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January 22, 2008

Carcieri: RI on brink of financial disaster

Governor Carcieri told lawmakers tonight that the state is teetering on the brink of financial disaster.

“The State of the State is at a tipping point,” he told a packed chamber of senators, representatives, judges and mayors. “If we are not willing to make the hard choices, then the tipping point will lean to the side of disaster, and we will have failed the people who sent us to serve them.”

Republican Carcieri served notice he hopes to bring public employees’ work weeks and compensation packages “back in line with the vast majority of private-sector employees,’’ impose a firm two-year time limit on welfare benefits, put city and town employees in one health-care plan with state workers, and adopt what he billed as a “Medicaid Reform Plan’’ aimed, in part, at keeping more senior citizens out of costly nursing homes.

“This crisis presents us with an unprecedented opportunity to make fundamental and lasting change that will quicken the transformation of Rhode Island from a ship today that’s taking on water to a world-class vessel,’’ he told the lawmakers in his annual State of the State address.

Not since the credit union crisis of the early 1990s has the state faced such large and imminent deficits: $151 million in the current year, up to $450 million in the budget year that begins on July 1.

-- Journal State House Bureau

Only once in a seven-page speech did he direct his pleas for help and cooperation at the state lawmakers seated in front of him, and that was when he asked “the General Assembly, the public employee union leadership and all municipal officials to work together with my administration to find ways to implement these changes.’’

The reception from some quarters was chilly.

“He says, ‘This is my agenda and everybody has to work on it.’ That’s a corporate approach. That’s one-side unilateral approach. That doesn’t work,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer George Nee. “The governor should be a leader of bringing people together to have people solve joint problems, not just work on his agenda. That’s the problem.”

But in her own prepared remarks, Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport said: “We are committed to working with the Governor to resolve the current budget crisis.’’ Added House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, D-Providence: “At the end of the day - we in government must continually remind ourselves that we all work for the taxpayers.’’

During most of Carcieri’s televised time at podium, he aimed his appeal at an audience outside the State House.

“Let me take a few moments to talk directly to every Rhode Islander who is watching this address on television, listening on the radio or reading about this in the morning newspaper,’ he said. “Most of you only want to know one thing: “What does this plan mean for me and my family?

“The answer is --- No tax increases! If this plan is implemented, your taxes won’t go up,’’ he said.

During the speech, the reaction from the lawmakers seated in the chamber was cool. Carcieri was interrupted only twice by applause – and the clapping largely came from a small group of Republican legislators. The only standing ovations came in response to the governor’s introduction of decorated combat veterans.

He promised the budget he proposes to lawmakers in the coming weeks will cut state spending by $300 million between now and the end of next year – resulting in a budget “that is less than the previous year (for) the first time since the credit union crisis.’’

But he provided few details, listing instead the broad areas in which he hopes to cut state spending, including public employee “wages, health care costs and pensions;’’ welfare, social service and other “entitlement programs,’’ and payments from the state to municipal government.

-- Journal State House Bureau

Posted by Steve Peoples at 10:21 PM | Comment

Tonight: Music in Providence, skating in Woonsocket

Jazz takes the stage at AS220 tonight, and there's folk and rock at Lupo's.

The Blueprint Project with Han Bennink play jazz at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 10 p.m. $7. All ages.

Ani DiFranco and Anais Mitchell play folk and rock at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. 331-5876, 272-5876, www.etix.com. 8 pm. $34.50.

Or there is ice skating in Woonsocket until 8 p.m.

The outdoor River Island Park rink overlooks the Blackstone River in the city's downtown. A fire pit is lighted beginning at 4 p.m. and there are floodlights to allow for night-time skating.

The rink, on Bernon Street, off Routes 146 and 145A, is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily, weather depending. Call (401) 767-9287 to be sure ice is open.

Find more things to do on projo.com's Lifebeat page.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 PM | Comment

DOT closing Hawkins Street Bridge for 3 days

The Hawkins Street Bridge in Providence, which travels over Route 146, will be closed to traffic until the weekend for repairs, the state Department of Transportation announced this evening.

