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« October 4, 2007 | Today | October 9, 2007 » October 5, 2007Off for the Columbus Day holidayThe 7to7 newsblog will be taking a break this Monday, as we observe the Columbus Day holiday. But projo.com will be active in lots of other ways. We'll continue to keep you up to date on the latest sports action, especially the Red Sox and the playoffs, as well as how the Patriots fare on Sunday. Look for a special five-part series this weekend called "Rough Seas" on the state of the fishing industry in Rhode Island. And feel free to answer our surveys, upload your photos and browse as you will. We'll be back on the news blog beat on Tuesday morning.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:15 PM | Comment Tonight: A fret-burner named Vai, with violins, tooSteve Vai, formerly of the late Frank Zappa's band and then a few of those '80s hard rock groups, is set to show off a little fretwork-- probably crossing paths with every fret on the guitar neck by night's end -- tonight at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel. This time around, he's got two violinists playing with him, and his new album has live compositions with orchestra backing electric guitar. Opening for him is Zack Wiesinger, whose bluesy guitar playing includes more than a little theatricality, at least if YouTube videos are any indication. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. Call 331-5876, 272-5876, or go to www.etix.com. $29.50 advance; $34 day of show; $35 reserved. Those who prefer their violins acoustic at all times and sans the distorted guitar must wait 'til next weekend, when the Rhode Island Philharmonic opens its season at Providence Performing Arts Center. Tomorrow, comedian Charlie Hall hosts the Ocean State Follies, playing the role of Rhode Island's newest radio celebrity, Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci, the former mayor who ... well, you know the rest. This time, Hall as Buddy will croon to his old hairpiece, which the former mayor has decided to shed. The follies start at 8 p.m. at Courthouse Center for the Arts, West Kingston. For tickets, go to info@courthousearts.org or call 782-1018. For more of the club scene , check out the projo.com club listings. For more of what's going on this holiday weekend, see projo.com's Lifebeat page and its calendar of events. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment Dunkin' Donuts withdraws glow sticks due to hazardDunkin' Donuts is voluntarily withdrawing 1 million orange glow sticks, saying they were not labeled properly to warn customers of a choking hazard. The cap and lanyard, when dislodged from the glow stick, pose the choking hazard for children under age 3, the company said in a news release today. The company said it has not gotten any complaints or reports of injury. Dunkin' Donuts distributed the glow sticks free with each purchase of a dozen doughnuts or 25- or 50-count box of Munchkins beginning the week of Sept. 24 at participating restaurants around the country. Consumers who have gotten a glow stick should take them from children and get rid of them immediately. For information, call Dunkin' Donuts Consumer Care at (800) 859-5339 or go to www.DunkinDonuts.com. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:06 PM | Comment Christopher Columbus! The Hill's in USA Today's top 10PROVIDENCE -- Federal Hill, where red, white and green stripes being painted on Atwells Avenue make the obvious more obvious, has made USA Today's Top 10 list of America's great Italian neighborhoods. Mayor David N. Cicilline's office issued news release trumpeting the designation -- In just in time for this weekend's Columbus Day festivities. The top-10 listing comes from an interview in today's USA Today's travel section with chef, restaurateur and TV personality Mario Batali, who offers quotes on where to go in each neighborhood around the country. Of Federal Hill, Batali is quoted as saying: "Stop by Scialo Brothers Bakery and then head to Venda Ravioli for a beautiful lunch with fresh pasta made every day from scratch, all served in a delightful little piazza with opera music blaring from tiny speakers in a Fellini-style setting." The item suggests catching a WaterFire -- one of which is indeed on for tomorrow night in downtown Providence. The others in the top 10 are Boston's North End, Murray Hill in Cleveland, Ohio, Little Italty in Manhattan, North Beach in San Francisco, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, Chicago's Little Italy, the 9th Street Italian Market in Philadelphia, the Hill in St. Louis, and San Diego's Little Italy. Yesterday, Cicilline's office announced crews would start painting permenant stripes in the Italian flag's colors down the center of Atwells Avenue starting at 11:30 last night, in time for the Columbus Day parade and festival, which starts tomorrow. Officials will kick off the Columbus Day Parade and Festival tomorrow with opening ceremonies at noon in DePasquale Square, 265 Atwells Ave. The parade is Sunday at noon, heading east on Atwells Avenue to Bradford Street. