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« November 1, 2007 | Today | November 5, 2007 » November 2, 2007Tonight: The music of traditional Chinese instrumentsYou can hear music played on traditional Chinese instruments tonight at the University of Rhode Island's Fine Arts Center. The concert of traditional and contemporary music starts at 8. The Fine Arts Center is on Upper College Road in Kingston. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. Call (401) 874-2627 or visit www.uri.edu/greatperformances. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Update: Noel's remnants to hit with powerful windsRemains of Hurricane Noel are projected to whip into a powerful ocean storm tomorrow, throwing rain and winds of 30 to 40 mph -- and possible gusts of 60 mph -- at parts of Rhode Island, which could take down trees and power lines and damage property. In a 4:28 p.m. National Weather Service update today, the strongest winds are forecast for late morning through afternoon. The high winds are expected to subside during early evening as winds shift to the northwest. In the Boston-to-Providence corridor, sustained north-to-northeast winds could rev up to 30 to 40 mph with possible afternoon gusts of 60 mph, the current forecast says. Winds will be somewhat lesser in inland areas, but damaging winds "are still possible as far west as western Rhode Island and the Merrimack Valley," the forecast said. Coastal flooding is expected, and a flood watch has been issued for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency announced today. Rhode Island can expect two to four inches of rain tomorrow, the EMA said, and urban-area flooding is a concern. "Rivers are low right now so there is less of a concern about rivers overflowing," Pam Pogue, state flood plain manager, said in the EMA statement. "The major concern is stormwater run-off. Storm drains also just simply may not be able to handle the run-off fast enough." But the most powerful surf is expected on Cape Cod and the Islands in Massachusetts. The most punishing winds are projected to strike from Mattapoisett to Plymouth -- sustained winds around 40 mph and gusts peaking at up to 70 mph, the National Weather Service said. The Coast Guard has warned mariners the storm will generate 80-knot winds and high seas. According to its statement, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency will activate the state emergency operations center to monitor Noel and the state's response to it. The NationalHurricane Center includes an evening update on the status of Hurricane Noel, packing 80 mph winds, as it marches north. Noel, a category one hurricane, was responsible for scores of deaths in the Caribbean. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney and The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment Update: Rt. 95 closure in Conn. may continue tomorrowEAST LYME, Conn. -- A fatal accident in southeastern Connecticut forced the shutdown of a key highway in the Northeast today, and transportation officials warned it might not fully reopen until early Saturday. The accident on southbound Interstate 95 involving a tanker, tractor-trailer and four cars happened around 10:20 a.m., the police said. Three people were killed and three others were taken to area hospitals, the police said. "It's a significant accident," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman. The state police said witnesses told them the tanker was northbound when the driver lost control and drove through the guardrail, over the median and into southbound traffic. Officials said the tanker truck, which was carrying about 8,500 gallons of home heating oil, jackknifed and landed on its side. Firefighters sprayed foam as a precaution in a fuel spill, and state environmental officials were sent to assess cleanup needed at the site. -- The Associated Press The interstate is the main artery that connects New York, Providence and Boston in the region. The accident site is near the state's two large casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino. Kevin Nursick, a spokesman for Connecticut's Department of Transportation, said its crews would assess damage to the road only after the police complete their investigation. "It's hard to tell at this point what repairs might be needed," he said. "We don't want to be under foot trying to assess roadway conditions while they're still trying to investigate this tragic accident." All lanes in both directions remained closed as the afternoon rush hour picked up. Some or all lanes could remain closed through midnight or even into early Saturday depending on the length of the investigation and severity of the roadway damage, Nursick said. Authorities also shut Interstate 395 from exit 77 south to I-95 and a portion of Route 1. The state police urged drivers to avoid the area if possible. East Lyme High School canceled all after-school activities, including a play and a football game, because of traffic. Phyllis Martino of Wallingford was en route to a job interview at Foxwoods when she saw the accident. She told The Day of New London that the tanker truck was driving north, tailgating a minivan and swerving in and out of traffic until it hit a guardrail, lost control and crossed the median into oncoming traffic. The tanker truck is owned by Northeast Carriers LLC, which had a satisfactory rating, the highest possible, from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. A message seeking comment was left with Northeast Carriers.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:40 PM | Comment Update: Martineau pleads guilty to corruption chargesPROVIDENCE -- Former House Majority Leader Gerard M. Martineau pleaded guilty today in federal court to public corruption charges, admitting he steered the fates of legislation to benefit companies with which he had $900,000 worth of contracts to sell paper and plastic bags. Under a plea agreement, Martineau, 49, admitted to two felony counts of honest-services mail fraud in U.S. District Court. Honest-services mail fraud is defined as using the mail to deprive Rhode Island citizens of their right to honest services. Martineau's sentencing is slated for Feb. 22. Martineau was paid $175,500 by Blue Cross for 10 million paper bags, but delivered fewer than 2 million. He also got more than $715,000 in commissions from 1999 to 2002 for selling paper and plastic bags to CVS. A former Democratic state representative from Woonsocket for 16 years, Martineau faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $1.8 million. He is the second official, after former state Sen. John A. Celona, to admit to corruption charges, and the seventh person charged in the probe of alleged State House influence-peddling known as Operation Dollar Bill.
