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« November 6, 2007 | Today | November 8, 2007 » November 7, 2007Tonight: A piano salute to American music at RICPROVIDENCE -- Pianist Jeffrey Siegel performs music from Louis Gottschalk to George Gershwin tonight at 7:30 at Rhode Island College's Sapinsley Hall. Also on the scheduled at "USA: An American Salute" is music by Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and others. Tickets are $25 and, for seniors, $20. Students/children get in for $10. Call (401) 456-8144 or go to http://ricalendar.ric.edu. Seeking more entertainment? See what's up via our Lifebeat page. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Update: Fire quickly contained in Providence apartmentPROVIDENCE -- Firefighters went to a stove fire in a seventh-floor apartment in the 10-floor Dexter Manor apartments at 100 Broad St. this evening, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. The call came in at 5:48 p.m. and the fire was brought under control at 6 p.m. Taylor said the fire was described as a stove fire that extended to cabinets. It was contained to the apartment. Two people were being evaluated but no one had been transported to hospital. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:51 PM | Comment Update: Teen charged with reckless driving in fatal crashPROVIDENCE -- A Barrington teenager was accused in Family Court today of having drunk about six cans of beer and of driving twice the speed limit when he slammed a car into a tree on Monday night, killing a fellow Barrington High School student. As his parents looked on, the 16-year-old boy entered the courtroom in handcuffs, and after the cuffs were removed, a prosecutor provided the details supporting juvenile delinquency petitions, which charge him with refusing to submit to a chemical breath test and driving to endanger, death resulting. (An earlier version of this blog item incorrectly reported that latter charge.) The latter charge is also different from one spelled out yesterday in a press release about the crash from Barrington police, who had said the driver was being charged with driving under the influence, death resulting. The boy’s attorney, John M. Cicilline, entered denials on his behalf. Assistant Attorney General Susan Urso said the boy and four other teens decided to get some beer and hang out behind his father’s house after school Monday because there would be no school Tuesday, which was devoted to professional development for teachers. The teens pitched in money and had a 30-pack of beer delivered to the house, and then drank beer in the back yard, near a fire pit and a shed, Urso said. The teens were at the house between 6 and 9 or 9:30 p.m., before they drove to a Taco Bell in nearby Seekonk, Mass., she said. At about 10:50 p.m., the boy was at the wheel when the car came to a stop sign, he “squealed the tires or burned rubber” and took a right onto New Meadow Road, Urso said. The boy was “shimmying the wheel” and driving up to 60 mph in a 30 mph zone when he lost control of the car, which smashed into a tree, she said. The collision killed one of the passengers, Jon Converse, of 2 Old River Rd., Barrington, a junior at Barrington High. Read more about the accident from today's Journal story. See an obituary for Jon from the Barrington Times. The teen was released to home confinement in the custody of his mother, who lives in Warren. His parents are divorced. A pretrial date was set for Nov. 28. Citing recent other alcohol-related deaths of area teens, Chief Judge Jeremiah Jeremiah Jr. also seized the opportunity to lash out at parents who "don't take responsibility." While noting that his comments were not directed at the parents in the courtroom, because he did not know them, he did criticize those who may not provide their children with the "affection and communication they should. We have to stop this, and this is isn't a problem just in Barrington. This is a problem all over the state."
Posted by Jack Perry at 6:31 PM | Comment Lucky 13? Last night's 58-minute trip cut to 45PROVIDENCE -- Is it a Lucky 13 or a portent that commuting times are on their way down? Last night, our reporter's slog from Route 95 north in Pawtucket to the Washington Bridge in East Providence took 58 minutes to cover the 5.8 miles, under the new traffic pattern resulting from the opening Sunday of the first section of the Route 195 relocation known as Iway. Tonight, it took 45 minutes for the same distance, 13 fewer minutes than last night at the same commuter time. Shortly after 6 p.m., our reporter said the slow-going was not as backed up as far north on Route 95 as it was at this time yesterday. The stop-and-go southbound traffic begins around the North Main Street-Smithfield Avenue exit around the Providence/Pawtucket border. Last night at this time the backup extended to the School Street exit in Pawtucket -- about 1.3 miles north. Cars appeared to be moving a little bit better this evening, but it was still bumper-to-bumper and stop-and-go. Pending other changes, the state Department of Transportation is seeking to have commuters alter their routes leaving Providence. