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« November 2007 | Today | January 2008 » December 31, 20077to7 taking a break for the New Year's holidayWe'll be celebrating New Year's Day tomorrow and not publishing our usual updates to the 7to7 news blog. But that doesn't mean that projo.com is completely off for the day. We'll be offering stories, surveys and more photo uploads, sports blog updates, and our continually updating feeds of national, world and sports news from the Associated Press. On Wednesday, 7to7 will be back on the job at -- 7 a.m. Until then, have a happy and safe new year! Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 7:00 PM | Comment Photo: New Year's at the Parthenon in Greece
Fireworks illuminate the ancient Parthenon atop the Acropolis Hill in Athens, at the start of the new year. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment Mostly clear night for revelers, but rain/snow tomorrow
Journal photo/Connie Grosch Isabella Cooke of Providence, 3, poses for a Happy New Year photo at the Convention Center. The free event was sponsored by CVS.
Tomorrow, there's a 90 percent chance of rain/snow, the National Weather Service reports, but little accumulation is expected. A chance of snow is predicted between 9 a.m. and noon, then periods of rain -- which could make things even more interesting for those who intend to participate in one of the "polar bear" events around the state. Tomorrow's high temperature is expected to be near 40 degrees. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment Photo: New Year's preparations in Boston
Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:20 PM | Comment Wall Street ends the year with another lossWall Street ended a painful year with another steep loss today as investors glumly anticipated that 2008 would see a continuation of the uncertainty and turbulence of 2007. The Dow Jones industrials fell about 100 points -- the latest in a string of triple-digit moves that became commonplace in the just-ended year, although they still managed to finish 2007 with a respectable increase of more than 6 percent -- not as large as the 16.29-percent increase in 2006, but a better performance than the modest loss in 2005. The Dow's annual gain came even after it posted its worst fourth-quarter drop in 20 years, as investors battled with billion-dollar losses at the world's biggest banks and cooler spending by consumers, whose budgets have been crimped by record-high oil prices and falling home prices. "Considering all that's going on, the market really acted pretty well," said Todd Leone, managing director of equity trading at Cowen & Co. It's tough to say what the primary market driver of 2008 will be, but he said the fourth-quarter earnings season in January should shed some light on how U.S. companies are surviving the recent slowdown and credit crunch. Today, the National Association of Realtors said November existing home sales rose 0.4 percent to an annual rate of 5 million -- the first rise in nine months. However, sales are still 20 percent below where they were a year ago, and the median existing home price has dropped 3.3 percent over the past 12 months. Falling home prices this year have made it hard for struggling homeowners to refinance their mortgages, and the slump in construction activity has hurt homebuilders and other housing-related industries. Investors have some reason to believe that Wall Street in 2008 might be able to put to rest some of its financial troubles. The U.K.'s Observer newspaper reported yesterday that Merrill Lynch & Co. was in talks over the weekend to line up capital from investors in China and the Middle East in exchange for portions of the Wall Street firm. Merrill, like many other financial houses, has seen its portfolio lose billions of dollar in value due to misplaced bets on mortgages. And as Citigroup Inc., UBS AG, Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns Cos. have done, it has turned to investors in Asia for much-needed capital — Merrill has already gotten $4.4 billion this month from a Singapore fund, which bought a 9.9-percent stake in the U.S. brokerage. According to preliminary calculations, the Dow fell 101.05, or 0.76 percent, to 13,264.82. The blue-chip index remains below its Oct. 9 record high of 14,164.53, at which point it was up more than 13 percent year-to-date. Broader stock indicators also declined, but finished the year higher. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 10.13, or 0.69 percent, to 1,468.36, to end 2007 with a gain of more than 3 percent. It had reached a record close of 1,565.15 on Oct. 9. The technology-dominated Nasdaq composite index fell 22.18, or 0.83 percent, to 2,652.28, to finish the year with a nearly 10-percent gain. It was the best performance for the Nasdaq, still well below its tech boom highs, since 2003. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:40 PM | Comment Drummers and fireworks tonight; polar plunges tomorrowYou can have a cold one on New Year's Eve -- just avoid driving -- or you can go for a cold one on New Year's Day -- just avoid hypothermia. In Providence, Bright Night is today and culminates this evening with fireworks, music performances and more. There will be clowns, jugglers, storytellers, and magic acts. And there will be two fireworks displays over the State House, at 5:35 p.m. and midnight. More than 200 performers will strut their stuff around the city. The festival began at noon, goes to midnight and beyond and will include a performance by five drummers put together by Carmine Appice, former drummer for Rod Stewart. They are known as Slamm, and the music will be played on garbage cans, Dixie cups and more. Slamm will perform three times at the Providence Performing Arts Center, at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. A Bright Night wristband, which is $15 today, guarantees admission to one of the shows. A kids’ fair at Rhode Island Convention Center began at 1 p.m. and runs to 5 p.m. Appearing will be storytellers Bill Harley and Valerie Tutson, and Keith Munslow, along with entertainer Marvin Novogrodski. Harley and Munslow also sing. Read more about Bright Night and New Year's events around Rhode Island and in southeastern Massachusetts in Journal arts writer Bill Van Siclen's report. From Newport to Narragansett, from North Kingstown to Block Island, people will gather tomorrow at sea's edge, summon courage and take the Polar Bear plunge -- despite thermometer readings that suggest a flight to Hawaii if you really want a dip. Here's the portfolio of places to plunge tomorrow, many of them to benefit a cause: On Block Island, the Penguin Plunge is at Fred Benson Town Beach, off Corn Neck Road. There will be a beach bonfire to warm participants and spectators. For more information, call (800) 383-2474 or visit www.blockislandchamber.com. In Galilee, Bucks for Scups is at Salty Brine Beach, off Sand Hill Cove. Afterward, 1 to 4:30 p.m., at the Bon Vue Inn, 1230 Ocean Rd., Narragansett, the Dynamic Trio will give a live concert. There’s a recommended donation of $20, a complimentary buffet and free T-shirts. In Jamestown, the Penguin Plunge is at Mackerel Cove Beach, off Beavertail Road. For more information, visit www.specialolympicsri.org. In Little Compton, the Penguin Plunge is at South Shore Beach, off South Shore Road. There’s a spectator fee of $10 per carload, which supports local scholarships. In Matunuck, the ninth annual "Dip for Multiple Sclerosis" will be hosted by the Joyce Family Pub, off Matunuck Beach Road. In Narragansett, the Pier Plunge is at Narragansett Town Beach, off Beach Street. The event is conducted by the Narragansett Lions Club as a fundraiser. Registration is at 10 a.m. The fee is $20. The first 400 participants will receive a T-shirt. For more information, visit www.narragansettri.com/lions. In Newport, the Polar Plunge is at Easton’s Beach, off Memorial Boulevard. For more information, and registration, visit http://users.ids.net/cwwright/. In North Kingstown, the Polar Bear Plunge is at North Kingstown Town Beach off Beach Street. In Westerly, the Freezin’ for a Reason is at the Town Beach, off Atlantic Avenue. It benefits the Westerly Area Rest Meals (WARM) Shelter. Check-in starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Andrea Hotel. There’s a two-mile "waddle" for runners and walkers at 10:30 a.m. -- the entry registration deadline for that has passed. For information, go to www. westerlyconnections.com. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:45 PM | Comment Central Falls firefighters at scene of blazeCENTRAL FALLS -- Firefighters have been at the scene of a fire on Dexter Street this afternoon. No other information was yet available. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:25 PM | Comment Photo: New Year's in Iraq
Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:06 PM | Comment Start 2008 with a bang, not a crashIf you’re going to spend the night out on the town celebrating New Year's Eve, and if you’re going to drink, be sure to make arrangements for safe travels that do not involve getting behind the wheel of a car. However, there will not be additional bus or trolley service running tonight. The Rhode Island State Police say they will have an increased presence on the state’s highways, looking to get drunken drivers off the road. “New Year’s Eve is a night that a lot of people are celebrating and drinking and driving,” Capt. Jim Swanberg said on Friday. “Troopers are focusing on that… trying to put on additional patrols and have more of a police presence on the highways.” And another hazard: the roads will be pretty icy tonight. This afternoon's mild weather is melting snow and sleet, but temperatures are expected to drop to the mid 20s overnight, freezing what's left on sidewalks and roads. You can, of course, still partake in the spirit of the celebration without running the risk of a ticket, or worse – just be sure to plan ahead. Make a deal with a sober friend -- New Year's Eve for St. Patrick's Day? -- walk to your party, or arrange a taxi. If, after a long night, you’re not sure if you’re in shape to drive, chances are you’re not. But for an idea as to how a drink may affect your blood-alcohol levels, check out this blood alcohol content calculator. Remember, in Rhode Island, and other states, if your BAC is .08 or greater, you're legally intoxicated. And Happy New Year! -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:01 PM | Comment URI men's basketball climbs to No. 23 in AP pollSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The Rhode Island men's basketball team has scored its second-straight Top 25 ranking in the weekly Associated Press poll. The Rams moved up two spots, from 25th to 23rd in the poll released today. The increase follows back-to-back wins over the weekend over Eastern Michigan and Georgia Southern to improve the Rams' record to 13-1. Rhode Island cracked the rankings last week for the first time since November 1998, and is off to its best start since the 1946-47 season. The Rams play their last non-conference game of the season against Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:46 PM | Comment Photo: New Year's in the Philippines
Filipinos watch a fireworks display in a park as they welcome in the new year in Manila. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:30 PM | Comment Photo: Traditional New Year's scuffle in Romania
Riot police try to hold villagers wearing fur masks at bay today before the start of the traditional annual confrontation in Ruginoasa, Romania, 400 kilometers north of Bucharest. Villagers from the hills and valleys engage in fights on the last day of every year in a centuries-old ritual that, according to locals, is meant to purge the evil spirits in their community. During the past few years, however, riot police have tried to keep the villagers from fighting each other because serious injuries often occur during the clashes. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:20 PM | Comment Four charged in Fall River car-vandalism spreeFALL RIVER -- Four people have been arrested for allegedly blasting away at more than 100 parked motor vehicles with a pellet gun Saturday night and early Sunday morning. They each face 148 counts of both charges: discharging a BB gun on a way and vandalizing property, the police said in a news release today. The police say they have found thousands of BB pellets in the suspects' car during a stop. Arrested were Cherie Gagnon, 22, of 412 Dwelly St., Fall River, who drove the car from which pellets were allegedly fired; Kevin Couto, 20, of 196 Earle St., New Bedford, Mass.; Steven Guillette, 28, of 182 Durfee St., New Bedford; and, Jessica Ducary, 18, of 93 Hathaway St., New Bedford. "The out-of-pocket cost to replace these windows to the individual citizens of Fall River will be in the thousands of dollars," the police statement said. The police said a witness described the type of car involved in the shootings, and said four people had been inside. Officer Michael Digangi, who saw the car travel on North Main Street then turn onto Weaver Street, stopped it. The police said one person appeared to put something under a seat during the stop. The police said they saw several silver pellets on the car floor and found pellet guns in the car and thousands of BB pellets in a passenger compartment. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:00 PM | Comment Update: Suspicious material may be molotov cocktailA mystery substance that was believed to be toxic and sent four people to the hospital may have been an attempt at a molotov cocktail. A sample of a substance came back as “inconclusive,” Charlestown police said, citing findings by the state Department of Environmental Management, which tested the liquid. Michael Sweeney, chief of investigations for the State Fire Marshal office said additional samples have been sent to the University of Rhode Island Crime lab; he expects the results by next week. "We don't even know if we have a crime at this point," Sweeney said, "it appears to be a molotov cocktail." -- With reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental “The sample that they were able to retrieve from the scene may have been diluted by the rainwater,” Lt. Patrick McMahon said. According to an earlier statement released by the Police Department, officers responded to a call at about 9:40 p.m. last night from a Post Road residence. The caller said she backed over a glass container that was in her driveway and had been exposed to an unknown substance. Patrolman Philip Gingerella and his brother Peter Gingerella, a reserve police officer, “were both overcome by low lying toxic fumes coming from the property,” according to a statement released by the police. The 4700 block of Old Post Road was closed until about midnight while HazMat Teams from the state and the Hope Valley Fire Department joined the state Department of Environmental Management in the investigation. The two officers, the caller, and a friend of hers who had been exposed to the substance were taken to a decontamination area, and then to South County Hospital. In addition to the effects of the substance, they were treated for hypothermia, according to the statement. Because of “the suspicious nature of the glass container and its contents,” the state Fire Marshal’s Office is also assisting the investigation. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:45 PM | Comment Photo: New Year's in Hong Kong
A pyrotechnic show is set off around the International Finance Centre, Hong Kong's tallest building, at Victoria Habour, to celebrate the New Year, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008. See New Year's celebrations across the world on the EarthCam Webcams. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:40 AM | Comment Photo: Teen faces drunk driving charges after man struck
Scene on Poppasquash Road in Bristol, overlooking Bristol Harbor, next to Colt State Park where a 17-year-old Barrington boy led police on a chase across the park off the road, through brush, into this seawall and striking a pedestrian before coming to a stop.
Deputy Chief Kurt Blanchard at the state Department of Environmental Management said environmental police saw the suspect drive through the park at about 8:15 Saturday night. The suspect stopped the car near the entrance to the park, but took off as the patrol officer approached, according to Blanchard. At that point, the teenager, who was alone in the car, drove through a field and out onto Poppasquash Road, Blanchard said. At about 8:30 p.m., the environmental police notified the state police. A 51-year-old local man saw the car approaching and jumped over the seawall "just in time," according to State Police Capt. James Swanberg. The car crashed into the seawall, pinning the man. The victim was taken to a local hospital, treated and released. The police found opened and unopened alcohol containers and marijuana in the car, Swanberg said, and, "troopers observed him to be impaired." After administering field sobriety tests, the teenager was arrested. The teenager faces drunken driving charges, as well as charges for driving while in possession of a controlled substance. He also faces several citations from the DEM for being in the park after hours and having alcohol in the park. Since he is 17, the teenager will face the charges in Family Court. “This is yet another sad incident in a string of tragedies involving our youth, particularly those from Barrington. Fortunately, in this instance, the victim has survived," said Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. “We have been involved and working with law enforcement since the outset and are reviewing the case with the Rhode Island State Police and the DEM to determine the appropriate charges. Once that process has been completed, we will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law,” Lynch said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:31 AM | Comment Gas hits highest price of the yearThe price of gasoline in Rhode Island has hit its highest price of the year on the final day of year, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.109 at the self-service pump, up four cents from last week, according to AAA's weekly survey. The previous high was $3.08 on Memorial Day, AAA says. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:17 AM | Comment Exposure to suspicious material sends 4 to hospitalThe police in Charlestown are investigating a suspicious substance that overtook two officers with toxic fumes. According to a statement released by the police department, officers responded to a call at about 9:40 p.m. last night from a Post Road residence. The caller said she backed over a glass container that was in her driveway and had been exposed to an unknown substance. Patrolman Philip Gingerella and his brother Peter Gingerella, a reserve police officer, “were both overcome by low lying toxic fumes coming from the property,” according to a statement released by the police. The two officers, the caller, and a friend of hers who had been exposed to the substance were taken to a decontamination area, and then to South County Hospital. In addition to the effects of the substance, they were treated for hypothermia, according to the statement. The incident is under investigation while municipal authorities await the results of laboratory tests on the substance. Because of “the suspicious nature of the glass container and its contents,” the state Fire Marshal’s Office is also assisting the investigation. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:24 AM | Comment Storm could bring record for Boston
BOSTON -- A winter storm bearing down on the region could bring enough snow to break December's snowfall record in the Boston area. Boston only needs one more inch of snow to tie the December record of 27.9 inches set in 1970. A New Year's Eve storm moving through the area late Sunday and early Monday morning could drop several more inches. It's a dramatic shift from last year. Last December, Boston got less than an inch of snow. That was followed by 1 inch in January and less than 5 inches in February. Much of the snow this December piled up during three significant snowfalls between Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. The snow has been an economic boost, with fewer skiers and snowmobilers heading north. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared a snow emergency and parking ban effective at midnight tonight ahead of the snowfall followed by frigid temperatures midweek, creating possibly icy conditions. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment A wintry mix this morning but clearing laterIf it's involved in a "wintry mix," it's out there. There's rain, snow, sleet, ice ... and it's all on the streets, so if you have a personal day left in 2007, today might be the day to take it. If you have to drive, take it slow. Last Friday, icy roads led to a handful of accidents during the morning commute. Check for accidents at the Transportation Management Center's Web site. And although crews were out salting the roads, Jerome Williams, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation sill warns: "Motorists should still leave extra time and be careful on the roadways during this morning’s commute,” and said crews are still de-icing the roads this morning. As for the rest of the day, the National Weather Service is forecasting cloudy skies until mid-morning when the clouds should clear and the temperature will climb to 40 degrees. Clear skies forecast for Bright Night, tonight, but cold, with temperatures dropping to the mid 20s There's a good chance of snow and rain tomorrow with cloudy skies and a high temperature in the mid 30s. For weather updates, visit projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a look back on the Patriots' record-setting regular season and a story about how invasive species are causing problems in Rhode Island's bodies of water. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 28, 2007Scooting ahead to weather forecasts for New Year's
Fast-forwarding to New Year's Eve this Monday, the forecast is for a 30 percent chance of snow with a low of 28 degrees that night. For those planning to take a "polar bear" plunge from a Rhode Island beach on New Year's Day, Tuesday's forecast holds a 40 percent chance of snow and a daytime high of 43 degrees. Tonight and tomorrow, it's rain and rain, the National Weather Service forecast says. The weather service report includes a hazardous weather outlook on its Web site for tonight and days leading up to New Year's. Some "brief urban or poor drainage flooding" could happen in places with clogged storm drains, the outlook says. On Sunday night and into Monday morning, "winter weather hazards are likely" around southern New England in the form of snow accumulating or a mix of freezing and "frozen elements." The chance of "significant snowfall" Sunday night and Monday is currently 30 to 40 percent, the weather service says, with potential for six inches of snow or more. Oh, and those water temps? Well, it's about 42 degrees off Newport today, and a tad cooler farther north and a touch warmer along the southern coast. If it stays that way, it'll be just about as cold in the water as out. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:13 PM | Comment Update: Pension contribution check on hold for ex-clerkThe state's treasurer has put a hold on a $14,000 pension refund check processed for a former Division of Motor Vehicles clerk who is one of two former DMV clerks arrested by state police for allegedly providing false driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Soraya Santiago is one of two women accused of working with two middlemen who got about $2,500 to $3,000 by each person seeking a Rhode Island license with a fake identity. She had been an employee of the state Division of Motor Vehicles since 2000 before being fired after she was arraigned on 11 counts of conspiracy to commit identity fraud. She then filed for refund of the $14,000 she had made in state pension contributions. Santiago did not work for the state long enough to earn a pension. Treasurer Frank T. Caprio's office today cites a section of state law that says contributions should not be returned or ordered until the employee has satisfied any other judgments involving restitution for losses incurred as the result of a crime. Caprio is also asking for an opinion from state Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office to see whether her pension contributions can continue to be held until the court case is resolved, said Peter Kerwin, spokesman for Caprio. Caprio added that "If Ms. Santiago is fined or ordered to make restitution for any losses to the state arising from her activities, it makes no sense for the state to be paying out money to her right now." Lynch said in a statement this evening the charges against Santiago “are serious and are directly related to her state employment. It is certainly appropriate that any funds attributable to that employment be available to compensate the state should fines or restitution be ordered. With the appropriate hold in place, both the state’s and Ms. Santiago’s rights can be protected while this case progresses through the courts." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Lynch added that his civil division's lawyers have been coordinating with Caprio’s office on the matter for more than a week. "We look forward to ensuring that our mutual efforts are consistent as my prosecutors proceed with the case against Ms. Santiago in Superior Court," his statement said. The civil division lawyers are exploring the availability of an action through which the pension check monies can be deposited into the court registry, "where they will be distributed only by court order to the parties who are legally entitled to a recovery from or a return of them,” Lynch stated. The attorney general's office's criminal division is screening the case against Santiago. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment Despite discounts, gift cards, holiday sales disappoint
Like many shoppers around the country, people at Providence Place mall were taking advantage of deep discounts and closeout sales as they exchanged ill-conceived presents or cashed in gift cards. “It didn’t take long” to spend a $25 gift card at Victoria’s Secret where the goods were half-price, said Lindsay Wilcox, of Smithfield. She and boyfriend Garrett Hogan were taking a break in the mall’s food court after making the rounds of Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21 and other stores. Deep discounts are de rigueur this year, particularly at local outlets that won’t live to see the New Year, such as KB Toys and One Thousand Steps, both of which are closing their stores in Providence Place. Closeout prices at those stores are as deep as 75 percent off regular prices. Even retailers on solid ground, such as high-end retailer Nordstrom Inc. took a third off regular-priced men’s apparel, while away from the mall, Target Corp. lowered prices on popular video games to $37 to rid itself of merchandise. The discounting was forced on retailers by Americans who procrastinated about their holiday shopping chores and when they got around to them, didn’t spend as much as initially expected. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi, with wire reports Sales surged on the day after Thanksgiving, slumped for weeks afterward and then recovered a few days before Christmas, said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis at MasterCard Advisors. Only 50 percent of the respondents said they had completed half or most of their holiday shopping by the time the International Council of Shopping Centers surveyed shoppers from Dec. 13 to Dec. 16. Fuel prices and severe storms influenced spending this season, said McNamara. Gas prices over the holiday period ranged between 30 percent and 35 percent higher than the comparable period last year. “Overall, sales came in just above the lower end of the range we were expecting, maintaining the slower, modest growth we’ve been seeing throughout the year,” McNamara said. The International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group, said the last-minute shopping rush before Christmas didn’t save the season. It expects November and December same-store receipts to fall below the council’s October forecast of 2.5 percent growth for the two-month period. Even a post-Christmas buying binge would leave that performance the smallest annual sales increase since 2002. "Given the slow performance at the beginning (of December), it appears that the industry is on track for a sales gain that is slightly under our original expectation," said council economist Michael P. Niemira. After the most disappointing holiday sales season in five years, retailers are pinning their hopes on those deep discounts and ubiquitous gift cards to rescue them. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:24 PM | Comment Pawtucket investigating report of pedestrian struckPAWTUCKET -- Responders are investigating a report of a pedestrian struck in the area of the Benefit Street-Cottage Street intersection, according to police. No other details were yet available. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment License suspension sought for SNM Liquors in ProvidencePROVIDENCE -- Assistant City Solicitor Steven Catalano today asked the Providence Board of Licenses to impose a two-week suspension of the liquor license of SNM Liquors of 187 Douglas Ave. for selling alcohol to a minor in a Nov. 17 police sting operation. The board took no immediate action. Vice Chairman Gordon D. Fox said a decision will be made in 10 days. During the hearing, Providence Det. Joseph Amoroso testified that Providence police were contacted by the Barrington police, who told Providence they had information that the driver of a motor vehicle involved in a fatal accident had consumed alcohol bought at SNM Liquors. As a result, Amoroso testified, Providence police included SNM Liquors on a list of liquor stores to be tested to see if they would sell to minors. The police sent Luis Robles, a 20-year-old member of the Providence Police Explorer program, into SNM Liquors to buy a Bud Light 6-pack. Robles testified that he went in and bought alcohol from Shawn Merilan, the store owner who was working the counter. He said Merilan sold him the 6-pack without questioning his age or asking him to sign the minor book -- where a customer fills out his/her personal information if the person's claim of being of age is doubted, regardless of the ID information shown. Merilan testified that he did not remember the sale but that he might have sold it to Robles because Robles resembles one of his other customers who Merilan knows is of legal age. Earlier this month, Merilan pleaded no contest in District Court to two violations of selling alcohol to minors and was fined $250 as a result of the police sting operation. He was one of several liquor store owners summoned to court as part of that sting. The offense that Merilan and store workers faced was a violation of a criminal statute. A record of that conviction was entered into the evidence today. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Barrington police told Providence police that Michael J. Silveira, 17, of Barrington, who was at the wheel in the car crash that killed his friend Jonathan C. Converse, 16, of Barrington, was the one who consumed alcohol allegedly was bought at SNM Liquors. Last week, Silveira entered a plea agreement and was sentenced to serve two years in the state Training School for driving while intoxicated and slamming into a tree. Neither Merilan nor SNM Liquors has been criminally charged in connection with the liquor that Silveira ultimately allegedly drank. Today's hearing focused on the Providence police sting operation, not the Barrington investigation. But Amoroso said after the hearing that the transaction may be the subject of a Providence police licensing investigation of SNM liquors, which is a civil, not criminal, matter. Dan Converse, the father of Jonathan Converse, attended today's hearing as did Barrington police Det. Josh Birrell. After the hearing, Converse said that he attended to educate himself about the civil and criminal legal process involving minors. He said he finds that the law in the criminal domain provides "a slap on the wrist" for selling to minors. "You can't downplay the importance of supplying alcohol to minors," Converse said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:58 PM | Comment R.I. commercial fishermen get 2-week license extensionDue to a "processing delay," commercial fishermen in Rhode Island who have applied for but not yet received 2008 licenses may continue using their 2007 licenses through Jan. 15, the state Department of Environmental Management announced today. During the two-week extension, commercial fishermen must have their 2007 licenses on them while fishing. Application forms for 2008 licenses were mailed in mid-December, later than in past years, the DEM said in a news release. "The resultant influx of applications at one time has created a backlog, which staff expects to clear within a week to 10 days." Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Comment Make it to the New Year: Drive safe and soberIf you’re going to spend Monday celebrating New Year's Eve, and if you’re going to drink, be sure to make arrangements for safe travels that do not involve getting behind the wheel of a car. Rhode Island State Police say they will have an increased presence on the state’s highways, looking to get drunk drivers off the road. “New Year’s Eve is a night that a lot of people are celebrating and drinking and driving,” Capt. Jim Swanberg said. “Troopers are focusing on that… trying to put on additional patrols and have more of a police presence on the highways.” You can, of course, still partake in the spirit of the celebration without running the risk of a ticket, or worse – just plan ahead. Make a deal with a sober friend, walk to your party, or arrange a taxi. If, after a long night, you’re not sure if you’re in shape to drive, chances are you’re not. But for an idea as to how a drink may affect your blood alcohol levels, check out this blood alcohol content calculator. Remember, in Rhode Island, and other states, if your BAC is .08 or greater, you're legally intoxicated. Oh, and Happy New Year! -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:30 PM | Comment Traffic alert: Rte. 195W center lane closed at Rte. 95PROVIDENCE -- An accident has closed the center lane of Route 195 west where it meets Route 95 at this hour, the state Transportation Management Center advised at 3:18 p.m. Check the TMC's site for Web cam views and jam factors, as well as an update on this alert. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:27 PM | Comment Court limits 'ex parte' talks with DHS hearing officersDepartment of Human Services hearing officers may not communicate off the record with the state agency’s staff about contested facts and opinions unless the other side has a chance to respond, the state Supreme Court ruled this week. The issue arose when David Arnold and Pauline Belanger applied to the Department of Human Services for medical assistance in 2005, and the agency’s Medical Assistance Review Team determined they were not disabled and not eligible for Medicaid. Arnold, of Central Falls, and Belanger, of Chepachet, took their cases to Superior Court, claiming the department’s hearing officers had a policy and practice of having off-the-record communications about cases without notifying the other side. The agency contended that such communication was rare and did not violate the Administrative Procedures Act. Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr., who has since retired, disagreed, ordering hearing officers to avoid “ex parte” communication with agency staff about contested facts and opinions. The agency appealed. And in a 13-page opinion written by Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, the Supreme Court backed Fortunato’s ruling, saying, “In short, no litigious facts should reach the decision-maker off the record in an administrative hearing.” -- Jounral staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Unless the other side is given a chance to respond and cross-examine, Department of Human Services hearing officers may not communicate with anyone, including agency staff, about contested facts such as test results, diagnostic information, opinions on the severity of medical conditions or an overall assessment of an applicant’s disabilities, the high court said. But hearing officers may communicate with agency staff about hearing schedules, procedural matters and general information about how hearings are conducted, and as long as they don’t discuss the contested facts of a case, hearing officers may discuss general policy matters and consult state and federal regulations, the court said. “In other words, DHS hearing officers are required to guard against the inherent unfairness of secret evidence,” Williams wrote, “but they are not required to isolate themselves from the agency.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:12 PM | Comment UPDATE: Trial schedule unchanged for smoke-shop casePROVIDENCE -- Seven Narragansett Indians accused of scuffling with State Police who raided a tribal smoke shop will return to court Jan. 2., but the trial's start date has not been changed. The Jan. 2 meeting will be for pre-trial hearing. "We would anticipate that the defendants would move to change it," Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch said, "but as of now, that has not happened." Lawyers met today with Superior Court Judge Susan McGuirl to discuss the trial schedule. Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and six other defendants are charged with misdemeanor crimes ranging from assault to disorderly conduct. They were arrested four years ago when State Police raided a tribal smoke shop that was not collecting state taxes. A federal appeals court later ruled the shop was operating illegally. Jury selection is now scheduled for Monday, Jan. 7. But defense lawyers have said they will ask for a delay so they can prepare for trial. -- with reports from Journal staff writer Randall Edgar and the Associated Press Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:00 PM | Comment New year's resolution: What to do with $43,831?Someone has a new year's resolution that shouldn't be too hard to keep: What to do with $43,831? A player on the Wild Money game won the drawing last night but has not yet come forward, Rhode Island Lottery said today. The winning ticket was bought at the 7-Eleven at 3844 Post Road, Warwick. Drawings for the Wild Money game take place on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on Channel 12 WPRI at 7:29pm. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:10 PM | Comment DA: Driver in hit-and-run death was text messagingTAUNTON, Mass. -- Authorities say the New Bedford man charged in the hit-and-run death of a 13-year-old Taunton boy lost control of his SUV while text messaging on his cell phone. A Bristol County prosecutor said in Taunton District Court on Friday that Craig Bigos told police he thought he hit a mailbox, and didn't realize he hit Earman Machado until the next day. Bail was set at $5,000 for Bigos, who pleaded not guilty to charges including motor vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of an accident with death resulting and driving without a license. Police say Machado was riding his bicycle just after midnight Thursday when he was struck and killed by the 1995 Ford Explorer. Bigos turned himself in about 14 hours later. Defense attorney Daniel Igo says the 31-year-old Bigos has a clean criminal record. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:09 PM | Comment Judge: Painting taken by Nazis belongs to Jewish dealerPROVIDENCE -- A painting auctioned by Nazi authorities and now held by an elderly German baroness rightfully belongs to the estate of a late Jewish art dealer who was forced to sell it, a federal judge has ruled. In a decision made yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Mary Lisi ordered Maria-Luise Bissonnette to turn over "Girl from the Sabiner Mountains" to representatives of the estate of Max Stern, a prominent Canadian art dealer who died in 1987. Although outside experts have not authenticated the painting, both sides claim it is a work of Franz Xaver Winterhalter, a 19th-century artist made famous for his portraits of European nobility. "It's a very significant ruling," said Thomas Kline, a lawyer for Stern's estate. "It vindicates Dr. Stern's effort to try and hold onto his collection during the Nazi era, (and) to seek its return afterward." Kline said he intends to arrange for the return of the painting, which is now in a German warehouse. Marta Garrett, a lawyer for Bissonnette, would not comment on the ruling or say whether Bissonnette plans an appeal. -- The Associated Press Stern inherited his family's Dusseldorf art gallery in 1934. Three years later, Nazi authorities forced him to auction off its contents because Stern was a Jew. Bissonnette's stepfather, Karl Wilharm, a doctor and Nazi party member, purchased the painting at the auction. Bissonnette eventually resettled in Rhode Island and inherited the painting from her parents. Stern fled Germany after the auction, resettled in Montreal and tried to recover his lost artwork. He never tracked down "Girl from the Sabiner Mountains" before dying in 1987. Stern left his estate to three universities: McGill and Concordia universities in Montreal and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The schools have continued Stern's work in trying to find his paintings, several of which remain missing. Stern's estate found the painting after Bissonnette attempted to auction it in 2005. They first tried to negotiate its return but when talks broke down, lawyers for the estate filed a lawsuit to get it back. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:08 PM | Comment Update: Boil-water advisory lifted in WoonsocketThe boil-water warning for northeast Woonsocket has been lifted, after tests showed no contamination in the city’s public water system, Woonsocket Water Supt. Carol Lariviere said this morning. “It’s great, it’s definitely fantastic,” Lariviere said. The boil-water warning had been issued Wednesday after a 12-inch water main on Diamond Hill Road broke, reducing water pressure and resulting in discolored water in some parts of the system along Elder Ballou Meeting House Road, Bound Raod and Diamond Hill Road. It also drained the 1.2 million-gallon Diamond Hill Road water tank. No evidence of contamination was found either before or after the break was fixed, but city and state health officials issued the warning to about 3,000 residents in the affected area as a precaution. Water service in the rest of the city was never affected, Lariviere said. The line was repaired Wednesday night and pumps are being used to maintain pressure while they water tank is gradually refilled. Lariviere said the water tank, which towers over Diamond Hill Road near the Cumberland line, is being disinfected and gradually refilled. That process should be finished by the end of next week, she said. -- Journal staff writer John Hill Posted by Jack Perry at 11:49 AM | Comment 2 die after consuming products from Mass. dairyBOSTON — State health officials warned consumers not to drink milk products from a central Massachusetts dairy, after the deaths of two elderly men who consumed products contaminated with listeria bacteria. Whittier Farms has suspended operations and distribution until a source of contamination is identified, said Dr. Alfred DeMaria, the state director of communicable disease control. The Department of Public Health identified a total of four cases of listeriosis during the past six months. Two of the victims, a 78-year-old man and a 75-year-old man, died from the infection in Worcester County in June and October. A pregnant, 34-year-old woman recovered from the illness but her pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, DeMaria said. He said DNA fingerprinting showed that the bacteria causing the infections came from a common source. Samples collected showed product contamination. The bacteria can cause listeriosis, a rare but potentially fatal disease that can kill babies and people with weakened immune systems and cause miscarriages in pregnant women. Symptoms include fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. -- The Associated Press None of the victims were identified for privacy reasons. Officials at Whittier Farms did not immediately return calls seeking comment. According to its Web site, the 500-acre farm in Sutton is operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Whittier Family. The dairy has a processing plant in Shrewsbury and also operates two retail stores. A message left on an answering machine at the Sutton store said the store was presently closed and that information to date was “inconclusive.” The message said the owners would be addressing the issue as soon as possible. The bulk of the firm’s distribution is home delivery to customers in the greater Worcester-area. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:14 AM | Comment Photos: Two accidents on Route 295
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:51 AM | Comment Slick roads lead to accidentsA multi-vehicle accident has the right shoulder of Route 10 closed in Cranston. The accident, on the northbound side of Route 10 near Route 95, is just one of a handful of accidents from East Greenwich to East Providence that has plagued traffic this morning. Check traffic conditions on the Transportation Management Center's Web site. Yesterday's rain froze overnight when temperatures dropped to below freezing levels, leaving slick roads despite the mild morning temperatures. Conditions should improve. The sun is making its appearance and temperatures are expected to reach the mid 40s as the day goes on. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:34 AM | Comment Mayor to discuss plan for Cranston concrete plant