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:12 PM | Comment No West Nile, EEE in latest R.I. mosquito testsNo West Nile virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis cropped up in test results of samples taken during the week of Sept. 22, the state Department of Environmental Management announced today. Results of 44 mosquito pools from 46 traps set that week came up negative. However, both West Nile and EEE are "firmly established" throughout the state, so disease transmission remains possible, the DEM says in a news release. The mosquito population has dropped significantly, there's less biting going on, and no new mosquitoes are being produced, DEM says. But there will be some mosquito activity, especially during warmer days -- check out today's warm temperatures -- until a hard frost. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:58 PM | Comment Station plaintiffs: Defense can't block special masterPROVIDENCE -- Lawyers for The Station fire victims claim that no one they are suing has standing to object to the court’s appointment of a special master who would help divvy up settlement proceeds among those who lost loved ones or suffered injuries in the nightclub fire. In newly filed papers, they also assert that if a federal judge declines to appoint a special master, the fire victims will have to bear additional costs to get money from parties who have offered to pay them out-of-court settlements, and that it will take longer for them to get paid. A handful of defendants being sued by the fire victims have tentatively agreed to pay $13.5 million to settle the victims’ federal lawsuits. The settlements, if approved by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux, would be the first in what the victims’ lawyers hope will be many with a wide cast of parties -- about 90 all together -- that remain as defendants in the federal civil suits. The victims’ lawyers want Lagueux to appoint Duke Law School Prof. Francis E. McGovern as special master in the case. McGovern has performed similar duties more than 50 times in complex tort cases including the DDT toxic exposure litigation, the Dalkon-Shield 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, McGovern would decide how all of the settlement money would be divided among each of the plaintiffs who suffered injuries in The Station fire. He would interview the victims and their families and then devise a grid that would be used to apportion how much each of them would get. The court would still independently have to approve all settlement offers after determining that they were being made in good faith. Lagueux has scheduled a hearing on McGovern’s appointment for Oct. 18. Lawyers for the fire victims say that if the judge approves McGovern’s hiring, it would provide assurance to the victims and the public “that there will be a recognized, objective and transparent settlement distribution formula in place to ensure that all plaintiffs are treated as fairly and objectively as possible in the resolution of these complex and emotionally-charged claims.” But lawyers representing two foam manufacturers who are being sued -- General Foam and Foamex -- are objecting to the court appointing a special master. They say if the victims want to hire their own consultant to help them divide settlements, they are free to do so but that the court should not be involved. -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton One hundred people died in the fast-moving blaze and more than 200 suffered injuries. The fire began when the tour manager for the rock band Great White set off fireworks inside the club without a permit. Sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited highly flammable polyurethane foam that the owners of the club, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, installed on the walls and ceiling of the club as soundproofing. All three men were prosecuted on involuntary-manslaughter charges. Two were given prison terms, the third, a sentence of community service. In court papers filed with Lagueux this week, the victims’ lawyers say that hiring McGovern independently -- without court oversight -- would be detrimental to their clients. Since there are many minors suing for damages, as well as estates of people who died, Lagueux and a raft of probate judges will have to determine if the proposed settlements are in the best interest of the deceased and their surviving children. If McGovern isn’t appointed by Lagueux, they say, his efforts in developing a grid for settlement distributions “would have to be duplicated by a multitude of specially appointed guardians ad litem for all minor plaintiffs and many of the estates and potentially by the court itself.” The victims’ lawyers assert that they have “built-in conflicts of interest” in allocating settlement funds and that they need to have an independent, court-approved master who would decide what each person should get. They say it would be unethical for them to decide what each of their clients should receive from the settlement money because they each represent more than one victim and their job is to ensure that each client gets the maximum amount possible. Having an independent, court-authorized third-party decide what each victim should receive, based on a grid, would be the fairest and most objective way of distributing the money, they argue. They point out that of the approximately 90 defendants they are suing, only two -- General Foam and Foamex -- are objecting to McGovern’s appointment by the court. And they contend that none of the parties they are suing has a legal right to object. The victims lawyers say that if Lagueux appoints the special master, it will not entangle him in any fee disputes, nor will it cost