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Alisha Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:14 PM | Comment Rhode Island food safety inspections go onlineRhode Island food safety inspection reports done since Jan. 1 are now available to the public online, the state Health Department announced today. Go to http://www.health.ri.gov/environment/food/inspections.php. The Web site cautions visitors there may be a wait due to a large numrber of requests. People may search the online inspection database to see past inspections or create an account that lets them select individual eateries for which they want to get future inspection reports -- restaurants, school lunch programs, for example. When inspections are done in the selected eatery, an e-mail will automatically be sent with a link to the inspection report. The online inspection reports are related to a new food safety certification program, in which the Health Department will partner with NSF International, a company that writes standards for food, water and consumer goods, according to the NSF Web site, to recognize restaurants and other eating establishments that have best food safety, workplace safety, and sanitation practices in place. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:05 PM | Comment Traffic's backed up, but not as far north as last night'sPROVIDENCE -- Our reporter, who is out in the new Iway project-created traffic pattern this evening, says the slow going is not backed up as far north on Route 95 as it was this time yesterday. The stop-and-go southbound traffic begins around the North Main Street-Smithfield Avenue exit around the Providence/Pawtucket border. Last night at this time the backup extended to the School Street exit in Pawtucket -- about 1.3 miles north. Cars appear to be moving a little bit better, but it's still bumper-to-bumper and stop-and-go. The state Department of Transportation is seeking to have commuters alter their routes leaving Providence. The traffic slowdowns follow Sunday's opening of the first section of the Route 195 relocation project, known as Iway. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Alisha Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:30 PM | Comment Break out the covers -- freeze warning aheadCover up your plants before you go to bed tonight, and throw on an extra blanket yourself. A freeze warning is in effect from 2 to 8 a.m. tomorrow for areas adjacent to Narragansett Bay, the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said. Temperatures are expected to drop to between 30 and 32 degrees for 3 hours around daybreak tomorrow morning. Such a warning is made when freezing temperatures are forecast to threaten outdoor plants. People with "agricultural interests" in the affected area should harvest or protect tender vegetation. And potted plants normally left outdoors should be covered or brought inside away from the cold, the weather service advised. Get the latest conditions and forecasts at: http://projo.com/weather Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:27 PM | Comment Update: Teen's parents advised him not to take breath testBARRINGTON -- The 16-year-old Barrington driver who police say slammed a car into a tree on New Meadow Road Monday, killing the front-seat passenger, refused a police request to take a chemical test in the emergency room on advice from his parents, who were with him, Police Chief John M. LaCross said today. LaCross also said at a 2 p.m. police station news conference that the driver and his three passengers came from someone's house where they had consumed alcohol. The police are also looking into whether the four underage teen boys may have been drinking somewhere else before the party at the house. The driver had a provisional license, which meant he was allowed in the car with only one person under age 21 who was not related to him, the police chief said. Three were in the car with him, including the victim, Jon Converse, 17. The driver and the two other passengers, ages 16 and 17, have not been identified by police. "People are realizing this is turning into an epidemic," LaCross said of under-age drinking at a news conference also attended by state Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, who also answered media questions. The chief would not say which house the boys had come from or whether there were parents at home at the time. But at the boy's Family Court arraignment earlier today, Assistant Attorney General Susan Urso said the boy and four other teens decided to get some beer and hang out behind his father's house after school Monday because there would be no school Tuesday, which was devoted to teacher training in the Barrington public schools.
The teens pitched in money and had a 30-pack of beer delivered to the house, and then drank beer in the back yard, near a fire pit and a shed, Urso said. The teens were at the house between 6 and 9 or 9:30 p.m., before they drove to a Taco Bell in nearby Seekonk, Mass., she said. At about 10:50 p.m. Monday, the boy was driving when the car came to a stop sign; he “squealed the tires or burned rubber” and took a right onto New Meadow Road, Urso said. The boy was “shimmying the wheel” and driving up to 60 mph in a 30 mph zone when he lost control of the car, which smashed into a tree, she said. The 16-year-old driver's lawyer entered denials on his behalf of the two juvenile delinquency petitions against him, which accuse him of refusing to submit to a chemical breath test and driving to endanger, death resulting. An earlier version of this blog item incorrectly reported that latter charge. The latter charge is also different from one spelled out yesterday in a press release about the crash from Barrington police, who had said the driver was being charged with driving under the influence, death resulting. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:05 PM | Comment Indictment alleges Coventry man tried killing wife July 4COVENTRY — A Coventry man accused of shooting his wife on the Fourth of July during a domestic dispute was indicted by a state grand jury yesterday on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, with the intent to commit murder, authorities said today. The Kent County Grand Jury handed up the indictment yesterday against Michael T. Burke, 48, of Town Farm Road, naming him on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, a gun, according to a release from the state Office of the Attorney General. Burke is being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston with an arraignment set for next Wednesday at Kent County Superior Court. -- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks According to Coventry police, who investigated, the alleged incident took place shortly after 9 a.m. at the couple’s home at 437 Town Farm Rd. early Fourth of July morning. Burke allegedly had an altercation with his wife, Deborah, shot her in the shoulder and then took off in his car, heading north toward Connecticut. The couple’s daughter, Tara, 22, was home when the shooting occurred. Burke veered off the road while traveling on Route 49 and crashed into a tree in Sterling, Conn. He was picked up by Connecticut State Police, who arrested him on a fugitive charge. Burke suffered serious injuries to head, back and chest and was taken by ambulance to William W. Backus Hospital, in Norwich, Conn. On July 19, Burke was extradited and brought back to Rhode Island and charged with assault with a deadly weapon in a dwelling. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:31 PM | Comment Concerned about food safety? Check inspections onlineDid you feel like something just wasn't right at that restaurant your friends rave about? Now, you can check your intuition, thanks to a new service that gives the public access to food safety information for restaurants across the state. The state Department of Health today has put food-safety reports online. Search Rhode Island restaurants by name, address, or zip code. All inspections since January 2007 will have reports online. And if you want to keep tabs on a certain spot, sign up for email alerts. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson In addition to posting inspections online, the Health Department is creating an optional certification program called Dine Safer. The program was created through a partnership with NSF International, a non-for-profit, nongovernment organization health and safety company. Restaurants and markets will be subject to random checks and inspections. Establishments that display a Dine Safer sticker in the window have adhered to the programs standards of food safety, workplace safety and sanitation practices. Have a glass of wine stiff or a drink with dinner – provided, or course, you’re of age and won’t be driving. Studies have shown that the likelihood of suffering from the effects of food poisoning is reduced if you have had alcohol, especially strong beer -- possibly because of its ability to stimulate secretions in the stomach -- or red wine, thanks to the antibacterial properties of grapes. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:14 PM | Comment High court sides with convention center in Dunk suitPROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court has sided with the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority in a lawsuit that alleged that the independent state agency violated bidding laws in choosing a company to oversee the $80.5-million renovation of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. In December 2005, A.F. Lusi Construction Inc. sued the authority, alleging that it failed to comply with a state law that requires public agencies to solicit competitive bids from general contractors who vie to complete a project for the lowest cost. For the sports arena upgrade, the authority opted to hire a construction manager that would be paid a fixed fee to oversee the construction and recruit subcontractors. In January 2006, Superior Court Judge Patricia Hurst dismissed Lusi's lawsuit, ruling that the authority was exempt from sections of the state bidding law. The Supreme Court, in an opinion by Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, upheld Hurst’s decision. -- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:05 PM | Comment Police to discuss Barrington crash this afternoonBARRINGTON -- Police Chief John LaCross has called a police station press conference for 2 p.m. to discuss Monday night's car crash that killed a 17-year-old high school student. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:04 AM | Comment Clariant to stop production in CoventryCOVENTRY -- Clariant Corp., makers of specialty chemcials, will stop production at its Coventry plant by the end of next year, putting about 120 workers out of jobs, the company announced today. The company will keep the North American headquarters for its pigments and additives division at the site, the company said. The company employs at total of about 200 people at the site, including manufacturing, sales, marketing, manufacturing support and technical functions. The Coventry site makes pigments used in coloring paints, inks, plastics and coatings for the automotive industry. The company will transfer production of the Coventry plant's products to facilities in Germany and Mexico. The company says it will offer serverance packages to affected employees. It will also offer them help in finding new jobs and continue insurance coverage. The decision announced today was part of Clariant's update on strategic initiatives and release of third-quarter financial results. Clariant, based in Switzerland, announced in November 2006 its target of closing approximately 10 percent of its 120 sites worldwide. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:09 AM | Comment DOT speeding up work on one entrance to relieve the jamGovernor Carcieri weighed on another day of heavy traffic faced by many commuters two days after the opening of the new Iway bridge. At the least, he said, traffic should be the same as it was before. But last evening's commute, he told John DePetro this morning on WPRO-AM, "Right now it's worse than normal." After more complaints about the traffic, the state may try to open the Wickenden Street entrance onto the new Iway bridge in four weeks. The new entrance, which is through the hurricane barrier in India Point Park near the old Shooters night club, was not scheduled to open until the spring. Work is also underway in India Point Park on the pedestrian overpass and the Wickenden Street exit. Jerome T. Williams, executive director of the Department of Transportation, also said on the radio that the state is considering re-opening lane on 195 eastbound and whittling the Iway bridge down to one lane. “It’s not the best option,” he said, but one of several that the department has. Yesterday Frank Corrao III, deputy chief engineer at the department, said additional signage directing commuters to a new route, and longer white lines extending the lanes on the old section of Route 195 eastbound might also ease congestion. Williams said this morning that the state will be painting the lane extensions tonight after the after this evening’s commute. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:25 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on the fatal crash that claimed the life of a Barrington teenager. Download a copy of today's front page. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:16 AM | Comment Sundlun, Almond to address watchdog groupWARWICK -- Two former Rhode Island governors plan to speak tonight about issues confronting the state. Former Governors Bruce Sundlun and Lincoln Almond are scheduled to talk at a meeting of Common Cause Rhode Island, a government watchdog group. Sundlun, a Democrat, served as governor from 1991 to 1995 and helped steer Rhode Island through a banking crisis. Almond was a U.S. Attorney before succeeding Sundlun. He served two, four-year terms. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Providence Little Leaguers get lightsTwo years ago, when James Taylor became the vice president of Elmwood Little League, he was determined to do at least one thing: light up the field. It took a 2-year campaign and nearly $90,000, but the poles have been erected at the John T. Owens Field where the league -- which serves the Elmwood, South Elmwood, Reservoir and West End communities – play. The city's largest children's baseball league won a $38,000 grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund and has gotten $50,000 in Community Development Block Grant money through the City of Providence, More than 600 boys and girls play for 38 teams in the league. "When we go to other fields, every one of them has lights," Taylor said in an interview earlier this year. "And these kids always say, 'Coach, where's our lights?' And it kind of breaks your heart, and we want them to be equal." There are 50 children on the league waiting list despite the addition this year of two teams. When the league adds night games, Taylor says, thanks to the lights, it can add one to two teams, or up to 30 more children. The lights have not been hooked up yet, but even so, they look pretty good. -- with Journal archive reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Mostly sunny, high near 50Not much to say about the weather today except: cold. The National Weather Service is forecasting mostly sunny skies with a high barely approaching 50 degrees and wind gusts near 25 mph. Tonight we'll dip past freezing with a low temperature of 29 degrees. Tomorrow, colder with a high temperature in the mid 40s. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:00 AM | Comment R.I. woman nabbed in Maine pot bustNAPLES, Maine -- Three people, including a Rhode Island woman, are facing drug charges after sheriff's deputies in Maine found more than $200,000 worth of marijuana at a home. The Cumberland County sheriff's office says it was contacted by Waterville police to help locate a man that was wanted on a domestic assault case. When deputies went to a home on Monday, they discovered 32 pounds of high-grade, processed marijuana with an estimated value of $210,000. Police also seized $11,000 in cash, a car and an ATV. Police charged Richard Hudson, 42, of Naples, Maine, and John Dana, 47, of Columbia, S.C., with aggravated drug trafficking. Vicki Leblanc, 40, of Kingston, Rhode Island, was charged with possession of methadone. -- The Associated Press |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006