Cranston Mayor Michael Napolitano is expected to announce a plan today to buy out the Cullion Concrete batching plant that is being built off Pontiac Avenue. The plant, which is half-built, has drawn criticism from residents, and spawned "Cranston Citizens for Responsible Zoning and Development,"a group that opposes the plant's completion. The state Supreme Court in October ordered Cullion and the city to participate in mediation; since then, both sides have remained silent about negotiations. Napolitano said in a statement that the controversy has been resolved. He plans to discuss the outcome of mediation at a press conference today at noon in Cranston City Hall. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:16 AM | Comment Newport's new representative will be sworn in todayRep.-elect Steven J. Coaty will be sworn into his new position this evening. The Republican will serve the remaining year of the former Rep. Paul W. Crowley’s term, representing Newport. Crowley, a Democrat, died on Sept. 24 after suffering from melanoma. Coaty will be sworn into the District 75 House seat at 5 p.m. at a ceremony in the House of Representatives Chamber in the State House. Later in the evening, Speaker William J. Murphy will host a reception for Coaty in the House Lounge. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Watch for icy roads this morning, warming laterBe extra careful on the roads this morning. Moisture from yesterday's rain and overnight fog froze thanks to the freezing overnight temperatures and has left a slick surface on many roads. But conditions should get better. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 45 degrees with clear, sunny skies. Expect some rain late tonight and early tomorrow morning with low temperatures in the mid-30s. Rain should continue into mid-morning Saturday, getting heavy at times. The temperature should climb towards 50 degrees with a south wind up to 13 mph. Saturday night the skies should clear and the temperature should drop to about 27 degrees with a west wind of about 9 mph. Sunday's looking partly sunny with a high temperature in the low 40s and a mild, west wind. Snow may return Sunday night, after 9 p.m. as the temperature dips to about 27 degrees. We may have to deal with some snow Monday morning, also, with a forecast high of 34 degrees. For weather updates throughout the weekend, visit projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, including an interview with U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who is in Pakistan and was planning to meet with Bhutto before she was killed. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 27, 2007Not too late -- or early -- to plan New Year's Eve diningWhat to do on New Year's Eve is a dilemma for many of us. But if you're thinking of dining out, you know a reservation is a good place to start. And the ball is dropping -- it's only four days until Monday night. Next step? If you're in a hurry, browse our list of capsule dining reviews published by The Journal this year. Got more time? Then go back and read the full reviews as well as sample menus for several years back.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:44 PM | Comment An end to concrete-plant controversy in Cranston?CRANSTON -- Mayor Michael T. Napolitano is scheduled to announce tomorrow that the city has reached an agreement, in principle, to buy out a controversial, half-built concrete plant in the Eden Park section of the city, according to administration officials. The controversy over the plant has roiled city politics for over a year. Neighborhood opponents have staged press conferences, planted red "Stop the Concrete Plant" signs in dozens of front lawns and pressured politicians to fight Cullion's plans. -- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:30 PM | Comment Update: Rep. Kennedy was on way to dinner with BhuttoRep. Patrick J. Kennedy was in Pakistan today with a congressional delegation when former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. The Rhode Island Democrat was leaving his hotel room to go to Bhutto’s house in Islamabad for dinner when someone in his party told him to go back to his room and watch the televised news reports of the attack on Bhutto. “The country now has obviously become engulfed in flames,” Kennedy said this afternoon from Islamabad, in a telephone interview with The Providence Journal. “It’s clearly an enormous setback for a nation that was seeking to stabilize itself after a very tumultuous time.” Kennedy said Pakistanis took the death of the opposition leader as a personal loss. “It’s clear from what’s going on now here in Pakistan that this has definitely touched a deep cord in this society because she was such a symbol of hope for a new democracy. She kind of gave promise to people that there was a new day coming,” he said. “It was more than just her life being taken, but hope for millions of Pakistanis.” Kennedy said that, after watching TV reports, he received word through the U.S. Embassy that Bhutto’s wounds were superficial and that the Pakistani media were exaggerating the severity of the attack. After learning Bhutto had died, Kennedy and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., went to the headquarters of her political party, where they laid a wreath and expressed the condolences of the United States. They chose the party headquarters over her home because of the protesters that were gathering outside her residence. “There was no way we were going to get close to her house,” he said. Kennedy had met earlier in the day with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and, separately, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:54 PM | Comment Update: 3 teens arrested in Fall River shootingThe Fall River police have arrested three city teenagers in connection with a shooting last night that left a 33-year old local man seriously wounded. The police have arrested Sunny Mao, 18, of 1454 Pleasant St.; Chantra Say, 17, of 227 Stevens St., Apt. 304; and a 16-year old boy, whom the police are not identifying because he’s a juvenile, according to police Sgt. Paul Bernier. The teens were charged with armed assault with intent to murder, discharging a firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy, Bernier said. The victim, whom the police are not identifying, was shot at about 11 p.m. outside 1640 Pleasant St., the police said. He suffered a stomach wound and was initially taken to Charlton Memorial Hospital, in Fall River, before being transferred to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was in stable condition this afternoon. The police have not yet been able to speak with the victim because of his medical condition. The three teenagers fled the scene and were spotted nearby by Sgt. Gil Costa, who followed the three to a Pleasant Street address where they were arrested after the police searched the building. _ -- Journal writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 3:51 PM | Comment Harwood asks pension board to consider Corrente's wife
PROVIDENCE -- In a hearing that lasted less than a half hour, lawyer John B. Harwood cited four reasons that his client should have his pension reinstated, even though former city director of administration Frank E. Corrente was caught accepting bribes on videotape and eventually convicted in a federal corruption probe. Corrente, former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.’s top lieutenant, is fighting to have his $70,576-a-year pension reinstated after the Providence Retirement Board suspended the payments and suggested ending them entirely. Harwood, the former speaker of the Rhode Island House, argued today that: - Corrente and his wife, Thelma Corrente, deserve to be compensated for the illegal suspension; - The board should consider Thelma Corrente – who, as a long-time employee of the School Department, draws her own state pension – because she was not implicated in the federal Plunder Dome investigation of City Hall; - Even if Corrente loses credit for two or three years of tainted service, he should get a pension based on his years of honorable service. After the hearing, Harwood reiterated the argument, saying, “Twenty-six out of twenty-nine (years) is a good record.” Facing pressure from allegations of sexual harassment and misspent campaign funds, Harwood stepped down as speaker of the House in 2002 after serving a decade in the post. Larry J. Ritchie, a law professor at the Roger Williams University School of Law, presided over the hearing today. He will use today’s testimony, along with other evidence to produce a report and recommendation to the Pension Board. He expects to have the report completed within a month. Corrente, now 79, has finished his prison sentence and is living at home in Cranston. Your Turn: Should Corrente have his pension reinstated? -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:39 PM | Comment Raptakis sponsors R.I. air passenger bill of rightsSitting in an airplane for three hours while it sits on the tarmac can be a drag, to say the least. But when there’s no air circulation, the toilets begin to overflow, and there’s nothing to drink, that, says state Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, is "unfair and irresponsible." The senator, who represents Coventry, East Greenwich, West Warwick and Warwick, home of T. F. Green Airport, is introducing an "air passenger bill of rights," which would require airlines to provide a certain level of service after being on the tarmac for more than three hours. The proposal is modeled after a similar law in New York which was recently upheld by a District Court who ruled that states could regulate such conditions because they concerned public health issues, not service issues. Click below to read about the law's specific requirements. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson The law would require that after spending three hours on the tarmac, airlines would provide: Drinking water, snacks and other refreshments. Waste removal service for holding tanks for on-board restrooms. Electric generation service to provide fresh air and lights. “Air travelers are being asked to deal with more and more delays, while facing cutbacks in the kind of services and conveniences which airlines once provided,” Raptakis said in a statement. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:34 PM | Comment Taunton, Mass., police seek driver in fatal hit-and-runTAUNTON, Mass. -- Police are asking for help from the public in finding the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a 13-year-old boy in Taunton. The Bristol District Attorney's office says the victim was hit shortly after midnight today by a vehicle that veered off Poole Street. The boy - a Taunton resident whose name hasn't been released - was pronounced dead at Morton Hospital. Investigators believe the vehicle that fled the scene was a 1995-1997 model Ford Explorer, red or maroon in color. It most likely has damage to the front passenger side. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 1:02 PM | Comment Weight restriction being added to Ten Mile River BridgesThe Department of Transportation is restricting the weight on two more bridges in the state while repairs begin and the state discusses options for replacement. Beginning tomorrow, the Ten Mile River Bridges in East Providence will be restricted to vehicles weighing less than 7 tons. Heavier vehicles will have to find alternate routes. “As we undertake our immediate repairs, we are utilizing detours that the City prefers and apologize in advance for any inconveniences this may cause area residents and businesses,” RIDOT director Jerome F. Williams said in a statement. “We expect that our repairs to be completed in the next month will allow the posting to be increased to 19 tons.” Both bridges have two 11-foot travel lanes, a 10-foot wide shoulder and two sidewalks which stay open during the construction. According to a press release, construction could start on the bridge by spring 2009 and should cost about $2.5 million. The DOT last month imposed a 22-ton weight restriction on the Pawtucket River Bridge on Route 95 in Pawtucket. Extra: See the weight limits posted on bridges across Rhode Island, including the new restriction for the Ten Mile River Bridges. (The numbers under the axle columns refer to weight by ton.) Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:52 PM | Comment Lawyer: Drop murder charge in Barrington boating deathA lawyer this morning argued that the indictment charging Ryan Greenberg with second-degree murder should be dismissed because the Barrington teenager was indicted after the legislature had repealed a law treating 17-year-olds as adults for criminal purposes. But state prosecutors disagreed, saying the alleged crime occurred and the criminal complaint was issued during the 4 ½-month period when all 17-year-olds were sent to adult court rather than Family Court. The debate is part of a larger argument about whether the state has violated the rights of the 500 “gap kids” arrested during that period. Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini said he will try to issue a decision by mid-January that will apply to “gap kids” throughout the state. Greenberg, the state’s most high-profile “gap kid,” had been charged with one felony count of operating a boat to endanger, death resulting, but earlier this month a grand jury indicted him on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the July 17 boating death of his Barrington High School classmate Patrick Murphy. Greenberg was not in court when his lawyer, William C. Dimitri, argued that Greenberg should be transferred to Family Court. Dimitri noted that while the legislature enacted the law treating 17-year-olds as adults on July 1 and repealed it on Nov. 7, Greenberg was not indicted until Dec. 3. So, Dimitri said in his motion, “there was nothing pending against this defendant in a court of competent jurisdiction at the time of the legislature’s repeal.” But Special Assistant Attorney General Christian F. Capizzo said the legislature chose not to make the repeal retroactive, and Superior Court has proper jurisdiction over Greenberg. “The state proceeded under the law as it existed at that time,” he said. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:38 PM | Comment Update: R.I.'s population loss worst in nationWASHINGTON -- Rhode Island is losing residents at a faster clip than any other state in the nation. New population estimates being released today by the Census Bureau show that in the year ending July 1, the smallest state's population declined by four-tenths of percent. Rhode Island lost just over 3,800 people to end up with an estimated 1.058 million residents. According to the Census figures, the only other state to lose population was Michigan, which saw a decline of three-tenths of a point. Nevada is the nation’s fastest-growing state, with a population increase of 2.9 percent between, according to the Census Bureau's estimates. Arizona, which was the fastest-growing state between 2005 and 2006, slipped to second place. This is the first in a series of population estimates that will be released through the summer of 2008, according to the Census Bureau. Your turn: Have you left or are you planning to leave Rhode Island. Why or why not? -- The Associated Press with projo.com reports Posted by Jack Perry at 12:28 PM | Comment NTSB: Plane 'porpoised' after landing at Green AirportThe US Airways Express flight that went off the runway at T.F. Green Airport this month did so after it touched down hard and "porpoised," according to a preliminary synopsis issued byThe National Transportation Safety Board. The brief report, now posted in the NTSB's accident query database, is labeled as preliminary information and subject to change. The synopsis describes the incident, in which none of the 31 passengers and 3 crew members aboard the Bombardier CRJ-200, this way: "Initial information indicates that the airplane touched down hard at approximately 1000-1200 feet from the threshold of runway 5. The airplane porpoised after touchdown and exited the left side of the runway. "Fiberglass parts consistent with the main gear door were found nearby broken runway edge lights about 2500 feet from the threshold. At approximately 3000 feet from the threshold the left main gear entered the snow and grass area, and by 3200 feet, both main gear had exited the runway. "The airplane came to a stop on a magnetic heading of approximately 320 degrees at about 3700 feet from the threshold. Runway 5 is 7,166 feet long by 150 feet wide, and is a CAT II instrument runway. "The left main gear collapsed, the drag brace or trunnion was seen fractured, and the wheel punctured the flap and left upper wing skin. Wing tip damage was also observed. There was no fuel spill." Porpoising occurs when a plane cannot maintain a level flight path and goes up and down like a porpoise diving in and out of the water. When striking the ground, it can mean an uncontrolled, or series of uncontrolled, bounces. Passengers had told The Providence Journal that the plane seemed to hit the runway quickly and hard after coming out of thick clouds at dusk on Sunday, Dec. 16. Brown University Prof. Thom Jones, who watched from his seat in front of the left wing, said, “I can’t tell you the force when we hit the ground. It felt like we were in an elevator and we dropped four floors.” Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:02 PM | Comment Woonsocket boil water advisory continues/ Photo
Woonsocket water department officials said they hope to know by late tomorrow morning if they can lift the boil-water advisory they issued for residents in the northeast corner of the city after a water main break yesterday. Water Supt. Carol Lariviere said the work of fixing the 12-inch water main underneath Diamond Hill Road went fairly smoothly last night, with actual construction work done by 10 p.m. It took department crews about five or six hours more to bleed air out of the pipe network. “By 2 or 3 a.m. a majority of people did have some kind of water,” she said. Estimates are around 3,000 people are affected by the break, which knocked out water service altogether for some and caused discolored water for others. Residents in northeast Woonsocket are still being advised to continue boiling water before drinking it or using it for cooking. Lariviere said it takes about 24 hours for the needed tests to be completed, so results from samples taken after the work was done this morning won’t be known until around 11 a.m. or so Friday.
So far, water tests have come up negative for any harmful bacteria, but bottled water is still available at Fire Station No. 4 at 806 Mendon Road. Even though the test have been negative so far, city officials are recommending anyone in the affected area vigorously boil for at least a minute any water they plan to drink or use in cooking. The affected area is bounded by Elder Ballou Meeting House Road in the south, from McArthur Road east to Bound Road on the Cumberland line. Water lines on Bound Road north to the Bellingham town line were also affected, as well as the pipe network along Diamond Hill Road from the Cumberland line west to Mendon Road. Pinecrest Road in Woonsocket and Pine Swamp Road and Stephen’s Way in Cumberland were also suffering from the break. Restaurants in the area were closed. The rest of the city’s water system is unaffected by the break, Lariviere said, and water there can be used without any special precautions. See the state health Department’s Web site for a map of the area involved. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:57 AM | Comment Two teens arrested in Fall River shootingFALL RIVER – The Fall River police have arrested two teenagers in connection with a shooting last night that left a man seriously wounded. The police have arrested a 16-year old boy, whose name isn’t being released because he’s a juvenile, and an 18-year old man, whose name the police are also withholding this morning, on charges of armed assault with intent to murder, discharging a firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy, according to police Lt. Paul Bernier. The victim, whom police are also not identifying, was shot at about 11 p.m. outside 1640 Pleasant St., the police said. He suffered a stomach wound and was taken to an area hospital. No further information is available at this time. -- Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:54 AM | Comment Relatives of victims of drunken driving to join patrolsLINCOLN -- Relatives of victims of drunken driving crashes will accompany the police this weekend on special DUI patrols. The patrols, with officers from 15 different law-enforcement agencies, will start today and continue through the weekend. They will target drunken drivers. Gabrielle Abbate, executive director of the state branch of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, says each patrol will be named for a person who was killed or seriously injured in a drunken driving crash. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:20 AM | Comment Former Cape Cod Times publisher dies at 95BOURNE, Mass. -- Daniel Bradley Gaylord, who sold the first advertisements for the Cape Cod Times and later became the paper’s publisher, has died. He was 95. Gaylord died on Dec. 25 at Falmouth Hospital, his wife, Judith, told the Times. She said her husband suffered a fall in September and was recently receiving rehabilitation. Gaylord was the last surviving member of the team the started the paper, which was first published in a garage in Barnstable in 1936. The paper was called the Cape Cod Standard-Times until 1975. Gaylord graduated from the University of Virginia in 1935 and learned the newspaper business from his uncle, who was president and publisher of the Daily Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times. The Cape Cod Standard Times’ first owners, E. Anthony & Sons Inc., hired Gaylord as one of two advertising representatives. Twelve years later, he became the paper’s publisher. In 1953, he became general business manager of the company, which included the New Bedford Standard-Times, two radio stations and the launch of a New Bedford television station. Gaylord retired in 1967. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:09 AM | Comment Cranston Mayor to discuss concrete plantCranston Mayor Michael Napolitano has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow to discuss the controversy surrounding the Cullion Concrete batching plant off Pontiac Avenue. The plant, which is half-built, has drawn criticism from residents, and spawned "Cranston Citizens for Responsible Zoning and Development,"a group that opposes the plant's completion. The state Supreme Court in October ordered Cullion and the city to participate in mediation; since then, both sides have remained silent about negotiations. Napolitano said in a statement that the controversy has been resolved. He plans to discuss the outcome of mediation at a press conference tomorrow at noon in Cranston City Hall. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:35 AM | Comment Corrente returns to City Hall to argue for pensionPROVIDENCE — A former state official who was caught on FBI videotapes taking bribes during a federal corruption investigation is fighting to reinstate his $70,000 pension. Frank E. Corrente, 79, was former Mayor Vicent A. Cianci Jr.’s top lieutenant. His pension, city-paid medical and dental insurance were suspended when he was convicted in Operation Plunder Dome. The Providence Retirement Board will hold a hearing to give Corrente a chance to explain why he should be able to keep some or the entire pension. Read more in today's Providence Journal -- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:16 AM | Comment This morning's rain could turn to sleet, snowDon't let the rain fool you -- it may not be snow, but it's still cold! Some of the rain may actually turn to sleet before noon, and then even snow. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature of 37 degrees with a northwest wind up to 14 mph. Tonight more precipitation before 9 p.m., then clearing skies as the temperature drops to about 29 degrees. Friday looks nicer, with a high temperature near 44 degrees and a mild, northwest wind. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features good news for Patriots' fans. They'll be able to watch the Patriots' attempt to finish the regular season without a loss. Saturday night's game against the New York Giants was initially available only to subscribers of the NFL Network in Rhode Island and many other parts of New England, but the league gave in to pressure and will allow NBC and CBS to also carry game. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 26, 2007Tonight: Celtics on tap on West CoastWith all the hoopla surrounding the Patriots-Giant game, let's not forget another winning New England team -- the Boston Celtics. They're playing on the West Coast tonight against Sacramento. Which means -- you guessed it -- a late game, starting at 10 p.m. our time. Look for the latest score and other stats on projo.com's Celtics page. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:55 PM | Comment Update: 8 candidates to appear on R.I. primary ballotPROVIDENCE — Republicans Mitt Romney, John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul and Democrat Christopher Dodd have submitted enough validated signatures to appear on Rhode Island’s March 4 primary ballots, according to local boards of canvassers. They join Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani, who had already amassed more than the required 1,000 validated signatures, the secretary of state’s office reported this afternoon. Other candidates might appear on the primary ballot. While the deadline for signatures was 4 p.m. today, local boards have until Jan. 10 to validate signatures, and an unknown number of signatures have been submitted without being validated yet, said Chris Barnett, spokesman for Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis. “This tells us who is in,” Barnett said. “But it doesn’t tell us who is out. It does give people an idea of who is close.”
Democrat John Edwards was within striking distance with 942 validated signatures, while Democrat Dennis Kucinich had 759, Republican Fred Thompson had 724, Republican Duncan Hunter had 477, Republican Hugh Cort had 475, Republican Alan Keyes had 460, Republican Tom Tancredo had 392, Democrat Joseph Biden had 238 and Democrat Bill Richardson had 116. Democrat Mike Gravel was among those with no validated signatures. Barnett explained that local boards of canvassers validate signatures by checking to see if they are the names of eligible voters in their communities. Clinton was leading the way with 2,167 validated signatures; Obama had 1,952; Giuliani, 1,312; Romney, 1,257; Paul, 1,233; McCain, 1,224; Huckabee, 1,165; and Dodd, 1,058. Barnett said the final step is for the secretary of state’s office to certify signatures by checking them against a statewide database of eligible voters. So far, only Obama has more than the required 1,000 certified signatures. The totals for certified signatures include 1,111 for Obama, 675 for Clinton, 277 for Dodd, 275 for Romney, and 273 for Huckabee, according to the secretary of state’s office. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:21 PM | Comment Photo: With so many sales, what's a shopper to do?
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:56 PM | Comment Health Dept. urges Woonsocket residents to boil waterA water main break in the Diamond Hill High Service section of Woonsocket has disrupted water service and has caused dirty water to flow from taps in the areas serviced by the Diamond Hill tank. The areas affected are bordered by Elder Ballou Meeting House Road from MacArthur Road East to Bound Road. Also included are Bound Road North to the Bellingham, Mass., line and Diamond Hill Road from the Cumberland line to Mendon Road. Pine Crest Drive, off Mendon Road, is also affected. Residents in the affected areas are urged to boil tap water used for cooking or drinking for at least one minute until further notice. Residents are warned that they could be without water for up to 24 hours. There is no confirmation of bacteria in the water supply at this time, and there are no reports of disease at this time. According to a news release issued by the state Department of Health, the Woonsocket Water Division is trying to locate the water line break. The division will make an announcement as soon as the work is completed, the release says. Bacteria sampling will be conducted in the Diamond Hill Service area after the repairs are completed.
Individuals who have digested water from this system and who are experiencing unusual symptoms should contact their physicians or go to the Emergency Room. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 5:49 PM | Comment Update: NFL: Channels 10, 12 can carry Pats-Giants gameYou should be able to watch the New England Patriots' season finale against the Giants at home after all. The National Football League just announced it has arranged an "unprecedented" three-way national simulcast of the NFL Network telecast of this Saturday night's game with broadcast partners CBS and NBC. Locally, that means both Channels 10 and 12 can carry the game, an NFL spokesman said. A few minutes later, both stations confirmed to The Journal that they'll do so. The Patriots, 15-0, have the chance to finish the regular season undefeated. But a lot of Pats' fans in Rhode Island were likely to miss the momentous event, since the game was to be available locally only to subscribers to the NFL Network. Lisa Churchville, president and general manager of NBC 10, sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Monday offering to clear the station’s Saturday prime time schedule to air the game. WPRI-TV Channel 12 carried most of the team's games this season, while NBC 10 carrried two. This Saturday's game will also be televised by WCVB-ABC (Channel 5) in Boston, WMUR-ABC in Manchester, New Hampshire (Channel 9) and WWOR (Channel 9) in New York. The telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET with kickoff set at 8:15 p.m. ET. The NFL describes it as the first three-network simulcast in NFL history and the first simulcast of any kind of an NFL game since Super Bowl I in 1967 when CBS and NBC both televised the first meeting of the champions of the newly merged National Football League and American Football League. -- With reports from staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:13 PM | Comment Update: Recycle a Christmas tree for freeLet your council members know: the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will accept Christmas trees from municipalities – and their contractors and residents – free of charge. The fee will be waived as long as the trees are not mixed with other trash, not bagged and don't have any ornaments,lights or tinsel on them. The offer lasts until Jan. 31, 2008. In Providence, Mayor David N. Cicilline announced this afternoon, the city will pick up trees for two weeks, beginning a week from today, Jan. 2. They should be placed at the curb on regular trash collection days and not contained in any type of bag. And remember – real trees only. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:21 PM | Comment Photo: Warm welcome for, and from, Disney ice skaters
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:10 PM | Comment Newport's new representative will be sworn in FridayRep.-elect Steven J. Coaty will be sworn into his new position Friday evening. The Republican will serve the remaining year of the former Rep. Paul W. Crowley’s term, representing Newport. Crowley, a Democrat, died on Sept. 24 after suffering from melanoma. Coaty will be sworn into the District 75 House seat Friday at 5 p.m. at a ceremony in the House of Representatives Chamber in the State House. Later in the evening, Speaker William J. Murphy will host a reception for Coaty in the House Lounge. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:16 PM | Comment Structure fire on Prospect Street in PawtucketFirefighters are at the scene of a working fire in Pawtucket. The wooden structure is on 217 Prospect St., near Memorial Hospital. No further information is available right now. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:13 PM | Comment Channel 10 still waiting on bid to air Pats-Giants gameWJAR-TV NBC 10 still hasn't heard from the NFL on its request to broadcast the New England Patriots' final regular season game Saturday night against the New York Giants. The Patriots, 15-0, have the chance to finish the regular season undefeated. But a lot of Pats' fans in Rhode Island could miss the momentous event, since the game will be available locally only to subscribers to the NFL Network. Lisa Churchville, president and general manager of NBC 10, sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Monday offering to clear the station’s Saturday prime time schedule to air the game. The station had not gotten a response as of about noon today, according to Barbara Beresford, the station's director of marketing. "We're hoping to hear today," Beresford said. WPRI-TV Channel 12 carried most of the team's games this season, while NBC 10 has carrried two. As currently scheduled, Boston's Channel 5 is scheduled to carry the game on free, over-the-air television, but none of the Rhode Island stations has permission to broadcast it. Rhode Islanders and other fans across New England will only be able to view the game if they are paid subscribers to the NFL Network, visit a bar or restaurant that subscribes, or if they can pick up Channel 5 in Boston. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:12 PM | Comment Body found in Cranston ID'd as 43-year-old manCRANSTON -- Police say the body found in this city Saturday was that of 43-year-old Brian Salisbury. According to Maj. Ronald Blackmar, Salisbury's last known address was in Cranston. An autopsy was performed Monday, but a cause of death has not yet been determined, Blackmar said. Police are waiting for a toxicology report. Salisbury's body was behind the Burger King on Sockanosset Cross Road. Police found the body acting on a tip from a phone call earlier that day. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:08 PM | Comment 2 fireworks displays will help light up Bright NightAlready planning for New Year's Eve? The lineup for Bright Night Providence has something to keep you busy from noon to midnight. Highlights: Two fireworks displays, one at 5:30 p.m. and again at midnight. Performances at the artist-run event feature a kids' fun fair at the Convention Center, a swing-dance party, and SLAMM, a drum-and-dance spectacular at the Providence Performing Arts Center. And here's a twist -- the first 3,000 holders of Bright Night Providence tickets will also be offered free admission to a Providence College Friars basketball game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, according to a press release from the mayor's office. Performances will run at a number of venues throughout downtown Providence. A complete schedule and ticket ordering are available at www.brightnight.org. Tickets are also available over the phone through ArtTixRI, 401-621-6123, and at all BankRI locations, OOP! stores and at the East Side Marketplace. Day-of-event tickets will be sold at Providence Performing Arts Center, ArtTixRI Office, the Convention Center, the Providence Children’s Museum and several other venues. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:53 AM | Comment From day of recovery to day of shoppingIn some, oh so civilized places around the world, the day after Christmas is an official day of recovery from the excess of the holiday. The most well-known may be Great Britain's Boxing Day, whose etymology is a bit cloudy, but stems from the tradition of giving boxes of gifts on that day. Across the United Kingdom, Boxing Day has also become a big hunting day -- hunting on horseback with the hounds, that is. More recently, it seems as if members of the old British empire have been mimicking the practices of those colonists in the United States. They've already been swarming the Central Business District of Sydney, Australia, according to the Sydney Morning Herald's Web site. But here in Rhode Island, if you're not back in the stores today seeking post-holiday bargains or making exchanges -- and gosh knows, I've never been able to figure out why people rush to do the latter -- there are alternatives. Check out our calendar of movies playing around our idea and other seasonal events. Some of them you can even do after you get out of work :) Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:27 AM | Comment Frenchtown night detours to continue through FridayPart of Frenchtown Road/Route 402 in East Greenwich, will continue to close at night this week because of work on the Route 403 overpass. Traffic patterns will be affected from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight through Friday, according to the state Department of Transportation. Beginning at 9 p.m., crews will work on setting beams for the bridge that will carry Route 403 over Frenchtown Road. Signs will direct eastbound traffic to Davisville Road/Route 403 at West Davisville Road, and then to Devil’s Root Road and School Street to reach Post Road. Westbound traffic will be directed to reverse direction east of the closure area, then to use Post Road and follow the detour in reverse. For more information on the project and associated detours, visit the RIDOT Web site, or call the Department’s customer service office at 401-222-2450. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:13 AM | Comment Holiday shopping, part two
Shoppers were lined up for an early morning opening at a Kohl's store in Connecticut. Some early-bird shoppers were looking to beat long lines for exchanges and returns, others are say they're there for the bargains. A Massachusetts woman who got gift cards from her son says she's normally an early-riser anyway, so she figured she'd make the most of her cards. Toys "R" Us stores have also been opening early today. Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue are slashing prices on winter clothing. Analysts claim about 16 percent of holiday sales come in the week after Christmas. The increased popularity of gift cards makes the time period more important for retailers. The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend more than 26 billion dollars in gift cards this holiday season. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:48 AM | Comment Rep. Kennedy visits Middle EastJERUSALEM -- Representative Patrick Kennedy says Egypt must crack down on weapons smuggling into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The Rhode Island Democrat is traveling in the Middle East with Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican. Both lawmakers say future U.S. aid to Egypt should depend on Cairo doing much more to halt the flow of weapons into neighboring Gaza. The U.S. gives Egypt about $2 billion in annual aid. More than half is earmarked for military assistance. Congress has proposed legislation that would withhold about $200 million in military aid unless Egypt does more to stop weapons smuggling and improves its human rights record. Kennedy and Specter plan to travel to Syria later this week. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 9:09 AM | Comment Out with the old, responsiblyFor a lot of people, the holidays – and the next few weeks – are the time to upgrade. Whether it’s a smaller cell phone or a bigger television, a new device usually means the disposal of an old one. But many of the latest devices contain some of the nastiest substances, those that shouldn’t make it into the landfill. Here are two examples of unhealthy substances found in high-tech devices: Mercury, used in computer monitors. High levels of exposure can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune systems. Lead, used in TV and PC cathode ray tubes. Exposure can cause neurological impairment and has been associated with stroke, kidney disease and cancer. RIRRC also takes old televisions for a $5 fee. Check out options for business recycling and satellite collection dates at the RIRRC Web site. The Environmental Protection Agency has plenty of other tips for cleaning up the holidays, from recycling Christmas trees, saving water in this video. Or visit the EPA’s Go Green for the Holidays Web site for more information. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:55 AM | Comment Signatures still lacking for presidential hopefulsPresidential hopefuls have until 4 p.m. today to get their names on the ballot in time for the March 4 Rhode Island presidential primary. Candidates will need to collect 1,000 certified signatures. See how close they are to their goal on the Secretary of State's Web site. Not much has changed since Monday --just Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama have collected more than 1,000 signatures, but only Obama has more than 1,000 certified signatures. The Republicans competing in Rhode Island are Hugh Cort, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo-- who has dropped out of the race -- and Fred Thompson. The Democrats are Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Ray Stebbins and Rosemary Turner. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:23 AM | Comment Settlement reached in Big Dig tunnel accident
BOSTON -- The family of a Boston woman killed when the ceiling of a Big Dig tunnel collapsed on her car has agreed to a $6 million dollar settlement. The company that supplied the epoxy adhesive blamed for the accident is to pay the family. Investigators determined that the ceiling collapsed because workers secured the ceiling with a fast-drying epoxy that wasn't safe to use for overhead loads. Milena Del Valle was killed in July 2006 as she and her husband drove through the Interstate 90 connector tunnel. Her husband escaped with minor injuries. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:38 AM | Comment Traffic restrictions to begin in Boston tunnelBOSTON -- Motorists using the Storrow Drive tunnel in Boston can expect some disruptions over the next several weeks. Beginning Wednesday, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation will be repairing blocked or damaged drainage lines in the 55-year-old tunnel. Through Sunday, officials say one eastbound lane of the tunnel will be closed to traffic from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Beginning January 2, the work will be shifted to the overnight hours from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. The noise level will be high during the repairs, with crews using jackhammers at the entrance to the tunnel. The state hopes to eventually rebuild or replace the aging tunnel, but those plans are on hold while designers try to work out environmental issues. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Clouds building and a high near 45No clouds yet, but they should start rolling in as the day goes on. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 45 degrees with a calm, northeast wind. We may be in for some precipitation tonight -- mostly rain or sleet -- before midnight. Early tomorrow morning, it may turn to snow. The overnight low will be around 29 degrees with north winds gusting as high as 21 mph. Snow or rain could continue into the day tomorrow, and maybe snow later in the afternoon. Expect cloudy skies with a high temperature approaching 40. For weather updates, visit projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about Rhode Islanders who had to answer the call at work, while so many others had the day off and were able to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 24, 20077to7 taking a break for the Christmas holidayWe'll be celebrating Christmas tomorrow and not publishing our usual updates to the 7to7 news blog. But that doesn't mean that projo.com is completely off for the day. We'll be offering surveys and more photo uploads, sports blog updates, and our continually updating feeds of national, world and sports news from the Associated Press. On Wednesday, 7to7 will be back on the job at -- 7 a.m. Until then, happy holidays! Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 6:31 PM | Comment Two teens arrested in connection with bus firesMIDDLETOWN — The police have arrested two teenagers and charged each with two felony counts of arson after two school buses were set ablaze late yesterday afternoon. One bus was badly damaged. Bradley Petersen, 18, of 2345 West Main Rd, Portsmouth, was released on $2,500 personal recognizance by a justice of the peace, and a 17-year-old Middletown boy, whose name was not released because of his age, was released to his parents after being charged. The fire occurred just before 5 p.m. at the Gaudet Middle School on Aquidneck Avenue, where the Laidlaw Transit Co. parks its Middletown buses. Witnesses spotted the flames, drove into the parking lot, and saw two males flee in a vehicle as the fire engines began to arrive. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 4:00 PM | Comment More ways to giveIf you're looking for more ways to give this holiday season, see who needs help -- be it money, donation, or volunteers. See a list of opportunities to give. And if your nonprofit organization is seeking holiday donations or volunteers, or if it has services or goods to offer the needy, we will publish your request once during the holiday season, as space permits.
