paint's harmful effectsAt a Senate committee hearing today about lead paint's harmful effects, committee member Sheldon Whitehouse said he was proud Rhode Island has been "a leader" in trying to reverse the problem. "For years, tens of thousands of Rhode Island children have lived in homes contaminated by lead paint, exposed to lead in paint chips or dust," Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, said during the hearing. "More than 30,000 children have been diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels in our state." Whitehouse serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which is slated to take testimony from several health care, government, and industry representatives. One of them is Bruce Lanphear, the director of the Cincinnati Children’s Environmental Health Center, who was a witness in Rhode Island's suit against companies that made and sold lead paint. "When I served as Rhode Island’s Attorney General, we brought a public nuisance action against the companies that manufactured lead-contaminated paint, an innovative approach that, after several years and two trials, finally resulted in a jury verdict last year that the paint companies must abate the damage they caused," Whitehouse said. The effects of lead exposure played out in the trial, in Rhode Island, but the high number of recent toy recalls due to lead contamination has renewed attention on the problem nationally. Read the Providence Journal's special series on lead poisoning in children. The hearing was set to start at 10 a.m. and be shown on the Web on the committee's Web site. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson Among those slated to testify in front of the committee are: James Gulliford, assistant administrator for pesticides, prevention and toxic substances, U.S Environmental Protection Agency Bruce Lanphear, director of the Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center and professor of pediatrics and environmental health Tom Neltner, on behalf of Improving Kids' Environment, Sierra Club, and Concerned Clergy of Greater Indianapolis Mike Nagel, RemodelOne -- Design/Build Construction, on behalf of the National Association of Homebuilders, Remodeler's Council David Jacobs, director of research, National Center for Healthy Housing Olivia Farrow, assistant commissioner, City of Baltimore Department of Health On Monday, Mattel, Inc. withdrew its agreement to testify at the hearing.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:01 PM | Comment Gang member arraigned, expected to plead guiltyA 28-year-old man who goes by the nickname “Evil K” waived his right to a grand jury hearing related to federal charges stemming from a sting operation in which a federal agent posed as a drug dealer. Khek Choummalaithong, and three other members of a violent street gang were arrested at gunpoint in April after prosecutors say the men were planning to rob the fictitious drug dealer. Choummalaithong, who was arraigned in U.S. District Court today, signed a plea agreement and is expected to plead guilty next Wednesday to three charges: conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The maximum combined sentence for the three charges is life in prison, a $750,000 fine and nine years probation. The U.S. Attorney's office has agreed to recommend a reduced sentence in exchange for the plea. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:41 AM | Comment 19th-century engineering back in actionSome local Industrial Revolution-era engineering has been repaired, re-cast and restored, and will be shown off tomorrow morning. Representatives of the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park are hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony and demonstration of three underwater gates. The gates, which have been inoperative for the past 20 years, control the flow of water through the canal. They were initially used to provide power to Moses Taft’s Central Woolen Mill, but can now help improve water circulation and control water levels during floods. The restoration project – which involved lowering water levels to disassemble the gates – was paid for by the Corridor Commission, the Massachusetts Office of Public Private Partnerships and the Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation. The ceremony will take place at the second Gate, behind the former Stanley Woolen Mill at 146 Mendon St. in Uxbridge, Mass. tomorrow at 10. a.m. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:00 AM | Comment Sen. Reed proposes new floodplain mapsLegislation proposed by Sen. Jack Reed that would expand information used by the federal government to predict flood risks has passed its first hurdle. The National Flood Mapping Act of 2007, approved by the Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs yesterday, would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to add to their maps the 100- and 500-year floodplains; areas that would be in danger if a dam or levee failed; and areas that could be threatened by coastal surges. “Unfortunately, today’s federal coastal flood maps do not reflect the real flood hazard risks,” Reed said in a statement. “New development has significantly altered watersheds and floodplains. Knowing if you need flood insurance can mean the difference between having no money to rebuild and having $250,000.” FEMA’s maps are used by mortgage lending companies to set insurance rates, community planners, land developers and engineers. The mapping legislation was included in the committee-approved Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007. There is not date yet scheduled for a vote. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:36 AM | Comment Update: Accident clearedThe accident on Interstate-95 southbound near Exit 23 has been cleared. For up-to-the minute traffic information, visit the Transportation Management Center's Web site, and check out the Web cams for recent shots of interstates across the state. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:22 AM | Comment Third gang member set for arraignment todayThe third member of a violent street gang is scheduled for an arraignment today for charges stemming from a federal sting operation in which a federal agent posed as a drug dealer. Khek Choummalaithong, 28, and three others were arrested at gunpoint in 2007 after prosecutors say the men were planning to rob the fictitious drug dealer. Choummalaithong is scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. arraignment in U.S. District Court, Providence. The maximum combined sentence for the three charges is life in prison, a $750,000 fine and nine years probation. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:00 AM | Comment New cervical cancer test more accurateNEW YORK -- A relatively new screening test was about twice as accurate as the traditional Pap smear at spotting cervical cancer, according to the first rigorous study of the test in North America. The new test could replace the 50-year-old Pap in a matter of years, experts say. And there's a bonus for women: They won't need a screening test as often. The HPV test, which looks for the virus that causes cervical cancer, correctly spotted 95 percent of the cancers. The Pap test, which checks for abnormal cells under a microscope, only found 55 percent, according to researchers at McGill University in Montreal, who published their findings in today's New England Journal of Medicine. "We've had the Pap test for over 50 years and it's high time it be replaced by technology that's more robust," said Eduardo Franco, director of McGill's division of cancer epidemiology, who led the study. Read the full Associated Press story. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:46 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Accident on I-95 southboundAn accident on southbound has led to a traffic crunch on Interstate-95. The Transportation Management Center is reporting the accident in Providence near Exit 23, the Charles Street/Route 146 North exit. The left and center lanes are blocked. For up-to-the minute traffic information, visit the TMC Web site, and check out the Web cams for recent shots of interstates across the state. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:35 AM | Comment Hearing on lead poisoning in Washington todayA key witness in Rhode Island’s suit against companies that made and sold lead paint will testify today in Washington about the harmful effects of lead exposure. Bruce Lanphear, the director of the Cincinnati Children’s Environmental Health Center, is one of several health care, government, and industry representatives scheduled to speak in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at the Lead and Children’s health hearing. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is a member of the Committee. In Rhode Island, the harmful effects of lead exposure played out in the trial, but the high number of recent toy recalls due to lead contamination has brought the issue into the national dialogue. Read the Providence Journal's special series on lead poisoning in children. The hearing, set to begin at 10 a.m., will be Web cast live on the Committee's Web site. For more information on witnesses, click below. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson James Gulliford, assistant administrator for pesticides, prevention and toxic substances, U.S Environmental Protection Agency Bruce Lanphear, director of the Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center and professor of pediatrics and environmental health Tom Neltner, on behalf of Improving Kids' Environment, Sierra Club, and Concerned Clergy of Greater Indianapolis Mike Nagel, RemodelOne -- Design/Build Construction, on behalf of the National Association of Homebuilders, Remodeler's Council David Jacobs, director of research, National Center for Healthy Housing Olivia Farrow, assistant commissioner, City of Baltimore Department of Health **On Monday, Mattel, Inc. withdrew its agreement to testify at the hearing. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:02 AM | Comment Mild but cloudyThe morning fog should lift by 9, but the clouds are here to stay. It should be a mild day, with no rain, and The National Weather Service forecasts a high temperature of 74 degrees. Showers may come in the evening, along with fog after 9 p.m. and an expected overnight low near 60. Tomorrow is looking like another cloudy day, this time with rain in the afternoon. More mild temperatures are forecast, with a high in the mid 70s. 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 column on the Red Sox' 'Daunting, but not impossible' chance of winning the ALCS playoffs against the Cleveland Indians. There's also more about a Registry worker accused of illegally selling driver's licenses to drug dealers and illegal immigrants. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 17, 2007Rhode Island Foundation leader resignsThe leader of the Rhode Island Foundation is resigning, the foundation's board announced today. Ronald V. Gallo, foundation president and chief executive officer, is stepping down after 15 years, according to a news release. "This was a mutually agreed-upon decision, prompted by Ron's belief that the foundation was ready for new leadership, and by his interest in exploring other career paths," George Graboys, the foundation board chairman, said in the statement. "The board accepted Ron's resignation with great regret. His myriad contributions during the past 15 years have left the foundation in an excellent position to continue the critical work of addressing Rhode Island's most formidable challenges." The foundation is located in Providence's downtown, between the State House and City Hall. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Comment Tonight: Mexican ballet, rock, jazz and soulThere will be people who really know how to dance at Rhode Island College tonight and, in the clubs, a few people who will tap their feet and sway a little to music from rock to jazz. Ballet Folklorico de Mexico celebrates tradition with a costumed ballet performance at 8 p.m. in Roberts Hall, Rhode Island College, 600 Mount Pleasant Ave., Providence. Call (401) 456-8144 or www.ric.edu/pfa/pas.php. Brickpark plays rock at Olives, 108 North Main St., Providence. Call 751-1200. 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. No cover. Includes karaoke. George Leonard plays jazz and pop at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. Call 453-6500. 8 p.m. to midnight. 2nd Avenue plays rock at Pitcher's Pub, 80 Manville Hill Rd., Cumberland. Call 658-0058. 9 p.m. Tribeca plays soul, Motown and disco at Two Jerks Pub and Grill, 446 Waterman Ave., East Providence. Call 434-4111. 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Comment Pawtucket officer cleared in shootingThe actions of a Pawtucket police officer who fatally shot an Attleboro woman whose car sped from -- and at -- officers at high speed on Route 95 were "lawful and legally justified," a Providence County Grand Jury has concluded. The shooting happened on July 26. Investigators said at the time that a Pawtucket officer feared that Bridget DeGrafft, 49, of Attleboro, was about to pin him against his cruiser with the stolen car she was was driving. No indictment of the officer was returned given the grand jury's finding, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office announced late today. DeGrafft, who was described as having a history of alcohol and drug abuse, had sped south on Route 95 as officers from at least two police departments pursued. She was twice shot as she allegedly tried to run the officers over. What began as a carjacking at the junction of Oak Hill Avenue and Locust Street in Attleboro ended in Warwick, about 15 miles south, investigators said. Attleboro police asked other departments to look for the Honda. At 1:10 a.m., Pawtucket police radioed that they were in pursuit of the car on Route 95 near the Lonsdale Avenue exit, heading south at speeds reaching 90 mph. Rhode Island state troopers pursued as well as the car traveled onto Route 10 southbound in Providence. The Honda tried to exit at Reservoir Avenue but struck the rear of a state police cruiser and veered onto a grass median and then crossed the ramp from Reservoir Avenue to Route 10. Eventually, DeGrafft put the car into reverse at high speed and went down the embankment toward officers, who then took cover. One trooper fell to the ground. As he began to get up, DeGrafft drove at him, authorities have said. The trooper fired one shot at her. She then swerved back onto the road and attempted to hit a Pawtucket officer, who fired rounds. More twists and turns ensued, and eventually a Pawtucket police officer got wedged between his cruiser and the Honda, authorities said, and fired out of fear for his safety. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment 'Virtually embedded' filmmaker joins Brown panelIn 2004, when the New Hampshire National Guard asked documentary filmmaker Deborah Scranton if she wanted to travel to Iraq with one of their units, Scranton wondered how she would take advantage of a chance of a lifetime. The Brown University graduate (1984) went to sleep knowing she couldn’t leave her New Hampshire home for 11 months. Then an outlandish idea woke her: What if she “virtually embedded’’ with the unit? It meant equipping the unit with 21 small video cameras — some mounted inside the unit’s Humvees and on their gun turrets — and allowing the soldiers to tell their own stories of war from the ground, beside the exploded car, the charred corpse and in the frightening uncertainty of the Iraqi night. The soldiers’ raw footage — along with Scranton’s daily iInternet communications and interviews later with the soldiers returned home — became The War Tapes, which won best documentary feature at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. With new technology has come new ways of telling stories, of practicing journalism. The conference, titled: “Front Line, First Person: Iraq War Stories,” begins with a panel discussion at 2 p.m. Friday at the Watson Institute, 111 Thayer St. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney The panelists will include Colby Buzzell, an Army veteran who started a blog while serving in Iraq in 2003-2004 and published a book on about his experiences titled: "My War: Killing Time in Iraq"; and Matthew Burden, a veteran blogger and author of: "The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.’’ Scranton said hearing these ground-level, often first-person stories, “force you to listen to other points of view because right now we are so polarized in this country [about the war] that we’re not having conversations anymore.’’ “What really frightens me is with less than 1 percent of the population directly involved with this war …. You can go for days in this country and not know we are a country at war.’’ The unfairness of that reality, she said, is that “there is a military class in our society and they are bearing the brunt” of the war’s cost. Scranton says if more people knew about the realities on the ground — heard U.S. soldiers in their own words “still twitching’’ in the hot wash of emotion following a firefight — more people might care. If nothing else, she said, “I’m sure they would have better protection for their Humvees and the flack jackets they need.’’ Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 6:30 PM | Comment Three-car accident sends seven to hospitalsCRANSTON -- Paramedics transported six adults and a 13-year-old girl to area hospitals last night after a three-car accident at the intersection of Wellington Avenue and Milford Street, according to the police. Col. Stephen McGrath, the chief of police, said today that investigators with the Traffic Unit are still reconstructing the accident. Authorities have not ruled out excessive speed and alcohol as contributing factors. “Some of the injuries were very serious -- life-threatening,” said McGrath, adding that the department was withholding the names of the operators and the injured pending notification of their families. McGrath said a 19-year-old Cranston man, with an 18-year-old woman as a passenger, was turning northbound onto Wellington Avenue in a 1997 Nissan sedan when he collided with a 2005 Saturn sport utility vehicle, operated by a 40-year-old Cranston man, heading south. The Saturn, which also carried a 33-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, then collided head-on with a northbound 1998 Toyota sport utility vehicle. A 62-year-old woman was driving the Toyota, with the 13-year-old girl as a passenger. The six adults were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, McGrath said. The child was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital. -- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:32 PM | Comment Providence fire victim taken to hospitalPROVIDENCE -- A male occupant of a one-and-a-half story residence at 23 Baxter St. was taken to Rhode Island Hospital after he suffered burns on his stomach from a fire this afternoon. The call came in at 3:42 p.m. and Providence firefighters brought the fire at the wood-frame building under control at 3:55 p.m., said James Taylor, chief of communications for the department. The fire happened in the rear of the building, Taylor said. The cause of the fire has not been determined. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:30 PM | Comment Coventry man, 79, indicted on molestation chargesA 79-year-old Coventry man has been indicted on seven counts of first-degree child molestation and four counts of second-degree child molestation -- crimes allegedly committed against a child who was 14 years old or younger. The indictment naming James Day, of 28 Myra Road, was handed up Monday, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office announced today. It is a secret indictment, meaning that neither an arrest nor a District Court complaint generated the indictment. Day is accused of committing one crime of first-degree child molestation and two crimes of second-degree child molestation in Coventry and committing six crimes of first-degree child molestation and two crimes of second-degree child molestation in South Kingstown. The news release provides no other information about the allegations. Washington County Superior Court Judge Stephen P. Nugent yesterday granted the prosecutor's request that Day be ordered held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. Nugent also imposed a no contact order against Day with the victim. A determination of attorney hearing is slated for Oct. 23 and a bail hearing is set for Oct. 30. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:20 PM | Comment Brown medical student's program featured in YankeeA 24-year-old Brown University medical student who cofounded a financial aid program for doctors in four of the world's poorest countries is featured in the November/December issue of Yankee Magazine, the magazine announced today. Rajiv Kumar and his nonprofit Adopt a Doctor program are the subjects of a story titled “Angels Among Us, 2007." Kumar's program enables doctors to stay in home countries and save thousands of lives, according to a Yankee Magazine news release. “I’m giving people the opportunity to do good in the world and giving them my word that I will help steward it,” Kumar said in the article. “Most potential donors aren’t as concerned with the actual dollar amount as with how much good it can do, how much value there is.” Yankee Magazine last year ran its first “Angels Among Us” article.Kumar is one of five New Englanders in this year's article. The other New Englanders include: * Patricia Franchi Flaherty of Natick, Mass., founder of Ovations for the Cure, which pays for research to develop new treatments, preventions, technologies, and awareness programs to combat ovarian cancer; * Gwen Fletcher and Dottie Volosin of Guilford, Conn., volunteers with Charlie’s Closet, an organization that distributes donated medical equipment to those in need; * Robert Chambers of Lebanon, N.H., cofounder of Bonnie CLAC, a program that offers low-interest car loans and counseling to those in need. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:55 PM | Comment Providence man arraigned on robbery chargePROVIDENCE -- A Providence man was arraigned in District Court today on felony charges after approaching a car yesterday and allegedly trying to rob two people at knifepoint. Jacque Lawson, 33, of 19 Fairview St., was charged by the state police with one count of first-degree robbery and one count of weapons other than firearms prohibited -- which refers to possession of a knife with a blade longer than three inches, according to a news release. A male and female were driving into Wanskuck Park, off Woodward Road, shortly after noon yesterday. When they parked their car, Lawson allegedly approached the passenger window and asked the male passenger if he had a cigarette. The male said he did not, Lawson demanded money and both people in the car said they did not have any, according to the police. Lawson leaned into the window, pulled out a knife and ordered them to empty their pockets. The male in the car again said he did not have money and handed the suspect an open pack of cigarettes. As the suspect tried to remove the cigarettes from the pack, the male climbed out of the open sun roof, ran from the car and yelled for help. A state trooper from Lincoln Woods Barracks who was patrolling Woodward Road saw the male running and waving his arms to get the officer's attention. The trooper then noticed the car with the female sitting in the driver's seat, crying, and the suspect leaning into the passenger window, the police said. The trooper did a pat-down search of the suspect and found a large, black-handled knife in the right front pocket of his sweatshirt. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:45 PM | Comment Whitehouse joins in national hearing on lead paintIn Rhode Island, the harmful effects of lead exposure has played out in the state’s suit against companies that made and sold lead paint. But the high number of recent toy recalls due to lead contamination is bringing the issue into the national dialogue when, tomorrow, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works convenes a hearing on Lead and Children’s Health. Two panels of health, industry and government representatives will testify before the committee, of which Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is a member. Among the scheduled witnesses is Bruce Lanphear, the director of the Cincinnati Children’s Environmental Health Center, who testified on behalf of Rhode Island in both of the state’s trials against lead paint companies. The hearing, set to begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow, will be web cast live on the Committee's Web site. For more information on witnesses, click below. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson James Gulliford, assistant administrator for pesticides, prevention and toxic substances, U.S Environmental Protection Agency Bruce Lanphear, director of the Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center and professor of pediatrics and environmental health Tom Neltner, on behalf of Improving Kids' Environment, Sierra Club, and Concerned Clergy of Greater Indianapolis Mike Nagel, RemodelOne -- Design/Build Construction, on behalf of the National Association of Homebuilders, Remodeler's Council David Jacobs, director of research, National Center for Healthy Housing Olivia Farrow, assistant commissioner, City of Baltimore Department of Health **On Monday, Mattel, Inc. withdrew its agreement to testify at the hearing. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:20 PM | Comment 2 children injured in Fall River accidentFALL RIVER -- A 6-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother were injured early this morning when a van involved in a collision at Morgan and Fourth Streets was pushed up onto the sidewalk and struck the children as they were waiting for a school bus. The girl suffered a head injury and was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, the police said. Her brother, whose leg was injured, was taken to St. Anne’s Hospital, where he was reported in good condition this afternoon, according to Sgt. Thomas Mauretti. A man who had been waiting with the children was arrested for assaulting the driver of the van. John Dorvil, 27, of 22 Lyon St., was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a pipe that was knocked loose from a nearby fence that was also struck by the van, Mauretti said. The driver of the van, Sean Leitao, 23, of New Bedford, Mass., was charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop at a stop sign, Mauretti said. Leitao also was taken to St. Anne’s Hospital for treatment of a head injury he suffered when he was hit by the pipe. The collision occurred about 7:15 a.m., when the van, going west on Morgan Street, failed to stop at a stop sign at Fourth Street, the police said. The van collided with a pick-up truck going south on Fourth Street before it mounted the sidewalk on the southwest corner of the intersection, Mauretti said. He said the driver of the pick-up truck fled the accident scene. -- Journal staff writer Gina Macris Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:45 PM | Comment Good green rankingThe Biggest Little hasn’t done so well in the last few national rankings we’ve heard about: It’s apparently not the place to look for love; not municipally Web-savvy; has just about the least cost effective roads in the nation; and even though we’re not the country’s worst drivers (anymore), we still have a long way to go. Now for some good news: Forbes magazine has ranked Rhode Island eighth on its list of America’s Greenest States -- that’s eighth best. States were ranked in six categories: carbon footprint; air quality; water quality; hazardous waste management; policy initiatives; and energy consumption. Rhode Island residents are the most efficient users of energy in the country, according to information from a number of different federal and non-government sources. And although the state gets slightly low marks for water quality and lack of “green” technology in new buildings, our clean air and energy efficiency policies are comprehensive enough to keep us in the top ten. Something to shoot for? Beating Vermont, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Maryland, Connecticut and New Jersey, the top seven scorers. The bottom five states listed are Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana and, in last place, West Virginia. To find out about the state's energy efficient programs, visit the state's Office of Energy Resources. See where, exactly, the data come from and a slide show of each state by ranking. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:15 PM | Comment Doctors testify in trial of mother charged with murderWARWICK -- Within five minutes of learning her 19-month-old daughter Jade's injuries were life threatening, Kimberly A. Mawson asked about donating the child's organs, a hospital doctor who initially treated the child testified in court today. Dr. Arlet Kurkchubasche, who was Hasbro Children's Hospital attending trauma surgeon, was one of three witnesses to testify for the prosecution so far today in Mawson's murder trial. Mawson is a former Warwick resident accused of killing her daughter in 2002. Kurkchubasche said in Kent County Superior Court that she spoke to Mawson about different treatment options. She described Mawson as seeming very composed. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford John Duncan II, a Hasbro neurosurgeon who performed a craniotomy on Jade, testified that the child had a lot of swelling in her brain and hemorrhaging. Physicians performed the procedure to try to remove pressure from the brain and halt the bleeding. Duncan said that once into the procedure, he noted a recent hematoma in the child's head. Part of the skull was left off in an effort to reduce brain swelling. Dr. Elizabeth A. Laposata, the former state medical examiner, spoke about the autopsy results. She said Jade had a vaginal injury, a one-eighth-inch tear at the opening of her hymen. Laposata said Jade also had bruises all in a line on both sides of her chest, consistent with being grabbed by someone. Jade also had hemorrhaging behind an eye, consistent with either blunt-force head trauma or shaking. The cause of death was determined to be a brain injury due to blunt-force trauma to the head. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:32 PM | Comment Accreditation warning withdrawn from Burrillville HighBURRILLVILLE -- New England accreditation authorities have withdrawn a warning that has marked the credentials of the town’s high school for the past 15 years, the schools superintendent said today. This is the first time the school has had full accreditation, with no deficiencies, since the New England Association of Schools and Colleges put the institution on warning back in 1992, according to a news release. In 2001, a visiting commission from NEASC found the high school deficient in its curriculum, instruction, resources for learning, and assessment. NEASC’s decision is the direct result of a process that culminated this past July when local educators filed a report on their progress in addressing the reported deficiencies. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:55 AM | Comment Revised Naval strategy unveiled today in NewportWASHINGTON -- In the first major revision of U.S. naval strategy in 25 years, maritime officials said today they plan to focus more on humanitarian missions and improving international cooperation as a way to prevent conflicts. "We believe that preventing wars is as important as winning wars," said the new strategy announced by the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The strategy reflects a broader Defense Department effort to use aid, training and other cooperative efforts to encourage stability in fledgling democracies and create relationships around the globe that can be leveraged if a crisis does break out in a region. "Although our forces can surge when necessary to respond to crises, trust and cooperation cannot be surged," says the 16-page document entitled "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower." It also says forces will be concentrated "where tensions are high or where we wish to demonstrate to our friends and allies our commitment to security" -- something the United States did earlier this year in sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf region as a show of force toward Iran. "Credible combat power will be continuously posted in the Western Pacific and the Arabian Gulf/Indian Ocean to protect our vital interests, assure our friends ... and deter and dissuade potential adversaries," the strategy document said. The strategy was unveiled before naval representatives of 100 countries who are attending an international symposium on the seas at the Naval War College in Rhode Island. It was described to them by Navy Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations; Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, and Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard. -- The Associated Press Roughead said the Navy completed a two-year study to create the new strategy. "What came through was that our security and our prosperity is completely linked to the security and prosperity of other nations throughout the world," he said. It represents the first time the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard have collaborated on a single, common strategy for defending the U.S. homeland and protecting U.S. interests overseas. Defense Secretary Robert Gates hinted at the cooperative strategy during his recent five-country swing through Central and South America. Pointing to the recent tour of the Navy hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, which delivered medical care to people in 12 Latin American countries, Gates said such aid is critical to solidifying U.S. bonds with other nations. The USS Peleliu amphibious ship recently returned from a four-month tour in the Pacific and the USS Fort McHenry is heading this week for a seven-month mission along the west coast of Africa. Conway said the Marine Corps supported the strategy, but was more focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Marines now most closely resemble the Army, he said. "We are an expeditionary force by our nature. We go down to the sea in ships, but right now, we are very much taking on a profile as a second land army," Conway said. Adm. Mike Mullen -- who just left his job as head of the Navy to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- has said he sees the Navy's humanitarian work as key to the effort to defeat terrorism by winning hearts and minds. When Roughead succeeded Mullen at the Navy last week, he called in a speech for more international partnerships to make the Navy a "force for good" around the globe. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:50 AM | Comment Is this your lucky day?Someone is $51,650.40 richer this morning, after purchasing a winning ticket in Rhode Island's Wild Money progressive jackpot game. The winning ticket was bought last night from the Cumberland Farms at 261 South Main St. in Woonsocket, but the ticket holder has yet to come forward and claim the prize. Wild Money Drawings take place three times a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights live on WPRI-TV at 7:29pm. Thursday’s estimated Wild Money jackpot is $20,000. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 11:19 AM | Comment Social Security going up by 2.3 percentWASHINGTON -- Come January, Social Security benefits for nearly 50 million Americans are going up 2.3 percent, the smallest increase in four years. It will mean an extra $24 per month in the average check, the government announced today. The cost of living adjustment means that the monthly benefit for the typical retired worker in 2008 will go from $1,055 currently to $1,079 next year. The adjustment, announced by the Social Security Administration, will go to more than 54 million Americans. Nearly 50 million receive Social Security benefits and the rest get Supplemental Security Income payments aimed at helping the poor. -- Read the full Associated Press story Posted by Jack Perry at 11:11 AM | Comment Bristol Warren school board to vote on spending cutThe Bristol Warren Regional School Committee will vote today on several potentially cost-cutting measures including one plan, submitted by a subcommittee, to close two schools. The public hearing and vote will be tonight at 7 p.m. at the Mt. Hope High School auditorium. The four proposals are as follows: A budget/facilities subcommittee's recommendation to close Byfield and Reynolds schools in Sept. 2008, saving, by the subcommittee’s estimate, an estimated $500,000 over two years. The committee can accept, reject or table the proposal. A task force's recommendation not to commit to closing any schools at this time. The committee can accept, reject or table the proposal. The superintendent’s recommendation to close Main Street and Byfield schools by July 2008 and Reynolds by July 2009. The committee has the authority to accept, reject, table or amend the proposition as it sees fit. The committee also has to vote on the new curriculum, which is handed down by the state. “Whatever happens we have a year to prepare,” School Committee Chairman William Estrella said this morning. “Any impact of any vote we take will not take effect until, earliest, 2008.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:51 AM | Comment Federal Hill man expected to admit drug chargesA drug dealer arrested with the help of an informant is expected to plead to two drug counts in U.S. District Court at 10:30 this morning. The police say in July 2005 they confiscated about $20,000 worth of crack and powder cocaine after raiding Manuel Coradin's Federal Hill apartment. They also say they found $24,000 in cash. Earlier this month, Coradin agreed to plead guilty to possessing 50 grams or more of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possessing 5 grams or more with intent to distribute. As part of the agreement, Coradin will agree not to try to vacate three previous drug-related felony convictions, and the U.S. Attorney’s office agreed to recommend a lower sentence than the maximum for the two charges: life in prison and $5 million fine. Click below to read a story about Coradin's arrest. -- with archive reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith PROVIDENCE - With the help of an informant, the police have arrested an alleged drug dealer on Federal Hill and seized five bags of cocaine and more than $25,000 in cash. Police Lt. Thomas A. Verdi, commander of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Division, said yesterday that a combination of crack and powder cocaine weighing 262 grams was confiscated. The drugs, if cut up for sale on the street, would be worth about $20,000, so the haul constitutes "a sizeable seizure," Verdi said. The police moved in on Manuel Coradin, 25, of 25 Marshall St., Federal Hill, after a tip led them to put his apartment under surveillance. Coradin left his apartment shortly after 5 p.m. Friday and climbed into a white Ford Expedition, but he managed to drive only a few blocks before detectives stopped him on Almy Street. During the arrest, the police said they found a small bag of marijuana in his pants pocket. They took $1,262 in cash from a pocket, too. After obtaining Coradin's consent, the police said, they searched his apartment. They collected five bags of cocaine and, from the bottom drawer of a locked file cabinet, $24,000 cash. They also confiscated items described as being used in the drug trade: ledgers used to record transactions, two digital scales, a box of plastic bags and a box of glassine bags. Also seized, from the kitchen, were a knife and two pans allegedly used to cook crack. Coradin is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of cocaine ranging in weight from 1 ounce to 1 kilo, and possession of marijuana. He also was issued a summons for driving without a license. Detectives said they would seek to keep the $25,262 taken from Coradin's pocket and from his apartment under a law that requires criminals to forfeit the proceeds of illicit drug sales. Because the Expedition is registered to Coradin's girlfriend, Verdi said, the police were not able to keep the vehicle, too. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:30 AM | Comment Photo: Car takes a dunk at Roger Williams Park
Posted by Jack Perry at 9:24 AM | Comment Second gang member expected to plead guiltyA second member of a violent street gang is expected to plead guilty today to charges stemming from a federal sting operation in which a federal agent posed as a drug dealer. Vixay Phommarath, 21, and three others were arrested at gunpoint in 2007 after prosecutors say the men were planning to rob the fictitious drug dealer. Earlier this month he agreed to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime. He's expected to enter that plea in U.S. District Court at 2 p.m. The maximum combined sentence for the two charges is life in prison, a $500,00 fine and six years probation. The U.S. Attorney's office has agreed to recommend a reduced sentence in exchange for the plea. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:14 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Accident slows traffic on 95 northAn accident on Interstate 95 northbound in Providence has traffic backed up between Interstate 195 and Route 10 to Cranston. The left lane is currently closed. For up to date information on traffic conditions, check the Transportation Management Center's Web site. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:22 AM | Comment At Brown, Baby memories, decodedPROVIDENCE -- A Rutgers University professor will speak at Brown University about her discoveries into how infants learn and remember. Carolyn Rovee-Collier, a psychology professor, will deliver the Lipsitt-Duchin lecture “the Secret Life of Infants" tomorrow at 4 p.m.in the Salomon Center for Teaching. The lecture is free and open to public. The audience can ask questions after the lecture. Rovee-Collier, a professor of psychology at Rutgers, is "recognized as the founder of infant long-term memory research and an innovator in the scientific quest to understand how experience in the first few months of life affects later behavior," a Brown University news release says. Rovee-Collier developed a procedure in which a ribbon connected an infant’s ankle to a device, allowing her to test learning and long-term memory in babies who have not yet begun speaking. One discovery was that "infants’ forgotten memories can be completely recovered months later by exposing them to a brief reminder of the original event." Rovee-Collier has written more than 200 publications on infant learning and memory. Lewis Lipsitt, professor emeritus of psychology at Brown and founder of the Child Study Center, will introduce her. Other officials are also expected to attend For information, contact the Center for the Study of Human Development at (401) 863-7515. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 8:12 AM | Comment U.S. to unveil first maritime strategy since Cold WarNEWPORT -- The military plans to unveil its first maritime strategy since the end of the Cold War. Defense officials say the chiefs of the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps plan to release the nine-page document during a conference at the Naval War College in Newport. A Navy spokeswoman says the plan is the result of a year of research between all three services. The last maritime strategy was primarily focused on containing Soviet military power. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment A high near 67 with sunshineWe'll see a bit of sunshine today with a high temperature near 67 degrees. The National Weather Service is forecasting a slight chance of showers tonight with a low temperature in the mid 50s. There may be more rain late tomorrow morning. We'll have mostly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the mid 70s. 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 more bad news about the Red Sox. And you can read how the state is changing coastal development rules, as scientists predict that climate change will cause ocean waters to rise. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment October 16, 2007Body found in Foxboro is identified as R.I. manPROVIDENCE -- A Rhode Island man who was shot to death and found sprawled along the eastbound lane of Route 106 in Foxboro, Mass., early Monday has been identified as Carlos Gomez, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. Gomez was found without identification. He was shot to death along Route 106 at approximately 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to the DA’s office. Gomez, 29, was listed as a Central Falls resident but Central Falls Police Chief Joseph Moran said that Gomez’s last known address was on Benefit Street in Pawtucket. Moran said that Gomez was known to the Central Falls Police Department. Massachusetts State Police and Foxboro police are conducting an investigation into the shooting. Anyone with information about Gomez’s whereabouts on Sunday night or information about his death should contact Foxboro police at (508) 543-4343 or Massachusetts State Police at (508) 820-2121. -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Comment Tonight: Dave Matthews tribute and Newport jazzTonight in Bristol, there's a tribute to Dave Matthews, whose quirky rock sound was ever present in the '90s, and there's also a little jazz in Newport. Dancing Nancy, tribute to Dave Matthews, Gillary's Tavern, 198 Thames St., Bristol. 253-2012. 9:30 pm. Bobby Ferreira plays jazz at The Chanler, Spiced Pear Restaurant, 117 Memorial Blvd., Newport. Call 847-2244. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Half Boozed plays rock at One Pelham East, 270 Thames St., Newport. Call 847-9460. 9 p.m. Karl Blau and the Trolleys play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 10 p.m. $5. All ages. The Hi-Hat Trio with Mary Ann Solivan plays pop at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. Call 453-6500. 7 to 11 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Coventry woman pleads no contest to DUI chargesJOHNSTON -- A tearful Coventry woman pleaded no contest to an indictment that accuses her of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs last year when she was involved in a crash that killed a 17-year-old Warwick boy. In a Providence courtroom packed with the teen’s family and friends, 30-year-old Dawn Simas today did not contest three charges related to the crash: driving under the influence, death resulting; driving to endanger, death resulting; and possession of marijuana. Those counts were the result of a Johnston police investigation into the head-on collision that killed Anthony Gemma as he drove home from work on Dec. 15, 2006. The evidence, which included blood-test results and statements from numerous witnesses, showed that Simas had smoked marijuana and had been drinking at Town Hall Bowling Lanes just prior to the crash on Hartford Avenue, according to the police. Simas, the mother of two children, appeared before Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. and made her pleas under an agreement reached with Assistant Attorney General Cindy Soccia. Gemma’s mother, Kathleen, his grandfather, Ralpha Gemma, and other family members were present. The maximum penalty for the first driving-under-the-influence count is a prison term of 15 years, a fine of $15,000 and the loss of a driving license for up to five years, according to Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. Under the plea agreement, Simas cannot serve more than 12 years in prison, but prosecutors will ask Darigan to impose a 10-year prison term, Healey said. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:25 PM | Comment R.I. housing prices predicted to tumble till '08House prices in Rhode Island are forecast to fall until the second quarter of next year, and are not expected to recoup their losses until the first quarter of 2009, according to a Massachusetts-based forecasting firm, Global Insight. If the forecast proves accurate, the statewide median price of a single-family house will hit bottom during the spring of next year— ending a two-year decline that will have shaved the median price by roughly $20,200, or 7 percent. That is more than twice the average 2 percent to 3 percent decline forecast nationwide. “In simplest terms, Rhode Island has been, and will continue to be, more significantly affected by the recent poor performance in the real-estate markets relative to the entire U.S.,’’ said Global Insight housing economist Michael Lynch. Rhode Island’s more dramatic downturn in house prices is, in part, the flip side of the price appreciation rates here during the recent real-estate boom that ranked among the biggest in the country. The double-digit price increases — up 19 percent in the spring of 2002 — prompted economists and real-estate professionals to draw comparisons with the stock market, suggesting that real estate offered a better return than Wall Street. Nobody is saying that now. -- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi “Housing is not like the stock market,” said Cecile Cohen, president of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, “and people who try to time the stock market also get into trouble.’’ The trouble in Rhode Island began to emerge last year, after the median price of a single-family house peaked in the second quarter at $282,644, and then began to slide. Rhode Island’s house price declines are expected be less dramatic and shorter in duration than during the 1990s recession, when prices plummeted 13 percent over 7 years. Asked what she would tell first-time buyers who are considering a house now when prices are forecast to decline, she replied, “You’re gambling that prices are going to go down. What if interest rates go up? It’s going have the same effect. You have low interest rates now that make housing affordable…You find your dream house, I say, buy it now. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen next year…There’s always risk.’’ Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 6:15 PM | Comment Charges filed against student with 'hit list'DIGHTON -- The police have filed felony charges against a freshman at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School who created what investigators described as a “hit list” of classmates he wanted to harm. “He was going to take care of these students somehow,” said Chief Robert MacDonald. “He had issues with these 15 students. He didn’t say why.” A classmate of the 14-year-old student brought the list to school administrators on Monday, who then notified the police and the youth’s parents. The boy was brought to the school office. He was searched and his locker was searched, MacDonald said. No weapons were found on him. “There was no reason for a lockdown because they knew who the note came from” and because he was brought into the principal’s office almost immediately, MacDonald said. The police took the boy into custody and then brought him to Taunton Juvenile Court for arraignment. He faces multiple counts of threatening to commit a crime and a felony charge of disturbing the peace that falls under terrorism statutes. The police did not identify him because he is a juvenile. He was held without bail and will attend a hearing today to determine whether he is a danger, the chief said. The chief said that officers were continuing to investigate the incident today. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:36 PM | Comment Police release name of girl killed in Lincoln crashLINCOLN -- The Lincoln police have released the name of the Lincoln High School student who was killed and the two students who were hurt in an accident yesterday afternoon. The police say Marissa Lorea, 15, of Lincoln, a passenger in the car, was killed. The driver, Andrew Bessette, 17, of Lincoln, and passenger Amanda Coderre, 16, of Lincoln, were injured. The police said the car struck a tree on Wilbur Road around 2:30 p.m. Counselors were available to students at the high school today, according to the police. An earlier police news release gave an incorrect spelling of the victim's name. Posted by Jack Perry at 5:01 PM | Comment Carcieri to Southern Union: Clean up Tiverton soilFollowing a grand jury's indictment today of Southern Union Company in a Pawtucket mercury spill case, Governor Carcieri this afternoon issued a statement calling on the company to start a long-delayed cleanup of contaminated soil in a Tiverton neighborhood. Texas-based Southern Union remains owner of the Massachusetts division of New England Gas Company and is the former owner of the Rhode Island division of New England Gas Company. “These indictments charge New England Gas, which is owned by Southern Union, with inappropriately storing mercury at a site in Pawtucket and with failing to report a mercury spill,” Carcieri said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this is not the first concern that has been raised with Southern Union in Rhode Island.” Carcieri said his administration has worked for several years to force Southern Union to clean up the pollution in the Bay Street-area neighborhood in northern Tiverton. Blueish soil, laced with cyanide, arsenic, lead and contaminants was identified as waste left by a coal-burning process to produce gas at the former Fall River Gas Co. decades ago. People in the neighborhood have sought for years to get the matter addressed, forming the Environmental Neighborhood Awareness Committee (ENACT) to draw attention to it. The state Department of Environmental Management has assigned responsibility for the remediation to the gas company’s successor, Southern Union. “Unfortunately, Southern Union has done everything in its power to avoid fulfilling the company’s responsibilities, including tying the case up in a hugely expensive and seemingly endless court process. In the meantime, the people of Tiverton have been made to suffer," Carcieri stated. “I hope that Southern Union will now be willing to immediately clean up all the pollution in Tiverton, so that the town’s residents can move on with their lives." Southern Union Company has been indicted on charges it illegally stored mercury at a Pawtucket site and failed to report a mercury spill. The alleged illegal storage drew attention in October 2004 when three young people broke into the building and took several containers of liquid mercury. They broke some of the containers, spilling mercury around the facility’s grounds, the indictment alleges. They also took some mercury to a nearby apartment complex, spreading it around the grounds, For about three weeks, mercury puddles remained on the ground at the Tidewater facility. A federal grand jury returned the three-count indictment in U.S. District Court, Providence. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:45 PM | Comment Newport drivers urged to avoid intersectionNEWPORT -- The police are urging motorists to avoid the intersection of Bellevue Avenue and Memorial Boulevard during roadwork that is expected to last at least through Oct. 28. Traffic flow will be “extremely limited” while workers repair the concrete road surface at the busy intersection, the police announced in a news release. Detours will be marked with signs since westbound traffic on Memorial Boulevard and traffic on Bellevue Avenue will be interrupted, the police said. As a result of the construction, no parking will be allowed on Chapel Street from Memorial to Old Beach Road. Parking along any of the detours will be closely monitored for violations. -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:58 PM | Comment Defense casts suspicion on accused murderer's boyfriendWARWICK – The boyfriend of a woman accused of murdering her 19-month-old daughter gave conflicting accounts to the police and children’s services representatives of what happened the night she died, according to Kimberly Mawson’s lawyer. In his opening statements today, Kevin Bristow tried to cast doubt on Mawson’s boyfriend, while the 37-year-old blotted her eyes with a tissue. Prosecutors for the state then called two witnesses – Suzette Works and Amy Rapaport – both nurses at Vernon Pediatrics in Connecticut, who treated the baby, Jade, before she was fatally injured. The jury is set to return at 3:30. On Dec. 2, 2002, the child, Jade, was taken to the hospital after Mawson's boyfriend called. The boyfriend was at home with the child while Mawson was out shopping, the man later told the police. Officers arrived to find the child unconscious in the third-floor apartment at 1730 B Elmwood Ave. She died two days later at Hasbro Children's Hospital of blunt force trauma injuries to her head and body. Mawson moved to Connecticut after the death of her daughter. Mawson waived her right to an extradition hearing when she was arrested in May 2005 after a grand jury handed up a secret indictment. Jade Mawson died of “injuries of the head and torso due to blunt-force trauma,” according to the medical examiner. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney, Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:35 PM | Comment Cicilline in IsraelMayor David N. Cicilline thinks he may have found the place from which to import bioengineering technology: Israel. That’s where he’ll be for the next few days, meeting with mayors from around the world at the 25th annual Jerusalem Conference of Mayors. Speaking from Israel, Cicilline explained: “The purpose is really to introduce people to Jerusalem and to Israel, and for the mayors, this is an opportunity to share best practices.” After a visit to the Hadassah Medical Center and its related Hadasit Ltd, a business incubator for the hospital’s biotechnology and life sciences research, Cicilline said his gears are turning. Phase two trials for many of the developing technologies are shipped out to laboratories across the world; Ohio and Nevada even have field offices in Israel to help lure trials to their state. “That part was really great, especially as we try to cultivate that industry in Providence,” he said. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Yesterday the mayors also visited Yad Sarah, a Non-governmental organization that provides social services. “It’s a very interesting, really comprehensive human services organization,” he said. “People can go there whether they’re Muslim or Christian or Jewish for a variety of services.” And the mayor from Providence even shared something with his fellow mayors. He gave a presentation yesterday – to municipal leaders from Kiev, Ukraine; Bangkok, Thailand; Lima, Peru; and dozens more from around the world, including five other American cities – about the benefits of diversity. “As an American city with a diverse population,” he said, “I shared the ways the city has promoted multiculturism.” So far, the governors have had lunch with former Prime Minister and leader of the Likud party, Benjamin Netanyahu; talked global warming with President Shimon Peres, at his home; and will meet with current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tomorrow. The group is also visiting the Holocaust Memorial and Old City, where the shared histories of three major Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Christianity and Judaism – as well as Armenians are all represented. The meeting, sponsored by the American Jewish Congress-Council for World Jewry and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, runs from Oct. 14 through Oct. 18. Some of the mayors will stay for an extra day or two to visit religious sites. “But I’m coming back,” Cicilline said. “I’ve got a lot to do.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:25 PM | Comment Photo: Injured seal heads back to the sea
