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November 13, 2007

Tonight: Jazz in Providence while URI rocks

There's jazz in Providence tonight and rock at the University of Rhode Island.

The Hi-Hat Trio with Mary Ann Solivan and The RIC Jazz Quartet play jazz at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. Call 453-6500. 6:30 to 11 p.m. $30 advance; $35 at the door. It's a benefit for Rhode island College's Fall Shinn Study Abroad Fund.

Ifwhen and The Brother Kite play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 9 p.m. $5. All ages.

Papa Roach, Hinder and 12 Stones play rock at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. Call 331-5876, 272-5876 or go to www.etix.com. 8 p.m. $22.50 advance; $25 day of show; $27.50 reserved.

Tartufi, 14 Foot 1 and Milo play rock at the University of Rhode Island, 193 Degree Coffee House, 59 Lower College Rd. (off Route 138), Kingston. 8:30 p.m.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment

Suspect in extortion calls to retailers being sought

MIAMI -- Federal prosecutors are seeking the arrest of a U.S. citizen in Portugal who may be behind dozens of extortion calls to retail outlets and banks around the country -- including calls to a Wal-Mart in Newport in August.

At least 26 banks, retail stores and grocery stores in 17 states received calls this year from someone threatening to set off a bomb unless money was wired to an account abroad.

A grand jury indictment unsealed in Miami today charges Allan Guedes Sharif with threatening to bomb a Miami Beach bank in March unless employees there gave an alleged accomplice $20,000.

The indictment says Sharif made similar threats at two other Miami-area banks.

Although the indictment is limited to the March calls, Miami U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta says prosecutors and the FBI have been in contact with numerous other jurisdictions where Sharif may have made threats.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:18 PM | Comment

Bush signs bill boosting submarine production

WASHINGTON -- President Bush signed a defense spending bill today that would double Virginia-class submarine production to two boats per year, capping a long battle by Connecticut and Rhode Island lawmakers eager to protect home-state jobs.

The lawmakers won House and Senate approval of the measure last week. They have been pressing the Navy for several years to accelerate plans to double production of the high-tech attack submarine. Boosting production could help safeguard jobs at Electric Boat, the submarine-maker with facilities in both states.

The bill includes $588 million to allow the Navy to begin building two boats per year as early as 2010, lawmakers said.

About 7,600 people work at Electric Boat's shipyard in Groton while about 2,000 are employed at the company's Quonset Point facility in Rhode Island. Electric Boat, a division of General Dynamics Corp., and Northrop Grumman Newport News in Virginia together produce one $2.5 billion submarine a year.

The Navy has said it opposes moving up its plans for a second sub before 2012.

Connecticut and Rhode Island officials are concerned that the Navy seems determined to pull back from submarines in favor of other weaponry. They say building one submarine per year is not enough to replace the nation's aging nuclear submarine fleet, a concern that has taken on new urgency because of homeland security issues.

"This is a great day for southeastern Connecticut and an important victory for our nation's defense infrastructure," said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., whose district includes the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton and the nearby Electric Boat shipyard. "This victory seemed elusive a year ago and just a dream for many years, but I am pleased to be able to announce that this part of the fight is now over."

Courtney spearheaded the House fight for submarine funding along with colleagues from both states.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:31 PM | Comment

Traffic alert: Car rollover on Rte. 6 blocking lanes

PROVIDENCE -- A vehicle rolled over onto its roof on Route 6 east near Dean Street has left lanes blocked.

The rollover occurred in the high-speed lane. Drivers should take caution, the state Transportation Management Center advised at about 4:15 p.m.

One person is expected to be transported by rescue truck to Rhode Island Hospital, said James Taytor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department.

Check the state's TMC Web site for updates on the accident.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:36 PM | Comment

Update: Westerly woman, 61, hit by car, dies

A Westerly woman has died at UMass Memorial Medical Center, after she and her teenage daughter were struck by a car Sunday night as they crossed a street in Putnam, Conn.

Alicia Russell, 61, died at about 6 p.m. yesterday, a hospital spokeswoman said this afternoon. The wife of Watch Hill Fire District Moderator Edwin Russell, she had been flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center, where she was in the intensive-care unit.

Russell and her 16-year-old daughter were initially taken to Day Kimball Hospital after being hit at the intersection of Front and Main streets just after 7 p.m. in the community about six miles from the Rhode Island border.

The teenager was treated and released.

According to the Putnam police, the driver was Deborah Desilets, 46, of Plainfield, Conn. She was driving east on Front Street when she struck the two, according to the police report.