As part of repairs, "additional construction will be needed to ensure safety for the motoring public," the DOT statement says.

The repair work is to replace the "beam seats," the concrete platform that steel beams sit on to support the bridge's deck.

Whem the Hawkins Street Bridge opens, it will be posted for use only by vehicles weighing three tons or less. The restriction will last about three weeks. Once this phase of construction is done, the span will reopen to all vehicles.

Beginning this evening, detours over Route 146 will be in place. The suggested detour is for drivers to use Branch Avenue, make a right onto Charles Street and then another right onto Admiral Street, which will take them to Hawkins Street, the DOT says. The detour works for drivers coming in the opposite direction as well.

The construction project started last fall and is slated to be done by fall 2009.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:56 PM | Comment

Report addresses ways to avoid another crippling storm

EAST PROVIDENCE -- A report released today by Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray proposes to move forward from a snowstorm that crippled much of the state last month, but some of the issues and analysis are absent from the report.

At a packed meeting of the Emergency Management Advisory Council, Roberts and Bray reviewed their recommendations to improve the way the state handles a snowstorm and other emergencies. The crowd of dozens of police and fire officials, federal and state authorities gathered at the East Providence City Hall was largely silent.

What’s missing from the report is an analysis about what went wrong during the Dec. 13 storm -- and an acknowledgement about the emergency procedures and plans that already exist.

Some of the recommendations, including methods of communications, are in hand or being developed, as well as partnerships with the public and private sector.

The report is heavy on the responsibilities of the cities and towns, such as recommending a statewide system for school and business closures, and getting local officials to report daily about what’s happening in their towns. The report also recommends reviewing the traffic plans of cities and towns to look at whether they are functional.

Both Roberts and Bray say they intend to meet with the mayors and council presidents in the cities and towns to discuss the responsibilities of the local emergency management directors, many of whom are part-timers or volunteers. “The number one issue is about money and resources. At the end of the day, we still have to be responsive to the public’s needs,” said Bray, who as commander of the state's National Guard oversees the RIEMA. He is also serving at the EMA's interim executive director, while Roberts is chairwoman of the RIEMAC.

Bray has told all of the directors to produce daily reports about the resources and situations happening in their towns -- even when nothing is going on -- so that the state can be ready to act if a crisis develops. The municipalities can still refuse the state’s help, Bray acknowledged.

“The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and the governor cannot invade a municipality. It’s about education, collaboration and communication,” Bray said.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

Also missing items from the report is legislation waiting in the wings of the General Assembly -- bills to decide who’s in charge during an emergency when the governor is out of contact and to give the state more authority over cities and towns.

Bray said he’s looking into legislation that would change the balance of power between the state and the municipalities. “We’re looking at statutory changes to give us a little more authority … and give us a little more leverage to ensure something can be done,” Bray said.

That proposal would be a reaction to what occurred in Providence on Dec. 13. A critical mix of commuters and school buses got on the roads at the same time that the snowstorm was hitting its stride, dropping 1 to 3 inches an hour. The highways and city streets gridlocked and, in Providence, students were on buses well into the night.

The state Emergency Management Agency didn’t learn about the gridlock and stranded students until mid-evening. The city EMA director didn’t report problems and when contacted, refused state help to rescue the children. Both directors have since been fired.

Bray said he wants the state EMA to become more proactive. However, even if the directors are reporting a crisis, there’s no one staffing the state EMA around the clock. Cities and towns use a mutual aid agreement to share their resources, such as fire trucks and ambulances, now. Municipalities call for help when they’ve exhausted all of their own resources but, barring a governor’s declaration of a state of emergency, those municipalities also pay the costs.

The report also doesn’t examine the question of who is in charge during an emergency. Under the state Emergency Operations Plan, the governor is supposed to be in charge. But during last month’s big snowstorm, Carcieri was in the Middle East and out of contact. He said later that he wouldn’t expect his staff to bother him for a “6- to 10-inch snowstorm.”

While Bray, who’d called out the day of the storm, decided not to open the Emergency Operations Center that day, his part of the report now has a structure for opening the EOC depending on the “precipitation.”