Posted by Jack Perry at 2:46 PM | Comment Southern Union indicted in Pawtucket mercury caseSouthern Union Company, the Texas-based former owner of New England Gas Company, was indicted today on charges it illegally stored mercury at a Pawtucket site and failed to report a mercury spill. The alleged illegal storage drew attention in September 2004 when three young people broke into the building and took several containers of liquid mercury. They broke some of the containers, spilling mercury around the facility’s grounds, the indictment alleges. They also took some mercury to a nearby apartment complex, spreading it around the grounds, For about three weeks, mercury puddles remained on the ground at the Tidewater facility. A federal grand jury returned the three-count indictment in U.S. District Court, Providence, today. If convicted on all the charges, the company could face a maximum penalty of more than $67 million, according to a joint news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente and other officials. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney In 2001, Southern Union began a program to remove from customers’ homes gas regulators that contained mercury. Southern Union initially had a contract with an environmental services company to safely remove the mercury from the regulators, which had been used in homes built before the 1960s to control the flow of gas. Southern Union employees brought the regulators to a facility at the end of Tidewater Street in Pawtucket, on the edge of the Seekonk River. The contractor removed the mercury from the regulators, and Southern Union’s environmental coordinator shipped it to a facility for distillation. The indictment alleges that the removal contract expired at the end of 2001 but that New England Gas technicians continued to remove the regulators from customers’ homes. The company allegedly stored the mercury-containing regulators in a vacant building at the Tidewater facility, some of them in plastic kiddie pools. The company also stored liquid mercury in various containers in the building, the indictment alleges, and that mercury came from a variety of sources, including the locker of a company employee who had died. In 2002 through 2004, a local company official wrote requests for proposals -- RFPs -- for removing the mercury that was collecting at the Tidewater facility. But the company allegedly never finalized the RFPs or sought bids. The Tidewater facility was in disrepair and there were gaps in the perimeter fencing, extensive graffiti on vacant buildings, broken windows, and broken doors. In May 2004, the company’s environmental coordinator documented evidence of attempted break-ins at the facility. At three company safety committee meetings in 2004, maintenance employees expressed concern about the facility’s safety, but Southern Union took no action, according to the indictment. In September 2004, the three young people broke into the mercury storage building, took several containers of liquid mercury and spilled mercury. The indictment charges Southern Union with two counts of storing hazardous waste without a permit and one count of failing to notify the appropriate local emergency officials of a hazardous waste spill. If convicted, knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit carries a maximum fine of $50,000 for each day of violation. The indictment alleges the span of the illegal storage in count one, was from Sept. 19, 2002, to Oct. 19, 2004, or 762 days. The alleged duration of count three, which alleges illegal storage of regulators that contained mercury, was from March 25, 2003, to Oct. 19, 2004, or 575 days. At $50,000 per day, the maximum fine for those counts would be $66.85-million. The maximum fine for failing to report a hazardous waste spill is $500,000. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:43 PM | Comment Occupants safely escape Providence fire/ Photo
A call came in at 11:19 a.m. for a fire at 146 Courtland St. The fire was under control by 11:47, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, they saw found the second floor of a three-story multifamily wood-framed house engulfed in flames. Unlike yesterday’s fire, however, no one was injured today. Taylor says the building was occupied, when the call came in, but everyone got out safely. The Red Cross was called, but he is not sure how many people were displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation. An earlier version of the story incorrectly reported the fire as being on the third floor. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:27 PM | Comment Prosecution will call at least 14 witnessesWARWICK -- The prosecution will call at least 14 witnesses to testify in the murder trial of a woman accused of killing her 19-month-old daughter in Warwick, a prosecutor said during opening statements today. Former Warwick resident Kimberly Mawson, 37, is accused of killing her daughter, Jade, in 2002. Thomas O'Brien, a prosecutor for the attorney general's office, said in Kent County Superior Court that witnesses will include Mawson's boyfriend, who initially called the police\rescue personnel, Hasbro Children Hospital doctors and nurses, the medical examiner, and police. The defense will make its opening statement at 1:30 p.m. Seven men and seven women were picked this morning for the jury. Judge Edwin J. Gale directed them not to take notes, but instead focus on the testimony. On Dec. 2, 2002, the child, Jade, was taken to the hospital after Mawson's boyfriend called. The boyfriend was at home with the child while Mawson was out shopping, the man later told the police. Officers arrived to find the child unconscious in the third-floor apartment at 1730 B Elmwood Ave. She died two days later at Hasbro Children's Hospital of blunt force trauma injuries to her head and body. Mawson moved to Connecticut after the death of her daughter. Mawson waived her right to an extradition hearing when she was arrested in May 2005 after a grand jury handed up a secret indictment. Jade Mawson died of “injuries of the head and torso due to blunt-force trauma,” according to the medical examiner. On Monday, the judge told potential jurors that the trial could go for a couple of weeks. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:13 PM | Comment Carcieri tries to drum up support for layoff planPROVIDENCE -- A day after unveiling a broad plan to lay off 414 state workers and cut another 115 temporary employees, Governor Carcieri this morning continued an effort to drum up political support for the plan. He conducted a radio interview just past 8 a.m. and spent nearly an hour on talk radio. Speaking to reporters later in the morning at an unrelated event in the State House, the governor said public reaction to his cost-cutting plan is “what you’d expect.” “People out there, what I call the real world…understand this is a necessary thing,” Carcieri said. Asked why he’s waiting until Nov. 15 to notify the affected state employees, the governor responded: “I appreciate the anxiety. People are concerned as to who’s going to be impacted. We’re trying to do this as fast as possible,” he said. “I would like to do it sooner, but I want it to be done properly. I want those people to hear from their supervisors, their directors. I don’t want them to read about it or hear about it somewhere else. I think that’s a common courtesy that anybody would expect and I want to do that for our employees.” The governor also blasted state Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., who criticized the governor’s press conference yesterday as “a dog and pony show.” In addition to being an elected leader, Tassoni is a paid employee for Council 94, the largest state employee union. “They’re not helping but just attacking me. If they’ve got a better solution, say it. I don’t hear any solutions. All I hear is that the governor doesn’t have a plan. Well, we’ve got a plan. I find it insulting to say it’s a dog and pony show,” Carcieri said. “Part of the problem is exactly that conflict. Here you have a sitting senator who is paid by council 94 that I’m negotiating with. And that they’re going to have to approve or pass some things that affect those people. Those are the kinds of conflicts that have been permeating this building for too long.” Tassoni, reached early this afternoon, took offense to the governor’s comments. He said he never votes on Senate bills directly affecting labor unions. “Shame on him for bringing that up,” Tassoni said. “I’m careful on what I vote on. I don’t want to have an issue with the ethics commission… I’m not up there to cause problems. I have to defend the workers. I have to defend my constituents. And I think I do a damn good job because they voted me in for a fourth straight time.” -- Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:51 PM | Comment Firefighters to be recognizedSix Cranston firefighters will be commended at a ceremony this afternoon. The firefighters, from the Scituate Avenue Fire Station 6, will each be awarded with the Liberty Mutual Heroic Firemark Award, and have their names affixed to a larger plaque in the Liberty Mutual office in Smithfield. The ceremony begins at 3:30 this afternoon at Cranston City Hall Council Chambers. The award is designed to recognize firefighters who have helped save a life without regard for their own safety. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:30 PM | Comment Lt. Gov. Roberts outlines state health-care initiative
"We must cover every single Rhode Islander. We must insist that an insurance card is in each of their hands and we must ensure that access to high quality care is our main focus and attainable goal," Roberts said in remarks prepared for delivery as part of the distinguished lecture series at the University of Rhode Island. The four parts are: * Maintain and strengthen what works in the current system. * Give every Rhode Islander access to health care "through a variety of means." * Contain health-care costs and increase the value of care. * Maintain a system that strengthens hospitals and supports p |