The accident is still under investigation; no one has been arrested. The Putnam police are asking any witnesses to call (860) 928-6565.

-- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:21 PM | Comment

Reporter's query: Looking for family without heat

We are looking for a family in Rhode Island who is living without heat because of a utility shutoff.

If you know of a family who would be willing to be interviewed and photographed by The Providence Journal for a story, please have them contact staff writer Timothy Barmann at 401-277-7369 or tbarmann@projo.com

Posted by Tim Barmann at 3:55 PM | Comment

Update: Central Falls councilman accused of sex assault

A Central Falls councilman is accused of statutory rape after the Providence police say they found him parked in a car last night with a teenage boy in the back seat.

Luis A. Gil, the outgoing Ward 4 councilman, was arraigned in District Court, Providence, today on a charge of third-degree sexual assault. He was released on $10,000 personal recognizance.

Gil was arrested yesterday evening after two bicycle patrol officers spotted a car parked under the Henderson Bridge, off River Drive.

According to the report, when the officers approached the car, Gil was in the driver's seat with his pants around his knees.

The police also say a 15-year-old male was in the back seat, buttoning his jeans and putting on a shirt.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

The police say when they asked Gil how he knew the teenager, he said, “I coach him. He plays soccer for me.” When they asked the teenager, he referred to Gil as “kind of a friend.”

According to the report, the police asked the teenager about a bruise they saw on his neck, to which the boy replied, “He just gave it to me.” The boy was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital for an examination.

According to the statute, third-degree sexual assault requires the defendant be older than 18, and the victim be 14 or 15 years old. It does not require proof of the threat or use of physical force. The maximum sentence is 5 years.

Gil, who was elected to the Central Falls City Council in 2005, did not seek reelection this year.

In a statement this afternoon, Central Falls Mayor Charles D. Moreau offered sympathy to the families involved and said that the situation would be resolved in court. “If guilty,” he added, “I hope that he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Gil's listed phone number is disconnected.

In his statement, Moreau called for Gil to resign from the City Council, adding “but that is a matter to be addressed by the City Council.”

Council President William Benson Jr. said this morning that he wouldn’t comment on the charges, but that he was contacting lawyers.

“I’m not making any statement,” he said. “We’ve never had anything like this happen that I can remember.”

Gil is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 15.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:56 PM | Comment

Lane closings coming in Coventry starting tonight

COVENTRY -- More lane closures and traffic disruptions are coming to town due to continuing sewer installation projects.

Beginning tonight at 7 p.m., sewer construction crews will begin overnight work at the south end of Sandy Bottom Road, near Tiogue Avenue.

One lane will be open for two-way traffic during construction hours from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., at which time normal traffic flow will resume.

Police will be on hand to direct traffic. Town officials anticipate the work in this section would last a week, weather permitting.

The installation is a part the next phase of a $3.2-million sewer expansion to extend a line and laterals from the pumping station on Sandy Bottom Road to homes and businesses along Sandy Bottom Road, South Main and Wood streets and Route 117.

-- Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:25 PM | Comment

Bank of America names executive to attract the rich

PROVIDENCE -- Bank of America today appointed Jake Filoon as market trust executive in Providence, where he will lead the bank's efforts to attract the region's wealthiest depositors.

Filoon will work in Bank of America's U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management division. Bank of America acquired U.S. Trust last November.

Filoon lives in Needham, Mass. He will be based in Providence and report to Robert Garty, northeast regional trust executive.

Before this appointment, Filoon worked for the bank's Global Wealth and Investment Management Products Group.

He began his career at Fleet Bank in 1990, and he has served in "various leadership roles across Bank of America and its predecessor organizations for more than 17 years, including the Private Bank of Bank of America and Columbia Management," according to Bank of America.

Filoon earned a bachelor’s degree from Colby College and a master's of business administration from Babson College.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:22 PM | Comment

Beckett loses to Sabathia in Cy Young race

C.C. Sabathia won the AL Cy Young Award today, beating out several worthy contenders, including Boston's Josh Beckett, by a comfortable margin and becoming the first Cleveland pitcher in 35 years to earn the honor.

Voting took place before the postseason, when Sabathia struggled while Beckett pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship with a string of dominant outings.

The Indians ace received 19 of 28 first-place votes and finished with 119 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Beckett was second with eight first-place votes and 86 points, while John Lackey of the Los Angeles Angels got the other first-place vote and came in third.

Sabathia went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA and 209 strikeouts, pitching a major league-high 241 innings. Beckett (20-7) became the only big league pitcher to win 20 games since 2005, compiling a 3.27 ERA in 200 2-3 innings. Lackey led the AL in ERA at 3.01, going 19-9 and tossing 224 innings.