To be included in either list, send your information, including a name and contact number to pjnews@projo.com. Put "Holiday Giving" in the subject field. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:30 PM | Comment Channel 10 seeks to air Pats/Giants game on Dec. 29The president and general manager of WJAR NBC 10 has written a letter to the NFL commissioner offering to air the Dec. 29th Patriots’ game against the New York Giants to make it available to all Rhode Island fans. The game is presently scheduled to be shown only on the NFL Network in Rhode Island. As currently scheduled, Boston and New Hampshire will be the only New England areas to see the game on free, over-the-air television. Rhode Islanders and other fans across New England will only be able to view the game if they are paid subscribers to the NFL Network. According to a news release, NBC 10 said that the Providence Designated Market Lisa Churchville, president and general manager of NBC 10, sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell offering to clear the station’s Saturday prime time schedule in order to air the New England Patriot’s and New York Giants final regular season game. The Dec. 29th game has the potential to culminate in the Patriots having the first undefeated regular season in the NFL since 1972. “Please consider making this final game available on free, over-the-air television across New England to ensure that the region’s Patriots’ fans will be able to watch this historic game. We know that fans in our state would appreciate the NFL allowing them to enjoy the same access as fans in Boston,” Churchville said. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 3:06 PM | Comment Do you really feel like cooking? Didn't think soJust because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean you don’t have to eat. A handful of restaurants will be open tonight and tomorrow. Of course, call first to make sure there’s room for you. In Providence: In Federal Hill, Blue Grotto, 210 Atwells Ave, (401)-272-9030 will be offering the Feast of the Seven Fishes today from noon to 9 p.m. in addition to the regular dinner menu. On Thayer Street, Andreas Restaurant, 268 Thayer St., (401) 331-7879, will be open today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Christmas Day from 5 p.m. to midnight with full dinner menu and specials and drinks until 1 a.m. http://andreasri.com/. In Wayland Square, Red Stripe, 465 Angell St., (401) 437-6950, will serve the regular dinner menu from 4 to 9 p.m. today. For more restaurants in the city and across the state that will be open today and tomorrow, visit projo.com's food section. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:45 PM | Comment Westerly DMV set to reopenThe Westerly branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles is set to re-open this Friday. The branch was closed last Thursday after the roof and ceiling began leaking. According to a statement released by the DMV today, the owners of the building have worked with the DMV since Dec. 20 to repair the damage. The Westerly DMV will return to its regular hours: Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. back at its original location, 62 Franklin Street in the Ocean Plaza. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:41 PM | Comment Clear skies, finally, to view the starry, starry night
Cloudy, nasty weather robbed us of a chance to see the Gemenid meteor shower at its peak; Mars at its brightest; and just the all-around crisp, clear skies that are ideal for seeing what’s going on in the winter skies. Things get better tonight. Expect clear skies and plenty to see, most notably, Mars is at opposition – directly on the other side of the Earth from the sun. Almost like a full moon -- which occurs when the moon is opposite the sun – Mars should be bright. Not as bright as the moon, of course, but it will be hard to miss; an unmistakably steady, red light that rises in the east at about 5 p.m. Look for it high in the eastern sky, just above the moon, at about 10 p.m. Find out exactly what you can see at night, no matter where you are, using this online, interactive star chart. It's super easy and very cool. Also tonight, Sirius, the brightest star in the sky in the constellation Canis Major, should be particularly showy if you can find it just as it rises, low in the southeast sky just before 9 p.m. The lower it is, the more it appears to twinkle – the twinkling is caused by the light refracting through disturbances in the atmosphere, and the closer to the horizon a light source is, the more atmosphere it traverses to reach our eye. Christmas morning, Venus will rise between 5 and 5:30 in the morning in the southeast. In the west, the moon will have made it to the middle of the western sky, and Mars will be slightly below it, setting around sunrise, at 7 a.m. Still looking for a last minute gift? Everything looks better through binoculars. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:35 PM | Comment URI hoop team ranked 25th in AP pollSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The Rhode Island men's basketball team has cracked The Associated Press poll for the first time in nearly a decade. The Rams are ranked Number 25 in the poll released today. Rhode Island was last ranked during the first week of the 1998-99 season. The Rams have opened the year at 11-1, their best start since the 1991-92 season. They have racked up wins against Providence, Syracuse, South Florida and Alabama-Birmingham. The team's lone loss was against Boston College. Coach Jim Baron says the ranking is a big deal for the school considering how far the program has come in the last few years, when they typically finished near the bottom of the Atlantic 10 Conference. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 2:19 PM | Comment Body found in Cranston still unidentifiedThe police say there is no new information in the death of a man found behind a fast food restaurant on Sockanosset Crossroads. The police found the body after following up on a phone call received at about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The man’s body was in a wooded area, behind 35 Sockanosset Crossroads. The man has not been identified; the Cranston police and state medical examiner’s office are investigating the death. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovitz Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:51 PM | Comment Caroline Kennedy remembers Santa letter to her dadNEW YORK -- Over the years, Caroline Kennedy sometimes wondered about a third-grader who wrote to her father, President Kennedy, worried that Russian bomb tests at the North Pole would kill Santa Claus. Kennedy finally got to meet her during a segment of ABC's "Good Morning America" that aired today about Kennedy's recent best-selling book, "A Family Christmas," which includes the letter from an 8-year-old Michelle Rochon. That girl, now Michelle Rochon Phillips, recounted what prompted her to write the October 1961 letter. She said she sat down to write the letter after hearing her parents talking at the dinner table about nuclear testing at the North Pole. "I thought well, Santa Claus," she said, according to a transcript of the interview. "And so I ran, sat down at the footstool and wrote the letter." Then a Marine City, Mich., third-grader, she wrote: "Please stop the Russians from bombing the North Pole because they will kill Santa Claus." The president wrote back, and closed his note by saying, "You must not worry about Santa Claus, I talked with him yesterday and he is fine." He added, "He will be making his rounds this Christmas." Caroline Kennedy said that for her father, as one of nine siblings, "Christmas was huge" and he appreciated the girl's fears. She said the letters capture how the anxiety of the Cold War and nuclear testing permeated everyday life. "There's just so much about Christmas, and I think the history of Christmas and how it intersects with American history, George Washington, all the way up to President Kennedy," she said. "I think this is kind of the human side of Christmas, and how it's kind of become also a patriotic holiday and it's all wrapped up together." Phillips, of Pensacola, Fla., told ABC's Claire Shipman that she wasn't trying to make a statement about nuclear testing when she wrote the letter. "I was just worried about Santa Claus," Phillips said. "Worried about my Christmas." -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:12 AM | Comment Still soliciting signatures for presidential primaryThere are just two days left for presidential hopefuls to get their names on the ballot in time for the March 4 Rhode Island presidential primary. Candidates need 1,000 signatures by 4 p.m. Wednesday. See how close they are to their goal on the Secretary of State's Web site. So far, just Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama have collected more than 1,000 signatures – and only Obama has more then 1,000 certified signatures. The Republicans competing in Rhode Island are Hugh Cort, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo-- who has dropped out of the race -- and Fred Thompson. The Democrats are Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Ray Stebbins and Rosemary Turner. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:38 AM | Comment Gas prices drop a pennyGas prices in Rhode Island dropped a penny last week, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline here is $3.069 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. Prices have remained relatively steady for the past five weeks. Still, drivers can find a wide variety of prices if they're willing to shop around. AAA found a 20-cent price range, from $2.999 per gallon to $3.199 per gallon, in its survey. The average price here is nine cents above the national average of $2.979. Rhode Islanders were paying just $2.429 per gallon a year ago. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:33 AM | Comment Regular bus schedule today; holiday schedule tomorrowIf you’re planning to take a bus or trolley today, have no fear, all services are running on a regular schedule. But tomorrow, services run on an abbreviated holiday schedule. Check the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s Web site to find what that means for your bus or trolley route. The holiday schedule will also be in effect on New Year's Day, Jan. 1. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:30 AM | Comment Holiday travel? Prepare to hurry up and waitYes, it’s sunny and clear and the snow is melting in Rhode Island, but around the country, a winter storm is being blamed for at least 11 deaths, thousands are without power and travel has ground to a halt. More than 60 flights out of Minneapolis-St. Paul were delayed or canceled Sunday, and arriving flights were being delayed by up to three hours. And 300 flights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. A handful of flights departing from Rhode Island and Boston airports have been canceled this morning. Check the T.F. Green and Logan International Airport Web sites for the latest information. Nearly 9 million people are expected to fly this holiday season, according to AAA; if you’re one of them, be sure to arrive early, but be prepared to wait. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:56 AM | Comment Early morning fire in PortsmouthOfficials in Portsmouth are at the Mobil Xtra Mart on West Main Road this morning investigating an early morning fire. According to the fire department, the two-alarm fire began just after 2 a.m. today. There is no word on a cause, the fire chief is at the scene -- 1568 West Main Road -- investigating.
Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:03 AM | Comment Ex-friends go to court over Yankee swap lottery ticketBOSTON -- What was supposed to be a festive New England Christmas tradition has turned sour for two former friends who are taking their fight over a $200,000 winning lottery ticket to court. Brenda White, 55, of Plaistow, N.H., won the $200,000 on a Massachusetts State Lottery $5 scratch ticket appropriately called "Bah Hum Bucks" during a Yankee swap party on Dec. 15 in Haverhill. In a Yankee swap, participants have the option of either keeping a gift they choose, or swapping for a gift selected by someone who preceded them. White swapped for the lottery ticket originally selected by Franco Sapia, 39, of Derry, N.H. Before scratching the ticket, she promised to split any winnings with Sapia, according to a complaint Sapia filed in Essex Superior Court. She didn't, and Sapia is claiming half the jackpot in his lawsuit, saying there were several witnesses to the promise. A judge has agreed to freeze the jackpot until the matter is resolved. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Clear sunny skies aheadMild, sunny, breezy ... what a change. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 46 degrees. We'll have clear skies and a west wind up to 18 mph. Tonight the temperature drops just below freezing. The skies should remain clear, and winds will die down to about 9 mph. We're not going to see a white Christmas. What we get may be even better -- temperatures in the mid 40s, clear, sunny skies and mild west winds between 6 and 9 mph. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the story of a Providence family celebrating their baby's first Christmas after he and his mother nearly died because of complications during her pregnancy. There's also news of another win by the Patriots. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 21, 2007Winter arrives in the wee hours
For the next 24 hours we get the least direct sunlight and, (except for some irregularities due to Earth’s precession and elliptical orbit), we'll have shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. For thousands of years, people have used this day as an excuse to celebrate the waning days of winter. Zoroastrians in Persia had a yearly festival that corresponded with the solstice, and in the first centuries A.D., the Roman Empire celebrated Saturnalia, a dedication of the temple of Saturn. After tomorrow, things can only get brighter – more sun, more warmth – until the summer solstice in June. Meanwhile, the sun will make its way higher and higher into the sky, its rays hitting us more directly, heating the ground more efficiently, and lingering above the horizon just a little longer. And snowplows will be a distant memory. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 6:57 PM | Comment Sale protects 670 acres along Pawcatuck in Hopkinton
The property, a mix of woods, farmlands and bogs, includes six miles of frontage on the river and is home to plants and species rarely found in North America, officials said during an afternoon ceremony at Town Hall. Seller Richard Grills is the former owner of the Bradford Dyeing Association, located on the Pawcatuck where it forms the border between Hopkinton and Westerly. All of the land being sold is in Hopkinton. Grills said it had been his goal for more than 25 years to see the land protected. “I wanted it to happen,” he said “We have accomplished what we all set out to do.” -- Journal staff writer Randal Edgar Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:14 PM | Comment Carcieri does not have to testify in smoke-shop caseThe state Supreme Court ruled today that Governor Carcieri does not have to testify in the pending criminal cases against seven Narragansett Indians stemming from the state police raid on the tribal smokeshop in 2003. The ruling came on Carcieri’s appeal of a lower court ruling that he would have to testify in the upcoming case. In a brief statement, the governor's office described Carcieri as "pleased" with the decision that his testimony is not relevant. The question was whether Carcieri would have to testify as to what orders he gave the state police leading up to the raid. The raid turned violent when state police met resistance. It was when the high court agreed to hear the governor’s appeal in the fall that the justices strongly urged the parties to resolve the criminal cases through mediation. Yesterday, attempts to mediate a plea deal in the criminal cases collapsed , and both sides are preparing for trial early next year. --- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:15 PM | Comment Verizon can offer cable TV in 12 R.I. towns as of Jan. 6State regulators have given Verizon Communications final approval to begin offering cable television service in 12 Rhode Island communities, including Providence, as of Jan. 6. In a 19-page decision, hearing officer John Spirito Jr. concluded that Verizon had met all the requirements to begin service to the 158,000 households in service areas 2, 3 and 8. There were virtually no challenges to Verizon’s application, which the company submitted to the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers on March 8. Verizon’s approval, issued Thursday, applies to Charlestown, Cranston, Foster, Hopkinton, Johnston, Narragansett, North Providence, Providence, Richmond, Scituate, South Kingstown and Westerly -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:26 PM | Comment Federal omnibus bill remembers the SaratogaThe USS Saratoga Museum Foundation is moving closer to its goal of becoming a family attraction, education center and memorial, thanks to more than a quarter-million-dollar federal appropriation. The money was part of the $485 billion Omnibus Appropriations bill passed by Congress this week. Frank Lennon, president of the Saratoga Foundation, called the $282,000 grant an early Christmas present for the foundation’s volunteers. “Just as importantly,” he said in a statement, “it signals recognition by federal officials that our concept offers meaningful benefits to the communities we intend to serve." The Small Business Administration will administer the funds which will be used to plan, design, develop and equip workforce development and training programs and facilities. Congressman James R. Langevin, D-R.I., announced the grant, saying in a statement that the omnibus bill “begins to reinvest in the priorities of the American people and provides support to many throughout Rhode Island's Second Congressional District." The projects will be implemented as joint ventures with local schools and universities, of which the foundation already has a few, Lennon said. “This grant will allow us to explore new relationships with other facilities such as the Chariho Career & Technical Center, and perhaps some in-house corporate programs." Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:21 PM | Comment Update: 2 rollovers, 1 jackknifed 18-wheeler on Rte. 95
At 8 a.m., an 18-wheeler carrying furniture drove off the left side of the road, slamming into trees and flying down an embankment, according to Lt. Kevin Hopkins at the state police Hope Valley Barracks. Police believe the driver fell asleep. The truck’s fuel tank ruptured, Hopkins said, prompting West Greenwich fire and rescue to respond along with the state Department of Environmental Management and Clean Harbors to clean up the fuel. The driver was uninjured. At 1 p.m., just south of Exit 5, another car drove off the road. The driver lost control, drove into the high-speed lane, hitting the median, rolling over several times. Rescue workers had to cut off the roof of the car to get the driver and passenger out. The passenger was taken to Kent Hospital with non-life threatening injures; the passenger didn’t require medical attention. “Just as we finished clearing that one,” Hopkins said, “a half mile south, another car lost control, hit the right Jersey barrier and rolled over.” Again, he said, no injuries. Hopkins said the key is that they all had their seatbelts on. "If people don’t have their seatbelts on, they get ejected. And that’s when they get hurt.” -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 4:14 PM | Comment Now open: New Iway rampPROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Transportation today opened the South Main Street on-ramp to Route 195 east. The Wickenden Street ramp is now effectively closed, although it may be used when construction crews need access to the Main Street ramp to finish construction. Any additional construction should happen during the day during off-peak hours. The DOT has placed signs directing drivers past the old Wickenden Street exit, under the Iway overpass, and left onto the new ramp. Map: See what the new route looks like. The IWay project is creating a new interchange connecting Routes 95 and 195 in Providence. When the DOT opened the first part of the project last month, unanticipated traffic congestion led to confused and irate motorists, especially during the evening commute. In response, the DOT improved signs and opened a temporary ramp to ease traffic pressure. DOT Director Jerome Williams also took part in an online chat with projo.com, answering questions about the situation directly. Read the transcript here. For more information on the project, visit the DOT Web site or call the customer service line at 401-222-2450. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:54 PM | Comment Former Warwick man to admit charges in Internet scamA former Warwick man has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with an Internet sales scheme that bilked nearly $15 million from people across the country who wanted to buy electronic gadgets. Cory Johnson, formerly of 272 Pierce Ave., Warwick, faces up to 15 years in prison and fines totaling $500,000 for his part in a 2005 scam that left electronics distributors and others out millions of dollars, according to federal court documents. He is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He is the second person charged in the case. Johnson was the owner of Mixitforme.com, a Providence company that sold iPods, Xboxes, PlayStations, cell phones and other consumer electronics over the Internet. He also ran a related business, Biggles Toy Store Inc. Both businesses were located at 275 Westminster St., in Providence in 2005. -- By Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Jack Perry at 2:25 PM | Comment Update: RISD names MIT professor as its new presidentPROVIDENCE --The Rhode Island School of Design announces its new president. School officials say John Maeda will become the institution's 16th president in June. He is currently a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and is associate director of research at the MIT Media Lab. According to his online biography, Maeda, 41, was named by Esquire magazine as one of the 21 most important people for the 21st century. He is also an exponent of "simplicity" in the digital age. He's described as a graphic designer, visual artist and computer scientist. A practicing designer since 1990, some of his work has been collected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He'll replace RISD President Roger Mandle, who has served as leader of the design school for 15 years. Based in Providence, RISD has about 1,900 undergraduates and 400 graduate students who study fine arts, architecture, design and art education. -- The Associated Press with projo.com reports Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:23 PM | Comment Carcieri goes on air to discuss state storm responseGovernor Carcieri talked on the air this morning about the state's response to the snowstorm last week that crippled the metropolitan area, unleashing its own storm of criticism and leading to the firing of state and Providence emergency management directors. Carcieri, who was in Afghanistan as part of a trip visiting troops in the Middle East when the storm hit, answered questions about the role of state officials and took questions from listeners. Among his comments, Carcieri denied that he fired state EMA director Robert Warren because of Warren's own comments on DePetro's show Tuesday, in which he tried to explain his actions during the storm. The governor said he made the decision after hours of "fact finding" and review by his staff. The bottom line, Carcieri said today, was that Warren was not doing his job "to my satisfaction and the satisfaction our citizens should expect." Warren says he's being used as a "scapegoat" for the widespread problems that followed the storm. Carcieri's full conversation with WPRO-AM radio-talk show host John DePetro can be heard online now, on WPRO's Web site. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:29 PM | Comment Newport police honor officers with blue lightsThe traditional white lights at the Newport Police station have been replaced this year with blue lights in honor of police officers who have died in the line of duty. The department is asking others to put up blue lights and ribbons to show support for those who died, and as a show of respect for police officers who are still on the job. Project Blue Light was introduced by Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc., an organization that helps the families and friends of police officers who were killed in the line of duty. The project began when a woman wrote to the COPS national office after her son-in-law, Dan, died on duty and her daughter, Pam, died in a car accident. That year, she said, she would put two blue lights up in her house. “One is for Dan and the other is for Pam, who believed so much in the Cops organization.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:06 PM | Comment Winter holiday travelers, bewarePlanning to travel for the holidays? You’re in plenty of company; AAA expects about 65 million people to travel 50 miles or farther from home during the holiday season, and nearly 9 million are expected to fly. No matter your point of departure, expect delays of about 40 minutes to Newark International Airport in New Jersey; 1 hour to JFK International and La Guardia Airports in New York; and expect delays upwards of 3 hours if you're traveling to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. And if you’re planning to fly out of Logan Airport, however, be sure to check your status before you you leave; a handful of flights were delayed or canceled after a snowstorm yesterday that left more than 7 inches of snow in some areas in the state. Yesterday, more than 150 arrivals and departures were canceled. Check the latest travel delays from the Federal Aviation Administration. If you’re driving, make room for about 53 million others on the road. Check your tires, your fluids, and your wallet – gas in Rhode Island is about 8 cents above the national average at an average $2.999 a gallon for regular unleaded gas. Last year at this time, it was about $2.349. Extra: Find more helpful links for area travelers, including airport links, train schedules, and highway conditions, at: http://projo.com/travlinks And keep tabs on the weekend and holiday weather on projo.com's weather page. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:45 AM | Comment Update: Swansea couple claims big Powerball jackpot
The winners are concerned about maintaining their privacy, according to their lawyer, Peter Saulino. They didn't even go to Lottery headquarters in Cranston this morning to pick up their winnings, but were represented by Saulino. And only one half of the couple has been identified -- Sheila Botelho. Her husband's name has not been released. Saulino talked about the pair, but declined to divulge many details. Both were working -- although Saulino refused to say what they did -- but now they're retired. Saulino indicated they were close to retirement age anyway. They have children, but Saulino would not say how many. The winning ticket was among five quick picks the couple spent $5 on. They'll collect the jackpot in a lump sum -- $75,231,092. They plan to use the money for travel, possibly a new house, and to address a health condition afflicting one of them.
The winning ticket, bought at the Warren Mart, at 428 Child St. in Warren, was the biggest Powerball win in Rhode Island’s history. They learned they won soon after the Nov. 28 drawing, put the ticket in a safe-deposit box and contacted Saulino, who was recommended to them. Their first question: "All of this is confidential, right?" The money will be wired to them later today, according to Saulino. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:00 AM | Comment Photo: Fighting a fire on Ralph Street
Posted by Jack Perry at 10:59 AM | Comment And the Powerball winner is: Sheila Botelho of SwanseaThe winner of the $151.9-million Powerball Jackpot bought her ticket in Rhode Island, but she’s a Massachusetts resident. Sheila Botelho, of Swansea, is not expected to make an appearance today, but her lawyer, Peter Saulino, is at Lottery headquarters in Cranston to claim the prize. The winning ticket, bought at the Warren Mart, at 428 Child St. in Warren, was the biggest Powerball win in Rhode Island’s history. If Botelho chooses to receive a lump sum, she’ll be about $51million richer by the end of the day. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:14 AM | Comment Coast Guard: Winter water warningThe Coast Guard has issued a winter warning for those brave enough to take to the water during the winter: prepare for the worst. “Coast Guard and state boating officials encourage winter boaters and paddlers to maintain a ‘worst case scenario’ mentality and be prepared for cold-water immersion,” the statement reads, because a sudden plunge into waters that are 40 degrees or less could be fatal. Without both a life jacket and a wet or dry suit, “your chances for survival are limited,” according to Al Johnson, recreational boating safety specialist for the First Coast Guard District. So if you’re still looking for a gift for the boater in your life, there’s an idea: a Coast Guard certified life jacket. The Coast Guard has other suggestions for boating-themed gifts that could save a life in that worst case scenario: • Signaling kit (mirror, flares, whistle, lights, and an air horn, preferably with a pump) “It might sound excessive,” Johnson said, ”but if you give some serious thought to crisis management, this equipment can save your life." -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:34 AM | Comment Fire at Olneyville residencePROVIDENCE -- Firefighters are on the scene fighting a blaze at 20 Ralph St., a residence on the city's Olneyville neighborhood. No further information is available right now. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:32 AM | Comment Photo: Finding a diamond can be rough -- and slippery
Posted by Jack Perry at 9:28 AM | Comment More snow possible, cloudy and 36There may be more snow on tap this morning. Otherwise, the National Weather Service is forecasting cloudy skies and a high temperature of about 36 degrees. Clouds remain through the night when the temperature drops to about 20. Again tomorrow, look for snow in the mid morning and rain later in the day. Temperatures should reach the mid 30s. Tomorrow night, a slight chance of snow in the early evening and a low temperature of about 30 degrees. On Sunday, expect rain in the afternoon. We'll have milder temperatures, however, with a high temperature in the mid 50s. The rain should continue into Sunday night, periods of heavy rainfall at times. The temperature should drop to about the freezing point, so watch for rain. The sun should finally return Monday morning, with a high temperature near 40 degrees. Check projo.com's weather page for weekend weather updates. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:24 AM | Comment Papelbon's dog takes a bite of World Series historyBOSTON -- Controversy is once again dogging the fate of the ball used to make the final out of a Boston Red Sox World Series championship. Closer Jonathan Papelbon repeated to the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American newspaper a story he first told a Boston cable television station: that his dog ate the ball he used to strike out Colorado Rockies pinch hitter Seth Smith on Oct. 28 and clinch Boston's second title in four years. -- The Associated Press "He plays with baseballs like they are his toys. His name is Boss," Papelbon told the newspaper for last Sunday's editions. "He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces. Nobody knows that. I'll keep what's left of it." Papelbon told a similar tale to the New England Sports Network for a story that aired Nov. 30 - but with a slightly different ending. Papelbon told the station that he threw what was left of the ball in the trash. "It's in the garbage in Florida somewhere," he said. The Red Sox own an 80 percent stake in NESN. The fate of the last ball became an issue in 2004 when the Red Sox swept St. Louis in the World Series to end an 86-year championship drought. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who caught the final out from pitcher Keith Foulke, kept the ball. The team wanted it back. Mientkiewicz eventually agreed to lend the ball to the Red Sox for a year and then donated it to the Hall of Fame. The Red Sox aren't particularly concerned with what happened to the 2007 last-out ball. "The 2004 ball is obviously very special to us because it was the club's first World Series win in 86 years," team spokesman John Blake said. "This ball was in the hands of one of the players and we take his word at what happened to it, but it's a non-issue as far as the club's concerned." The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. has a bunch of Red Sox memorabilia from the 2007 World Series, including Papelbon's glove, but the ball isn't among it. "We did not ask for the ball," spokesman Jeff Idelson said. "We were more focused on other items." Papelbon wasn't in Boston and wasn't immediately available for comment, Blake said. His agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Papelbon struck out Smith to end Game 4 of the World Series, then catcher Jason Varitek slipped the ball into his back pocket during on-field celebrations. Varitek said after the game that he'd give the ball to the team, but a few days later said he'd given it to Papelbon. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story reporting that Rhode Island ranks third nationally in fire department payrolls and coverage of the City of Providence's reaction to its handling of last week's snow storm. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 20, 2007Update: Hannah Montana, and fans, storm Dunk / Photo
The 14-year-old Disney phenom Miley Cyrus, otherwise known as Hannah Montana, will take over the Dunkin' Donuts for a soldout show that's been touring nationwide. She's attracting legions of tweenies, who bought up her 9,000 tickets at the Dunk in three minutes. That meant a windfall for secondary sellers, like StubHub.com, who could charge even more for their tickets. And it's a three-peat tonight, with cars crawling, horns beeping, and lots of youngsters heading to the Dunk' holding an oldster's hand. Traffic isn't any better, we hear, coming into the city. It's jammed on Route 95 south from the Massachusetts line, and on Route 195 westbound, also from Massachusetts, backed up to Exit 1 in Seekonk. Get the latest "jam factor" measurements here. Once you get into downtown, some sidewalks and secondary roads are still snowlined and icy, so beware. Going to the concert? Projo.com would love to have your personal review. Here's a link to a survey, which will be activated later tonight, where you can post your Hannah Montana experience. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:06 PM | Comment Update: Runway conditions not seen as cause of mishap
Discussing the incident with the Rhode Island Airport Corporation board last night, Frazier said he understood "the runway was in good operational condition" at the time of the incident. His comments were based on his assesment on the National Transportation Safety Board. (An earlier version of this post indicated they were based on his discussions with the NTSB.) The jet, used for an US Airways Express flight from Philadelphia, landed last Sunday, following snowfall. No one was hurt. He declined to disclose details of the incident, citing the NTSB's investigation. But he said the NTSB's findings would probably not place blame on Green Airport. "We feel confident that the conclusions will be favorable," Frazier said. Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 6:10 PM | Comment Leaks force closing of Westerly DMV branch officeThe Westerly branch office of the state Division of Motor Vehicles is being closed, effective today, because of "severe leaks" in its roof and ceiling, the DMV announced this afternoon. While it's closed for repairs -- which could take several weeks -- the Wakefield branch of the DMV will be open five days a week rather than its usual two days, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Westerly is normally open three days a week, on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The Wakefield office is located in the Stedman Government Center, Tower Hill Road. Anyone with a road test scheduled for the Westelry branch office should, staring tomorrow, report to the road test site for the Wakefield branch. That's at 756 Kingstown Road, Wakefield, at the rear of the Old Mountain Lanes building. Efforts are being made to contact those with road tests scheduled by phone. Those with questions may call 401-789-1430, or visit the DMV Web site for more information about the Wakefield office. Some transactions and forms are also available online. Charles F. Dolan, DMV's administrator, apologized for any inconvenience, saying, "This is an emergency situation; we certainly would not have considered closing a branch for any other reason." At this point, he said, it's not safe for customers or staff to be in that facility. Dolan said the DMV hopes to have the branch open again for business in "several weeks time."
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:31 PM | Comment Winner of Powerball $151.9M jackpot to be revealedThe elusive (reclusive?) winner of the $151.9 million Powerball jackpot has surfaced. The ticket holder has appointed "his/her lawyer" to claim the prize tomorrow at state Lottery headquarters in Cranston, the Lottery said in an announcement this afternoon. A press conference with lottery officials and the lawyer will be held at 10 a.m., where information about the winner will be revealed. It's the largest Powerball prize ever won in Rhode Island, which offers the game along with several other states. All pertinent information related to the winner will be known and available at that time. The ticket from the Nov. 28 drawing was sold at the Warren Mart, 428 Child St. in Warren. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:13 PM | Comment Body of E. Providence man, 78, found in snow at his homeEAST PROVIDENCE -- Rain and warmer weather thawed snow and revealed a 78-year-old man’s body this morning. A neighbor of Virgil A. Ferreira, of 70 Roger Williams Ave., discovered the deceased in the remaining snow about 5:30 a.m. near the side or back door of his ranch house. He was wearing a winter coat and gloves. There was also a shovel close by, the police said. Lt. Armen Garo and Sgt. Mark Norton said an autopsy is being performed, but Ferreira may have died from a heart attack or another natural cause. It is unknown how long he was outside in the snow because “the body decomposes” differently in cold conditions or when buried in snow, Norton explained. “He was basically on ice,” Norton said. Garo believes Ferreira may have been outside since the snowstorm a week ago, the first of two in the last week, because there were multiple newspapers delivered and not brought inside. The lieutenant also said Ferreira lived alone. The Journal’s archives show his wife, Pauline, died in 1997. -- Journal staff writer Alisha Pina Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:34 PM | Comment PUC approves 5.2 percent hike in electricity rates
The Public Utilities Commission, this afternoon, approved a request by National Grid to increase electricity rates by about 5.2 percent as of Jan. 1. The utility company said the increase was needed to cover the projected increase in crude oil prices over the coming year. The utility company purchases electricity for most of its customers, and its long-term contracts with electricity suppliers call for National Grid to pay more when the market price of oil or natural gas go up. The typical customer will see an increase of $3.80 in their monthly bill, according to National Grid, bringing that bill to $76.66 a month, from its current $72.86 a month.