Prosecutor Gerard B. Sullivan said at the plea hearing that the government could prove that Martineau, operating as the Upland Group, arranged to sell paper prescription bags to the health insurance company for use as promotional items, and plastic and paper bags to the pharmacy company for merchandising purposes. He then used his position to affect the outcome of legislation, Sullivan said. The health insurer and pharmacy opposed the "Pharmacy Freedom of Choice" legislation, which would have opened to other pharmacies a closed prescription network that the companies controlled. The U.S. Attorney's office said Martineau never disclosed to the public his conflicts of interest with the pharmacy and the health insurer. Martineau, through the Upland Group, billed Blue Cross/Blue Shield for paper bags in lots of one and three million, at $19,500 per million. On occasions in December 1998, December 2000 and December 2001, he billed the company days or weeks before the legislative session's start.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:30 PM | Comment Attleboro man arraigned after motel shootingJOHNSTON -- A 19-year-old Attleboro, Mass., man faces felony gun charges in the wake of a shooting incident yesterday at a Hartford Avenue motel. Corey Devaney is accused of shooting an 18-year-old Pawtucket man with a .25 caliber handgun sometime after midnight, said Deputy Police Chief Gary W. Maddocks Jr. Devaney was arraigned this morning in the Third Division District Court in Cranston and held without bail as a fugitive from justice in the Attleboro case, Maddocks said. His arraignment in Superior Court is scheduled for Dec. 14. Both the victim and Devaney’s girlfriend told detectives that the gun was fired accidentally, during horseplay in a motel room sometime between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday, Maddocks said. “The circumstances seem odd,” he said. “We’re investigating it.” Authorities did not learn about the shooting until staff at Pawtucket Memorial Hospital reported that Devaney had come to the hospital with a gunshot wound. Shortly after receiving a call from Pawtucket police, Johnston detectives found Devaney in a room at the Bel-Aire Motor Inn early yesterday afternoon, Maddocks said. They also found a pellet gun that looks like a Glok handgun, he said. Later on, he said, they found the .25 caliber handgun that was used in the shooting and a stolen sawed-off shotgun hidden in the woods behind the motel at 2154 Hartford Ave. Investigators also learned that Devaney and some of his associates, including his girlfriend, Danielle Morin, 18, of Attleboro, Mass., and the victim, Nicholas Morre, had been staying in the motel for more than two weeks, Maddocks said. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Prior to Thursday, he said, Attleboro police had issued an arrest warrant charging Devaney with malicious damage and disorderly conduct. He was charged with possessing a stolen firearm, possession of a sawed-off shotgun and discharging a firearm in a compact area, Maddocks said. Police still have a lot of questions about the situation, he said. “What are these kids doing in this room with these weapons?” he said. “What were they going to do?” Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:12 PM | Comment Glocester police seek help in hit-and-run incidentGLOCESTER --The police today are asking the public to figure out who hit and injured a woman on Putnam Pike early yesterday morning. Kathleen Munroe, 26, of Glocester, is in serious condition after initially being in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. The hit and run happened at about 1:10 a.m. yesterday on Putnam Pike between Cady's Tavern and the George Washington Management area offices, the police said in a news release. Munroe was found in the westbound breakdown lane near the entrance to the George Washington Management Area. She had been walking west on Putnam Pike before the incident. When Munroe was found, wearing blue Jeans, a denim jacket and brown work boots, there were no cars in the immediate area and the police got no calls from anyone reporting the incident. The police ask that anyone with information contact the Glocester police. Sgt. Charles Entwistle is leading the investigation and information and tips should be referred to him. Glocester police are at (401) 568-2533. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:06 PM | Comment Former Rep. Martineau pleads guiltyPROVIDENCE -- A former high-ranking state lawmaker pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges this afternoon in U.S. District Court, Providence. Former House Majority Leader Gerard Martineau, 49, a former representative from Woonsocket, has admitted that he pushed the legislative agenda of two large companies while accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in business from them. Martineau pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud. He was released until sentencing, which is scheduled for February 22. Martineau had previously signed a plea agreement, in which he acknowledged selling 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. Martineau, 49, a former Democratic state representative from Woonsocket for 16 years, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $1.8 million — twice the amount of the gain — on each count. While doing business with the companies, he worked to kill legislation that both companies opposed. One bill that repeatedly died in his committee would have given customers more choice in where to get their prescriptions filled. Read a previous story on Martineau's arraignment. -- The Associated Press and Journal archival reports Posted by Jack Perry at 3:01 PM | Comment Amgen seeks applicants for science teaching awardPROVIDENCE -- Drugmaker Amgen Inc. is calling for applications for its annual Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence award. The award recognizes "extraordinary science teachers at the K-12 level for their significant impact to science teaching and their students." The company started giving the awards 17 years ago in an effort to improve science excellence in public and private schools. In all, the company, which operates its largest production facility in West Greenwich, has awarded more than $1.7 million to teachers. In Rhode Island, four teachers next year will receive a $5,000 award, and their schools will receive a $5,000 grant to help expand science programs, according to Christina Evon, an Amgen spokeswoman. Twenty seven other teachers, in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Washington, and Canada will also receive awards next year. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:01 PM | Comment Pair sentenced for writing false steroids prescriptionsPROVIDENCE -- A doctor and former doctor were sentenced this morning for writing false prescriptions for steroids and human growth hormone. Ana Maria Santi, 69, a former doctor of New York, was sentenced to two years in prison, and Dr. Victor Mariani, 73, also of New York, was placed on home confinement for one year. The two had previously pleaded guilty to charges in U.S. District Court, Providence. In July, Santi pleaded guilty to conspiracy, drug distribution, and health care fraud. In March, Mariani admitted to conspiracy and distributing steroids and hGH. Santi had written thousands of false prescriptions across the country, including hundreds in Rhode Island, according to prosecutors. In talking about the danger of steroids during Santi's sentencing hearing, prosecutor Adi Goldstein, an assistant U.S. attorney, said that Mariani had prescribed steroids for James Proulx, the Smithfield man accused of punching and seriously injuring Rhode Island State Trooper Brendan Doyle in June. Later this morning, Mariani was sentenced to 12 months home confinement on electronic monitoring, followed by two years of probation. He’s only allowed to leave his home to attend church and medical appointments, go to work, and perform community service – 10 hours a month for three years. He must also pay a $6,000 fine, $2,600 for a special mandatory assessment, and forfeit the $34,000 he earned from writing the prescriptions.
Both the federal prosecutor and the doctor’s lawyer asked the judge for leniency in sentencing, because Mariani is elderly and in poor health. He’d cooperated with law enforcement in the investigation, Goldstein said, and there was no fear that he’d return to his crimes. U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith agreed. “I think he was clearly used in this case by unscrupulous individuals,” Smith said. When questioned by the judge, Mariani halted at times, unable to hear. His lawyers whispered the judge’s questions in the doctor’s ear, and then fitted him with earphones that didn’t seem to help. In a voice with an accent at times difficult to understand, Mariani said that he’d asked some people – unclear who he’d asked – about whether it was OK for him to write prescriptions for patients he wasn’t seeing. Another physician was seeing them, he said, and then telling him what prescriptions to write. “They said, It’s OK. It’s OK,” the doctor said. His license to prescribe medicine was retired in March, but he still has a license to practice medicine. Now, Mariani said, he was working part-time in a private office, practicing medicine. At that, Goldstein asked the judge to have Mariani surrender his medical license. “It’s an honor he forfeited,” she said. But Smith stopped short, saying he would leave that issue up to the New York board. Instead, the judge forbid Mariani to reinstate his license to prescribe medicine. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:36 PM | Comment Photo: Does anybody know what time it is?