Sabathia became the first Indians pitcher to win the award since Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972.

-- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:15 PM | Comment

The Dunk re-opens tomorrow as work in progress / Photo

Journal Photo/Steve Szydlowski
The front door of the Dunk seems ready for business.

PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Convention Center Authority is making final preparations today for the reopening of the Dunkin' Donuts Center tomorrow after a six-month closure for upgrades.

The first event at the center begins at 7:05 p.m., when the Providence Bruins play the Portland Pirates. There are 12 events scheduled for November, including Providence College basketball games and a performance by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

The center's renovation is still a work in progress. But for tomorrow's game, patrons will enter the building through a new lobby and order snacks and beverages at new food courts. Three hundred hockey fans will sit in "test" seats - models of the new seats that will be installed throughout the arena next summer during the final phase of the three-year renovation.

“More than 300 construction workers have been on site daily throughout most of Phase 2. We’ve accomplished a lot of work during the past six months, focusing on areas critical to making the building operational again, including the new life safety systems, mechanical and electrical systems, restrooms, food courts and the lobby area," James P. McCarvill, executive director of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, said in a statement today. "Patrons will get a sense of what the final design will look like, but there is still a lot of work to complete."

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:32 PM | Comment

Ocean State Job Lot to help hurricane victims

Ocean State Job Lot announced today it plans to ship $120,000 worth of clothing to people in the Dominican Republic, where residents were "severely ravaged by Hurricane Noel just weeks ago."

About 50,000 clothing items will be donated, including clothes for men, women and children.

The plan follows the request of a "warehouse associate with ties to the Dominican Republic," Ocean State Job Lot said in a news release.

The clothing will accompany other donations gathered by Rhode Islanders to help needy Dominicans.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:54 PM | Comment

Photo: A push to keep Meals on Wheels rolling

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
Sandy Centazzo, president & CEO of Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, speaks at a press conference in Providence today held to protest a 20-percent state budget cut to the meal-delivery program for the elderly who are homebound. This is the second year funding has been cut. Centazzo has said this year's $100,700 cut in funding would mean that 120 fewer Rhode Islanders will get hot meals delivered to their homes.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:16 PM | Comment

Renewed grant continues HIV treatment trials at Miriam

PROVIDENCE -- Miriam Hospital announced today that clinical trial researchers will be able to continue pursuing better treatments for people with HIV now that a federal grant has been renewed for seven years.

The National Institute of Health renewed the grant that makes the hospital's immunology center a research location of the Harvard AIDS Clinical Trials Unit -- one of the medical centers worldwide that comprises the NIH's AIDS Clinical Trials Group.

The Aids Clinical Trials Group is the world's largest HIV clinical trials organization and helps in setting care standards for HIV infection and diseases related to HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and the developing world.

New trials -- research studies -- expected to start at Miriam's institute include evaluating therapies for those newly diagnosed with HIV and people with resistant HIV.

Resistant HIV strains don't respond to multiple antiretroviral drugs that typically are used to help control the virus.

“Fortunately, there are more than three new outstanding medications that appear to be extremely effective against resistant HIV,” Dr. Karen Tashima, lead researcher, said in the statement.

Since 1996, doctors and researchers from Miriam Hospital and Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School have provided access to clinical trials to HIV-positive patients in Rhode Island and southeastern New England under Tashima's direction. Tashima will continue to lead The Miriam Hospital site.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

More new trials at Miriam will evaluate effects of FDA-approved HPV vaccine among HIV-infected women.

Tashima added: “The HPV vaccine trial is extremely important because it could lead to improved prevention of cervical cancer within this specific population. Since individuals with HIV have compromised immune systems, they are at greater risk for developing co-morbidities. Therapies that can help prevent additional diseases could make a significant impact.”

Ongoing research at Miriam's institute includes:

* Reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, led by Dr. Susan Cu-Uvin.

* Improving substance abuse treatment combined with HIV care, led by Dr. Jody Rich and Dr. Jennifer Mitty.

* "Exploring barriers" to HIV vaccination among adolescents, women and other vulnerable communities, led by Dr. Michelle Lally.

* Increasing cancer prevention among HIV-infected individuals, led by Dr. E. Milu Kojic.