the defendants any money. Any fees charged by McGovern would be paid by the plaintiffs, they say. The defendants who have offered tentative settlements thus 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 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 Mike McKinney at 3:15 PM | Comment Embezzlement alleged at Johnston ChurchJOHNSTON — An allegation of embezzlement at St. Rocco Church is being investigated by state police detectives, authorities said today. “A matter has been referred to us and we are reviewing it,” said state police Capt. Stephen J. Lynch. Lynch said the matter had been referred to detectives in mid-September. He declined to say who had made the allegation or to comment on the scope of the alleged embezzlement. The church’s pastor, Rev. Charles Zanoni, acknowledged the case, but limited his comment, directing a reporter to the diocese’s public relations staff. "Once we had a suspicion we referred it to the chancery office,” he said. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:44 PM | Comment Peace Dale bridge set to open tomorrowThe Peace Dale Stone Arch Bridge is set to reopen to traffic tomorrow by 3:30 p.m. The bridge, which carries Route 108 over the Saugatucket River in South Kingstown, was closed nine weeks ago after a consulting engineer raised concerns about its integrity. Built in the late 1800s, the stone bridge was widened in the 1920s with concrete that had no steel reinforcement. As water made its way through the cracks, holes developed. And the posted weight limit -- 15 tons, which was reduced to 10 tons in February -- was not adhered to. As part of the repairs, an aluminum liner was added underneath the bridge and connected to the existing structure. The concrete barrier above the bridge was replaced and the walls were restored. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:39 PM | Comment Grant to help local children with parents behind barsA local group that works with children who have parents in jail or prison has been awarded a grant worth more than $350,000. Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education will receive $120,000 per year from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children Youth and Families. The money will be put towards a program that matches mentors with children whose parents are incarcerated. “We are thrilled with the opportunities that this crucial funding represents to so many children throughout Rhode Island,” the group’s executive director, Jennifer Shimkus said in a statement. The organization also works with schools across the state to provide scholarships. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:35 PM | Comment DOT's Parker retiring in wake of probePROVIDENCE – Edmund T. Parker, the chief engineer at the state Department of Transportation who was placed on paid leave from his $147,456 a year job in June amid inquiries into his role in securing a $9 million contract for a relative, is retiring. In a statement issued this morning, DOT Director Jerome Williams said Parker had “been asked to return to work’’ but chose to retire. Williams also said: “The State Police informed RIDOT that based on their investigation, RIDOT’s Chief Engineer Edmund T. Parker, Jr. was not a target of any criminal wrongdoing.’’ State police were unavailable for immediate comment, and DOT spokeswoman Dana Nolfe did not respond to inquiries about what Williams meant since it had never been suggested that Parker had been the target of a crime. Williams was also unavailable to comment on what he learned from state auditors, the state police or his internal investigation that prompted him to ask Parker to return. But he said: “RIDOT recognizes the 37 years of service that Ed Parker gave the State of Rhode Island.” Parker has worked for the DOT since he was first hired as an associate civil engineer in November 1971. He was placed on leave on June 14 amid a widening state and federal probe of the state road-building agency’s contracting practices. Williams, a former deputy director in the Department of Administration who took over the DOT’s reins in late December, said he placed Parker, 60, on an indefinite, paid leave because it seemed prudent to do so while there is a state police investigation into "areas where he is directly involved." Speaking at an impromptu news conference that day, Governor Carcieri confirmed that he had asked both the state police and the state’s top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente, to investigate "potential wrongdoing’’ at the DOT. Extra: Read a a special projo.com report on the probe at the DOT. -- Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:57 PM | Comment A.G. Lynch warns against Hannah Montana scamsA week ago today, people were preparing to camp out in chairs in Providence to buy tickets the next morning to the December Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus concert at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Today, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch issued a statement warning Rhode Islanders to be wary of scams and ticket scalping for the upcoming show by the Disney Channel performer popular with the younger set. Concerns about online ticket sales have been making national headlines. “With Hannah Montana coming to Providence during the height of the holiday season, parents and other adults intent on giving kids these coveted tickets as presents may decide to splurge,” Lynch said. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of people on the streets, and probably even more online, using unscrupulous means to make money on these tickets at the expense of others.” The Dec. 20 show is sold out, and Lynch's office said state law bans resale at prices more than 10 percent, or $3 above, the price printed on the ticket, including tax. Someone found guilty of the misdemeanor faces up to a $1,000 fine for each offense. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Officials from Lynch's office, including from the his Consumer Protection Unit, have met with Dunkin’ Donuts Center officials to "address issues arising from the frenzy to obtain Hannah Montana tickets. Also, Lynch’s office has been monitoring the problems that other prosecution offices have encountered nationwide related to the teen pop star’s sold-out 54-date tour," the statement says. Guidelines to follow: * Buy tickets to an event, at the box office or via the authorized online vendor, with a credit card, rather than using cash or a check, to create an electronic paper trail in case the tickets' validity is questioned. * Buy tickets directly from the box office or an authorized online system to ensure refunds are available to you in case a show is cancelled. Refunds aren’t part of the package, or guaranteed, Lynch said, if tickets are bought at an online marketplace site. * The general rule of “if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is" applies, since tickets offered for resale are not always legitimate. Some tickets offered for resale online may not exist at all. Any tickets offered for resale can be counterfeit, and tickets for phantom seats can also enter into play. Check the seating chart to see that that rows and seats printed on the tickets exist. Consumers with questions or concerns are urged to call the attorney general’s consumer protection unit at 274-4400. Press 1 at the first prompt for English or 2 for Spanish, then 1 at the second prompt. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:47 PM | Comment Golf fundraiser for Providence family to get under wayREHOBOTH, Mass. -- They're teeing off at Hillside Country Club this afternoon to raise money for the Jimenez family of Providence, who lost 8-year-old son Ivan last month to a hit-and-run driver and whose other son was injured in the incident. Eric Jimenez, 12, has been recovering from injuries at Rhode Island Hospital and his mother, Elizabeth, said recently that it's expected he will need rehabilitation at a Boston facility after Rhode Island Hospital. The expenses, she and Providence City Councilman Leon Tejada said, will add up. Today's first annual Ivan Jimenez Memorial Golf Tournament, $100 per person at the country club, is meant to raise money for the family. The tournament fee had to be paid in full by yesterday, according to the flyer describing the event. The event also solicited for sponsors. Dennis Cherry, who is accused of the hit-and-run, gave himself up to police last month. Tejada had also announced a memorial fund set up for the family. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:41 PM | Comment 3 former Duke lacrosse players sue prosecutorGREENSBORO, N.C. -- Three former Duke lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape are suing former prosecutor Mike Nifong and the city of Durham. The three had been accused of raping a woman who'd been hired to perform as a stripper at a lacrosse team party, but charges were later dropped. Reade Seligmann, one of the falsely accused players, transferred to Brown University to play lacrosse for the Bears. The team's former coach, Mike Pressler, became the coach at Bryant University in Smithfield after he was forced to resign from Duke in April 2006. Brown and Bryant lacrosse teams will be playing each other this Sunday as part of a fall tournament at Brown. -- The Associated Press, with projo.com staff reports The civil lawsuit names Nifong and 13 other individual defendants, including police detectives who investigated the case. Two sources close to the case have told The Associated Press that the suit was filed about a month after city officials met with lawyers for the families seeking a $30 million settlement and several legal reforms. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:35 PM | Comment Weekend weather: Warm temps and, finally, some rainPatience with the fog has paid off. It’s cleared and left in its wake partly sunny skies (or partly cloudy, depending on how you look at it). And a much higher temperature than anyone could possibly expect as we head into the long Columbus Day weekend. The National Weather Service forecast predicts temps will hold steady in the low 80s until about 8 p.m. when the temperature should drop to 70 and reach an overnight low of about 63 degrees. Tomorrow should look a lot like today – foggy, then partly cloudy – but with the temperature barely reaching 80 degrees. There’s a 20 percent chance of showers in the evening. Possibly another rainy night tomorrow; temperatures will drop through the 60s overnight, bottoming out at 50 early Monday morning. Clouds are expected to hang around all day Sunday, when the high temperature won’t get much warmer than 60 degrees. Forecasting Columbus Day weather is a stretch, but it’s looking like more of the same mix of rain, clouds and a bit of sun with fall-like temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s. Maybe a few drops will help Rhode Island’s foliage prospects. With the exception of a few maples, the leaves have yet to turn around most of the state. In some places, there's no color show – just dry, dead leaves falling. Get the latest weather forecasts, and check on foliage reports around New England as part of projo.com's Fall Guide. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:36 PM | Comment DCYF head disputes report on foster-parent supportThe state Department of Children, Youth and Families director this morning criticized a national study that found Rhode Island government's reimbursement rates for foster parents are below those in Massachusetts and Connecticut. DCYF Director Patricia Martinez said in a statement that the report did not account for several other kinds of payments made by DCYF to foster parents. The report, by the National Foster Parent Association, Children Rights, a child advocacy group, relied only on DCYF's "standard board rate" in figuring Rhode Island's support for foster families, DCYF counters. The study says Rhode Island foster parents receive monthly rates of $463 for children from birth to age 3, $454 for childrren 4 to 11, and $543 from ages 12 to 18. The national average is $479 monthly for children between birth and 3, $501 for ages 4 to 11 and $559 for those ages 12 and up. The average monthly payment to Rhode Island foster parents is actually closer to $729.39 when all financial support is accounted for, DCYF says. In Connecticut, the report says, foster parents are paid $756 monthly for children from birth to to age 3, $767 for children ages 4 to 11 and $834 for children over 12. In Massachusetts, it's $490 monthly for children from birth to age 3, $531 for those ages 3 to 11 and $616 for children over 12, the report says DCYF's statement does not say whether the same additional financial supports for fosters parents its cites are exclusive to Rhode Island or would be found -- and therefore added to -- the numbers in other states. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney “We all agree that foster parents should be compensated fairly,” Martinez said in the statement. “Foster parents have earned our praise and our gratitude for caring for many of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable children. They are the backbone of the child welfare system. "The issue in the report, however, is in how to calculate what is included in that compensation. Financial support for foster parents goes beyond the standard foster board payment.” “For instance, the report incorrectly states that the standard board rate is intended to cover regular ongoing expenses such as clothing,” Martinez said. “However, the department actually pays ongoing clothing allowances to all children in DCYF foster care totaling between $300 and $750 per year (in 3 installments), depending upon the age of the child. Inclusion of the clothing allowance increases DCYF's average board rate to $530 per month from $438.” “The department needs more time to further analyze the data to make sure that other important sources of DCYF support have not been similarly overlooked,” Martinez stated. “Nevertheless, as DCYF continues to transform the system, supports for foster families are an important part of the equation and part of the ongoing conversation with the Rhode Island Foster Parents Association.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:55 AM | Comment State urges safe disposal of mercury thermometersHere’s a safe way to get rid of mercury in the home without sending it to the landfill, where it could contaminate the ground and on-site workers. The state Department of Health is implementing a Mercury Thermometer Exchange and Thermostat Disposal Program. Residents can drop off their old mercury thermometers (no digital products) Oct. 13 at the Cranston Fire Department, or check out the Rhode Island Resource Recovery guide to properly disposing of toxic materials. Exposure to mercury can cause developmental damage in children and can impair the immune system, liver or kidney function in people of all ages. Bring your used thermometer to the Cranston Fire Department, 160 Sockanosset Cross Rd., from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Oct. 13 and exchange it for a coupon to CVS/Pharmacy. You can buy a new mercury-free thermometer, or save the coupon and check the temperature at projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:11 AM | Comment Kraft recalls baking squaresKraft Foods is recalling a dessert product because of possible salmonella contamination. Customers should not use the 6 ounce containers of Baker’s Premium White Chocolate Baking Squares with a UPC Code 0043000252200 and the following “best when used by” dates: 01 MAR 2008 xcz Fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps are all symptoms of the foodborne illness salmonella bacteria can cause. In people with poor health or with weak immune systems, the bacteria can cause life-threatening infections. For more information from the company, including how to receive reimbursements, call 1-800-310-3704. For information about other recalled products, visit the Food and Drug Administration’s safety recall Web site. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:34 AM | Comment R.I. Hospital gets $5 million to prepare for emergenciesRhode Island Hospital is receiving $5 million from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen and develop its emergency preparedness systems. The hospital is one of five in the country to receive the 2007 Healthcare Facilities Emergency Care Partnership Program. “The grant will allow us to work with key state agencies and hospitals around the state to further strengthen emergency preparedness and ensure communications during major events,” hospital interim president and chief executive officer George Vecchione said in a statement. “Ultimately, this will lead to improved medical care in emergency situations.” The state Department of Health, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and other offices will coordinate the one-year grant’s administration. Its main goals are: - To establish an electronic patient tracking system for daily and emergency use. Patient tracking was identified as an area of concern in a study of The Station nightclub fire response. - To develop an emergency communications systems for each hospital. - To expedite compliance with the national Incident Management System which, when completed, will give hospitals and emergency responders a way to communicate in case of a disaster. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:44 AM | Comment Man jailed for 63 months in glass-eating fraud schemeBOSTON -- A man was sentenced yesterday to more than five years in jail for his role in a multistate insurance fraud scheme in which federal prosecutors said he and his wife intentionally ate glass fragments and collected more than $200,000 in compensation. Ronald Evano, 49, also was ordered to repay $340,000 for his role in defrauding restaurants, grocery stores, insurers, hospitals and doctors in the scheme in which he and his wife claimed that there was glass in the food they ate. The couple claimed that the glass was in food they had eaten at restaurants and grocery stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and Washington D.C. Prosecutors say Evano and his wife, Mary, who remains a fugitive, filed fraudulent insurance claims worth more than $200,000 and incurred more than $100,000 in unpaid medical bills in several states between 1997 and 2005. -- The Associated Press In August, Evano pleaded guilty in federal court to 20 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, identity theft, making false statements on health care matters and Social Security fraud. Prosecutors dropped four counts of identity fraud and health care fraud in the plea agreement. An arrest warrant was issued last year for Mary Evano on the same charges as her husband. Prosecutors said the two were treated at hospitals for glass ingestions at least a dozen times. They allegedly collected payments from insurance companies but never paid their hospital bills. Evano asked the judge for mercy, saying in court that he and his wife are members of the minority Roma community, and needed the money to pay for dowries and other costs associated with the marriages of his sons under cultural practices. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:18 AM | Comment Will Cape house alter 'Hopper Landscape?'BARNSTABLE, Mass. -- A Cape Cod planning agency has agreed to review plans for a house that would alter a landscape that once inspired painter Edward Hopper. The 6-4 vote by the Cape Cod Commission means the agency could limit the size and location of the proposed 6,500 square foot house on nine acres in Truro. But the agency has said it doesn't intend to stop or stall the project. Donald and Andrea Kline want to build the house on a hill overlooking Cape Cod Bay. Hopper saw the same view from his summer cottage, and for 70 years, the landscape has been unchanged. -- The Associated Press Neighbors have objected both to the size of the proposed house and how it might alter the "Hopper Landscape." Donald Kline says the home is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:10 AM | Comment City fire leaves five homelessNo one was seriously injured in a residential fire in Providence last night, but five people were left without a place to sleep. A call for a possible kitchen fire came in at about 9:30 last night, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. When fire and rescue arrived, he said, there was heavy fire on the first floor of the building at 942 Douglas Ave. The blaze was under control just after 10 p.m., Taylor said. Five people were evacuated from the two-story, wood frame building and taken in by the Red Cross. Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:48 AM | Comment All about fog with fog all aboutCar accidents, frizzy hair and a general yucky feeling; byproducts of those low-lying familiar fall clouds known as fog. Morning fog is fairly common after the longer, clear fall nights, when leftover summer heat, stored in the ground, can escape the atmosphere without getting bounced around by clouds or counterbalanced by sunlight. Your turn: How foggy was it this morning? That lost heat causes the temperature near the ground to drop rapidly, bringing it closer to the dew point. This morning, at 5 a.m., the temperature in Providence was 61 degrees, the dew point 59 and the fog, thick as molasses. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:14 AM | Comment Warm, dry conditions delay trout stockingPROVIDENCE --The unusually warm and dry start to fall may set back Rhode Island trout fishermen a bit. The Department of Environmental Management says it has been forced to delay trout stocking because the water is too warm and too low in most rivers and lakes. Only the Wood River, with its cool water and rapid flow, has been stocked before the Columbus Day weekend. The agency says it still expects some 20 other rivers and lakes to be stocked with about 10,000 trout before the end of October. Temperatures in much of Rhode Island are expected to once again top 80 degrees today. Forecasters say a cooling trend will begin on Sunday and next week should feel more like fall. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:27 AM | Comment Khrushchev's son: Soviets won space raceCHICAGO -- A celebrated American astronaut and the son of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agree that the launch of the first man-made satellite 50 years ago this week was an influential event in both their lives. But when Jim Lovell and Sergei Khrushchev met yesterday in Chicago to mark the anniversary of that event they diverged on the question of which country won the space race launched by Sputnik I. The 73-year-old Khrushchev, now an American citizen and a professor at Brown University, put it in terms of a game score. "The Soviets won 3 to 1," he told The Associated Press. "The Soviets launched the first Sputnik, the first man in space, the first manned space station. ... Americans have one victory: The man on the moon." Khrushchev was at Chicago's Adler Planetarium on yesterday, 50 years to the day that the shiny, basketball-sized orbital broke the bounds of Earth's gravitational pull. One of the people who greeted Khrushchev was Lovell, whose leadership of the Apollo 13 mission was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the movie of the same name. In a separate interview Thursday, with Khrushchev standing nearby, the 79-year-old Lovell took issue with the notion of a Soviet space-race win. "Well, I kind of think that, eventually, we came out on top," Lovell said. "If you say landing on the moon is the finish line, we did (win). The Russians tried very desperately to land on the moon ... but failed." Both men say Oct. 4, 1957 - the day the U.S.-Soviet race began in earnest with Sputniks launch - remains fresh in their minds. Sergei Khrushchev and his father Nikita were staying at a Czarist-era palace in the western part of the Soviet Union when they got a call from a space official saying Sputnik was circling the globe. "My father had a smile on his face. He was very proud. We were all very proud," said Khrushchev, who, with his round head and thinning hair looks strikingly similar to his father. A few hours later, they huddled excitedly around a radio to hear the satellite transmitting steady beeping sounds as it went by miles above them. Later that day, thousands of miles away in Milwaukee, young naval officer Lovell stepped outside as news broke of the successful Soviet launch. In amazement, he looked toward the sky to see Sputnik's spent rocket booster - lit by the late-evening sun - that also orbited the globe. For Lovell and other Americans, word that the Soviets had beaten the Americans into space came as a shock. "I kept saying, 'We got all these supposedly technical people, how come the Russians could suddenly put a satellite in an orbit and we can't do that?'" Lovell recalled. Lovell said he's convinced the U.S. could have put a satellite into space two years before the Soviets using military rocket technology. But he said President Eisenhower at the time did not want to employ military hardware for that task. As it was, the United States put its first satellite in space four months after Sputnik. Eleven years later, the Americans landed on the moon. "It bothered my father that the U.S. got to the moon first," Khrushchev said. "He intended to go to the moon, but he didn't want to pay for it. Putting money in Soviet agriculture and housing was a bigger priority." Both Lovell and Khrushchev were quick to say that Sputnik and Cold War space race changed their lives forever. Sputnik, which spent about three months in orbit before burning up in the atmosphere, inspired Khrushchev to pursue his studies in science; in the late 1950s and into the 1960s, he worked in the Soviet space and missile programs. Lovell readily credits Sputnik for inspiring him and the whole country to push harder for successes in space. "If it wasn't for Sputnik, we never would have gone to the moon when we did," he said. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment High today in the mid 80sThe fog should lift in a few hours and the sun should make an appearance, according to the National Weather Service. The high temperature should reach the mid 80s. The clouds should return tonight and the low should be about 60. Saturday is looking sunny with a high temperature in the low 80s. There's a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms in the evening and an overnight low near 57. There may be more rain in store Sunday morning. The clouds will stick around during the day and the temperature should reach the mid 60s. There's an overnight low of 51 with possible late-night rain. Columbus day is looking rainy as well with fog and clouds in the morning and a high near 70. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features photographs of the Route 195 relocation project and a story about the concern over Governor Carcieri's plans to cut 1,000 state jobs and $100 million in programs and benefits. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006