Posted by Jack Perry at 2:20 PM | Comment Iway opening is on for Sunday ... at least for nowThough powerful winds and rainfall are in the forecast for tomorrow, the opening of part of the Iway -- the Route 195 relocation -- to cars and trucks is on for Sunday, at least at this point. "As far as we're concerned, we're still looking to have the road opened by Sunday morning," said Dana Nolfe, spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation. "We'll have to play it by ear, but our goal is to go ahead." Things could change over the weekend depending on what happens. Part of the new, one-mile section of Route 195 and the Providence River Bridge are currently slated to open Sunday morning at 10. The most recent forecast said winds may subside in the early evening tomorrow. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:20 PM | Comment Gas leak at Coventry School reported, resolvedCOVENTRY — A gas leak caused by a badly rusted pipe attached to a heating unit forced the temporary evacuation of about 50 people at the Our Lady of Czestochowa School just before noon, but everyone has since been allowed back in, the police said. Roughly six to eight maintenance workers were repairing the school’s roof at 222 MacArthur Blvd. near the rusted pipe, causing it to give way around 11:36 a.m., said Central Coventry Chief Robert Setlzer. No one was hurt. Central Coventry Fire District and Anthony District were called to scene. National Grid shut off the gas, Seltzer said. The pipe and heating unit should be replaced by Monday, Seltzer said. Firefighters determined the building was gas-free and warm enough for students to return. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:00 PM | Comment Damaging winds could strike tomorrowDamaging winds could bully broad swaths of Rhode Island and especially eastern Massachusetts tomorrow, when remains of Hurricane Noel are expected to brew into a strong coastal storm. The National Weather Service forecast, updated at 11:21 a.m., says a high wind watch is in effect from tomorrow morning into the evening. That means "potential exists for strong damaging winds to develop" -- winds that could take down trees and power lines, the weather service forecast says. The online weather service map shows Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts covered in purple -- storm warning -- and brown, for high winds. The winds are predicted to taper off during the early evening. In southern New England, winds are expected to pick up late tomorrow morning with gusts up to 60 miles per hour possible as far west as Westerly. The storm could drop one to two inches of rain on the Ocean State. The National Hurricane Center cautions “there is still some uncertainty as to the exact track of this storm.”
Noel, a category one hurricane, is responsible for more than 100 deaths in the Caribbean. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney and The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:22 PM | Comment Recalled: This pizza will make you sickA staple of dorm life is the subject of the latest food recall. More than three million pounds of frozen Totino’s and Jeno’s Crisp ‘N Tasty Pizza products may be contaminated with E. Coli. Pepperoni pizzas subject to recall have the establish number "EST. 7750" inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a "best if used by" date on or before "02 APR 08 WS." To see exactly which varieties have been recalled, click below. • 10.2-ounce packages of "Totino's The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza Pepperoni." Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:06 PM | Comment Route 95 shut down in East Lyme, Conn.EAST LYME, Conn. -- Route 95 is shut down in both directions in East Lyme after a tanker truck hit two cars and overturned, spilling fuel on the highway and causing several fatalities. A state police spokesman calls it a significant accident. A fuel truck jackknifed and crashed onto its side. Lt. J. Paul Vance says there are confirmed fatalities, but he does not know how many. He says two people have been taken to area hospitals. State transportation officials say the accident will take seven to eight hours to clean up. Firefighters are spraying foam on the diesel fuel, and state environmental officials are headed to the site. The tanker belongs to Northeast Carriers. State police are also ordering portions of Route 1 and Interstate 395 to be shut, snarling traffic in the area. State police and firefighters have set up a command post at exit 75 of the highway. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 12:04 PM | Comment Daylight Saving Time, for real this timeIt’s likely as close as we’ll come to time travel: Daylight Saving Time. And while it may not be as exciting as neutrons zipping through swirling time vortices, we will have the chance to snatch an extra hour of sleep. This Sunday at 2 a.m. set your clocks back one hour to mark the end of DST. This is the first year that DST ends in November. The 2005 Energy Policy Act called for extending DST by one month beginning this year. We’ll set our clocks forward again at 2 a.m. on March 9. And if you want an easy way to remember when to change the batteries in your smoke detector, fire and rescue authorities recommend tying the routine to the beginning and end of DST. "A working smoke detector more than doubles a person's chances of surviving a home fire," James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department says. About a third of smoke detectors in the U.S. are thought to have dead batteries. To see how PDAs, cell phones, computers, mp3 players, GPS equipment, and all of the other necessities modernity will be affected, visit the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s DST page. And if you’re ever confused about what time it really is, visit the Institutes's official U.S. time clock. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:37 AM | Comment Former Rep. Martineau expected to plead todayFormer Rhode Island House majority leader Gerard M. Martineau is expected to enter a guilty plea in U.S. District Court today in connection with the federal State House corruption probe known as Operation Dollar Bill. According to court documents, the longtime Woonsocket Democrat has admitted to selling 10 million bags to Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, but manufacturing fewer than 2 million. Martineau also admitted using his power to influence legislation that influenced CVS and Blue Cross. According to a plea agreement entered early last month, Martineau agreed to plead to two felony counts of mail fraud – more specifically, using the mail to deprive Rhode Island citizens of their right to his honest services as a public official. In return, prosecutors will recommend the court impose the lowest sentence for the charges. Each count carries a maximum five years in prison and a fine of twice the gain or loss, in this case, nearly $2 million. He’s scheduled to appear in front of Chief Judge Mary Lisi at 2 p.m. -- with Journal archive reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:52 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: two lanes closed on Route 95 northboundAn accident on 95 northbound will have traffic backed up for about 30 minutes. The Transportation Management Center is reporting two center lanes blocked at Exit 20/East Providence. For traffic updates, check the TMC Web site. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:20 AM | Comment Noel to bring rain, winds our way
New England is set to feel some effects of Noel, the category one hurricane that is responsible for more than 100 deaths in the Caribbean. Most of the deaths were in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. No official deaths were reported in Cuba, where the storm touched down next, but an official says about 24,000 were evacuated. Now, Noel is moving away from the Bahamas with 80 mile per hour winds. The Coast Guard is warning mariners that the storm will generate 80 knot winds and seas more than 30 feet high. The National Hurricane Center cautions “there is still some uncertainty as to the exact track of this storm.” With temperatures expected to approach freezing Saturday night the Center warns “widespread power outages may very well become a reality,” and residents should keep supplies on hand. -- with reports from The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:02 AM | Comment Two defendants in steroid case face sentencingPROVIDENCE -- A current doctor and a former one face sentencing after pleading guilty to writing illegal prescriptions for steroids and human growth hormone. Victor Mariani and Ana Maria Santi, both from New York, each admitted earlier this year to signing medically unnecessary prescriptions for customers they had never met or examined. Prosecutors say Santi wrote the prescriptions even though she had lost her license to practice medicine several years earlier. They say Santi and Mariani were enlisted to write prescriptions by a New Jersey businessman, Daniel McGlone, who has also pleaded guilty in Rhode Island and is awaiting sentencing. Both will be sentenced today morning in federal court in Providence. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Clear today but Noel should bring rain, wind tomorrowToday is looking clear and chilly with the National Weather Service forecasting a high temperature of 58 degrees. The overnight low is 40 degrees with rain likely late tonight and early tomorrow morning. And look out for winds up to 21 mph. Rain may get heavy at times tomorrow. Wind gusts could reach 50 mph. A high wind watch has been issued for tomorrow as the fringe weather from Tropical storm Noel whip Cape Cod and the islands with winds up to 50 mph and gusts that may reach 75 mph. Along the coast from Newburyport to Boston to Plymouth, winds will hold at 40 mph with possible gusts up to 60. And strong winds are expected in Providence and as far west as Westerly. Rain should continue into Saturday night with clouds during the early evening clearing after 9. Tomorrow's overnight low should approach freezing with high winds and gusts as high as 35 mph. Sunday's temperature should reach the mid 50s; still windy with gusts reaching 23 mph. Clouds should roll in that night when the low is forecast in the mid 30s. Monday's high should reach the mid 50s with partly sunny skies. To keep track of Noel's path and its effects on Southern New England, check the National Hurricane Center's Web site. For local weather, 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 and story about the new connection from Route 95 North to Route 195 East, which is supposed to open Sunday. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006