* Managing the co-infection of HIV and tuberculosis, led by Dr. Awe Kwara.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:03 PM | Comment

Photo: West Warwick man arraigned in fatal stabbing

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Robert E. Payette, 45, of 19 Maple Avenue in West Warwick, waits in a Kent County District courtroom following his arraignment on murder charges today. Payette is accused of stabbing Ronald Dufour, 66, Saturday evening during an argument about a small debt, according to the Rhode Island State Police. Dufour’s body was found Sunday night in the bottom of a ravine leading to the Pawtuxet River behind the River Run apartments, where Payette lives.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:00 PM | Comment

Gas prices pass $3 per gallon in Ocean State

Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have jumped another nine cents, passing the $3.00 per gallon mark, according to AAA Southern New England.

AAA’s November 13 survey found self-serve, regular unleaded averaging $3.039 per gallon. The price has climbed 36 cents in the past month, AAA says.

The jump is driven by increased demand for oil in the United States and across the world, according to Robert Murray, senior vice president of corporate affairs for AAA Southern New England. Crude oil recently approached $100 per barrel before dropping back to about $93, he noted.

In addition, Murray said, the country's capacity for refining oil is "maxed out."

"Even if we got more oil, we couldn't refine it," he said.

High prices are apparently starting to affect consumer driving habits and could have an impact on Thanksgiving travel next week and the upcoming Christmas shopping season, he said.

"Not everyone can afford $40 once or twice a week (to fill up). At that level, you start to impact people in the poor category, the working poor, elderly on fixed income, younger people without substantial income," Murray said. "It has to impact on those people because they simply don't have the money."

In a press release announcing the latest price survey, AAA referred to a study showing that Americans are spending twice as much of their income at the gas pumps as they did five years ago.

The study, released by Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), which gathers pricing information for AAA, shows that nationally, Americans spend 3.8 percent of every earned dollar to fill their gasoline tanks.

The amount was 1.9 percent of income in 2002.

If there's any consolation for Rhode Islanders, it's that it could be worse. Rhode Islanders are paying seven cents less than the national average of $3.109 per gallon.

Where will prices go from here? Some analysts believe prices will increase 10 to 20 cents per gallon before catching to the recent spike in oil prices, according to Murray. Some analysts predict that consumers will be paying $4 per gallon this spring, he said.

One thing is for sure, he said. As long as demand continues to increase so will prices.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:56 AM | Comment

Mom Hasselbeck and baby survive labor just fine / Video

Survivor finalist and Rhode Island native Elisabeth Hasselbeck has come through another ordeal just fine -- the birth of her second child.

Hasselbeck, 30, delivered son Taylor on Friday and announced his name via phone to her colleagues on The View, where she is now a co-host.

When asked how long the labor was, she replied, "Ah, forever." But her wit appears to be as quick as ever -- she later amended that to "four, five thousand hours."

Hasselbeck, who grew up in Cranston and Providence, is married to NFL quarterback Timothy Hasselbeck, who now plays for the Arizona Cardinals. She gave birth in an Arizona hospital.

Video: Watch a clip of Elisabeth Hasselbeck's call to The View, including photos of the parents and their children.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:44 AM | Comment

R.I. woman, daughter struck by car in Conn.

A Rhode Island woman is in a hospital intensive-care unit at after she and her daughter were hit by a car last night in Putnam, Conn., about six miles from the Rhode Island border.

Alicia Russell, 61, of Westerly, and her 16-year-old daughter were taken to Day Kimball Hospital after being hit at the intersection of Front and Main streets just after 7 p.m.

The teenager was treated and released; her mother was flown to UMass Medical Center, where she is still in the intensive-care unit.

According to the Putnam police, the driver was Deborah Desilets, 46, of Plainfield, Conn. She was driving east on Front Street when she struck the two as they crossed the street, according to the police report.

The accident is still under investigation; no one has been arrested.

The Putnam police are asking any witnesses to call 860-928-6565.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:28 AM | Comment

N.E. economy could break out of slowdown next spring

BOSTON -- The nation's housing slump and credit crunch have left economists gloomier than they were six months ago about New England's growth prospects, but the worst may soon be over.

A regional forecast organization today predicted that New England's economy will begin to break out of its recent run of slow growth starting in the second quarter of next year, but its housing market is at least six months from bottoming out.

The New England Economic Partnership expects the current quarter and next year's first quarter to yield the slowest growth in the value of New England's products and services - a measure known as gross regional product - during a forecast period that runs through 2011.

-- The Associated Press

The panel of economists from the region's six states expects an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent this quarter and 1.7 percent next quarter. The economists then expect "a slow and modest recovery," peaking at 3.4 percent growth in early 2009, according to the latest twice-a-year forecast presented at the economic organization's fall conference in Boston.

Regional gross product growth is expected to average 2.2 percent per year through 2011, below the 2.6 percent the group had forecast last spring.