That was used during the Jan. 14 snowstorm, which was predicted to leave up to 14 inches of snow, but averaged closer to 4 inches of slush mid-state. The EOC was opened, nearly all schools canceled, businesses delayed, and the roads were plowed -- because no one was on them. The governor and Bray held news conferences to update the public.

It was the first trial of the new plan.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:45 PM | Comment

Sting using craigslist nets suspected prostitutes

SEEKONK, Mass. -- The police say they set up a sting at a local hotel last weekend to arrest prostitutes they contacted through craigslist.org, the popular classified advertising Web site.

On Friday, a task force made up of police from Seekonk and Swansea in Massachusetts and East Providence in Rhode Island secured rooms at the Motel 6 on Fall River Avenue, according to a police report. From 8:30 through 11:30 p.m., they arrested women who allegedly entered one of the rooms and offered to have sex for money with an undercover detective. Some of the women arrived in pairs.

The police arranged the meetings by contacting the suspected prostitutes by cell phone and asking them to meet in a specific room at the hotel, according to the report. While one officer positioned himself in the room, the other members of the task force conducted audio and video surveillance in an adjacent room. After services were offered ranging in price from $150 to $500, the task force members entered the room and arrested the suspects.

Sgt. Anthony Araujo said today that no other details were immediately available on how Craigslist and Motel 6 figured into the sting.

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

The police said they arrested the following women, charging each with sexual conduct for a fee: Felicia Lebrun, 19; Christina Tamburello, 24; Emily Duhamel, 30; Tajuana Littlejohn, 20; Philippa Hartmayer, 25; Nicole Woods, 24; and Chanel Evora, 24. No addresses for the suspects were available. All were released on bail until they are arraigned in court.

Today, craigslist.org featured listings in Seekonk that appeared to offer sex for money. The women, whose erotic pictures appeared in the ad, listed phone numbers where they could be contacted.

One said, “You must host. No exception. Providing outcalls to the local area only. Providence, Pawtucket, East Providence, Seekonk, Riverside, Rumford.”

Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:20 PM | Comment

New rules urged to prevent carbon-monoxide poisoning

PROVIDENCE -- Reacting to three deaths in the city this month from carbon monoxide poisoning, the state Department of Health wants to require hospital emergency rooms to have equipment available to test for CO poisoning whenever they test a patient’s oxygen level.

Under the proposed new regulations, hospitals would be required to notify the Department of Health of cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, which would allow for follow-up to determine the cause of the poisoning, possibly preventing more damage or even deaths, Dr. David R. Gifford, state director of health, said today. A pilot program at Rhode Island Hospital last year found 11 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning over a nine-month period, he said.

Carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless; CO poisoning can be fatal. Sonia Flores, 46, a factory worker and longtime city resident who emigrated from El Salvador; her son, Ryan, 14, a ninth-grade student at the Met School; and her boyfriend, Marco Herrera, 52, died of CO poisoning in Flores’ house at 345 Blackstone St. earlier this month.

State and city authorities say a boiler in the home had been incorrectly vented, allowing carbon monoxide to build up into the house.

Oxygen level tests are common in emergency rooms, said Gifford. The equipment to test for carbon monoxide poisoning costs about $3,000, he said. “To save one life, that seems a reasonable use of funds,” said Gifford.

Gifford announced the proposed regulation change at a news conference today, with state building and fire officials; Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline and Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian. Gifford expected the changes could be in effect within a few months.

Under state law, homes built since 2002 need to have carbon monoxide detectors, said Richard James, chief deputy state fire marshal. Older homes must have carbon monoxide detectors when they are sold, he said.

State Building Commissioner Jack Leyden said his office will begin requiring carbon monoxide detectors as part of the permitting for new heating and mechanical systems.

-- Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:59 PM | Comment

Police seek driver who hit bicyclist in Cranston

CRANSTON -- Police are looking for a middle-aged white male with a mustache suspected of hitting a bicyclist with his vehicle Monday morning and fleeing the scene.

Police say Dustin Urwin of Johnston was riding his bicycle south on Reservoir Avenue when he made a left turn to cross the street.

A northbound vehicle, which Urwin described as a late model gray or silver Toyota, struck Urwin’s rear wheel at about 7:54 a.m. near 994 Reservoir Ave. and threw the rider to the ground.

Cranston paramedics took Urwin to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released, according to police.

Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to call the police department’s Traffic Unit at 477-5000.

-- Journal staff writer David Scharfenberg

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:41 PM | Comment

1 dead, 1 sought after New Bedford Harbor accident

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- A fisherman’s body has been recovered from New Bedford Harbor, and a search for a second man who also went into the water has extended into the afternoon.

Executive director Kristin Decas of New Bedford’s Harbor Development Commission says three men had been trying to board a fishing vessel at a pier, when two slipped and fell in.

New Bedford Police Captain Joseph Cordeiro says a man’s body was recovered after a 911 call at 3:40 a.m. Authorities were searching off the pier for the other man.

Identities weren’t immediately released.

Decas says the men worked on the vessel Arcturus, which is owned by a company in Maine and has been fishing out of New Bedford for years.

Decas says the apparent accident is a tremendous loss for the industry.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:19 PM | Comment

Update: Governor to deliver State of the State tonight

PROVIDENCE — With state government facing a sea of red ink, Governor Carcieri will stand before a joint session of the House and Senate at 7 tonight and deliver what could be his bleakest State of the State address yet.

Yesterday, his spokesman Jeff Neal said the governor “is expected to focus his remarks on the short- and long-term fiscal challenges confronting state government” and “discuss the broad outlines of the difficult decisions necessary to balance the budget deficit in the current and coming fiscal years [FY 2008 and 2009].

Both the governor’s speech and the Democrats’ response will be aired live by Capitol Television, the broadcast arm of the General Assembly, on Statewide Interconnect C which is Channel 15 for both Cox Communications and Full Channel, and Channel 34 on Verizon.

The address is also expected to be broadcast live on television by WJAR-TV (Channel 10) and WPRI-TV (Channel 12), and on radio by WPRO 630 AM, WHJJ 920 AM and WRNI 1290 AM. WPRI, a Journal/projo.com partner, also plans to Webcast it on its site, wpri.com.

Projo.com aims to publish an advance copy of the governor's speech, expected to be available around the time of its scheduled start.

More ...

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this item incorrectly gave the channel number for the speech's broadcast on Verizon. The correct channel is 34.

Posted by Jack Perry at 3:08 PM | Comment

Brotherhood gets a third season

Brotherhood, the cable series where crime, cronyism and corruption intermingle in of all places Rhode Island, will get a third season filmed in Rhode Island.

Showtime has ordered a new season of eight episodes, which airs as a one-hour drama on Sunday nights, a news release out today says.

The series starring Jason Isaacs, Jason Clarke and Annabeth Gish will be shot in Providence.

"Brotherhood is one of our shining hours at Showtime -- a drama series that is among the highest quality shows offered anywhere on television, and we are proud to keep it firmly in our portfolio," Robert Greenblatt, president of Entertainment Showtime Networks Inc., said in the statement.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:05 PM | Comment

Blackstone Valley in running for global tourism award

The Blackstone River Valley is getting international recognition as a model of sustainable tourism.

Tourism for Tomorrow has nominated Blackstone Valley as one of three finalists for its Destination Award, which goes to a network of tourism-based organizations that successfully maintains sustainable tourism programs and promotes the natural, historic and cultural aspects of the place.

Valley tourism is managed by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, a government-mandated authority that promotes and maintains tourism sites throughout Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket, and the towns of Cumberland, Lincoln, North Smithfield, Smithfield, Glocester, and Burrillville. The region is of national significance as the actual birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.

Blackstone Valley is nominated for the award alongside Rinjani Trek Ecotourism Programme in Indonesia, and the town of Bouctouche in New Brunswick, Canada.

The winner will be invited to an awards ceremony at the Global Travel and Tourism Summit in April, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:36 PM | Comment

Program brings teens, young adults together

The transition from adolescent to adult can be tough. The transition for a teenager with a chronic disease can add extra dimensions of physical and emotional issues to overcome.

The Adolescent Leadership Council at Hasbro Children’s Hospital brings teenagers and Brown University students with chronic illnesses together for support, advice, and fun.

Now the teens and young adults of TALC are getting a boost – more than $57,000 from the Rhode Island Foundation to help the program grow.

The strategy grant will allow the program to hire a program director, taking TALC to the next level, Gary Maslow, the program’s founder, said in a statement.

"We want to find more ways to help teens manage their chronic illness and the challenges they face, as well as find ways to improve their transition into adulthood."

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:08 PM | Comment

Update: Westerly school official pleads not guilty to fraud

A Westerly School Committee member today pleaded not guilty to two felony fraud counts that resulted from allegations his contracting company received payment for work that was not done.

An elderly couple told police they wrote Dominic DiFazio's company -- Dom DiFazio Contracting -- two checks totaling more than $2,700 to replace the windows in their house.

According to a police report, both checks were cashed the days they were written -- Sept. 4 and Sept. 7 -- but the work was never done.

In Superior Court in South Kingstown, Judge Stephen Nugent today set bail for Dominic DiFazio at $20,000 with surety, which means someone must post 10 percent of the dollar amount or the full amount in property. Difazio is out on bail.

Police Chief Edward A. Mello described the couple, Harold and Florence Plympton, as "more than patient" and DiFazio as "less than patient," refusing to turn himself in when he was arrested during a budget retreat on Nov. 17.

The Connecticut Attorney General's Office and its Department of Consumer Protection are continuing separate investigations of complaints against the building contractor.

DiFazio is also due in court next month to face a misdemeanor fraud charge for allegedly writing a bad check to A-1 Rolloff Disposal.

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

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:54 PM | Comment

Mass. governor faces State of State, deficit, too

BOSTON -- It's an important week for Gov. Deval Patrick, as he unveils a proposed budget for the next fiscal year and delivers his first State-of-the-State address.

It all comes amid projections that Massachusetts could be facing a $1.3 billion deficit.

To help bridge the gap, the governor is expected to include $300 million in casino licensing fees in the budget he is scheduled to unveil Wednesday. But legislative leaders are questioning that approach, pointing out that lawmakers have yet to approve casino gambling.

Despite the impending deficit, Patrick is hoping to increase education spending by $368 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The governor will deliver his State-of-the-State address to a joint session of the Legislature on Thursday.

-- Associated Press

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:19 PM | Comment

Update: U.S. Attorney intends to retry Urciuoli, Driscoll

PROVIDENCE -- The U.S. Attorney's Office in Providence says it will retry the case against former top Roger Williams Medical center executives Robert Urciuoli and Frances Driscoll, whose convictions for allegedly paying former state Sen. John Celona to press the hospital's legislative agenda at the State House were overturned on appeal.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on Friday announced it vacated the convictions because U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres had given the jury overly broad instructions as to what constituted criminal acts, and that might have led the jury to convict based on actions that the appeals court does not consider to be federal crimes.

In a statement released this morning, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said his office believes the "central allegations of the indictment remain essentially unaffected and that they remain well-founded. Accordingly, we will retry the case against both Mr. Urciuoli and Ms. Driscoll."

In October 2006, Urciuoli was found guilty of conspiracy and 35 counts of mail fraud for hiring Celona, a North Providence Democrat, to push the hospital’s legislative agenda at the State House. Driscoll was convicted of one count of mail fraud. Urciuoli received a three-year prison sentence, and Driscoll, eight months.

The court had postponed the execution of their sentences pending the results of this appeal, and the hospital officials have been free on bail.

In 1998, Celona was hired to consult for an assisted-living facility and nursing home affiliated with Roger Williams. Prosecutors said Celona’s job was set up to pay him for political influence and that he got more than $260,000 to that end. Prosecutors said Celona killed certain legislation, lobbied towns to bolster ambulance runs to Roger Williams and pushed health insurers to increase reimbursements to the hospital.

During trial, Torres instructed the jury that “cloak of office” reached to all of Celona’s acts as a lawmaker, so the jury should consider things such as Celona’s lobbying town officials to benefit Roger Williams.

The appeals court's opinion noted a murky statute as it pertained to delineating a lawmaker's misconduct. Celona’s pressing local officials to obey state law did not equate to using his office to harm Rhode Island's citizens, the panel found.

“Celona’s conduct falls in a borderland where analogies can easily be drawn both to public and private conduct and there is no indication that Celona invoked any purported oversight authority or threatened to use official powers in support of his advocacy,” the decision read.

And the panel found that since the jury was told to look at advocacy for rescue runs as possible criminal conduct, the instructions were overbroad.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Corrente's statement said, "The court vacated the convictions because it believed that the instructions to the jury on honest services mail fraud permitted the jury to convict for conduct relating to the issue of rescue runs to Roger Williams Medical Center. Although the court stated it was 'fairly debatable,' it held that this conduct did not violate the federal honest services law."

"At the same time, however, the court held that Mr. Urciuoli could be prosecuted for using former Senator Celona to coerce health insurers into settlements with Roger Williams Medical Center," Corrente said. "Moreover, as the court noted, the defendants did not challenge the convictions as they related to using former Senator Celona 'to promote or block legislation to favor Roger Williams.' "

Celona resigned from the General Assembly in March 2004. He later pleaded guilty to selling his influence to Roger Williams, the CVS drugstore chain and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He is serving a 2½-year federal prison setnence and faces 18 months in state prison after that.

Roger Williams Medical Center reached its own plea deal with the government in 2006, requiring it to take responsibility for criminal misconduct and provide the poor some $4 million of free health care.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:06 PM | Comment

Police records released in fatal Conn. home invasion

CHESHIRE, Conn. -- Police took nearly five minutes from the time they received a 911 call until officers were dispatched to what turned out to be a deadly home invasion in Cheshire, Conn. last summer, according to dispatch records obtained by The Hartford Courant.

The first officer was outside the home for at least 26 minutes before the two men who allegedly murdered Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two teenage daughters were captured fleeing the horrific scene.

The heavily edited dispatch log and transcript of the police response were released to The Courant Monday as part of a freedom of information request.

The documents describe police officers setting up for a hostage situation by trying to establish a secure perimeter and waiting for SWAT team members and equipment to arrive rather than trying to contact the possible suspects or attempting to rescue family members trapped inside.

Jennifer Petit, 48, and her two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, were alive while officers were outside the home and were killed in the final minutes of their seven-hour ordeal. The two suspects are accused of strangling the mother and leaving the girls to die, tied to their beds as the pair fled the burning house.

Joshua Komisarjevsky, 27, and Steven Hayes, 44, face capital felony charges.

Dr. William Petit Jr. escaped, despite being bound and severely beaten.

-- The Associated Press

As one officer was yelling for a dispatcher to call an ambulance for Petit, others were alerting each other that the suspects were fleeing the house and the house was on fire.

Cheshire police declined to comment to The Courant on their response to the triple killings, citing a gag order imposed by New Haven Superior Court Judge Richard Damiani on all parties involved in the case. A telephone message was left Tuesday by The Associated Press with a police spokesman.

Police have defended their response, saying they followed proper protocols.

Cheshire police delayed entering the home because of assurances from a 911 caller who had been told no one would be hurt if police were not notified, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press last year.
Police believe the two career criminals broke into the Petit home about 3 a.m. and took members of the family hostage. Shortly after 9 a.m., police believe, Jennifer Hawke-Petit went to a Bank of America branch with Hayes to withdraw $15,000 from her account in a last-ditch effort to save her family.

Police became aware of the Petits’ ordeal with the 911 call from the Bank of America manager at 9:21 a.m.

Records show that dispatchers several times put the bank manager on hold during the initial three-minute 911 call. The bank manager was then told to call back police headquarters on another line to get a further description of what took place in the bank.

The back and forth phone calls took nearly five minutes, The Courant reported. A radio dispatch of an “incident” at the house occurred at 9:26 a.m. and a description of the Petits’ car used for the trip to the bank, including the license plate number, was broadcast to police at 9:28 a.m.

The dispatch tape describes officers trying to determine if people were in the Petit house and if the car had returned home from the bank. A decision was made quickly to call in the SWAT team, and some of the members were already at the scene.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:01 PM | Comment

Brown's study-abroad program under scrutiny

PROVIDENCE -- New York's attorney general is scrutinizing study abroad programs at Brown University and 14 other schools to ensure students aren't being cheated.

Prosecutors want to know if perks are improperly motivating school officials to select some study abroad providers over others and costing students money.

An official with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office says he wants to create a code of conduct to prevent conflicts of interest. His office has requested documents from more than a dozen schools.

Not every school is suspected of wrongdoing. Some schools received document requests because of their relationships with study abroad providers. But other inquiries could be an attempt to survey schools with study abroad programs.

A spokeswoman for Brown University did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:45 AM | Comment

Jury selection in prison guard appeal

Jury selection is set to begin today for one of three men who were found guilty of assaulting a prisoner while they were working as prison guards.

Ernest Spaziano, of Burrillville, Capt. Caulter Botas, of Pawtucket and Lt. Kenneth J. Viveiros, of North Providence, appealed the District Court's February guilty verdicts. They were given suspended sentences and probation.

Jury selection in Spaziano's trial is set to start today in Superior Court, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch.

Botas and Viveiros will be tried separately.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:19 AM | Comment

Officials will weigh storm response improvements

The state’s Emergency Management Advisory Council is meeting today to present some suggestions on how to better manage the state during inclement weather.

Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and Major General Robert T. Bray -- head of the state National Guard and acting executive director of the state Emergency Management Agency -- will join other State Emergency Management officials to discuss the results of the Council’s review of emergency response during the Dec. 13 snow storm.

According to a statement released by Roberts, the review covers some newly implemented and proposed solutions for the “failures of emergency response.”

The meeting is set for 2 p.m. at East Providence City Hall.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:14 AM | Comment

Westerly School Committee member in court today

A Westerly School Committee member is scheduled for arraignment today to face two felony counts of fraud.

An elderly couple told police they wrote Dominic DiFazio's company -- Dom DiFazio Contracting -- two checks totaling more than $2,700 to replace the windows in their house.

According to a police report, both checks were cashed the day they were written – Sept. 4 and Sept 7 -- but the work was never done.

Police Chief Edward A. Mello described the couple, Harold and Florence Plympton, as "more than patient" and DiFazio as "less than patient," refusing to turn himself in when he was arrested during a budget retreat on Nov. 17th.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court, Wakefield, this morning.

The Connecticut Attorney General’s office and its Department of Consumer Protection are also continuing separate investigations of complaints against the building contractor.

DiFazio is also due in court next month to face a misdemeanor fraud charge for allegedly writing a bad check to A-1 Rolloff Disposal.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:51 AM | Comment

Former councilman faces sexual assault charges

Former Central Falls councilman Luis Gil pleaded not guilty last week to three charges of sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy.

Gil, 45, was arrested on Nov. 12 after the Providence police allegedly found him in his car, under the Henderson Bridge, partially dressed with the 15-year-old boy buttoning up his jeans and trying to put on his shirt in the back seat.

The resulting investigation led to additional charges.

Gil said he was the boy’s soccer coach, but, according to state police Capt. Stephen Lynch, there is no indication of that.

Third-degree sexual assault involves a defendant older than 18 who engages in sexual penetration with someone between 14 and under 16.

Gil was released on personal recognizance; he is due back in Superior Court for a pre-trial hearing in late March.

Gil was initially scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference last Tuesday, when he was arraigned, according to a court clerk. His name was still scheduled for arraignment on a court calendar today.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:45 AM | Comment

Today's weather

There's a slight chance of snow early this afternoon, and we can expect rain later in the day. Expect clouds all day, with the National Weather Service forecasting a high temperature near 37 degrees. Winds should pick up from the southwest, with gusts up to 30 mph.

Rain may continue into the night, maybe turning to snow after 9 p.m. when the temperature drops to about 25 degrees.

Tomorrow expect clear, sunny skies, and a temperature reaching 37 degrees.

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

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:23 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features sports columnist Bill Reynolds writing about the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:15 AM | Comment