Posted by Tim Barmann at 4:12 PM | Comment More ways to give during the holidaysHas the holiday spirit put you in a giving mood? The Providence Journal continues to publish requests from local charities for holiday giving. In addition to the full list of charities on our Web site, we've added a few more you may want to help out this season, or throughout the year: GENERAL VIPS (Volunteers In Providence Schools) The organization provides after-school tutoring and enrichment classes to hungry teenagers who attend Providence public schools. There are 25 or so high school students who come each day to theTechnology & Learning Center every afternoon for three hours after school to get homework help and tutoring. The organizationreally needs gift cards from area grocery stores or donations that will help us feed these hungry and eager-to-learn teenage students. For more information, call Theresa Seddon at VIPS, at (401) 274-3240. ANIMALS Animals Depend On People Too (A.D.O.P.T.) The group that helps homeless pets at the Cranston Animal Shelter and throughout the state, is in need of monetary donations. A.D.O.P.T. also helps families throughout the state with financial help for sick or injured pets, spays and neuters and other problems. Call Linda Monahan at (401)-826-0320 . The Hope For Animals Sanctuary The cat shelter is in need of cash donations as well as litter, toys, cat food, cat toys, and soft blankets for beds. The sanctuary is also looking for foster homes for some of its special needs cats. Volunteers are always needed. For more information please contact Ann at (401) 966-4129. The web site is www.hopeforcatssanctuary.com To be included in either the newspaper or online list, send your charity's information, including a name and contact number to pjnews@projo.com. Put Holiday Giving in the subject field. Posted by Pam Cotter at 3:53 PM | Comment Update: Cicilline fires EMA head, outlines action steps
Cicilline, at a press conference this afternoon, said the responsibility ultimately lay with him for the series of missteps that stranded hundreds of school children for up to eight hours. He released an eight-page report reviewing the storm, which included a timeline of communications and "action steps" to prevent such a situation again. He also expressed deep disappointment in the performance of Providence School Supt. Donnie Evans, but said that he will continue to support the superintendent’s efforts to boost student achievement. “By mid-afternoon it should have been clear that a serious problem with school bus delays was brewing and no red flags were raised,” Cicilline said in a statement. “I expect those with primary responsibility for the transportation of children in our district to be fully engaged in monitoring and supervising the process until the last child is home and to act quickly and seek assistance when problems arise.” The mayor immediately fired Leo Messier, the city’s director of the EMA, and suspended without pay school operations chief Tomas Hanna for 30 days. Providence Police Maj. Monty Montiero was named acting director of EMA. Last week, snow falling as fast as 3 inches per hour crippled the roads and highways in the state, trapping commuters and school buses – many of them in Providence – for hours at a time. In all, the city received a little over 6 inches of snow, not much by New England standards. But by 8 p.m. 60 percent of Providence public school buses filled with elementary school students who had been dismissed early were still stuck in gridlock. That evening, Messier called the school bus situation “inconvenient.” But he said children “will get home eventually” because they have call phones to call their parents. Messier becomes the second emergency management official in the state to lose his job this week. On Tuesday, Governor Carcieri fired Robert J. Warren, the director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency. Cicilline’s actions come after receiving the results of a week-long review conducted by Chief of Administration John Simmons and Police Chief Dean Esserman. Extras: Read the 8-page review, released today, of the city's handling of the storm / Timeline of storm communications / Press release with mayor's "action steps" Click below to read the five-step plan described in the press release to deal with the next "extreme weather" conditions: - The City has modified its Emergency Operations Plan to require the Emergency Operations Cabinet to be automatically activated whenever school children are being transported during extreme weather with dangerous driving conditions. - First Student Transportation has agreed to establish a communication system that will improve the ability of bus drivers or bus monitors to communicate directly with the bus yard in order to report any difficulties in transportation students. - The School Superintendent will establish a communication procedure that requires parents to be notified every hour by an automated phone call system when there are substantial delays on school buses. - The School Superintendent is to establish, immediately, a dedicated hotline to answer parents’ questions regarding their children’s transportation. The hotline will be staffed with sufficient personnel during emergencies so that parents will not be kept on hold for unreasonable periods of time. - The School Superintendent will reverse the current transportation schedules in weather emergencies to ensure that the youngest and most vulnerable children are transported first. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:06 PM | Comment R.I. delegation asks NFL to let more fans see Pats' finaleThe state's congressional delegation is pressing the NFL to ensure that more New Englanders can watch the Patriots' final regular season game against the New York Giants. The Dec. 29 game is scheduled for cablecast on the NFL Network. Fewer than 40 percent of the nation's homes with televisions subscribe to the network, according to a press release from the delegation, meaning many New Englanders won't be able to watch the game on television. The delegation has sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, asking the league to change its broadcast boundaries, so Rhode Islanders who don't subscribe to the NFL Network can watch the game on a widely available broadcast channel. According to the delegation's press release, when a game is nationally televised on a cable channel, the NFL requires the game to also be simulcast on a widely available broadcast channel in the team’s primary market. "However, the NFL has ruled in this case the primary markets are Boston and New York City, leaving fans in Rhode Island and all across New England, out in the cold," the release says. The letter to Goodell says, “The New England Patriots are assuredly a regional team, with many loyal fans in the state of Rhode Island. The state welcomed the Patriots for many years when they held their training camp at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Gillette Stadium is a short twenty-five minute drive from downtown Providence. "Unfortunately, limiting transmission of the game to Boston excludes many of the team’s biggest fans from this event," the delegation writes. "Therefore, we urge you to make the final game available on over-the-air television across New England to ensure that the region’s Patriots’ fans will be able to watch this highly anticipated game.” The letter us signed by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Reps. Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin, all Democrats. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:16 PM | Comment Lawyer: Smoke-shop criminal cases going to trialThe criminal cases stemming from the state police rain on a Narragansett Indian smoke shop apparently will go to trial after all. William P. Devereaux, who represents six of the Narragansett Indians, said today, “(The state) didn’t want to agree to what we proposed,” declining to elaborate on what it was that his defendants wanted. Seven Narragansett Indians, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, are due to go to trial Jan. 7 in Providence County Superior Court on misdemeanor charges that include assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Despite exhaustive plea negotiations, prosecutors and lawyers for the tribe have been unable to reach an agreement in that court. Several mediation sessions have been held, without a resolution, with the assistance of retired Chief Justice Joseph R. Weisberger. Weisberger had ordered the parties to participate in another session today. John Brown, the tribe’s medicine man in training and one of those facing charges, said yesterday the defendants had been called to the court to discuss “some level of arrangement.” He said he had not been told the specifics. The case landed before the state Supreme Court when Governor Carcieri appealed Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl’s ruling in August that he could be called to testify about the orders he gave the state police leading up to the raid. The court has not decided if Carcieri will be compelled to testify during the trial. The state police raided the roadside store at the governor’s order on July 14, 2003, after the tribe began illegally selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch has objected to the process, arguing any plea negotiations should take place in the trial court. If the two sides can’t reach an agreement, he has said, the cases should go to trial. “The process is called mediation,” said Michael J. Healey, his spokesman. “It’s not called binding arbitration.” The state is willing to accept no-contest pleas with a filing, meaning the charges would essentially disappear if the defendants stayed out of trouble for a year, Healey said. A no-contest plea is considered an admission of guilt. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:10 PM | Comment Cicilline, City Council each to air storm reviewsPROVIDENCE -- Will another EMA head roll after today? The mayor and City Council will be discussing the city's performance -- or lack of it -- during last week's snowstorm at two separate events today. Mayor David N. Ciclline is holding a news conference at 1 p.m. today to announce his “action plan” for making sure that what happened last week does not occur again. The City Council had previously called a special meeting at 6 tonight to review all the problems that arose during and after the storm and to explore why things went wrong. In a letter delivered to the mayor’s office on Tuesday, Luna pointed to the stranding of schoolchildren on buses, a breakdown of communications and the failure of the city agency to properly prepare for the storm as his reasons why Messier should be dismissed. “One must wonder how Mr. Messier can effectively prepare our city for a terrorist attack or other life-threatening emergency if he cannot handle eight to ten inches of snow,” Luna said. Neither Messier nor Cicilline could be reached for comment yesterday but Karen Southern, the mayor’s press secretary, said Cicilline will respond to questions about Luna’s request at his press conference today. On Tuesday, Governor Carcieri fired the executive director of the state Emergency Management Agency after heated public criticism of the state’s response to the snowstorm that crippled the state and left commuters and schoolchildren stranded for hours. -- From a report by Journal staff writer Richard C. Dujardin Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:39 AM | Comment Looking for a rink to skate away on?The snow is falling, but that doesn't mean it has to be all cars-abandoned-on-the-highway or slipping-on-the-sidewalk. No, snow can also mean a winter wonderland. A good way to capture that feeling? Ice skating. Of course, there's the Bank of America City Center rink downtown, a great place to take a half-hour twirl on the ice during lunch -- or after work, while everyone else is skidding out on the highway, you can work on your double axel. There are also rinks in South County, East Bay and along the Blackstone Valley River. Find out more on projo.com. But remember, ice does not an ice skating rink make. According to the state Department of Environmental Management, you can't tell if ice is safe just by looking. There are many factors that determine how stable the ice, including the salinity, and presence of currents and streams. Get more information about the ice skating safety in the DEM's ice safety guide. -- Brandie Jefferson Posted by Jack Perry at 11:30 AM | Comment Photo: Melting the way for mall shoppers
Posted by Jack Perry at 11:26 AM | Comment R.I. driver says hammer thrown at his van in Mass.CANTON, Mass -- A Rhode Island man says he narrowly escaped injury when a hammer was thrown through the window of his van during a road rage incident in Massachusetts. Helder Miranda told state police he was cut off by a pickup truck on Interstate 93 in Canton. After he exchanged words with the other driver, Miranda said a passenger in the pickup flung the hammer at his van. The hammer shattered a passenger-side window and missed hitting Miranda by inches. No one was else was in the van, which the Warwick man often uses to give rides to the elderly. The pickup, which had Connecticut license plates, did not stop after yesterday's incident. State police recovered the hammer and are testing it for fingerprints. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:07 AM | Comment Whitehouse criticizes EPA's decision on emissionsU.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says he still wants Rhnode Island to be able to set its own emission standards, despite a ruling yesterday denying states such authority. The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday denied waiver requested by the state of California that would allow the state to set rules that limit the emissions of carbon dioxide beyond the limits set by the federal government. Rhode Island and 14 other states were poised to adopt the California regulations once the state was granted the waiver necessary to divert from federal standards. Whitehouse vowed to "keep fighting to pressure this administration to do the right thing and allow states like Rhode Island to take action." The standards would have required automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions – most significantly carbon dioxide – by 30 percent in new cars and small trucks by 2016.
-- Brandie Jefferson Posted by Jack Perry at 11:03 AM | Comment ME: Car fire victim died of carbon monoxide poisoningA woman found dead in a car after it caught on fire died of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a statement released today by the state Medical Examiner's office. Katherine Helweg, 59, of South Kingstown, died on Dec. 11. Leaking grease caused her 2000 Subaru Forester to catch on fire, according to Michael Sweeney, chief of investigations with the fire marshal’s office. Helweg was found in her car after firefighters extinguished the flames, originally thought to be a house fire. According to Sweeney, she was “incapacitated” and was not able to get out of her car as it burned. According to the report, Helweg had coronary artery disease, which was listed as a contributory factor to her death. Police also say she had diabetes. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:59 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about two pedestrians killed in separate accidents after they were forced to walk in the street because of snow-covered sidewalks. There's also a story about questions surrounding overtime paid to the president of the Providence Fire Union. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 19, 2007Photo: A wedding for the young at heart
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:57 PM | Comment What's happening plus traffic and weather updatesPROVIDENCE -- For the second night in a row about this time, downtown is packed with cars moving at a snail's pace, according to the same observer. State Department of Transportation "jam factor" reports concur that congestion is heaving on major routes around the city, especially Route 95 south from the Massachusetts state line and Route 195 West, also from the Mass. state line. It may be the confluence of people coming in for tonight's Providence College basketball game at the Dunk and the Van Morrison concert at PPAC. And once again, we shouldn't forget those holiday shoppers. The DOT Web site also reports a disabled vehicle on Route 95 south at the Smithfield Avenue exit (exit 25) north of downtown. But whatever the reasons, it's busy out there on the roadways. Check the latest DOT reports, including accident alerts and live Web cam views, here. And you can also expect the roads to be wet. The National Weather Service has just sent out this advisory: "Any precipitation that enters eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island this evening will be in the form of rain...except possibly mixing with wet snow later this evening in the Boston to Providence corridor and points northwest. "Therefore...roads should remain wet...although if traveling after midnight rain will begin to mix with and change to snow towards Boston and especially the Route 128 corridor." Get the latest weather conditions and forecasts at: projo.com/weather
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:47 PM | Comment Plow driver who fatally struck Blackstone woman sought
BLACKSTONE, Mass. -- Police are looking for the driver of a snow plow after a fatal accident that killed a 50-year-old woman walking near her home here. Rita Plante - a mother of five who worked as a teller at a local bank - was hit from behind as she approached her home on Blackstone Street late yesterday afternoon. Police and neighbors say Plante was forced to walk in the street because the sidewalks in the area were still covered in snow. Investigators say Plante may have been struck by a white Ford pick-up with a snow plow. Det. Wayne Mowry says witnesses have told the police that the truck may have hit Plante and driven away. The police want to talk to the driver, but hadn't found the truck as of 2 p.m. today. -- Journal, projo.com and Associated Press reports Posted by Jack Perry at 5:50 PM | Comment Update: Woonsocket man killed by snow plow ID'd / Photo
WOONSOCKET -- When Raymond Boucher came home from work, he would go check on his father. He’d do the same before he went to sleep. “He was an angel,” his father, Raymond Boucher Sr. said. This morning, 48-year-old Raymond Boucher died after being struck by a snow plow driven by a private contractor on Cumberland Street near Cass Avenue. Boucher was on his way to work at the nearby CVS warehouse, walking in the streets because the sidewalks were icy. According to Maj. Richard Dubios of the Woonsocket police, sidewalks near schools take priority for plowing over other areas. Woonsocket Middle School is located a short distance to the west on Park Place. The driver and owner of the truck, Krrzysztof Mirga, called the police and cooperated fully, Dubios said. He was cited for violations including violations of plow blade length and weight restrictions. He was not being contracted by the city. Boucher, who ran track in the Special Olympics, lived in the same apartment building with his father and had worked at the CVS distribution center for nearly 30 years. A statement from the company said Boucher was “a valued member of the CVS team and he was respected and well-liked by his colleagues. We extend our sincere condolences to Raymond’s family.” Mayor Susan Menard was not available for comment.
Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 5:36 PM | Comment Teen gets 2 years at training school in friend's DUI death
PROVIDENCE — A Barrington teenager entered a plea agreement this morning and was sentenced to serve two years in the state Training School for driving while intoxicated and slamming a car into a tree, killing his best friend. Michael J. Silveira, 17, of 91 Sowams Rd., entered a no-contest plea, admitting that he and a small group of teens spent the evening of Nov. 5 drinking Busch Light, and that just before 11 p.m., with his blood alcohol level above the legal limit, Silveira lost control of the car and crashed, killing one of his passengers, 16-year-old Jonathan C. Converse. Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. said he thinks Silveira should be waived out of Family Court to an adult court and sent to the Adult Correctional Institutions. But since the attorney general’s office, the Barrington Police Department and the victim’s parents support the plea agreement, Jeremiah said he would honor it. He gave Silveira a seven-year sentence, with five years suspended and two years to be served at the Training School. Silveira also must perform 300 hours of community service and receive alcohol counseling. State prosecutors changed the charge to driving under the influence, death resulting, from driving to endanger, death resulting. Also, rather than asking that Silveira be waived out of Family Court to an adult court, prosecutors asked that he be “certified” under a section of law that provides a half step between keeping someone in Family Court and waiving them to an adult court. Converse’s parents were asked why they did not want Silveira to go to the ACI. “He’s a kid, and I don’t feel he should be in an adult facility,” Daniel Converse said. But he said he did want Silveira to be held accountable. “Actions have consequences,” he said. “It’s meaningless without them.” PDF: Read the Family Court transcript -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick The sentencing followed an emotional Family Court hearing in which Converse’s parents and Silveira addressed the court. Daniel Converse read a statement that his wife, Teresa Converse, had written. “Our lives are shattered, forever altered," he began. "And we are left with broken hearts and spirits due to his unnecessary and untimely death." Converse said his son was "a beautiful, happy kid who has been adored from the day he was born. In all of the condolences we have received, and the letters from friends and family, we have had only validation that Jonathan was a person who spread joy and smiles to all he encountered." Converse said his wife finds it difficult to get through an hour without crying and he finds it tough to get through each day. Converse said some of his son’s friends don’t want to be alone. Some cry and ask them for answers. But, he said, “We have none.” Converse said he and his wife will never get to see their son go to a prom, graduate from high school or “meet the girl of his dreams.” He said, “We can only wish that no one — no one — will ever go through this unbearable pain.” Converse said there is no doubt his son made some poor decisions, and he and his wife question their decision to let him stay out later that night because there was no school that day. But he said it’s important that those involved in the fatal crash be held accountable. “Accountability is an invaluable tool,” Converse said. But he said did not want Silveira to end up in the ACI. Dressed in a dark suit, blue shirt and tie, Silveira then stood before the judge. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I miss Jon every day. My best friend is gone.” Silveira said, “I just want to apologize for all the pain I’ve caused to all the people around me.” With that, Jeremiah imposed the sentence, and a deputy sheriff took Silveira away to the Training School in handcuffs as members of his family wept. After the hearing, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said, “What happened in Family Court today shows how well the juvenile-justice system can work. Certifying this young offender — giving him an adult sentence but keeping him in the custody of the juvenile system for the next two years — is a creative, proportional and appropriate outcome to this case. Our hearts go out to the Converse family for the indescribable loss they have suffered.” Assistant Attorney General Jay Sullivan said, “We felt this was the appropriate disposition because of his age, because Family Court didn’t have sufficient time to deal with him.” He noted the General Assembly recently lowered Family Court jurisdiction from age 21 to 19. Also, he said Converse’s family “was adamant the he not go to the ACI.” One of Silveira’s lawyers, William J. Murphy, said, “My client and his family are broken up over what happened. It was my client’s good friend that passed away. We are very saddened about the loss of life of Jon Converse. My client is very remorseful for what happened on Nov. 5.” Murphy, who is speaker of the state House of Representatives, said, “I think it’s a lesson for all of us to learn. The lesson is, kids should realize they should not drink and drive. There is no good ending to a case like this, with two families that have been devastated.” Also after the hearing, Silveira’s father, who is also named Michael Silveira said, “I’m very sorry for the Converse family and for what happened.” The Converses said they would like to see some laws changed. For example, Teresa Converse noted the owner of the S&M Liquors, a Providence liquor store, was fined $250 for selling alcohol to minors in a sting operation, which came after two Barrington teens said they went to that store to buy some of the alcohol that played a role in the fatal crash. By comparison, a motorist can be fined $500 for littering, Teresa Converse said, calling for stiffer penalties for those who sell alcohol to minors. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:41 PM | Comment Geeks and robots: They go togetherWho doesn't like robots? Learn how you can help high school students in Rhode Island build their own robots and compete in the FIRST Robotics Challenge. The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program supplies high schools with robotics kits and instruction on how to bring them online. Team members from RI FIRST will address the Providence Geeks at AS220 tonight at 5:30, giving background on robotics programs, the kids involved, and geeks and robot-lovers know how they can sign up to help. The group’s mission, according to its Web site, is to help Rhode Island’s digital innovators connect, collaborate, and ultimately make the City-State and its geeks leaders in information technology. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:35 PM | Comment Former chief Prignano's says he's 'ashamed'PROVIDENCE – Former police chief Urbano Prignano Jr. told a radio talk show host that he was ashamed of having helped subordinate officers cheat on promotion tests. A transcript of his April interview with WPRO’s Dan Yorke was read into the record at the Providence retirement board's meeting this morning, the last day of its evidentiary hearing concerning Prignano’s pension. “What I did was inappropriate,” Prignano tells Yorke. “I’m ashamed of it … I (was) ashamed the day I did it … I’ve been regretting it for years.” The board has voted to consider reducing or revoking Prignano’s pension under an ordinance that requires “honorable service” as a prerequisite to receiving a pension. The audio recording was one of the last documents entered into the hearing record by Vincent F. Ragosta, Jr., the lawyer overseeing the hearings. Prignano, who retired in January 2001, has been receiving an annual pension of $64,620. Ragosta said he will complete a findings report by the end of January. -- with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:27 PM | Comment Cicilline to announce storm review findings tomorrowProvidence Mayor David N. Cicilline tomorrow afternoon will announce the results of a review of the city's response to last Thursday's snow storm, his office says. Cicilline ordered Police Chief Dean Esserman and Chief of Administration John Simmons to conduct a review after about 100 schoolchildren were stuck for hours on stranded city school buses. During the 1 p.m. news conference, Cicilline will also announce steps the city plans to take to ensure that schoolchildren make it home safely under any circumstances, his office says. Cicilline's news conference comes before the City Council hold its own review. The Council has scheduled a special meeting for 6 p.m. tomorrow to question department directors about the city's response to the storm. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:28 PM | Comment DOT: Blocked Frenchtown Road a 'one-time' problemCommuters expecting to take Frenchtown Road (Route 402) in East Greenwich and North Kingstown this morning may have been confused when they found the section closed east of Route 4. But Deputy Chief Engineer Frank Corrao at the Department of Transportation says it was a one-time problem that shouldn’t happen again. The DOT is working on setting steel for a new bridge. Work is being done from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. through Friday. But this morning, the work hadn’t completed on time, and Frenchtown Road remained closed through some people’s morning commute. “The first night is usually the most difficult night,” Corrao said. The project requires eight steel beams in all; but at least two must be completed before cars can pass safely. Now that two beams have been set, Corrao said, even if another problem should arise, the work can be put on hold until after the morning commute. See a map of the bridge project at the DOT's Web site. Corrao said the East Greenwich and North Kingstown school districts were notified and school buses were rerouted, and that ample signage helped with commuters going to work at Quonset. The work should be finished by Saturday morning. In the meantime, the initial closures remain in effect: 9 p.m. through 5 a.m. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:11 PM | Comment Providence DPW clerk charged with embezzlementPROVIDENCE -- A clerk for the Providence Department of Public Works faces arraignment Jan. 9 in Superior Court on an embezzlement charge following her indictment yesterday by the Providence County Grand Jury. Maria F. Medeiros, 46, of 267 Massachusetts Ave., Washington Park, was arrested September 18 and is accused of stealing money collected from the sale of replacement recycling bins, according to the Providence police. She was indicted yesterday on one count of embezzlement over $100 between March 21 and Sept. 13. Medeiros, a 19-year employee, was suspended from her $42,596-a-year job without pay pending resolution of the case. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:44 AM | Comment Iway moves forward with ramp opening FridayPROVIDENCE -- Another Iway development: the state Department of Transportation is planning to open the South Main Street on-ramp to Route 195 east on Friday. If the weather permits, the DOT will effectively close the Wickenden Street ramp although it may be used when construction crews need access to the Main Street ramp to finish construction. And additional construction should happen during the day during off-peak hours. When the ramp opens on Friday, the DOT will have signs directing drivers past the old Wickenden Street exit, under the Iway overpass, and left onto the new ramp. Map: See what the new route looks like. The IWay project is creating a new interchange connecting Routes 95 and 195 in Providence. When the DOT opened the first part of the project last month, unanticipated traffic congestion led to confused and irate motorists, especially during the evening commute. In response, the DOT improved signs and opened a temporary ramp to ease traffic pressure. DOT Director Jerome Williams also took part in an online chat with projo.com, answering questions about the situation directly. Read the transcript here. For more information on the project, visit the DOT Web site or call the customer service line at 401-222-2450. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:33 AM | Comment Salvation Army partners with bank to raise moneyWhen you hear the ring of a bell during the holidays, the red Salvation Army bucket can’t be far. This year, there’s a new addition in Rhode Island: green buckets. Citizens Bank is working with the Rhode Island Salvation Army to help raise money for the emergency services that the organization provides during the holidays. Salvation Army representatives will collect money in green buckets at Stop & Shop locations across the state. The bank will match those donations up to $25,000 until Dec. 24. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:26 AM | Comment Harvard dean to speak at health care forumThe dean of social sciences at Harvard University and health care specialist will be in Rhode Island Friday to discuss group economics of health care. David Cutler, author of Your Money or Your Life: Strong Medicine for America’s Health Care System, will be the featured speaker at Mission: Healthy RI, an advisory group of representatives from the health care and business industries, patients and other stakeholders. Cutler plans to discuss ways to increase quality and efficiency in health care as well as improving patients’ access to treatment choices and health care cost information as well as to health insurance choices and costs. The work group is the creation of Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, who has said she will use information from the sessions to form a health care package to be introduced next year. The group will meet from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Business Innovation Factory, which is located at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation's headquarters on Valley Street, Providence. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:24 AM | Comment Update: Narragansett fire knocked downFirefighters have knocked down a fire that left a Narragansett home with heavy damage this morning. A call came in at about 8 a.m.for a fire at the house at 8 Wilson Dr. There was one person living at the house according to Narragansett Fire Chief Jim Cotter. Neither the resident nor the firefighters were injured. Cotter said it took about a half hour to get the fire under control. Responders are still at the house, he said. The fire is under investigation. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:51 AM | Comment Nurses credited for quick reaction to nursing home fireThanks to the quick thinking of two nurses at a nursing home in Johnston, there were no injuries after an early morning fire. A call came into the fire station just after 2:30 this morning for a fire at Cherry Hill Manor, 2 Cherry Hill Road. The building’s sprinkler system contained the fire, which involved a wall heater on a second floor unit, according to Battalion Chief Charles Cavallaro. He said two nurses woke the resident whose room was on fire and brought him to safety. There were no serious injuries, Cavallaro said. Two nurses were treated for minor smoke inhalation. “The staff at Cherry Hill did a fantastic job containing the fire and removing the victim,” he said. “It should definitely be noted that thanks to the initial responder – the staff – there were no injuries. About two dozen residents were evacuated to other parts of the building, Cavallaro said; and the affected wing was closed down. Fire damage did not extend beyond the room where the fire began, although there is water damage to adjoining rooms. The fire is still under investigation. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:24 AM | Comment Emergency registry to help those with special needsRhode Islanders with special health needs, chronic illnesses or other disabilities can add their names to a registry that state officials say will help them prepare for emergencies. The Special Needs Emergency Registry is scheduled to launch today with Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and officials from the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and the state Department of Health. Residents who feel they may require special consideration in an emergency can sign up. DOH and RIEMA will have access to the full database of information; information about specific individuals will be given to local emergency responders such as police or fire departments, said DOH spokeswoman Andrea Bagnall Degos. The Registry’s launch takes place 10:15 a.m. today at Meeting Street, 1000 Eddy Street, Providence. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:37 AM | Comment TJX, banks settle litigation over massive data breachBOSTON -- TJX Cos. and nearly all the banks and bank associations that sued the discount retailer over a massive credit card data breach said Tuesday they have settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. Although both sides said the settlement total would remain confidential, TJX said the costs were covered by a $107 million reserve that it set aside against its second-quarter earnings. TJX also has said that $107 million would cover the costs of another breach agreement: a Nov. 30 deal with Visa Inc. to help pay a maximum $40.9 million to help the network's card-issuing banks recover expenses to replace customers' Visa cards. Between the two agreements and costs of about $125 million to boost security, TJX appears in good position to financially manage breach-related expenses, said Avivah Litan, a security analyst with Gartner Inc. "This was a big thorn in their side," Litan said. "It was costly, but in the end, it's just one blip on their balance sheet." Framingham, Mass.-based TJX, with $18 billion in annual revenue and 2,500 stores including T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, also faces pending state and federal investigations into the breach, which could result in fines. And one of the small banks that sued TJX last spring didn't agree to sign onto Tuesday's settlement, filed in U.S. District Court in Boston. Alabama-based Amerifirst Bank declined to take part in a deal that included state associations representing hundreds of banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine, as well as Massachusetts-based Eagle Bank and Saugusbank, and Connecticut-based Collinsville Savings Society. "Those parties obviously felt they did what was in their best interests, but we feel that TJX caused a grave injustice to banks across the country, and many of those banks are small community banks like Amerifirst," said Inge Johnstone, a lawyer for the bank. "We have a duty to continue representing our clients, and this case continues for Amerifirst." The banks sought unspecified damages for costs including expenses to reissue customers' credit cards and monitor for fraud. After initially disclosing the data heist in January, TJX said in March that at least 45.7 million cards were exposed to possible fraud in a breach of its computer systems that began in July 2005. But the breach wasn't detected until December 2006. Recent court filings by the banks that sued TJX put the number of cards affected at more than 100 million, based on estimates by officials with Visa and MasterCard, who were deposed in the lawsuit. It's believed to be the largest data breach ever, based on the number of customer records involved. -- The Associated Press Tuesday's settlement reimburses the banks for a negotiated portion of the costs and expenses the banks incurred, but doesn't include attorney fees. Bruce Spitzer, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bankers Association, said the banks settled "because we believe we already achieved many of the objectives of the litigating...The public is now aware that the banks were not the source of the data breach." The settlement comes three weeks after the banks suffered a setback. U.S. District Judge William Young ruled that the banks could not pursue their claims as a class, and instead must individually seek to recover costs. The associations that agreed to settle - which also includes the Connecticut Bankers Association and Maine Association of Community Banks - are recommending that their member banks accept TJX's separate agreement with Visa. That deal hinges on banks agreeing to participate, and doesn't include other card networks like MasterCard. By taking part, the banks agree to waive rights to sue, in exchange for being paid for their breach-related costs by Dec. 27. Issuers of at least 80 percent of eligible Visa cards must accept the offer by Wednesday for the settlemcent to take effect. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Rain, sleet, snow ... repeatGuess what's in store for us this afternoon? Not just snow, but rain too. We'll have cloudy skies and the National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 40 degrees. The rain is expected after noon. Rain should continue into the night then turn to sleet and snow. The temperature should drop to near 30 degrees. No snow accumulation is expected. The precipitation should continue through tomorrow when rain and sleet are expected to continue throughout the day. The temperature should rise to about 40 degrees. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about Governor Carcieri's firing Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Robert Warren following last week's snow storm, which led to gridlock on the state's roads. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 18, 2007Tonight: Kenny Rogers hosts Christmas event at PPACKenny Rogers and others will host a Christmas concert tonight at 7:30 at Providence Performing Arts Center. It's the 20th anniversary of the Christmas tour. With him for the performance are Linda Davis and Julienne Irwin. Tickets are from $45 to $79 for the show at PPAC, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. For information, visit www.ppacri.org or call (401) 421-ARTS. More ideas for the holiday season can be found on projo.com's calendar of events and our holiday page. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:10 PM | Comment Traffic alert: Rte. 195 west accident causing backupsPROVIDENCE -- If you're heading through parts of the city or onto Route 195 around exit 2 west at this moment, ready yourself for delays. An accident in the area of exit 2 -- the South Main Street exit -- is causing backups on the highway and may be contributing to traffic holdups in downtown itself. The accident is in the high-speed lane, state police said, and apparently involved minor injuries. More details of the accident were not clear. A Providence police sergeant said there have been reports of traffic backups at this hour, though it could be one or a combination of things such as the accident and a concert at Providence Performing Arts Center tonight. Not to mention holiday shoppers at Providence Place mall. Check the state DOT's Web site for jam-factor reports, traffic indicent updates and Web cam views.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:04 PM | Comment Update: EMA director Warren fired in storm's wakeRobert J. Warren, the executive director of the state emergency management agency, was fired today by Governor Carcieri and Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray. The move comes after government officials were taken to task for their response to last Thursday's snowstorm and a short time after a meeting of the Emergency Management Advisory Council to discuss the litany of operational problems after the storm. The storm caused gridlock throughout the greater Providence area and northern region of the state, resulting in commutes that lasted three to six hours in the nation's smallest state. In Providence, about a hundred school children were stranded on school buses for several hours. The city emergency management director and the mayor were unaware the children were stranded until hours later. Warren told The Journal last week that he was unaware of the gridlock until around 5:30 p.m. He said he’d gone home to South Kingstown and then returned to the EMA that night, when he was notified by a grandfather at 9 p.m. that children were on school buses caught in the storm. Warren said he offered Providence assistance but was refused. Carcieri, who was in the Mideast during the storm and its aftermath, acknowledged yesterday that his administration did a “poor job” of communicating with the public during the storm. The state Emergency Management Advisory Council met this afternoon. It was the first time in months that Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, who is the chairwoman, had convened a meeting of the council. While she and Bray discussed the failures and problems in the response to Thursday’s storm, Warren was conspicuously absent. In response to reporters' questions, Bray -- to whom Warren reports -- said Warren was at his office, working.
Bray evaded questions about Warren's comments on a talk radio show this morning, when he told host John Depetro that he was “working on other projects” during the storm and didn’t know about the gridlock until hours later. The governor’s office announced Warren's termination at 5:30 p.m. Jeff Neal, the governor’s spokesman, said the governor would have no comment. Calls to Roberts and Bray for more information were not returned. Bray, who is also the commander of the state's National Guard, will assume the duties of EMA executive director until an interim replacement is named, the governor's office said. Warren, a former Cranston fire chief, was appointed by Governor Carcieri to head the EMA in August 2005. The state EMA had long been considered a backwater in state politics, and Warren was the first EMA head with experience in public safety. Under Warren, the state EMA produced its first hurricane plan, its first statewide evacuation routes, and established an interoperable radio communications system meant to help officials from various state and local agencies communicate in a disaster. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:01 PM | Comment State EMA director Warren fired in storm's wakePROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri announced that the employment of Robert Warren, director of the state Emergency Management Agency, has been "terminated, effective immediately." A statement late this afternoon from the governor's office said the decision was made jointly by Carcieri and Maj. Gen. Robert Bray, to whom the EMA executive director reports. The move comes after government officials were taken to task for their response to last Thursday's snowstorm and a short time after a meeting of the Emergency Management Advisory Council to discuss the litany of operational problems after the storm. Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, who chairs the council, met with Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray, the state’s adjutant general, and other officials at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Warren, who Bray said was working at his office, did not attend the meeting. Warren reported to Bray, who is also the commander of the state's National Guard. Bray will assume the duties of EMA executive director until an interim replacement is named, the governor's office said. Carcieri, who was in the Mideast during the storm and its aftermath, acknowledged yesterday that his administration did a “poor job” of communicating with the public during the storm, which choked most of the state's major arterieis, stranded Providence schoolchildren on buses until late at night, and left some motorists in the nation's smallest state struggling to get home for three to six hours.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:22 PM | Comment Fish stepping away from Citizens day-to-day opsLawrence K. Fish announced today that he is retiring from all "day-to-day" responsibilities at Providence-based Citizens Financial Group. Fish, one of the state's best-known business leaders, relinquished direct control over Citizens in March, when he was replaced as the bank's chief executive officer. At the time, he said he was taking on more broad responsibilities for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Citizens' parent company. He adopted a new title, chairman of RBS America, a new organizational unit. But only nine months later, Fish is diminishing his role, becoming "non-executive" chairman of RBS America and Citizens Financial Group. His announcement, in a letter to employees today, reflected on his career at the bank. "After 15 remarkable years, I am enormously proud of what we have built together," Fish said. "A small Rhode Island savings bank has become one of the 10 largest commercial banking companies in America." -- Journal staff writer Benjamin Gedan Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 5:54 PM | Comment Broken water pipe closes Mount Pleasant High SchoolPROVIDENCE -- Mount Pleasant High School closed at 1:30 p.m. today after a broken pipe set off the fire alarms and sent water gushing along the first and second floors. Late this afternoon, school officials were discussing whether to open school tomorrow morning. According to spokeswoman Christina O’Reilly, that decision will depend on whether the heat sensors, which were touched by water, have been damaged and can be fixed in time for the 8:20 a.m. start of class. School usually ends at 2:50 p.m. A pipe ruptured in a second-floor bathroom around 12:45 p.m., O’Reilly said. The school department decided to dismiss the students at 1:30 p.m. because they had to shut off water to the building. Meanwhile, school department technicians were working on the main computer server because that, too, had been touched by water. O’Reilly said that it wasn’t clear whether any individual computers were damaged by the flooding. A computerized phone message will be sent out to Mount Pleasant parents if school is cancelled tomorrow or if classes are delayed. -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:47 PM | Comment ABC6 to launch unusual 4 p.m. newscast in JanuaryPROVIDENCE -- ABC6 will launch a 4 p.m. newscast beginning Monday, Jan. 14, which may be the first TV newscast at that time slot in Rhode Island. Jason Nye, a spokesman for the ABC affiliate, said today that new anchor Allison Alexander, whose appointment takes effect Jan. 1 and who comes from the Cleveland CBS affiliate, will be part of the hour-long newscast on Channel 6. It was not clear who another anchor will be for the newscast, which Nye said will be a hard-news format, not a talk show. "It give [the station] an opportunity to try some new things," Nye said, and "new segments and do more live interviews." And, with a big political year ahead, Nye added the slot will help with expanding political coverage. The station will have programming at 5 p.m. then return with the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. NBC10, the local NBC affiliate, and WPRI's Eyewitness News, which is affiliated with both CBS and Fox, currently have evening formats of 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m At 4 p.m., NBC10 carries the popular Oprah Winfrey Show. NBC10 issued a news release today stating that it saw growth in its ratings lead in key time periods during the November sweeps. (An earlier version of this story had the wrong title for Nye.) -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment URI picks one of its own to be new football coachReturning to the scene of his All-American career, Darren Rizzi took over today as head coach of the University of Rhode Island football program. Rizzi signed a five-year contract at a base salary of $160,000. He succeeds Tim Stowers, who was fired last month after eight seasons. Rizzi predicted that Rhode Island will become a contender in the Colonial Athletic Association, even to the point of eventually challenging for the championship. "Failing is not going to be an option," he said. Rizzi, who is associate head coach at Rutgers, will divide his time between Rutgers and URI until the Scarlet Knights play in the International Bowl Jan. 5 in Toronto against Ball State. "I am very happy for Darren and his family," said Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said in a statement. "He has done a great job here at Rutgers and I know that he will do a great job as the head football coach at the University of Rhode Island. We will miss him but are very happy for him and his family." Rizzi, 37, graduated from URI in 1992, where he had been a tough and durable receiver for then- Coach Bob Griffin. -- Michael McDermott, projo.com Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:53 PM | Comment Update: Fire out at Brown University heating plantPROVIDENCE -- Firefighters put out a blaze in about 40 minutes this afternoon that began in a roof exhaust vent of a Brown University heating plant that supplies "quite a few" of the university's buildings on the city's East Side, a fire battalion chief said. No one was injured in the fire at 235 Lloyd Ave. Battalion Chief Thomas Brearley said the affected exhaust vent is for a boiler in the building and that vent appeared to have had some corrosion before the fire. The vent does handle high temperatures. The fire spread to some degree to the roof. Brearley said firefighters had to cut an area of roof around the vent to knock out the fire's source. He said he did not believe the boiler was affected. Brearly said he believed the university was able to use another boiler and that heating for buildings was not affected. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:17 PM | Comment Update: Bay View mercury spill from home thermometerEAST PROVIDENCE -- No students at St. Mary Academy-Bay View were exposed to harmful levels of mercury after a thermometer, apparently brought in by a student, broke today. Students are not supposed to bring thermometers to school, said Sister Elizabeth McAuliffe, the school's president. She said she expected to send home a letter tomorrow reminding parents and students. Students in grades pre-kindergarten through eight had been evacuated to the school's athletic wellness center, then dismissed early. Responders checked the shoes of all students who walked on the second floor of St. Joseph Hall, where the spill occurred, said Stephanie Powell, a state Department of Environmental Management spokeswoman. "There was definitely no exposure to any type of hazardous levels," Powell said. The contamination detected, Powell said, was lower than the Occupational Safety & Health Administration's standard by a factor of thousands. McAuliffe said the spill was found in a corridor on the second floor of St. Joseph Hall outside the nurse's office. She had made it clear early that the mercury was not from the nurse's office. Grades nine through 12 at the school were unaffacted because they do not use St. Joseph Hall for classes and were not allowed into it today for dining hall purposes, McAuliffe said. The academy, a four-building campus on Pawtucket Avenue in the city's Riverside section, is a private, Catholic school for girls . -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson Parents were first notified, then updated, about the incident through the electronic alert system Connect-Ed. A second message to parents stated that the state Department of Environmental Management and Clean Harbors Environmental Services, which cleans up hazardous material spills, were on site. The students were dismissed early because they had not had lunch and were not able to reenter the building to get belongings and coats. Buses were on as scheduled, according to the second message, which was confirmed by the school. A second exam scheduled for today will be administered after the break, but exams will continue tomorrow as scheduled, the later message said. After-school care was canceled. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:10 PM | Comment Photo: Upside-down rainbow over Union Street
The circumzenithal arc floated over Union Street early this afternoon. The arcs are sometimes called upside-down rainbows -- although they're not. Rainbows are caused by reflection and refraction of light through rain drops. The arcs are formed when sunlight passes through flat, horizontally oriented ice crystals in the atmosphere. The center of the arc always faces the sun, and if the arc were to be drawn out into a circle, it would circle the zenith point in the sky -- directly overhead. This means, of course, that you almost have to be looking straight up to notice them. Circumzenithal arcs one of a handful of cool atmospheric phenomenon that are more common in during the colder months. Keep an eye out. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:10 PM | Comment Carcieri touts new graduation requirements / Photo
BRISTOL -- In his first stop on a series of visits to high schools around the state, Governor Carcieri emphasized to students at Mt. Hope High School today the importance of a new system of standards-based graduation requirements. “I feel so strongly about this,” he said, “because I believe it’s the future of our state.” Carcieri spoke to a group of 15 students representing each of the four high school grade levels about standardized testing and the new diploma system, which requires graduating students to demonstrate proficiency through either a senior project, a multiyear portfolio of their work or end-of-course exams. He told them about the importance of his own education, which led to a brief stint as a teacher before becoming a successful businessman and politician, and said that education reforms in Rhode Island are aimed at better preparing students for life after graduation. “What do we need to do to give our youngsters the skills to be successful?” he said. Carcieri met with the students for about an hour in the school library after sitting down with teachers earlier in the morning. He plans to visit six high schools around the state to talk about the new system and listen to comments from faculty and pupils about the changes. His next stop is Westerly High School on Thursday. Many of the students selected by school administrators to meet with Carcieri today told him the portfolios that all Mt. Hope teenagers are required to create is a useful and accurate tool to gauge performance. “We can really see what we need to do and how we’ve grown,” said senior Robert Cotta. The digital portfolio system was started at Mt. Hope four years ago. It’s put together on a computer over a student’s entire tenure in school and, when completed, can include more than one hundred assignments, along with awards and even video clips. -- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner In May, before a student graduates, he or she must give a panel of teachers, administrators and community members a “tour” of the highlights of their portfolio to demonstrate proficiency. The portfolio must be judged proficient for the student to receive a diploma. Sophomore Jonathan Silva showed the room his portfolio, which is still in the works and consists of 24 pieces of work, including a history paper, a play critique and a lab report from the school science fair. “It almost sums up everything I’ve done the entire year,” he said. Freshman Jordan Moshkwoski, however, said that with the focus on proficiency, the portfolio doesn’t accurately reflect if a student is taking accelerated or honors courses. “I think that’s kind of a flaw that should be improved on,” she said.
In an interview after the meeting, Edward P. Mara, superintendent of the Bristol Warren Regional School District, said the new diploma system is the result of an overall change in philosophy. “Before, you did your work, received your grades, and you just left high school,” he said. “These kids now get constant feedback. They know what they’re doing well, so it gives them the opportunity to get better.” Earlier, senior Jason Moniz told the governor about recent positive changes at Mt. Hope, which has seen steady improvement in standardized test scores over the past five years and in 2005 was named a Regents’ commended school. Moniz’s older brother graduated from the school several years ago and remarked on the gains. “He says my diploma’s worth a lot more than his,” Moniz said. “That’s what we’re trying to do,” Carcieri responded. “We’re trying to do that at every school in the state.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:58 PM | Comment FTC won't stand in way of hospital group merger in R.I.Lifespan and Care New England, the two hospital groups in Rhode Island, announced today that the Federal Trade Commission will not stand in the way of their plans to merge. That means that the groups have cleared the first hurdle in their effort to unite into a seven-hospital corporation controlling two-thirds of hospital services in Rhode Island. But they still need approval from state regulators, likely to be a more arduous process. The FTC reviewed the plans to see whether the merger would violate anti-trust laws. If the commission believed that the merger would lessen competition in the marketplace, it would have made a second request for information. Instead, the FTC notified the hospitals last week that a committee had recommended against seeking additional information, and then the deadline for making that second request passed at midnight last night, said Lifespan spokeswoman Jane Bruno. Bruno said that the merger would not create a monopoly because the health-care marketplace extends well beyond the borders of Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Lifespan and Care New England still have not filed their application with the Department of Health and the attorney general. Bruno said the hospitals have been working with state regulators to complete the application but could not predict when it would be completed. If approved, the newly merged company will be called Lifespan and will encompass Rhode Island Hospital, Miriam Hospital, Bradley Hospital and Newport Hospital (the current Lifespan groups) along with Women & Infants Hospital, Butler Hospital and Kent Hospital (now part of Care New England).
“We are pleased to receive this favorable decision from the Federal Trade Commission on our proposed merger,” said George Vecchione, president and CEO of Lifespan. “We believe this merger would create a comprehensive health care delivery system that will allow us to continue to provide high quality care to all Rhode Islanders and to maintain our respective missions to care for the uninsured and underinsured.” John J. Hynes, Esq., president and CEO of Care New England, agreed. “We now look forward to moving ahead with the state regulatory review process and to working with the Department of the Attorney General and the Department of Health,” he said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:39 PM | Comment Woman found dead in Burrillville was victim of homicideThe state medical examiner today released a cause of death for the 33-year-old Woonsocket woman whose body was found in a wooded area in Burrillville. According to the medical examiner’s release, Vicki Connolly's death was the result of multiple sharp and blunt force injuries and ligature about the neck, referred to as “homicidal violence.” Her body was found by hunters near Spring Lake Road in Burrillville on Nov. 9, the body was identified as Connolly's five days later. Connolly had been missing about two months before her body was found. The police had said she was last seen on Sept. 6. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:26 PM | Comment Update: Newport voters deciding today on new legislator
Democrat J. Clement “Bud” Cicilline, head of a mental health agency and former state senator, faces Republican Steven J. Coaty, a lawyer local to Newport who’s making his first bid for public office. James Stanek, an independent, will also appear on the ballot although he withdrew from the race last week. Any votes for Stanek will be disregarded. The polls for this special election will be open until 9 p.m. Click below to find your polling place. •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 Brandie Jefferson at 1:45 PM | Comment Roof of Brown University heating plant on firePROVIDENCE -- Firefighters are on the scene at a working fire at the Brown University heating plant. A fire alarm came in at about 1:15 this afternoon from 235 Lloyd Ave., adjacent to the university's athletic complex. The fire is on the roof, according to Chief of Communications James Taylor, but it is not yet clear if roofing materials or something else caught on fire. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:39 PM | Comment Motiva cuts 24 jobs in Providence in wake of retail saleMotiva Enterprise LLC, a Texas-based supplier of fuel to Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, has eliminated 52 trucking jobs, including 24 in Providence, as part of the sale of its retail operations, a company spokesman confirmed today. Motiva, which operates a gas supply terminal on Allens Avenue, Providence, said that 9 of the 52 union truck drivers at the company’s Providence, Bridgeport, Conn., and Brooklyn, N.Y., terminals accepted other jobs within the company; the remaining 43 received “enhanced severance packages,” said Motiva spokesman Stan Mays. Motiva last week announced that it sold its interest in 34 Shell gasoline stations in Rhode Island to Colbea Enterprises LLC, which is owned by a Rhode Island family. The sale is part of what Motiva has said is an effort to refocus its business on wholesale operations. The new owners of the gas stations are expected to provide transportation of the fuels from the terminals to the stations, said Mays. Motiva will continue to operate the fuel terminals which supply its wholesale customers. -- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:22 PM | Comment Grease caused car fire in which body was foundSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Leaking grease started the fire in the car in which a woman's body was found last week, according to the state Fire Marshal's office. Grease leaking in the engine block caused the 2000 Subaru Forester to catch fire outside 86 Berry Hill Lane in Kingston, the Fire Marshal's office says. Firefighters found the body of Katherine C. Helweg, who lived at that address, inside the car after they put out the fire shortly after 5:40 p.m. Dec. 11. The state Medical Examiner’s office has not released a cause of death, but a spokeswoman there said it was expected to be issued as soon as tomorrow. Investigators concluded that the car had been running for “a period of time” before catching fire, said Michael Sweeney, chief of investigations in the state Fire Marshal's office. A mechanic explained that grease can ignite if it leaks from the boot surrounding the axles onto the exhaust manifold. Sweeney associated any leak with “normal wear and tear” experienced by a car that age. “It was accidental,” Sweeney said. “It’s certainly unusual,” he said, adding “She should have gotten out of the vehicle, but she became incapacitated and couldn’t get out.” Helweg, 59, a special education teacher in the Chariho school district, suffered from diabetes, according to the police. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:44 PM | Comment Update: Families of troops skate for free tonightA holiday special for families of Rhode Islanders serving overseas during the holidays is set for today at the Bank of America City Center skating rink. Family members can stop by between 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. for free skating and rentals, a skating demonstration and free pizza and hot chocolate. An earlier post incorrectly stated the event was all day long. Families of military personnel can also get season passes that give them free skating and rentals throughout the winter. The event was rescheduled after last week’s winter storm; it was initially scheduled for Sunday. “The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for family members whose loved ones are thousands of miles away fighting overseas,” Mayor David Ciciline said in a statement. The celebration, he said, is a way is a way for residents "to thank the men and women of the armed forces for their dedication, patriotism and bravery and to thank their families for the sacrifices they have made.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:05 PM | Comment Mass. casino hearing drawing industry heavyweightsBOSTON — A Statehouse hearing on casino gambling today is drawing some industry heavyweights. Among those expected to testify are billionaire Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands; and Gary Loveman, chief executive of Harrah’s Entertainment. Gov. Deval Patrick is also scheduled to speak at the hearing. The governor has filed legislation to bring three resort casinos to Massachusetts. He believes the casinos would generate $400 million in annual tax revenue and 20,000 new jobs. The hearing will have a pro-casino flavor, as it’s being chaired by Rep. David Flynn, a Bridgewater Democrat who supports expanded gaming. House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has in the past opposed an expansion of gambling. He says the House won’t take up the governor’s bill until sometime next year. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:03 PM | Comment Lawmaker pays $6,000 to settle ethics complaintPROVIDENCE — A state lawmaker has agreed to pay $6,000 for failing to disclose details about his income in state filings. Rep. Raymond Gallison Jr. failed to report more than $100,000 of income he received from an employer, The College Readiness Program. Gallison did not list the income over three years, starting in 2000. Under the state ethics law, lawmakers must disclose the source of their income. State Ethics Commission prosecutor Jason Gramitt says the commission voted today to accept the settlement. The commission isn’t recommending that the attorney general’s office prosecute Gallison. Gallison, a Democrat from Bristol, wasn’t immediately available for comment. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:58 AM | Comment Woman gets 35 years for daughter's murder/ Photo
Journal photo/ Kathy Borchers
Kimberly Mawson listens as the prosecutor asks the judge to impose a maximum prison sentence. Her attorney at right is Kevin Bristow.
A woman convicted of murdering her 19-month-old daughter was sentenced this morning to spend 35 years behind bars. If she serves the entire sentence, Kimberly Mawson will be 72 when she is released from the Adult Correctional Institutions. "This whole thing is very surreal," she said before the sentence was read. Mawson's bail was revoked, she was handcuffed and taken to immediately begin serving the sentence. In all, Kent County Superior Court Associate Judge Edwin J. Gale sentenced Mawson to 60 years, with 35 to serve and 25 years suspended. Mawson will also serve 25 years probation after her sentence, including mental health counseling. She is not allowed any unsupervised contact with anyone younger than 16. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford In December, 2002, the baby, named Jade, collapsed in the living room floor of an Elmwood Avenue, Warwick, apartment. Two days later she was declared brain dead at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. An autopsy showed the girl had bruises on her head and her body that suggested an adult had grabbed and squeezed Jade so hard that one of her ribs broke. A blow to the girl’s head burst the blood vessels behind her eyes. And an object the size of a pencil had apparently penetrated the girl’s vagina. Despite Mawson’s lawyer’s claim that Daniel Fusco -- Mawson’s former boyfriend who was watching Jade at when she collapsed -- was responsible for the girl’s death, a jury in October found Mawson guilty of second-degree murder. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:21 AM | Comment Providence City Council calls special meeting on stormPROVIDENCE -- A special City Council meeting has been scheduled for Thursday to discuss the city’s performance during last week’s snow storm. The City Council has invited the director of public works, the school superintendent, the police chief, the fire chief, the director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and representatives from the company that operates the city school buses. “The circumstances associated with last Thursday’s snow emergency have called into serious question certain operational responses that have left Providence residents bewildered and outraged,” councilman Terrence M. Hassett said in a release. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at City Hall. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:07 AM | Comment Officials will announce $1.2M to fight lead poisoningAttorney General Patrick C. Lynch and other officials today will announce $1.2 million in grants to organizations that his office said will tackle lead poisoning in the state. Lynch and Kurt L. Schmoke, a board member of the Children’s Health Forum in Washington, will announce at an 11 a.m. news conference this first round of money made available by the Healthy Kids Collaborative. The collaborative is the statewide effort financed by DuPont and carried out as a partnership between the Children’s Health Forum and the attorney general, with input from Attorney General’s Advisory Commission on Lead Paint. The news conference will be in the St. Joseph Hospital lobby, 21 Peace St., Providence. Representatives of organizations getting the money will also attend, as will children and families who will benefit from the grants. Schmoke, a former mayor of Baltimore, is dean of the Howard University School of Law. Posted by Mike McKinney at 9:26 AM | Comment Carcieri goes to school on new graduation requirementsGovernor Carcieri will visit Mt. Hope High School in Bristol today, the first of several stops aiming to "highlight the importance of the state’s new graduation requirements for high school seniors," his office said in a news release. Carcieri will be joined by state Education Commissioner Peter McWalters at a closed meeting with teachers and administrators at 9 a.m., then an an open meeting with students at 10 a.m. "Governor Carcieri wants to learn how high school students are dealing with the challenge of new high school graduation requirements," the release said. Carcieri supports the change in diploma requirements as a necessary move to to give students the skills needed for college or the workforce. On Thursday, the governor will visit Westerly High School. Posted by Mike McKinney at 8:24 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Accident on I-295 closes highwayAn accident on Route 295 has traffic slowed to a stop this morning. State police say the accident, on the northbound side of the roadway, is near Plainfield Pike/Exit 4. Police and rescue authorities are on the scene right now, no further information is currently available. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:15 AM | Comment La Salle bribery case continued until next monthA pre-trial conference for two men accused in a bribery scheme at La Salle Academy has been postponed until early next year. In December of last year, Richard Rochefort, former director of buildings and grounds at the school, was indicted on charges that he solicited or accepted more than $10,000 from contractors who did work at the school. His wife Gail A. Rochefort was also indicted on one count of conspiring to solicit or accept a bribe Contractor Ralph Catallozzi was indicted on a count of bribery for allegedly giving Rochefort a "kickback." In all, Rochefort is accused of soliciting or accepting bribes from five companies that received contracts to perform work at La Salle between Aug. 1, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2005. A pre-trial conference scheduled for this week has been postponed until January, according to Berryl Kenyon, spokeswoman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:09 AM | Comment Boston bus drivers leave 680 students without ridesBOSTON -- Providence isn't the only city having trouble getting students to and from school on its school buses. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is calling for a full investigation into an unusual number of absences among school bus drivers for the city. About 680 children were left without a ride to school yesterday after 70 drivers called in sick or took personal days off. School officials said the high number of absences did not appear to be any kind of organized protest by drivers. In a statement, Menino called the situation "unacceptable and unfair" to children who missed school and parents who may been forced to miss a day of work. School Superintendent Carol Johnson says she'll ask the city's school bus contractor to review every absence to ensure there was no abuse of sick leave or vacation time. The president of the bus driver's union, Frantz Mendes, blames the city for not having enough standby drivers to cover the routes. Some Providence students were stuck on school buses for hours trying to get home during Thursday's snow storm, and yesterday students were late for school when 30 buses had trouble climbing an icy hill near the bus yard. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:26 AM | Comment State EMA council meets today to discuss storm woesThe state’s Emergency Management Advisory Council is meeting today to discuss the litany of operational problems after last week’s snow storm. Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, who chairs the council, will meet with Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray, the state’s adjutant general and the vice chair of the council, Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Warren and other officials. Issues on tap for the meeting include a review of general preparedness issues surrounding last week's snow storms. The group also plans to address the procedures enacted at T.F. Green airport Sunday when a jet carrying 31 passengers and three crew members slid off the runway. And the Transportation Security Administration will review the September homeland security airport drill. The meeting is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:19 AM | Comment Newport voters to elect new lawmakerNEWPORT -- Newport voters head to the polls today to elect a new state representative. The election determines the successor to a General Assembly seat left vacant by the death of longtime Representative Paul Crowley. He died of cancer in September at age 57. Democrat Bud Cicilline faces Republican Steven Coaty in the general election. The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Another chilly dayThe high temperature today in the Providence area will reach only about 33 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. But at least it won't be as windy as yesterday. Today's wind will be 6 to 8 mph from the west. The temperature should drop to about 20 degrees tonight. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story reporting Governor Carcieri's take on the state's response to last Thursday's storm. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 17, 2007EPA, Brayton Point plant reach pact on cooling waterThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has reached a settlement in which the owner of the coal-burning power plant in Somerset, Mass., Dominion Energy Brayton Point, LLC, has agreed to install a new cooling system that will significantly reduce the amount of heated water discharged by the plant into Mount Hope Bay. The settlement, which was reached late this afternoon, brings to a close several years of efforts by state officials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and environmental groups, such as Save The Bay and the Conservation Law Foundation, to address the dramatic drop in fish population that has occurred in Mount Hope Bay. As part of the agreement, Dominion has agreed to drop lawsuits it filed to fight a permit the EPA issued in 2003 that called for the Brayton Point power plant to dramatically reduce its intake of water from Mount Hope Bay and significantly reduce the amount of heated water discharged. The company has now agreed to abide by the terms of that permit, as well as a timetable for constructing building the new cooling system: within 36 months of the company getting all the necessary permits. The EPA said that the new system could be in place as early as the spring of 2012. The company intends to install a “closed cycle” cooling system in which it will continually reuse the same water to cool steam produced by the power plant. That will cut the plant’s total water intake from Mount Hope Bay to an average of 56 million gallons per day, and reduce the amount of heat it discharges into the bay by 96 percent. -- Journal business writer Timothy C. Barmann The facility now withdraws up to 1 billion gallons of water a day, heats the water by about 30 degrees and discharges it back into the bay. The amount of water the plant uses each year is equal to seven times the volume of Mount Hope Bay. Scientists have concluded that the process of sucking water in from the bay kills small fish and fish eggs. And the plume of warm water kills or drives away fish as well, they say. But officials are already conceding that one part of the agreement may not be popular with people who live near the power plant. The new towers will resemble cooling towers often associated with nuclear power plants. Two hour-glass shaped structures will be up to 450 feet high, the height of the existing smoke stacks at the plant, the EPA said. “As is the case with all settlements, this settlement comes with a cost,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch. “There is no question that the height of the towers will be aesthetically unpleasant for the people who live in communities on Mount Hope Bay. In our analysis, however, the benefit of literally ‘saving the bay’ outweighs this cost.” But overall, state officials and environmental groups hailed the agreement. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:04 PM | Comment Packing it up, but not in, at the post office / Photo
Nearly one billion pieces of mail are entering posts offices across the country today, the busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service – that’s about 300 million more items than a typical day. To help move the holiday parcels along, 700,000 postal workers and more than 200,000 trucks are on the job. “Our employees are working tirelessly to make sure cards and presents arrive on time for the holidays,” Pat Donahoe, deputy postmaster general and COO of the USPS said in a statement. If you want to get cards out by Christmas, First Class and Priority mail should be sent by Dec. 20 – that’s this Thursday – and Express Mail by Saturday. For more options, visit the USPS Web site. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:02 PM | Comment Carcieri: 'Poor job of communications' during snowstormPROVIDENCE – Governor Carcieri today acknowledged that his administration did “a poor job of communications’’ during last week’s snowstorm. Today’s press conference marked his first public comment on last Thursday’s epic traffic jam, which choked most of the state’s major arteries, stranded children on school busses until late at night, and left motorists struggling to get home three to six hours on gridlocked roadways in the nation’s smallest state. Carcieri, who returned from a weeklong visit to the Middle East on Saturday, acknowledged he didn’t learn of the story until it was over because he was flying from Kuwait to Afghanistan while the storm played out, and would not in any event have expected his staff to call him “for a 6- to 10-inch’’ snowstorm and what, he was told, was largely a Providence issue. Had he been here, he said, he would have been a more visible presence. Next in line when the governor is incapacitated or otherwise unable to serve is the lieutenant governor, according to the state Constitution. But Carcieri said he saw no need to cede authority to the lieutenant governor, Democrat Elizabeth Roberts, in his absence. Asked who was in charge during the snowstorm in his absence, he pointed to his State Police Superintendent Brendan Doherty and his Department of Transportation Director Jerome Williams. “All the issues that we needed to deal with at that point were the accidents, the breakdowns, clearing the highways. That’s what was happening. That’s their job,’’ he said. In terms of who was responsible for communications, he named Maj. Gen. Robert Bray, commander of the state National Guard and head of the state Emergency Management Agency. But when asked if he blamed him for the breakdown in communications, he said “not necessarily.’’ He said his staff was looking at various ways to smooth communications with schools and businesses in the future. Carcieri returned from Afghanistan, via Germany, on Saturday night after a week-long trip to the Middle East, sponsored by the Department of Defense, that also took him Iraq and Kuwait. He said he did not regret the trip, and the show of support for the troops was important. -- Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau Bray said Friday that the Providence Emergency Management Agency was in control during the Thursday storm -- a storm that he said did not warrant a "multi-jurisdictional event" that would have activated the state Emergency Operations Center. But Lt. Gov. Roberts, at a separate briefing earlier Friday, said officials should have triggered the Emergency Operations Center. "We had no ability in the absence of the EOC to respond," Roberts said. Roberts took Republican Carcieri to task, adding, "It's the governor's responsibility to pull the trigger" on the emergency operations center. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:21 PM | Comment Update: Tiverton teachers change picketing site / Photo
Teachers had initially planned to picked outside the School Committee Chairwoman Denise deMedeiros' workplace in Fall River, Mass. Why they changed the venue was not clear at this time. Last week, Judge Vincent Ragosta denied a School Committeee request for an injunction to halt the picketing after a conference with lawyers for the School Committee and the union, the NEA-Tiverton. The picketing was intended to call attention to stalemated contract negotiations to try to force the School Committee to the bargaining table, the union president has said. DeMedeiros has said the union is trying to harass her and affect her ability to do her job. The committee declared an impasse in court-ordered mediation in October and filed for nonbinding arbitration. That court order, issued in early September, means teachers must work without a contract. -- With reports from Journal staff Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:04 PM | Comment Alert: Main runway at T.F. Green re-opens / Photo
WARWICK -- The main runway of T.F. Green Airport reopened at 1:30 p.m. today, a day after a US Airways Express flight carrying 31 passengers slid off the runway. No one was injured. The aircraft came to rest alongside the runway and required the runway to be closed until the aircraft could be removed. Cranes had been working to move the aircraft, apparently to a hangar where it will be examined. While the main runway -- known as 5-23 -- was closed, Patti Goldstein, an airport spokeswoman, said flights were using runway 16-34 -- the crosswinds runway -- and while certain wind conditions can affect when a plane can and can't use that runway, she said it had not affected any flights today. "While normal operations resumed last evening around 7:30 p.m., the reopening of the primary runway provides aircraft additional options for arrivals and departures as the weather changes throughout the day," says an afternoon news release from Rhode Island Airport Corporation. "Airline flights are operating normally today. However, if passengers have any questions, they are encouraged to contact their air carrier directly." The airport's Web site showed most departures and arrivals have not been delayed or cancelled. The cancellations the airport has seen have been because of weather conditions in other parts of the country, Goldstein said. The plane, Flight 3758, was arriving at Green from Philadelphia early last evening when the incident happened. "We will be cooperating with the [National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration] to find out every detail we can about what happened," Barb Jones, spokeswoman for Air Wisconsin, a regional carrier for US Airways, said today. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:30 PM | Comment Prov. elementary, middle school activities cancelledPROVIDENCE -- All elementary and middle school after-school activities have been cancelled today because of concern about bus delays and icy/snowy roads, the Providence school district announced this afternoon. High school activities will go on. This morning, about 30 city school buses were delayed, leaving some students waiting, after they could not make it up an icy hill near the school bus depot.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:29 PM | Comment Carcieri to address storm response, trip to IraqGovernor Carcieri will meet the press at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the state's response to Thursday's snow storm and the governor's trip last week to the Middle East, his office has announced. Thursday's storm left many travelers stuck on the roads for hours and complaining about government's response. The governor met this morning with his staff and some cabinet officials to discuss the state's reponse to the storm. Those attending the meeting included Maj. Gen. Robert Bray, adjutant general of the Rhode Island National Guard; Jerome Williams, director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation; Col. Brendan Doherty, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; and Robert Warren, executive director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency. Posted by Jack Perry at 1:40 PM | Comment Flight passenger: Hard landing, leftward drift and snowThe US Airways Express plane landed "hard" at T.F. Green Airport last night, and passenger Richard Clark could begin to hear other passengers' fear turn into words: "Oh dear." "This is not good." Then, instead of the panic or the screaming seen in disaster movies: "Everyone," he said," got quiet." Moments before, the plane with 31 passengers aboard had popped out of cloud cover. Clark, who said he served in the Air Force and has done private piloting, saw something unusual in at most 20 seconds: the runway. Unusual, because on the many flights the 57-year-old Cranston man said he has taken to T.F. Green, the plane would "pop" out of clouds and head toward the runway from what seemed a higher distance and for a longer time. He normally sees houses and other sites before a runway. There'd been no hints of any trouble on the way to Rhode Island, Clark said. He was returning from Manchester, England, and had landed in Philadelphia, where the weather was fine, and boarded his flight to Rhode Island on time. With the hard landing behind them, the plane headed down the runway, and it seemed very smooth. But the plane seemed to have tilted left, Clark recalled, and "we started slowly veering to the left." He said the pilot did his best to keep the plane on track and not to overcompensate. "We started getting snow kicked up over the wing," said Clark, whose seat was 11F, which was just behind the wings. "Several people are saying, 'This is not good, this is not right.' " Clark said it seemed that landing gear had collapsed and the plane was riding on a wing or wings as the plane made a slow, long leftward turn. The plane eventually ended up in what he estimated was a 90-degree angle from the course of the runway.
Clark could feel the tension, but said the scene inside the plane never became one of loud panic. Lights did not flicker inside. After the plane came to a stop, Clark said there seemed to be several disconcerting minutes before the pilot or crew made contact with passengers. He said a passenger told everyone things were all right. The pilot eventually did come on and say in an apologetic voice that there had been a bad landing and that he'd been in contact with emergency responders, whose trucks passengers saw approaching. "We could see the left wing was resting on the snow," Clark said. There were what felt like many waits, Clark said, particularly for responders doing head counts and making sure people were all right, before passengers got to the terminal. The runway was still closed this morning, and the plane today was being moved to a hangar. Federal authorities are investigating. The airport itself is open and operating. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:43 PM | Comment Fire quickly dealt with at Burrillville restaurantBURRILLVILLE -- Firefighters quickly dealt with a fire at the MillHouse Restaurant in the town's Harrisville section, authorities said today. Apparently sparked by an electrical problem, the fire damaged a meeting room in the restaurant at 35 East Ave., according to an employee. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:26 PM | Comment Ex-Pawtucket committee member pleads no contestEverett 'Ed' Dunn, the former Pawtucket School Committee member and licensed practical nurse accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from an elderly woman in his care, pleaded no contest this morning in return for assurance he would not have to spend time in jail. Superior Court Judge Mark Pfeiffer said he would sentence Dunn to a one and a half years of home confinement as part of a 10-year sentence with 8 1/2 years suspended. In addition, Dunn, 58, will be required to make restitution to the 91-year-old victim, reimbursing her for $140,000 of the $200,000 he was alleged to have embezzled that was never recovered. A co-defendant, Gilbert Blais, 59, pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of receiving stolen property under $500, a misdemeanor reduced from a felony charge of receiving stolen property over $500. The charge will be filed after a year, according to Blais's attorney, Christopher Gontarz. Dunn and Blais have been living in Florida since 2004, when a civil lawsuit alleging the embezzlement prompted Dunn to drop out of the race for the Pawtucket School Committee. Dunn's lawyer, former Attorney General Jeffrey Pine, said Dunn plans to move back to Pawtucket, as part of the sentence, rent an apartment and work to pay off the debt. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:15 PM | Comment ACLU files civil rights complaint over interpreter layoffsThe Rhode Island ACLU today filed a federal civil rights complaint against the state Department of Human Services, claiming that the state has violated federal law and a consent agreement by cutting interpreter jobs. The ACLU says its filing follows "both controversial comments recently made by Governor Carcieri denouncing state-funded interpreters for DHS clients, and layoffs of all the agency’s Southeast Asian interpreters." The ACLU complaint alleges that the state is violating a 1997 consent agreement requiring, in part, that the state schedule interpreters or bilingual staff when necessary to communicate with clients with limited English-speaking ability. The agreement came in the face of eight civil rights complaints brought under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In its filing to the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Boston, the ACLU is asking the office to ensure the state complies with the agreement. -- With Journal archival reports Governor Carcieri has previously defended cutting the interpreter positions, a move made with other state job cuts as part of an effort to trim a budget deficit. He issued a statement last month saying the DHS “is fully in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and with a 1997 agreement requiring that the state make available language interpretation services for those seeking welfare and other benefits.” Of the four interpreters who received layoff notices, two are Cambodian, one is Hmong and one Portuguese. The state has retained all of its Spanish-language interpreters, as well as one Portuguese interpreter, and 12 other contract employees who routinely perform similar services. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:13 PM | Comment Plane that left Green runway being moved to hangarWARWICK -- The US Airways Express aircraft that slid off a T.F. Green Airport runway last night is in the process of being moved to a hangar where federal authorities will investigate the mishap. Patti Goldstein, an airport spokeswoman, said today that she believed cranes may be out there. She said the airport's main, longer runway is currently closed. Flights are using runway 1634 -- the crosswinds runway -- and while certain wind conditions can affect when a plane can and can't use that runway, she said it has not affected any flights today. When the aircraft is moved out of that location, Goldstein said, the airport will get approval at some point to reopen the runway. The airport's Web site shows most departures and arrivals have not been delayed or cancelled. The cancellations the airport has seen have been because of weather conditions in other parts of the country, Goldstein said. The plane, Flight 3758, was arriving at Green from Philadelphia early last evening when the incident happened. No one was hurt. "We will be cooperating with the [National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration] to find out every detail we can about what happened," Barb Jones, spokeswoman for Air Wisconsin, a regional carrier for US Airways, said today. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:51 AM | Comment Icy hill by bus yard delays some city school busesPROVIDENCE -- Thirty city school buses were delayed this morning for up to 60 minutes because the buses had a tough time getting up the hill next to the bus yard at 3 Ricom Way. School spokeswoman Christina O’Reilly said that all students were in school by 10 a.m., adding that elementary and middle school students were affected by the delays. Supt. Donnie Evans, she said, was in touch with both the bus company and the city’s public works department yesterday and this morning to assess the condition of the roads, which were icy in the wake of yesterday’s northeaster. At 5:30 a.m., Evans decided to open the schools on time, after consulting with city officials. O’Reilly said that the school department learned that buses were running a bit late at 7:30 a.m., but didn’t realize how late they were running until 8:45 a.m. Shortly thereafter, the school department sent out a computer-based phone message to all middle and elementary school parents notifying them of the delays. Meanwhile, the DPW sent out trucks to re-treat the hill in front of the bus yard. The school department is considering whether to cancel after-school programs this afternoon. -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:35 AM | Comment Gas prices up by one centGas prices in Rhode Island increased by a penny last week, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline here is $3.079, according to AAA's weekly survey. Gas prices haven't varied much for the past month, AAA says. The average price in Rhode Island is eight cents higher than the national average of $2.999. Rhode Islanders were paying $2.349 at this time last year. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:16 AM | Comment Most T.F. Green flights on time in aftermath of incidentThe morning after a U.S. Airways Express flight slid off a T.F. Green Airport runway, the airport's Web site shows most departing flights on time. Several, including flights to Newark, Las Vegas, Orlando, Baltimore and Philadelphia, have departed, but two flights to the Midwest were canceled. Earlier in the morning, the site showed canceled departures to Chicago and Cleveland. Just one canceled departure is now listed, to Charlotte, N.C. A 9:28 a.m. flight to New York City is listed as delayed. The flight that slid off the runway carried 31 passengers and three crew members from Philadelphia. It slid after landing shortly before 5 p.m., a spokeswoman for Air Wisconsin, a regional carrier for US Airways, said yesterday. No injuries were reported. While the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board investigate, the plane was to remain where it came to a stop and a runway was to remain closed until the investigation finishes. Reporter's query: Were you on the plane that skidded at Green Airport? Projo.com and The Providence Journal are seeking passengers aboard US Airways Flight 3758 from Philadephia to Providence last night We'd like to talk to you for a followup story. If you'd be willing, please contact The Journal newsroom at (401) 277-7303, or pjnews@projo.com with your name and contact information.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 9:31 AM | Comment Were the school buses on time this morning?Have any parents experienced trouble with the Providence buses this morning? If so, e-mail lborg@projo.com. Please include your name, phone number and address in your e-mail.
Posted by Peter Phipps at 9:26 AM | Comment Fire damages North Kingstown home this morningNORTH KINGSTOWN -- Fire damaged the home at 166 Juniper Drive this morning, but the two people who were inside got out safely. It was believed the occupants' pets also made it out. The fire was reported at 4:13 a.m., and the majority of it was in the garage, but fire also spread to the home's attic, said Deputy Fire Chief John Pierson. He said the fire did "considerable damage" to the home. A challenge in fighting the fire was getting hydrant access, because a hydrant nearby was inaccessible due to snow and ice, said Pierson. Pierson says people should clear snow and ice away from a hydrant or hydrants in front of their property. He said fire personnel can not get to all hydrants in a day on their own and urged the public to help out. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:59 AM | Comment Providence mayor hosts party for military familiesPROVIDENCE -- The winter storm heading to New England has forced Providence Mayor David Cicilline to postpone a tribute to the Rhode Island military personnel serving abroad. Cicilline will host holiday celebrations tomorrow for families of Rhode Islanders serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event will include free skating and rentals, a figure skating demonstration as well as donated pizza and hot chocolate. Families of military personnel will also receive special season passes that will entitle them to free skating and rentals at the Bank of America City Center throughout the entire winter season. The event was originally planned for Sunday, but was rescheduled due weather. The mayor says the event is a way for Providence to thank members of the armed forces for their dedication, patriotism and bravery. It is also intended to thank their families for the sacrifices they have made. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:14 AM | Comment Union set to picket School Committee chair's workplaceThe Tiverton teachers union is slated to picket this afternoon at the workplace of the town's School Committee chairwoman, Denise deMedeiros. Union members have said they will picket at St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River, Mass. Last week, Judge Vincent Ragosta denied a School Committeee request for an injunction to halt the picketing after a conference with lawyers for the School Committee and the union, the NEA-Tiverton. The picketing, at 2 p.m., is intended to call attention to stalemated contract negotiations to try to force the School Committee to the bargaining table, the union president has said. deMedeiros has said the union is trying to harass her and affect her ability to do her job. The committee declared an impasse in court-ordered mediation in October and filed for nonbinding arbitration. That court order, issued in early September, means teachers must work without a contract. Two teachers who were suspended with pay for printing an anonymous letter critical of deMedeiros in the union newsletter were notified last week that they will have disciplinary hearings before the School Committee on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. -- With Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:11 AM | Comment Wind advisory in effect and watch for icy patchesA wind advisory is in effect until noon today, with west-wind gusts of more than 30 mph. possible. The National Weather Service said the strong winds follow the departing storm that hit the state over the weekend. "Winds will diminish later this morning as the storm moves off," the weather service advisory said. The weather service also cautioned people -- particularly those heading out early -- that there could be icy patches on untreated roads. Given the cold temperatures that moved in overnight, slush and standing water have frozen quickly. The forecast says it will be sunny with a high near 31 degrees, but the wind will make it feel much colder. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about a plane sliding off the runway at T.F. Green Airport and a photograph from the Patriots' 20-10 win over the New York Jets. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 14, 2007Photo: Calm on the surface
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:02 PM | Comment Weekend: 'Nutcracker' at PPAC rings holiday noteFestival Ballet begins its holiday performances of The Nutcracker tonight at 7:30 at Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Tickets are $18 to $60 for the two-hour performance. For tickets and information, call (401) 421-ARTS or go to festivalballet.com. Tomorrow, Lost in Woonsocket, a documentary about two homeless alcoholics who were found living in the woods by the film makers, will be on Fox Providence, channel 64, at 7 p.m. For more ideas on what to do this weekend, especially as the holidays approach, visit projo.com's calendar of events and our Holiday guide. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Battle between sisters over mother's care endsPROVIDENCE -- The legal battle between two sisters over who should be in charge of their mother’s affairs now that she is incompetent to care for herself is officially over. Francine Ardito, of Reston, Va., has repaid the $16,000 she owed her 91-year-old mother, Laurette Borduas Eifrig, to purge herself of contempt. Now, all of Eifrig’s money has now been put in a brokerage account to be used for her care in an assisted-living facility here on Smith Street. If the money hadn't been repaid by today, an arrest warrant could have been issued for Ardito and the judge could have ordered her to pay a daily fine until she turned over the $16,000. According to canceled checks submitted to the court, Ardito used the $16,000 from her mother’s trust to pay a Virginia lawyer to sue her mother and Cuculo in an attempt to regain control over her mother’s affairs. But the fight between Ardito and Suzette Gebhard, of Warren, over where their mother should live and who should control her finances has permanently fractured the sisters’ relationship. And it has cost their mother -- who is now blind and suffers from dementia -- about $200,000 of her savings in lawyers’ and guardian’s fees. Their legal battle has also affected the sisters’ relationship with their mother at a time in her life when she most needs their support. Read more about the fallout from the sisters' fight tomorrow in The Journal and on projo.com. -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:41 PM | Comment Search panel established to find new RIC presidentPROVIDENCE -- The search is on for a new president at Rhode Island College. President John Nazarian announced in late October he would step down in June after 58 years at the state college -- the last 18 as its eighth president. Today, higher education officials announced they have formed a 14-member search committee that will begin its work in January. Higher education officials say they hope to appoint a new president by July 1. “The next president of Rhode Island College will have a very tough act to follow,” said Michael Ryan, vice chairman of the Board of Governors for Higher Education, and chairman of the search committee. “John Nazarian has devoted his entire professional life to the college … Now, we need to find the right individual who can build on all that John has accomplished and bring the college forward as we move toward the 21st century’s second decade.” The committee is comprised of members of the Board of Governors, faculty, students and alumni of RIC, and other community members. In addition to Ryan, four other governors will serve on the search committee, Kenneth Aurecchia, Brenda-Dann-Messier, and Pierre LaPerriere. Frank Caprio, chairman of the Board of Governors, will serve on the committee, ex officio.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:39 PM | Comment Chief public defender: R.I. violating rights of 'gap kids'The chief public defender today called witnesses in an attempt to show that Rhode Island is violating the rights of “gap kids” charged with felonies during the 4-1/2 months that state law treated 17-year-olds as adults. Public defender John J. Hardiman asked Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini to transfer 61 pending felony cases to Family Court, arguing that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s due process and equal protection clauses to continue to treat this group of teens as adults for criminal purposes. Hardiman said the only reason legislators passed the law was to save money, and if they’d bothered to ask the state prison director, they’d have known the measure wouldn’t save a dime. Calling the law “arbitrary and capricious,” Hardiman questioned why these 17-year-olds should remain in adult court, saying, “There is no compelling state interest to maintain these children here.” But Procaccini said legislatures do a lot of things that don’t work out as intended. And he quoted from an opinion that the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued in a Rhode Island case, saying, “Equal protection is not a license for courts to judge the wisdom, fairness or logic of legislative choices. The judiciary may not sit as a super legislature to judge the wisdom or desirability of legislative policy determinations.” The state’s most high-profile “gap kid” is Ryan Greenberg, 17, of Barrington, who was indicted earlier this month on a second-degree murder charge in connection with the July 17 boating death of another Barrington teenager, Patrick Murphy. And Greenberg’s lawyer, William C. Dimitri, this week filed a motion that echoes Hardiman’s arguments and calls for Superior Court to dismiss Greenberg’s indictment and transfer the matter to Family Court. After hearing testimony, Procaccini scheduled arguments by the public defender and state prosecutors for Monday, and he will issue a ruling at a later date. He said that whatever he decides will apply to all “gap kids” charged with felonies in the state, whether they’re represented by the public defender, private lawyers or no lawyers at all. -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:28 PM | Comment Firefighters at blaze in Woonsocket at this hourWOONSOCKET -- Firefighters are on scene of a reported fire at 624 South Main St. at this hour. No other information is yet available. A fire on Tuesday evening destroyed a three-story apartment building in the same city. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:21 PM | Comment National Grid, DOT getting ready for Storm TwoUnlike many Rhode Island motorists, National Grid had an uneventful Storm One. But it's readying for Storm Two, which is expected to hurl more powerful winds at the state overnight Saturday and perhaps into Sunday that could test and topple power lines. The state Department of Transportation also said in a news release this afternoon that it is "readying its team" for the weekend. The forecast calls for slow and sleet to change over to rain. There is also the possibility that a flash freeze on Sunday could turn conditions icy. David Graves, a National Grid spokesman, said there was a 1:30 p.m. "system-wide" conference call today -- that included personnel in various aspects of operations in New England and New York -- and one or two such calls are expected tomorrow. As the storm's landing draws closer, the discussion includes positioning of crews in the utility company's service area. "They will anticipate -- as best we can anticipate -- where the highest winds and serious damage would occur and make contingency plans for moving crews into those areas from other sections of New England," said Graves. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney He said the company also has outside contractors that can assist in various locations. The company has a meteorology service that's tracking the storm and gives at least three forecast updates per day. A key thing may be the kind of snow that falls. Graves said yesterday's storm brought powdery snow less likely to impact power lines. A stickier, wetter snow that clings to lines is the kind that can bring problems for a power company. "I was just looking at last night's reports -- there were no [storm-related] outages. I happened to be the [spokesman] on call for New England last night and we had one problems in Worcester, which was not storm related at all," Graves said. Graves said there are other pre-emptive moves for this weekend. In areas where, as scheduling has it, repair or replacement projects were slated to happen, the company made decisions to in some sintance apply more personnel to get a project done ahead of the storm and other instances to postpone projects. National Grid has several tips and contact information for consumers in the case of a storm on its Web site. To report outages to National Grid, call 1-800-465-1212. The DOT "is ready to focus all of its energies now that yesterday’s storm is over and will be prepared to keep the roads clear this weekend,” Jerome F. Williams, the DOT director, said in the statement. “The department will use all resources necessary to ensure safe travel on the highways.” The DOT is "preparing for snow, sleet and freezing rain that will transition just to rain starting in the coastal regions and moving northward. Rain is expected to continue into Sunday afternoon. Be advised that a possible flash freeze may occur during Sunday afternoon," the release said. People who do not have be driving during the height of the storm should stay in, the DOT advised. And those who must be out on the road are asked to keep a safe distance between cars. Have to head out? The DOT offers several traffic tools on its Web site, from Web cameras to a "jam factor" report to traffic condition alerts.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:43 PM | Comment Update: Seeking answers to snowstorm strandingsPROVIDENCE -- Many city schoolchildren were stuck on school buses for several hours during last night's storm, and city officials today are being asked why. Mayor David N. Cicilline this morning gave Police Chief Dean Esserman and Chief of Administration John Simmons a week to conduct a review of the circumstances. This afternoon, while visiting bus drivers at the First Student depot off Union Avenue, Cicilline said that the initial traffic problems in the city were the result of backups on the interstates. When the highways backed up, it led to long lines of stopped cars waiting to exit Providence -- but the school bus situation was something that could have been avoided. “The interstates were clogged and it was really backing up into the cities and towns,” Cicilline said. “There was gridlock in the whole region and gridlock in the whole state, but this school bus issue is immediate and important. The idea that we had students on buses for that long, it’s completely unacceptable.” Cicilline said he is still trying to figure out where the chain broke -- whether it was a problem that originated with the bus company or the schools -- that prevented them from directing police to assist earlier. “How did that communication break down that the city and the police department were not notified? Is it from First Student? Is it from the school district? I activated this command center the moment I learned. We could have done that at five o’clock in the evening.” Bill Roche, contract manager for First Student in Providence, said that they knew that their 165 buses were having problems by 1 p.m. yesterday. By 2 p.m., he said, they were on the phone with the school department, constantly updating them with the locations of the buses and which ones were stuck. “We knew they were stuck by 2 o’clock. We were in constant contact with the school department all day, first every 15 minutes or so, and then every five minutes by the evening.” Schools Supt. Donnie Evans said today that part of the problem may have come from problems with the school department’s internal communication. “We need better internal communications in terms of where the buses are and how many kids are on them. Once the kids got on buses, and got in traffic, communication became a challenge,” Evans said. Police Chief Esserman told a Journal reporter today that he was first called just after 8:30 p.m. about the stranded students. He had heard sporadic reports from officers patrolling the city about stranded buses, but did not realize that there was a system-wide problem at hand. “I don’t know why I wasn’t called earlier,” Esserman said. “I don’t know the answer to that. I’d like to know why I wasn’t called earlier.” -- With reports from Journal staff writers Daniel Barbarisi and Steve Peoples, and projo.com staff writer Michael McKinney The Rhode Island National Guard commander said today the Providence Emergency Management Agency was in control during yesterday's storm -- a storm that he said did not warrant a "multi-jurisdictional event" that would have activated the state Emergency Operations Center. But Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, at a separate briefing earlier today, said officials should have triggered the Emergency Operations Center. "We had no ability in the absence of the EOC to respond," Roberts said. Cicilline has directed the team to talk to officials from the school department, the state Department of Transportation, and the First Student bus company to figure out what happened and what was done to keep parents informed. “Under any circumstance, it is unacceptable to me that our children were stranded for so long,” Cicilline said in a statement shortly before noon today. “It is one thing for adult commuters to be captive to the region-wide gridlock, but children separated from their parents and guardians are a special case, and extraordinary efforts must be made to facilitate their safe transport home.” Cicilline said any findings may be used to modify the schools' procedures. He said this afternoon that the city is going to look at ways to manage the flow of midday traffic out of Providence in future storms, perhaps staggering the departure of city and state employees, or of the school employees and buses. “We ought to look at whether there are ways that we can stagger some of that,” Cicilline said. Had they known how ferocious the initial snowfall was going to be, he said, they would have cancelled school altogether. “I think in retrospect, if we had known the kind of storm, the pacing of the storm, the kind of gridlock there was going to be on the interstates, we would have cancelled school from the beginning.” The National Weather Service had predicted a brief but intense storm, lasting several hours, that could have left 4 to 7 inches over the region. Forecasts on Wednesday afternoon had indicated the storm could arrive around 1 p.m., but it moved into the area around 11 a.m. -- With reports from Journal staff writers Daniel Barbarisi, Linda Borg and Steve Peoples, and projo.com staff writer Michael McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:58 PM | Comment M. Charles Bakst: Angry Roberts raises storm over storm
Journal photo / Steve SzydlowskiLt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts criticizes the governor's staff at a news conference this morning.
“Like every Rhode Islander, what I saw yesterday I never want to see again,’’ she declared at a news conference. This was not the policy wonk or the cheerful face that are more familiar aspects of Roberts’ persona. This was one furious woman, and, by the way, an ambitious politician with a great chance to make a splash and score points. Reporters flocked to Roberts’ office, drawn by the prospect of political bashing — an aspiring Democratic gubernatorial candidate vs. the term-limited, absent Republican governor — played out against the backdrop of a fresh, raw experience all Rhode Islanders shared. Roberts likened the state’s handling of the situation to a “debacle” or a “catastrophe,’’ a touch melodramatic, perhaps — though not if you had a kid stranded for hours on a bus. -- Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst Roberts groused that Carcieri administration officials rebuffed her offers of assistance and her advice that the state Emergency Operations Center be activated. She said, “This is New England. We have snow. I understand we can’t control nature. The timing of the storm was difficult. But we should be able to respond to a situation like this more effectively.’’ You perhaps thought Carcieri’s Iraq/Kuwait trip made Roberts acting governor. But a 1992 constitutional amendment deleted wording that put the lieutenant governor in charge whenever Number One was out of state. Indeed, Roberts said she hadn’t known Carcieri was going away until she saw news accounts that he was already abroad. No one can know for certain how much of an impact Roberts might have made had Carcieri aides been more welcoming yesterday. She said she could have assisted in coordinating and communicating. “The public in a situation like this wants to know who’s in charge, wants to know what’s happening.’’ It’s no surprise to me that a GOP administration would keep a Democratic lieutenant governor at arm’s length. Hello, this is politics. Roberts said she tries to work across party lines. “I don’t think this is the kind of situation where we stand on turf. I think this is the kind of situation where [it’s]‘all hands on deck.’’ To blunt Roberts’ attack, the administration offered a tableau of several officials, including Transportation director Jerome Williams. But the news conference was short on star power. The first words, from someone you wouldn’t recognize in a million years, were, “Good morning, my name is Brian Stern. I’m Governor Carcieri’s chief of staff.’’ Stern said, “Governor Carcieri and I share the frustration and anger of every Rhode Islander.’’ Stern & Co. tried to put the best face on the situation: It snowed hard, schools and businesses emptied, there really were plows out there, Roberts’ help wasn’t needed because by then things were getting better etc. And maybe the governor’s guys had a point. But I don’t imagine many Rhode Islanders were in the mood to hear what must have come across as bureaucratic excuse-making. This was a day for citizens to vent about Team Carcieri’s performance, and Elizabeth Roberts was more than willing to do it on their behalf. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 4:00 PM | Comment School bus drivers tell tales of snow woe / Photo
“We just said, ‘Don’t think about it,’ and we started singing,” Braswell said. Russell Krapf knew it would be a long trip, and he made his riders use the bathroom before they left the school. They all made it, but he almost had his own “problem.” “I almost didn’t. I made it back here just in the nick of time,” he said. Bus driver Bonnie Elhonsali was stuck on the East Side for six hours, completing her route. She said she let the children use her cell phone to call their parents so the families wouldn’t worry. “It took me an hour and a half just to go four blocks,” Elhonsali said. Bill Roche, contract manager for First Student in Providence, said that they knew that their 165 buses were having problems by 1 p.m. yesterday. By 2 p.m., he said, they were on the phone with the school department, constantly updating them with the locations of the buses and which ones were stuck. “We knew they were stuck by 2 o’clock. We were in constant contact with the school department all day, first every 15 minutes or so, and then every five minutes by the evening.” Most of the runs averaged three or four hours, Roche said. There were a handful that had children on them for seven or eight hours. About 10 percent of the buses had no problem. The areas with the most buses stuck were near Routes 6 and 195 -- the Valley neighborhood, Smith Hill, Atwells Avenue, the East Side, he said. Several bus drivers said that they were stood up by their bus monitors, who did not show up for work yesterday or today. “They just didn’t show. And most of the monitors didn’t even come in this morning,” Elhonsali said CORRECTION: An earlier version of this item incorrectly gave the first name of Bill Roche. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:41 PM | Comment Twin River revenues fall more than $1M due to stormLINCOLN -- Revenue at the Twin River slot parlor was off more than $1 million yesterday due to the snowstorm. That's down an estimated 85 percent from the similar day last month, according to Craig Sculos, the venue’s general manager. The drop occurred even though the venue remained open until 11 p.m., far after most other businesses had closed up for the day. That closing was still three hours earlier than the normal 2 a.m. closing time. The state collects a share of revenue from the gambling facility. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:01 PM | Comment Pizza, hot chocolate ease the pain of stranded kidsPROVIDENCE -- There were the principals who helped children stranded at school as the traffic mess seized control of Rhode Island. And there were others who helped children waiting out in that mess. Elementary and middle school principals in Providence stepped in last night and cared for their students. At Kizarian Elementary School, eight students were stranded until 9:30 p.m. “We gave them snacks and watched a movie,” said Principal Debbie Ruggieri. “The kids were dancing, drawing pictures. They had fun and parents knew they were safe.” A half-dozen staff members stayed behind and helped Ruggieri answer phones. The police brought about 30 children home. At Windmill Elementary School, the principal ordered pizza and everyone had a party. The last bus, bus 86, didn’t arrive until 7:30 p.m., at which time seven children were left at school. “We called every single parent,” said Principal Eusebio Lopes. “We told everyone that the kids were stuck in traffic.” The biggest problem was communication between First Student, the bus company, and the schools. “We lost contact with Bus 86,” Lopes said. ‘It was very disorganized. It was like, ‘Why didn’t you call us?’” Communications between the bus yard and the schools have to be improved, Lopes said. In another instance, some students from the International Charter School in Pawtucket got a welcome reprieve at the Rhode Island Blood Center from sitting on the bus in Providence. When the bus was stalled in gridlock traffic on Promenade Street, the blood center invited the students to come in for a bathroom break. Before long, the kids were drinking hot chocolate and sitting in the big, comfy blood donor chairs. Before they left, the center staff gave them a case of apple juice and cookies to take to another school bus that was stranded on Promenade Street. -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:59 PM | Comment Grant will help families displaced by Woonsocket fireThe Red Cross of Rhode Island said it has received dozens of calls from people seeking to help five Woonsocket families who were put out of their home by a fire Tuesday. The agency also announced it's gotten a $5,000 grant from CVS Caremark to help the families. The Red Cross news release said CVS CAREMARK is challenging the Woonsocket community to match its donation. People and local businesses who want to help match the grant can send a donation to the Red Cross at 105 Gano Sreet, Providence, R.I., 02906, or by going to www.riredcross.org . Donors who want to help the families directly are asked by the Red Cross to write “Woonsocket Fire” in the memo line of their check or online donation. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:48 PM | Comment Motorists: Don't get stuck in a snowstorm unpreparedOK, it may be too late to offer up these tips to some drivers who got stuck in snow yesterday. But, never fear, there's another storm coming down the pike that you'll want to get ready for. Here are some steps you can take now to prepare: Keep a full tank of fuel to prevent gas line freeze-ups. Change the engine oil. Check your battery. Keep a spare key, in case you lock yourself out while you are clearing the windshield. Lubricate the locks with deicer. Carry a cell phone in case of trouble. Keep other emergency winter supplies in the car: Boots, hats, gloves, blankets, flashlight, reflective triangle and even a “coffee can heater.” (We're assuming you've already got a scraper and windshield wiper fluid on hand.) If you and your car do get snowbound: The Automobile Association of America recommends you stay in the car. You'll have shelter from the cold and it will making finding you much easier. You can also start your engine and keep it idling enough to stay warm. But remember: Running the car’s engines will mean that exhaust gases will be produced so it's important to check that the tail pipe is not be blocked by snow. -- Source: AAA Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:46 PM | Comment On the day traffic stood still, somebody won $96,094While many of us were sitting in staggering traffic yesterday, one Rhode Islander drew a winning lottery ticket for $96,094. Rhode Island Lottery said the Wild Money ticket was bought at American Performance Petroleum at 964 Cranston St., Cranston. The winner has not yet come forward to claim it. (Perhaps he or she is still stuck in traffic? Just kidding.) Meanwhile, the $151.9 million Powerball jackpot from the Nov. 28 drawing, whose ticket was sold in Rhode Island, has still not been claimed. Players have a year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:31 PM | Comment State officials differ over handling of storm responsePROVIDENCE --The debate over whether the state Emergency Operations Center should have been activated during yesterday's storm is gaining more traction today than many Rhode Island drivers and schoolchildren who were stalled or stuck on roads around the state. State officials don't all agree. The Rhode Island National Guard commander said today the Providence Emergency Management Agency was in control during yesterday's storm -- a storm that he said did not warrant a "multi-jurisdictional event" that would have activated the state Emergency Operations Center. Major Gen. Robert T. Bray, the guard's adjutant general, said the operations center has been triggered for hurricanes and severe flooding -- and the yearly Tall Ships celebration, when hundreds of old sailing ships come to Newport drawing thousands to Aquidneck Island. Saying that the traffic problem was confined to Greater Providence, Bray said "statewide, the emergency was well handled," which is why, he said, the EOC was not triggered. Governor Carcieri's chief of staff, Brian Stern, said at the same State House news conference attended by Bray and Col. Brendan Doherty, who leads state police, that it was an "unprecedented traffic disaster." He said he spoke to the governor, who has been in Iraq, yesterday evening. He said the governor was primarily concerned with whether there were fatalities or injuries and that the governor was assured there were not. Stern attributed the traffic gridlock largely to schools closing between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and businesses sending employees home at the same time, which meant a traffic surge. But Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, at a separate briefing earlier today, said officials should have triggered the Emergency Operations Center. "We had no ability in the absence of the EOC to respond," Roberts said. Roberts, a Democrat, took Republican Carcieri to task, adding, "It's the governor's responsibility to pull the trigger" on the emergency operations center. "What I saw yesterday I never want to see again," she added. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:31 PM | Comment Poor communications cited in school bus strandingsPROVIDENCE -- Many city schoolchildren were stuck on school buses for several hours during last night's storm, and city officials today are being asked why. Mayor David N. Cicilline this morning gave Police Chief Dean Esserman and Chief of Administration John Simmons a week to conduct a review of the circumstances. Schools Supt. Donnie Evans said today that part of the problem may have come from problems with the school department’s internal communication. “We need better internal communications in terms of where the buses are and how many kids are on them. Once the kids got on buses, and got in traffic, communication became a challenge,” Evans said. Chief Esserman told a Journal reporter today that he was first called just after 8:30 p.m. about the stranded students. He had heard sporadic reports from officers patrolling the city about stranded buses, but did not realize that there was a system-wide problem at hand. “I don’t know why I wasn’t called earlier,” Esserman said. “I don’t know the answer to that. I’d like to know why I wasn’t called earlier.” Police officers in four-wheel drive vehicles were immediately dispatched to the bus locations, and pulled children off and took them to their homes. “We pulled every 4WD vehicle we had, and we literally started going to every location and pulling off kids,” Esserman said. Just before 8 p.m., 60 out of the 152 Providence school buses were still on the road trying to drop off youngsters, according to Christina O'Reilly, spokeswoman for the Providence school district Most children were home just before 11 p.m., but 9 children were stuck at the bus depot after the buses could not reach anyone at their homes. Police took this final group home around 9 p.m. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi About three dozen adults were also stranded last night on Rhode Island Public Transit Agency's buses at Kennedy Plaza, and police fed them and took them to their homes as well. Fire Chief George Farrell said that firefighters received an emergency call to help a bus full of special needs students stranded in the Valley neighborhood. The students had been stuck for hours, and needed their medications. But because of the traffic, with cars clogging every street through Smith Hill and the Valley, the rescue couldn’t get close. The rescue driver left the streets and cut into the American Locomotive Mill Complex, and the firefighters then ran on foot to the bus, evacuated the children, and rushed them to Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Farrell said that the backup was worst in the Smith Hill, Federal Hill, and Valley neighborhoods, all of which are close to Route 6, which was clogged late into the night. Esserman said that the tow trucks were towing cars constantly, but that the towing lots were full before long, contributing to the backup. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:07 PM | Comment Update: One storm down -- sort of -- and one to goIf you weren’t stuck in a car or a bus yesterday, it could have been considered a winter wonderland; cold, but not biting; powdery snow; and that pleasantly muted sound of a snow-filled night. Enjoy it if you can, it’s not going to last. Next up: Rain, sleet, snow and wind gusts 20 to 30 mph., possibly reaching 50 mph along the coast. This next storm – more of a classical Nor’easter than yesterday’s storm – is expected to move in early Sunday morning. Charles Foley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., calls it a “wintry mix.” But exactly when, where or how much precipitation we’ll get is still up in the air. “It hasn’t been nailed down,” he said. “Position, location and the timing – that’s what we’re looking at.” And if the snow leads to sleet and the sleet leads to rain, there’s a good chance we’ll see a buildup of ice, especially Sunday when the temperature drops to just 25 degrees. Early estimates see inland getting as much as six inches of snow before the precipitation changes to rain. That could lead to some localized flooding. As for the good news? Tides will be low, Foley said, so he doesn’t expect much coastal flooding. That’s as good as it gets. Follow the storm's track on projo.com's weather page -- and cross your fingers. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:17 PM | Comment Providence principals entertained late into the eveningPROVIDENCE -- Elementary and middle school principals in Providence stepped in last night and cared for their stranded students. At Kizarian Elementary School, eight students were stranded until 9:30 p.m. “We gave them snacks and watched a movie,” said Principal Debbie Ruggieri. “the kids were dancing, drawing pictures. They had fun and parents knew they were safe.” A half-dozen staff members stayed behind and helped Ruggieri answer phones. The police brought about 30 children home. At Windmill Elementary School, the principal ordered pizza and everyone had a party. The last bus, bus 86, didn’t arrive until 7:30 p.m., at which time seven children were left at school. “We called every single parent,” said Principal Eusebio Lopes. “We told everyone that the kids were stuck in traffic.” The biggest problem was communication between First Student, the bus company, and the schools. “We lost contact with Bus 86,” Lopes said. ‘It was very disorganized. It was like, ‘Why didn’t you call us?’” Communications between the bus yard and the schools have to be improved, Lopes said. -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:46 AM | Comment Newport group spreads the word of danceA dance troupe that works with low-income students is getting $10,000 from the National Endowments of the Arts. The “Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants” program supports smaller groups that try to expand access to the arts. The money from the Challenge America grant will support Island Music Company's Open for Dancing, a festival that allows students to take place in dancing festivals in Newport. “Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen and I are thrilled to gain this recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts and to have the Senator’s strong support,” Dominique Alfandre, the executive director of the IMC said in a statement. “Open for Dancing is an event for the whole community, involving both students and community participants in the creation of original dance works for stunning Newport sites. It is a celebration of Newport’s historic landscapes and its lively cultural life.” The festival runs Sept. 17-21 in Newport. Guest choreographers will decide where, exactly the performances are held; in the past they’ve been at the Preservation Society of Newport, Doris Duke’s Rough Point and the Navy Base. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the NEA’s Council Of the Arts, wrote a letter in support of the troupe’s application. “While many school districts have been struggling to protect arts programming from budget cuts,” he said in a statement, “the Company has worked extensively in schools, teaching creative movement annually to 2,000 Rhode Island students, some of whom are low-income and may not otherwise have access to arts enrichment programs,” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:30 AM | Comment Photo: Plow up, snow down on the East Side
Posted by Jack Perry at 11:11 AM | Comment The storm's aftermath: Claiming towed carsAt the Providence Public Safety Complex, there's a line of people waiting to claim cars towed during yesterday's storm. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by Jack Perry at 10:56 AM | Comment Cicilline orders police to review school bus delayProvidence Police Chief Dean Essermen and Chief of Administration John Simmons have a week to conduct a review of the circumstances that led to Providence school children being stranded on gridlocked school buses for hours during yesterday's snow storm. Mayor David N. Cicilline has directed the team to talk to officials from the school department, the state Department of Transportation, and the First Student bus company to figure out what happened and what was done to keep parents informed. “Under any circumstance, it is unacceptable to me that our children were stranded for so long,” Cicilline said in a statement. “It is one thing for adult commuters to be captive to the region-wide gridlock, but children separated from their parents and guardians are a special case, and extraordinary efforts must be made to facilitate their safe transport home.” Cicilline said any findings may be used to modify the schools' procedures. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:49 AM | Comment What happened to the school buses?Public schools in Providence -- like others across the state -- were delayed an hour this morning. But unlike other schools in the state, many Providence students haven't yet been home for 12 hours after a snowy jumble of traffic left school buses stranded with other traffic on unplowed streets and highways. Christina O’Reilly, spokeswoman for Providence schools, knows what the topic of discussion will be today at the Providence School Department: Buses. “I empathize with the parents,” she said, “I can’t imagine what it must have been like to sit around until 10 and wait for your child.” This, she said, is what happened yesterday. School dismissals were staggered: high school and middle school students were let out at 12:45 p.m. and younger students left near 1 p.m. It’s the same time difference as usual; buses take the older kids home, and return for the younger students. “By the time the buses completed their first run and got back to the kids for the second run,” O’Reilly said, the streets were already packed. And because students in Providence can attend schools around the city, buses weren’t restricted to neighborhoods, but had to traverse traffic across the city. In most cases, the elementary school kids had to wait in the school building – with teachers and principals – for a few hours. Then they got on the buses and had the same experience other commuters did. “Once the hour started to get really late,” O’Reilly said police and other state personnel were able to reach the buses and try to clear paths in traffic. They brought drinks and snacks for the students too. “Something like this has not happened in institutional memory,” O’Reilly said. “I’m certain that there will be plenty of discussion around the policy.” Reporters query: If you waited for hours for your child last night, or are a Providence school bus driver, please contact Linda Borg at lborg@projo.com -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:52 AM | Comment Fire damages Pawtucket pizza parlorThe state Fire Marshal is on the scene at a Pawtucket pizza parlor that went up in flames early this morning. Checkmate Pizza, at 1 Garden Street, was severely damaged after a fire broke out at 12:40 a.m. Firefighters were on the scene for several hours; no one was in the building at the time of the fire. Authorities have not determined a cause, which is still under investigation. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:00 AM | Comment Reporter's query: Stuck on the school bus?Across the city last night, students spent hours stuck in school buses as snow continued to blast the state and roads filled up like parking lots. Christina O’Reilly, spokeswoman for the Providence School Department, said there will be plenty of discussion today between school and city officials about the current busing policy. But we're looking for parents and bus drivers to tell us what they think. If you had to wait for hours last night before your child came home, or if you were stuck in the driver's seat of a school bus, wondering what to do, please contact Journal staff writer Linda Borg at lborg@projo.com. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:46 AM | Comment 'Did the governor take all the plows to Iraq?,' reader asksThe problem yesterday may not have been the snow, but the traffic. That’s one reason DOT Director Jerome Williams suspects the roads were such a disaster. And a few of our commenters seem to agree. “I don’t blame DOT for this one. They can’t plow what they can't GET to,” one projo.com reader commented this morning. But the typical post reads something like this: “RIDOT can "insist" all they like about how many plows they made available. The fact of the matter is that I left Boston at 1:30 p.m. and got home to Rumford at around 9:15 p.m.” Survey: Tell us about your commute A New York ex-pat who has seen plenty of snow storms had a 5.5 hour commute from East Greenwich to Providence. “You have got to be kidding me with the performance of the RI DOT today. You would have thought an atomic bomb dropped on 95 with the amount of abandoned cars, it was a nightmare.” A common theme was comparing Massachusetts roads to those in Rhode Island. Posters who commute between states were pretty much in agreement about which state they thought handled the situation better. Video: See how the rest of New England is handling the snow “Here is what is pathetic. I live in Providence but work in Brockton. In Rhode Island there were no plows on the road, the roads were impassable, and cars were abandoned. As soon as I hit the Mass. border it was smooth sailing with dry pavement. How could this be?” A former Providence resident now living in Rehoboth says “my first thoughts in any snow storm is to head for the border, the sooner I get out of RI and into MA the safer.” “Did the governor take all the plows to Iraq with him? Is anybody in charge?” One poster wonders. Apparently not, according to Williams, who said there were more than 450 plows clearing the state roads yesterday; they began pre-treating right after the morning commute but were significantly slowed by mid-day traffic. With snow falling as much as three inches per hour at times, he said on WPRO this morning, the trucks just couldn’t keep up. But for all of the horror stories, the hours spent on the road and the dead cars, one lone poster reminds us to keep things in perspective. “Oh, by the way, it will snow in the winter and traffic will be heavy,” the poster writes.” Don't panic and things will go okay.” -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:43 AM | Comment Photo: Throwing the snow
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:06 AM | Comment Closings and delaysProvidence public school buses are running on a one-hour delay this morning, according to the superintendent's office. Some students spent hours on buses stuck in the cold, snowy gridlock. Schools, businesses and some government services across the state are closed or opening late today. Get the latest information on projo.com's closings Web site.
Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:20 AM | Comment National Grid expected to ask for rate increase todayWARWICK -- National Grid will ask for a rate increase. The utility is expected to make its case for a 5.2 percent increase for electricity rates at a hearing today before the Public Utilities Commission. National Grid has said the rising cost of crude oil makes the rate hike necessary. The George Wiley Center, a Pawtucket-based advocacy group for the poor, says too many customers are losing heat and electricity service because they're unable to pay the bills. The organization is urging the public to attend the hearing. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:03 AM | Comment Storm sets record, another storm on the wayWinter is here. You know all about the snow -- the Providence area set a record for the day yesterday with 8.2 inches. Looking forward, today we should see much warmer weather, with the National Weather Service forecasting a high temperature near 46 degrees, but a powerful coastal storm should move into the region late Saturday and early Sunday. That storm should bring snow, sleet and rain, but how much snow is still hard to predict, according to the National Weather Service. Snow should spread across most of southern New England after midnight, quickly becoming heavy, the National Weather Service says. The change to rain could trigger urban flooding, the weather service warns. Clouds should roll in tomorrow morning when the temperature reaches 33 degrees with wind gusts as high as 22 mph. We won't have to wait long for the next storm, set to move in Sunday. First, there's snow expected in the early morning. Then rain, maybe sleet, and wind gusts as high as 36 mph. Sunday night look for more of the same -- snow, sleet, rain -- in the evening, then snow later in the night. Relief should come Monday, with clear skies and a high temperature just shy of freezing. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageTodays' front page features a report on the storm that snarled traffic in Rhode Island and baseball's steroids report. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 13, 2007On a day -- and now night -- of crisis-proportion traffic gridlock, no one is going anywhere in Rhode Island. And in Providence the police said many people have abandoned cars in frustration, causing more problems for snow plows. Just before 8 p.m., 60 out of the 152 Providence school buses were still on the road trying to drop off youngsters, according to Christina O'Reilly, spokeswoman for the Providence school district. O'Reilly said that many youngsters are probably elementary school students. Because of the School Choice program, buses must cross the city to drop off students who are not attending schools in their neighborhoods. The majority of buses have dual runs as well, dropping off one set of students then going back to another school for different-age students. At 9:30 last night, police were searching for a bus that carried a diabetic student. There is concern that people stuck in cars on paralyzed highways will run out of gas. And while the snowfall is minor compared to the Blizzard of '78, Providence police Sgt. Paul Zienowicz said "it's almost comparable" in the fact that businesses and other institutions dismissed employees early -- which caused massive congestion -- and some of those people abandoned cars after getting stuck in hours-long traffic jams. Providence schools dismissed high school and middle school students at about 12:30 p.m. The elementary students were dismissed at 1 p.m. In North Providence, a dozen students were at Greystone Elementary School for an hour after the school closed at 2 p.m., waiting for their parents or a special-education school bus. Six students were still there at 3:30 p.m. The principal stayed with them at the school. Drivers have had trouble getting on the highway from Providence since early this afternoon. And if they managed to make it on the interstates, they found that nothing was moving. One of the factors creating the gridlock was a tractor-trailer that jack-knifed at Exit 18 near the Thurbers Avenue curve on Route 95. Also, there are reports of major gridlock in both directions on Route 10. The state Department of Transportation insisted it had thrown 445 trucks at the snowstorm to sand and plow across the state. A DOT spokeswoman said the storm fueled a noon rush hour of people fleeing work rather than the usual late-afternoon commute. Many people reported commutes of up to six hours in the nation's smallest state. And a Journal reporter out on Route 95 south at about 5 p.m. said backups appear to stretch for three miles, cars appeared to be stalled on one entrance ramp to the highway, and the road seems untouched by a plow. "The roads are passable. It's just that there is so much congestion out there it's hard for the plows to keep up," said spokeswoman Heidi Cote, whose normally 20-minute trip home took more than an hour. She added that motorists "will get home safely -- just take it slow" and keep a safe distance between cars. Cote said the DOT knew the storm would dump 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour and had done so. As of 9 p.m., the storm had subsided but not before dropping about 7 to 9 inches of snow in Providence and about a foot in the northwest corner of the state. Eleanor Vallier-Talbot,a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., noted that sleet and freezing rain had been detected in Westerly late this afternoon, suggesting signs of the storm's forecasted slushier side predicted for tomorrow. T. F. Green Airport is open to people, but that doesn't mean they should expect to fly out. There were flights this morning, but many early evening flights are listed as canceled on the airport's Web site. Airport spokeswoman Patti Goldstein advised that people should check the site and call their air carrier before going to the airport. North Central State Airport on the Lincoln-Smithfield line was closed early this afternoon, said Paul Smith, airport operations manager. Smith said the airport will wait for the snow to stop then plow all at once. He said the airport currently expects to open by tomorrow morning at the latest. The Providence Place mall, normally open untill 10 p.m. this time of year, closed at 6 p.m. today. Many people could still be seen window-shopping.
The storm does not meet the classic definition of nor'easter -- there's the snow, but not the powerful winds that characterize that breed of storm, according to Vallier-Talbot. Winds have been 5 to 10 mph. But, she added, another storm forecast to hit the state over the weekend may well be a nor'easter. The Providence Department of Public Works has nearly 70 plows on the road, including those from private vendors, Mayor David N. Cicilline's office announced. "However, road conditions remain treacherous as snowfall continues into the evening. Mayor Cicilline advises residents to stay off the roads so that plow operators can make the streets safe for travel," the mayor's news release said. In Pawtucket, the snowstorm wreaked havoc. Major roads, such as Broadway, turned into parking lots as people were let out of work early, causing traffic jams. A privately owned sander truck broke down on School Street. The resulting backup made the situation worse. Pawtucket Highway Supt. Ronald J. Leitao said a major contributor to the problem was the elaborate truck detours that the state DOT put into place when a 22-ton weight limit was posted on the Pawtucket River Bridges, between Exits 27 and 28 on Route 95, two weeks ago. Heavy truck traffic diverted through the city between those exits was intensifying the traffic jams, Leitao said, making it difficult for the plows to move. “We’re in a little predicament,” Leitao said, speaking by cell phone from a truck stuck in traffic on Broadway at 3 p.m. “Our trucks are in their routes, but they’re just moving slow because of the detours and being stuck in traffic.” An on-street parking ban went into effect at 1 p.m., but it wasn’t making much of a difference. Three more parking bans have been announced: Two went into force at 5 p.m. in Providence and Barrington. The Providence ban is in effect through 6 a.m. tomorrow. Another ban in in effect in Seekonk, Mass. People must get cars and trucks off roads so that plows can clear them. For numerous parking bans and their start times in communities around the state, check here. And here's some proof: Providence police responded to a school bus that apparently slid on Cypress Street, a steep East Side road. No injuries were reported. You really don't want to drive anywhere -- take it from some people who have and others who still are. Traffic was slinking on Routes 136 and 114 through Bristol all day. In East Providence's Rumford section, a particularly nasty stretch was Pawtucket Avenue, where cars appeared to have spun out in front of Newman Congregational Church. A half-mile down from that, a man was helping some young women whose Mercedes appeared to have spun out near where Pawtucket Avenue and Newport Avenue meet. Lanes were indiscernible on a stretch of Route 195 west from Massachusetts into Rhode Island. Commuters to Providence from North Kingstown last night reported that the drive took six hours; other commuters from Glocester to Providence took five hours, four of them in Providence. Route 146 south from Mineral Spring Avenue into Providence was a parking lot this afternoon. And a commute from Woonsocket to Johnston took the better part of three hours for one man. The storm is expected to dropped 7 to 10 inches across southern New England. Check out live local radar and track the storm. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Mike McKinney at 9:50 PM | Comment Seeking any parent of a stranded Providence studentIf you are the parent of a Providence school student who was stranded on a school bus for several hours, please call us at 277-7303 or 277-8100 or e-mail us at 7to7blog@projo.com and pjnews@projo.com to tell us your story. It would be very helpful if you could give us a phone number to reach you as well. Thanks. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 9:08 PM | Comment Weather Service: Snowfall expected to stop at 9 p.m.The snowstorm that gridlocked most of the state today is expected to end around 9 p.m., a National Weather Service meteorologist said. The traffic meltdown, well, that could be a different story. Snowfall totals are expected to reach one foot in the state's northwest corner, said Bill Simpson, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Lincoln had recorded about 10 inches as of about 7:30 p.m.. Providence should see less of the white stuff, about 7 to 9 inches. Temperatures are expected to peak in the low 30s tomorrow, which may mean some melting but not much. Brace yourselves, though, because another storm is expected to blow into the state on Saturday and into Sunday. That one is expected to follow the snow-to-rain-to-snow pattern. Since Sunday's storm has a potential for icy conditions, it may be considered more of a nor'easter with higher winds. Perhaps the only consolation for people who sat in cars for three to five hours today is that the next storm is due to hit on a weekend. "If there's any blessing, that's it," Simpson said. Today's storm -- the first major one of the season -- probably won't top the 15.1 inches that fell on Rhode Island during all of last winter. But Sunday's storm could certainly help break last year's record. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 8:05 PM | Comment Prov. liquor store owner pleads guilty to selling to minorsPROVIDENCE -- Shawn Merilan, the owner of S&M Liquors, pleaded guilty today in District Court to two violations of selling alcohol to minors and was fined $250. Merilan, 37, whose store was implicated in the death of a Barrington teenager following a car crash last month, was one of several liquor store owners or clerks summoned to court today as part of a police sting on stores selling alcohol to minors. The offense that Merilan and store workers faced was a municipal violation -- not a statutory crime -- though the police could charge any of them with a misdemeanor on a second offense. Two Barrington teenagers have told police that they went to S&M Liquors on Douglas Avenue and bought the alcohol that played a role in the car crash that killed 16-year-old Jonathan Converse last month. -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:10 PM | Comment Gridlock causes hours-long delay for commutersOn a day of staggering traffic gridlock, the state Department of Transportation insists it has thrown 445 trucks at the snowstorm to sand and plow across the state. A DOT spokeswoman said the storm fueled a noon rush hour of people fleeing work rather than the usual late-afternoon commute. Many people reported commutes of three hours or more in the nation's smallest state. And a Journal reporter out on Route 95 south at this hour said backups appear to stretch for three miles, cars appeared to be stalled on one entrance ramp to the highway, and the road seems untouched by a plow. "The roads are passable, it's just that there is so much congestion out there it's hard for the plows to keep up," said spokeswoman Heidi Cote, whose normally 20-minute trip home took more than an hour. She added that motorists "will get home safely -- just take it slow" and keep a safe distance between cars. Cote said the DOT knew the storm would dump 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour and had done so. As of 4 p.m., the storm had dropped 5 1/2 inches of snow in Pawtucket, said Eleanor Vallier-Talbot, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. She said the snow has fallen at 1 to 1 1/2 inches per hour. As of 2 p.m., snow accumulations were 4 inches in Lincoln and Warwick, but have grown since. Vallier-Talbot noted that sleet and freezing rain had been detected in Westerly late this afternoon, suggesting signs of the storm's forecasted slushier side predicted for tomorrow. T. F. Green Airport is open to people, but that doesn't mean they should expect to fly out. There were flights this morning, but many early evening flights are listed as canceled on the airport's Web site. Airport spokeswoman Patti Goldstein advised that people should check the site and call their air carrier before going to the airport. North Central State Airport on the Lincoln-Smithfield line was closed early this afternoon, said Paul Smith, airport operations manager. "We're fighting a losing battle here now," he said. "We go down the runway [clearing it] and when we go back up it's already covered again." Smith said the airport will wait for the snow to stop then plow all at once. He said the airport currently expects to open by tomorrow morning at the latest. The storm does not meet the classic definition of nor'easter -- there's the snow, but not the powerful winds that characterize that breed of storm, according to Vallier-Talbot. Winds have been 5 to 10 mph. But, she added, another storm forecast to hit the state over the weekend may well be a nor'easter. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney The Providence Department of Public Works has nearly 70 plows on the road, including those from private vendors, Mayor David N. Cicilline's office announced. "However, road conditions remain treacherous as snowfall continues into the evening. Mayor Cicilline advises residents to stay off the roads so that plow operators can make the streets safe for travel," the mayor's news release said. In Pawtucket, the snowstorm wreaked havoc. Major roads, such as Broadway, turned into parking lots as people were let out of work early, causing traffic jams. A privately owned sander truck broke down on School Street. The resulting backup made the situation worse. Pawtucket Highway Supt. Ronald J. Leitao said a major contributor to the problem was the elaborate truck detours that the state DOT put into place when a 22-ton weight limit was posted on the Pawtucket River Bridges, between Exits 27 and 28 on Route 95, two weeks ago. Heavy truck traffic diverted through the city between those exits was intensifying the traffic jams, Leitao said, making it difficult for the plows to move. “We’re in a little predicament,” Leitao said, speaking by cell phone from a truck stuck in traffic on Broadway at 3 p.m. “Our trucks are in their routes, but they’re just moving slow because of the detours and being stuck in traffic.” Leitao, who could see Route 95 from where he was sitting, said that it, too, looked like a parking lot. The city’s private weather service was predicting 6 inches of snow by 6 p.m., he said. With all the traffic, Leitao said, it won’t be until 6 p.m. that city snowplows will be able to plow the streets. An on-street parking ban went into effect at 1 p.m., but it wasn’t making much of a difference. Three more parking bans have been announced: Two went into force at 5 p.m. in Providence and Barrington. The Providence ban is in effect through 6 a.m. tomorrow. Another ban in in effect in Seekonk, Mass. People must get cars and trucks off roads so that plows can clear them. For numerous parking bans and their start times in communities around the state, check here. And here's some proof: Providence police responded to a school bus that apparently slid on Cypress Street, a steep East Side road. No injuries were reported. You really don't want to drive anywhere -- take it from some people who have and others who still are. A Journal reporter traveling north on Route 114 in Middletown-Portsmouth reports very slippery conditions even at the lowest speeds. She's been on the road back to Providence from Newport for three hours. She said that cars pull over for a time, then resume the crawl. Traffic was slinking on Route 136 heading through Bristol. In East Providence's Rumford section, a particularly nasty stretch is Pawtucket Avenue, where cars appeared to have spun out in front of Newman Congregational Church. A half-mile down from that, a man was helping some young women whose Mercedes appeared to have spun out near where Pawtucket Avenue and Newport Avenue meet. Another reporter, heading from Bristol to Pawtucket, found that a normally half-hour journey was running past one hour and 20 minutes -- and she wasn't home yet. Still, during that journey, two men could be seen looking at a Christmas tree in a lot next to the Eskimo King ice cream spot in Swansea, Mass. Lanes were indiscernible on a stretch of Route 195 west from Massachusetts into Rhode Island. A journey from downtown Providence to the Pascoag section of Burrillville in the state's northwest corner endured for one hour and 45 minutes instead of the usual 40 minutes or so at midday. Much of the delay was simply getting onto Fountain Street in Providence and then up to Route 146 north, with treacherous ramps. Driving Route 146 north was about a 10 mph pace at first but got up to about 30 mph as drivers neared the North Smithfield line. Few accidents were seen on the route -- but one gasoline tanker flew by at perhaps 45 mph. However, Route 146 south from Mineral Spring Avenue into Providence was a parking lot this afternoon. And a commute from Woonsocket to Johnston took the better part of three hours for one man. It began snowing in Providence late this morning. By early afternoon, the snow was piling up around the state. The storm is expected to drop 5 to 10 inches across southern New England. Check out live local radar and track the storm. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. The brunt of the snowstorm is expected to continue during the evening commute. The trucks have pre-treated highways with a mixture of one part salt, to lower the freezing temperature of water, and one part sand, for traction and to keep the ice crystals from forming. “We’re basically trying to keep everything as open as possible during the evening commute,” said Baker. “Hopefully, everything will be going smoothly at that point.” In state government, the Department of Administration, which oversees people working in the executive branch, is carrying out an adverse weather policy in which state employees can take unused vacation, personal leave or leave without pay today. Providence City Hall closed at 3 p.m. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writers Karen Lee Ziner, John Castellucci, G. Wayne Miller, Meaghan Wims, C. Eugene Emery Jr., John Hill, and Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:20 PM | Comment Mellencamp stuck in Conn.; concert canceledThe John Mellencamp-Los Lobos concert scheduled for tonight at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center was canceled as the weather and the traffic made it nearly impossible for the star attraction to make it to the arena. Dunk general manager Larry Lepore said that the crew had gotten to the arena in the morning as usual, and the stage was ready to go. Mellencamp left New York, traveling by bus, at noon, and “after three hours he’d gone maybe 10 miles,” Lepore said. Lepore said he conferred with the Connecticut State Police, who informed him that sleet and freezing rain made road conditions even worse there than in Rhode Island. Taking all that into consideration, Lepore said, if Mellencamp made it to the show at all, he’d be “cutting it really close,” and that “our biggest concern [was] having people leave the house, come here, and then [we] cancel.” So the decision was made shortly after 4 to cancel the show. A statement by the arena said that the show would not be rescheduled. Ticketholders can get refunds where they bought their tickets. -- Journal staff writer Rick Massimo Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 5:05 PM | Comment Utility shutoffs in R.I. hit record high of 30,000The number of households that have lost utility service for unpaid bills this year has surpassed 30,000 for the first time since the state began tracking shutoff figures in 1997. The exact tally, kept by the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, was 30,088 accounts terminated from January to November.
That figure includes 6,222 households that are considered "protected," meaning a customer is elderly, handicapped, seriously ill, receiving unemployment compensation, receiving federal heating assistance or qualifies as a financial hardship. The number of shutoffs indicates how many households had their service turned off for nonpayment at some point during the year. It does not include customers who moved or canceled service voluntarily. And it does not reflect the current number of customers without service, since many have had service restored. State rules set by the Public Utilities Commission allow utility companies to shut off service to a customer if the delinquent balance rises above $500. However, the service of protected customers cannot be terminated during the winter moratorium of Nov. 1 to April 15. -- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann Posted by Tim Barmann at 4:35 PM | Comment Photo: Treacherous afternoon commute
Journal photo / Frieda Squires Vehicles crawl along the exit ramps from and onto Route 95 near the Providence Place mall yesterday afternoon. A combination of slippery roads and heavy traffic created gridlock in most communities throughout the state. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 4:23 PM | Comment Alert: Mellencamp concert canceled tonightThe John Mellencamp concert that was scheduled tonight at The Dunkin' Donuts Center has been canceled. A statement from the arena says the show will not be rescheduled and that ticketholders can get refunds wherever they bought the tickets. Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 4:06 PM | Comment Update: Gridlock and hours-long slogs grip the stateGridlock is gripping Providence. Forty-minute journeys through East Bay are stretching beyond three hours. Cars are spinning in East Providence. The season's first storm is punching Rhode Island hard. A mass exodus of cars out of the capital city has been under way for hours, with businesses dismissing people early because of the storm. And that exodus is at a crawl, with slippery conditions creating lots of accidents on the roads, with some people reporting waiting hours just to get from city streets onto highways. The Providence Department of Public Works has nearly 70 plows on the road, including those from private vendors, Mayor David N. Cicilline's office announced. "However, road conditions remain treacherous as snowfall continues into the evening. Mayor Cicilline advises residents to stay off the roads so that plow operators can make the streets safe for travel," the mayor's news release said. In Providence' s Kennedy Plaza, a woman said she and many others had been waiting for two hours for a bus that had not yet come. In Pawtucket, the snowstorm wreaked havoc. Major roads, such as Broadway, turned into parking lots as people were let out of work early, causing traffic jams. A privately owned sander truck broke down on School Street. The resulting backup made the situation worse. Pawtucket Highway Supt. Ronald J. Leitao said a major contributor to the problem was the elaborate truck detours that the state DOT put into place when a 22-ton weight limit was posted on the Pawtucket River Bridges, between Exits 27 and 28 on Route 95, two weeks ago. Heavy truck traffic diverted through the city between those exits was intensifying the traffic jams, Leitao said, making it difficult for the plows to move. “We’re in a little predicament,” Leitao said, speaking by cell phone from a truck stuck in traffic on Broadway at 3 p.m. “Our trucks are in their routes, but they’re just moving slow because of the detours and being stuck in traffic.” Leitao, who could see Route 95 from where he was sitting, said that it, too, looked like a parking lot. The city’s private weather service was predicting 6 inches of snow by 6 p.m., he said. With all the traffic, Leitao said, it won’t be until 6 p.m. that city snowplows will be able to plow the streets. An on-street parking ban went into effect at 1 p.m., but it wasn’t making much of a difference. Three more parking bans have been announced: Two go into force at 5 p.m. in Providence and Barrington. The Providence ban is in effect through 6 a.m. tomorrow. Another ban in in effect immediately in Seekonk, Mass. People must get cars and trucks off roads so that plows can clear them. For numerous parking bans and their start times in communities around the state, check here. And here's some proof: Providence police responded to a school bus that apparently slid on Cypress Street, a steep East Side road. No injuries were reported. There was also an accident at Abbott and Knowles streets, near Cypress. You really don't want to drive anywhere -- take it from some people who have and others who still are. A Journal reporter traveling north on Route 114 in Middletown-Portsmouth reports very slippery conditions even at the lowest speeds. She's been on the road back to Providence from Newport for three hours. She said that cars pull over for a time, then resume the crawl. Traffic was slinking on Route 136 heading through Bristol. In East Providence's Rumford section, a particularly nasty stretch is Pawtucket Avenue, where cars appeared to have spun out in front of Newman Congregational Church. A half-mile down from that, a man was helping some young women whose Mercedes appeared to have spun out near where Pawtucket Avenue and Newport Avenue meet. Another reporter, heading from Bristol to Pawtucket, found that a normally half-hour journey was running past one hour and 20 minutes -- and she wasn't home yet. Still, during that journey, two men could be seen looking at a Christmas tree in a lot next to the Eskimo King ice cream spot in Swansea, Mass. Lanes were indiscernible on a stretch of Route 195 west from Massachusetts into Rhode Island. A journey from downtown Providence to the Pascoag section of Burrillville in the state's northwest corner endured for one hour and 45 minutes instead of the usual 40 minutes or so at midday. Much of the delay was simply getting onto Fountain Street in Providence and then up to Route 146 north, with treacherous ramps. Driving Route 146 north was about a 10 mph pace at first but got up to about 30 mph as drivers neared the North Smithfield line. Few accidents were seen on the route -- but one gasoline tanker flew by at perhaps 45 mph. However, Route 146 south from Mineral Spring Avenue into Providence was a parking lot this afternoon. North Central State Airport on the Lincoln-Smithfield border has been closed, said Paul Smith, airport operations manager. "We're fighting a losing battle here now," he said. "We go down the runway [clearing it] and when we go back up it's already covered again." Smith said the airport will wait for the snow to stop then plow all at once. He said the airport currently expects to open by tomorrow morning at the latest. Rhode Islanders, lore says, should have done a milk-and-bread run by now. But one man had more exuberant choices. Journal staff writer Alisha A. Pina's mother Penny was at the Stop & Shop on Newport Avenue in East Providence near the Pawtucket border. A man in line behind her had a bag of apples and proclaimed: "I'm gonna make me a pie!" It began snowing in Providence late this morning. By early afternoon, the snow was piling up around the state. The snow, which began in South County before 11 a.m., is expected to drop 5 to 10 inches across southern New England. Check out live local radar and track the storm. Some schools have already canceled classes, and parking bans are in force in many towns. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. The brunt of the snow storm is expected to hit during the evening commute. The trucks have pre-treated highways with a mixture of one part salt, to lower the freezing temperature of water, and one part sand, for traction and to keep the ice crystals from forming. “We’re basically trying to keep everything as open as possible during the evening commute,” said Baker. “Hopefully, everything will be going smoothly at that point.” Shortly after noon, for instance, lottery corporation GTECH dismissed people from its Rhode Island offices if they chose to head home to avoid the storm's brunt, security there said. In state government, the Department of Administration, which oversees people working in the executive branch, is carrying out an adverse weather policy in which state employees can take unused vacation, personal leave or leave without pay today. Providence City Hall closed at 3 p.m. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writers Karen Lee Ziner, John Castellucci, G. Wayne Miller, Meaghan Wims, C. Eugene Emery Jr., John Hill, and Katie Mulvaney If the snow picks up, the DOT can bring in more trucks. The state owns 100 and has the ability to call up to 345 contacted vehicles to the roads. “I don’t think we’ll need that many,” Baker said. Let’s hope not. Check out the T. F. Green flight cancellations, school closings and the current weather conditions. The National Weather Service is predicting a snowfall rate of between 1 and 3 inches per hour at times with a total possible accumulation of 9 inches by this evening and more into the night. A lot of snow. But there’s another question, is it a Nor’easter? “It’s a term that’s loosely thrown around,” said Charles Foley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. “I suppose it could be characterized as a Nor’easter,” he said, but went on to explain why it wasn’t, really. The definition from the Glossary of Meteorology defines the storm as one with gale force winds from the northeast, precipitation, rough seas and, sometimes, flooding. Today's storm, Foley said, is coming from the South, “this is the storm that caused a lot of the misery through the central part of the country with all the ice and snow.” It’s moved east, jumped off the New Jersey Coast and strengthened. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:00 PM | Comment Blue Cross to pay $20 million to resolve probeBlue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office to pay $20 million to resolve a federal investigation. The money will be put into a trust fund administered by the Rhode Island Foundation and used to improve the quality and affordability of health care in the state. Under the agreement, the state's dominant health insurer has also consented to make ethical reforms. The agreement announced this morning comes just two days after four top executives at Blue Cross were dismissed. Blue Cross has been under investigation in a widespread probe into influence peddling at the State House; the company will not face criminal charges if it complies with the terms of the agreement. “We understand the position that Blue Cross is in in the state,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente. “They hold a predominant market share in insurance. They insure a lot of Rhode Islanders. That was one of the things we looked at when we arrived at the agreement.” As part of the agreement, Blue Cross cannot seek rate increases to cover the $20 million payment. Extra: Read the full agreement. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Brandie Jefferson Two former state legislators have been convicted for their roles in the federal corruption investigation that has come to be known as Operation Dollar Bill. Blue Cross acknowledged the former lawmakers actions in the agreement. Former House Majority Leader Gerard M. Martineau, of Woonsocket, pleaded guilty to accepting $900,000 worth of paper and plastic bag contracts from CVS and Blue Cross in exchange for influencing legislation. Former Senator John A. Celona, a North Providence Democrat who had served as chairman of the powerful Senate Corporations Committee, two years ago admitted selling his office to Roger Williams Medical Center, the drugstore chain CVS and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He gained $319,000. The company also acknowledges in the agreement that it paid $400,000 in insurance brokerage commissions to former Rhode Island Senate President while also lobbying him for legislation. The state ethics panel has accused former Senate President William V. Irons of breaking state ethics laws by voting on pharmacy legislation while he had a conflict of interest.
Posted by Jack Perry at 2:30 PM | Comment Helping Red Cross help fire victimsDozens of people have contacted the American Red Cross, Rhode Island Chapter after a fire Tuesday in Woonsocket left five families homeless. The organization provided supplies for the family right after the fire and will provide shelter and food for them through the weekend. “Once again, individuals are responding to their neighbors in need by offering assistance to the families in Woonsocket,” CEO John Holt said in a statement. Individuals and businesses who want to help can send donations to the Rhode Island Chapter at 105 Gano St., Providence, RI 02906. Donations are also accepted on the Red Cross Web site. If a donor wants the money go to Woonsocket families in particular, they should be sure to write “Woonsocket Fire” on the memo line of the check. Typically, the Rhode Island Red Cross spends $1,000 to assist a family of four. The organization relies on private donations to provide help to displaced families. “I would like to remind Rhode Islanders that the Red Cross responds to a fire on the average of once every other day," Holt said, "and that our resources are already stretched thin this fiscal year.” Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:15 PM | Comment Judge denies alleged crack dealer's requestJudge William E. Smith today denied Derrick Isom's request to withdraw his guilty plea for conspiracy and drug dealing in connection with the intergovernmental investigation known as Operation Crackdown. Isom requested to change his plea after a co-defendant, Khalid Mason, had his case tossed out after A series of missteps during the investigation, including the discovery that the lead detective, Scott Partridge, had stashed surveillance records in his attic, came to light. Williams refused to dismiss Isom's case, however, saying that Isom was guilty, and simply seeking a tactical advantage that wasn't guaranteed to work in any event. Isom pleaded guilty in exchange for a 20-year sentence instead of mandatory life. He is scheduled for sentencing Feb. 15. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:35 PM | Comment Photo: Walking in the snow
Posted by Jack Perry at 12:50 PM | Comment Reed seeks funding to help lobstermenPORTLAND, Maine -- Sens. Olympia Snowe of Maine and Jack Reed of Rhode Island are calling on the Bush administration to provide at least $14 million to lobstermen to help them comply with a new rule banning floating rope. A federal rule that takes effect next October requires lobstermen to use sinking rope instead of floating rope on their traps. Supporters of the change say it will protect right whales from getting entangled in floating rope. Industry estimates have placed the cost of compliance at $10,000 to $15,000 for each near-shore lobsterman. The costs could be far steeper for those lobstermen who drop their traps farther out to sea in offshore waters. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:40 PM | Comment ESPN source says Clemens named in steroids reportNEW YORK -- Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens and Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte were the first names to emerge today from the Mitchell report. ESPN.com reported Brian McNamee, a former trainer for the Yankees and Clemens, told investigators he supplied Clemens and Pettitte with steroids and that information is in the report. The Web site cited an unidentified source close to the trainer. "We will respond after the report," said Randy Hendricks, the agent for Clemens and Pettitte. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2006 that Clemens and Pettitte were among the players former major league pitcher Jason Grimsley accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, according to a federal agent's affidavit. Clemens and Pettitte have denied the allegations. On Wednesday, Pettitte said "I've not heard a word from anyone" about former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's investigation. Citing two lawyers familiar with the investigation, The New York Times reported McNamee also provided information about retired first baseman David Segui. On Monday, Segui admitted he used steroids and purchased shipments from former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski. Mitchell's report exposes a "serious drug culture within baseball, from top to bottom," fingers MVPs and All-Stars and calls for beefed-up testing by an outside agency to clean up the game. The report by Mitchell will include names of 60 to 80 players linked to performance-enhancing substances and plenty more information that exposes "deep problems" afflicting the sport, one of two sources with knowledge of the findings told the AP. Both sources said the report would not address amphetamines. The two sources were familiar with discussions that led to the final draft but did not want to be identified because it was confidential until its scheduled release. They said the full report, which they had not read, totaled 304 pages plus exhibits. One person familiar with the final version would only speak anonymously but described it as "a very thorough treatment of the subject" and said some aspects were surprising. He said the report assigns blame to both the commissioner's office and the players' union. MLB's "not going to love it, the union's not going to love it," he said. -- The Associated Press In an e-mail sent to agents today, the union said it would get a copy of the report at 1 p.m. "based on our pledge not to disclose its contents before 2 p.m." "We suggest that, for today at least, you decline general comment on the report and respond only on behalf of a particular player named in the report," the union told the agents. One source said that while the report will cite problems "top to bottom," it also will expose "deep problems, the number of players, high-level MVPs and All-Stars," as well as clubhouse personnel who allowed steroids and other banned substances in clubhouses or knew about it and didn't say anything. The rest of the report, the sources said, focuses on recommendations that include enhanced year-round testing and hiring a drug-testing company that uses the highest standards of independence and transparency. Baseball's program currently is overseen by a joint management-union Health Policy Advisory Committee, with an independent administrator approved by both sides. Mitchell, a Boston Red Sox director, planned to release his report at 2 p.m. Thursday during a news conference in New York City. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was to hold his own news conference a few blocks away 2 1/2 hours later. The report comes at the end of a year when San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds broke the career home run record, only to be indicted 100 days later on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroid use. It also was expected to recommend that baseball develop a credible program to handle cases with evidence of athletes receiving or taking drugs but not testing positive for them. Just last week, Kansas City's Jose Guillen and Baltimore's Jay Gibbons were suspended for the first 15 days of next season, and media reports said they had obtained human growth hormone in 2005, after baseball banned it. Much of the first part of the report will be based on evidence obtained from Radomski, and from information gleaned from the Albany district attorney's investigation into illegal drug distribution that focused on Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Fla., the sources said. Radomski was required to cooperate with the investigation as a condition of his federal plea agreement last April. Radomski pleaded guilty to illegally distributing steroids, HGH, amphetamines and other drugs to players and is awaiting sentencing. Some professional athletes have been linked to the Signature probe, though none have been charged. On Thursday morning at Radomski's Long Island, N.Y.-based business, Pro Touch Detail Center, a man who identified himself as Radomski told The Associated Press: "I have no comment. Talk to my lawyer. This is private property. Please leave." Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president of labor relations, reviewed at least part of the report this week to ensure no confidential information from the drug-testing program was disclosed, a person with knowledge of the union's discussion with Mitchell said, also on condition of anonymity. Despite repeated requests by the players' association to Mitchell's law firm, the union had not been allowed to review the report, that person said. "I certainly hope after 21 months and getting zip by way of cooperation from the players' association that they'll come up with some recommendations for improvement," said World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound. "If not, it's a complete waste of time." But he said he's not sure baseball would follow any recommendations. "My guess is that the management side probably would, but the players' association will dig in and continue its steel-town union approach to life," he said. Agents have said they expect the report to be highly critical of players and the union for largely refusing to cooperate with Mitchell. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, sent an e-mail to owners and team presidents in advance of the report with instructions how to respond to media inquiries. "We look forward to carefully reading the results of Sen. Mitchell's investigation," the recommended response said. "Protecting the integrity of our game is vital, and we intend to study his findings and recommendations, and will not comment until we have done so." Baseball did not have an agreement to ban steroids until September 2002, did not have testing with penalties until 2004 and did not ban HGH until 2005, when it also instituted a suspension for a first positive test. Mitchell was hired by Selig in March 2006 after the publication of "Game of Shadows," a book by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters about Bonds' alleged steroid use. The rise in power in the 1990s, which drew national attention when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased Roger Maris' single-season record in the Great Home Run Race of 1998, was accompanied by a rise in suspicion. Maris' record of 61 homers had stood since 1961, but McGwire hit 70 that year and Sosa had 66. During the chase, the AP reported McGwire had used androstenedione, a supplement then available over the counter that produced testosterone. A bulked-up Bonds then shattered McGwire's record by hitting 73 homers in 2001. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:36 PM | Comment It's already snowingIt's already started snowing in Hopkinton and Westerly as a storm expected to drop 5 to 10 inches of snow into southern New England moves into the area. Check out live local radar and track the storm. The snow wasn't expected to move into the region until after noon. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Jack Perry at 10:48 AM | Comment State preps roads for storm, residents prep cupboardsThe brunt of the impending snow storm is expected to hit during the evening commute. But the state Department of Transportation is getting ready to hit the road after the morning commute. The trucks will be pre-treating highways with a mixture of one part salt, to lower the freezing temperature of water, and one part sand, for traction and to keep the ice crystals from forming. “We’re basically trying to keep everything as open as possible during the evening commute,” said Joseph Baker, a senior civil engineer with the DOT. “Hopefully, everything will be going smoothly at that point.” If the snow picks up, the DOT can bring in more trucks. The state owns 100 and has the ability to call up to 345 contracted vehicles to the roads. “I don’t think we’ll need that many,” Baker said. Let’s hope not. And of course, DOT workers aren’t the only ones preparing for the weather. At the Cranston Stop & Shop on Atwood Ave., the parking lot was busy, the shopping carts were scarce, and the checkout lines were three and four people long. There’s still time to stock up any essentials you might be missing. The snow isn’t expected to start for a few hours yet. But once it starts, sometime after noon, it’s expected to persist until tonight, possibly dumping near a foot of snow when it’s all said and done. Check out the T. F. Green flight cancellations, school closings and the current weather conditions. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:16 AM | Comment Baseball report on steroids may name MVPs, All-StarsNEW YORK -- Judgment Day arrived for baseball's steroids era, with the Mitchell report set to be released and posted on the Internet for all to see. Many questions from a decade of doping will be answered, but many will remain and perhaps new ones will emerge. The Mitchell Report exposes a "serious drug culture within baseball, from top to bottom," fingers MVPs and All-Stars and calls for beefed-up testing by an outside agency to clean up the game, The Associated Press learned yesterday. The report by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell will include names of 60 to 80 players linked to performance-enhancing substances and plenty more information that exposes "deep problems" afflicting the sport, one of two sources with knowledge of the findings told the AP. Both sources said the report would not address amphetamines. The two sources were familiar with discussions that led to the final draft but did not want to be identified because it was confidential until its scheduled release. They said the full report, which they had not read, totaled 304 pages plus exhibits. One person familiar with the final version would only speak anonymously but described it as "a very thorough treatment of the subject" and said some aspects were surprising. He said the report assigns blame to both the commissioner's office and the players' union. MLB's "not going to love it, the union's not going to love it," he said. One source said that while the report will cite problems "top to bottom," it also will expose "deep problems, the number of players, high-level MVPs and All-Stars," as well as clubhouse personnel who allowed steroids and other banned substances in clubhouses or knew about it and didn't say anything. -- The Associated Press The rest of the report, the sources said, focuses on recommendations that include enhanced year-round testing and hiring a drug-testing company that uses the highest standards of independence and transparency. Baseball's program currently is overseen by a joint management-union Health Policy Advisory Committee, with an independent administrator approved by both sides. Mitchell, a Boston Red Sox director, planned to release his report at 2 p.m. today during a Manhattan news conference in New York City. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was to hold his own news conference a few blocks away 2 1/2 hours later. The report comes at the end of a year when San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds broke the career home run record, only to be indicted 100 days later on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroid use. It also was expected to recommend that baseball develop a credible program to handle cases with evidence of athletes receiving or taking drugs but not testing positive for them. Just last week, Kansas City's Jose Guillen and Baltimore's Jay Gibbons were suspended for the first 15 days of next season, and media reports said they had obtained human growth hormone in 2005, after baseball banned it. Much of the first part of the report will be based on evidence obtained from former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, and from information gleaned from the Albany district attorney's investigation into illegal drug distribution that focused on Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Fla., the sources said. Radomski was required to cooperate with the investigation as a condition of his federal plea agreement last April. Radomski pleaded guilty to illegally distributing steroids, HGH, amphetamines and other drugs to players and is awaiting sentencing. Some professional athletes have been linked to the Signature probe, though none have been charged. Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president of labor relations, reviewed at least part of the report this week to ensure no confidential information from the drug-testing program was disclosed, a person with knowledge of the union's discussion with Mitchell said, also on condition of anonymity. Despite repeated requests by the players' association to Mitchell's law firm, the union had not been allowed to review the report, that person said. "I certainly hope after 21 months and getting zip by way of cooperation from the players' association that they'll come up with some recommendations for improvement," said World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound. "If not, it's a complete waste of time." But he said he's not sure baseball would follow any recommendations. "My guess is that the management side probably would, but the players' association will dig in and continue its steel-town union approach to life," he said. Agents have said they expect the report to be highly critical of players and the union for largely refusing to cooperate with Mitchell. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, sent an e-mail to owners and team presidents in advance of the report with instructions how to respond to media inquiries. "We look forward to carefully reading the results of Sen. Mitchell's investigation," the recommended response said. "Protecting the integrity of our game is vital, and we intend to study his findings and recommendations, and will not comment until we have done so." Baseball did not have an agreement to ban steroids until September 2002, did not have testing with penalties until 2004 and did not ban HGH until 2005, when it also instituted a suspension for a first positive test. Mitchell was hired by Selig in March 2006 after the publication of "Game of Shadows," a book by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters about Bonds' alleged steroid use. The rise in power in the 1990s, which drew national attention when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased Roger Maris' single-season record in the Great Home Run Race of 1998, was accompanied by a rise in suspicion. Maris' record of 61 homers had stood since 1961, but McGwire hit 70 that year and Sosa had 66. During the chase, the AP reported McGwire had used androstenedione, a supplement then available over the counter that produced testosterone. A bulked-up Bonds then shattered McGwire's record by hitting 73 homers in 2001 Posted by Jack Perry at 9:41 AM | Comment National Guard remembers its rootsThe National Guard is turning 371 years old. That's right, 371 years old. "The National Guard traces its roots to the militia," according to Lt. Col. Denis J. Riel. "In 1636... the four oldest National Guard regiments were formed in Massachusetts Bay Colony ... That's where we trace our lineage. " At 11 a.m. today, newly enlisted Rhode Island Army and Air National Guardsmen will be inducted at the R.I. National Guard headquarters in Cranston. WWII veteran and guest of honor retired Col. Howard Brown will also be on hand, marking the event with a ceremonial cake cutting. According to the Guard, since September 2007, more than 3,900 members of the Army and Air National Guard have deployed in support of international conflicts; the largest number since the Civil War. "It is right and fitting to recognize the long and proud tradition of the Guard in Rhode Island, both in its federal role and its unique state role," Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray said in a statement. "It is also important to take a moment and celebrate our modern-day minutemen, members of our own community who, in the finest tradition of their predecessors, continue to leave their homes and drop their figurative plow-shares to pick up arms in defense of this great nation." -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:31 AM | Comment U.S. Attorney's office to discuss integrityThe U.S. Attorney's Office in Providence will hold a news briefing concerning "a public integrity matter" this morning. The briefing begins at 11 a.m. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:28 AM | Comment Is it a nor'easter?We’ve established that there’s snow on the way: the National Weather Service is predicting a snowfall rate of between 1 and 3 inches per hour at times with a total possible accumulation of 9 inches by this evening and more into the night. A lot of snow. But there’s another question, is it a Nor’easter? “It’s a term that’s loosely thrown around,” said Charles Foley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. “I suppose it could be characterized as a Nor’easter,” he said, but went on to explain why it wasn’t, really. The definition from the Glossary of Meteorology defines the storm as one with gale force winds from the northeast, precipitation, rough seas and, sometimes, flooding. Today's storm, Foley said, is coming from the South, “this is the storm that caused a lot of the misery through the central part of the country with all the ice and snow.” It’s moved east, jumped off the New Jersey Coast and strengthened. “Even though we do have northeast winds with this, the winds aren’t going to be significant” he explained. Winds aren’t expected to get any stronger than 10 mph today; gale force winds -- as mentioned in the Glossary of Meteorology -- begin at about 30 mph. Nor’easters are pretty serious storms. “This is a good sized storm,” Foley said, “but I wouldn’t say it’s a blockbuster. It’s a subjective kind of thing.” . ” For a real Nor’easter, we’ll have to wait – until Saturday. “A powerful Nor’easter will affect the region Saturday night into Sunday,” reads the NWS hazardous weather warning. Although its track is uncertain, we may see snow, rain, gale force winds and flooding. That sounds like a blockbuster storm. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:03 AM | Comment Maine troopers investigate brazen robbery of R.I. manWEST GARDINER, Maine -- Maine state troopers are investigating the brazen robbery of a motorist from Rhode Island on Route 95. Troopers say two men in a pickup forced the man’s vehicle off the road, then pulled over to ask if he was OK. Instead, the two men allegedly subdued the man with pepper spray and took his wallet, along with a Sony Play Station video console and a portable Play Station. Robert Simpkin of Warwick, R.I., lost $135 in his wallet and all of his identification. The stolen merchandise was valued at $1,200. Trooper Lee Vanadestine says he believes the men intended to steal Simpkin’s Suzuki X-90 but failed to do so because he removed the key. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:04 AM | Comment Pending storm prompts cancellations, parking bansSome schools have already canceled classes, and parking bans have been implemented in some towns because of the pending storm. Check the list, which will be updated regularly. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Winter storm warning posted for southern New EnglandThe National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning: "a significant winter storm will bring heavy snowfall to much of southern New England Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening." What more is there to say? The snow shouldn't begin until after noon. Until then, expect a high temperature of just 28 degrees and mild winds from the north and then the east. The temperature will drop just a few degrees overnight, and the snow should continue. In all, expect between 7 and 13 inches of snow accumulation. A warmer Friday may melt some of the snow, with a high temperature near 45 degrees. For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the story of four top executives ousted at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment December 12, 2007Tonight: Outlaws play tunes in ProvidenceTonight, some outlaws are playing in Providence while some jazzers are performing in Newport The Acoustic Outlaws play acoustic rock at Olives, 108 North Main St., Providence. 751-1200. 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. No cover. George Leonard plays jazz at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. 453-6500. 7 to 11 p.m. Loaded Dice and DJ Swing Daddy play swing at The C.V. Club, 329 Grosvenor Ave., East Providence. 434-9612. 7 to 11 p.m. Dance lesson, 7:15 pm. $7 (special events $8-$10). 2nd Avenue play rock at Pitcher's Pub, 80 Manville Hill Rd., Cumberland. 658-0058. 9 p.m. John Souza, Greg Wardson and Dick Lupino play jazz at Sardella's Restaurant, 30 Memorial Blvd., Newport. 849-6312. 7 to 9:30 pm. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:47 PM | Comment Police chase ends in accident on East SidePROVIDENCE: A car being chased by police struck two cars and a pedestrian this evening. Jean Pine said she was driving south on Hope Street around 5 p.m. when she saw another car and three police cruisers coming at her on Doyle St.
Pine said she was not hurt. But she said, the pedestrian was taken away in an ambulance. The pedestrian's condition is not known. The police officer at the scene would not say at around 5:30 if any arrests were made. After the accident at Doyle and Hope, there was talk on the police scanner about a suspect running away from the intersection.
Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:25 PM | Comment State demolishing last Navy barracks at QuonsetThe Quonset Development Corporation is demolishing the last Navy barracks at the Quonset Business Park, removing buildings that housed sailors for three decades beginning before World War II. In all, the state agency has spent $5.9 million tearing down 213 buildings at the former Navy base. That work, paid for by a 2004 bond, will clear 2.33 million square feet to sell or lease to businesses. (43,560 square feet equals one acre.) The last three unoccupied buildings — two 20,000-square-foot barracks identified as buildings #42 and #44 and a 6,400-square-foot former library known as building #380 — are scheduled to come down this week. Buildings #42 and #44, are the last of more than 20 barracks that housed enlisted men from 1940 until 1974 at Quonset. The two-story buildings, with 49 double occupancy rooms apiece, were used for office space in the 1990s by nuclear submarine maker Electric Boat, according to the QDC. The state has already razed a mess hall adjacent to the barracks, on Conway Avenue. Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 5:55 PM | Comment Update: Suspicious package or morning blend? / Photo
According to Providence police Maj. Monty J. Monteiro, the small, wrapped box may have been intended as a Christmas gift that fell out of someone's bag or backpack. According to police, a call came in at about 7 a.m. from someone inside the building at 2 Exchange Terrace reporting the box near the south door. It was about 12 hours after police had blanketed downtown Providence after a report of a man being seen carrying a rifle. Officers blocked the roads in front of the building and part of the plaza. A federal marshal was called in, and the city's bomb squad -- Sgt. Robert Boehm and Patrolman Lincoln Sisson -- responded. They checked it out with an X-ray camera, and had a dog sniff it, too. The intended receiver? Unknown. The box wasn't addressed. The contents -- tea bags.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:55 PM | Comment Carcieri says he sees military progress in IraqPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri said today that U.S. troops are making military progress toward a safer Iraq, but that political reconciliation is a ``huge challenge.’’ Carcieri, in his first trip to Iraq, visited with Rhode Island National Guard troops, met with military and diplomatic officials and had dinner with Army General David Petraeus. He was part of a delegation with two other governors, Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado and Michael Rounds of South Dakota. He said he was impressed with the mission and morale of the 169th Military Police unit of the RI National Guard that he met in Ramadi. ``They are out there using their skills,’’ said Carcieri, whose remarks came in a conference telephone hookup this afternoon with Rhode Island reporters. After meeting with troops, Carcieri said their mood is ``cautiously optimistic.’’ Violence appears to be down and U.S. troops are gaining the cooperation of Iraqis who want peace, Carcieri said. He said Iraqi citizens have become allies of the American forces and local ``neighborhood watch groups.’’ The Marines in Ramadi, Carcieri said, ``are actually holding a 5k road race.’’ ``I think the surge has been very successful,’’ in tamping down violence, said Carcieri. Iraqis ```are beginning to work with our people.’’ Before leaving Iraq, the delegation of governors met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Carcieri had dinner with the political officials in Ramadi. ``The troops have been doing a great job,’’ Carcieri said. ``On the other hand there are huge challenges here,’’ said Carcieri, referring to the political reconciliation among the various ethnic and political factions that make up Iraq. Political improvements, Carcieri acknowledged, have ``been slow slogging.’’ Carcieri’s trip was paid for by the federal government and came at no cost to Rhode Island taxpayers, said Jeff Neal, Carcieri’s spokesman. -- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:26 PM | Comment Body found dead in burning car is identifiedThe woman whose body was found in a burning car in South Kingstown has been identified as Katherine Helweg, 59, of the town's Wakefield section, the state Medical Examiners office said late this afternoon. The cause of death is "pending further studies," the medical examiner news release said. The woman was found "unresponsive inside a vehicle after a car fire" yesterday evening. Firefighters from the Kingston and Union Fire districts responded to a the car fire on Berry Hill Lane at about 5:40 p.m., according to a statement released by the police department. The car was parked in the driveway of a house at 86 Berry Hill Lane, toward the end of the cul-du-sac street. According to South Kingstown Police Capt. Jeffrey Allen, a married couple lives in the home. The fire was extinguished quickly. When it was out, firefighters found a body in the car. The Fire Marshal’s office is working with local authorities to determine what caused the fire. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Randal Edgar Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:15 PM | Comment Tiverton teachers will picket committee chair's workplaceTIVERTON -- The 200-member teachers union plans to take its contractual dispute with the School Committee to the workplace of the committee’s chairwoman -- St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, Mass. The union membership has voted to conduct informational picketing at the hospital next Monday at 2 p.m., according to a notice sent the hospital president by a union official. In a labor stand-off that has become increasingly nasty on a personal level, the School Committee chairwoman, Denise deMedeiros, an emergency room nurse, issued a statement today accusing the teachers union of harassment. She said that one union official, Patrick Crowley, “specifically intends to disrupt my ability to carry out my work as a nurse at the hospital, and to otherwise disrupt my employment there.” Patrick Crowley is the deputy executive director of the Rhode Island Education Association, the state affiliate of the local union, NEA-Tiverton. “It is indeed a sad day for school negotiations in Rhode Island when a teachers union -- which ostensibly is made up of professionals dedicated to the service of others -- must stoop to tactics such as this.” Amy Mullen, president of the union, said deMedeiros has been “impacting us where we work, so we thought that we would impact her where she works.” “We have no intention of disrupting hospital business,” she said. Crowley, meanwhile, sent a letter late last week to the hospital president, Robert E. Guyon, Jr., informing him of the union’s intent to picket on the 17th. Today, he said the letter was sent “out of an abundance of caution” in light of one legal interpretation of precedent-setting cases before the National Labor Relations Board which indicated that any organization planning to picket a health care facility must give ten days’ notice. He declined further comment except to say that the union membership voted to conduct the informational picketing. -- Journal staff writer Gina Macris deMedeiros said, “Mr. Crowley’s tactics, which are obviously designed to undermine my relationship with the hospital and its patients, are inherently destructive to the educational system.” She also said that Crowley’s “campaign of harassment does nothing to resolve the issues surrounding the contract. “Instead, he distracts from the negotiations and in the end prolongs them, to the benefit of no one and the detriment of all,” deMedeiros said in the statement. deMedeiros said the Committee is committed to negotiating a “fair, equitable and fiscally responsible teachers’ contract,” but Mullen scoffed at that assertion. It is the committee that “won’t sit down and negotiate,” Mullen said. The informational picketing is intended to put public pressure on the Committee to return to the bargaining table, she said. In October, the Committee declared an impasse in mediation and filed for non-binding arbitration. It rejected the union’s latest proposal for a two-year contract containing raises of 3.5 percent and 3.75 percent in the first and second years, respectively. The two sides also cannot agree on health care costs. Two months after the Committee declared the impasse, no arbitration sessions have been scheduled, an indication of the slow pace of the process, Mullen said. Meanwhile, teachers are working without a contract under court order. “Morale is in the toilet,” Mullen said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:00 PM | Comment Group protests proposed RIte Care cuts / Photo
The group’s grievance is that more than 10,000 children are estimated to lose coverage under the state’s RIte Care program. “We’ll respond to the outrageous proposal to warn Rhode Islanders about the unacceptable economic and human cost this type of wholesale attack on RIte Care will have on our state,” Dawn Wardyga, director of Family Voices at the R.I. Parent Information Network, said in a statement before the press conference at the Capital Hill Health Center. Carcieri’s spokesman, Jeff Neal, has said that the choice to cut RIte Care was difficult, “but the governor is focused on resolving the current budget crisis and preventing future budget problems by making these types of structural changes.” Carcieri is in Iraq today, where he has been visiting R.I. National Guard troops as part of a larger delegation. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:56 PM | Comment Update: Facing deficit, bridge authority explores revenuePROVIDENCE -- Investment bankers have approached the state Turnpike and Bridge Authority about the possibility of buying the Pell and Mount Hope bridges, officials said today. Meanwhile, the authority made public a consulting study saying it faces a long-term $200-million-plus deficit, brought on by the likelihood that its principal revenue source, tolls, won't keep up with the costs of maintaining the bridges. Authority Chairman David A. Darlington said the two developments aren't related, and that the authority has no intention of trying to cover the deficit by selling the bridges. He also said that the possible sale of the bridges "don't appear to be realistic projects." But he said that if the right proposal came up, he would put it before the governor and the General Assembly. To deal with the deficit, which would add up over 20 years, the authority is also facing a decision on whether to raise its tolls for the first time in nearly 40 years. -- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis with reports from Journal staff writer Steve Peoples Darlington said that major investment banking companies have approached the authority, and that authority officials have met with representatives of several of them. However, he said, those discussions never went beyond one meeting with each company before the companies lost interest, apparently because the authority's revenues and other financial factors made the potential deals unattractive. In the consulting report, the authority discussed financial difficulties it is likely to experience during the next 20 years in paying for the upkeep of its bridges. The authority has been able to keep its bridges in good condition because it has a steady stream of revenue from tolls. But the study, by PB Consult Inc., says that unless it finds new revenue, its income will fall behind its revenue, requiring an extra $223 million between now and 2027. The study's suggestions range from toll increases to farming out all of the authority's operations and maintenance work to private companies. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:49 PM | Comment R.I. records first case of rabies in a coyoteRhode Island has its first recorded case of rabies found in a coyote, but an investigation has found "no human health exposure" to the animal. The Department of Environmental Management got a report last weekend of the dead coyote on a Warwick private property. The state public health veterinarian, Scott Marshall, and Warwick animal control investigated, the DEM news release said. The news release did not say on which property the coyote was found. A DEM spokeswoman said the DEM receives the information from the state Health Department, which releases information by community and does not specify address. Coyotes are "not target species for rabies," the DEM said, but the disease has been found in coyotes on rare occasions. For instance, in 2005 rabies was found in one coyote in Massachusetts. Since 1991, four coyotes in Connecticut tested positive for rabies -- compared to 4,300 raccoons that tested for rabies in that state during that time. Last week, before the dead coyote was found, Warwick's animal control department received a report of an incident involving two pet dogs and a coyote -- the coyote was seen limping away injured. However, the dog owner, after looking at photos of the dead coyote, said the coyote that confronted the dogs was a lighter color and not the same one tested for rabies. The DEM advises the public to avoid encounters between their pets and wildlife and to avoid feeding outdoors if possible. "The positive rabies finding serves as a reminder to all Rhode Islanders that rabies remains prevalent throughout the state and that residents should continue to undertake sensible precautions," DEM said. "Those include: vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife, securing garbage, and not leaving pet food outside." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:26 PM | Comment Report: R.I. drops to 43rd in anti-tobacco spendingA new report by advocacy organizations ranks Rhode Island 43rd in the nation in the amount of multi-state tobacco settlement money that it uses for programs that try to cut tobacco use -- a drop, the report says, from 35th in the country the previous fiscal year. "Funding for Rhode Island's tobacco prevention and cessation program has been cut every year since [fiscal 2002], when it was funded at $3.1 million, or 33 percent of" the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended use of settlement on anti-tobacco programs, the report says in its section devoted to Rhode Island. The state's spending on anti-tobacco programs most recently was 9.5 percent of the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention's minimum rcommendations, according to the report out today from Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and other organizations that ranks states for fiscal 2008. Rhode Island state recently sold future rights to payments it expects to get from the 1998 settlement between tobacco companies and states to help narrow a budget deficit. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney The organizations said in the latest report that "we find that the states have made important progress by increasing funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs by 20 percent to a total of $717.2 million in fiscal year 2008, which is the highest level in six years." But most states are not meeting minimum financing for anti-tobacco programs recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and, combined, the states spend less than half of what CDC recommends, according to the report. Massachusetts was 31st in the while Connecticut finished last -- at 0.0 percent of the CDC's recommendations. Maine was tops, exceeding the CDC spending recommendations by more than 50 percent The other organizations that issued today's report are American Heart Association, American Lung Association and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:00 PM | Comment Shareholders approve Dow Jones saleDow Jones shareholders have approved the company's sale to News Corp., according to a count of proxy votes cast in advance of tomorrow's shareholder meeting. The Wall Street Journal, the company's flagship property, published the results on its Web site today. The acquisition is expected to result in the sale of several Dow Jones-owned newspapers in New England, including the Cape Cod Times a |