The group attributed the lowering of expectations to "the broadening effects of the national credit crisis, and economic vulnerabilities extending from the housing market to other sectors of the economy."

The economists predict New England will continue to experience slower gross product growth than the nation over the next few years, with New Hampshire posting the region's fastest growth at 3 percent. All other states in the region are expected to see gross product growth of at least fourth-tenths of a percentage point below the U.S. annual average.

New England's current housing price decline is to reach its steepest point during the current quarter, with prices continuing to fall through next year's second quarter. Economists then expect a slow, modest housing recovery, with the region's median price expected to fall 10 percent from the pre-slump peak to the downturn's low point.

After a long run of steep price appreciation, New England's housing market switched to a buyer's market beginning last year.

New England's jobs growth is expected to average eight-tenths of a percentage point per year through 2011, compared with the national average of 1.1 percent.

Ross Gittell, the organization's forecast manager and a professor at the University of New Hampshire, said New England's economic prospects have recently been hurt by lagging population and employment growth compared with the nation as a whole.

"There is no single factor causing vulnerability in New England's regional competitiveness, but rather a confluence of factors that will have to be addressed to ensure a strong regional economic future," Gittell said. "Noteworthy among these factors are indications that the region is experiencing a decline in 'attractiveness' to young adults and businesses expanding employment."

The New England Economic Partnership is a 36-year-old nonprofit forecast organization with members from private industry, government and academia.

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:03 AM | Comment

Victim in weekend murder identified

The 66-year-old man who was stabbed to death over the weekend during an argument about a small debt was Ronald Dufour, of 56 Maple Ave., West Warwick, according to the Rhode Island State Police.

Robert Payette, 45, is scheduled to face arraignment today in Kent County District Court to face murder charges for Dufour’s death.

Dufour’s body was found Sunday night in the bottom of a ravine leading to the Pawtuxet River behind the River Run apartments at 19 Maple Avenue, where Payette lives.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:59 AM | Comment

East Greenwich teachers go back to the bargaining table

Teachers in East Greenwich are returning to the negotiating table today after a five-hour session two weeks ago failed to lead to a new contract.

Mediated talks began in August after a three-day strike delayed the opening of school.

The talks have not been hostile, but key issues remain unresolved, according to Jane Argentieri of the National Education Association Rhode Island, parent organization of the 235-member East Greenwich Education Association.

Teachers' pay and contributions to health care costs have been the main sticking points in agreeing on a new contract; the previous contract expired Aug. 31.

Today’s meeting will be held at NEARI headquarters in Cranston.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:27 AM | Comment

Smithfield recall election today

Voters in Smithfield decide today if their town council president will remain in office.

Critics of Stephen G. Tocco, a Democrat, collected enough signatures to require a recall election after facts emerged surrounding a 1993 trial against Gary Garafano, then deputy public works director in Providence.

During the trial, Tocco, who was an officer of Capitol Police at the time – testified that he delivered bribes to officials in Pawtucket and Providence from the construction company for which he worked.

The polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 9 p.m

Find out online where your polling place is.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:06 AM | Comment

Newport Democrats voting in primary for Crowley's seat

NEWPORT — Polls open at 8 a.m. today for voting in the Democratic primary to select a candidate for the District 75 seat in the state House of Representatives left vacant by the September death of Rep. Paul W. Crowley.

Voters can cast ballots until 9 tonight in the district that covers all of Newport except for a small section in the northeast corner of the city.

The candidates are David R. Carlin III and former state Sen. J. Clement “Bud” Cicilline. The winner of the primary will face Republican Steven J. Coaty, 47, and independent James Stanek on Dec. 18.

The polling places are:

•Ward 1, District 5: St. John’s Church Hall, Willow Street

•Ward 2, District 4: Thompson Middle School, 39 Broadway

•Ward 2, District 5: Donovan Manor, 19 Chapel St.

•Ward 3, District 1: Clarke School Apartments, 24 Mary St.

•Ward 3, District 2: Newport Public Library, 300 Spring St.

•Ward 3, District 3: St. Augustin’s School, 5 Harrison Ave.

•Ward 3, District 4: Carey School, 27 Narragansett Ave.

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment

Skies should clear

Don't worry too much about the rain. The National Weather Service is forecasting rain until late this morning, but skies should clear in a few hours, and the temperature will reach a mild 60 degrees.

Tonight we'll see clear skies and a low temperature in the mid 30s.

More rain likely tomorrow afternoon with cloudy skies and temperatures in the high 50s.

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

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features a story reporting that a mother of two from Lincoln who had been missing since Sept. 5 was found alive in Baltimore, Md.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment